One year, if my count is correct. One year of survival, exertion, and solitude.

Solitude.

I fear that I have gone completely mad; a sane mind doesn't witness constant illusions, mirages that could only be a work of fantasy.

But, could it all be real? I've seen the impossible challenged, ripped away by sheer force of will... My own existence can attest to that.

I'm not certain anymore. This is my last letter to you.

While I doubt that this will ever be found, should someone discover my shelter, please deliver these letters to my sister, Serah Farron, resident of Bodhum. You need only look for pink hair, and a smile that can keep one alive even in the darkest of times.

I leave for the shore, now.

The ship rocked back and forth against the waves, and a steady wind swept over the deck, ruffling the hair of one Lightning Farron. She stood beside the railing, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Reaching into her jacket, a royal blue uniform, she retrieved a small spyglass from her pocket.

"See anythin' interesting?"

Lightning kept still, gazing out at the ocean. "Nothing in particular." She tucked the spyglass away, before she to address the sailor. "You shouldn't be loitering, they'll surely punish you for it."

The man shrugged, and he half-heartedly shoved a mop further across the deck. "Well, why're you just standin' around?"

Lightning narrowed her eyes. "I'm not."

"Wat'cha doin', then?"

Lightning glanced back over the railing, and she took a deep breath. "Keeping watch."

The sailor paused, before his eyes widened. "You don't reckon we'll run into trouble this soon, do you?" He glanced around at the horizon. "We aren't even carryin' anything, yet!"

Lightning raised a single eyebrow. "It's curious why they're paying me, then..." She walked off, leaving the sailor to his work.

Lightning lay upon her bunk, holding a small, weathered book above her head. The only source of light available to her was a tiny, flickering candle, which burned steadily into the night.

Her eyes fell half-lidded, and Lightning set the book down upon her chest, before she exhaled, long and slow. She closed her eyes, relaxing into the gentle sway of the ship, listening to the waves that rocked the vessel back and forth.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and Lightning slowly opened her eyes. The candlelight quivered, wax dripping down from the flame to pool out along the metal base. Lightning gazed into the fire for a while, before she started to relax once more.

The sound of a distant bell rang out from the deck, and Lightning tensed, racing to her feet. She reached out for a split second, but she quickly tumbled to the floor in a daze as an explosion rocked the cabin. Saltwater sprayed out into the room, revealing that a gaping hole had been torn straight through the wood; the weathered timbers smoldered with a crackling hiss until the waves rose, quelling the fire.

Lightning sputtered, and she stood up to scramble through her belongings, releasing a snarl when another round of cannon-fire sounded in the distance. She loaded her pistol with haste, before she raced out into the hallway, soon finding herself upon the deck once more.

The crew moved around her in a blur, and Lightning struggled to merely stay upright within the clamoring throng. She began to shove her way through the masses, but the crowd stilled when a deep, groaning series of cracks echoed up from the hull, and Lightning's blood ran cold.

An odd sensation, the quiet realization of falling; her lungs burned as Lightning struggled to orient herself. She could see nothing but an seemingly endless stretch of darkness, and her body twitched against a numbing torrent of shivers that crept forcefully into her limbs, before she finally knew.

Lightning's eyes flew open as she let out a gasp, releasing a burst of air which bubbled out from her lips, fluttering away into the darkness. She could see nothing but ocean, and almost immediately, the turbid, vile seawater poured out into her mouth, rushing down into her throat.

A section of the hull suddenly slammed against her back, forcing the last bits of breath from her lungs, which trickled away to the surface. Lightning reached out, gazing up at the tiny, burning patch light; the ship had long since collapsed in on itself, lingering far above.

Her gaze drifted in and out of focus, and she soon she fell limp, sinking into the murky darkness.

Sleek, streamlined movement flit past the edge of her vision, but Lightning kept still, fading away.

Her gaze met with that of another; she could only stare into the foreign irises, a deep, rich green, vast as the sea. Something stirred beneath her chest, but Lightning could barely move, and her eyes soon fell shut.

Lightning woke with a ragged groan, slowly realizing that her lungs were still heavy with seawater. She hacked out a mouthful of liquid, breathing in shallow bursts, before she rolled over to face the sky. Her eyes narrowed after a long moment of silence, and she sat up to gaze around at the churning ocean, as well as the wide section of wooden framework that she now floated upon. Lightning looked out at the sea, and she soon found that her resting place was the largest bit of available flotsam; only individual planks floated beside her, and the ship itself was nowhere to be seen.

Lightning tried to stand, but her back cried out in protest, the muscles nearly spasming as she fell to her hands. With a low hiss, she inched her way over to the edge of the makeshift raft, crawling on her hands and knees. She leaned over to inspect the wood; the planks were extremely watertight, curving up to form an arc. Lightning glanced back at the opposite side, and she concluded that the flotsam must have belonged to part of the hull at one point. She sighed, squinting out at the horizon, before her eyes widened.

A tiny speck of land lay off in the distance, barely visible over the swell of the waves. Lightning slowly stood, wincing in pain as she walked back to the opposite edge. She began to lean her weight against the crashing ocean, attempting to steer the craft towards her destination. A plank of wood bobbed up and down in the water, and she hauled it up to paddle against the roiling sea.

The sun rose high above the island; hours had passed by the time that Lightning had collapsed against the beach, and a burning pain seeped through every inch of her body. She struggled to her feet, and she soon began to trudge up the shore with weighted limbs, but her foot caught on something, and she fell forward.

Lightning landed face first in the sand, before she pulled her head back with a hiss. Narrowing her eyes, she searched for the culprit, but she froze upon finding it.

A sea turtle blinked once, gazing up at her with soft, dewy eyes. Lighting exhaled, and all was silent for a moment, save the distant cry of seagulls. She suddenly reached out to grab the turtle by its flippers, whispering an apology as she carried it off down the beach.

Lightning paused beside a vast, lofty forest, and she quickly sat down upon a fallen palm tree. Her stomach whined, and she looked down at the turtle, which was still held against her chest. Lightning reached for her jacket pocket, slowly revealing a sleek, folded knife. She flipped out the blade, gazing down at the inscription, before she tightened it in her grasp. Lightning set the turtle down on its back, and she raised her knife.

Lightning held the twin pieces of shell in her arms as she walked through the forest, gazing up at the towering trees. She carefully navigated the terrain, pausing only to listen closer to the sound of birdsong, which actually seemed to grant a certain levity to the situation. Lightning paused beside a jagged rock formation, and she began to walk alongside it, searching the winding cliff face for any indication of caves or shelter. She soon came to a halt beside a sheer drop, and Lightning knelt down to find that the crag broke off into an overhang, which sheltered a small area below, facing the beach.

The sun had already started to set as Lightning made her way down, and she still clutched the turtle shell in her arms while she maneuvered her way over the rocks. Her boots soon touched down upon a thick layer of moss, and she walked slowly along the stone surface, careful not to slip as she made her way beneath the overhang. Lightning set down the turtle shell, before she sat down upon the sand as well. She leaned back against the rock to rest, attempting to catch her breath.

The moon rose high above the island, illuminating the night with a pale, gentle glow. Lightning slowly opened her eyes, before she glanced to the side, releasing a quiet sigh. She looked down at herself, and she nearly grimaced at the way that her clothes clung to her body, still drenched with seawater. Lightning began to strip off her jacket, tugging at the inner pocket for her knife, but when her fingertips touched against her second pocket, she frowned; her spyglass was nowhere to be found.

Lightning took a deep breath, before she exhaled. She looked over at the beach, watching as the waves lapped against the shore; the ocean was nearly black beneath the starry sky. Lightning folded up her jacket, placing it beside the turtle shell, before she stepped out from her shelter.

She slowly walked along the beach, tilting her head back to gaze up at the forest; the sound of insects thrummed away from within. Lightning crept up into the trees, narrowing her eyes as she navigated over the twisting roots. She lowered herself, crawling forward for a while, only to pause beside a clearing, listening to the echo of rushing water.

After a moment, Lightning took a tentative step forward, and soon walked over to kneel down beside the river's edge. She cupped her hands beneath the surface, raising them to drink deeply, and she barely seemed to mind when a bit of water trickled down her chin. Lightning drank her fill, before she swished around a mouthful to wash out the taste of salt, simultaneously scrubbing the grime away from her chin and lips as well.

A twig snapped in the distance, and Lightning tensed, slowly reaching for her knife. She turned around to scan the forest floor, but she found only a pair of brown eyes gazing out at her from the darkness, as well as a wrinkled snout that twitched beneath.

Lightning took one look at the set of wicked, curling tusks, before she quietly backed away, allowing a massive boar to shuffle over to the water's edge.

Lightning walked back between the trees in silence, and she glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the boar was still drinking, before she let out a sigh of relief, making her way back to the beach.

Rays of sun trickled steadily over the horizon, while the waves rolled back and forth against the shore. Lightning stirred, and she winced at the brightness, but she soon roused, rising up into a sitting position. She began to brush away the sand from her face, shaking it out from her hair, before she leaned back with a quiet sigh. Lightning looked down at her undershirt, gazing along the simple layer of cloth that was buttoned up to her chest. She scowled at a jagged tear in her pants; the fabric around her knee was beginning to fray, revealing her skin beneath.

Lightning stood, and she braced an arm against the rock as she made her way down the rocky wall, soon stepping out upon the beach. She looked out over the wide expanse of sand, and her boots began to squeak as she walked. Lightning paused, before she sat down to shake out the water from her boots, wrinkling her nose at the scent of brine. She pulled her boots back on, but she grimaced at the soggy feeling against her feet. Lightning soon began to strip off her socks as well; the fabric was still drenched from the sea. She carried them both back to her shelter, laying out the fabric against a flat rock, with her boots beside them.

Her bare feet were soon covered in sand, but Lightning quickly made her way down the beach, and she began to follow the winding treeline with her knife in hand. She glanced up at the forest, pausing when she spotted a wide patch of reeds that grew beside the grass. Lightning walked over to the reeds, and she knelt down to test the strength of the stalk, before the faint hint of a smile crossed her lips. She began to use her knife to saw through several of the reeds, and she soon carried an armful back to her shelter, placing the entire bundle upon the sand.

Lightning stepped cautiously over the rocks; the surface was extremely slippery, and seawater trickled down along the crevices with each crashing wave. She began to balance along the edge, holding her arm aloft in a lithe, powerful pose, while she gripped a sharpened reed in her hand. Lightning stared down at the water in complete silence; her eyes began to track a scaly form that moved gracefully beneath the surface. She took a deep breath, before she brought down her arm down in a swift, whistling thrust.

Lightning exhaled, shakily lifting her spear back above the surface, before her breath caught at the silver fish wriggling back and forth upon it. She quickly pulled out her knife, and she slide the blade up and through the base of its head, before the little creature fell still.

A tiny smile graced her lips while she scaled and gutted the fish, and she soon bit down against the slimy fish with only a slight grimace. Lightning wrinkled her nose at the sent, but she continued to pull back mouthfuls of flesh, swallowing before she could even think of gagging.

Something moved off in the distance, merely a slight glimmer within the rolling waves. Lightning paused to stare out at the ocean, and she narrowed her eyes, but nearly a minute passed without incident, so she returned to eating the fish.

The sun began to sink past the treeline as Lightning sat out upon the beach; her clothes were finally dry after an entire day of warmth. A gentle breeze ruffled through her hair, and she exhaled, resting her head within her hands. Slowly threading her fingers into her pink locks, her fingertips brushed along her scalp, massaging against her aching skin. Lightning shivered when the wind grew cold against her bare arms, so she stood up, making her way back beneath the overhang.