I can still remember the acrid scent of smoke and burning flesh. I feel the hatred boiling the air around me. Tis not my anger, but the Greatwyrm, Nidhogg. The Wyrm’s Shade had possessed Estinien and his enduring rancor had corrupted his form. Nidhogg was reborn and he would bring an end to the Dragonsong War by laying siege to the Holy See of Ishgard with the full might of the Dravanian Horde. I tightened my grip on my lance as my fellow adventures began their assult. Seeing an opening, I leapt high into the air and crashed down on the wyrm’s back with the full force of my body, shoving my lance deep into his hide. I ripped the lance from his body and leapt from back, but the wyrm’s gaze had now turned to me, and before I could react, he unleashed his gathered aether at me and I was hit with the full force of his fire and everything went dark. I took a desperate gasp as my body was lifted from the floor. Rays of light surrounded me as my wounds sealed and my energy returned to me. I picked up my lance once more and we continued our attack against the mad wyrm. He let out a piercing roar with enough force to knock us off our feet and wrapped himself in a cocoon of flames. The cocoon dissipated and my eyes fell upon Estinien, his body twisted and corrupted into a horrible amalgamation of human and dragon. Nidhogg crashed down on the battlefield using a corrupted version of the Dragoon dive. The Shade roared in indignation at our audacity to survive his attack. We continued to wear the wyrm down until once again he took to the skies. The battlefield was seared with bolts of black lightning as Nidhogg descended upon the battlefield in his draconian form, wreathed in flames and glowing with aetheric power. He crashed down on the bridge with the full force of his body, causing shockwaves and tremors that almost threw us into the endless abyss below. He brought all his dragon might upon us, filling the battlefield with swirling darkness, exploding fireballs, and searing us with his white-hot flames. With our final assault, the mad wyrm let out a final roar as the aether that made up his body dissipated. It had been a long road to reach this conclusion, paved with the lives of dear friends, stalwart comrades and bitter enemies. But the Warrior of Light’s work is never done; the Ascians are still out there, scheming plots to resurrect their dark god; and the Garleans continue to move their armies against Eorzea in their mad campaign to rule the world. That is why I stand here in front of your grave, dear Haurchefant, to see you one last time before I depart to foreign lands. Taking a knee before your headstone, I offer a silent prayer: “For those we have lost. For those we can yet save.” (Noble Barding)