Anahka?

My dear XXXXXXXXX,

Permit me, once more, to set ink to parchment to recount to you the latest travails that have beset my companions and I. There is a matter that has arisen on which I would greatly enjoy receiving your opinion.

Of late, my travels have borne me on the shifting winds of Vana'diel to Windurst. Since the matter of the Prophet's transformation has been settled, albeit not without bloodshed and destruction, I have attempted to keep some distance between myself and my other erstwhile companions. Master Ikari, in particular, did not care for the path that I chose during that particular tragedy; the blow that I struck to the heart of Bahamut, while in my opinion necessary, seemed to rend Master Ikari's heart in turn, and she lashed out at me as if I had slain her love himself. Although matters have drawn to a satisfactory conclusion, I have sensed that my distance from the others has grown once again, and that I am not trusted as I once was.

Upon arriving in Windurst, I found Caen'ir and Seikatsu near the Residential Area, as well as another man who named himself as Sparhawk of Windurst. I immediately felt my hackles raise upon seeing the man. At first, I could not place it, but my reaction was immediate, visceral--like an animal seeing its young threatened by a predator. Instinctively, I moved to place myself between the man and my friends, and although Seik chastised me for it, I did not trust him. The man was not imperceptive, and soon headed off under my suspicious regard, Seik following him.

Anon, Caen'ir and I followed, only to find Seik alone, gazing after the man with sadness pouring from her in waves. I had felt from the man much hatred and violence before, the sense one gets from a trained killer who holds his emotions tightly to himself, and immediately my suspicions were piqued. I pursued the man, and questioned him most ardently, at the point of my Onimaru when I had no other options. Seik, Master Ikari, and Caen'ir encountered us in such a tableau, and the man Sparhawk managed to disarm me. His strike was not one of the novice adventurer that he purported to be, but was indeed that of a trained warrior who moves without waste or excessive movement.

I glanced toward Seik, and saw in her eyes a deep disappointment in both of us. Her eyes seemed to cut the unknown warrior as well to the quick, and he formed a peace with me before going to her and speaking to her quietly. I watched him most carefully; her opinion of him seemed to be important to him, and he even touched her lightly before he moved away again. At once, my suspicions were aroused, and I fumed in quiet anger at this strange warrior who made such advances upon my companion.

Master Ikari and Caen'ir mentioned that the Prophet and Caen'ir's teacher, Solitia, have both noted an unusual, ethereal quality about the man. He was called "Anahka," they said--a fated man who walks without the burden or guidance of destiny. Whether this is due to his destiny being undetermined, or simply that he may reject it as one rejects weakness from one's soul, I am not certain. Nor am I certain if this is a power or a liability. Master Ikari even implied that the reality of this identity had filled the Prophet with a great fear.

More and more, however, I feel myself distanced from my companions, and I could tell that they disapproved of my doubts about this Anahka Sparhawk's true character. Am I unfit to be around others, great lady? Do you know anything about the legend of this man, or his previous incarnations? Your guidance is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Please write back to me via a standard courier; Mog Mail seems to be entirely unreliable of late, as your last missive reached me several days tardy.

As always, I remain most sincerely yours,
Kre'oss