Chapter I - The Original Queen of Dragons
The Baal you know and the Baal in her memories share the same appearance, but their souls are fundamentally different. The original Baal lived in the mountains of Garlemald as the Queen of her tribe in Lapis Manalis, dedicated to protecting her people from both Garlean invaders and wild beasts.She had no ties to the Scions and lived a simple, purposeful life: assisting villagers with hunting and gathering, or entertaining the young with games.According to her journal, Garlean forces turned their attention to her and her tribe shortly after the failed assassination attempt on Emperor Solus by the Reapers of Garlemald. Baal protected the fleeing Reapers from the capital, offering them shelter as they neared her home.In response, Emperor Solus orchestrated a plan to isolate the Dragon Queen, attacking her village while she was out hunting. When she returned, she found her village occupied by Garlean forces and the villagers held hostage. A few Reapers managed to guide some of the people to safety through caves behind the village.The commander of the Garlean assault offered her a cruel choice: fight and watch her people die, or surrender and come with them to spare the villagers. Valuing the lives of her people above all else, Baal chose to surrender.
Chapter II: The Captive Queen
To the Garlean scientists, Baal was nothing more than a tool, a living experiment. They tore into her body and spirit without mercy, seeking to probe her powers and extract her DNA to strengthen their war machines. Pain became her constant companion, yet she clung fiercely to hope, refusing to let their cruelty extinguish the light within her.Each day was a torment of invention and barbarity. She was strapped to cold, unfeeling devices, shocked with electricity to test her limits, forced to channel her powers until her muscles burned and blood ran freely. Solus and his scientists cared only for conquest, only for the key to wielding the power that lay within her.They spoke endlessly of Project Dalamud, of the “glory” it would bring their empire. Baal’s heart clenched as she remembered her mother’s warnings: of the Red Moon, of Dalamud, of the Allagan soldiers and the destruction they heralded. She cried out, defiant, warning them not to place faith in that cursed power. The punishment was immediate and brutal. A scientist sneered, “Guinea pigs have no voice. Only a body to test… until it dies.” And so they beat her, again and again.Through her torment, they dragged her into Project Dalamud. Her power was used to reestablish the Red Moon’s connection, a “success” in the eyes of those who measured achievement in suffering. Her body withered under their relentless experiments, her once proud frame reduced to frailty. Years of captivity left her small, scarred, and weakened.Yet even as her flesh betrayed her, her spirit refused to break. Pain etched into every fiber of her being, she endured with an unwavering heart, a quiet defiance burning behind her smile. Though the world sought to crush her, Baal remained, unyielding, luminous, a small but unstoppable flame in the darkness.
Chapter III: A Queen's Sacrifice and the Clone Soldier
A few months had passed since Project Dalamud successfully re-established a connection to the Bozjan base and the Red Moon, and Baal’s health was steadily deteriorating. The scientists continued to push her powers to their limits, while also attempting to find a way to extract her abilities in full to empower Garlean magitek.Their spirits were high following the ongoing conquest of Eorzea: Ala Mhigo had fallen, and their forces were advancing toward Mor Dhona to further cripple the resistance. During attempts to draw aether from Dalamud to power new magitek, the scientists discovered that the Red Moon was artificial. Yet every effort to extract Baal’s power had failed; she could barely access her abilities under the relentless experimentation.In response, the head scientist, Aulus mal Asina, devised a new plan: to create a clone of Baal. Using the DNA collected during her periods of peak health—when she could surpass her limits with ease—he initiated what he called the “False Queen Project.” The goal was to clone Baal and harness her powers for conquests and assassinations. Emperor Solus funded the project personally, keeping it secret from Varis zos Galvus.Five years had passed since the False Queen Project began and since Ala Mhigo’s capture. The project appeared uncertain until the cloned Baal finally activated her powers upon crying for the first time, inadvertently injuring three scientists. Aulus mal Asina presented this result to Emperor Solus in secret, prompting Solus to order accelerated aging experiments to raise the clone to the age of a teenager or young adult, enabling proper training under his guidance. They named the clone Baalysia Li Makoto—a grim homage to the fallen Dragon Queen.Two months later, Baalysia’s body had been accelerated to the equivalent of fifteen human years. Her draconic genes activated during the process, healing any damage from the acceleration and greatly enhancing her strength. She now had the physique of an elf, but the lifespan, endurance, and power of a wyrm-like dragon. Aulus presented her to Emperor Solus, outfitted in a battle ensemble: a dark red-and-brown cloak over a one-piece combat suit, dark red gloves for grip, brown combat boots for agility, and a visor to help guide and control her abilities.As Aulus arrived with Baalysia, Varis confronted him with fury: “I have heard of your False Queen Project and find it detestable! We should rely on Garlean strength, not a clone. Emperor Solus, I demand you strip him of his Mal rank and assign him to a lesser duty!”Solus waved him off dismissively. “Baalysia is a very special Garlean. I will personally train her to make our enemies fear us. Aulus, you will be assigned elsewhere to assist with Magitek improvements. Now leave me; I have a young Garlean to prepare for battle.”Baalysia saluted Emperor Solus. He returned her salute with a commanding tone: “I hope you are ready, girl. This training will be unforgiving. You must become a weapon—for your Emperor and for Garlemald!”
Chapter IV: Empire's Assassin and Finding a Purpose
After a month of grueling training under Emperor Solus, Baalysia had learned to anticipate her master’s moves, sometimes even catching him off-guard. The next morning, she entered the throne room to find him scowling over a report from Gaius van Baelsar. The flagship Agrius had been destroyed at Silvertear Skies while fighting a great wyrm. Midgardsormr, the wyrm, was dead, but the loss stung Garlemald deeply. Baalysia saluted, ready for her lesson.Solus gestured to a set of glowing daggers. “Take these. Today, you learn assassination. You are skilled in hand-to-hand combat, but a true killer wields any weapon, and survives when others fall.”Hours passed in silence. Baalysia learned the daggers’ weight, the rhythm of strikes, the precision of death. She moved unseen, launching attacks on Solus himself, refining every motion. Exhaustion pulled at her, but she pushed onward, her mind sharpening as her body obeyed without hesitation.Months passed, and she became a shadow in Garlean territories, executing missions with ruthless efficiency. Her first real assassination in Ala Mhigo eliminated a resistance leader, leaving chaos among the surviving forces. Reporting back to Varis yae Galvus, she found her rapid rise acknowledged.“You made it appear the resistance killed one of their own,” Varis said. “Efficient. But troubling news: Bozja Citadel, the heart of Project Dalamud, has been obliterated. The city, the scientists, all gone. The moon itself flared red and annihilated everything. Report to the researchers before returning to the Emperor.”Years passed. Baalysia grew stronger, sharper, colder. She witnessed Project Meteor and the Battle of Carteneau, horrors that sparked a memory of a mysterious woman warning her never to rely on the Red Moon’s power.During the battle, she activated a relay station controlling Dalamud. A surge of energy overwhelmed her, transforming her into Bahamut, the Dragon Queen. Power surged uncontrollably, shattering the moon and raining destruction across Eorzea. Only Louisoix intervened, sacrificing himself to halt her berserk rage. She returned to the relay station, wounded and visor cracked, before being sent to Castrum Centri.There, she met Livia sas Junius. Saluting both Gaius and Livia, she said, “Lord Gaius, I have arrived. Report your orders.”“Welcome to the land of savages, Silver Dragon,” Livia replied. “You’ll join me to hunt the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, their resistance ends here.”Gaius nodded. “Our informants have located the Scions’ base. You and Livia capture them. Kill anyone who resists.”Baalysia and Livia led a platoon to Vesper Bay. The assault was precise and lethal. Baalysia struck like a shadow, dispatching adventurers with cold efficiency. She lifted Urianger by the throat, holding Tataru aloft as leverage, forcing a surrender. Minfilia stepped forward, hands raised. “I will surrender if no one else is harmed.”Baalysia’s motion was fluid and merciless. She tossed Tataru at Urianger, knocking both unconscious. The Scions’ base fell, their resistance crushed, and Garlemald’s dominance remained unchallenged.
Minfilia brushed past Baalysia as she moved toward Livia sas Junius. The brief contact unleashed a surge of memories through Minfilia’s Echo, both familiar and alien. Baalysia’s mind reeled—images, emotions, and sensations crashing together. She clutched her head and screamed as her dragon powers flared uncontrollably, instantly killing the two Garlean soldiers who had touched her, before collapsing into darkness.When she awoke, Baalysia found herself strapped to a table in Castrum Meridianum. Technicians fussed over her visor, fried from the overload of her powers. Livia stood nearby, smug and cruel.“I told Gaius we should never have brought along a broken clone of a dead Dragon Queen,” Livia sneered. “Project False Queen may have succeeded, but you were nothing more than a doll, manipulated for our amusement. You may have been created in Garlemald, but you are not truly Garlean.”She backhanded Baalysia, who let a small, defiant smirk curve her lips. “Once I-”The words never left her mouth. Livia struck her again with the butt of her gun, and darkness claimed her once more.Baalysia awoke to a calmer presence this time. A cheery Hyur woman and a focused Miqo’te mage watched her with careful attention. But it was Y’shtola, her turquoise eyes locked on Baalysia, who held her gaze. Minfilia spoke softly. “Yda, Y’shtola, I know your frustration in trying to convince others to help. But she has been cast aside too long. From my Echo in the Waking Sands, I can see she is different. She has free will now. She can choose her own path.”With their aid, Baalysia rose from the table, still disoriented. “I… I do not understand. Why would you free me? Even if I acted against my will, my hands killed your allies at Vesper Bay. Yet… I thank you for it.”Minfilia’s gaze was steady, but Y’shtola’s turquoise eyes lingered, following Baalysia’s movements with a subtle intensity. She tilted her head slightly, unsure if the pull she felt was curiosity or something else entirely—something she had never admitted even to herself.“Yes,” Minfilia said softly, “you caused harm, but you had no control. Now that you do, will you help us stop Gaius from unleashing the Ultima Weapon on Eorzea?”Baalysia’s brow furrowed slightly. “My heart… if it even exists, tells me to help. But I do not understand what I feel… or why. These… emotions… what are they?”Y’shtola stepped closer, the subtle brush of her fingers against Baalysia’s shoulder sending an unfamiliar warmth through her. Her turquoise eyes met Baalysia’s, unwavering yet hesitant, as if trying to communicate something she could not name. Her hand lingered a heartbeat longer than necessary, close enough that Baalysia could sense the heat, the care, the tension she didn’t understand.“Then let it be your choice,” Y’shtola said softly, her voice steady but threaded with an undercurrent of something unspoken. Her gaze carried more than reassurance, it carried fascination, admiration, and an attraction she was still unsure of herself.Baalysia’s eyes followed her movements, lingering on the subtle curve of her lips, the warmth of her touch, the intensity in her turquoise gaze. A strange, unfamiliar sensation stirred in her chest, a flicker of heat, of connection—but she could not name it. “I… do not understand this feeling,” she whispered, voice hesitant. “Or what it means… but I will try.”Y’shtola’s hand slowly withdrew, leaving only the faintest impression of warmth on Baalysia’s shoulder. Her chest tightened at the loss, and her gaze softened, full of unspoken longing. She did not speak it aloud, but in the quiet, charged space between them, something had begun, a tether neither fully understood, suspended in the tension of freedom, trust, and the first hints of something more.Baalysia, unaware of love or desire, only felt the pull of curiosity, the flicker of warmth in her chest, and the strange, unnameable feeling that this turquoise-eyed woman mattered.
