“Mr. Baker, is it true what they say about the afterlife?” asked a young, bright-eyed, dark-haired Hyuran boy to his elderly associate. The elder gentleman turns his gaze from the distance to his inquisitive lad, who was no more than ten summers old when he asked. Sitting beside each other under the shade of a maple tree in the East Shroud, the old man takes a pause. His response steady and patient as he ponders out loud, “And what have you heard, young Crowsheart?” The lad’s response was swift, “That we will be re- reincarnated…? What’s that mean?” the young lad asks head tilted. “A curious concept indeed—for someone so young even,” Baker thought to himself, as he prepared an explanation suffice enough for a young lad like Crowsheart to understand.With a natural fascination for all things living and beyond, Eustace Crowsheart would eventually take up medicinal practice under Sharlayan education. Nearly two decades would pass as Eustace pursued his studies with honors, yet isolated from the events of Eorzea. Shortly after graduation, Eustace met with his old mentor Mr. Baker. It was Baker’s idea to bring Eustace to support the wounded-of-war in Eorzea, as Baker himself joined the frontlines to serve as one of the strategists.And so did Dr. Crowsheart take up his post as a chirurgeon. Beholding the power of life and death in his hands meant mistakes should not be permitted. Moving from patient-to-patient, he had little time to process the woes of others much less his flawed perfectionism. Such mindset would later on prove that not every attempt is a success, and the Garlean war offered plenty to disappoint him with.It was a seemingly ordinary day did Eustace find his old friend Baker. Alliance soldiers have been returning rescued prisoners of the Empire, as Eustace happened to see his old friend’s name in the records. Having been debriefed by fellow staff, Eustace expected to see his mentor carrying a few wounds caused by war and old age. Yet there he was laying dead on the operating table—mutilated, experimented by inhumane means, beyond any repair. No amount of studies could ever undo what had happened. Never has he felt hopeless at the beginning of an operation. With a heavy heart did he declare his friend untreatable, sending his soul to the aethereal sea. It was on that same day did he give up his medical practice.Years of despair wore down his heart. Even when duty called his name, he refused. Over time his name only carried shame when mentioned within the physicians’ social circles. Eustace eventually found himself in Bozja, where his name carried little honor. He exacted vengeance against Garlean families. It mattered not whether they were innocent—children or women—nor did it matter if he was a former chirurgeon with an oath to never harm others. In his personal genocide, he saw nothing but a need for vengeance.Word reached his colleagues in medicine. Upon hearing of his crimes, they enlisted mercenaries and enacted a gathering to shut him down for good. It was in Old Sharlayan that Eustace fell.Years have passed since the incident. In Sharlayan, the Crowsheart family adopted a Vieran man with a keen intellect for chirurgy. He inherited the teachings of both Baker and Eustace and a gifted body to handle an abundance of aether. In less than 5 years, he aced his degree and residency making him one of the fastest to earn a PhD within the profession. He called himself Ambedo, yet deep within him was the very same person that Eustace was.After graduating, he decided to take up the life of adventure over his olden days in hospice. Yet work always found a way to get to him. It was during his trip to his friend’s grave site did he see a child at the distance. As Ambedo approached, the child told him she was grieving the death of her mother. A different circumstance, yet a familiar pain nonetheless.He sat with her just as his mentor did back then. The child’s mother died during a field operation. Though her life was lost, her child was nonetheless happy knowing her mother made the world a safer place as she lived. Her maturity and acceptance both stunned the young doctor. They continued talking as he processed both their thoughts and pains. It was here did he realize that maybe this counts as what “afterlife” is—to recount the memories of those who passed on. A new vocation realized within him. “Anyone can be a conjurer, few can be a chirurgeon, but how many are there to treat the grieving? The downtrodden? The weary and the broken?”Though he turned his back to his chirurgeon peers, he saw it fit to adopt a new field of interest. To those who scorned Eustace, he forged apologies that seemed to be written way back when. To the very few that he confides in, he regularly wrote about his plans: from taking up simple jobs such as bartending, to learning the art of combat from numerous mentors. All writings shared his one goal, “To graduate life with honors.”
