When the Virtual meets the Real: Memories in Midgard

     Waukster Online, a blog that gives you an inside scoop on Ragnarok Online 2, is giving away rare Ragnarok merchandise like Goblin Figurines and Merchant Saving Boxes! To enter, you just have to write your top 3 Ragnarok moments and this is my entry. 

 

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Prologue

     It has been almost four years since I have first found myself inside the realm that was Midgard.  I was a hesitant adventurer at first, taking small, tentative steps in a world that was new and somewhat confusing.  You see, I never have stepped into an MMORPG such as Ragnarok Online, and for a while all the commands and equipments and maps were tangled up in a mess in my brain.  Pretty soon however, I found myself taking bold leaps and embarking on fearless adventures.

     Four years of fun and adventures, and yes, four years of disappointment and heartbreak as well.  Who would’ve known that a realm that is, at first glance, a figment of virtual fantasy could have so much in common with the world we are living in.  Four years of memories… from chivalry to alchemy… from one home server to another…  In Midgard I was, and I still am, Deirdre Winterflame, Winter Solstice, and Selene Celestialle.  These are their stories - our stories.  The most wonderful memories that Midgard has offered.

 

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     Chapter I: Echoes of Valor and Chivalry

     My name is Deirdre Winterflame. I am a Lord Knight; just one among so many who have pledged a life to the code of chivalry in the realm of Midgard. And while my name may bear no essence to many, to me, it is all that I have; in the same way that my story defines all that I am…

     I was borne of hope and enthusiasm. I was borne of faith. As I took the first step to becoming a swordswoman, I have promised myself that someday, I would prove my worth. Day after day I trained, and I trained hard. Unheedful of the hours it took or the effort it necessitated. In my right hand, I grasped my sword… on my left, my shield… and in my heart, I carried my faith like a talisman that wards off all thought of submission and all thoughts of despair.

     From the lush greens of Mt. Mjolnir to the dark caverns of Byalan I travelled, building strength in my sword arm and cultivating faith in my purpose and in myself. When all seemed dreary and exhaustion threatened to overcome me, I turned to my faith and my code, and I am renewed.

     I thrived in a time when kindred souls bespoke of kindred souls. When a kindly voice at the dark of night isn’t rare or elusive. When the donning of a Fin Helm brought great pride to a Knight.  When each piece of armor is valued like it was forged from mythril borne of the gods. When each fight was a good fight… a fair fight… an honorable fight…

     My name is Deirdre Winterflame… scarred by shards of cold bitterness and burned by flames of raging war.  My name is Deirdre Winterflame, and though my name may mean nothing to many, my faith tells me that it is not others who will define all that I could be.  My name is Deirdre Winterflame, and with the same amount of pride as when I first was able to wear it, I don my Fin Helm with the proud heritage of my job class; as this is my most well-kept memory.  My name is Deirdre Winterflame… unshakeable, indefatiguable, unbreakable… I am…

 

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Chapter II:  Finding My Way Home

     I woke up finding myself in a world that was tranquil and serene. Ironically, it was called Chaos. And although I felt like a stranger in a new and exciting world, I felt, in a way, welcome. Each day that passed teemed with unspoken promises and unrecognized longings. Still, I continued down my chosen path - a servant of the Lord and a bringer of solace to people. My name is Winter Solstice, and though my name connotes harsh, cold winds, my dream has always been to touch many lives with warmth. Little did I know that as I went along my journey, it is my life that would be touched and profoundly changed.

     Time, like everything else, ebbs and flows in an endless cycle. For those who wait, time seems too long… For those who anticipate, time seems too short. But for me, time seemingly stood still… for as each sunset melded with a new sunrise I continually learned new things and felt new emotions, so much so that the ebb and flow came into a complete halt… or perhaps it carried me along so gently and comfortably in its arms that it felt like I wasn’t moving at all. 

     I have met friends who embarked on adventures with me, and we call ourselves part of the guild that is Eternal Breaker.  Friends who, despite all the challenges around us, taught me with a firm conviction that together we can stand tall and make it through. Eternal Breaker, to me, is more than just a guild. Eternal Breaker is a family in the truest sense of the word. Just as each one of us pours all heart and passion into the game; each one of us pours even more heart and soul as friendships intensify and love deepens.

     But then, soon after another profound occurence changed the world that I knew.  As Chaos embraced the ultimate sign of brotherhood with Loki, I, together with my friends, found ourselves in a new world that is now called Baldur.

     And now I am bound, not by chains but by threads of overwhelming emotion… to this world, to him, and to the friends that I have come to know. There are so many things to be learned as of yet, so many ventures into the unknown that must be faced. But I know that there is nothing that we could not overcome, because through all the tears and challenges, and through all the joys and memories, I know in my heart and in my soul, that I have finally found my way home.  And this, more than anything else, is my heart’s fondest memory.

 

 

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Chapter III:  Moon Angel

     Wishing on stars… one habit I have never outgrown. When I was a little girl, I would scramble onto my mother’s lap as she sat by the window, and I would watch in daze and awe as the brilliant sunset colors faded away into the twilight, until at last, all would be dark and quiet and serene. And as the stars slowly came into view, I would close my eyes and make a wish. As an adolescent struggling through growing pains, I would take off my glasses and rub my eyes as the light became insufficient for reading. And then, I would get up from my favorite corner at the library and I’d go to the windows, watching the same scene that I have so loved since childhood, and as the stars slowly winked and twinkled in a seemingly endless flirtation with the world, I would sigh softly, lift up my face to catch the moonlight, and make my wish. Mother said that my name, Selene Celestialle, meant “moon in the heavens” and such a name is proof that a close kinship to the stars was my birthright.

     Through the years, my dreams have ranged from the most trivial to the most fantastical. My mind’s firmest ambition was to be one of Midgard’s best Biochemists. But at times, when the night winds blow colder, my mind’s ambition is overshadowed by my heart’s dearest yearning; and that is to find someone who could make me feel that I am not alone.  Ironically though, it seemed that the closer I got to my mind’s ambition, the farther I became my heart’s yearning.

     Until I met him…

     He was a servant of faith. And just when I have almost given up my belief in the human spirit and in a higher being, just when I have almost placed my full belief into the science that was alchemy, he rekindled my hope and renewed my faith. He showed me the true wonder behind each syllicate and the sublime purpose behind each potion. He taught me that true beauty can be seen not in artificial life creation; true beauty can be seen through the hands of the Creator of life. He made me realize that I need not keep my eyes fixated on the heavens for my dreams; I only needed to look around me and see that each creature and each person is a blessing and a little dream-come-true.

     Most of all he showed me that I am not alone. I never was. And from then on he has been proving that fact to me in so many ways. He is my angel and my miracle. And now I have come to see that potions are brewed not so much for the advancement of knowledge, as it is for the rejuvenation of people. Each day with him brings about more wonderful realizations, and when my desire for knowledge was replaced by the desire to help, I found that my work has become all the more rewarding.

     Now, I may be one of Midgard’s best Biochemists; mentored by the Institut du Alchemie’s most exalted professors, and counted among the Alchemical community’s most reliable researchers - but the greatest teacher I could ask for isn’t a respected professor or a brewing genius. For I have long since realized that the best of life’s lessons can never be learned through books or through any amount of research. The best of life’s lessons are taught with gentle guidance and eyes full of love. The best of life’s lessons are best internalized with supreme faith. And he, who so gently held my hand and led me towards the path to self-discovery and self-actualization, would be the one that I would always be grateful to.

     The day we said our vows of infinite togetherness would always be my most treasured memory.  You are my life’s greatest blessing, Angel Uriel. I love you…

 

 

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Epilogue

     It’s ironic how a make-believe world can affect our real lives in so many ways. I guess it’s true that life has a way of letting us find the most precious things, meet the most special people, and learn the most important lessons in the unlikeliest places.  Midgard, to me, is more than just a fantasy realm, in the same way that Ragnarok Online is more than just a game.  It is an indelible part of what I do, an essential part of who I am.

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