**Well come and well met, my brave little spark
How long you've wandered, burned bright as a star
Oh, I have awaited you patiently all this time...**

What lies at the end of everything? Even if the world is meant to have a terrible fate, can we continue our days with a smile? Is a blissful death better than living out our lives knowing what's to come? Endwalker came out at a time when these questions were ones that would weigh heavily on people's minds, and the tone and story of it's main scenario quests did not hold back when answering them. From the humble beginnings of entering Sharlayan and seeing the Forum shield their people's eyes to the reality of things, to the beginnings of The Final Days as we saw familiar flaming meteors raining from the sky, every place we went in Endwalker held powerful meaning, and every cutscene more powerful than the last.

I remember waking up 4AM the moment the patch went live in my timezone, sitting through the exaggerated queue numbers, and getting through as much story as possible before I fell back asleep and would have to wait again. Endwalker had that feeling of 'Just one more quest...' as you went through it. You continued to want to know more. Every moment felt like a cliffhanger wanting you to keep climbing. The heavy emphasis on emotions and the strong piano motifs the music this expansion had really gave for a somber, yet heart-strumming atmosphere that kept me craving more. The general theme of 'Hope vs Despair' has been done so many times over, but never before have I experienced in such a strong, passionate, and love-filled way.

And I think the love that's expressed in this expansion should certainly be addressed. From the characters, to their interactions, to every cutscene of our Warrior of Light gets when they save someone from the brink. There's that sense of admiration, respect, and just downright affection everyone has for each other-- and I do not mean this in an odd romantic sense. I mean to say, over the many years you've spent with the Scions of the Seventh Dawn, you've essentially grown to become family. The minor scenes where certain characters will encourage you, saying how they know they can fully put their trust upon you, how you'd be stupid for being so worried... It's silly, but it's also heart-warming. To have a relationship with everyone that's this strong, unbreakable, even at the worst moments of the Star's life. Even as our life is threatened to be snuffed out by the threat of Meteion, who's own love for people corrupted into the sense of giving them peaceful sleep... You continue smiling, and you continue walking forth. Trust, bonds, and hope... It has how you have always kept moving, and it really pulled through in Endwalker.

Meteion herself is a great metaphor for depression, and that hopelessness that can prey upon you falling into it. She's a character you will come to care for so deeply once you get to understand her... A girl who truly just wants the world to be happy, for things to be bright and cheery as always... Only to be shown, time and time again, how people suffer. I'm sure many people could relate to that sense of dread that overtook the poor familiar as she suffered-- Given our own struggles in real life currently, we've all gone through the hoops and hurdles to keep our loved ones and family afloat. There's only so much one individual can do. Trying to be the hero, trying to resolve everything... It's not something that can be done. Even we must accept, one day, the world will come to ruin-- and it may not be so peaceful. But we cannot let such thoughts occupy our mind. Our lives will not have to suffer such anxiety. This is what Meteion herself could not understand, and it is what drove her character so strongly-- She did not want humanity, what she loved so strongly... To suffer. And putting forth the hopes of humanity, the strength that we can continue working forth our issues and better ourselves, to meet the end with a smile when it comes... To say it's a powerful message is probably too weak-worded.

I cried many, many times during this expansion. Not only during how powerful the cutscenes would get, but also it's music choice. Flow, which I've decided to quote at the beginning and end of this review, is quite possibly one of the most beautiful, and one of my favorite Final Fantasy tracks of all time. Amanda Achen's powerful vocals, that resilient piano backing... It's the perfect "theme" for Endwalker, and everytime it played in the Expansion I struggled not to tear up. Masayoshi Soken continues to amaze me with more and more of his amazing music-- and even working through the end of Shadowbringers as well as most of Endwalker while battling cancer... It's truly awe-inspiring just what he was able to create even while fighting himself. This expansion perhaps speaks Soken's own words strongly as well -- and even if you have no interest in the game itself, I encourage you to listen to the tracks he's made. All of them are incredible. This soundtrack, this game, would not be the same without him.

All-in-all... I can say Endwalker was a life-changing experience for me. Starting Final Fantasy XIV and being along for this journey has been a life-changing experience. Thanks to this game I myself have found new friends, new hope, and have a new future to look forward to. While this may be the 'ending' to the story we've had for almost a decade now, it's also just the beginning. There's still so much of the Final Fantasy XIV universe to explore, and while this finale gave me so much comfort, answers, and hope... I still smile, and look forward to what's next. I'll never regret experiencing this game in my lifetime.

**Hush, love, close your eyes, and in sleep abide
As sun's distant light, echoes down to dreams below
Know you will wake, on winds rise again
For this journey's end is but one step forward to tomorrow.**