"…and in the shimmering twilight, I beheld beings whose visages bore no semblance to any creature known to us, civil and beastkin alike. Their tongues uttered words foreign to our common parlance, yet within their cryptic utterances, lay a wisdom surpassing that of our most venerable shamans. Betwixt breathes they dissipated into the aether, leaving naught but a lingering glow in their wake."

• Salvaged tome from unknown village remains in Thanalan, Sixth Umbral Era.

Hello again! Jiyoo here once more. It has been a while since I have submitted anything, but this is not to say I have not been investigating the mysterious and strange. In fact, during my last fact-finding mission, an innocuous tip that proved to be out of the scope of my project demanded a second look.

My search for the truth of Manderclaus brought forth many allegations of suspicious lights darting across the sky. A scant few were credible, with the bulk being little more than unverifiable hearsay. Even still, one latched itself into my subconscious. I had been asking about recent sightings, yet one of the interviewees must have misheard because he began telling me a tale of an early desert tribe that worshipped “Star Lords,” regaling their legends and beliefs of luminous beings descending from the heavens.

After finishing my project, I found it impossible to forget what he had said so I went back for more information. Following his leads, I took off across the hot sands of the desert in search of this lost tribe. In a rare bit of luck, I came across archaeologically inclined scholars who were delighted to share their findings.

With their permission, I poured over artifacts and old tomes they had recovered. While nothing seemed a direct link to the supposed “Star Lords,” a fragmented scroll, quoted at the beginning of this article, suggested at least one encounter. Thus the question was raised; could visitors from another world be possible, as ancient astronaut theorists believe?

I spoke to some experts to learn the truth, starting with the scientific teams at the First Dicasterial Observatorium of Aetherial and Astrological Phenomena in the Coerthas Central Highlands. Regrettably, most were unwilling to speak on the record regarding any mysterious sightings or the rumors surrounding them. However, I was able to interview one member who agreed to discuss under conditions of anonymity.

“Most of the time, nothing happens here. Researchers are left to their own devices and pursue whatever peaks their interest. But everyone here knows the procedure for ‘Class-4 Phenomena,’ something we all dread coming up.

“The last one was a few months ago. I was working on something unrelated when the alert came down and that’s when the cordoning began. The guy who called it out was told to keep on it and the rest of us were expected to get back to our projects. A few minutes later, some folks from Ishgard arrived. I’ve been here a while, but I’d never seen them before. They came in like they owned the place. Nothing escalated, but you could just tell that they weren’t messing around. Everyone started to act a little too focused on what they were doing as these Ishgardians stood behind them. Their stares were blank, expressions stern, helmets hiding their eyes.

“What stood out most to me was their uniforms. Typical guard attire, but dyed all black, no insignia. If you know anything about the culture here you know that alone is unheard of. The whole tower was silent for about 30 minutes then they escorted the guy who called out the alert away. Two weeks went by before we saw him again. He said he was on vacation, but something just didn’t feel right about it.”

Needless to say, the interview left me with a feeling of unease. Was this a coverup? Would chasing down the truth put me in danger? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t stop here. And after leaving the settlement, it seemed the Fates didn’t want me to stop either.

As I strode in the direction of the Black Shroud, I was stopped by someone I had assumed to be a traveling merchant. He offered to show me what he had then led me a ways off the road. I don’t know what possessed me to go with him, but I don’t regret it. He introduced himself as Gregorio Tsulokas and claimed to be an expert on the very thing I was investigating.

According to him, I was on the right track and that’s why he stopped me. He said “they” were watching and that I would have to be careful. We agreed to meet at an inn that I won’t disclose the location of here.

Gregorio was indeed well-read on the subject, and he had a lot to share. According to him, visitors to our star are not uncommon, but even occasional spottings of lights in the sky were exceedingly rare by comparison. According to him, there were different factions of “space men,” each with their own goals and ideas. Some nefarious, others benevolent, and also those who merely came to observe.

He said that the Allagan Empire likely received help and advice from these visitors before their collapse, though whether they were malicious or friendly, he could not say definitively. He postulated, though, that following the end of the empire, these factions began to pull back from making contact. Some efforts to aid the scattered survivors of a total societal obliteration were probably made, though with no clear idea to what extent. However, he did mention that it was probably more agricultural than in developing structures, an idea that follows if they harbored guilt over the outcomes of the Allagans.

Gregorio did not know how many factions there were - or are? - but he passed on that his research “confirmed” at least three different species. The only known observers are thought to be the Cephaloids, which he said resemble squid-like creatures. The believed-to-be “good” kind were the light-purple-skinned “Pales,” who he suspects wanted to help the Allagans develop and eventually partner with for a conflict.

The conflict was presumed to be with what Gregorio said could be considered villainous among the star people. Coming from their own corner of the unknown and thought to be exceptionally violent even in their own ranks, the serpentine “Lizrids” sought only conquest. Gregorio thinks that they likely sabotaged the Allagans in an effort to set back the work of the Pales.

In my time looking for legends, I have heard many tales that seemed utterly impossible. The vast majority are just that, legends. Some, though, have led to tangible evidence that there is more to the world than we know. As a researcher for these things, I try to keep an open mind, but I must admit, despite the cloak-and-dagger intrigue, I am unable to buy a lot of this.

It is an appealing idea that the lights in the sky are really craft from other worlds coming to inflict their will upon us as they see fit. Or, well, really a more terrifying, to be perfectly honest. Either way, regardless of how open-minded I am with such stories, there is no way that any of it is true.

I thanked Gregorio for his time and he left. It was late, so I got a room at the inn and quickly fell asleep. I am not sure what time it was when the pounding on my door began.

I awoke, dazed and alarmed by the noise. I remember seeing a glow coming from under the door and, thinking back, it did not flicker like the lights in the hallway. I called out, asking who was there, but the pounding didn’t go away. Grabbing a candelabra, I opened the door cautiously.

Two tall, shadowy figures stood before me. The first introduced himself as Agent Anele Zenmael. The second said nothing. Agent Zenmael said they were with a special subsect of a restricted Ishgard council and asked me to give him the whereabouts of Gregorio Tsulokas. Obviously, I did not know where he went and I told him as much.

They then proceeded to push past me and began going through my things. I took a step toward them, but Agent Zenmael held up a hand and I found myself unwilling to move. They collected all my notes in silence, nodding to each other occasionally. Everything about them was so unnatural from their dry, oddly colored skin, to Agent Zenmael’s speech patterns. Once they had everything bundled, they nodded to me and left.

When I could muster the will to move again, I sprinted to the lobby but there was no trace of them. The night manager said she didn’t see anyone come in or leave and had no record of guests matching the description of the supposed agents. Thinking back on this even now fills me with dread.

Until this point, I was sure that the stories of lights and starmen were just that, little tales or misinterpretations of other phenomena. While I am not certain if there are beings beyond our world, I am positive something is going on with regard to the topic.

Perhaps a government agency is under the impression that the tales are true and they are desperate to find proof in secret. Or maybe they have the proof and want to keep it from ever getting out. Even more horrifyingly, could such an agency be nothing more than a front for these visitors, a way to guard their existence from a planet full of potential pawns?

People from all over have encounter stories of their own. While we may never know for certain what lies across the stars, we may someday be able to piece the puzzle together. If you want to believe and have an experience, please share it with us so that we may pass it along and help build a more complete picture. Cosmic horror holds less sway the more we come together, just take care that you do not draw the ire of mysterious agents in black.