Cavernous maws begin appearing across Vana'diel without warning. When an adventurer steps into one, it pulls them twenty years into the past, directly into the Crystal War — the conflict between the beastmen and the Allied Forces of the three great nations. After completing missions as an enlisted soldier, the adventurer makes contact with Cait Sith, a regal feline figure who carries a prophecy about a Harbinger and a champion. She asks the adventurer to help end the war.