Travelling through a rift between worlds was certainly not something Melanie wanted to do so soon again nor did she believe she'd ever get used to. Rushing at high speed through an invisible tunnel in space, seeing and hearing echoes of people and places she visited in the game. Melanie screamed out but she was moving so fast it was as if no sound left her lips. Terrified she tried to shield her vision with her hands and grit her teeth.
Melanie had no idea how much time passed whilst she was being hurled through the rift. Although it felt like minutes it was most likely mere seconds. A blinding light that engulfed her marked the end of her journey and she stumbled like a drunk person ready to hurl as she landed on solid ground inside a deep and dark trench at the Crystal Tower's foundations on The Source. Here the air was damp and earthy and had an ancient musty smell to it. Several large crystal formations protuded from the rocks giving off a faint glow that barely illuminated the walls of the trench. In the nearby distance a small number of shadows were seen lurking around. One of the shadows carrying a lantern moved towards her and stopped several feet away. "Who goes there?" a woman's voice was heard. The woman raised the lantern lighting the area where Melanie was grappling against the wall. "Oh, Warrior of Light it's you!" the woman exclaimed. "We didn't even know you were coming back this way. Are you alright? You look a little pale" the woman came close up to Melanie and gave her an arm to support her.
The woman sporting a black and blue padded leather outfit bearing the symbol of the Garlond Ironworks at the top of her sleeves and long white boots escorted Melanie towards a small group of other excavationers who were gathered around several boxes with various documents and blueprints scattered across them. The group looked up and caught sight of Melanie as she leaned against one of the boxes and groaned. "Wow you look worse for wear, the journey this time must've been a rough one huh?" one of the excavationers said to her. A blue skinned roegadyn pulled a small flask from his belt, poured some of the contents into a tankard and walked over to her. "Here, this'll put some fire in yer belly." Melanie raised her head slightly to see him holding out the tankard to her and slowly took it from the roegadyn and began to down some of its contents. The liquid in the tankard was a very potent spirit with a blend of fruit and earthy flavours that made her throat burn but once it reached her belly it was as if an inferno was alight inside her. Her nausea was now replaced by a slightly spinning head and a burning throat and stomach. "Great gods, what is that?" she asked, gagging as she passed the tankard back to the roegadyn. "Blackbelly whiskey, a fine vintage at that too. Used to be common among fledgling pirates who weren't used to the water yet, but a flagon of this an' ye troubles were no more. Of course most of 'em would pass right out."
Melanie stood upright and stretched her back, the burning sensation of the whiskey feeling like it was spreading and warming every inch of her body. Her head slowly came around that she could walk straight again. "I think I can make my way out now" she said as she thanked the excavationers. The roegadyn nodded at her. "Before you leave you probably don't know about some of the changes that's been implemented all across Eorzea" he said to her. "Since The Awakening there's been a few changes put in motion so don't be too surprised if you see things looking a little different." Melanie was now curious to what was awaiting her outside the crystal tower's foundation level.
Continuing down the dimly lit trench it wasn't long before the smell of water reached Melanie's nostrils. The trench led upwards above the tower's foundation levels and into the open where a large lake stretched before her. Nearby a greyish skinned roegadyn sporting a brown cotton robe and a leathery hat with goggles hailed her over to a small rowing boat nearby. "G'day miss! Heading over to mainland?" he asked in a hearty voice. Melanie nodded and looked at the small rowing boat. She hadn't ridden many boats back on Earth and definitely not one of this size before. She swallowed hard as she proceeded to climb into the boat. One foot in and the boat started to sway wildly causing Melanie to jump back and panic. The ferryman gave her a startled look. "I'm sorry miss, need me to try to hold her steady for you?" he asked. He pulled in the boat with his strong arms and with all his strength he held onto the boat. Melanie made another attempt to climb into the boat which was now a bit more sturdy thanks to the ferryman. She sat down and placed her backpack next to her. The ferryman then climbed into the boat, causing it to rock wildly. Melanie grasped the sides of the boat quickly and bit hard on her lip trying not to cry out in fear. Using a pair of oars the ferryman pushed the boat from the nearby river bank and then sat himself down and began to row into the wider part of the lake.
Melanie's fears were soon replaced with awe as they sailed further into the lake, revealing a rocky landscape covered in hundreds of large glowing blue crystal formations. The gigantic ruins of the Garlean warship Agrius protuded from the heart of the lake entwined by the petrified remains of the great dragon Midgardsormr, whilst not much further in the distance the towers of Revenant's Toll and the highly energetic remains of Dalamud's central core peered from behind the rocks at the other side of the lake. Melanie could understand why the land that was the impact zone of Dalamud was known as the Singing Shards as the energies emanating from the blighted land resonated in a high frequency that sounded almost like ethereal music. Behind them the Crystal Tower of the Source glimmered brightly in the dank landscape. Despite it being the very same tower as that on the First Melanie could sense the difference as she looked back on it. It was as if the tower itself was sleeping with the younger G'raha Tia inside it.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the ferryman spoke out to her. "I must admit, I'm surprised anyone still requires my services now with the new changes an' all" he said.
"What changes?" Melanie asked.
"Oh, you haven't heard?" he asked surprised. "Since The Awakening the whole world's been abuzz with people proposing new laws and alterations to our current ones. For example, did you know that the flight restrictions for chocobos across Eorzea has now been lifted?"
Melanie opened her eyes wide as she shook her head.
"Well now that everyone can fly wherever they fancy it's putting people like meself out of business! Mind you those things can only carry so much so I guess there's still need for ferries to transport large cargo, but it makes me wonder how much longer I'll still be in business 'fore they start using airships to do even that."
"What other changes have taken place?" Melanie asked curiously.
"Well, for most of it you'll have to see for yourself, although much is still being debated over and some things are taking a little longer to put in motion. At least those city guards now have a rain coat to protect them from the weather. As for me I still have yet to be taken notice of" he said, tugging at his damp and slightly ragging cotton robes. The ferryman then folded his oars back into the boat as it approached land again. The boat jolted as it hit against the rocks, startling Melanie and causing her to gasp in panic. "Here we are" he said, his voice livening up as he pushed himself onto his feet and waded out onto the embankment and pulled the boat further inland. Melanie grabbed her belongings and climbed out onto shore. "Do me a favour miss, when you pass through Revenant's Toll could you pass word for me to get some better overalls? If these get any more damp I doubt they'll last long before they turn to rags." Melanie nodded then turned to face the landscape.
It was eerie seeing MorDhona in person. Nearby the ruins of what looked like a small cathedral leaned unnaturally towards the ground held up by large crystal rocks protuding from underneath them. The land was littered with huge metallic chunks of what was once the hull of the moon Dalamud. Whilst there wasn't much wildlife what little there was was enough to strike fear within Melanie. Along the lake shore serpents as tall as double decker busses slithered across the ground and muscular giants wielding huge clubs the size of tree trunks stomped around inland. Melanie swallowed hard, her nerves getting the better of her and her feet planted on the ground unable to move. Her heart started pounding so hard it felt like it was going to explode. The beasts hadn't noticed her yet but she was pretty certain if they could smell her fear they would soon take notice. She clenched her fists tight, closed her eyes and took in some deep breaths to try to calm her nerves. At best she could try to feign being a fearless warrior and hope the beasts would be fooled and turn a blind eye on her. Taking one last deep breath she opened her eyes. "It's now or never" she thought to herself. Boldly she put one foot in front of the other and started to walk towards the heavily worn dirt path leading up to Revenant's Toll.
As she started to move forward the beasts nearby began to move closer in her direction. Melanie pretended not to notice and continued pushing foward. "Just keep looking forward and stick to the road, don't even look at them" she thought to herself. A nearby giant turned around and looked directly at her, his spiked club covered in congealed blood, his muscular body covered in white warpaint, and his sunken stomach and protuding rib cage showing that he hadn't eaten well in several days and could easily make a meal out of her if he decided to attack as she had no means to defend herself and there was nobody else nearby who could come to her aid. Walking across this hostile landscape was suicide, but she knew of no other way to get to Revenant's Toll. She could maybe summon a mount but she had no idea how to ride one, and what if it decided to fly? She realised that her doubts were adding to her fears and if she wasn't careful this lumbering mass of muscle would sense her fear and bring her to an untimely end. Quickly she dismissed her thoughts and clenched her fists even tighter. "No, I will not let my fears get me killed!" she thought with determination. She took in another deep breath and then looked towards the giant, her eyes blazing with defiance and determination. The giant stopped in its tracks and lowered his gaze towards her as she continued to walk past eyes firmly set against his. The giants' eyes followed her for a while and eventually he turned around and walked away. Melanie felt adrenaline surge through her excited that she had won a staring competition against a giant twice her height and at least 5 times her build and couldn't help but smile, even though deep down she was quaking with fear and silently breathing a sigh of relief. Her eyes turned once more to the path ahead of her, more confident than ever, adrenaline and determination guiding her feet swiftly and safely towards Revenant's Toll.
