Making Over Time

Melanie's deep sleep was awoken by a gentle rapping at the door.  She hadn't been aware of how long she'd been sleeping for but judging by the warm air and sunlight trying to force its way into the room it was at least morning.

"Miss Brovola?  Are you awake?" a man's voice spoke from behind the room's main door.  Melanie widened her eyes and quickly pushed herself off the bed, almost tripping over her own feet as she began to make way for the door to see who was behind it.  "Before you open the door, may I remind you to make sure you are fully covered as instructed?"  Melanie stopped for a moment as she pondered what he meant.  She was still wearing the clothes she entered Ul'dah with.  She raised a hand to her chin as she started to think what he meant by "fully covered as instructed" and that's when she remembered the wooden mask.  She turned around to the nearby cartonier where her wooden mask was sitting and placed it over her face, then she turned back to the door and turned the handle.

Behind the door was a tall elezen standing in a very unique pose with long scissors in one hand and a comb in the other, his scissor hand raised in front of his eyes and his comb hand stretched behind him at an oddly twisted angle.  His bright red eyes were accented by a glowing red eye powder on the sides of his eyes, his lips painted in a pale pink gloss, and on the right side of his face a purple tatoo that resembled a thorny branch stretched from the top of his eye all the way down to his jawline.  His hair was a whispy mess of bright peach and lilac streaks.  His attire was a fancy white, lilac and dark brown leathery outfit with bright yellow trousers, and a pair of golden crystal drop earrings at the base of his long ear lobes.  "Miss Brovola, I come at behest of her lady Mistress Krile" he said as he leaned forward into the doorway.  He then lowered his arms and reached down to a brown wooden case that was on the floor next to him and lifted it to his side by a brass handle, then he stood upright and gracefully walked into the room.  Melanie backed away opening the door wider for him to enter and then closed it behind him.

Once reaching the middle of the room the young elezen dramatically turned around to face Melanie.  "Ah, how it saddens me to be asked to create a masterpiece that will not be seen by eyes uncovered.  I swore that I will not let my own personal feelings get in the way.  But I am Jandelaine, beautician extrordinaire!"  The young elezen then dramatically pointed at Melanie.  "I shall make a new woman out of you that will both sparkle and be unrecognisable, one that you may do away with needing to hide behind that grotesque wooden mask of yours" he said with a grin and a sparkle in his eyes.  He then placed the wooden case on top of the bed and motioned Melanie to come towards him.  He opened up the wooden case revealing several facial brushes and sponges and rows upon rows of various coloured powders, glosses and what appeared to be hair dyes.

Jandelaine turned once more to face Melanie as she approached and raised his hands to gently remove the wooden mask from her face, then pulled back her hood to reveal her hair and took a step back and began to ponder.  "Hmm, yes...yes!  I can see it now.  Colours and layers, perhaps a little colour to enhance the cheeks, and a dark gloss on the lips.  This will be my best work ever yet!"  Jandelaine span back around around to his wooden case and began pulling out various facial brushes, sponges, and powders.  He then twisted his upper half of his body to face Melanie.  "Shall we begin?" he said with another grin and narrowed eyes that made Melanie swallow hard.  Before she could say anything he was already patting sponges and drawing brushes across the surface of her face whilst happily chatting away with words like "This is going to look absolutely fabulous.  Just a little more here, but not too much.  Oh yes!  I doubt even Mistress Krile would recognise you now."  After a few moments he returned the brushes and powders back into the case and raised his scissors and comb in front of his face.  "And now for the final touches!" he whispered.  His hands danced around her head snipping and combing, spinning her around and doing more snipping and combing.  He was so quick that all the spinning was making her dizzy.  "A touch of purple here, a dash of blue there, let's not forget to add volume.  Oh how my heart sings with joy and excitement!"

Finally he stepped back from her placing his comb and scissors down onto the bed and pressed his hands against his heart as he looked straight at her.  "My work is done, and my what a masterpiece!  Such beauty within now sparkles like the brightest of stars.  I simply could not have done any better."  He then motioned Melanie to look at herself in the dresser mirror behind her.  She closed her eyes as she turned around, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes and took several steps back in surprise as she gazed at her reflection and gasped.  Her hair was now a deep purple with bright blue highlights and styled in wispy yet volumous long layers that wrapped around her shoulders and long bangs that covered one side of her face.  Her eyes had a bright blue powder across the upper lids and a streak of white warpaint was drawn below each eye.  Her lips were coloured in a strrong yet pale lilac gloss.  Even her ears and tail were dyed a deep purple.  It took her moments to take in just how completely different she looked.

"Shall we call for Mistress Krile to come in and see for herself?" Jandelaine interrupted Melanie marvelling at her own reflection.  "Huh?  Oh, yes of course!" Melanie stammered, still unable to stop gazing at herself in the mirror.  "Very well" he replied.  He was about to raise his hand to his linkpearl when he stopped for a moment.  "Actually, I have an idea" he said, a grin began to spread across his face.  Melanie slowly looked around her shoulders at him quizzically.  What was he planning?

New-found Adventurer Again

Melanie stayed in the hull of the airship for what felt like hours.  Even with a few lanterns nearby it was still unbearably dark and Melanie was longing for some company.  After some thought she decided she'd at least make it to the steps leading up to the bridge if nothing else.

On top of the bridge Krile sensed that someone was behind her and turned around startled to see Melanie's head poking up from the bridge floor.  "Lineya!  Are you sure this is such a good idea for you to be up here?" she cried out rushing towards Melanie.

Melanie's legs were already feeling weak and her heart was beating hard as wave after wave of anxiety rushed through her body like a tornado.  "I wanted to try and overcome my fears, and I was getting lonely down there by myself" Melanie replied with a slight stammer.

Krile offered a hand to lift Melanie on the bridge but Melanie gently pushed back.  "I'm sorry, this is as far as I can go for now" she said, her voice wavvering with nervousness at the thoughts of either falling down or catching a glimpse of how high up they really were that would send her into a fit of panicked screams that would be heard all the way back to Ala Mhigo.

"All right, just take your time" Krile said in a calm and reassuring voice.

Melanie looked at herself standing just a few steps away from the top of the stairway and let out a slight laugh.  "I must look like a complete fool for being stuck here" she said.  After a few moments she slowly turned around and sat herself down on the top steps and looked over her shoulder to Krile.  "I guess this'll do for now."  Her nerves started to settle as she felt secure in her spot and knowing she wasn't going to just suddenly fall.

Krile smiled a little and sat down next to Melanie at the top of the stairs.  She then pulled out a small brown bag that was hiding underneath her yellow coat and from inside the bag pulled out a brown cloak that was neatly folded and handed it over to Melanie.  Melanie was still amused over how something as big as a cloak could be inside a bag that was as tiny as a coin purse.  "I almost forgot, before we arrive in Ul'dah you'll need to wear this instead of your current gear, and you'll need to store away your weapons too."

Melanie took the cloak and felt something hard folded inside it.  Wrapped inside the folds of the cloak was a white wooden mask with simple brown etchings along with a pair of simple leather shoes and a basic linen skirt.

"This will be necessary to hide you from plain sight.  Nobody must recognise you until we've met with Jandelaine.  Even then you must play extra caution.  From now on you must act as if you're a new adventurer and keep as low a profile as possible.  Until you've re-learned how to fight and use magic nobody must know that you're Leineya.  You'll need to think up a new name for yourself too."

"Okay..." Melanie said staring back at the plain cloak and mask.  There was absolutely nothing special or exotic about them.  In comparison to what she was currently wearing these were extremely basic and boring looking garments that screamed out "amateur adventurer" and would blend into any simple society.  "I guess I should try to get back downstairs so I can put these on" she said as she pushed herself back onto her feet.  Her legs began to weaken again and she quickly squatted and gripped onto the edges of the stairway entrance.

"Do you need a hand?" Krile asked worriedly as she jumped onto her feet.  Melanie shook her head again.

"It's ok" she replied, trying to take in a few deep breaths before slowly descending down the stairway.  Being dark made it harder to see the bottom and Melanie wasn't really sure if this was any better than being able to see down the stairs, but after some fumbling she was able to make her way down to the bottom of the stairs.  By now she had noticed that the hull was starting to feel more warmer than it did earlier, even the air had changed and was becoming more drier and hotter.  There was a sweet and earthy musk in the warm air with a mixture of spices, cactus blossom and honeysuckle.

Melanie picked a dark area of the hull and began to strip off her fancy red mage attire and stuff it into her backpack.  Her rapier just slid into the backpack as if it didn't exist, although Melanie still felt necessary to look at the bottom to make sure it didn't just slice through.  Satisfied that it didn't just make a big gaping hole that would cause everything to fall out Melanie removed the rest of her garments including rings, earrings, necklace, and bracelets and dropped them into the backpack.  She then donned the plain clothing, making sure her hair was tucked inside the hood of the cloak, then placed the mask over her face and began to make her way back up the stairs.

Krile was still waiting at the top of the stairs and nodded as she saw Melanie in her basic attire.  "Good, and in perfect timing too" she said.  At that moment Melanie noticed the sky changing from a starry moonlit sky to bightly lit red stone with tall and thin arch windows and rounded slate roofs with tall spires.  The air was stifflingly hot yet Melanie didn't seem to mind it, if anything it was as if she was already accustomed to hot temperatures.  Krile on the other hand looked as if she was struggling with the heat and started to fan herself down with her hands and wiped her browline.

The airship dipped down causing Melanie's stomach to stir.  The mechanical gears of the airship were now starting to echo against the stone walls and the airship started to sway side to side as it pulled up with a slight jolt inside a docking area that was high up inside one of the buildings.  Melanie nervously climbed up the stairs to the bridge hoping she wouldn't suddenly have a panic attack from being dozens of feet above ground.  At the sides of the airship were wooden steps that aligned with the landing area and with a little effort Melanie was able to cross over them and onto the shiny stone flooring.  Never had she felt so relieved to be standing on solid stone, although she was still aware she was pretty high up and all that rocking about in the air made her feel slightly unsteady.  Krile ushered Melanie to follow her towards a nearby lift.  As they set foot inside the lift Krile quickly whispered to Melanie.  "Have you thought of a name yet?" she asked.

Melanie was stumped for a moment.  She hadn't yet come up with a new name for herself and knew that it would have to follow the Sunseeker Miqo'te standard, but without a name generator she had no idea what kind of name would suffice and she couldn't think of anything else that would work as an anagram of her only name.  Nanaa Mihgo maybe?  No, that sounds too much like Ala Mhigo and could easily mistake me as someone who shares ancestry with the people who built the city.  I need something that's more inconspicuous than that but that I could easily remember.

Melanie shook her head and Krile started to ponder for a moment, then she smiled and looked back up at Melanie as if she had an idea.  "No worries, I have a name that I think you'd like" she said confidentally.  Melanie looked down at Krile with a surprise.  "I hope I can remember it then, maybe I should write it down somewhere so I don't forget?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't think that will be necessary" Krile said with confidence.  Melanie was now curious.  I wonder what kind of name she's picked that I won't need a reminder for?

The lift finally arrived at the ground floor and both Melanie and Krile stepped out into a busy street.  Nearby onlookers watched whilst cheering on a small group of Miqo'te dancers, a few merchants were packing away the last of their large crates having closed business for the day.

Krile and Melanie continued walking past them until they reached a double doorway leading into the Adventurer's Guild known as The Quicksand.  With it being so late at night most people had already gone home save a few new adventurers who were quietly chatting amongst themselves at a table over drinks.  Krile walked Melanie over to one of the long bar counters lining the back walls of The Quicksand where a red-haired Proprietress stood on a small stool looking over the counter.

"Mistress Krile, it's been an age!  What brings you to The Quicksand?" the cheery young lalafel spoke out to her.

"It's certainly been a long time since we last spoke" Krile said with a smile.  "I've come with a new apprentice who's a little nervous but assured me she wants nothing more than to learn how to become an adventurer.  She has a few skeletons in her closet but I'm pretty sure that with proper training she'll overcome her fears and become an invaluable member of the guild."

The Proprietress looked up at Melanie with a smile.  "Another aspirin' adveturer eh?" she said as she whipped out a form sheet and pen from below the counter.  "If you'd like to sign your name here Miss?"

"D'brovola Selah" Krile spoke out.

"Very well then, just sign here Miss Brovola and then you'll be officially a member of the Adventurin' Guild!" she said with an even bigger smile.

Melanie's eyes widened with surprise and her heart leapt at hearing the name.  She's named me after my childhood best friend, but how did she know that?  Looking down at the form it all looked like gibberish.  There was an area at the bottom that looked like a spot to sign her name so without much thought she wrote down "D'brovola Selah" on the dotted line and handed back the pen and form sheet to the Proprietress.

"And that makes you an official member of the Adventurer's Guild!" the Proprietress said excitedly as she then handed over a small card over the counter to Melanie with what she assumed was an ID card with what looked like her name written in Eorzean.  "Now if you'd like to take a seat whilst I explain what it is you can do here..."

"I've already briefed Brovola about how Adventurer Guilds work so I think she'll be fine from here.  If it's no problem for you however I'd like for us to have a chat somewhere private perhaps?" Krile interrupted her.  The Proprietress looked a little taken aback but nodded at Krile.

"'Course, Otopa can keep watch over the bar for a few minutes whilst we catch up on a few things"  The Proprietress then looked over to Melanie.  "If you speak to Otopa at the end of the counter he'll set you up with a room for the night.  We can talk more in the morning after you've had some rest" she said to her.  Before long she and Krile had disappeared leaving Melanie alone.  Melanie decided considering how late it was now that she might as well book a room and turn in for the night, so she casually walked over to the other side of the counter where another young lalafel stood by checking various papers in front of him.

"Excuse me please, I'd like to book a room" Melanie said to him.

"Of course!  I saw you chatting with Miss Momodi so I take it you're now a registered adventurer?" he asked.  Melanie nodded as she flashed him her new ID card.  "Most excellent Madam Brovola.  You'll be in room 27 which is just up the stairs to the right of me and the 7th door down the hall to the right" he said whilst pointing towards the stairs behind him.

"Okay, how much is it per night?" Melanie asked.  Otopa chuckled.  "As a registered member of the Adventurer's Guild all inn expenses are covered for, didn't Miss Momodi inform you?" he said a little amused.

"Ah, of course I remember" Melanie replied, remembering that in the game she never once paid for boarding.  Melanie walked up to a small wooden gate that barred the entrance to the stone stairway and made her way up the stairs.  Thankfully the stairs weren't too steep and Melanie was far too tired enough to not care, and after a brief wander down an ambiently lit hallway was standing in front of what she assumed was room 27, although there was no numbers written down anywhere.  She was about to fumble around in the inner pockets of her cloak when she realised she wasn't given any keys, but as she looked at the heavy looking dark oaken door she couldn't see any keyholes.  I never really noticed until now they don't have keyholes, I guess I just walk right in then?

Melanie walked into a dimly lit open room with 3 arched windows side by side opposite the door.  The windows were made from strong metal with what looked like fine paper to diffuse the brilliant sunlight from outside and prevent desert sand from blowing inside.  The polished stone floors shined almost like marble in contrast to the red cut-stone walls and pillars.  Some of the furnishings embedded into the walls including a bookshelf with a selection of books mostly about the history of Ul'dah and its surrounding areas, and a stone shelf with a welcoming jug of fresh water which she helped herself to.  In the corner of the room a tall golden orchestrion played a gentle melody.

Melanie placed down her backpack next to a nearby bed and ran her fingers down its linen sheets.  Sitting down for a few moments she stared across the room to where she saw her reflection from a tall dresser mirror.  Melanie pulled down the hood of her cloak, removed the wooden mask from her face and looked back again at her reflection.  It was still a little disorientating seeing a face so different from her own back on Earth.  She reached up to feel her large soft ears atop her head.  Yep, these are definitely my ears.  I'm definitely not hallucinating or dreaming all of this.  The warm air was starting to make her feel drowsy despite that it was starting to cool a little.  After all she had been travelling since dusk and it was now well late into the night.  She let out a long and wide yawn as her eyes and body became more heavier.  I wonder when Krile's coming back?  Maybe it'll be ok if I just rest for a few minutes...

Enroute to Ul'dah

Melanie took in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet fragrances of the various flowers that were in constant bloom atop the Royal Menagerie.  She knew she was at one of the most highest points of Ala Mhigo atop the very mountains themselves, but the area was large enough for her to not start going into a panic.  Nightfall was but a few short clicks away so some of the lights atop the tallest structures that were stretched across the canyon began to light up in the distance.  Melanie wanted to move closer to see the marvel for herself but she knew if she got anywhere close to the edge she would collapse screaming.

The words of Zenos began to play in her mind as she started to remember the encounter with him and Shinryu.  Images flickered in her head changing from the ingame graphics to realistic images as if she stood here in person, staring at his pale and crooked face and long fair golden hair that danced in the wind, the sound of tassles tapping against his steel boots.  "The King of Ruin built this place for his foreign queen.  He kept it filled with familiar creatures from her homeland."  Melanie could imagine that the structures in the distance were once used for airships to bring in various creatures into the menagerie and supplies to the royal palace itself.  Melanie then looked back to where Zenos was felled by her blade.  Although the area had long since been repaired and flowers covered the once blood stained grass she could still see him lying there, bloodied and beaten, a content smile across his face as he choked on his own blood and gasped out his last words, "Oh, this... this moment... let it be enshrined for eternity.  My heart...beating out of time... So clear, so vivid, so real... So real."

Melanie closed her eyes and shook her head trying to shake the image out of her head.  She opened her eyes again to see the menagerie back to normal.  She felt a deep sorrow for having taken the life of another, yet had she not done this he would've killed thousands maybe millions more and the people of Doma would've suffered greatly for it.  It wasn't like she had any choice though, he sought her out to battle to the death.  "But I wasn't really here, it was all in the game, so why do I feel this bad like I really did take someones life?" she thought to herself as she looked down at her hands.

The tall blue wooden doors that led back into the royal palace opened as Krile and Cid walked together into the menagerie.  "Thank you for waiting up here" Krile said to Melanie, "you'll be pleased to know that Ephemie has already begun contacting various trusted bodies across Eorzea to help you with your training in confidence.  Cid has also been successful at making arrangements for you to be able to return to Ul'dah."

"After some much deliberating with the palace guards we've been given permission for a small carrier to secure passage from the menagerie to the Bonanza.  From there it's smooth sailing all the way to Thanalan without any worries of crossing wide gaps over deep canyons" Cid spoke to Melanie.  He then lowered his head and scratched the back of his neck.  "I must say, it feels rather strange talking to you now as a stranger.  It's still hard to take it all in that you were never really here.  Despite being the same person I still feel like I lost a good friend."  Melanie looked down feeling sad at these words.  She had no idea how to express how sorry she was.  Cid then raised his head back up and walked up to her with a smile, putting a hand on her shoulder.  "But if you are the same person then one thing I do know is that you will overcome all of this and be the champion you've lived yourself up to, because through strong will and determination you've always fought for what's right and no challenge too great has ever stood in your way."

Melanie stared at Cid's face trying not to look surprised and nervous.  "Me, strong willed?  That doesn't sound like me at all.  Maybe I made a mistake and this is just going to go completely wrong, but I made a promise to myself to no longer think negatively and to try my hardest" she thought to herself.  Her eyebrows arched upwards as she nervously tried to smile back.  Cid's eyes then diverted behind Melanie.  A mechanical whirring noise was heard from above and behind her.  "Ah, here's our ride" Cid exclaimed.  Melanie turned around to see what was making the noise.

From high above them a small airship hovered in the sky.  An even smaller vessel propelled its way downwards from the airship towards them.  Cid folded his arms and smiled as he looked upwards at the airship.  "Would you look at that, the first non-Imperial airship to fly in years above Ala Mhigo" he said.  Melanie looked up at the smaller vessel.  From below it looked like a shiny silver and pink yacht with propellors at the rear flanks.  It made her feel more nervous remembering that in this world there was no such things as seat belts and safety harnesses to prevent anyone from being just blown or thrown off should a vehicle suddenly tip over or need to take any evasive manouvering.  Then again these people rode on gigantic birds with no safety harnesses either and would get tossed around like rag dolls.  It was like an accident waiting to happen.

Cid noticed Melanie's look on her face and his smile lowered.  "Don't tell me you can't even ride in something like that?  We 'specially made a deal with the Ala Mhigans to allow for the Bonanza to bring you on board" Cid exclaimed in a disappointed tone.

"I'm so sorry" Melanie shook her head with a pained look on her face.  "I know you're trying to help and I'm not wanting to come across as ungreatful.  I've never ridden in anything like this before so I can't help but be nervous.  Are you sure it's safe?"

Cid seethed through his teeth.  "If Tataru were here right now she'd be in her right mind to throw you overboard and leave you to walk all the way to Thanalan" he said under his breath.

Melanie quickly backed down and looked a little sheepish.  Cid pursed his lips together seeing her being so submissive, closed his eyes, then let out a sigh.  "You're going to have to work on that confidence of yours as well as your fears if you're to live up to the name of a hero" he said a little more calmly as he opened his eyes.  "If people see that you give in too easily then they will take advantage of that.  Those you've already helped look up to you as their hero because they see a strength they don't see in themselves, but once they no longer see that strength then your reputation dies out along with that respect."

Melanie looked up at Cid trying not to despair over her worries.  She knew she had absolutely no self-esteem or confidence in herself.  Every time she tried to stand up for herself she was always pushed back down by others.  Her entire time in school was wrought with bullying and shaming that she had given up on trying to defend herself.  Even at home her mother had a hot temper and when Melanie couldn't hold her frustrations in any longer they often came out on her mother who would respond with zero tollerance for her behaviour.  It got so bad she often avoided school or would slowly drag her feet to and from school, stay late in the library, sit alone in the park, hang around places where other people would be working just to quietly watch and listen, and then hide away in her bedroom when she finally got home.  It was a relief when she finally got to leave home but her inexperience of the more harsher world left her open to abuse and before long she was having to move again after having her new home broken into and property stolen by her next door neighbour several times in a single month and a severely underpaid job with atrocious work conditions where her boss suggested she moved back in with her mother if she couldn't afford to pay her rent and bills on her less than minimum wage salary.  If it wasn't for Tony she would not have coped and barely survived on less than 4 meals a week whilst suffering endlessly from constant IBS attacks and headaches from lack of eating.  Those were some real tough days.

"How does one learn to become more confident when most of their life they've been put down and held down until they can no longer think for themselves?" she asked timidly.  Cid looked at her again with a mixture of sympathy and surprise.  He tilted his head up into the air as he started to think of how to answer her.

"I don't fully know the answer to that question, but I think I know what will help" he said after some pondering.  "Your training will help you with it, but when you have some free time and you're not training I would suggest you pay a visit to the local repositories and read some of the tomes there detailing your acts.  Read what people have said about you and how you've changed their lives, maybe even pay them a visit if it's safe for you to go and see for yourself how you've made their lives better."  Cid then looked back down on her.  "I know that in a manner of speaking it's not about you since you weren't physically there, but you still played a role in changing their lives, so accept their testimonies along with their gratitude and use it on your new adventures to help make a difference in other peoples' lives."

Melanie felt her body start to shake and tears well in her eyes.  She really wanted to give Cid a big hug right now for his support but she didn't know how appropriate that would be.  "Thank you Cid, that means a lot to me" she said fighting to hold the tears back.

The small vessel landed softly next to them and a cheery guy wearing the standard blue Ironworks Engineer's outfit flashed a big grin towards them.  "Here's your ride.  I'd suggest maybe just holding onto something real tight and closing your eyes" Cid suggested to Melanie as he patted her shoulder.  Melanie nodded and walked over to the small vessel that she now recognised as a Manacutter only this one could accommodate 3 additional passengers.  With a little effort she pulled herself over the edge and sat down on the soft red leather seat.  Krile also leaped into the manacutter next to Melanie with no effort.

Melanie noticed that Cid wasn't coming on board and Ephemie was still nowhere to be seen either.  "Aren't you coming on board with us?" Melanie asked Cid, who just shook his head.

"I've got my own ride" Cid responded.  Melanie then looked at Krile.

"What about Ephemie?" she asked.

"She still has some matters to tend to here before she returns to Revenant's Toll" Krile replied.

"Oh..." Melanie sat back in the seat.

"ok ladies, hold on tight!" the pilot stated.  The manacutter left the ground with a jolt and various mechanics could be heard as a couple of metal sails moved into place and locked into position with a loud clink.  Melanie took Cid's advice and gripped the sides of the manacutter whilst closing her eyes tightly.  She sucked in her lips and bit on them to avoid screaming as she felt the manacutter tilt back and start moving upwards.  She started to make whimpering noises as they continued to climb until eventually she felt the wind change and the manacutter landed with a bit of a bump.  The noise of chains reeling up was heard from behind her followed by what sounded like a large door closing.

"You can open your eyes now" she heard Krile's voice next to her.  Melanie opened her eyes to see they were now inside the cargo area of the airship which was lit enough to see where they were.  The pilot and Krile were already off the manacutter and walking around the sides.  As Melanie climbed her way out to meet them Krile turned around and held a hand up in front of Melanie.  "It's probably for the best if you stay down here, there's no other decks other than this and the top deck.

"Oh..." Melanie said a little saddened that she might be in here alone all the way to Ul'dah.  Krile disappeared up a wooden stairway nearby with the pilot and Melanie climbed back into the manacutter and sat herself back down again.

"I suppose I could use this time to reflect on myself and how I possibly could become the Warrior of Light" Melanie thought to herself.  "Cid is right, I need to work on my fears and insecurities or I'll be eaten alive out there.  And what about those visions I had earlier...could I really be capable of taking the life of another even if they were also trying to kill me?  I guess I hadn't really thought about that until now.  The Warrior of Light doesn't just negotiate her way out of situations, she often has to fight her way through and that means killing not just monsters but also people.  I've always been taught that killing other people is wrong and I've never as much as held a knife against anyone, but in this world it's dog eat dog.  If I don't live by the blade then I will die by the blade.  Whatever lessons I've been taught back on Earth I will need to forget if I'm to survive in this world, including religious beliefs."

As Melanie reflected on herself she then realised something.  "Holy cow...I hadn't even thought about Eorzea's religion!  They all worship various gods like Rhalgar and Azeyma and those gods have at times answered prayers, so does this mean those gods actually exist?  Then what of my own...will he no longer be able to hear and answer my prayers anymore?"

Melanie quickly cupped her hands together, closed her eyes and lowered her head.  "Please God, I don't know if you can still hear me from this part of the universe or dimension or wherever it is I am, and whilst I haven't received any affirmative sign that you've heard my prayers before I really need a sign now to know that you are out there and that you can still hear me and are looking out for me.  If you can hear me I beg of you to please give me a sign."

Melanie waited several minutes hoping for an answer, but like always there was only silence.  Exhasperated she opened her eyes, lowered her hands and let out a frustrated sigh.  "So, it's gonna be like always then I guess?" she said in a quiet and defeated tone.  "Anything at all, just something please!"

Several more minutes went by and Melanie had by now given up.  "Either God isn't going to answer me or he can't" she thought to herself.  "I may have to accept that I'll have to turn to the gods of these people, and whilst it is a sin to turn to other gods I don't think I have much choice.  I hope he can forgive me."

Melanie cupped her hands together and closed her eyes again.  "Azeyma...I know I'm not of your people and that I've invaded the body of one of yours, although by no means deliberately or with my consent, so please forgive me if you're angry with me for that.  Thing is I'm scared of what happens from here on even if I have accepted this fate to become the hero of this world and beyond.  I've always been scared, but not as much as these past couple of days and without assurance from the God of my own people I'm even more scared than ever that I may be completely alone out here.  I really do want to help these people if this is what must be done, even if I don't have as much faith in myself to do that.  I could use some guidance, something to give me hope other than visions of what's to come...something I can look at and know everything will be alright.  So please, if it is in your will and heart, I beg of you to give me a sign that I may know what I'm doing is the right thing to do and that I don't have to be afraid anymore."

Melanie lowered her hands and opened her eyes and was still for several moments.  Again there was only silence and Melanie let out a dejected sigh.  She couldn't stay seated in the manacutter anymore, the silence was choking away at her even if she wouldn't be able to go up to the upper deck without screaming her lungs out.  Lifting herself from the manacutter she hopped down and brushed her clothes straight.  As she looked down something on the floor caught her attention.  She bent down and picked up what appeared to be a perfect red rose which carried a strong and beautiful scent.  Melanie's heart lept as she gazed at the flower as she recognised it instantly.  It was an Azeyma Rose.  Tears began to roll down her face at the realisation her prayer had been answered.  "Thank you!" she gasped happily under her breath as she gently held the rose close to her chest.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Echoes of Time

"We will offer a place for you far from the warzones where you may live out the rest of your days quietly among other peaceful farmers and villagers and we will think nothing less of you should you choose this path.  Pray, take your time and use this moment here to decide your path."

Staring at a tropical forest Melanie took in a deep breath of the sweet air.  Honeyed fragrances from ripened fruits ready for the picking coupled with the saltyness of the ocean nearby tingled inside her nostrils.  Here on this island sanctuary no dangerous monsters roamed the land and no other people were here to interrupt her, only hard working mammets toiled day and night to accommodate to her needs.  Peaceful days followed peaceful nights.  It was everything she could've wished for even if it was a different lifestyle to that she lived on Earth, yet it was a blessing to be away from the stresses of her old life and technologies that made her frequently unwell and kept her from her responsibilities.

And yet, despite this deep sense of tranquility, she felt heavily burdened.  Burdened by the guilt of denying a world of its champion and of leaving the Scions stranded on the First.  As she thought of them she saw their faces slowly fade away - first Thancred, then Urianger.

At Revenant's Toll an exhausted Kryle, having collapsed from draining most of her aether into trying to keep the Scions alive, wept as she looked up at their cold lifeless bodies  One by one they were carried from the infirmary to be returned back to their homelands where they would be buried.

Back on the First atop the Crystal Tower an encumbered Y'shtola was on her knees looking as if she was about to collapse.  Alphinaud and Alisaie were bent over her looking helpless with tears in their eyes.  They had seen this happen twice before, but there was nothing they could do could stop the inevitable from happening.

Several feet away from them G'raha was frantically channeling magic into a small dark portal that was slowly getting larger, his body had now almost completely transformed into crystal.

"You can't be serious, you promised!" Alisaie yelled out to G'raha.

"And I promised you I would do everything to get you all back home, even if it meant taking my own life" he replied without breaking his concentration from the portal.  The portal opened large enough for him to enter and he turned to his friends with wet eyes and deepest regret writ on his face.  "I'm deeply regretful that I could not save our other friends.  Maybe if I had another hundred years I could've found a way to send you home, but unfortunately time is what I no longer have and I can't delay any longer.  I cannot watch any more of you die."

"NO G'RAHA!!!" Alisaie cried out rushing towards him as he turned towards the portal.  G'raha slammed the base of his staff down onto the ground and closed his eyes with a pained expression.  "Break" he said under his breath.  Alisaie and Alphinaud were suddenly encased in crystalline rock up to their waistlines and unable to move.  "I'm so sorry my friends, farewell" G'raha said without looking at them as tears trickled down his cheeks, then he opened his eyes again and stepped into the portal.

"No...!" Alphinaud gasped, his face grimacing in anguish.

"G'RAHA!!!!!!" Alisaie cried, tears racing down her face and soaking into her collar as she watched G'raha disappear and the portal collapse on itself.

The scene then went dark and Alisaie's voice echoed loudly towards Melanie in the darkness..."You did nothing!  You promised you'd help, but instead you chose to be like a coward and do nothing, and now they're all gone!"

"No....is this what will happen if I choose not to become the Warrior of Light?  Is there nobody else who can save them???!"

Everything started to get fuzzy and moments later Melanie was back inside the Royal Palace at Ala Mhigo.  She opened her eyes to see Krile looking up at her, the rest of the congregation watching in silence.  Melanie took in a few deep breaths through her nostrils as she tried to make sense of what just happened.

"This must've been the Echo and what I saw was the future.  G'raha, Urianger, Thancred...if I do nothing then they all die.  But if I become the Warrior of Light does that mean they will all be saved?  The thoughts of me becoming a warrior are absurd, but if there's even the smallest chance that I can save them all then it's time I stopped being so negative and have some faith in myself for once."

Melanie looked straight at Krile feeling more determined than ever.  "I have come to a decision" she said affirmatively.  "I made a promise to G'raha and I'm sticking to it.  I will become the warrior your people need."

Krile nodded with a smile.  "I had every bit of faith you would say that" she said happily.

"Hang on a minute though" Cid spoke out again.  "Didn't it take years for Lineya to become the Warrior of Light?  As I recall it took her 9 bloomin' years to get to where she did and that was when time itself was at a standstill.  We have a long list of urgent issues that need addressing right now and we don't have that kind of time to wait for her to learn how to swing a sword.  What if the Empire decides to send in a new army to reclaim Ala Mhigo, then what?  Or of the battles taking place in Bozja.  The Eorzean Alliance is already stretched thinly to keep our positions secure but once the Imperials catch wind we don't have a Warrior of Light to fend them off then they'll come charging right back in again and we won't have the manpower to hold them off.  Our people will have died for nothing."  The rest of the room started to buzz in agreement and concern.

"I know time is of the essence and I won't deny that I feel concerned myself" Krile spoke above them.  "This is reason why you've all been asked to swear not to speak of today outside these walls.  Should word reach the Empire about Lineya's predicament then there's no telling to what lengths the Imperials will go to retake lands that have been liberated from Imperial tyranny.  As for Lineya's training we will do everything we can to ensure it goes as quickly as possible.  We have some of the best trainers who'll be working every day to help Lineya reclaim her status.  Most of all we have Hydaelyn's assurance that we will not have to wait long.  Hydaelyn would not leave us without her chosen champion if it were to put us in such a situation that we ourselves cannot handle."

"Well, for all our sakes I hope you're right" Cid replied.

Krile nodded in agreement.  "If that is all then I will call an end for this meeting.  If anyone has anything they want to say or ask then now's the time to say it, otherwise please go about your daily business as normal and speak nothing of what's been spoken today to anyone."

Where To Go From Here

At dizzying heights 3 travellers scaled their way upwards in one of the tallest cities in Eorzea.  Despite the many staircases that reached as high as the very mountains themselves that blocked the rest of Gyr Abania from sight, the 3 travellers continued scaling at a steady pace.  Even Melanie was confused to why she didn't feel exhausted or have any muscle aches after climbing so many stairs.  "It must be from the amount of travelling and fighting monsters that I have this much excess stamina" she pondered to herself.  Several times she felt herself panic halfway up the staircases but with them being so wide and surrounded by tall brick buildings she just kept looking towards the walls and after a while it just became a rhythm to keep on climbing.  Going up stairs was always far more easier for her than going down them, unless she could look over the edge and see the ground below her or she felt the stairs weren't safe or stable enough.

Despite having climbed so many stairs they reached their destination in a timely manner.  Standing outside a tall double doorway that led inside to the Royal Palace, Krile turned to Melanie.  "I know you were warned against speaking to others about your true identity, however I had no other choice to inform all those you've crossed paths with who've worked close with you to meet with us this day as they need to know the truth.  As you can imagine the number of people you've associated with is particularly large as you made such great impressions throughout all of our kingdoms, but I assure you each person in this room has sworn to speak nothing outside of what is to be discussed today.  I hope you won't feel too overwhelmed with what we're about to face."  Melanie felt a little uncomfortable but nodded in acknowledgement.  "It makes sense, if those I worked with don't know of my true identity it would result in awkward discussions in the future" she thought to herself.  Krile faced towards the door and with a gentle shove pushed them open.

Whilst Krile had warned her that the numbers would be huge Melanie was really not prepared enough for what she saw.  The entire throne room was full of important figures she met in the game from city and alliance leaders to other key and important figures from more smaller factions.  The sheer number of people was overwhelming.  "You weren't kidding the number of people would be large" she said quietly to Krile.

Krile stepped forward towards the crowds of people and began to address herself.  "If I may have your attention please" she said loudly.  The room quietened down as everyone stopped talking and gathered in front of Krile to hear what she had to say.  "I thank you all for coming here today especially on such short notice.  I know many of you have very important business you need to attend to so I shall try not to keep you here long."  Krile cleared her throat a little before continuing.

"As all of you were informed prior to arriving here what is to be spoken of today must never leave these walls.  A few nights ago a new star was spotted in the constellation of Azemeya.  At the same time people all across the star felt a new sense of awareness, a phenomena now referred to as The Awakening.  Our lives have far prolonged the years we've spent on this star and until now there has been no explanation to what caused this unusual warping of time, nor were we aware of it taking place.  However this was not the only change that took place.  The Awakening also marked the arrival of a new visitor from another universe."  Krile motioned towards Melanie who then stepped forward nervously.  Krile faced back towards the audience.

"M'leineya Leoh, or as many of you have referred to her as the Warrior of Light, has been with us for the past 11 years and has been a key player in many victories and heroic deeds.  However the person you see standing in front of you now has only walked among us since The Awakening took place.  She comes not from Eorzea but from a different universe."

Whispers started to spread across the room and started to become louder.  Faces contorted in confusion and disbelief.  Krile cleared her throat again trying to catch their attention but the crowd was already overwhelmed by her statement.  "Excuse me Miss Krile, but are you trying to say that the Warrior of Light only just arrived here 2 nights ago?  Then who has been with us for the past 11 years?" a middle-aged male voice spoke up from the crowd.  The room went silent and the crowd stood aside revealing a middle-aged hyur with white shoulder-length hair, a white beard and moustache, wearing a heavy black and white leather coat that was partially buttoned up his chest and displaying a large brass pendant hanging around his neck.  Aside from his white locks and facial hair the blue tinted goggles that were balanced across his forehead were a big giveaway to his identity - Cid Garlond, president of the Garlond Ironworks.

"Allow me to explain..." Krile said before the crowd could start debating amongst themselves again.  "The Warrior of Light was an avatar of the person controlling her from another universe.  As far as she was aware our world didn't exist, it was just part of a simulation used as entertainment for the people of her world until a couple of nights ago when she was spirited from her universe to ours."

The crowd began to murmer amongst themselves again.  Melanie stepped forward feeling she had to say something.  "It's true, everything she says is true" she called out.  "On my world this was just part of a game, the ambitions of a man who created a copy and was played by millions of people.  We had no idea this world actually existed.  Somehow everything we did on my world affected yours until Hydaelyn brought me here which severed the link between our worlds.  I don't know why she chose me in particular.  You see, on my world I'm not a fighter nor an adventurer.  I'm just a regular citizen with a quiet life.  I've never held a weapon nor faced anyone in a fight.  Most importantly...we have no magic.  To us magic is just slight of hand and tricks of illusion and nothing more."

The palace fell into an uncomfortable silence after she finished speaking.  Everyone was lost for words until finally a small voice spoke up inside the crowd again.  "So, if we were to believe what you just said, you are saying you are no longer the Warrior of Light?"  A small lalafel with long white hair wearing a fighter's outfit mostly made of thick leather stepped foward, his brow furrowed with a combination of anger, confusion and disappointment.

"At this moment she isn't, which is why we are gathered here today" Krile replied.  "Part of this meeting was to reveal to you the truth about Lineya's identity although not to shun or disown her for it, the other part is what I'm about to ask."  Krile then turned to face Melanie.  "I know that Hydaelyn brought you here with a purpose, however in the end the choice of what you do from this day forth is up to you.  Should you decide to follow with your purpose I shall ensure that all guild leaders across Eorzea are informed of your predicament so they can help with your training and restoring your status as Champion of Eorzea.  However should you feel this is too much pressure the alternative is that we strip you from all ranks and responsibilities and you be granted the status of a citizen.  We will offer a place for you far from the warzones where you may live out the rest of your days quietly among other peaceful farmers and villagers and we will think nothing less of you should you choose this path.  Pray, take your time and use this moment here to decide your path."

Melanie stood silent for what felt like an eternity.  The thoughts of abandoning a lifestyle of travelling and fighting monsters in favour of one she would be most more likely to fit in was appealing to her and a temptation.  She closed her eyes and started to think hard.

"If I choose to follow the path before me then perhaps I might find a way back home, but should I refuse I may be stuck on this planet forever and never find a way back to my own world.  I'm no fighter or adventurer, I can't imagine myself travelling the world fighting monsters.  This isn't me!  But what of the Scions back on the First, and what about what Hydaelyn said to me that I'm the only one who can save them all?  Could I really live with myself if I turn my back on them just because I have no motivation and no confidence in myself?  But who am I kidding...me, a champion???  A nobody who made no name for herself back on her own world trying to make one for herself on a different world?  This is preposterous!  Hydaelyn made a big mistake in picking me.  I can't...I'm too scared of everything...I'm not like my brothers and my sister, I don't think like them.  I can't just become a fighter overnight!"

Melanie finally opened her eyes once more and looked straight at Krile.  "I have come to a decision" she said.

Way Up High

Melanie was woken up by a light jolt as the airship came to a halt.  She looked around in a panic, her heart was racing and dreams still replayed in her mind as a distorted memory of her travelling through space whilst looking back at Earth and trying to claw her way back, but as she turned to face where she was heading towards instead of it being just a bright light there was someone in there waiting for her, and as she got closer she saw it was Zenos with his arms wide open, his eyes blazing red, and with an evil laugh shouting "Come, let us dance before the pyre!"  The light turned into fire and Zenos's face distorted into a wild and psychotic grin, a darkness rose from behind him with a fearsome aura and struck out at Melanie.  "The end!"

Ephemie looked at Melanie startled at her sudden movements.  "Are you alright?" she asked concerned.  Melanie, now realising she had been dreaming, shook her head.  "It's ok, it was just a bad dream" she replied.  "Oh.  Well good thing you're now awake as we've just arrived" Ephemie said as she pushed herself onto her feet.  Melanie grabbed her satchel that was nearby and pushed herself onto her feet.  Although she slept through most of the flight her body still felt a little wobbly.  She wondered how much time had passed since boarding the airship.  It was hard to tell since there was no light coming in from outside and just a few lanterns to light up the hull.

Together they escallated a small set of wooden steps up to the sides of the airship where a plank was already awaiting them to disembark.  Rays of brilliant sunlight pierced through the dark shadows indicating it was still daytime, probably around lunchtime.  Krile was already waiting for them at the top of the stairs.  Melanie's stomach began to gurgled as she thought about lunch.  Ephemie heard Melanie's tummy and turned to face her.  "Did you not eat before we left?" she asked in surprise.  Melanie shook her head, "I didn't have time" she replied.  "Don't you have anything in your satchel?  We won't be able to stop for food before the meeting" she said.  "Wow why didn't I think of that myself?" Melanie thought to herself as she slipped her satchel off her shoulders.  She remembered the night before emptying everything from her satchel and seeing piping hot plates of food that somehow didn't manage to spill all over everything else.  As she thought about it her hand felt the edge of a plate inside her bag and she pulled out a plate of smoked chicken.  Ephemie shook her head in despair.  "We don't have time for that!" she exclaimed.  "Don't you have something quick you could eat on the go, like a sandwich or a cookie?"  Melanie put the plate back into her satchel and fumbled around a bit more.  Her hands landed on something thin and rough textured.  She pulled her hand out of the satchel clutching onto a large biscuit and looked up at Ephemie.  "That'll do.  Now let's hurry or we'll be late" Ephemie exclaimed.  Melanie swung her satchel back onto her shoulders and started munching on the biscuit as they proceeded to cross the plank.

The taste of the biscuit for a moment made Melanie forget where they were.  The buttery sweetness of the biscuit combined with a rich chocolatey flavour and the slightest hint of coffee made Melanie's stresses melt away.  As she approached the plank she almost dropped her cookie and squealed out in fear.  The airship was hovering at the top of a tall circular stone building that was on the edge of a canyon that was so high up that a layer of clouds swirled beneath them masking the view of the ground.  A pair of wide stone stairways curved downwards on the inner perimeter of the building towards a large archway that led into the Ala Mhigan Quarter.  Krile turned around startled by Melanie's shrieks.  Ephemie quickly grabbed one of Melanie's arms and dragged her across the platform onto the top of the building in protest.  As soon as they were off the platform Melanie dropped to her knees clutching herself in a hug whilst shaking and trying to take in deep breaths to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Krile shook her head in dismay as she looked ahead at the huge city peering over the walls, its heights towering over 600 feet high.  "I should've considered a much better place for this meeting, one that Lineya could've reached without her fears taking over" she said to herself sadly.  Ephemie gave Melanie a few moments to catch her breath.  "You think you can manage the stairs?" she asked.  Melanie looked at the stairs.  There was nothing to grab onto to stop her from falling, that wasn't to say that where they were standing now wasn't that much better.  There was nothing to prevent anyone from accidentally falling off the edge.  A strong gust of wind or walking too close to the edge could spell death to anyone.  Melanie closed her eyes tightly and rocked on her knees.  Ephemie could see she was going to have a tough time getting Melanie down.  She closed her eyes as she started to think of a plan.

"I know you're afraid of heights, but this is the only other way into the city without using chocobos or teleports and where we need to go is even higher up than where we are now.  If you can trust me I can help you reach it."  Ephemie held an arm out to Melanie.  Melanie opened her eyes and looked at Ephemie's outstretched hand.  Her body continued to tremble, every limb refused to cooperate for her to get up off her knees, her diaphram bounced up and down inside her every other second and making her want to be sick.  She knew she couldn't stay up here forever and would have to get down eventually.

After what felt like hours Melanie was able to reach out with a shaking arm and take Ephemie's hand.  She took in a couple of deep breathes and together they helped her to get back onto her feet.  Melanie still remained crouched over as she stood up, her knees feeling like she might crumple back to the floor again.  She began to push one foot forward in front of the other and slowly shuffled towards the stairs.  Krile let out a sigh of relief and followed behind.  

As they stood at the top of the stairway Melanie's fears once again began to make her body shake uncontrollably.  She gripped onto Ephemie's arm more tightly than ever.  "I'll walk you close by the wall to make it easier.  If you can help it try not to look down" Ephemie said to her calmly.  Melanie nodded despite inside she was screaming in objection.  "Of all the places they chose here.  Why not Ul'dah or even Ishgard?" she thought to herself.  She trembled and cried, biting on her bottom lip hard to not scream.  Her legs felt like they were about to give way as soon as she took the first step and she stumbled as she tried to get down the first few steps.  She closed her eyes tightly and sobbed, tears racing down her face like a waterfall and soaking her collar.  Slowly they began descending together, Melanie cursing in her head both at her inability to get over her fears and at the architects who designed the city.  After a few steps Melanie was able to touch the wall next to her which helped a little as they slowly descended.

Finally they reached the city level.  Exhausted from exertion Melanie propped herself up against the wall, her head reeling and her body feeling like she had been violently shaken arounnd.  Ephemie looked a little cross that they were wasting so much time but Krile quickly raised a hand to her and then walked up to Melanie.  "Take it slowly, one slow breath at a time" she said softly.  Melanie heeded to Krile's words and began to inhale slowly and deeply.  Her body started to relax and she began to feel her strength slowly return.  "All right, let's make our way into the city" Krile smiled a little.  Melanie nodded and straightened herself up.  Together they walked towards the archway opposite the staircase only to be met by another flight of stairs only this time smaller and much wider.  Melanie once again began to bite on her bottom lip which was now sore and swollen from last time.  She hesitated for a moment, her body starting to object to going down yet another set of stairs after her previous traumatic experience.  Krile and Ephemie walked up to either side of her, Ephemie looking down at her with her arm held out at her side.  Melanie grasped onto Ephemie's arm and together they descended the stairs with less effort than earlier.

Once at the bottom of the stairs a small black metal door was now all that was between them and the city.  Ephemie pushed open the door and together they entered into a building were a man was guarding a double wooden door that led into the city.  Krile proceeded forward and handed in some papers to the guard.  "We're here on business from Mor'Dona."  The guard looked at the papers and handed them back with a nod and stepped aside.

Upon opening the wooden door the first thing Melanie was greeted by was a large blue aetheryte crystal which stood out in the middle of the red brickwork of Ala Mhigo.  The noise of activity filled the air of people chatting with one another, carts being carried back and forth by merchants, and workers nearby expanding some parts of the city to build a better trading quarter in the heart of the city.  Many of the streets were lined with large crates, barrels, sacks, and huge stone bricks whilst merchants made make-shift stalls to peddle their wares.  While the threat of a possible retalliation by the Garlean Empire to invade and take back Ala Mhigo was far at the back of peoples' minds it nonetheless still remained a possibility and all measures to ensure that Ala Mhigo remained prepared for another war were kept in place.  All entrances in and out of the city were well guarded, even the gateway leading up to the royal palace where Zenos yae Galvus once resided were barricaded and watched over by resistance guards disallowing access save those who were on utmost important resistance business or just visiting the gardens.

Krile led the way around the winding streets of tall buildings until they reached the base of the stairway leading up to the palace area.  The guard on duty reacted as she approached him.  "Mistress Krile, I trust you're here for the meeting up at the castle?" he asked.  Krile nodded with a smile.  "These are my companions who'll be joining with me" she replied.  The guard nodded with compliance and went to escort Krile up the long stone stairway.  Melanie looked up with a gulp, there must've been at least 80 steps to the top of the stairway.  "We're going all the way up those?" Melanie asked Ephemie.  Ephemie nodded.  "There's even more leading up to the palace" she replied. 

"Ala Mhigo is famous both for its use of local resources for its unique red brickwork to being one of the most tallest cities in all of Eorzea.  The Royal Menagerie itself stands at over 2,000 fulms, its highest buildings overlooking the entirety of The Lochs." 

Melanie stared at Ephemie eyes opened wide and her jaw hanging low.  She had no idea what a fulm was but she could guess it meant a foot.  "And lemme guess, we're going to climb all of that?" she asked in a worried voice. 

"Oh no, not all of it.  Just two thirds" Ephemie replied.

Melanie almost choked, a shudder surged down her spine.  "I don't know what's going to kill me first, my fear of heights or the long walk up" she said in a slightly sarcastic tone.  "Can't we just like teleport up there or even ride a chocobo?"

Ephemie scoffed slightly.  "Oh do stop complaining, it'll be good exercise and hopefully by the time you reach the top you won't have any more fear of heights."  Ephemie gave Melanie a quick shove forward with both hands sending her stumbling towards the steps.  Melanie turned around and lightly scowled at Ephemie who in turn smirked back.

"This is gonna be torture, we'll be lucky if we reach the top by nightfall, that's if death doesn't claim me first!" Melanie thought to herself as they began quietly scaling the stairway together.

To Ala Mhigo!

Lying in a warm bed Melanie tried her best not to let her worries deprive her of much needed sleep.  She had gotten lucky, a young miqo'te girl she once helped out in the game was playing near the plaza just happened to live in one of the ground levels of Revenant's Toll and after hearing she was looking for a place to stay begged her mother to let Melanie stay the night.  Despite the room being dark and the walls made purely from dark grey stone it was still warm thanks to a large stone fireplace.  There was little in terms of decoration save a couple of banners on the wall, a large rug, and a small number of wooden side tables with bronze candles.  It was unlike anywhere she'd ever stayed in before but she was thankful enough that she even had somewhere to stay the night.

As her eyes began to weigh heavy she was sure she heard a familiar voice speaking out to her.  "Well, aren't you full of surprises."

"Ardbert?" she quizzed in her mind.

"Not only are you from another world but from another universe entirely."  The room began to lighten as the glowing image of Ardbert appeared in front of her smiling a little.  "I know what you're thinking, that you're not strong enough to become the Warrior of Light.  And as long as you keep on thinking that you never will be."

"Then tell me what am I supposed to do?" Melanie exclaimed, barely noticing that she was no longer in her room but in a bright white space.

"Believe in yourself, believe in what you're capable of doing.  You are more stronger than you realise.  You have a gift very few others have been granted and carry within you a powerful ally that will help you along in your journey to becoming a warrior and a hero."

"That may be true, but what about everything else?  I'm scared of heights, I'm scared of anything I'm not familiar with, I'm scared of bugs that are way smaller than the ones in Eorzea so how am I supposed to confront one that towers over me?" Melanie cried out with a desperate look in her face.

"All things will change over time.  I had a friend who was not unlike you once, but it didn't take him long to overcome his fears and he became a different man afterwards.  What you lack in now you will find over time and in others.  What you need to do is believe as others have believed in you, and don't feel too afraid to ask them for help."

"If only it were that easy" Melanie sighed.  "I've never been one to ask for help and mostly relied on myself to get things done, and look at where it got me.  I've always walked the hard road by myself and I'm no more better for it.  People ask me for advice and I've no idea how best to answer them because of my lack in social experience.  The Warrior of Light is often looked upon for answers to riddles and tough choices, things I could never do by myself.  The only choices I had were those prewritten for me and it was my judgment to choose which one to answer by and not always was it the best decision."  Melanie hung her head low feeling hopeless.  Ardbert closed his eyes and turned his head slightly.

"I didn't always make the right choices myself you know" he said as he opened his eyes again.  "When we chose to side with Elidibus it was I who made that decision for us all, and we both know how that played out.  Nobody expects you to know all the answers and to always choose the right one, and nobody expects you to do everything by yourself.  Even if you were to try to walk the path alone you won't get very far.  Remember what happened to Renda-Rae when she confronted Balam-Quitz by herself?  Had we not followed her and helped her she would never have survived.  If you really want to become a hero you'll first need to learn to change the way you think and be more confident, put aside your stubbornness, your insecurities and lack of trust and patience and stop looking at everything else to pin blame on and trying to do everything by yourself."

Melanie clenched her fists tightly, her face taut with anguish.  "I know what you're telling me Ardbert and what you say won't be easy for me to change.  Fourty years of doing things the way I've always known won't change overnight."  She then looked up at him with determination in her eyes.  "But I'll try my hardest because I know if I don't I'll never succeed, and time is too short for me to spend lollygagging.  My friends are trapped on the First and I'll do whatever it takes to see them home, and whatever reason it was that I was summoned here to do I will see it through."

Ardbert looked back up at her with a smile.  "I no doubts have faith you'll succeed, and if you ever find yourself in a situation where you doubt yourself just remember this conversation we had right here at this moment."

Melanie smiled back as Ardbert's figure slowly began to fade away and the room began to darken as if her eyes were closing once again.  She then felt the bed underneath her as she opened her eyes and pushed herself up on the bed.  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she looked around.  Ardbert was no longer there and the room was the same as it was before.  "A dream?" she muttered to herself.  "No, that was no ordinary dream.  More like an intervention" she thought.  "Thank you, Ardbert" she said quietly, hoping that he'd be able to hear her.

Melanie heard a chiming noise coming from her ear.  She raised her hand feeling around for where the noise was coming from and pulled away a small pearl encased in a golden setting that had been nestling within the folds of her ear.  The pearl was emitting a gentle pulsating light with the chimes.  Melanie sat up straight as she gazed at the pearl not knowing what to do as nobody told her how to use it.  The chiming stopped and a voice started emitting from the pearl.  Melanie quickly raised the pearl to her ear to listen in.

"Leineya?" Krile's voice spoke through the pearl.  "I'm hoping you can hear me.  I need you to meet at the lake south of Revenant's Toll in an hour.  We'll talk more on your arrival."  Krile's voice then ended.  Melanie took another look at the pearl recognising it as a linkpearl.  How she hadn't noticed it in her ear until now was a mystery.  She decided for the best to put it back in her ear, if she were to put it in something like a pocket or a purse she could easily lose it or damage it.  She felt around for the folds in her ear where the linkpearl was originally nestled and placed the pearl back inside.

Pushing herself off the bed she looked over at the clothes she had been wearing that were in a neat pile on top of one of the cartoniers.  She had gone against the idea of sleeping in her clothes like last time and instead had donned a long night gown she found in her backpack.  She figured the whole thing of sleeping in daily clothes was a limitation in the game engine and that the people of this world certainly did not sleep in them, and as for the bed sheets it made no sense to sleep on top of them either.  There was no change of underwear in her backpack either so before she turned in for bed she had washed her underwear in a sink and hung them on the back of a chair near the fireplace where they dried out overnight.  Surprisingly there were toilets too which she was thankful of as she had been bursting for the toilet all day and was wondering if she would need to sneak outside to use a bush.  Again these were something not accounted for in the game but in this world they existed and she really didn't want to think too hard about how they worked here.

Melanie started to dress in her red mage garments and folded away her night gown and placed it into her backpack.  Whilst in the game backpacks weren't visible they were still very small considering the amount of stuff they could carry.  She already had a go at pulling out various things before going to sleep and tried her hardest to stiffle her laughter as items several times larger and heavier were just pouring out around her.  She could only guess that there was some sort of aetheric manipulation involved and that the backpack was like a small wormhole where upon going near it items would shrink in size and lose their weight so that the backpack didn't get heavier else she would never be able to lift it from the ground.  Despite this there was still some kind of limitation where the backpack would stop accepting items after a while so it wasn't an infinite storage space.  She imagined what this kind of technology would've been like back on her own world.  No more back injuries for carrying heavy bags around, no need for numerous and expensive storage units to store everything in.  Even food stayed in stasis whilst inside the backpack so it didn't rot, melt or lose any heat.  She could easily pull out a plate of baked fish cooked months ago and it would still be hot and fresh.

Checking to make sure she didn't leave anything behind Melanie picked up her backpack and exited the room.  As she closed the door behind her the owner of the house she was staying at was passing her by.  "Ah Miss Leoh!" she said upon seeing her.  "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes, thank you so much for allowing me to stay the night.  I'm ever in your debt" Melanie responded.

"Oh it's no trouble at all.  It's rare that we have guests considering the number of people who pass by, but you are such a great influence to everyone that it would be ill of me not to offer you a bed.  After all you helped my daughter so it's only fit I pay you back in a similar manner."

Melanie nodded greatfully.  She couldn't remember what it was she did to help her daughter but clearly this lady didn't forget.

"Wouldn't you stay with us for breakfast?" the lady asked noticing that Melanie was ready to leave.

"Ah I would but I have an urgent matter to tend to" Melanie replied.

"I see" the lady said trying not to sound disappointed.  "I'll let my daughter know you had to leave early.  Stay safe out there and may the Gods watch over you."

Melanie bowed graciously and then turned around towards the front door.  As she opened it she was met with the same thick pink fog she saw the night before only it was more denser this time.  The area she was heading to wasn't that far away even on foot and wouldn't take much more than 15 to 20 minutes to walk there, although she wasn't exactly sure where she was supposed to meet.  She poised a guess that she was to head to the nearest point where she could reach the lake shore which was a short ways from the rocky trail.

Battling through the dense gloomy fog Melanie could hear the slithering of giant cobras and the sounds of water gently brushing against rocks.  The cobras hadn't seen her yet, but she also couldn't see them either which made her feel nervous.  As she strained to look around she heard a loud explosion and the loud hiss of a cobra followed by a thud.  Several hissing noises echo'd around her as the remaining cobras quickly slithered away.  Melanie spun around rapidly trying to see where they were going and what caused the explosion.

"There, that'll take care of the rest of them" Melanie heard a woman's voice nearby.  Melanie strained hard to see who the voice belonged to.  The patterns swirling in the fog made it difficult to make out anything tangible until suddenly an elezen woman's form stepped through the fog followed by Krile and Tataru.

"Ah there you are Leineya" Krile said with a cheerful smile on her face.  "I trust you remember Ephemie?  She'll be accompanying us to Ala Mhigo to relay whatever developments are result of the meeting there to some of our most trusted allies."

"Pleased to make your acquaintence once more" the young elezen woman said bowing slightly to Melanie.  As Melanie nodded back in response the dense fog began to clear and Melanie was able to get a better look at her company.  The elezen woman had long mousey brown hair that was braided and pinned up at the back of her head with a couple of braided bangs hanging down either side of her face with silver metal clips holding the braids in place.  Bronze clasps held onto the bottom of her large and wide pointed ears.  Her grey eyes hid behind a thick line of black eyeliner and brown eyeshadow and a single beauty mark adorned her pale face below her red glazed lips.  She wore a stylish red and brown leather bliaud and tall black leather boots that reached up to her thighs, and a large cloth choker was clipped around her neckline making her neck look even taller.

Krile took a few steps towards the lake looking outwards.  "Ah, there's our ride at long last." she said.  Melanie turned around to see a large airship behind her gently touching down onto the water as it made its way towards them.  Melanie began to panic worriedly at the whole idea of flying.

Tataru gazed at the incoming airship with great anticipation.  "I give you the Bonanza, the Scions' very own airship!" she said excitedly.  "She's not completely finished yet and we were in the process of outfitting her with some newly designed manacutters for quick travel in future excursions.  I was going to save the surprise for when our friends returned from the First, but present circumstances call for more immediate action."

"Um, maybe you don't know this but I have a severe fear of heights" Melanie said as her eyes remained fixated on the airship that just kept on getting bigger and bigger as it moved towards them.

"I'm fully aware.  There's a fully sealed area below the deck you can sit in so you don't have to worry about looking outside or fear being blown off the ship" Tataru replied reassuringly.  Melanie still felt nervous looking at the airship.  Eventually the airship came to a halt just short of hitting the shore and a large roegadyn man dragged out a wide plank leading up to the airship.  Melanie began to tremble as her companions moved forwards towards the plank.  "All aboard!" Tataru chimed, then she turned around and saw Melanie hesitating and shaking.  "Come along, it's all perfectly safe!" said with a cheerful smile.  Melanie felt like she wanted to crumple on the spot and cry.

Krile and Ephemie stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Melanie.  Ephemie walked back towards Melanie.  "Here, look up to me and keep your eyes on mine" she said as she reached a hand out to Melanie.  Melanie took hold of her hand and slowly Ephemie started to back towards the airship with Melanie following her and Krile close behind.  "Don't look anywhere else, just keep looking at me" Ephemie continued with a smile.  Melanie felt her feet hit the plank and started to climb upwards towards the airship.  Her body began to shake even more and she began hyperventilating, her heart beat fast and hard in her chest.  "That's it, keep looking at me, nothing else" Ephemie continued.  Melanie started to hold on more tightly to Ephemie's hand and bit her lip to not scream as they scaled the plank and finally boarded the airship.  Tataru waved at them from the shore once they were all on board and the roegadyn pulled the plank back into the airship.

Ephemie guided Melanie into the lower part of the airship where it was completely sealed with not even a window to look outside from.  It seemed this part of the ship was designed to be used for holding very large cargo since it was sparce of any kind of furnishing.  Ephemie sat down on the floor with her back against the wall and Melanie sat down next to her whilst Krile made her way back up to the upper deck via a nearby set of wooden stairs.  As Melanie started to make herself comfy she felt the airship move foward and then jolt as it lifted off into the air.  Melanie panicked a little looking for something to hold onto to brace herself but there was nothing.  Instead all she could do was sit and try her best not to have a panic attack.  Her ears started to pop with the change in air pressure.  Ephemie on the other hand didn't seem bothered at the fact they were now airborne.  Instead she just looked at Melanie with a reassuring look on her face.  "I'm guessing this is the first time you've ridden an airship?" Ephemie asked.  Melanie nodded and then suddenly looked at Ephemie with surprise.  "Wait, do you know about me?" she asked.

Ephemie nodded.

"Krile told me a few things but not in whole detail.  She said you're from another universe and that this is your first time in Eorzea.  She needed to let me know considering I'll be the one who'll be letting the rest of our allies know what the conclusion to this meeting will be."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense" Melanie responded.  "So, what do you think about me being from another world?"

Ephemie looked at Melanie a little amused.  "To be honest I'm not sure.  You do seem different from the Leineya I remember, a lot more anxious and uncertain.  But you made it this far and that shows you have determination, something the Leineya I remember having plenty of, so I have high hopes that you'll overcome these issues and rise up just as strong" she said with a smile.

"We should probably take this time to get a little rest, this journey will take a while" Ephemie continued as she tried to make herself more comfortable.  Melanie had to admit she was still a little tired from having waking up so early, not to mention not having eaten any breakfast yet meant she was low in energy, but her fears made food the last thing on her mind right now.  Confident that the airship wasn't going to suddenly drop out of the sky or that she was going to fall through the wooden hull Melanie made herself as comfortable as she could and shut her eyes.

Doubtful

Sat in a dark corner of The Rising Stones, her hat and satchel next to her on the floor, Melanie twiddled her thumbs over a steaming cup of Ishgardian Tea as thoughts began to process in her mind.  "Me, the Warrior of Light, for real" she thought to herself nervously.  At first the thought sounded admirable until she remembered who she really was.  She was very sensitive to pain so she always avoided conflict and almost everything scared her.  Even though she felt she owed it to help the Scions who were trapped on the First to get back home again she couldn't help but feel she was overestimating her own strengths and putting both them and herself in extreme danger.  "What if I can't become the Warrior of Light?  This is just too much for me, yet out of the millions of others who play the game Hydaelyn chose me.  This must be a mistake.  Does she even know I freak out over a spider the size of a penny let alone one the size of a car?"

Hydaelyn's voice once again echo'd in her mind, "thou must become the Warrior of Light, for there are none other who can save us."

"Oh shut up Hydaelyn, like you really know me or else you'd have picked someone else to do the job!" she thought angrily.  She let out a deep and saddened sigh as she stared at her tea that was slowly cooling in the cup.  "I don't want to do this even though I feel obligated to.  I don't want people to be hurt because of what I could or couldn't do, and what's more I'm scared.  I'm scared of confrontations, I'm scaref of uncertainty, I'm scared of pain.  If I can't withstand something as small as a needle I have no chance against a sword or something with teeth, and how will I be able to get around?  Teleports will only get me so far but then I'd still need to fly or climb high buildings and tall staircases.  How can I even be the Warrior of Light if I can't do any of this?  I'll be a major letdown to everyone.  People will get hurt and it'll all be my fault!"  Tears started to well inside her eyes as she thought about home.  Whilst it wasn't much of a life she had been living all these years she was now craving more than anything to be back at home with her comfortable life hiding away from everyone and leaving others in charge.  Now she felt exposed and vulnerable and it was freaking her out.

"Ahem" a small voice interrupted her silent lamenting.  Melanie looked up from her cup to see Tataru looking at her with a smile on her face.  "You'll be pleased to know I've contacted all Eorzea's leaders and a meeting has been arranged at Ala Mhigo for tomorrow morning."

"Oh, thank you Tataru" Melanie said trying to smile back.  Tataru's head tilted slightly with a concerned expression on her face.  "Is...everything alright?" she asked.

"I'm...having doubts" Melanie replied.

"Oh?" Tataru pulled up a seat to the table and hopped on it.

"Hey, is it ok to talk in here about this?" Melanie said quickly looking around concerned that someone might be listening in on their conversation.

"We're safe to speak here.  All who work at the Rising Stones are sworn to secrecy to protect each other.  It would do us naught if we were to talk behind each others' backs, however beyond that door is a different story" Tataru motioned towards the doorway leading out to the other side of the tavern known as The Seventh Heaven.

Melanie sat back into her chair sighing dejectedly.  "I don't know if I'm up to the task of becoming the Warrior of Light" she said in a quiet voice.  Tataru leaned in and listened intently.  "Truth is I'm a coward who spent all her life hidden away in a room letting each day pass by as I immersed myself into what I thought was a world of fantasy where I could be a hero.  I'm scared of everything from heights to small insects, fast moving vehicles, the dark, and even being injured or worse yet, dead!  How am I supposed to be a warrior if I can't face my own worst fears?  I'll be letting myself down as well as those who are depending on me and I'll be helpless as I watch them getting hurt or even killed because of me!"

Tataru looked on with sympathy.  "You know what I think?" she asked after a few moments of silence.  "I think it's yourself you fear most.  You lack in confidence in yourself and fear what you can't do."

Melanie shook her head in disagreement.  "No, you don't understand.  I've lived like this for years and as much as I want out and to just be normal nothing changes the fact that I'll freak out part-way up a staircase or if a fly lands on my shoulder."

Tataru mulled over her thoughts for a moment.  "I still think a lot of this stems from you fearing what you can't do.  Whilst I'm no expert in this sort of thing I do know that if you try to believe in yourself then eventually you'll overcome those fears.  As receptionist to the Scions I've seen several who've lacked faith in themselves grow to become strong members of the resistance.  They too once thought they were incapable of becoming warriors, and yet there they are now making history as one of Eorzea's finest helping to rebuild settlements and ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity to our Eastern allies.  I have faith that over time you too will find strength within yourself to face your fears and become a beacon of light to all those who've lost hope."

Melanie swallowed hard.  Despite what Tatatru said Melanie still felt that she wasn't up to the task, but after hearing Tataru's words she was now feeling a little less doubtful about herself.  "Thank you Tataru, your words mean a lot to me" she said with a smile.  Tataru smiled back.  "Full glad am I to have been of help."  Tataru hopped back down from her chair and did a little stretch.  "As much as I'd love to keep chatting I'm afraid I have much work I still need to do.  I suggest that you get some rest so you can be up bright and early for tomorrow's journey into the East."

"Ah, good thinking" Melanie replied.  She had no idea how much time must've passed since arriving in Revenant's Toll but judging from the lack of light coming in through the windows it was already evening.  As she began to finish off her now lukewarm tea she began to think about where to stay.  Last she remembered there was no actual inn at Revenant's Toll.  "Is there somewhere here I can check in for the night?"

Tataru began to ponder.  Whilst Revenant's Toll was home to the many workers behind its walls and provided many stalls and places for adventurers to relax over a hot meal there hadn't been any kind of overnight accommodation provided for those on the road.  "Now that you mention it there isn't anything like that here or outside of any of the cities..." Tataru pondered.  "Can't you just teleport to a city to use one of their inns?"

Melanie shook her head.  "I don't know how to use magic" she replied.

Tataru stepped back surprised, her arms raised and her mouth agape.  "Considering how unsafe it would be for you to travel on foot to somewhere as far as Ul'dah or even Ishgard I would recommend staying here at Revenant's Toll, but the only beds we have are currently being occupied."  Tataru began to ponder again.  "The only option I guess is to ask around some of the people working here and see if they can provide you with some accommodation.  With your reputation I'm sure one of them will be able to assist."

"Thank you, for everything" Melanie replied.  Tataru nodded and waved goodbye before disappearing behind one of the doors at the back of The Rising Stones.  With it now getting late Melanie knew if she wanted to find somewhere to stay the night she would have to act fast asking around before everyone turned in for the night.  Grabbing her satchel and placing her hat on her head she made her way outside.