In the Middle of Nowhere

“

One of the Crystarium guards is particularly relieved to have found you.

— In-game description

Steps

After finally managing to track you down, Ryne reveals that she has sensed a concentration of Light in the Empty, the name for the lands once swallowed by the Flood. Fearing that another cataclysm may be on the horizon, Ryne asks you to join her, Thancred, and Urianger on an expedition into the barren wastes to investigate the phenomenon. You arrange to rendezvous with them at the Derrick, from where you will depart on this potentially perilous journey.

Upon arriving at the Derrick, you are greeted by Urianger and Thancred, who are keen to begin the investigation as soon as possible. Neither of them are exactly thrilled by the prospect of journeying through the Empty, where the ambient aether is wildly imbalanced, making it unwise to travel by amaro or chocobo. Luckily, Thancred has borrowed a more mechanical mode of transport from the Crystarium, the skyslipper, which is less likely to be affected by such anomalies. With all of the necessary supplies and equipment at the ready, the four of you prepare to board the craft and embark on a voyage into parts unknown.

The first leg of the journey is remarkably uneventful, with naught but featureless wastelands for malms around. The monotony of the scenery eventually sends you into a deep sleep, and you are only awoken by Thancred's exclamations of surprise at the sight of a gargantuan entity resting inside a vast crater. Urianger comes to the conclusion that this is the first sin eater, the instigator of the Flood of Light. Rather than formulating a means of destroying the beast, he theorizes that the power which once threatened to consume all life on the planet might instead be used to restore what was lost. Ryne, who seems to share Urianger's optimism, even suggests naming it “Eden,” which comes from the Fae word for “utopia.” Thancred, on the other hand, turns the group's attention to more practical matters, such as setting up a camp from where to plan your next move.

After you finish laying out a simple camp to act as a base of operations, Thancred leaves to scout the area, and Ryne suggests waiting for him to return before you begin discussions on how best to investigate Eden. It remains to be seen whether the vast sin eater is the key to restoring balance to this shattered world or an adversary that must be eliminated.