PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 4: A Withered Lotus

• Following Lilin’s belief that someone had been erasing records of the Heroes, Phantom met with Alcaster in El Nath, where he learned that the Black Wings had recently stolen the Seal Stone of El Nath. He also learned from Alcaster that there had once been a great and terrible war from 300 years ago, with records of that battle being erased completely.

• He then traveled to Helios Library, where he discovered that someone had burned all the books about the Heroes and the Black Mage, and that they had possessed Wiz the Librarian in order to attack him. After driving the entity out of Wiz, Phantom decided to switch his investigation from the erasure of the Heroes to the force which had possessed Wiz.

• In Sleepywood, Phantom discovered that the spirit of Lotus was the one responsible for destroying records of the Black Mage and the Heroes, as well as possessing people in order to do so. Driven by vengeance, Phantom rushed without thinking into the Verne Mine, hoping to destroy Lotus’ body. However, he quickly realized that Lotus had led him into a trap, as Phantom’s close proximity to Lotus’ body meant that Lotus - who was normally only able to possess the weak-minded from afar - could take control of his body.

• Lotus forced Phantom to travel to Ereve in order to kill Cygnus, which would remove the Alliance’s leader and make Phantom a criminal. Before he could complete his plan, however, the spirit of Empress Aria appeared and drove Lotus out of Phantom’s body. After an emotional reunion, Aria asked Phantom to put an end to his quest for vengeance and become the hero that Maple World needed.

• Finally receiving closure, Phantom pledged himself to the Alliance, deciding that working together with others would be more beneficial than working in the shadows alone.