PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 29: Black Heaven

(A/N: With the 20th anniversary update in KMS, the Evolution Lab has been removed and its story has been moved into the start of Black Heaven as a prologue. The Evolution Lab storyline chronologically takes place long before Black Heaven, and so I’ve already covered it in an earlier section. You can read the Evolution Lab storyline here.)

As part of a mission to spy on the Black Wings, 10 Boogies was dispatched to Edelstein in order to infiltrate the Verne Mine. When she didn’t return, however, Neinheart organized a rescue operation led by one of their most reliable Alliance members, who flew in an airship to Edelstein with three Piyo siblings, Dolphi, Gupi, and Lepi.

The group parachuted down near the entrance of the Verne Mine and fought their way through the Black Wings’ guard robots, as well as Dargoth the Giant. They opened a large electrical panel and scaled up the wires to the room where 10 Boogies was being held. After being freed, 10 Boogies revealed that they had walked into a trap. Suddenly, the lights turned on, revealing hundreds of androids and a gigantic Pulverizer that chased them through the Verne Mine. Barely making it out of the exit, they jumped off the edge of a cliff onto their airship and returned to Ereve.

The next day, the group was escorted by Neinheart, who congratulated them on the successful mission and explained that 10 Boogies had uncovered vital information about the Black Wings’ plan. At the Conference Pavilion, the Alliance member and Neinheart met with Cygnus and Athena Pierce in order to go over what 10 Boogies had unearthed. Athena confirmed to the Alliance member that while the news was classified, the Black Mage had indeed returned. When they asked why the Black Mage hadn’t made his move yet, Athena told them that it was the Alliance’s theory that the Black Mage hadn’t fully regained his powers.

As the Black Wings had been created to revive the Black Mage, she emphasized the importance of defeating them in order to delay the Black Mage’s rise to power. Neinheart then explained that in the past, the Alliance had been able to interfere with the Black Wings’ smaller operations. However, the Black Wings had recently begun to use codes in order to communicate through the Edelstein newspapers. 10 Boogies had managed to solve Gelimer’s latest message that said ‘Black Heaven is ready.’ Cygnus wondered what Black Heaven could be, to which Neinheart explained that there was only one person who would know.

Neinheart then arranged a meeting with the Resistance at the Secret Plaza in order to see Orchid, who was still in a coma after being attacked by the Evolution System. The Resistance members joked that perhaps hitting her would cause her to wake up, prompting an argument between them and Cygnus, who believed that Orchid deserved to be treated with respect. Claudine intervened and told Cygnus that everyone in the Resistance had last loved ones because of Orchid, and that they would not allow her any sympathy.

(A/N: This blockbuster is the beginning of how Cygnus’ character has been horribly mishandled by the writers. Throughout the story, Cygnus has been depicted as a paragon of goodness filled with kindness and compassion, which in itself isn’t a problem. The actual problem here is that the writers don’t understand that compassion and empathy are two different things. Compassion is feeling sorry from a distance, whereas empathy is a deeper understanding of someone else’s pain through having experienced it firsthand. It’s the difference between reading about something vs having lived it.

Throughout the first half of the story, Cygnus has been accused by the Resistance of being an observer, watching the suffering and injustice of the world from afar, and they’re not wrong to think this. Granted, she has perfectly good reason to keep her distance. Her body is extremely frail and she’s just too important of a figurehead to lose. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s never once left her perch of safety while children in Edelstein as young as her have been enlisting and getting killed for the sake of the Resistance.

However, Cygnus’ character hasn’t remained static - she’s experienced the feeling of loss firsthand when she thought that Damien killed Shinsoo. Her partial awakening as a Transcendent-in-reserve wasn’t just an awakening of her power, it was also her awakening to the harsh reality of the world and it symbolizes a loss of her childhood innocence so that she can grow into her role as a mature leader. By all accounts, her character arc has reached a point where she should be able to empathize with all that the Resistance has been through.

Cygnus getting up on her soapbox of a moral high ground and blindly preaching mercy to a person who doesn’t deserve it directly contradicts her character development. What Cygnus demonstrates here is a regression of her empathy back into generic compassion, and it strongly reminds me of the concept of toxic positivity.

Toxic positivity is the belief that you should always remain positive no matter what. It’s an unhealthy outlook because you’re basically telling people to repress their negative feelings, making it so that feeling anything other than positivity is their own fault for not “choosing” to be happy. It flatly denies any chance for you to process the valid negative emotions that you’re feeling, and it shames you not just for being unable to rise above those emotions, but for having experienced them at all.

Here, Cygnus is essentially telling the Resistance, “Hey guys, I know that Orchid placed your town under a dictatorship and ordered the slaughtering of all your loved ones, but we shouldn’t even think about the idea of wanting revenge, or even joke about it. In fact, we should always be golden paragons of virtue all the time and repress anything that would make someone think otherwise.”

The Resistance has honestly done way more for Orchid than they had to. From what we’ve seen, they’ve treated her with civility and there’s no indication that they’ve ever done anything more than joke about knocking her awake. I can perfectly understand why the Resistance would be pretty damn annoyed at a sheltered, privileged kid who’s never once gotten her hands dirty telling them what they should or shouldn’t be feeling about the leader of a militant cult that ruined their lives.

In contrast to Cygnus, JMS has created everything that Cygnus ought to be with Princess Sakuno, who has a perfect balance of empathy, compassion, and backbone. Cygnus and Sakuno are extremely similar in how they’re young leaders of their alliances, how they’re both kind and just, and how they have great mystical power hidden within them. However, Sakuno isn’t crippled by bad writing and actually acts like a leader instead of a preacher. In the Sengoku storyline, Akechi Mitsuhide is responsible for murdering her family and kidnapping her for Oda Nobunaga’s Demon King ritual.

Akechi and Sakuno strike a deal to work together during the Asura Crisis, and at the end of the storyline, he comes to visit Sakuno and asks if he’s been absolved for killing her family. Whereas Cygnus would’ve blindly forgiven him, Sakuno tells him that his crimes are unforgivable and swears that once Oda Nobunaga has been defeated, she’ll personally chop off his head herself.

This is the kind of development that I wanted Cygnus to have, and what her character arc should’ve been leading up to. Now, rather than her actually feeling and processing things like a healthy human being, she instead disrespects the Resistance by invalidating their feelings and experiences with her insensitive moralizing. Later on, her personality ends up doing a complete 180 in Tenebris and beyond, in which she almost starts to behave like a dictator, but I’ll complain about that when we get to those sections.)

Grendel the Really Old then arrived with a magic mirror, which would allow one to access another’s memories. The Alliance member entered through the mirror and arrived into Orchid’s psyche. There, they encountered a rabbit-like creature that served as Orchid’s memory guide. The guide led the Alliance member through Orchid’s memories, which were being guarded by Pop Jelly monsters.

The Alliance member first encountered the memory of Orchid and Lotus being granted human forms by the White Mage, in exchange for helping him in his research on darkness. The memory keeper explained that it was around then that things had started to go wrong, as Lotus had begun turning cold after becoming human.

They then entered the next memory, in which they witnessed Lotus and Orchid standing over a dying Aria. As they watched Aria slowly pass away, Lotus told Orchid that he had known all along that humans were weak. Orchid reminded Lotus that he had decided not to kill the Empress, to which he asked her whether he was feeling sorry for Aria, whom he called a ‘toy’. Orchid told him that she didn’t care about whether Aria died, though she pointed out that he wouldn’t be able to ‘play’ with her again if he killed her.

However, Lotus replied that he was getting sick of playing with Aria, adding that humans were far too fragile. Suddenly, Aria weakly spoke and asked them why they were helping the Black Mage when they had once been pure spirits. She told them that it wasn’t too late yet and asked them to stop their mischief and take care of the world. However, Lotus merely noted that it was impressive that she was still managing to talk. As the memory faded away, the memory guide told the Alliance member that Lotus had crossed the line by killing Aria under the guise of a peace conference.

(A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue after watching Lotus and Orchid kill Aria. While the memory keeper tells him about Lotus crossing a line, it suddenly stops and asks Phantom if he’s okay, noting that he’s starting to look a bit scary. Phantom pauses for a moment before apologizing and asking the memory guide to keep talking.)

The memory keeper then took the Alliance member through the next memory, which it explained was extremely painful for Orchid. They then witnessed the aftermath of Phantom’s battle against Orchid and Lotus in the Temple of Time. As Orchid attempted to revive a comatose Lotus, Phantom told her that Lotus had taken Aria’s life, and that he needed to pay. Furious, Orchid vowed that she would make him pay for what he had done to her brother.

However, Phantom merely replied that he didn’t have time for her, as his friends were still fighting the Black Mage. He then told Orchid to mark his words that the world wasn’t their playground, and that he would personally see to it that there would be no place left for them. After Phantom teleported away, Orchid continued checking on Lotus’ condition, vowing that she would bring him back, no matter how long it took.

As the Alliance member continued delving deeper into Orchid’s most painful memories, the flood of emotion caused her latent Wing Master powers to activate, causing many of the objects in the Secret Plaza to float with her gravity abilities, much to the shock of the Alliance. The memory guide then led the Alliance member into the last memory that they could view, explaining that it would be too dangerous to stay any longer than that.

Inside the memory, they witnessed Gelimer getting Orchid’s approval to build Black Heaven, a giant airship with the power to destroy Maple World. Upon reporting back to the Alliance, Neinheart and Claudine both agreed that they needed a robust defensive plan. However, Cygnus disagreed and told them that it was their chance to show Maple World that the Alliance could protect them. She then proposed that the Alliance meet Black Heaven in air combat.

Elsewhere, Gelimer finalized preparations with Arkarium and Hilla and petitioned to gain the coveted position of Commander upon the success of his mission. After Gelimer left, Hilla confided to Arkarium that though Gelimer had called Black Heaven a tiny airship, there was nothing tiny about it and she wondered what Gelimer, whom she called a madman, had in mind.

Soon after, messenger birds were sent to all corners of Maple World and heroes gathered to heed the Empress’ call. Hundreds of members of the Alliance boarded Phantom’s airship, the Lumiere, which had been upgraded to become battle-ready for the fight against Black Heaven.

(A/N: Each class gets a class-exclusive cutscene at the very start of Act 2. This was the second most traumatic experience for me while writing this site, next to the Heliseum prequests. Barely a handful of people posted playthroughs of Black Heaven, and subtracting the duplicate classes and the people who unhelpfully held spacebar instead of showcasing the dialogue like a playthrough is meant to do, I ended up having to replay Act 1 twenty-one times in order to transcribe every class-exclusive cutscene.)

Explorer:
The Explorer met with Tess, Olive, and Rondo on Maple Tree Hill in order to catch up before the operation. They told the Explorer that as space was limited on the Lumiere, they wouldn’t be able to come and fight alongside them. However, the Explorer promised to fight harder on their behalf and received buffs from each of them.

(A/N: Unlike the original version of this cutscene from the RED update, Rondo doesn’t buff us because all his party buffs have been removed as of the Destiny revamp. In the original Explorer storyline, Sugar was also there to see us off. The others buffing us also used to have actual meaning in the original storyline because it was what they did in order to help us defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow.

Since we clearly didn’t need a single one of them to defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow this time because we’re the almighty Chosen One™, this just becomes a hollow reminder that once upon a time, our friends used to actually be friends instead of glorified background accessories for our nominal character development. If Sugar weren’t immortal, I’m sure that she’d be turning in her grave as we speak.)

Dual Blade:
In the Secret Garden, Lady Syl gave a speech to the entire organization. She told them that the Dual Blades had been born out of a simple misunderstanding, but since then, they had resolved the matter and were now on good terms with the Dark Lord. However, she reminded them that they couldn’t forget their roots, adding that the operation was their chance to show all of Maple World why the Dual Blades existed. She commanded them all to achieve victory, claiming that it was high time that they came out of the shadows.

Later on, she called the Dual Blade and gave them another mission. In the impending battle, she believed that their enemies were the same ones whom her parents had fought. Though she wanted to slay them herself, she didn’t know if she could endure their mental attacks, and so she asked them to strike her down if she became possessed. Hesitantly, the Dual Blade agreed to her request. (A/N: This is a reference to how Lotus possessed her and forced her to kill her father and Tristan, which led to her feud with the Dark Lord.)

Cannoneer:
The morning of the operation, the Cannoneer told Monkey that they had been fighting together for a long time, and that he knew that they would always remain best friends. However, as he couldn’t guarantee their safety on the mission, he offered to leave Monkey behind if it wanted. However, Monkey shrieked at the Cannoneer, who interpreted it as Monkey wanting to stay. When Monkey shrieked even more, the Cannoneer laughed that he was just kidding and told Monkey that he couldn’t fight without it anyways. He then decided to test their luck before heading off by rolling a die, which landed on 1, much to his dismay.

Pathfinder:
The Pathfinder went to visit Brie in the Karuppa Town, where Brie told her that she had explained the situation with the relic to the other townspeople. With all their misunderstandings cleared up, Brie told the Pathfinder that she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted. She also thanked the Pathfinder for all her help, as the town would have still lived in fear of the ruins without her intervention. The Pathfinder then headed out to Ereve, as she felt that she couldn’t turn her back on Maple World, even though she had initially felt as though the threat of the Black Wings wasn’t her problem.

Cygnus Knights:
The day before the operation, Empress Cygnus addressed her knights and told them that Gelimer was on his way to Henesys. Though she warned that the battle would be difficult, she also reminded them that they were the guardians of Maple World as Cygnus Knights, rallying them behind her banner.t

Mihile:
(A/N: This scene for Mihile takes place a few hours after the events of the paragraph above.)

The night before the operation, Mihile found Cygnus standing atop a cliff, gazing at the sky. As he approached her, Cygnus noted that Mihile seemed anxious, though he denied it. She reminded Mihile that she knew him better than that and asked if there was anything that he wanted to talk about. Mihile told Cygnus that the Alliance had never been in an aerial battle before and he wondered whether they were sufficiently prepared. Cygnus told Mihile not to worry, as their Alliance was the strongest that Maple World had ever seen, having even the support of the legendary Heroes who had sealed the Black Mage.

She added that the real question was whether they were prepared to sacrifice in order to win. Mihile told her that the Cygnus Knights weren’t afraid of sacrifices, to which Cygnus told him that she was. She feared losing even a single person and asked Mihile to promise that everyone would return. Mihile, ever loyal, immediately promised and vowed that the Cygnus Knights would always be at her side. Cygnus then told Mihile that she was glad that she could always count on him.

Resistance and Xenon:
The night before the operation, Claudine gave a speech to all the members of the Resistance in the Secret Plaza that they would be fighting against Gelimer, whose forces were heading for Henesys. She gave everyone the choice to back out if they were afraid or unwilling to fight, but she reminded them that the battle would be a turning point in their struggle to free Edelstein.

In the name of freeing their city, all the members of the Resistance rallied together to fight. Later that night, Claudine told the Resistance member that they had already done so much for the Resistance and emphasized that their safe return was the highest priority so that they could all celebrate Edelstein’s liberation together.

Xenon:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Xenon that takes place after Claudine gives her speech to the Resistance forces, in place of the conversation she has with the Resistance member.)

Soon after giving her speech to the Resistance, Claudine met with Roo-D and Xenon. Roo-D told Xenon that she suspected that the battle would end things with Gelimer once and for all. When Xenon remained quiet, she asked what was on his mind. Xenon wondered what had happened to Beryl, adding that he didn’t want to hate her, no matter how many times she had attacked him. Claudine pointed out that Beryl had only been following Gelimer’s orders, and that she was a victim too.

Xenon supposed that if he hadn’t met Claudine, he would have been following Gelimer as well. He resolved that he would take out Gelimer himself, as he didn’t want anyone else to go through what he and Beryl had. Claudine warned Xenon to be careful, as Gelimer was likely planning something awful. Roo-D also added that Xenon wasn’t the brightest either. However, Xenon reassured them both that he had changed, and that he wouldn’t let things slide next time around.

Demon:
The day before the operation, Mastema found the Demon at the ruins of his old family home in Leafre. She asked whether it was true that he was joining the battle, which the Demon confirmed, explaining that he needed to free himself of his mistakes. Mastema told him that she wished that she could help him if only she had her old body back, though the Demon told her not to worry about it, as it was his burden to bear.

He believed that it was a good opportunity, as he would be able to save many lives on the front lines so that no one would have to suffer the loss that he had, even if it cost him his own life. Mastema cut in and told him not to say that, reminding him that she was like his family and asked him to come back safely. Taken aback, the Demon promised to return for her sake. 

Aran:
The morning of the operation, Lilin was overseeing Aran’s training exercises. She told Aran not to stop, noting that the battle was the perfect opportunity to see how well her training had paid off, as well as to impress others by her heroic character. Though Aran agreed with Lilin, she added that she was just planning to do what she had to do, as she had no intention of being a hero alone.

Lilin then allowed Aran to stop practicing before adding that it was a shame that she couldn’t come with Aran and watch her fight. She then told Aran not to wear herself out, as it was her first aerial fight. Aran asked Lilin why she was worried, to which Lilin admitted that she would hate it if Aran got hurt. Aran teasingly asked Lilin what she had said, joking that she hadn’t been able to hear her. Lilin replied that it was nothing, and that she merely wanted to tell Aran to go slow before heading towards the farewell crowd.

After Lilin headed off, Maha appeared and asked Aran whether she was nervous, pointing out that Lilin had been right about her not having any experience in aerial combat. Aran told Maha that it had been a long time since she had been in such a big battle, though she added that she wasn’t nervous, as she had many friends around her, including him. Maha warned her not to make any mistakes, as he would hate for her to be embarrassed in front of so many people, to which Aran laughed and told him not to worry so much before suggesting that they head off.

Evan:
The day before the operation, Evan visited his family’s farm in Henesys, feeling bad that he would constantly show up and disappear, unable to even say goodbye to his parents most of the time. He met his family and decided to explain the truth about his constant absences, telling them that he had become a hero, and that he was going to war. However, his parents didn’t take him seriously and simply laughed it off as Evan being melodramatic about doing his farm chores.

Before he left, his mother gave him some steamed potatoes to share with his friends. (A/N: Evan and his steamed potatoes become a running joke in both Black Heaven and Heroes of Maple.) As he headed out, Utah caught up with him and told Evan how proud he was of him. He then gave Evan a limited edition copy of Angelic Buster’s first album and shamelessly asked him to get it autographed.

Mercedes:
The morning of the operation, Mercedes found Danika and noted that she seemed to be having fun. Danika told Mercedes that it was time that she did her part as the Elder of War and asked Mercedes if she was glad to be fighting alongside the other Heroes. Mercedes told her that she was, though she wished that everyone was as strong as before, as not only had the curse left them weaker, but Freud was also gone. Danika reminded her that they had Evan in his stead and asked what he was like.

Mercedes noticed Evan in the crowd asking Angelic Buster to sign the limited edition copy of her first album, as per Utah’s request. To answer Danika’s question, she hesitantly admitted that he resembled Freud, unable to find anything else to say about him. She added that she felt bad for Freud even just comparing him to Evan, which Danika noted seemed harsh. Just then, Evan found Mercedes and offered her steamed potatoes that his mother had made, much to her annoyance.

Phantom:
The night before the operation, Phantom found Cygnus standing atop a cliff, gazing at the sky. Phantom noted that Cygnus seemed nervous and asked if she was afraid that the Alliance would lose. Cygnus reassured him that she was confident that they would win, and though she admitted that she was afraid of how many they might lose, she also knew that she couldn’t afford to show weakness as the Empress.

Phantom told her not to burden herself with everything, telling her that her worried look didn’t suit her at all, and that he preferred to see her more relaxed, which made Cygnus laugh. He told her that they could rest after the battle and promised to come back and see her, before disappearing in a flash. (A/N: Because I sadly see this way too often, I’m gonna add a PSA here that Phantom isn’t flirting with Cygnus, and that she’s also a minor.)

Luminous:
The day before the operation, Luminous went to visit Lania, who was overjoyed to see him. She cooked Luminous’ favorite mushroom soup and Luminous decided to stay the night. The next day, Luminous began to head out when Lania stopped him and made him promise that he would return home safely. (A/N: Once again, I’m adding another PSA here that Luminous and Lania strictly have a familial relationship, and that he’s practically raised her since she was a child.)

Shade:
The night before the operation, Shade stood alone atop a cliff gazing at the sky. He lamented that he had no one to hang out before the final battle, even though he had expected as much. Even though the other Heroes didn’t remember him, Shade was grateful to be alive fighting alongside his friends. As dawn approached, his thoughts turned to Moonbeam and he wondered how she was doing.

Kaiser and Angelic Buster:
As Angelic Buster was about to board the Lumiere, she ran into Kaiser. After exchanging greetings, he explained that he had gone back to Pantheon in order to see Tear before the mission, but he had found that she was out. He asked Angelic Buster if she had gone to see anyone back home, to which she explained that she had a close friend, though her friend wouldn’t recognize her in her current form. Kaiser asked how someone couldn’t recognize the same person even with different hair and clothes, claiming that it only happened in comics.

Both she and Eskalade silently sighed at his cluelessness before she changed the subject and asked if he was disappointed that Tear wasn’t there. Kaiser told her that it was fine, as he had left something for her at their hideout. She asked if it was a sparkling rock, which got Kaiser’s attention, as only he and Tear knew about how he collected shiny rocks for her. He then noticed that Angelic Buster’s voice sounded like Tear’s, leading him to mistakenly conclude that she and Tear were secretly friends, believing that it explained why they had so much in common, much to Angelic Buster’s relief and annoyance. 

Cadena:
The day before the operation, Cadena met Gen in the Back Alley. There, she told him that she was moving on, and that she wanted to say goodbye. Gen asked if she was still determined to go, to which Cadena replied that there were enemies to fight wherever she went, and that she believed that she could help people this way. She told Gen to consider it as the Shadowdealers expanding their territory, as there was a lot of potential in Maple World. Gen told her that it seemed like she could take care of herself, given her recent battles, and wished her luck, reminding her to take care, since he couldn’t save her a third time.

(A/N: The first time that he saves her is when he takes her in after Magnus conquers Heliseum, while the second is when he saves her from Magnus after they inadvertently meet during a trade right before she leaves for Maple World.)

Just then, Coney arrived with the Papyrus Brothers and the Popoh bird. Coney asked Cadena why she hadn’t told them about her leaving, as they were supposed to have each other’s backs. Regardless, he told Cadena that she would do great in the battle, as she was the hero of the day. Cadena simply laughed and explained she was just looking for a worthy opponent, to which Coney told her that it didn't seem as though she had found one yet. With that, the Shadowdealers bid Cadena farewell.

Kain:
As Kain was about to board the Lumiere, he ran into Cadena, who asked him whether he had any friends to meet up with before the battle. Kain curtly told her no, which annoyed Cadena. She reminded him to pull his weight, to which Kain simply told her to do the same. As he walked away, an irritated Cadena thought to herself that she knew that she didn’t like the look of him. 

Illium:
On the day of the operation, Illium was about to board with Ex and Machina when Dean, Carnelian, and Morian caught up with him. Illium told them that he had hoped to sneak away without anyone noticing. Carnelian told Illium that she had been paying too much attention not to notice and asked him to be careful.

Dean asked if he was sure that the Verdant Flora ought to get involved in someone else’s war, but Illium told him that he couldn’t ignore the Alliance’s call for help, adding that they would need the Alliance’s help eventually too. Ex also chimed in that Illium’s magical skills would be further improved through the experience. Illium’s friends then told him to come back safely and to bring back food. Illium laughed and told them to contact him if they learned any more about the Sanctuary of the Ancient God.

Ark:
As Ark prepared to head back into battle, he was happy to feel his determination to protect others return. His thoughts then turned to the caravan and how they considered him a friend, making him hope that they had found the paradise that they were searching for. Recalling how Salvo had told him to follow his heart, he returned back to Savage Terminal and used the communication device that they had given him.

He was able to contact Salvo, Ferret, and Zippy, who told him that they were near the area. The entire caravan came to greet Ark and spent hours talking. Ark learned that they had yet to find their paradise, though they promised to let him know once they did. After saying their goodbyes, Ark was happy that they were doing well, and that between them and his friends from Maple World, he had much to protect.

Adele:
Feeling homesick before battle, Adele let Jerome know that she was returning to Ristonia, as she was feeling unsure of herself. Back at the Uprising hideout, Jerome told her that the Alliance was lucky to have her on their side, and that he trusted that whatever Adele decided was the right choice. Hearing Jerome’s voice and the lively chatter at the hideout lifted Adele’s spirits.

Jerome told her that if she ever needed help, he was always available for her. Adele thanked him, she but told him that she didn’t want him getting involved, since it wasn’t his battle to fight. However, she told him that speaking to him had given her strength and told everyone to take care. As she left, she vowed to herself that she would return safely, as she was still honor-bound to protect Jerome once he became king.

Khali:
Nile saw Khali off as she boarded the Lumiere and wished her luck, reminding her that she was in a position to help the people of Maple World. Khali replied that she had joined the Alliance with the intention of using them to get her revenge. She explained that ever since leaving Erimos, she had kept repeating that to herself, adding that avenging her family and killing Ypsilon was the only reason why she was alive, which she believed was the destiny that she had been condemned to.

However, she told Nile that she had spent last night thinking what Rasha would have done in her place. She explained that Rasha would undoubtedly have tried protected Maple World with all her heart. She added that unlike herself, who did nothing but rush ahead, Rasha was someone who would stop and appreciate the roses along the way. She admitted that though getting to one’s destination was important, it was just as important to treasure those that one met along the way.

Upon reflecting, she told Nile that if she were to ever turn away or sacrifice those in need while getting her revenge, then she would be no different from Ypsilon, who used the other races and powerless people for his own purposes. She explained that it was only once she protected the world with her own hands that she would be able to take a different path from Ypsilon. A proud Nile told her that he known her ever since she had been a baby and noted that she had grown up. He then promised that he would always follow her until the end and asked her to take care of herself and protect the world.

Hoyoung:
Before the battle, Hoyoung returned to Cheong-woon, feeling nostalgic for the town where he had first made a name for himself. There, he ordered a large bowl of rice soup before he committed himself to defending Maple World. He asked the tavern keeper if she had seen Farasi, or if she had received any notes from her, but the tavern keeper told him that she hadn’t. Hoyoung was dejected that their paths wouldn’t cross that day, as it was difficult for him to visit frequently.

Just then, Farasi arrived and greeted him. As they ate lunch together, they caught up and Hoyoung learned that Farasi had been traveling the seas, looking for a new dream to spark her passion. After explaining that he was about to protect Maple World, Farasi warned him to be careful, though she laughed at Hoyoung’s bravado. As he set off, he recalled how it was because of Farasi that he had learned the joys of helping others and hoped to eat lunch with her at the tavern again one day. 

Lara:
As Lara was about to board the Lumiere, Gri arrived to see her off. As they exchanged pleasantries, Gri asked if she was okay with everything going on, as she had gotten involved in heavy stuff. He asked her about her calling to make the bell ring, to which Lara explained that though making the bell ring was important, she had realized that helping people was part of her calling as well. Gri laughed and told her to take care of herself before she climbed aboard.

Zero:
Alpha and Beta arrived in Ereve in order to watch the Alliance board the Lumiere. Alpha then told Beta that they should head back, as he believed that it wasn’t a fight that they should join. A surprised Beta asked whether he really didn’t want to fight, causing a disbelieving Alpha asked her whether she really wanted to ride aboard such a large airship. Beta eagerly affirmed that she did, to which Alpha suggested that they ride on it after the battle, noting to himself that they didn’t need to help the Alliance with every matter, especially if it had nothing to do with the Black Mage.

However, Beta told him that the Alliance may lose without their help and reminded him that they would be stuck alone in a world with only monsters, just as she had told him when they were deciding whether to join the Alliance in the first place. Begrudgingly, Alpha agreed to help, though he quickly realized that Beta only wanted to help so that she could ride the airship.

(A/N: Zero’s Black Heaven cutscene was modified during the KMS Spring 2024 update, which also created a new Alliance quest for them. Originally, Zero was the only class that didn’t join the Alliance, as unlike the Transcendents of Grandis, the Transcendents of Maple World don’t get involved in the affairs of mortals, much like Rhinne and Alicia. However, the spring update standardized Alliance prequests for all classes to level 75, which is why Zero ends up getting an Alliance quest.

The main change to this cutscene was really just that Alpha’s original justification for not joining the battle was because they had nothing to do with it as non-members of the Alliance, rather than it being because the fight against the Black Wings had nothing to do with the Black Mage. Beta’s line about being alone in a world full of monsters was also the first time that she said it, as she now chronologically says that earlier while convincing Alpha to join the Alliance in the new Alliance prequest.)

Kinesis:
The night before the operation, Kinesis returned back to the hideout and met with Jay, who asked him whether he was really planning to participate in a war to protect Maple World. Kinesis replied that he was, pointing out that showing up in dangerous situations and saving people was exactly what a hero did. Jay asked whether he had already told Yuna, to which Kinesis laughed awkwardly.

Kinesis then called Yuna, who was surprised to hear that he had returned to Friends World and began chiding him about missing school. Kinesis amusedly noted that she seemed to be worried about him, to which a flustered Yuna stammered that she was simply concerned about student council, reminding Kinesis that he was supposed to be president. Kinesis merely laughed and told Yuna that a hero was always busy before hanging up on her mid-sentence. Jay then told Kinesis to be careful, to which he nodded before heading out.

(A/N: Originally, Kinesis was the only class who didn’t have a Black Heaven cutscene. The implication of this was that Kinesis’ class story takes places after Black Heaven, although this doesn’t make sense because Kinesis being the Adversary can’t happen if he doesn’t get to Maple World until after Black Heaven. Eventually, Kinesis ended up receiving a cutscene during the KMS Fall 2023 update.

Moving ahead, although the classes below aren’t canon, I’ll still include them for the sake of completion. I’ve also added these to the GMS-verse section of the lore site.)

Jett:
The night before the Black Heaven operation, Jett returned aboard her spaceship and met with her crew. Kelm told Jett that there were rumors of a war happening in Maple World and asked whether she was getting herself involved. When Jett was surprised that they had heard about it, Abbes added that they routinely intercepted transmissions from across the planet, allowing them to be even more informed than her about what was going on.

Jett confirmed that she was planning to fight, as the ones pushing the war were the Black Wings, who had forced Burke to betray her. However, Kelm pointed out that since she had recovered the full power of the Core, she ought to go back to clearing her name. Abbes agreed, adding that since they had just come to Maple World for Burke and the Core, there was nothing keeping them there anymore.

Jett pointed out that Burke was the only one who could’ve proven her innocence, adding that she didn’t want to return to being a fugitive with a high bounty on her head. Abbes then asked why she would want to draw attention to herself in that case, as many people would notice her if she were to join the war, with the possibility of rumors spreading off-world. Kelm conceded that he sympathized with her desire for revenge, but noted that it would be bad for her image if people on Cerberus were to learn that all her actions on Maple World had been solely for vengeance.

Jett agreed that the bounty hunters of the universe would all converge on Maple World, but explained that she wasn’t acting merely out of revenge, but because she viewed Maple World as the home that she never had, as she had never felt like Cerberus or her ship were where she truly belonged. She added that the people of Maple World had been incredibly kind to her when she had been powerless without the Core, but Kelm and Abbes pointed out that there were other ways to repay their kindness without involving herself in the war.

Jett retorted that there would be nothing left if the Black Wings won the war, and that her duty to uphold justice across the galaxy was still valid on Maple World. Hearing her conviction changed her crewmates’ minds, who promised to support her decision and intercept anyone who might learn about her location if she were to be discovered during the war. They then claimed that if Maple World was her home, then it would be their home as well.

Kanna:
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.

In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Kanna aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon her.

She told Kanna that Cygnus valued her spirit and powers, and so the Empress wished for Kanna to join her on the front lines. Though Kanna was grateful, she began asking whether her place was Sakuno, though the princess reminded her that it was a great opportunity for her to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Kanna then swore on her family name of Ayanokouji that she would bring victory.

Hayato:
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.

In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Hayato aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon him. She told Hayato that Cygnus valued his courage and skills, and so the Empress wished for Hayato to join her on the front lines.

Though Hayato was grateful, he began asking whether his place was with Sakuno, though the princess reminded him that it was a great opportunity for him to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Hayato then swore by the name of Battoujutsu that he would bring victory. Sakuno approvingly noted that he wouldn’t let her down.

She then admitted that her heart was beating faster ever since the Empress had called upon him and wondered whether it was jealousy. An embarrassed Hayato began spluttering as Sakuno laughed at his expression, telling him that Shingen had suggested that it would help relieve his tension. She then told Hayato to travel safety, reminding him that he was her sword.

Beast Tamer:
The day before the Black Heaven operation, Chase and the Critter Champs returned home to Arboren, as Chase wanted to meet her friends and family from Canopy Town before the battle. The town was overjoyed to see Chase after so long and greeted her as a hero. Chase was surprised to see everyone prepared for her arrival and asked her grandmother how everyone knew that she was coming. Granny Rosanna explained that Eka occasionally flew in and told the town about her adventures, though Eka had warned them to keep it a secret. Eka was irritated with Rosanna divulging how much she secretly cared about Chase and dismissed Chase’s gratitude.

(A/N: Right after this, there’s a dialogue error where Eka accidentally gets Rosanna’s line. When Chase says that she needs to get going, Eka says, “I know you do, my precious baby. Don’t let anyone get the better of you out there!” and it’s hilarious to see Eka say this with her tsundere personality.)

After saying her farewells, Chase had Eka fly her straight to Ereve for the Lumiere’s launch.

(A/N: Interestingly, Beast Tamer is the only class in which we skip the tiny scene where we board the Lumiere, instead just cutting to the cutscene of the airship taking off and continuing with Act 2. It’s likely because Eka probably just flew us directly aboard to Lumiere, but it’s still a bit sad that we don’t get to walk past the cheering crowd.)

Paths Converge Here:
On Cygnus’ command, the Lumiere took off and headed to intercept Black Heaven. The Alliance member ran into Athena Pierce, who told them that Neinheart was looking for them on the main deck. On the way, a Resistance soldier asked them to help recover the hardtack and star sugar rations which had been stolen by Scrounging Sparrows, for which he blamed the Cygnus Knights for leaving the rations on deck. While hunting down the sparrows, the Alliance member ran into Brighton, who asked them to help diffuse an argument between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights about the stolen rations.

After recovering the rations, they arrived at the main deck and delivered them to Kyrin, hoping that it would be enough to restore peace between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights. Kyrin noted that the fog around them was unusually thick and felt that it was unnatural. In the conference room, they found Claudine and Cygnus discussing the fog and how the Black Wings would likely attack in the cover.

After reporting to Cygnus, she told them that Neinheart had warned her earlier about Baroq the Master of Disguise, who would likely be up to his old tricks in order to cause chaos. He recommended that they play along and try to get him to slip up. Having not seen Neinheart since then, Cygnus asked the Alliance member to check up on him. While searching for Neinheart, the Alliance member encountered Neinheart standing over a wounded doppelgänger of himself, along with several unconscious Cygnus Knights.

The Alliance member immediately recognized that the standing Neinheart was the fake one, as the real Neinheart couldn’t win a straight fight on his own. Realizing that he had been caught, Baroq immediately transformed back into himself and engaged the Alliance member, who managed to defeat him. However, Baroq then transformed himself into Cygnus in an effort to prevent them from hitting him. As they struggled to decide whether to hit the fake Cygnus, Hiver teleported behind them and knocked them out before tying them and Neinheart to a barrel.

(A/N: You get to choose whether to hit her or not. The dialogue box will keep prompting you a couple more times if you click on the option to hit her, although you’ll ultimately just continue to debate on whether to hit her on not, after which Hiver hits you.)

After they awoke, the Alliance member worked with Neinheart to break the barrel and hurried to warn the rest of the Alliance. In the hallway, they found that the Lumiere had already been boarded by Black Wings androids, which had defeated the soldiers posted in the area. As they fought through the androids, they encountered Athena Pierce fighting the androids alone and regrouped with her.

Athena sensed an evil energy in the next corridor, where they ran into Eleanor the Black Witch. After fighting her off, they arrived at the deck, where Cygnus told them that the Black Wings were dropping androids onto the deck from above. The Alliance member grouped with the Piyo siblings and began to fight off the androids on deck.

(A/N: Each class gets a unique line of encouragement from Athena Pierce as they rush into battle.

For Explorers, including Special Explorers and Jett, Athena tells them to show their enemies their skills as an Explorer.

For Cygnus Knights, Athena tells them to show their enemies the power of the Cygnus Knights.

For Mihile, Athena tells him to show their enemies the power of a Chief Knight.

For all Resistance classes, including the Demon and Xenon, Athena tells them to show their enemies the power of the Resistance.

For Aran, Athena tells her to show the enemies the power of a hero.

For Evan, Athena tells him to show the enemies the power of a Dragon Master.

For Mercedes, Athena tells her to show the enemies the majesty of the queen of elves.

For Phantom, Athena tells him to show the enemies what happens when they touch a thief's property.

For Luminous, Athena tells him to show the enemies the power of light.

For Shade, Athena tells him to make the enemies remember his name.

For Kaiser, Athena tells him to show the enemies the will of his sword.

For Angelic Buster, Athena tells her to show the enemies the power of an idol of the battlefield.

For Zero, Athena tells Alpha and Beta to show the enemies their strength.

For every other class - Cadena, Kain, Illium, Ark, Adele, Khali, Hoyoung, Lara, Kinesis, Hayato, Kanna, and Beast Tamer - the default dialogue is Athena telling them to show the enemies their power. In GMS, Kanna actually gets a unique script, in which Athena tells her to let the spirits take their enemies. There’s also a bug in GMS that has Hayato get the same line, even though Athena explicitly calls the player “Kanna” during that script.)

From the sky, Baroq returned in his own fighter plane and engaged the Alliance member, who was able to crash his ship. Just then, Hiver arrived in a large airship, which they recognized as Black Heaven, and began firing rockets at the group, who struggled to dodge the firepower. As more androids landed, the group continued fighting them off while directing all their own firepower at Hiver’s ship, which they eventually succeeded in destroying.

They returned back to the main deck and reported their victory to the Alliance leadership. Just as everyone began celebrating the destruction of Black Heaven, a dark shadow loomed over their heads as they looked up, horrified, at the real Black Heaven, which was hundreds of times larger than both the Lumiere and the airship that they had struggled to take down.

With hundreds of the smaller airships that Hiver had been flying surrounding Black Heaven, Athena ordered the Lumiere to immediately pull back and retreat into cloud cover. That night, Claudine pointed out that the Alliance had been reckless, and that they should have had clearer plans. Neinheart remarked that their plan had been sound, based on the given information, and snidely asked what the Resistance had been doing all the time while Gelimer had been constructing Black Heaven.

As tensions continued to rise, Athena attempted to maintain the peace. Just then, the Alliance member heard a noise and began to investigate. They discovered dozens of puppets sent by Francis the Puppeteer, who had infiltrated the Lumiere in order to search for Orchid. After engaging Francis, the Puppeteer managed to escape to the deck.

As the Alliance member reported to the leadership about Francis’ infiltration, they discovered him attempting to flee in a barrel on deck. After getting captured, Francis demanded that they release Orchid, claiming that she was helpless after her powers had been stolen by Lotus, and attempted to trade the blueprints for Black Heaven in exchange for her release. Neinheart accepted the offer and took the blueprints, though he told Francis that he could only see Orchid after the war was over. He then ordered Francis to be detained.

Throughout the night, the Alliance leadership developed a strategy to combat Black Heaven. With the blueprints they had obtained from Francis, Neinheart was able to identify two critical weaknesses in Black Heaven: first, its massive size would inevitably create blind spots to attack; second, it only had one centralized power source. Neinheart was curious to find out what exactly could be powering such a large airship. With those two weaknesses in mind, he devised a plan to infiltrate Black Heaven and destroy the power source.

While the Cygnus Knights protected the Lumiere and the Nautilus handled the head-on air attack to draw the Black Wings’ attention, Belle, Brighton, Checky, and the Alliance member would infiltrate through the blind spot on its side. Just then, Mihile rushed into the meeting room to warn them that the Black Wings had launched a wide-range ballistic attack. As the entire airship shook and received heavy damage, Cygnus asked the Alliance member to assess the situation on the deck. There, they met Brighton and Belle, who told them that they had received a direct hit to the underside.

To help the soldiers on the lower deck, the Alliance member and Belle left Brighton to handle things on the upper deck before heading downstairs. There, they rescued the Alliance soldiers who had been knocked out from the heavy smoke in the room while also holding off the androids that had infiltrated the ship. After the soldiers left, the Alliance member decided to head up to the deck when they discovered that enemies had taken over the Pilothouse, causing the ship to list. They defeated the Black Wings henchmen attacking the soldiers before struggling to get the ship back in control until Kyrin arrived to take over.

The Alliance member then went to the top deck, where they rendezvoused with Belle, Brighton, and Checky for their mission. Claudine gave them a signal flare to fire off once they landed on Black Heaven so that the main force could be sent in. Upon arriving at their vehicles, however, they found that the Black Wings had destroyed them.

Checky asked them to bring him Dented Steel Plates, Junky Bolts, and High-Efficiency Fuel from the androids in order to make the necessary repairs, as well as to make a few upgrades. The four then flew through the enemy combatants and managed to arrive at the landing point on Black Heaven. (A/N: To this day, I have never successfully completed this dumb minigame.) Just then, Gelimer’s voice rang out to let them know that he had been expecting them. Belle, Brighton, and Checky suddenly crashed into the shields around Black Heaven, immobilizing them in place, just as several cannons shot them down.

The Alliance member rushed back to the Lumiere and informed Claudine about the missing Resistance leaders. She immediately ordered all missions to be aborted so that they could find their missing allies. The Alliance forces scattered out and located Belle and Brighton falling, just as a large Black Wings airship shot them down, much to Claudine’s horror. Aboard the control room of Black Heaven, Gelimer laughed at the foolishness of the Alliance as Lotus’ operating system efficiently targeted and shot them down. Back in Edelstein, Orchid was able to feel Lotus’ immense pain from being forced to obey Gelimer, causing her to awaken from her coma.

At the Pilothouse, the Alliance member and Claudine returned to Neinheart and Cygnus. Though Claudine wished to continue searching for her allies, Neinheart gently told her that it was unlikely that anyone could have survived such a fall. Nevertheless, he left the choice to save her allies to Claudine, who ultimately realized that she couldn’t afford to sacrifice any more of the Resistance. Because of this, she decided that she would commit her forces to stop Black Heaven and save Edelstein, trusting that her friends were strong enough to survive and return.

She then asked Neinheart what his plan was, to which Neinheart explained that their plan was still to infiltrate Black Heaven. However, he noted that based on their first failed attempt, it seemed that Black Heaven had defenses that weren’t covered in the blueprints, which meant that they would need someone who knew the airship well. Because of this, Neinheart and the others visited Francis in his cell in order to interrogate him further about Black Heaven and its design.

In the prison, they found Francis’ cell on fire, with a Resistance soldier explaining that Francis’ escape attempt had caused the fire. Francis begged the Alliance to save him from the fire, to which Neinheart and Claudine told him that they would help him in exchange for information, noting that such a small fire didn’t pose any immediate danger at all.

Francis reluctantly agreed and explained that Black Heaven was being controlled by Lotus, who had been turned into a Xenoroid by Gelimer. Lotus’ own powers, along with the other half of the Wing Master powers that he had stolen from Orchid, allowed him to effortlessly maintain control over Black Heaven, which was like an extension of his body. Because of this, there were no weaknesses or blind spots anywhere in the ship. However, he also revealed that there were no troops stationed aboard Black Heaven, as they were being summoned from somewhere else.

After interrogating Francis, the Alliance decided to let him loose from his burning cell. Immediately, however, Francis disappeared and set out to rescue Orchid. Knowing what his target was, Claudine decided to deploy additional troops to guard Orchid in Edelstein. Cygnus then realized that if the troops aboard Black Heaven were being teleported, it meant that there was a way to infiltrate Black Heaven. Claudine noted that though she wasn’t too sure, it was possible that the androids were being teleported from Edelstein’s Scrapyard.

(A/N: This portion of Black Heaven was changed during the Dreamer update. In the original storyline, the player saves Francis from his burning cell right as the ship starts tilting, allowing him to escape. Later on, after Brighton and the others are shot down, Claudine blames the Cygnus Knights for her friends’ deaths, claiming that the Knights never put themselves at risk like the Resistance. She also blames the player for freeing Francis, believing that Francis was the one who warned Gelimer about the Alliance’s attack.

As she can’t withdraw the Resistance’s support on such an important mission, she puts the player on tribunal, in which we have to play a mini-game to defend ourselves before a jury. Successfully completing this mini-game results in us being placed on probation instead of being found guilty, which prompts further arguments between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights. Realizing that our presence will only make things worse, we decide to exile ourselves and return back to Ereve.

There was originally some exclusive dialogue for Resistance classes and Phantom during this part, with Claudine having a short conversation with Resistance classes about how she’s disappointed in them, while Phantom has a conversation with Cygnus about how he’s giving the Lumiere to her for the remainder of the mission. The generic script just has a regular conversation with Cygnus, who tells us how worried she is about us.

On our way back, we find that the Alliance soldier escorting aboard our small airship is one of Francis’ puppets in disguise, with Francis telling us all the information about Lotus and the androids being teleported as thanks for us freeing him earlier, which prompts us to turn our airship around towards the Scrapyard, leading into Act 4.

Personally, I’ve always hated the Resistance and Cygnus Knight feud, and so I’m not too upset about the changes to the story. However, this tension is pretty important for Claudine’s character arc, and removing it makes it feel a bit less impactful when the Alliance starts to work together by the end of the blockbuster. However, I’m very happy about the removal of our exile, since many people (including me) hated the idea of Phantom having to leave his own airship.)

Neinheart dispatched the Alliance member to investigate the Scrapyard, where they found the Piyo siblings tailing them on Cygnus’ orders. Together, they made their way deeper into the Scrapyard, where they found several androids searching for a fugitive android. Though they attempted to sneak past the androids, the group was caught and they were forced to stand off against the enemies.

Suddenly, the fugitive android named One-Eye helped them escape and brought them to a hidden camp. He explained that he was on the run because he had human feelings, which was grounds for being scrapped. One-Eye then introduced them to his wife, Three-Hands, who asked them how they had come to the Scrapyard.

After learning about the situation, One-Eye told them that the only way to enter Black Heaven was by scaling the central tower in the middle of the Scrapyard, which teleported androids straight onto the ship. However, he explained that the teleporter scanned for a special computer chip that only androids possessed. One-Eye agreed to make an android helmet for the Alliance member, just as their daughter, Bitterbot, came to tell them that their efforts were futile, though she reluctantly agreed to help them.

The Alliance member collected the necessary parts for the helmet, just as the enemy androids discovered them, forcing the group to abandon the refuge. One-Eye finished constructing the helmet, allowing the Alliance member and the Piyo siblings to scale up to the teleporter. As One-Eye and his family watched them, Bitterbot claimed that they still had no hope of defeating her father and took off her helmet, revealing herself to be Beryl. (A/N: I thought that this was a cool way to show what happened to Beryl after she lost to Xenon. It’s sad how Gelimer just threw her away after how much devotion she showed to him.) 

At the inspection station on Black Heaven, the Black Wings immediately discovered that the Alliance member wasn’t an android. As the Alliance member continued to fight off the Black Wings forces, Dargoth himself arrived to capture them. However, the Alliance member proved to be too strong and defeated him. With his defeat, Eleanor arrived to finish them off, though she was also defeated.

With no choice, the Black Wings brought in a Demolisher, though they were shocked when the Alliance member seized control of it and blasted through the defenses. (A/N: The Demolisher is the final boss in the Riena Strait storyline. We encounter a lot more of them in this story.) Having created a hole in the shields, the Alliance member fired the signal flare. Aboard the Lumiere, the Alliance had sustained substantial damage and Neinheart asked a demoralized Cygnus whether to press on or turn back. Suddenly, they all saw the signal flare and realized that the Alliance member had given them an opening.

Aboard Black Heaven, the Alliance member was being chased by an immense Pulverizer, which cornered them at the edge of the ship. Suddenly, Claudine arrived aboard her flying vehicle and began shooting at it. She told the Alliance member to flee while she covered them, just as cannons began firing at her. Claudine struggled to keep her craft afloat until the cannons were destroyed by Checky, Brighton, and Belle, who had miraculously survived Gelimer’s attack.

With their combined firepower, the Pulverizer was easily destroyed. The Alliance member, who had been knocked out in the explosion, awoke to find that the Alliance had boarded Black Heaven with the help of Pilot Irvin. They were also overjoyed to find that Irvin had also helped Checky, Brighton, and Belle, who had worked together with Claudine to save them from Black Heaven’s cannons. As the Alliance boarding party prepared to infiltrate Black Heaven, Francis managed to infiltrate the Secret Plaza in Edelstein and successfully rescued Orchid, who immediately set off to save Lotus and destroy Gelimer. 

Cygnus told the Alliance member that the advance team had already boarded Black Heaven in order to secure access to key areas. Though she wished that she could say that the Alliance member had done enough, Cygnus acknowledged that they were the Alliance’s best chance at winning the battle. Promising to return safely, the Alliance member entered Black Heaven with Irvin and Neinheart, who had already plotted the most direct route to the core. They met up with Claudine, Belle, Brighton, Athena Pierce, and the Piyo siblings and took the elevator down.

Along the way, Irvin told them that over fifty years ago, he had been an officer in Edelstein’s air force, working alongside Admiral Martini and Gelimer, who had been a military scientist. After learning that Martini had commissioned experiments on living subjects, Irvin had left the military in protest, though Gelimer had stayed behind in order to pursue his dream research. Belle asked if his dream was to construct Black Heaven, but Irvin explained that Gelimer specialized in medicine and biotechnology and had little interest in machines. Irvin felt responsible for not doing more to save Gelimer and asked them to do their best to stop him.

The group continued traversing through the labyrinth of Black Heaven and eventually ran into Orchid and Francis. The Alliance was shocked to see Orchid, whom they had believed was still in a coma. Likewise, Orchid was furious to see the Alliance member, to which Francis asked her whether she knew them. Orchid angrily claimed that she recognized them as the one who had looked inside her mind.

Neinheart and Claudine were both confused by Orchid’s extreme reaction, causing them to wonder what it was that the Alliance member had seen. Though the Alliance member tried to explain that they had merely seen her memories, Orchid refused to believe them and angrily ordered Francis to fight them on her behalf, as she had no powers left.

(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here. When Francis asks Orchid if she knows the Demon, she explains that she knows him very well and calls him a traitor to be fighting on the Alliance’s side. She asks him whether he has no pride left and declares that they’re now enemies. She then orders Francis to fight him on her behalf.

Phantom also gets some exclusive dialogue here. When Francis asks Orchid if she knows Phantom, she asks how she could ever forget Lotus’ archenemy, to which Phantom points out that Lotus is also Aria’s archenemy. Orchid notes that they’ve finally met again, sarcastically adding that their reunion is as pleasant as she had expected. She then orders Francis to fight him on her behalf.)

Neinheart attempted to keep the peace when Gelimer appeared on a monitor and showed Lotus to Orchid in order to rub in the fact that her brother was now his puppet. Lotus, detecting the intruders, manifested a Pulverizer to drop down onto the elevator, scattering the group on different levels. The Alliance member and Orchid both fell on the same level together, after which Orchid got up and noted with distaste that the Alliance member had survived, angrily wondering why she was always stuck with them.

The Alliance member got up and noted that it was just the two of them, to which Orchid once again asked why she was stuck with them, of all people, adding that everything seemed to be going badly. She then ordered them to stay behind, as she didn’t want to deal with them. She then proceeded ahead and pushed a red button that opened the glass panel in her way. Upon letting go of the button and moving forward, however, the panel immediately slid back down.

The Alliance member pointed out that two people were needed to open it, as there was another red button on the other side of the panel. Orchid snapped at them that she had already known that, to which they explained that at the moment, they both had the same goal to escape, reminding her that she needed to get to Lotus. After a pause, Orchid relented and ordered them to push the button.

With the Alliance member holding the button down, Orchid made it to the other side. The Alliance member patiently waited for her to push the button on her end, adding that trusted her. Orchid stopped and considered for a moment, after which she pushed the button and allowed them to follow. After the Alliance member crossed over, she demanded to know what they were looking at before telling them to lead.

(A/N: Phantom gets a completely different scene for this part. After Orchid notes with distaste that Phantom survived, she angrily wonders why he, of all people, is here. She then orders him to stop where he is if he doesn’t want to make her mad. After she presses the button and finds that it doesn’t work, Phantom tells her that she’s being ridiculous, as it’s obvious that two people are needed to open the door.

Orchid gets annoyed at Phantom, who asks her whether she wants to settle their score right then and there, adding that he wouldn’t mind. Orchid asks him whether he’s going to attack her, to which Phantom replies that though he wants to, he’s not the type to pick on the powerless. She then replies that he’ll regret it if he doesn’t attack her now, vowing that he’s next after she finishes dealing with Gelimer.

However, Phantom angrily tells her to stop acting like she’s in charge, reminding her of the state that she’s in. He then warns her not to push his patience any further, adding that she should be grateful that Aria had forgiven her. He then tells her to hurry up, as they both have business to attend to. After a pause, Orchid relents and orders him to push the button.)

The two continued traversing their way to the core until they found another glass panel blocking their way. Just then, however, a Repairoid began taking portions of the pipes for the mechanism and flying away. The Alliance member and Orchid chased after the Repairoid and encountered a horde of them. With Orchid unable to fight with no powers, the Alliance member defeated the Repairoids and took back the pipes, which they used to repair the mechanism. The pair then opened the door together and continued forward.

As they walked along, Orchid demanded to know what the Alliance member had seen inside her memories. The Alliance member explained that they had seen her and Lotus in the past, from when they had been spirits up until the present. Orchid asked them whether they had seen anything strange, to which they replied that they hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, Orchid remained convinced that they were lying, adding that she was only staying with them until they escaped.

(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. When Orchid asks him what he had seen inside her memories, he tells her that he had seen Aria’s last moments, adding that he had seen her, Aria, and Lotus in the memory. After a pause, Orchid tells him that he’s the worst for invading her mind, adding that there was no one who wouldn’t be mad about being violated in such a way.

Phantom replies that they had no choice, though Orchid retorts that she doesn’t believe him, which Phantom dismisses. As they reach the end of the juncture, Orchid warns him she’s watching him, and that she’s only staying with him until they escape. Phantom retorts by asking her who’s watching whom, to which Orchid sarcastically calls him a cheeky thief and tells him to lead.)

After reaching the next juncture, they discovered that another Repairoid had stolen the pipes for the mechanism of the next door. After the Alliance member recovered the parts and repaired it, the two worked together to open the door and move ahead. Orchid joked that she could get used to them doing her bidding, to which the Alliance member jokingly asked her whether it meant that she was starting to trust them. An annoyed Orchid then asked them what they were starting at before ordering them to lead on.

(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. When Orchid tells him that she could get used to him doing her bidding, Phantom tells her that she should be at least a tiny bit grateful, to which Orchid sarcastically laughs and retorts that he ought to be a comedian. When Phantom deadpans that he’s not joking, Orchid replies that she’s not in the mood and orders him to just keep moving.)

The pair then continued through the juncture and soon reached the next door. The Alliance member pressed the button to open the door, allowing Orchid to reach the other side. As they waited for her to let them through, however, Orchid paused for a moment before unexpectedly declaring that they were through. Suddenly, Francis rushed over, grateful that he had found her at last. Francis was surprised to find the Alliance member, who was surprised by Orchid’s sudden betrayal.

Orchid reluctantly told them that she was going to save Lotus, and that she wanted them to stay out of it. She explained that she couldn’t trust the Alliance when they treated Lotus like some kind of monster. (A/N: Can’t imagine why.) She then ordered Francis to follow her, to which Francis apologized to the Alliance member, explaining that his heart belonged only to Orchid. As the Alliance membered called after her, Orchid hesitated for a moment before admitting that they hadn’t been half-bad during their time together, after which she left them with hordes of androids that began surrounding them.

(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. After Orchid crosses to the other side, she declares that they’re now done and tells him to be on his way. Phantom yells Orchid’s name in frustration, to which she tells him not shout, reminding him that they both knew that they only needed each other until one of them didn’t. Phantom notes that this is how Orchid returns favors, adding that he should have known.

After Francis arrives, Orchid tells Phantom that when she thinks of Lotus, she feels like she should tear Phantom apart, though she adds that she’ll hold back, at least for now. She then tells Francis to follow her, to which Francis apologizes to him and tells him that his heart belongs only to Orchid. As Phantom calls after her, Orchid hesitates for a moment before telling him that she has one more thing to say, which is that he hadn’t been half-bad during their time together, after which she leaves him with the horde of androids.)

The Alliance member was left overwhelmed by the hordes of androids attacking them until the rest of the Alliance arrived to save them. As they chased after Orchid and Francis, Neinheart began to wonder what Black Heaven had been built so largely for, as it didn’t hold the android army, which was being teleported as needed from the Scrapyard. As they arrived near the core, Neinheart’s question was answered when they found that thousands of large bombs were being stored in the area, guarded by Xenoroids modeled after Xenon and Beryl.

(A/N: Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that the Xenoroids guarding the area are like his brothers. However, Athena Pierce tells him not to be swayed.)

As they proceeded deeper into Black Heaven, the Alliance member, Neinheart, Claudine, and Athena Pierce fought past the Xenoroids that attacked them. Claudine and Athena also used their whip and arrows, respectively, in order to bring down several platforms that had been raised up, which was cutting off their route forward.

(A/N: When Athena brings down the platform with her arrow, Claudine will normally say that they should’ve used her arrows from the start to bring down the platforms, to which Athena will tell her that her whipping had been quite amazing, too. If the player is Mercedes, Mercedes will instead praise Athena as the greatest bowman of Elluel, to which Athena will proudly say that she’s learned from the best.)

Deeper into the ship, the group noticed that strange green gas was permeating the further in they went, requiring them to wear gas masks. They soon found themselves in Gelimer’s lab, where a dying Admiral Martini begged them to stop Gelimer and his mad plans. He explained that he had been dying from an incurable illness, and that Gelimer had offered a solution. However, he told them that he now saw that Irvin had been right to leave. As Martini passed away from the toxic fumes, Neinheart noted that Gelimer must be quite ruthless to backstab an ally.

The group then began searching Gelimer’s lab and obtained several research notes. They learned that Gelimer had been researching the Seal Stones after learning that Orchid had ordered the Black Wings to find them. Upon learning about the incredible power of the Seal Stones, and the fact that the Black Wings had collected all the Seal Stones except for the Seal Stone of Ereve, he had attempted to use them as an energy source. However, he had failed to harness their power, as the Seal Stones would only grant the wish of a population.

His research had also led him to conclude that as long as even one Seal Stone existed, the Black Mage couldn’t fully regain his powers, as the collective desire of the people of Maple World to keep the Black Mage from regaining his strength was being channeled through the Seal Stones, acting as a restraint on his power. He had also learned that Freud had created the Seal Stones centuries ago and noted that the more that he learned about the Seal Stones, the more nonsensical it sounded that the desire of human beings could somehow be turned into power.

(A/N: In the Cernium storyline, it’s revealed that the Seal Stones are holy relics that contain the power of the Overseers, which explains why it seems incredible to Gelimer that Freud could’ve created such powerful objects that operated outside the realm of logic.)

They also found Gelimer’s research on Lotus and how Gelimer had coveted the powerful body that Lotus had been granted by the Black Mage. It detailed how he had lied to both Orchid about promising to return Lotus to her, and to the Commanders about promising to alter Lotus’ body to serve as a vessel for the Black Mage. In order to power Lotus and Black Heaven, Gelimer had taken over the Verne Mine and ordered Admiral Martini to obtain coolant from Riena Strait.

After Lotus had been completed, Gelimer had forced him to steal Orchid’s power in order to obtain the complete Wing Masters’ power so that he could launch Black Heaven. He also detailed how he had created the Evolution System to imprint combat data onto Lotus, making him stronger as he received more data.

They also uncovered information on the bombs aboard Black Heaven, which contained a chemical agent called Retoxin that could turn humans into obedient puppets, all of whom would be controlled in a hive mind by Lotus. They then found a map that listed the targets that Black Heaven would bomb and realized that Gelimer’s goal was bombardment, rather than invasion.

Neinheart realized that Cygnus had been right to make the Alliance meet Black Heaven in the air, rather than form a ground defense like they had originally planned, as she had experienced a vision of the future, in which she had seen a giant whose head had blocked the sun and whose foot had crushed entire towns. However, she had also foreseen shining birds charging at the giant, whose bright lights wiped it away.

Neinheart then told the Alliance member and Athena Pierce to stop Gelimer while he returned with Claudine in order to formulate a plan. Athena and the Alliance member took the elevator up to the core, but Gelimer anticipated their arrival and broke the elevator, causing Athena to fall many levels below, though not before telling the Alliance member to confront Gelimer.

Though separated, the Alliance member pressed on alone and found Lotus hooked up to Black Heaven. They engaged in a fierce battle, with their fight causing Lotus to break free from his connections to Black Heaven and use his full Wing Master powers against them. Nevertheless, the Alliance member managed to defeat him. Furious, Gelimer ordered Lotus to get up and continue fighting. As Lotus continued powering up, the Alliance member realized that he was overexerting himself to breaking point.

Just then, Orchid arrived and hugged her brother in order to calm him down. She asked Lotus to go back to becoming a Spirit of Darkness with her, explaining that the Black Mage could give them back their original forms once his full power returned. Lotus told Orchid that his soul had spent centuries roaming Maple World trying to get his voice to reach her.

Though, at first, he had only wanted revenge against Phantom for what he had done to them, he had begun changing after Gelimer had forced him to hurt her. He asked Orchid if she would continue living as a human for a bit longer together when Gelimer, unable to abide his creation rebelling against him, used his kill switch on Lotus.

(A/N: This blockbuster tried really hard to get me to care about Orchid and Lotus, and somehow I think they succeeded in making me hate them even more. These two helped wage a war of terror on the entire planet, were responsible for the murder of millions of people, assassinated the head of state under the pretense of peace negotiations, subjugated an entire town under authoritarian rule for years, ordered the kidnapping, torture, and mutilation of countless children for unethical experimentation, and somehow all of that is just supposed to get swept under the rug because Orchid is sad.

I don’t hate Orchid and Lotus as characters in and of themselves. I think that they make for excellent villains specifically because of how evil they are. Despite being in human bodies, they still consider themselves spirits, and so they feel absolutely nothing when they kill ‘lesser’ life forms like humans. In fact, they even seem to derive some pleasure in toying with their prey.

The Wing Master webcomic showed how Orchid and Lotus slowly tortured Aria to death and expressed disappointment when she died too quickly. The only feeling that Orchid expresses after watching Aria die is that they didn’t get the chance to ‘play’ with her more. The two of them are absolute sociopaths who don’t have a shred of empathy for anyone except each other, which makes them great, complex antagonists.

However, I just can’t just get behind the idea of them as tragic figures because everything bad that ever happened to them was literally just the consequences of their actions. There’s nothing unfair or tragic about terrorists who killed thousands of people getting exactly what was coming to them. It feels so tone deaf on the writers’ part to have Gelimer be based on Nazi scientists, and to be coded as a pedophile with the teddy bear that he carries and how he kidnaps and experiments on the bodies of children, but then somehow the person who ordered him to do all of that gets a narrative free pass.

I will say that Orchid post-Black Heaven is a much better character because after she’s lost everything that mattered to her, it feels like she’s actually paid for her actions, and so allying with her doesn’t feel as jarring. However, the writers even managed to mess that dynamic up with the way that Orchid starts lowkey flirting with the Adversary at the end of Limina, although I’ll complain about that when we get there.)

As Orchid continued holding onto her dying brother, the Alliance member made their way to the control room in order to stop Gelimer. However, Gelimer released Retoxin gas into the room, poisoning the Alliance member and leaving them unable to fight. He then showed them a view screen of Black Heaven looming over Edelstein as he released his bombs.

(A/N: This is likely a continuity error because both the Cygnus Knight and Resistance class-exclusive cutscenes in this blockbuster said that Gelimer’s first target was Henesys. I personally rationalize it by thinking that the Alliance met Gelimer near his launch point at Edelstein, thus preventing him from leaving Edelstein airspace and forcing him to change his plans.)

In the air, the Alliance struggled to detonate the bombs, but they found that there were too many for them to handle. Just as the bombs were about to fall on the city, Orchid used the last of the Wing Master power that Lotus had given to her before his death in order to levitate the bombs back into the air around Black Heaven before causing them all to detonate at once. Meanwhile, in the control room, the Alliance member struggled to stand as Gelimer mockingly dangled the antidote in their face. Though the Alliance member struggled to fight, Gelimer easily managed to defeat them.

(A/N: The main Resistance classes get some exclusive dialogue here. After Gelimer defeats them, he asks them what it is that makes fools like them struggle so much. He explains that he had only wanted to make them better, and to raise them up from their primitive ways. However, the Resistance member calls him out and tells him that he had made Vita cry. However, Gelimer merely asks them whether he’s supposed to know a ‘Vita’, causing the Resistance member to curse him for his callousness.

Xenon also gets some exclusive dialogue here. After Gelimer defeats him, he notes that emotion had gotten the best of Xenon, who had charged in like a fool. He adds that he had built Xenon to be better than that and asks him why he had betrayed him, as Xenon was supposed to be his masterpiece. Xenon retorts that neither he nor Beryl are his toys, to which Gelimer asks who Beryl is.

Xenon is shocked by his words, and after a moment, Gelimer laughs and notes that Xenon is referring to the failure that used to call him ‘father’. He jokes that at least she had known how to follow orders, though he begins laughing once again at the thought of Beryl calling him ‘father’, claiming that she couldn’t even see what a failure she was. Upon seeing Xenon’s face, Gelimer tells Xenon not to look at him like that, explaining that if there was anyone worthy of calling him ‘father’, it would have been Xenon himself, though he emphasizes that Xenon no longer has that right anymore.)

Gelimer then told the Alliance member to beg him for the antidote, though he then laughed and shattered the antidote on the floor.

(A/N: You get the choice to beg him for the antidote, or to refuse. Regardless of your choice, Gelimer will shatter the antidote on the floor. Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue when he makes his choices. If you choose to beg, Gelimer will call you pathetic to the very end. If you refuse, Gelimer will tell you that there is no cure, and that there’s no hope for him, either.)

Declaring that he would never stop until his great work was finished, Gelimer ordered his Xenoroids to restrain the Alliance member and self-destruct as he began boarding his escape pod. Unexpectedly, however, the Xenoroids developed survival instincts as they realized that Black Heaven was about to crash. They climbed onto the escape pod and begged their father to save them as he attempted to get them off. Using the last of their strength, the Alliance member crawled to a lever and pulled it, causing the escape pod to take off. In the sky, Gelimer attempted to cancel his self-destruct command, but the Xenoroids soon exploded and killed Gelimer in the process.

(A/N: Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue when he pulls the lever, in which he apologizes profusely to his fellow Xenoroids, whom he calls his brothers, as he knows that they’re going to die once they self-destruct.

Personally, I think that the writers did a fantastic job with handling Gelimer’s death. Him dying in the same way that he killed Vita - in a confined space rigged to explode - is perfect poetic justice.)

With the Retoxin flooding their system, the Alliance member struggled to escape Black Heaven, which was slowly breaking apart. Unexpectedly, Orchid arrived and carried them outside, though she was angry at them for having defeated Gelimer without her. They reached the upper deck, where Athena Pierce, having survived her fall, took over for Orchid.

Orchid told Athena that it was likely too late for the Alliance member, who would become an emotionless zombie if the Retoxin didn’t kill them. However, she confided to them that Lotus had been happy in his final moments to be free of Gelimer before she walked away. Athena and the Alliance member hopped off Black Heaven and landed on the deck of the Lumiere.

Elsewhere, Francis found Orchid and begged her to escape with him, though Orchid silently watched the wreckage as she bid farewell to her brother. Black Heaven finally crashed atop the Scrapyard as the Alliance escaped triumphant. However, their celebration was short-lived when they learned from Athena that the Alliance member would most likely die from the Retoxin, causing the Piyo siblings and many others to mourn.

(A/N: The Resistance classes, including Xenon and the Demon, get some exclusive dialogue, in which Claudine yells out their name in mourning alongside the Piyo siblings.)

Just then, however, Cygnus declared that the Alliance member would be fine and pulled out the Seal Stone of Ereve, the final Seal Stone in existence. (A/N: The Seal Stone of Ereve being called the final Seal Stone in existence implies that the others were destroyed by the Black Wings.) Cygnus explained that though no power was strong enough to bring back the dead, there was still hope for the Alliance member, who was still breathing. Neinheart cautiously asked Cygnus if she understood what it meant to use the last Seal Stone. Cygnus affirmed that she knew that its destruction would remove the final limitation on the Black Mage’s power.

However, she reminded them all that Freud had created the Seal Stones in order to help them protect what was most precious to the people and asked whether they all valued the Seal Stone more than the Alliance member. With the full support of the Alliance, Cygnus used the final Seal Stone in order to save the Alliance member. Unbeknown to them all, however, the Seal Stone recognized the Alliance member as one who represented the will of the people, causing it to choose them as its Vessel.

In the aftermath of the battle, the Alliance member spoke with the leaders of the Alliance as they returned back to Ereve. Athena told the Alliance member that she would return back to Henesys, as she needed to train more bowmen to defend Maple World. She told them that she looked forward to everyone gathering again, though she hoped for it to be under happier circumstances. The Alliance member told her that they would stop by the next time they were in Henesys, to which Athena jokingly told them that elves never forgot a promise.

(A/N: Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces the last part of the conversation. When she tells Athena that she’ll come visit, Athena tells Mercedes that she’ll be waiting.)

The Alliance member then spoke with Claudine, who told them that the Black Wings were done for, as their leaders and their power base had been demolished, with a free Edelstein being only a step away. The Alliance member asked her what she would do once Edelstein was freed, to which she told them that she had never thought of it before.

Claudine explained that she was considering listening to what Irvin had once told her to start dating before telling the Alliance member that she had told Irvin about Gelimer and Martini’s deaths. She explained that he had simply noted that it had been quite appropriate, adding that he likely needed time to process. She then thanked the Alliance member for everything before saying goodbye.

Next, the Alliance member spoke with Neinheart, who told them that he was glad that they were safe. The Alliance member began pointing out that he didn’t look happy, to which Neinheart cut in and told them that his expression was his happy face. However, he then reminded them that the Seal Stone had been final restraint on the Black Mage’s powers, and that its destruction meant that the Black Mage was completely free, meaning that the final battle for Maple World was drawing near.

The Alliance member began to apologize, to which Neinheart told them not to be sorry, as after thinking about it, he agreed with the Empress' decision. He told them that they could no longer rely on seals and barriers, as they needed to settle things once and for all, for which the Alliance needed them. The Alliance member joked that it sounded like he was planning to keep ordering them around, to which Neinheart merely laughed.

Finally, the Alliance member spoke with Cygnus, who told them that though she was glad that the war was over, she was sad that they would have to say goodbye again. However, she added that she had a feeling that their goodbye wouldn’t last long, for while Gelimer was gone, the Black Mage was still a looming threat to Maple World. She then told them that whatever the reason, she looked forward to meeting them again.

(A/N: Mihile gets an exclusive script with Cygnus that replaces the regular dialogue. Cygnus tells Mihile to have a safe trip, to which he tells Cygnus that he’ll be back soon, once he learns of their enemy’s plan. He then pauses, causing Cygnus to note that he seems sad. Mihile explains that he may be gone for a while, causing Cygnus to agree that it is indeed sad. However, she replies that they’ll be together again, if Maple World is in danger, as she knows that they can always count on him, just like during the Black Heaven crisis. She then tells Mihile that she looks forward to having their great knight back again before affectionately calling him her great knight.)

The Alliance member then climbed aboard their airship, and with the Piyo siblings sending them off with many tears, they returned back home. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the battle, the defective androids who had once been hunted down by Gelimer created a new home for themselves called Haven amidst the ruins of Black Heaven in the Scrapyard.

As the people of Maple World celebrated the Alliance’s victory, Arkarium reported Gelimer’s defeat to the Black Mage, though he added that Gelimer’s death had been assured when he had approached them with deceit. However, the Black Mage ignored his words and instead told him that the shape of destiny had been twisted, and that a new Adversary had appeared with the power of the Seal Stone.

(A/N: There are two variations to what the Black Mage says. In the original Black Heaven cutscene, he says “The axis of destiny has been twisted. A new Archenemy has been born, with the Seal Stone in their arms.” However, in a different promotional cinematic for Tenebris, he instead says, “The shape of destiny has been twisted. A new Adversary has appeared with the power of the Seal Stone.”

The word ‘Archenemy’ is the direct translation of the Adversary in Korean, but the GMS localization later chose to use the word ‘Adversary’ during Esfera and beyond, which is the term that they’ve decided to stick with. I’m hoping that they change the Black Heaven text to say ‘Adversary’ in order to have it match with the current usage. For the purposes of this section, I’ve decided to use the quote from the Tenebris promotional video because it sounds a lot cooler and uses the term ‘Adversary’.)

Arkarium offered to handle them personally, but the Black Mage forbade him from intervening, instead tasking Damien and his demon army to carry out their next move. Meanwhile, deep in the Forest of Spirits, Orchid and Francis sought out Guwaru. Orchid then asked Guwaru to give back her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness, as she had used up her Wing Master power that the Black Mage had given her.

Shortly after, Gerand Darmoor became aware of the Adversary’s creation. In the shadows, the Angler Company founder continued sending his children on missions to harvest energy to make up for his lost power source after the explosion at the Angler Company headquarters. Their frequent excursions soon attracted the attention of Darmoor, who followed rumors of the Company’s return and discovered that it was still operating in secrecy. Darmoor then arranged a meeting with the Angler family and revealed to them that a new Adversary had been created, and that he planned to destroy the Seal Stone within them.

The Company founder realized that without the Seal Stone, the Adversary would have no choice but to seek out Odium in order to obtain a new one. As Guardian Kalos would only allow a true Vessel to complete Karote and enter Odium, he hoped to have his children manipulate the Adversary into entering Karote after Darmoor would shatter their Seal Stone. The Company founder then became business partners with Darmoor and his Apostles.

Soon after, the Company founder moved his memory chip and heart into a new body, as his previous body had been severely damaged in the explosion at Company headquarters. In order to prepare for his plan to invade Odium, the Company founder chose to use a body in the image of the Constables of Odium: robotic dolls with mechanical Anima features that maintained the laboratory in the elders’ absence. He reconstructed himself as a Constable with mechanical rabbit ears and a tiger tail, hoping to use his new body to infiltrate Odium undetected as soon as the Adversary completed Karote and opened the path.

(A/N: With the end of Black Heaven, I also wanted to talk about a couple of Easter eggs that you can find. These Easter eggs can be obtained by accessing secret areas throughout Act 5 during a repeat playthrough. If you’re interested in where they are, PirateIzzy made a handy guide for where to find them, which you can take a look at here.

The first three Easter eggs are Gelimer’s research diaries. The first entry talks about him successfully making a miracle drug created from Orange Mushroom extract and Stone Colossus saliva. With clinical trials being a complete success, he believes that all of Maple World will fall into his hands.

In the second entry, he’s frustrated because the drug - which is supposed to cure baldness - doesn’t work on him, even though it worked on everyone else. He briefly considers selling the drug and making a fortune, but he then realizes that if he does, he’ll be the only bald person left, which causes him to curse the world. GMS actually omitted the part in which he considers selling the drug when they were localizing it.

In the final entry, he realizes that the side effect of his miracle drug is that it causes people to lose their emotions. He takes his immunity to the drug as a sign that he’s meant to weaponize it and rule a world of perfect rationality. More importantly, he believes that doing so will ensure that he’ll never be mocked for being bald again. The drug is pretty obviously supposed to be Retoxin, although it makes you wonder why Gelimer needed a gas mask if he was immune to its effects. I like to think that he needed it because of the massive quantities of gas, which would be lethal to anyone.

The next four Easter eggs are notes from a Black Wings boss. The first entry has him note that Black Heaven is quite large, and he wonders what he should do during the hour-long elevator ride just to go to the cafeteria.

The second entry has him realize that he should use the opportunity to get closer to Bonnie, who works in the next lab over. As he had been thinking about how to strike up a conversation with her, he decides that spending an hour together in an elevator should be enough for them to get closer to each other.

The third entry has him fume that Gelimer, whom he calls ‘Baldie’ had been in the same elevator as them, causing them to stand awkwardly in silence for a whole hour. He also notes that Gelimer had been eyeing his luscious fur, speculating that Gelimer has a fur complex because of his baldness, especially if he knows that everyone calls him ‘Baldie’ behind his back.

The final entry has him repeatedly spam the word ‘Baldie’ and express his anger that Gelimer had made Bonnie get off the elevator when it had gotten full, even though it was common courtesy that Gelimer, as someone who had gotten on later, should have been the one to get off in order to make room. He then notices that there’s a camera on the ceiling monitoring what he’s typing.

The last three Easter eggs are recordings from an android. The first entry has the android note that he had been plucking fur from one of the Black Wings rabbits. It notes that he feels bad for doing so, adding that the rabbit was crying and mumbling ‘Bonnie’ over and over again. The GMS localization used female pronouns to refer to the rabbit boss, who’s supposed to be the one who made the notes from the last Easter egg.

Since Korean doesn’t really have gendered pronouns, the rabbit boss technically never had their gender specified in the text, and so it’s entirely possible that the rabbit boss could’ve been a woman simping for Bonnie. However, this is KMS we’re taking about, and I’d be fairly surprised if they would ever explicitly have gay romance outside of queerbaiting.

The second entry has the android note that he doesn’t have any hair, and neither does his father, Gelimer, which makes him wonder whether this is what they call hereditary.

The final entry has the android note that he can’t stop thinking about the female android that he had seen, with a smooth face and soft LED lights. He wonders whether this feeling is love, adding that he regrets discovering emotions. He recalls the boss rabbit who had been crying and saying “Bonnie”, which makes him wonder whether “Bonnie” is the name of the emotion that he’s feeling.)