PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 13: Carcion, the Cradle of Life

Soon after the battle with Arteria, Neinheart called the Adversary and explained that he was contacting them because Ereve had more or less finished recovering from the High Flora’s attack. He added that Ereve was still in an unstable state, but with the Empress out of commission, he believed that it would be best that they organize an Alliance conference in order to plan out their next move.

He explained that other than the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance, the other members of the Alliance across Maple World and Grandis had also agreed to meet, though he added that they wouldn’t be able to proceed without the Adversary’s attendance. He told the Adversary that he felt as though the Alliance was making them shoulder too much, though he noted that they now possessed a much greater status than just being the Adversary.

He began saying that there was only one choice for who could lead the Alliance with the Empress asleep, but he stopped himself before he could finish and asked the Adversary to forget what he had just said, adding that he was being hasty by stating his own opinion as that of the Alliance. He then asked the Adversary to meet them at the command center, where the Alliance conference would take place.

The Adversary arrived at the command center, where they were surprised to find that Gaon had also been invited. Gaon explained that he had been intending to go after Baekyeon and Ara, though he explained that it was difficult for him to track their energy, which he speculated was because they had been sealed inside the scrolls. He told the Adversary that he had been discussing the matter with Neinheart, who had invited him to attend the conference.

Neinheart explained that Gaon had been extremely helpful during the last battle, and that, as the Alliance’s tactician, he couldn’t allow someone so talented to pass him by. He noted that though Gaon had been invited as a guest to the conference, he hoped to formally induct Gaon into the Alliance soon. With all the major leaders of the Alliance having arrived, Neinheart decided to begin the meeting.

(A/N: Right as the meeting starts, Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue, in which Athena Pierce greets her and explains that she’s heard that Mercedes has accepted Shinsoo’s power. She asks Mercedes how she’s feeling, to which Mercedes replies that she’s feeling fine. She then explains that she’s heard that Athena had protected Elluel during the High Flora attack and adds that she’s grateful to her as always, though Athena replies that what she did is nothing compared to what Mercedes is doing.

Mercedes then asks about Lucid’s condition, to which Athena explains that Lucid is still unconscious, and that she may need more time. She then tells Mercedes to come visit Elluel soon, as everyone is worried about her. With how many reminders about Lucid we’ve gotten since Karote, I’m hoping it means that she’s gonna wake up soon.)

Neinheart first began by giving an update on Cygnus’ status, explaining that though her condition had stabilized, she appeared to show no signs of waking anytime soon. He then added sadly that Cygnus was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, as though she would wake up at any moment and call his name. He explained that when he saw her in such a state, he was reminded of when she would sleep at Shinsoo’s side as a young girl, noting that since she hadn’t been able to rest at all since her powers awakened, it was the first time in a long time that she would be able to rest so deeply.

Neinheart then caught himself and apologized for his emotional tangent, explaining that his point was that the Empress was out of commission, and that it was his job, as tactician, to guide the Alliance in such a time. He then introduced the Alliance to Gaon, explaining that as he had detailed in the Alliance report, Gaon had come to Maple World after helping the Adversary defeat Kaling, and that he had aided the Alliance during Reina’s attack.

Gaon greeted the Alliance leaders and explained that he was a black tortoise Anima, and that he would do everything in his power to help Maple World. Edea was surprised to hear that Gaon was a black tortoise Anima, which were one of the strongest amongst the Anima subspecies that possessed special powers.

Neinheart then continued and summarized Reina’s attack on Ereve, which had pushed the Alliance to the brink in the face of the High Flora’s superior strength and technology. He noted that thanks to the combined efforts of the Alliance, the worst-case situation had been averted with the successful rescue of Cygnus from Arteria. However, he added that Cygnus’ powers had been stolen, forcing her into an indefinite slumber, with Shinsoo following suit after giving her powers to the Adversary.

He explained that without a leader, the Alliance had little chance of defeating Darmoor. He also noted that Reina’s attack had proven that the High Flora were no longer a threat in just Grandis, but Maple World as well, emphasizing that though the Black Mage had been defeated, their battle against a fallen Transcendent was not over yet. He then reminded the Alliance leaders that the Empress was a Transcendent-in-reserve, and that the purpose of the High Flora invasion was to obtain that power.

He noted that the crystal which had absorbed Cygnus’ Transcendent powers was proof that Darmoor had been planning the invasion for a long time, as he doubted that such an object could be created on such short notice. In summary, he explained that the battle had been a complete loss for the Alliance, for despite being aware of the nature of their enemy, they had been resting on their laurels, simply because they had erroneously believed that their world was not in danger anymore, adding that as the Alliance’s tactician, he was deeply ashamed.

However, he explained that they couldn’t continue as they had before, adding that there were three things that the Alliance needed to do: first, to recover Empress Cygnus’ stolen powers; second, to determine the reason why Darmoor had been after the powers of a Transcendent; and finally, to take the initiative once they learned Darmoor’s true goal. The Alliance leaders were surprised to hear that Neinheart intended to attack Darmoor first, with Claudine and Edea noting that it was quite a bold strategy compared to his usual standards.

Neinheart clarified by explaining that he didn’t mean to suggest that the Alliance would attack Darmoor, but rather, they would go after what Darmoor was really after and obtain it first. Edea asked Neinheart whether he meant to say that Darmoor’s objective was something beyond Cygnus’ Transcendent powers, which Neinheart confirmed, adding that Edea must have some idea about it as well, given that she was part of the Alliance mission to Cernium, where they had first begun to gain an understanding of Darmoor’s actions.

He pointed out that Darmoor – disguised as Aaron – had spent quite some time researching the Ancient Gods in the Cernium Royal Library. He also noted that in Arcus, Darmoor had confirmed the power of the Ancient Gods by using the Angler Company, while in Odium and Shangri-La, he had used Kaling to obtain the World Heart, which had the ability to steal the powers of the Ancient Gods.

A surprised Edea realized that Neinheart was suggesting that Darmoor’s goal was to obtain the power of the Ancient Gods, to which Neinheart replied that he understood her concerns, as there were certain things that still didn’t fully make sense, such as why Darmoor had used the power of time to restore the burnt library in Cernium, which had given vital information to the enemy.

However, he explained that it was undeniable that Darmoor had taken an interest in the power of higher beings, and that he had now obtained the power of a Transcendent, adding that it was no ordinary occurrence that a fallen Transcendent would be gathering such power. He added that for now, there was nothing that they could do but protect the power of the Ancient Gods from falling into Darmoor’s hands.

He then asked the Adversary to present the World Heart, which they took out and showed to the Alliance. Claudine asked the Adversary whether it was true that the World Heart could absorb the power of the Ancient Gods, which the Adversary confirmed, explaining that it currently held a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers within Kaling, as well as the power that Shinsoo had given them. Neinheart added on that the World Heart was the only thing that could stand up to Darmoor, and that if Darmoor truly intended to gather the power of the Ancient Gods, then restoring the World Heart was in the same vein as his objectives.

Claudine noted that it was clear that the Alliance needed to secure the power of the Ancient Gods as soon as possible, which Neinheart agreed with, though he added that they were severely lacking in information regarding the gods. He also pointed out that they needed to determine the movements of the High Flora army before mobilizing the Alliance, as they didn’t have many forces who were capable of moving out at the moment.

As he continued talking, Gaon suddenly began shifting uncomfortably, as though there was something that he wanted to say. Nevertheless, Neinheart continued on by explaining that many of the Alliance’s communication lines had been severed, and that despite this, their main priority was to strengthen Ereve’s barrier and continue gathering intel.

Gaon quietly attempted to interrupt Neinheart, who continued speaking and asked Edea to gather information from her contacts in Grandis. He also asked Irena to contact Rusty in Hotel Arcus in order to see whether he had any new information to share. Gaon again attempted to quietly interrupt, though Neinheart once again didn’t hear him and began asking Claudine to mobilize the Resistance. Gaon then spoke up and loudly told everyone that there was something that he needed to share.

Just as everyone turned to look at him, the tip of Gaon’s spear lit up with a magical blue light, emitting a stream of glowing water. A surprised Neinheart noted that the stream of glowing water seemed to be a compass of some sort, as it was pointing towards Grandis. Gaon explained that the spear was what he had just been about to explain. He then revealed that the jewel embedded into his spear had been given to him by an old friend, an Ancient God named Keira, who had placed her divine blessing upon it.

Neinheart was confused by how Gaon could have been friends with an Ancient God when he had been chosen by the will of the world to seal the gods away. After hesitating for a moment, Gaon told them that in order to explain, he needed to tell them a story from the time from before he had been chosen as one of the Four Symbols. Gaon began by explaining that during the beginning of the Ancient War, the black tortoise Anima had been swept away in the flames of war, resulting in his entire species going extinct, leaving his as the last survivor. (A/N: When Gaon starts telling his story, there’s an image of a giant lava rock monster attacking the black tortoise Anima, which is presumably an Ancient God.)

Following the end of his species, Gaon had traveled the world, saving those who had been caught in the chaos that the Ancient Gods had wrought in order to prevent anyone else from dying needlessly. He explained that one day, he had sustained a grave injury, and though the black tortoise Anima had the power to heal themselves, they needed a source of pure water in order to do so.

However, as there were few sources of pure water amidst the carnage of war, he had instead wandered the world with his dying body, eventually stumbling by chance across the place where his spear pointed towards now: Carcion, the Cradle of Life. He explained that Keira had been ruling over Carcion, and that she had found him heavily injured on the beach.

When Keira had offered to treat his injuries, he had been surprised that an Ancient God would ever help someone, to which Keira had told him that she pitied him for having been caught in a war waged between foolish gods. She had explained that she was different from the rest of those fools, after which she had healed him and allowed him to remain in Carcion. Gaon explained that Keira had been a staunch opponent of the Ancient War, and because of this, she had taken him in as a victim of a war that she hated.

Eventually, Gaon had been chosen by the will of the world as one of the Four Symbols, which meant that he would need to leave Carcion. Keira had then promised him that in order to end the age of chaos, she would fall into a deep slumber. As a symbol of their friendship, she had also placed a portion of her divine power into his spear.

Neinheart noted that the researchers of Odium had been chosen to destroy the Ancient Gods and wondered how they would have allowed him to defend Odium when he held the same power that they sought to eradicate. Gaon explained that Keira’s blessing had faded away by the time that he had reached Odium, which he believed was because Keira had already sealed herself away into a deep slumber.

The Adversary then realized that the fact that Gaon’s spear had started glowing meant that Keira must have opened her eyes once again. Edea added that the light from the spear was likely a sign that Keira was calling to him, possibly because something had happened to her. The Adversary noted that Neinheart was right about the High Flora being after the power of the Ancient Gods, as they likely must have invaded Carcion, just as they had invaded Ereve.

Neinheart lamented that the Alliance was, once again, one step behind, as it was possible that Darmoor had already stolen Keira’s power. Gaon then apologized to Neinheart for leaving so suddenly after being invited to the conference, but he explained that he needed to hurry to Carcion at once. Neinheart asked the Adversary to accompany Gaon, which the Adversary immediately agreed to, noting that just as Gaon had helped them, it was now their turn to help him.

With few forces capable of moving out, Neinheart asked Eckhart to accompany them on their mission. Edea then explained that the Nova would not be able to send their people, as most of them were busy reinforcing the barrier around Pantheon and Heliseum. Realizing that they would need to ask the Resistance for help, Neinheart requested that Belle join the mission, believing that her quick movements would complement Eckhart.

However, Claudine volunteered herself for the mission instead, explaining that there was something that she needed to confirm. She also added that they would need a doctor on board. She admitted that she understood what it meant for the representative of the Resistance to abandon her post at such a time, but she explained that it was in precisely such a time that the leaders of the Alliance needed to step forward, just as the Empress had. She added that she wanted to see for herself exactly what kind of enemy they were facing, as well as what they needed to do in order to stand up to them. The other Resistance instructors accepted her reasoning and wished her luck on the mission.

Soon after, Neinheart finished preparations for the mission and arranged for a high-speed ship for the Glory Guard to take. He then met with the Adversary and told them that they had determined Carcion’s location by using the light being emitted from Gaon’s spear. He noted that there didn’t seem to be any Flora battleships on the way there, though he warned them to take care, as they had no idea what the state of Carcion was at the moment.

He speculated that just as one of the Apostles had led the attack on Ereve, it was highly likely that another Apostle would be overseeing the attack on Carcion. He also reminded the Adversary that the Alliance’s goal was not simply to protect the power of the Ancient Gods, but to take that power and make the Adversary stronger. He reminded them that though Shinsoo may have graciously bestowed her power upon them willingly, they shouldn’t assume that the other gods would ever join forces with an Adversary, no matter how difficult it would be to face off against a Transcendent.

However, he added that they didn’t necessarily need to fight every single god that they encountered. Upon seeing the Adversary’s confused expression, he explained that they were the only one who could come up with the right solution, and that he hoped that they would be able to find that solution on their mission. With that, the Adversary and the Glory Guard prepared to head for Carcion.

Meanwhile, aboard a High Flora battleship, Limbo, Albaire, as well as two of the six traitorous elders – Shensung and Xula the dog elder – headed for Carcion as well. (A/N: Since his appearance in Ark’s storyline, Limbo has been promoted from Brigadier General to General, with the trimmings on his uniform being upgraded from silver to gold in order to reflect this.) Limbo informed Albaire that Reina had finished securing the power of the Transcendent-in-reserve, though Albaire pointed out that the power of Shinsoo had been absorbed into the World Heart.

Limbo noted disdainfully that even with the power of the gods bestowed upon her, Reina couldn’t even manage to secure Shinsoo’s power, noting that it spoke volumes about her capabilities. He then ordered Albaire to increase the ship’s speed, as they would be arriving at the sanctuary soon. Upon hearing Limbo give the order to increase speed, Shensung approached him and smirked before asking whether he was feeling nervous that he wouldn’t be able to successfully complete his mission, mockingly reassuring him not to worry, as that was what he and Xula were here for.

An annoyed Limbo warned him to remain quiet so long as they were in his ship. He then wondered exasperatedly why Darmoor had requested the help of such fools, to which Shensung amusedly retorted that it was because the elders’ powers were on another level entirely compared to Limbo’s Specter powers. Xula then scolded Shensung and told him to have some manners, reminding him that it has been their own decision to accompany Limbo.

(A/N: Shensung continues to be the most entertaining character that Nexon has ever released in a while. I’m also fully convinced that Limbo is supposed to be the Grandis version of Arkarium, and everything he does throughout this section will prove it. The instant that I knew that Limbo was gonna be in this story, I was already mentally bracing myself for the cutting-edge angst that I’m gonna be feeling with the long-awaited reunion of Ark and Albaire’s situationship. And yes, I’m already deceased at the time of writing this.)

Shensung dismissively replied that he understood that they only had to do what they had come for, to which Xula told him that though she understood that he was excited about coming outside for the first time in a long time, she reminded him that it was only the beginning for them. She then apologized to Limbo for Shensung’s insolence and promised him that they wouldn’t interfere with his work. Limbo huffed and told Xula to see to it that they didn’t hinder his plans. Just then, Albaire reported that they had arrived, to which Limbo laughed and told him not to let a single person get away.

Elsewhere, above the skies of Grandis, the Glory Guard flew full-speed towards Carcion. As they sat in silence, the Adversary noted that Gaon seemed uneasy and asked whether he was worried about Keira. Gaon explained that when the beam of light had emerged from his spear, he had been able to feel Keira’s heart shaking. He noted that Keira was strong enough that he couldn’t imagine her being defeated, but nevertheless, he was quite uneasy.

Claudine told him to try not to worry too much, as it would hurt his decision-making. Gaon realized that she was right, noting that they could only do what they could. He pointed out that it would take a while until they arrived and asked whether they ought to plan out their attack formation once again. Eckhart replied that their current plan ought to be sufficient, adding that he was more curious about Carcion itself, such as its terrain and layout.

Gaon told him that though it had been a long time since he had been there, the area likely wouldn’t have changed at all, as it was a hidden place in the corner of the continent. He explained that Carcion surrounded a large river that flowed into a sea, consisting of an archipelago called Pinjar and a tropical rainforest called Laguna, with the river separating them being called Ishfira, all of which collectively made up Carcion.

Eckhart noted that the terrain sounded quite dangerous and asked why Keira had chosen to remain in such a place. Gaon explained that the waters of Ishfira were extremely pure, and that it was said that the river had existed since the creation of the world itself. He noted that Keira, as a river goddess, had wished to take up residence around such a pure source of water, adding that it had also been a paradise to the Anima subspecies that lived near water, such as himself.

He explained that snake and turtle Anima had dwelt in Carcion even before he had arrived, and that they had worshiped Keira as their patron god and guardian after fleeing the Ancient War. Claudine noted that Keira hadn’t fought in the Ancient War, to which Gaon explained that Keira despised war and destruction of any kind, likening the world to a cycle, just like the flow of water, which was most beautiful in its natural state. Believing that the war had broken the natural cycle, she had taken in the Anima refugees in order to protect them as much as she could.

Gaon explained that when he had first met Keira, he had believed that the power of the gods could only bring chaos and destruction, though seeing how Keira used her powers to protect living things had changed his mind. When he had been chosen by the will of the world, he had been deeply conflicted about following its call, as it would mean that Keira would be forced into eternal slumber by another higher being.

Because of his mental conflict, Keira had chosen to alleviate his pain by making the decision to fall asleep on her own, accepting her fate and asking him to protect the cycle of life in her stead. He explained that Keira had told him not to worry about her, as it was undeniable that her kind had brought great chaos to the world. When he had asked whether they would ever meet again, she had reassured him that she would be awaiting him in a new world.

Gaon noted that he was a fool, for even though he had known the burden that she had been shouldering, he had desperately wanted to make himself believe that following the will of the world was the only path that he could walk. However, he explained that he would no longer act on someone else’s whims, and that he would make his own path, just as the Adversary did.

Suddenly, Eckhart told them to focus, explaining that their destination was in sight. As the Glory Guard looked down, they were amazed to see the beautiful greenery of Carcion. However, as they got closer, they were shocked to find several High Flora battleships, identical in appearance to Arteria, which had already landed by the beach. In order to avoid being detected by the enemy, the Glory Guard landed a safe distance away and decided to travel by foot.

Gaon explained that Keira was located on the central island between Pinjar and Laguna, where a large tree grew. At the top of the tree was the source of Carcion’s pure water, which was also where Keira’s temple had been built. Gaon noted that it was the most likely place where Keira would have sealed herself. He then noticed the waters around them, which had been stained purple in many places, and noted that the High Flora must have mixed something into it.

The Adversary wondered why the High Flora would want to pollute the water, to which Gaon explained that the waters of Carcion were imbued with Keira’ divine power. He told the Adversary that in the past, there had been an Ancient God who had resented Keira for not opposing the Overseers, for which they had attacked Carcion.

Keira and the Anima of Carcion – including himself – had fought against that god and had successfully fended off their attack, though many Anima had been killed, with many others wounded. In order to heal the wounded, Keira had blessed the waters with the power of the gods, which had not only healed the Anima, but had strengthened them in all the ages since. Though he wasn’t sure whether the High Flora knew about its properties, he noted that something strange was happening, and that he was worried about the Anima living in Carcion.

Meanwhile, in Keira’s sanctuary, Limbo, Albaire, and the elders found Keira sealed inside a large water bubble. Limbo opened his Flora wings and attempted to use the Transcendent powers that Darmoor had bestowed upon him in order to shatter the barrier, though his attacks had no effect. Shensung noted that the barrier which Keira had created was powerful, and that it wouldn’t break unless the entire thing were to be damaged for a sustained period of time.

(A/N: Limbo uses several such attacks throughout this storyline. The one that he uses here is extremely similar to Kaling’s claw attack, and later on, he uses a piercing-style attack that’s identical to one of the attacks that Ypsilon uses against Khali during her class story. Based on this, we can conclude that Ypsilon was also given a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers, and that it’s almost certain that all the Apostles share these abilities.)

Limbo seethed at being forced to waste his time, to which Albaire offered to have the ships barrage the shield. However, Limbo told him that they couldn’t afford to use such extreme measures if they wanted to fill the crystal properly. He supposed aloud that he would use his valuable time to pluck Keira out himself, noting that such a method would undoubtedly work. He then asked Albaire how effective the experiments that the ‘monkey idiot’ had created were, to which Albaire replied that they were working effectively, as the Anima had not yet discovered the identity of the experiments. Limbo nodded, noting that there was no easier target than an enemy in the midst of infighting.

(A/N: The experiment that Shensung made was a special type of Specter that can disguise itself as a normal person, and specifically, it was made to disguise itself as the snake and turtle Anima of Carcion. It’s similar to the concept of partial Specters, which can switch from their host’s appearance and their Specter appearance, but the main difference is that there’s no host in the case of this type of Specter, and its appearance is just a disguise – although you’ll later see that it’s a very realistic disguise that mimics not only the appearance and scent of an Anima, but their bioenergy as well. These Specters are being sent to confuse the two Anima tribes by making each think that the other sided with the High Flora.)

Limbo then turned to the elders and asked them whether it was true that the Anima were strengthened by the divine blessings of the area, which Shensung confirmed, explaining that though it was faint, the water around Carcion held the power of the gods, which was likely why the Anima were currently embroiled in a civil war. Limbo noted that it was good news for them and ordered Albaire to carry out their plan by subjugating the Anima with the experiment. He then bestowed a portion of his own portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers upon Albaire in order to give him the strength to seize control of Carcion.

As Albaire headed out, Shensung suggested to Xula that they find a nice place to conduct their experiments, though he doubted that they would be able to find a suitable candidate in the area. Xula noted that Darmoor may be trying to test their skills, to which Shensung replied that for the sake of ‘that day’ to arrive, he would gladly do any kind of research. After the elders left, Limbo laughed and noted to himself that though he wasn’t the type to enjoy something so sadistic, it seemed as though he would truly enjoy himself this time.

Meanwhile, along the beach, the Glory Guard found large purple fragments polluting the region with a strange energy. Unable to find any trace of the Anima, Gaon wondered what had happened there. As they proceeded ahead, the World Heart suddenly began reacting to divine energy in the area. As the Adversary worked to calm it down, they realizing that the power which had polluted Carcion was similar to the power that Kaling possessed, which had been given to her by Darmoor. They then realized that it meant that an Apostle of Darmoor had indeed invaded Carcion.

However, the Adversary was also concerned about how little control they had over the World Heart, though Gaon reassured them not to be disheartened, as the World Heart was on a completely different level from the Seal Stone that they had in the past. He also pointed out that all of Carcion was filled with the power of an Ancient God, and that it wasn’t strange for the World Heart to be reacting in such a way.

The Adversary realized that the World Heart was reacting to the two different kinds of power mixed into the river – Keira’s Ancient God powers and Darmoor’s Transcendent powers. They then thought to themselves that simply filling the World Heart with power wouldn’t be enough to control it. They noted that the World Heart only absorbing power bestowed upon them, or having it absorb power independently of their own will meant that they would never be able to truly master it.

Just then, Eckhart pointed out the arrival of several Specters. The Glory Guard fought past the Specters and attempted to push forward towards the central island. However, Gaon pointed out that the enemy was coming from the mainstream river, which was the fastest route to the island, indicating that the High Flora had already taken control of the temple. He suggested that they follow the side streams and hide themselves there, as the Anima lived at the ends of the various streams that branched off from Carcion, which would also give them a better idea of the situation.

(A/N: I just want to say that the design for this area is incredible. Every single Specter mob is chef’s kiss.)

As they followed the side streams, Gaon explained that Carcion’s two Anima races had separated in order to live in places that suited them best, noting that the Anima were primarily a tribal species. He added that the turtle Anima lived in the Pinjar tributaries, while the snake Anima lived in their village built around the Laguna tributaries. He explained that if the Anima were still around, they likely wouldn’t have changed their way of life.

Fighting their way through, the Adversary defeated several Monstrous Shadow Birds throughout the area, which Gaon noted seemed similar to the wildlife of Carcion. Eckhart pointed out that even the monsters’ general structure seemed different from usual Specters, which made him believe that rather than being Specters themselves, they were merely animals corrupted by Specters, which Claudine speculated may have been because of the polluted waters.

Arriving at the beach, Eckhart noted that there were fewer Specters in the area compared to the mainstream parts of Carcion. Based on his experience fighting Specters at the border between worlds, he explained that it likely meant that it hadn’t been long since the troops had expanded their reach to the outskirts. Suddenly, he realized that there were still Specters in the area, surrounding several turtle Anima warriors. Claudine noted that they needed to hurry, as there was someone injured amongst the warriors.

After the Glory Guard defeated the Specters, Claudine approached the turtle Anima, who immediately raised their weapons at her. Claudine assured them that she wasn’t their enemy and asked them to let her treat their wounded, explaining that she was a doctor. However, the leader of the warriors, Duhan, replied that he would never leave the life of one of his own in the hands of a stranger and ordered her to identify herself.

He noted that though they didn’t seem to be High Flora, outsiders shouldn’t have been able to enter their territory. Because of this, he concluded that they must be affiliated with the Flora army and told Eto, his second-in-command, not to let her guard down. Gaon attempted to reason with him and asked him to allow them to get his injured comrades to safety, as their condition looked severe and more enemies might be on the way.

Upon seeing Gaon, Duhan realized that he was a black tortoise Anima, causing Eto to realize that he was Keira’s guardian. Gaon was surprised to know that he had come to be known as Keira’s guardian amongst the turtle Anima, though he confirmed that he was indeed the person whom they knew from their ancestors’ stories. Duhan explained that according to the legends, all the black tortoise Anima had perished, save one, and that the black tortoise Anima who had saved the turtle Anima in the distant past must have been Gaon. Though he still didn’t trust Gaon’s companions, he nevertheless agreed to allow them to enter the village.

At the turtle Anima village, Duhan told them that they would be safe, as the Flora army had not yet managed to push so far in. Gaon asked Duhan whether Keira was safe, though he was shocked to hear that the turtle Anima had no idea about Keira’s conditions. He asked Duhan how they could be so irresponsible when the Anima of Carcion had worshiped Keira as their patron god for ages.

Duhan explained that after Keira had sealed herself away, the Anima had continued to thrive under her protection, guarding her sanctuary where she lay dormant. Gaon realized that the snake Anima had also protected Keira and asked Duhan where they were, to which Duhan angrily told Gaon not to speak of those snakes to him, explaining that the turtle and snake Anima were currently at war.

He told the Glory Guard that the Anima of Carcion had long since been strengthened by Keira’s divine blessings. However, over the ages, that blessing had weakened as a result of the seal. Gaon realized that the snake Anima had gone against Keira’s desire to avoid war simply to seize the power of the gods for themselves.

Duhan explained that as a result of the snakes’ greed, the snake and turtle Anima had been at war ever since, with control over the water source constantly shifting back and forth between them. He also added that the snake Anima had gone even further by calling the High Flora to wipe out the turtle Anima, allowing them to pollute the waters of Carcion so that they could take the power of the gods for themselves. Gaon refused to believe that the Anima would conspire with the High Flora, and that the High Flora would even agree to work with a race that they had deemed ‘inferior’.

(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he adds that there’s no way that an Anima would ever betray a fellow Anima. Taotie then chimes in and asks Hoyoung whether he’s forgotten about how an entire group of Anima had betrayed him not that long ago, to which Hoyoung tells him to lay off.

Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue, in which she agrees with Gaon and adds that even the land spirits find it to be strange. The land spirits then appear and agree with Lara.)

However, Duhan angrily asked Gaon what he would know about the situation after having abandoned Carcion for so many years. He explained that even in isolation, they had heard rumors of the High Flora and their interest in unique powers and special life forms. He noted that the Anima of Carcion had long since possessed stronger bodies than ordinary Anima thanks to the divine blessings of the gods, adding that it wasn’t surprising at all that the High Flora would take an interest in them.

When Gaon retorted that they still had no proof of the snake Anima working with the High Flora, Duhan claimed that they needed no proof, as all the turtle Anima in the village had seen it with their own eyes. He explained that on the day that the High Flora had attacked Carcion, their battleships had headed towards the water source.

As the source had been under the snakes’ control at the time, the turtle Anima had been delayed in arriving at the temple. There, however, he explained that it was the snake Anima, not the High Flora, who had stopped them. Though the strength of the turtle and snake Anima had originally been the same, the Flora army aiding the snakes had resulted in the utter defeat of the turtles.

He also explained that the High Flora had attacked various turtle Anima villages through Pinjar, kidnapping their incapacitated comrades in the process. He believed that the snake Anima must have promised to sell out the turtles to the High Flora in exchange for their support. He added that despite their best efforts, the turtle Anima could do nothing against the snakes, who had inexplicably boasted an abnormally fast recovery rate. (A/N: This is another clue about the snake Anima actually being Specters in disguise, as Specters are known for being able to recover their health at an unnaturally high rate.) In order to hinder the turtles’ own recovery, the High Flora had also polluted the waters of Pinjar with a strange substance, incapacitating those who had drank from it.

Claudine then realized that the injured turtle Anima in the village were those who had drank from the polluted water. At Gaon’s silence, Duhan noted that Gaon still didn’t want to believe his words. He angrily demanded to know where Gaon had been all these ages when their ancestors had called him Keira’s guardian, adding that it wasn’t just the snake Anima who had forsaken her.

At Gaon’s guilty expression, Duhan declared that he had nothing more to say to them. He then ordered them to tell him why they had sought him out, adding that depending on their answer, he may chase them out for good. Eckhart retorted that they wouldn’t simply accept Duhan’s words lying down, to which Claudine cautioned him to remain calm.

Suddenly, Eto rushed over and told Duhan that the incapacitated Anima had gotten even worse. Duhan and the Glory Guard rushed over to the wounded, where Claudine immediately took out her supplies and began assessing their condition. After a moment, however, she regretfully told them that there was nothing that she could do for them anymore, as the water that the Anima had ingested was polluting their bodies from the inside.

She explained that in order to cure them, she would need to remove the polluted water from inside their bodies, or to neutralize the pollutant with another substance. However, she added that they didn’t have enough time or the right materials to treat them. Gaon asked Claudine whether there was really no other way, to which Claudine explained that just as the Adversary had said before, if the pollution had come from the power of an Apostle, there was nothing that they could do.

Suddenly, Claudine’s words caused the Adversary to realize that the power which had polluted the waters stemmed from a higher being. Upon examining the injured Anima closely, the Adversary began sensing the two different powers inside them. They then had an idea and approached the incapacitated warriors with the World Heart. Though Duhan was immediately suspicious, the Adversary asked everyone to trust them.

By channeling their strong will, the Adversary consciously controlled the World Heart in order to absorb Darmoor’s power inside the polluted water that the Anima had ingested. As the Anima warriors began recovering, Claudine was amazed to find that the Adversary had absorbed the power of the gods from within the Anima in order to save them. Eckhart noted that it was quite a spectacular sight and asked them whether their body was alright after performing such a feat. Gaon was shocked and told the Adversary that they had truly managed to bring the World Heart under their control for the first time.

Duhan immediately ordered the Adversary to explain themselves, to which the Adversary told Duhan about their past adventures, the Alliance’s goals, and the power of the World Heart. Realizing that the Alliance stood against the High Flora, Duhan asked the Glory Guard for their aid in saving Keira and the kidnapped turtle Anima.

After agreeing to work together, Claudine expressed her relief that after such a difficult process, they had finally managed to join forces. However, Eckhart told her that it was still too early to be relieved, as they still had very little information about the enemy, including the Flora army’s objective. Just as Duhan began explaining that his scouts had been sent to find the kidnapped Anima, a warrior arrived and reported that the scouts had been attacked by the snake Anima. Duhan immediately ordered Eto to prepare for battle, declaring that they would be leaving at once.

Together with the turtle Anima, the Adversary fought through the Specters in order to break the enemy lines. They then found the turtle scouts facing off against snake warriors. Just as Duhan arrived at the battlefield, the leader of the snake Anima, Hinya, arrived in order to lead her forces against the turtles. As the two leaders began to fight, Claudine noted that they wouldn’t be able to convince the Anima with words. Nevertheless, the Adversary ran between the two forces and asked them to listen. Immediately upon seeing the Adversary, however, Hinya ordered her warriors to retreat.

As the snakes ran back into the rainforest, Gaon wondered why they had fallen back. Claudine noted that the snakes must have been wary of them, especially the Adversary. However, Eckhart realized that the fact that the snakes hadn’t expected them in the first place was suspicious. He pointed out that the snakes had very few warriors, as though they had only expected to meet the turtles. The Adversary then realized that if the snake Anima had truly been allied with the High Flora, they would have already known about the Alliance’s involvement.

Duhan then called to them and explained that with the injured being sent back to the village, they would begin pushing into the rainforest of Laguna. Gaon asked Duhan whether he was no longer planning to find the kidnapped Anima, to which Duhan explained that even if they were to rescue their people, the snake Anima would not halt their assault, meaning that before they could attack the temple and rescue the kidnapped turtles, they needed to destroy the snakes once and for all.

Upon seeing Gaon’s expression, Claudine told him that though she agreed with him that destroying the snakes wasn’t the answer, it was also true that they needed more information about the kidnappings. The Adversary agreed, adding that they ought to try talking to the snakes one more time, as there was something bothering them about the whole situation. They then asked Eckhart to scout ahead in order to see if the missing Anima were being held at the temple, to which Eckhart agreed, adding that he would regroup with them in Laguna.

(A/N: Mihile gets a slightly modified version of this script. It’s nothing major, but the way that he talks to Eckhart is different from the generic dialogue, which is meant to reflect their dynamics as colleagues who’ve worked together for a long time. There are a few other places where this happens, but they’re so minor that I probably won’t mention them all. From what I gather, these instances of exclusive dialogue are a bit jarring in KMS anyways, as there are plenty of moments between them where Mihile doesn’t get exclusive dialogue and talks to Eckhart as the generic Adversary, which makes their interactions pretty inconsistent throughout this storyline.)

Meanwhile, at the sanctuary, Limbo continued attempting to destroy the barrier around Keira, using his opened wings to boost his strength as he unleashed powerful attacks using Darmoor’s Transcendent powers. Just then, Shensung and Xula arrived and found the area polluted with Darmoor’s power, as well as several kidnapped turtle and snake Anima lying on the floor.

Shensung amusedly noted that he had been wondering what Limbo was doing with the Anima after requesting for them to be sent to the temple after experimentation. He asked Limbo whether he was screening the Anima while Keira watched, laughing that he had poor taste in hobbies. Limbo asked Shensung whether he was feeling empathy for the Anima, adding that they would be dead either way, causing Keira to stir uncomfortably within her seal.

Shensung laughed and noted that he hadn’t heard the word ‘empathy’ in a while, adding that it seemed that even an Apostle of Darmoor could believe the elders as being capable of having humanity. At his words, however, Xula told Shensung to stop being so crass. Just then, Albaire reported that the Adversary had been sighted with two members of the Alliance and the Black Tortoise, with the news of Gaon’s arrival surprising both Shensung and Xula. Limbo asked Albaire to buy him time until he could finish his work. Before sending him off, Limbo also warned Albaire not to disappoint him a second time, to which Albaire paused for a moment before nodding.

As Albaire headed off, Shensung followed him and offered to give him some advice. He asked Albaire whether he had a plan to deal with the Alliance, to which Albaire replied that it was none of Shensung’s business, adding that they should all focus on their own work. Shensung laughed and told Albaire not to be so serious before explaining that he had a guaranteed method to secure victory.

He noted that unlike themselves, the Adversary was a hero of justice with a noble heart, and that Gaon was similarly the same kind of naïve fool. He told Albaire to exploit that weakness by using the kidnapped Anima, explaining that the Adversary would undoubtedly throw everything aside just to save them. After a pause, Albaire simply told him that he would take it into consideration before walking away. As Albaire left, Shensung spoke aloud to himself that he was looking forward to seeing how Gaon would fare in the outside world.

At the beach, Duhan told the Glory Guard that the snake Anima village was deep in Laguna, and that even the turtle Anima had no idea where its exact location was. However, he explained that Laguna was already under the control of the High Flora, which meant that they had no choice but to act quickly before the snakes’ trail would get washed away. He suggested that they divide their forces into two, with one squad diverting the High Flora, while the other scoured the rainforest.

Claudine replied that such a plan was reckless, as splitting up would only increase the risk of being attacked. Duhan told her that it couldn’t be helped, as it was their only option with the limited amount of time that they had. Gaon then volunteered to act as bait and asked Claudine and the Adversary to search Laguna in his place. Duhan sardonically asked Gaon whether he was finally planning to act like a proper guardian before telling the Glory Guard that he would leave the mission in their hands.

The Glory Guard then entered Laguna, which was filled with Specters, and attempted to follow the trail of the warriors who had retreated. Soon enough, however, they realized that the snake Anima’s tracks had completely disappeared. As they wondered what they ought to do, Claudine noticed a strange building in the woods. Inside, they were shocked to find that the building was an abandoned laboratory filled with test tubes and computer monitors.

Duhan wondered what something like that was doing in the rainforest and realized that it must have been built by the High Flora. Upon examining the tools in the laboratory, Gaon realized that the entire place was filled with technology from Odium, and that the kidnapped Anima must have been taken to the laboratory.

The Adversary asked Gaon whether he knew what kind of experiments had taken place, though Gaon replied that the details of the experiments was outside the scope of his knowledge. Duhan was enraged to know that someone had been experimenting on his people, while the Adversary grimly realized that the presence of the laboratory meant that the elders who had betrayed Shangri-La were here in Carcion.

Claudine was equally furious as Duhan to know that the High Flora would stoop so low as to experiment on Anima children, declaring that they needed to change their plans and put all their efforts into saving the test subjects. Suddenly, Eckhart appeared and explained that he had finished scouting the central island. He revealed that just as he had thought, the sanctuary had been taken over by the High Flora, with the enemy soldiers mostly being Specters. He also added that he had felt a powerful energy from the top of the tree, which he believed must be an Apostle of Darmoor.

The Adversary immediately realized that the presence of Specters meant that the Apostle who had invaded Carcion was Limbo. Eckhart then noted that there was something strange going on and told Duhan that despite his claim that the snake Anima were working with the High Flora, he hadn’t seen a single one at the enemy base. However, Duhan retorted by claiming that it didn’t matter before asking where the kidnapped Anima were. Eckhart explained that he had found some clues, though he didn’t know their exact location, as they were likely being held elsewhere.

As Duhan cursed the snake Anima, Claudine declared that they needed to hurry, adding that she was all too familiar the High Flora’s type with how they kidnapped and experimented on innocents. She vowed that she wouldn’t fail at saving them this time, causing Eckhart to look curiously at her. As the others began leaving the laboratory, Eckhart called after Claudine to stay behind.

Claudine asked him what was wrong, to which Eckhart asked her whether she was still bothered by the fact that she hadn’t been able to save Vita, reminding her that it wasn’t her fault. Claudine paused before telling Eckhart that she hadn’t forgotten about any of them, explaining that it wasn’t just Vita whom she mourned, but all the countless others like her who had been killed by Gelimer, adding that she would never forget their names.

(A/N: Hey, story team? Yeah, this is what we need more of. Like this is literally the one thing I’ve been asking for so long: interconnected stories, making the most of the character roster in each area, and actually acknowledging that past storylines happened. If we could get more of this in future content, I’ll take back maybe 30% of all the things I’ve called you throughout this site. Maybe 36% if you hire me.)

Claudine and Eckhart then left the laboratory, where Duhan asked Eckhart what clues he had found about the missing Anima. Eckhart explained that while most of the Flora army was concentrated around the temple, there were several forces that kept moving back and forth between one location. Give how inconsistent that was with the enemy’s objective, Eckhart speculated that those forces were being redirected to guard a secondary location away from their primary objective.

He explained that the location was a sea cavern in-between the border of the shores and the rainforest. Duhan noted that he had originally ruled out the caverns as the place where the captured Anima were being held, as the tides were normally too high for them to be accessed. When Gaon suggested that they move out together, however, Duhan replied that Eto would lead the rescue party, while the others would push ahead and find the snake Anima. Gaon immediately began protesting that they didn’t have time to waste, to which Duhan explained that now that they knew where the missing Anima were being held, time wasn’t an issue anymore.

However, he explained that they only had one chance to wipe out the snakes, adding that as long as they still lived, more turtles would continue to be attacked and captured in the future. Realizing that Duhan would not give up his reckless plan, Claudine asked the Adversary what they, as the leader, believed they ought to do. The Adversary noted to themselves that Duhan couldn’t make a rational decision because of his need for revenge.

(A/N: Here, the player gets to choose between two options.

For the first option, we note that the actions of the snake Anima are bothering us, but we believe that we should focus on saving the captured turtle Anima first. We point out that the enemy has greater numbers, and that we need all the strength that we can get. Duhan will retort that it makes no difference, as they need to get rid of the snakes before reclaiming the water source. Eckhart notes that we both make good points and suggests breaking up into two teams, with the rescue team heading to the cavern and the assault team going after the snake Anima.

For the second option, we note that while it’s important to rescue the Anima, the snakes’ actions are nevertheless suspicious. We note to ourselves that while Duhan isn’t thinking clearly because of his need for revenge, we also need to understand the snakes’ actions before retaking the sanctuary. We voice our concerns and suggest breaking up into two teams, with the rescue team heading to the cavern and the assault team going after the snake Anima.)

Claudine suggested that Duhan and Gaon join the rescue team, as they knew the geography of Carcion best, and volunteered to accompany them, as there would likely be injuries amongst the captured Anima. She then asked the Adversary and Eckhart to lead the assault team into Laguna. With their missions assigned, everyone split off and headed towards their assignment.

Eckhart and the Adversary proceeded through the Specter-infested rainforest, remaining hidden in the treetops as they did so. However, Eckhart noted that there was no reason why so many Specters ought to be in the area. He also noted that the Specters in the rainforest appeared to have more intelligence than the ones which he had encountered before. He asked the Adversary to collect the Specters’ armor for him to study, and so the Adversary fought through the Specters and collected crystal fragments.

Eckhart observed that the crystals, which had been used to infect the rainforest, had already been used, which meant that it had been quite a while since the Specters had taken over the area. He told the Adversary that he had found a trace of the snake Anima while they had been collecting the crystals and led them deeper into the rainforest towards a waterfall.

The Adversary noted that the waterfall, which flowed all throughout Carcion, was the source of all the pollution in the water, as it was filled with the same energy as the crystals that the Specters were holding onto. However, Eckhart pointed out that just because the Specters were the ones who had polluted the water, it didn’t necessarily remove the snake Anima from suspicion.

Suddenly, Hinya and her warriors surrounded the pair, whom she called lackeys of the High Flora. When the Adversary denied being affiliated with the High Flora, Hinya retorted that the Flora army must be terrible at deception. She bitterly noted that stealing the water source and polluting the waters hadn’t been enough for them, as they were now targeting her people as well.

Eckhart attempted to explain that they weren’t part of the Flora army, to which Hinya told them that she didn’t believe them, as she had already seen them working with the turtle Anima, who had sided with the High Flora. The confused Adversary asked her what she meant, as the turtles had claimed that the snakes were the ones working with the High Flora.

Just as Hinya’s second-in-command, Ropa, asked for permission to execute them, the Adversary, thinking quickly, asked Hinya whether she had people who had been infected from the water. They then offered to heal her people, to which Ropa immediately told Hinya that she couldn’t possibly listen to them. Just then, a horde of Specters appeared and surrounded the group. After the Adversary helped the snake Anima defeat the enemy, Hinya reluctantly agreed to trust them and brought them back to her village.

Though Ropa protested, Hinya told him that the fact that the Specters had attacked the Adversary and Eckhart meant that they couldn’t be affiliated with the High Flora. She also added that since they claimed to have the power to heal the infected, she had no choice but to take the risk in order to save her people. Back at the village, Hinya gathered the incapacitated snake Anima before the Adversary, who used the World Heart in order to absorb the polluted energy from within them.

After healing the Anima, the Adversary told Hinya about the World Heart and the Alliance, as well as what the turtle Anima had told them. Hinya explained that the turtles were lying, and that they were the ones who had called the High Flora after realizing that Keira had awoken from her slumber. She told the Adversary that not long ago, an enormous flash of light had appeared in the west, with Keira awakening shortly after.

However, she explained that Keira hadn’t been able to speak with them, as she was likely weakened from being in the seal for so many ages. Since then, the snake Anima – who had been in control of the water source – had been trying to find a way to cure Keira, which was when the High Flora battleships had invaded Carcion.

The Adversary realized that the flash of light in the west must have come from the convergence of Maple World and Grandis, which had awoken Keira and the other Ancient Gods. Hinya explained that the snakes had been prepared to give their lives in order to stop the enemy, which was when the turtles had shown up. She noted that despite being at war with the turtles, the snakes had hoped to unite together in order to protect their home.

However, the turtles had suddenly turned against them, attacking the snakes alongside the High Flora and forcing them to fall back and abandon the sanctuary. She added that the turtles had even worked with the Flora army to kidnap their wounded and incapacitate their warriors, noting that the pollution must be their doing as well.

Eckhart realized that the snake Anima must also have been kidnapped alongside the turtle Anima, causing Hinya to express her surprise that the turtles had been captured by the enemy as well. Upon learning that Duhan was leading a rescue party, Hinya believed that her people must be amongst the prisoners. The Adversary asked Hinya for her help in reinforcing the rescue party, to which Hinya reluctantly agreed, explaining that she was choosing to trust them after they had cured her infected people. Eckhart then noted that it had been a while since the rescue team had reported in, causing the Adversary to suspect that something had happened. They then led the snake Anima towards the caverns in order to reinforce their comrades.

Meanwhile, at the caverns, Duhan began to sense the presence of the captured Anima as they proceeded deeper into the cave. However, he noted that the energy was quite faint, to which Claudine speculated that it may be a result of the experimentation, reassuring him that she would be able to treat them. However, Gaon noted that it was quite strange that they hadn’t seen even a single guard inside since they had entered the cave, wondering why the enemy would be sending troops back and forth if they didn’t intend to guard the area.

Proceeding deeper inside, the group found the captured Anima trapped behind a force field. Though they were surprised to know that both snake and turtle Anima had been taken prisoner, Gaon decided that they should free the captives first and used his power to break open the force field. Claudine immediately rushed ahead in order to treat the prisoners. However, upon sensing a strange energy emanating from them, she yelled at everyone to fall back, warning that it was a trap.

Suddenly, another force field appeared around the rescue party, trapping them where they stood. Claudine then revealed that the prisoners weren’t Anima, just as the Anima transformed into Specters. Duhan was shocked to see that his people had been turned into Specters, to which Gaon explained that it was the opposite, and that the Specters themselves had been disguised as Anima. He added that the Specters had been able to replicate not only the shape of the Anima, but their scent and bioenergy as well, noting that the only ones capable of such a feat were the elders.

Just then, the elders and Albaire arrived at the caverns. Shensung laughed that it had taken Gaon quite a while to realize the truth, adding that he still had a long way to go. Gaon was shocked to see Shensung and Xula, whom he referred to as ‘elders’, causing Shensung to laugh that Gaon would still refer to them as such.

Shensung noted that after hearing how Gaon had left Shangri-La, he had been interested in seeing how determined Gaon was to see his decision through, though he laughed that Gaon was still as naïve as ever. Duhan then demanded to know where the real Anima were being kept, to which Shensung told him not to worry, as the captured Anima were sound asleep, alongside their precious goddess. He then mockingly imitated the cries of the Anima children begging for Duhan and Hinya to save them, and for Keira to grant them her blessing, adding that they had sounded quite pathetic.

(A/N: This is gonna be a weird take, but Shensung totally reminds me of a darker version of Phantom. Both of them have the same default personality where they’re jokers that like to get on people’s nerves and never take things seriously, but then underneath that, there’s this extremely vindictive and cruel streak that comes out like a switch. There’s this moment in Phantom’s storyline when he realizes that Lotus’ body is being kept in the Verne Mine, and when his staff aboard the Lumiere warns him that it might be a trap, he just casually says that if he doesn’t find Lotus there, then he’ll just kill Orchid. Seeing him and Shensung both go from being laidback and chill to being straight up psychopaths is one of my favorite things in the game.)

Albaire suddenly interrupted and told Shensung to be quiet before addressing the Glory Guard, noting that they had fallen into his trap so easily that it was almost laughable. Claudine asked him what he planned to do with them, to which Albaire asked her whether she really had no idea what awaited her. He declared that the High Flora eliminated their obstacles, and he then ordered his forces to begin the extermination. Suddenly, the water levels in the cavern began to rapidly rise, threatening to drown the rescue party, which was still trapped in the force field.

(A/N: I’ve been hoping for Albaire to be a double agent since he was first released, and part of me is hoping that moments like this are teases for it. There are a lot of moments throughout the story where Albaire is shown to remain pointedly silent when Limbo or Shensung are being particularly cruel, and even this scene is a little bit sus to me because as Shensung points out later on, this is such a strange way of killing the rescue team because of how slow it is. Given that Albaire knows that the Adversary isn’t with them, it’s possible that he’s buying time for them to arrive.

But at the same time, I’m like 70% sure that this is me inhaling copious amounts of copium just so that I can see the Albaire redemption arc and have him and Ark end up happily ever after. Realistically speaking, Albaire is almost certainly on-board with the High Flora genocide, and even though he knows that a lot of it is wrong, he’s just going along with it anyways and ignores the stuff that he knows isn’t right. MapleStory M actually explicitly made Albaire a double agent, but the mobile game has a wildly different continuity from the PC version, and so it shouldn’t be used as reference anyways.)

Meanwhile, the Adversary, Eckhart, and the snake warriors arrived at the caverns and began fighting through the Specters in order to reach their comrades, whose energy they could sense up ahead. At the same time, Gaon and the others attempted to break the force field, which refused to budge. Gaon realized that the barrier had also been created by the elders, and that it had been designed to absorb any attack that they made from the inside.

As the water levels continued rising dangerously, Shensung noted that Albaire had chosen a cautious method of killing them, adding that he had been looking forward to a battle between a High Flora colonel and one of the Four Symbols. However, Albaire curtly replied that there was nothing that he would gain from exerting himself, as he had already seen Gaon’s martial prowess.

Disappointed, Shensung decided that he would return back to the sanctuary, noting that as much as he wished to see Gaon’s final moments, he also had work that needed to be finished. He then told Xula to follow him back before heading off. However, Xula remained for a moment and looked at Gaon silently before addressing him. She then revealed to him that Ara and Baekyeon were still alive and asked him to let that knowledge give him ease in his final moments before leaving as well.

Just as the water threatened to drown them completely, the Adversary arrived and attacked Albaire, declaring that they wouldn’t let him get away with it any longer. Albaire noted that it seemed as though the Specter army was insufficient to deal with them. Realizing that he couldn’t avoid confrontation any longer, Albaire opened his wings and charged at the Adversary.

(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic one. After Ark arrives and attacks Albaire, he calls out Albaire’s name, to which Albaire tells Ark that he’s late. Ark notes that the fact that Albaire is here means that Limbo must be too, though Albaire merely gives him a noncommittal answer. Ark asks Albaire if that’s really all that he has to say to him, but just then, he groans in pain as he feels the power of the Specter overflowing in him.

Albaire tells Ark to look at himself, noting that he really has become a monster. Ark retorts that though that might be true, he, at least, hasn’t changed his heart. He explains that he finally understands now that Albaire will never stop making meaningless sacrifices. However, Albaire asks Ark how he still doesn’t understand, even after having a killed a god. He then adds that though Ark is meant to have special treatment, he’ll hang out with him for a just little while longer. Ark vows to stop him, to which Albaire notes that Ark hasn’t changed a bit, adding that he’ll regret it one day. He then opens his wings and charges at Ark.

I wasn’t lying earlier when I said that I’m deceased at the time of writing this. This was the first blow of a million that I sustained. I am currently bleeding out angst and broken dreams of these two living on a farm together. Someone should really call 911.)

Meanwhile, Eckhart arrived and attempted to free Gaon and the others. Gaon told Eckhart to aim for the corners of the force field, explaining that its weakness was any external force applied from the outside. Meanwhile, Albaire was pushed back by the Adversary, surprised at how powerful they were. He noted that even with a barely-filled World Heart, their strength was too much for him. With no other choice, Albaire called the Specter army and ordered them to finish things before flying away. Realizing what Albaire was planning to do, the Adversary warned everyone to get back. Suddenly, all the Specters denoted themselves, unleashing a powerful explosion throughout the cavern.

After the dust cleared, the Adversary found that Gaon had protected the Glory Guard and the Anima with a barrier created from Keira’s power imbued into his spear. The Adversary rushed to their allies, and after ensuring that they were okay, they explained that Albaire had escaped amidst the blast, having had enough strength to move after their fight, even through the explosion itself. Eckhart noted that the Adversary, too, was something else to have withstood the explosion as well.

With enemy gone, Hinya and Duhan immediately raised their weapons at each other, demanding to know where each had taken the other’s people. Claudine attempted to remind them that the kidnapped Anima were at the sanctuary, though neither warrior would put down their weapon. Gaon then attempted to reason with them, explaining that the enemy had disguised the Specters as Anima in order to turn them against each other.

Eckhart added that they had even confirmed that the High Flora were the ones who had polluted the waters, though Duhan refused to listen, claiming that it didn’t change the fact that the snake Anima had failed to protect the sanctuary. However, Hinya retorted that the turtle Anima hadn’t even shown up to defend the sanctuary.

With hostilities continuing to rise, Gaon begged the Anima to calm down, noting that he was sure that the reason why Keira had asked for his help instead of theirs, despite them having protected her for generations, was because of their pointless feud preventing them from doing what needed to be done. Suddenly, Gaon’s spear began to glow and produced brilliant shining water, which took the form of Keira herself.

Keira addressed everyone and introduced herself as the goddess of Carcion, explaining that she had been observing everything that had transpired through her powers contained within Gaon’s spear. The Adversary asked Keira how she was able to manifest herself, to which Keira explained that she had been waiting for them to reach the sanctuary, as her powers were too weak to reach them when they had been so far from her physical body.

Hinya and Duhan immediately apologized for failing to protect the water source and asked whether she was unharmed. Keira explained that she was fine for the moment, though she told them that they didn’t have much time, as the Apostle of Darmoor was breaking through her barrier as they spoke, with the kidnapped Anima being slaughtered indiscriminately.

She then turned to Duhan and Hinya and noted that they were the leaders of their tribes and the descendants of the Anima who had inherited her will. However, she rebuked them both for having forsaken that will by taking the power that she had given to heal the Anima and twisting it into an object of possession for which they had waged endless war. She noted that even when their people had been in danger, they had failed to look past their obsession over meaningless revenge as they had attempted to monopolize her divine blessings.

However, she told then told them that it wasn’t too late and implored them to work together and save the Anima, adding that by combining their strength, they could become far stronger than the sum of their parts. Suddenly, Keira began fading as the barrier began to break. She asked Gaon to hurry and save her before the barrier completely failed, explaining that the enemy had something that could rob a god of their powers. Resolved to make up for their mistakes, the turtle and snake Anima agreed to work together in order to save their god.

At the sanctuary, Albaire reported to Limbo that the Adversary would soon arrive. He then apologized for failing to eliminate the Black Tortoise, though Limbo told him that it wasn’t an issue, as the barrier would soon be destroyed. He then turned to address Keira and noted that she was quite soft-hearted for a god, given how easily she had yielded simply because a few meaningless lives had been lost.

Albaire remained silent at Limbo’s words until Limbo turned back to him and ordered him to face the enemy, though he added that he wished to deal the final blow himself after taking Keira’s power. He also ordered Albaire to dispose of the remaining Anima, and to make the enemy watch, adding that he was sure that they would enjoy the show.

After Albaire left to carry out his orders, Shensung laughed that Gaon was quite persistent, though he noted that if they were to leave him be, he would continue to be a nuisance. Realizing that they still needed to take care of Ara and Baekyeon as well, he wondered what they ought to do. However, Xula told him that they would decide what to do after discussing it with the other elders.

She then asked him whether he was thinking of staying, pointing out that they had already gathered enough data, and that they could safely conclude that there was no suitable candidate amongst the Anima in Carcion. Shensung agreed, adding that they ought to get back to the others before Maolang started making a fuss again. He then addressed Limbo and informed him that they were heading back before things became noisy, to which Limbo merely snapped at him to leave if they were done, adding that they would only get in his way. The elders then opened up a hanging scroll that sent them into an unknown place with a dark skyline.

(A/N: The hanging scroll is almost identical to the one that Tai Yu used to transport us to Shangri-La during the Odium storyline, with the main differences being that while Tai Yu’s scroll shone with golden energy and opened up into an idyllic mountainside, the elders’ scroll shines with purple energy and opens up into a city skyline. It’s currently unknown where the scroll leads to, although I like to think that the traitorous elders created a dark version of Shangri-La that they’ve hidden themselves in. It’s also possible that the scroll sends them to an actual city in the real world, possibly Aboris or somewhere else. However, it’s almost certain that wherever the scroll leads is where all six traitorous elders currently live.)

At the beach, the turtle and snake Anima gathered their forces and prepared to break through to the central island. Duhan explained that he would handle the vanguard, while Eto’s squad would handle defense, giving everyone else the chance to attack. Hinya added that her archers would cover the rear, reassuring them that they wouldn’t hit their allies. The Adversary then asked Claudine to take care of the injured in the rear, and asked Eckhart to target the Specter commander.

(A/N: Mihile has a slightly modified script while talking to Eckhart, in which he asks Eckhart whether he already knows what to do before telling him to target the Specter commander.)

The Glory Guard and their allies then charged towards the beach, where they found Albaire ordering the Specters to finish off the prisoners. Eckhart immediately took out the Specters, while the Anima secured the captives. Opening his wings, Albaire flew into the air and commanded the Specters to wipe out the enemy. (A/N: Ark gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he tells Albaire that he’s his opponent. Albaire replies back that Ark is tenacious before ordering his Specters to wipe them all out.)

As the battle raged on, a dark energy emanated from Keira’s tree, causing them to realize that something was happening. Declaring that they were too late, Albaire flew off towards the tree, with the Adversary and Gaon in pursuit. (A/N: Ark also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he calls out to Albaire as he flies away. Take a shot every time that Ark calls out to Albaire. You’ll be under the table faster than you can say Gay Panic™.)

Inside the sanctuary, the Adversary and Gaon were shocked to find that Limbo had successfully broken through the barrier, with Keira collapsed on the floor. Limbo was amused to find that they had manage to come this far and decided to give them an opportunity. Just as the Adversary advanced, however, Albaire landed down between them, blocking them from reaching Limbo.

Using Darmoor’s Transcendent powers, Limbo absorbed Keira, amazed at what the power of the gods felt like. He noted that it was completely different from anything that he had seen before, declaring that with its power, he was one step closer to reaching the Abyssal Source. He then decided to take the chance to enjoy himself with his new powers before sealing Keira into the draining crystal. He ordered Albaire to send the Adversary and Gaon, whom he called ‘those fools’, over to him before flying up towards the treetop. Albaire told the Adversary to be honored that the general wished to face them himself in battle before opening his wings and flying away.

(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive script that replaces the generic interaction here. Upon encountering Limbo, Ark yells out to him and orders him to stop what he’s doing at once. Limbo greets him as Second Lieutenant Ark and notes that the Specter inside him seems to be growing smoothly. He then adds that since it’s been so long, he’ll give Ark an opportunity. Just then, Albaire drops down and blocks him, allowing Limbo to absorb Keira.

Limbo then orders Albaire to allow Ark through before flying away. Albaire tells Ark that Limbo seems to have some business with him. He then adds that if Ark survives the encounter, he’ll make sure to kill Ark himself next time. Ark then tells Albaire to wait, explaining that there’s something that he needs to say. However, Gaon interrupts Ark and reminds him that they need to save Keira. Albaire then opens his wings and flies away, leaving Ark frustrated that Albaire ran away.

God, I hate you so much right now Gaon. We were this close to a tragic love confession and you just had to go and ruin everything. This is why the Flying Fish was the better travel buddy - he didn’t even talk for 80% of the trip just kidding I love you both equally, please don’t scatter into Erdas again.)

Though the Adversary was frustrated that Albaire had gotten away, Gaon reminded them that Keira was their top priority. He noted that Keira had been absorbed by Limbo, who fortunately hadn’t yet used the crystal which had stolen Cygnus’ powers. Because of this, Gaon hoped that they would still be able to save Keira.

At the top of the tree, the Adversary and Gaon confronted Limbo, whose body glowed with divine power. The Adversary demanded to know what Limbo had done to Keira, to which Limbo laughed and noted that the Adversary was quite entertaining, and that he wished to see for himself why Darmoor had taken such an interest in them. He then transformed himself into his enormous Specter form.

(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive script that replaces the generic interaction here. When Ark demands to know what Limbo did to Keira, Limbo laughs and replies that he should at least say hello first to his boss after seeing each other for the first time in a long time. However, Ark retorts that Limbo isn’t his boss, and that he doesn’t work for him anymore. Limbo then asks Ark whether he’s denying the noble blood of the High Flora that flows within him.

He declares that Ark can never escape the call, noting that he must be feeling the power of the Abyss engulfing his body. He then adds that if it hadn’t been for Darmoor’s orders, he would’ve already claimed Ark’s soul by now. Ark invites Limbo to try and take his soul if he can, vowing to defeat him and save Keira. Limbo then declares that he’ll see for himself why Darmoor is so interested in Ark before transforming into a Specter.)

Immediately, Limbo pulled the Adversary into an unknown space, where he towered over them and laughed that after making countless attempts to reach the Source, he had finally succeeded in replicating an illusory space of a region close to the Source. He then challenged the Adversary to see just how long they could endure inside his space, warning them that it would be difficult, even for them, to last in a space that he fully controlled. The Adversary then fought against the Specters that Limbo created, eventually breaking out of the space and returning to the real world.

(A/N: This scene where Limbo pulls us into his illusory space was added after the Limbo boss fight was introduced in the Milestone update. Originally, the player fought the Specter form of Limbo and had to survive for a certain amount, although this was later changed to the player fighting all the stages of the official Limbo boss fight, minus the actual fight against the black and white Limbo who reached close to the Source.

Something interesting to note is that the two Specters that you fight in phase 1 are modeled after the turtle and snake Anima, which is likely a nod towards the Specter experiments that Shensung and Xula are performing in Carcion. Later on in the side quests, we learn that the elders are trying to research the Source and the ‘special soul’ that Ark has, which prevents the Specter from taking him over fully, and it’s likely that the Specters we fight in the Limbo boss fight might have been Anima who were sacrificed in their experiments.)

As the Adversary and Gaon continued fighting, they noted that no matter how much damage they dealt, Limbo continued recovering from any damage sustained at an abnormally fast rate. Gaon realized that at the rate that things were going, they would run out of stamina, while Limbo would easily regenerate. Limbo then told the Adversary that he had been looking forward to fighting them ever since hearing about how they had gotten rid of Kaling, though he noted that they were still far from complete.

Just as he attempted to finish things, however, Keira manifested before them in her watery form. She explained that Limbo had absorbed her without being able to fully control her powers, which had allowed her to regain some of her strength. She told them that she would damage him from the inside, which would weaken his recovery rate and give them the opportunity to defeat him.

As Keira disappeared, Gaon began attacking Limbo, while the Adversary took out the World Heart and attempted to absorb Limbo’s stolen power. However, the World Heart refused to obey their will, giving Limbo the opening to gravely wound Gaon. Refusing to give up, however, the Adversary continued pouring all their will into the World Heart, which finally responded with a brilliant light that extracted Keira’s powers from within Limbo, allowing her to manifest her physical form once again.

As Keira fell unconscious, Gaon grabbed her and held her in his arms, just as Claudine, Eckhart, and the Anima arrived. The Anima immediately rushed to Keira’s side and asked her whether she was okay. Keira explained that she was unharmed, though Gaon and the Adversary were wounded. Claudine began treating Gaon and explained that while his life wasn’t in danger, his wounds were quite serious, for which she would give him emergency treatment.

She then checked on the Adversary, who told them that they were fine, adding that they needed to secure Limbo first. Eckhart told them to let him handle it and began approaching Limbo, who was crawling on the ground and attempting to get up again. Limbo seethed in fury at being reduced to such a state by the likes of them, to which Eckhart dryly told Limbo to spare him the pointless resistance. However, Limbo declared that he refused to be captured and began gathering all his power within his body into a single spot.

He then began laughing at the shocked expression on their faces and declared that he would detonate himself and create an explosion large enough to wipe out all of Carcion and everything in its vicinity. A shocked Claudine realized that there was nothing that they could do to stop it, as attacking him would result in them setting off the detonation themselves.

Suddenly, Duhan and Hinya approached Limbo, much to everyone’s surprise. Duhan explained that Keira had protected them with her power for generations, and yet they had done nothing but wage pointless wars to monopolize her power for themselves. Hinya added that she had only realized what they had done after seeing so many of her comrades sacrificed, and that just as Keira had protected Carcion and its people, it was now their turn to protect Keira and their home.

The Anima leaders then manifested their share of Keira’s divine blessings within them and ordered their warriors to do the same, declaring that they would protect their land by combining all their strength together. All across Carcion, the snake and turtle Anima manifested their blessings and brought them all together into an enormous ball of energy.

(A/N: Following the tradition of shamelessly lifting things wherever possible, the writers went from plagiarizing the Thanos snap in Limina to plagiarizing the Spirit Bomb here. They must’ve been doing a Dragon Ball Z marathon when they wrote this story.)

Just then, however, Keira teleported everyone a safe distance away from Limbo before choosing to face him herself. Duhan and Hinya called out to Keira, warning her that she hadn’t yet recovered her strength. However, Keira replied that it was something that she had to do, as she would no longer allow anyone else to be sacrificed. She explained that the reason why the Anima had fought against one another for so long, and why Darmoor had attacked Carcion and killed so many of her people was all because of the power that she possessed. She then declared that she would disappear from the world, and that she would take her damned power of the gods along with her.

Rising into the air, Keira flew into the center of the ball of divine energy, channeling every ounce of her power into defeating Limbo. As she pushed with all her might, Eckhart marveled in awe at the incredible amount of power that she was producing. However, Claudine was shocked to realize that even in spite of Keira’s immense strength, Limbo was still pushing her back.

Realizing that they needed to do something to help, the Adversary suddenly recalled that the World Heart had absorbed some of Keira’s power throughout their time in Carcion. Summoning all their willpower, the Adversary controlled the World Heart in order to expel all of Keira’s power that it had stored within itself, giving it back to its owner in order to help her defeat Limbo once and for all.

As the light of the World Heart faded away, Limbo collapsed onto the ground once again, his power completely spent. Keira was surprised to know that the Adversary had possessed some of her power, and she was even more surprised to learn about the World Heart and its properties, noting that much had happened while she had been asleep. Turning to Gaon, she also noted that Gaon had suffered immensely as well, though he assured her that it was nothing compared to what she had gone through, adding that he was glad that she was alright.

Eckhart then approached Limbo in order to secure and interrogate him. With the elders and Albaire having already left, the Adversary and the others followed Eckhart in order to confront Limbo. Eckhart reminded Limbo that he was completely powerless, and that he ought to answer their questions if he valued his life. Though Limbo seethed at having been defeated, Eckhart ignored him and instead demanded to know why Darmoor was targeting the power of the Transcendents and the Ancient Gods.

At his words, Limbo immediately growled at Eckhart not to speak Darmoor’s name so flippantly, adding that lower lifeforms such as them would never be able to comprehend Darmoor’s grand purpose. Realizing that they wouldn’t get a straight answer, the Adversary instead asked Limbo what the purpose of the elders’ experiments were with the captured Anima.

However, Limbo merely laughed and claimed that such experiments were nothing more than idle distractions for Darmoor to pass his time, declaring that their sole mission was the destruction of all life. Gaon was furious to know that the captured Anima had been killed for nothing more than a pastime, though Eckhart simply noted that Limbo could still afford to offer some clarification, adding that he would hear the rest of his explanations in the dungeons of Ereve.

Suddenly, however, a flash of red lightning struck down from the sky, forcing Eckhart to jump back. In another flash of lightning, Havoc landed in front of Limbo, causing the Adversary to immediately recognize him from Cernium. Havoc looked down at Limbo and noted that the Alliance had done quite a number on him. He added that Limbo should have used the crystal right away, and that he was going to lose his job at this rate.

Limbo was overjoyed to see Havoc, laughing that Darmoor had indeed been watching over him after all. He immediately began groveling, begging Havoc to save him quickly. However, Havoc gruffly asked Limbo how he could shamelessly ask to be rescued when he hadn’t even finished doing the job that he had been sent for.

(A/N: If all the other Limbo moments in this story haven’t convinced you yet, this scene is giving peak Arkarium vibes with how Limbo is this sadistic, cruel person who looks down on everyone, using cheap tricks like his Specter regeneration to keep himself alive like a cockroach because he doesn’t have any real skills to put his money where his mouth is. The only difference is that Arkarium, at least, had some dignity, and he’d never have turned into this pathetic mess just to get bailed out.

On the other hand, Havoc is hands-down the best Apostle, the best villain, and the best character in the entire game. This is honestly what the Grandis story has been missing all along - actual interactions between villains. Seeing Arkarium, Hilla, the Demon, Damien, Von Leon, and all the other Commanders interacting and bantering each other made the Maple World story so engaging. Grandis has sorely been missing things like this for so long because of how streamlined everything’s been, and it’s nice to see the story return closer to form with Carcion.)

Havoc then launched into the air and began raining down red lightning from the sky, injuring everyone in the vicinity. Though the Adversary attempted to move, they found that their body would not respond to them, causing them to wonder whether it was because of the World Heart. With the Adversary rooted in one spot and everyone else injured, Havoc landed back on the ground and took out the draining crystal, which he used to begin extracting Keira’s power. As he did, he began complaining that his mission was such a hassle and wondered how many more gods he was going to have to eliminate.

As Keira’s power continued being absorbed into the crystal, Gaon vowed that he wouldn’t allow Havoc to finish. With Keira’s divine power inside his spear, Gaon created a protective barrier around the goddess, shielding her from the effects of the crystal. Havoc noted with mild interest that Gaon had managed to create a shield, though he declared that it didn’t matter, as he had already filled the crystal, with the empty shell of a god meaning nothing to him. He then manifested his demon wings in a flash of red energy, preparing to take off with Limbo.

(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here. Upon seeing Havoc’s wings, the Demon realizes that Havoc really is a pure-blooded demon and wonders how that could be possible. Havoc asks the Demon why he looks so surprised and sarcastically asks him whether it’s his first time seeing a pure-blooded demon. As Havoc prepares to leave, the Demon tells him to wait, to which Havoc tells the Demon that if he really is a demon, then he should prove it by showing his strength.)

As Havoc began to leave, he looked back at the Adversary with disdain and noted that they seemed to have a lot to say for someone who was barely alive. He explained that he had been looking forward to what they would be like, now that they had gotten their hands on the World Heart, but he added that after seeing them again, they were nothing more than a disappointment. He then asked them to be more entertaining in the future, even more so than Seren, whom he simply called ‘that Celestial’, adding that he would see them again before leaving with Limbo slumped on his shoulders.

Claudine then asked the Adversary whether they could stand, while Eckhart noted that the High Flora had disappeared, alongside their battleships. The Adversary asked Keira how she was feeling, to which she explained that though her powers had been taken from her, Gaon’s intervention had saved her physical body. However, Gaon noted sadly that he hadn’t been able to do anything as Keira’s powers had been stolen right in front of him, adding that the Apostle of Lightning had incredible strength.

Eckhart then suggested that they return back to Ereve, to which the Adversary asked Keira to come with them. Claudine agreed with the Adversary’s suggestion, noting that without her powers, it would be best for her to stay in Ereve for her protection. Though Keira was hesitant, Gaon’s reassurance about the Alliance’s integrity convinced her to agree.

Before she left, Hinya and Duhan apologized for all their mistakes, though Keira told them that it wasn’t their fault, as it was her own power which had brought destruction upon Carcion. She then lifted herself into the air and unleashed a wave of energy, explaining that she had used the last of her power to eradicate the pollution from Carcion. Though she didn’t have the strength to restore the land to how it had been before its destruction, she told the Anima that given time, the land would return to how it used to be.

However, with her divine power completely depleted, she explained that there were no longer any blessings left in Carcion, and that the Anima would need to protect themselves with their own strength. Duhan and Hinya both vowed never to stain their ancestors’ honor again, to which Keira told them that she would leave Carcion in their hands, and that she prayed that the cycle of water would guide them both.

(A/N: This entire storyline seems like it drew a lot of its story beats from Heroes of Maple. Limbo absorbs Keira and loses control of her powers, similar to how Damien absorbed Alicia and grew unstable from holding more power than his body could handle. The Abyss Crystal is extremely similar to the crystals that the Apostles use, as both of them have the ability to steal the power of a god and destroy their physical form. The way that Carcion gets polluted is similar to how Damien drained the life force of Maple World and corrupted the World Tree, and Keira using the last of her power to restore Carcion is just like how Alicia scattered the last of her power in order to restore Maple World.)

The Glory Guard then returned to Ereve, where they introduced Keira to Neinheart. Neinheart greeted Keira and told her that he had heard that she didn’t intend to stay with the Alliance for long. Keira explained that she planned to leave as soon as she regained enough of her powers, as even without them, she was still a target in the eyes of Darmoor, which would endanger the Alliance if she were to remain.

Neinheart told her that nevertheless, she was welcome to stay in Ereve for as long as she liked, and that he would even ask that she stay as long as possible, as he had much to ask her. Keira thanked him for his hospitality and agreed to do whatever she could in order to help them. Neinheart then spoke to the Adversary, who told them about everything that happened in Carcion.

Neinheart noted that their mission had confirmed that Darmoor was indeed gathering power from higher beings, namely Transcendents and Ancient Gods. He added that while Keira’s powers may have been taken away, they had been able to protect her physical body. However, the Adversary pointed out that their position hadn’t changed, as they still needed a plan for their next move. Neinheart explained that in regard to that, he had been able to contact Carlisle while they had been away in Carcion, and that Carlisle had something important to say.

With the open communication channel, the Adversary connected with Carlisle, who told them that he had heard about their encounter with two of Darmoor’s Apostles. He explained that stories about their actions had reached Cernium as well, and that there were many who wished to meet them. He noted that it must be difficult for them to visit Cernium anytime soon, though he hoped to invite them whenever they could come. Neinheart replied that it was something that they ought to discuss in the future, as it was important that the Alliance maintain its relations with the cities of Grandis.

Carlisle then explained that it wasn’t simply Maple World and Carcion that had been attacked by the High Flora, as numerous such operations had been carried out all through Grandis, with their target being the Ancient Gods awakening from their slumber. He told them that with nothing left of the Ancient Gods, Cernium had been safe from the attacks, which had allowed them to gather information from across Grandis.

He explained that the ones who had carried out the attacks were the Apostles of Darmoor, who had finally begun leading the Flora army directly, rather than remaining in the shadows like they had for so long. Neinheart noted that it seemed to be a declaration of war, to which Carlisle emphasized that they needed to prepare a counterattack immediately.

He told the Adversary that just as they had seen first-hand, the Apostles were using crystals to absorb the power of higher beings, and that Darmoor’s target was only the power of the Ancient Gods, not the gods themselves. At his words, the Adversary wondered to themselves whether the crystal was a type of Godsphere as well. Carlisle also explained that during the recent attacks, Darmoor had managed to secure the powers of many Ancient Gods already.

Neinheart realized that given the speed of the enemy’s movements, the High Flora must have been planning their attacks for a long time, which also meant that it was unlikely that an attack of such magnitude would happen again so quickly. As the Alliance couldn’t hope to fend off the enemy’s simultaneous attacks in so many different places simply through rearranging their defenses, he declared that they needed to create an environment where such attacks could not occur.

He explained that the High Flora used overwhelming numbers to plan coordinated strikes, which meant that the Alliance needed to raise its numbers and spread its influence across Grandis. The Adversary asked Neinheart whether he was proposing to form a new alliance, to which he replied that it was his desired end result, though for now, they needed to gather as many allies as possible. Carlisle explained that the reason why the High Flora had been able to control Grandis was because there was no force of resistance against them, aside from the small armies of individual cities, which could barely defend themselves.

However, as a result of the High Flora’s recent attack, forces were mobilizing against the Flora army, and that amongst them was a military group which had long since been shrouded in rumors. He explained that it was an organization that opposed the High Flora in the darkness, known to many as the saviors of Grandis who pointed their blades at the bloodied throne, the usurpers of freedom: the Primacy.

(A/N: Given the teases that we got in Adele’s Aftermath cutscene and the Hotel Arcus side quests, I’m 99% convinced that Jerome - Adele’s liege - and Kelly - the other mechanic from Hotel Arcus who left to fight the High Flora - are gonna be members of the Primacy.)

The Adversary asked Carlisle where the Primacy was now, to which he explained that Seren had provided them a clue in her latest message. The Adversary read through the message from Seren, who had written that she had found a way to restore the holy sword Azor, and that she had also found the ones who had the power to oppose Darmoor, whose strength they needed to borrow. She had also asked Carlisle to send her message to the Adversary, and to request that they cross the continent and meet her at ‘the place where the world starts again’.

Carlisle explained that Seren couldn’t leave any more details in the message for the sake of security, though he added that she was looking for the Adversary. Neinheart noted that while it was possible that the people whom Seren had met weren’t the Primacy at all, they had no choice but to follow every lead that they had. Carlisle explained that his people were still investigating what ‘the place where the world starts again’ referred to, though he assured them that he would follow-up with any new information that he found.

After the call ended, Neinheart told the Adversary that their next move was to gather enough forces to face the High Flora while the enemy was busy reorganizing for the next attack, as well as to find a way to wake Cygnus up again. He also told the Adversary to remain vigilant, as he had heard from Eckhart how they were having trouble controlling the World Heart. He added that he didn’t have any helpful advice for them, but he encouraged them to keep following their own path.

The Adversary then admitted that there was something else that they were wondering about, which was that Havoc – despite having been able to kill them easily – had deliberately spared their life, which made them believe that Darmoor still needed them alive. Neinheart assured them that the Alliance would keep looking into Darmoor’s motives, and that he would contact them once they finished deciphering Seren’s message.

Soon after, the Adversary met with Gaon and Keira, and learned that they were planning to go after Ara and Baekyeon together. Gaon explained that after learning from Xula that they were both still alive, he felt that he needed to save his family. However, he promised that he would lend his aid to the Alliance, and that he would rush to the Adversary’s side whenever they called.

The Adversary asked Keira whether she would consider staying in Ereve, to which she replied that with how much Gaon lacked common sense, she would feel more at ease staying by his side before he caused trouble everywhere he went. Though Gaon began laughing at her words as a joke, Keira told him not to laugh, leaving him to wonder whether she was being serious or not.

She then told the Adversary that she was grateful to them for their help, and that they only needed to say the word if they needed anything from her. She also added that just as she had mentioned before, it wouldn’t be easy to gain the power of a god. She explained that there were two ways to obtain that power and restore the World Heart: either by swearing to inherit the will of a god, and, in turn, inheriting their power, or by defeating a higher being and forcibly absorbing their power. She added that neither path was an easy one to walk, and that she prayed that they chose the correct one.

The Adversary noted to themselves that they had already experienced both methods, first by defeating Kaling and absorbing her powers, as well as inheriting Shinsoo’s powers after swearing to protect Empress Cygnus. Keira also told them that wielding the power of a god wasn’t easy, and that as the World Heart grew stronger, they needed to grow stronger with it. She then warned them to take care not to be consumed by that power.

(A/N: Like I mentioned in earlier sections, this more or less resolves the plot holes that were created in Shangri-La and Arteria. One of them was why the World Heart didn’t immediately absorb the Adversary’s powers if the player was a character whose power stems from a Transcendent or an Ancient God, such as Luminous, Zero, Kain, Pathfinder, Mihile, or the Cygnus Knights. The other was why the World Heart didn’t absorb Shinsoo or Cygnus’ powers immediately upon coming into contact with them.

Both of these can be resolved with the knowledge that the World Heart will only absorb power after the target is defeated, or if they give that power willingly. We can also assume that defeating and forcibly draining power causes the target to disintegrate like Kaling, whereas the target willingly giving their power lets them keep their physical form, which would explain why Shinsoo didn’t disappear after she gave up all her power to us.)

The Adversary noted to themselves that they still hadn’t been able to fully control the World Heart, and that they needed to find a way to properly wield a Godsphere. They then told Keira that they understood, and that they would keep her words in mind. Gaon told the Adversary that they ought to get going, promising to return to Ereve every now and then. As Gaon and Keira headed off, the Adversary wondered to themselves just what it was that Darmoor was after, and what choices they would have to make in order to defeat him.

Meanwhile, at the Aboris Royal Palace, Havoc and Limbo finished giving their report on the mission to Carcion. Darmoor was interested to know that the Adversary had managed to consciously use the World Heart, to which Havoc added that the Adversary had also made a mess of Limbo. Alarmed by how Darmoor would take it, Limbo began fearfully stammering that he hadn’t planned on it, swearing that it wouldn’t happen ever again.

However, Darmoor cut Limbo off and assured him that he wasn’t disappointed in him. He then explained that it was time, noting that he could hear the prayers meant for the false gods. He then ordered the Apostles to bring them to him, declaring that he would bring forth a true paradise. From his throne, Darmoor held up a draining crystal, with many others floating throughout the room, filled with the power of countless other gods.

(A/N: Below are a series of side quests that can be completed after the main storyline.)

Laboratory Investigation:
Neinheart contacted the Adversary and explained that the Specters from the High Flora invasion were still running rampant in Carcion, and that the Alliance had begun investigating them. He told the Adversary that according to Eckhart, the behavior of the Specters in Carcion was different from the ones that the Alliance had encountered before. Neinheart explained that due to the strength of the Specters, the Alliance had been struggling in their investigation, with the Anima of Carcion facing similar difficulties.

In order to help gather intelligence, Neinheart asked the Adversary to aid in the Specter investigation. The Adversary traveled to Carcion, where they spoke with a hologram of Neinheart, who told them that some of the Specters were carrying an infectious agent inside crystals. As the samples which the Adversary had obtained during the mission to Carcion weren’t adequate for analysis, Neinheart asked them to obtain intact, unused samples, adding that they should speak with Hinya and Duhan for more information.

The Adversary then spoke with Hinya, who greeted them and noted that Keira had gone on a trip with Gaon. Though she was worried about Keira’s safety, she explained that if Keira was traveling with Gaon, things would most likely be fine. Duhan agreed and added that in the meantime, they should be more focused about their own problems. Hinya told the Adversary that after the Alliance had left Carcion, the snake and turtle Anima had formed their own alliance to restore Carcion, though they needed to first destroy the remaining Specters first.

Hinya explained that even though the High Flora army had left, many of the Specters still remained, polluting Carcion with the infectious agent that they carried. As the Specters traveled in large groups, the Anima had been unable to fight them without sustaining heavy losses, and so Hinya asked the Adversary to lend their strength by defeating the Specters in the sea caverns and obtaining the crystals containing the infectious agent.

The Adversary gathered the infectious agent and returned back to Hinya, who noted that given how easily they had defeated the Specters, the fact that Limbo had given them such trouble meant that Limbo must be quite powerful as well. Upon seeing the Adversary’s expression, Hinya asked them what was wrong, worried that they had gotten injured in the battle.

However, the Adversary explained that while they had been fighting the Specters, something had happened to the World Heart. Hinya wondered whether it had reacted to the infectious agent and offered to deliver the crystals to the Alliance on the Adversary’s behalf so that they wouldn’t need to hold onto them any longer.

Soon after the Adversary handed the crystals to Hinya, Neinheart contacted them and asked whether they were okay, as Hinya had told him about how the infectious agent had affected the World Heart. The Adversary clarified by explaining that the World Heart had been rebelling against the energy of the Specters, even though it hadn’t reacted to Specter energy during the mission.

Neinheart realized that the World Heart’s rebelling could be seen as a sort of rejection reaction, and that the reason why it was reacting now was because the World Heart had gotten much stronger. Though he admitted that it may just be circumstantial, Neinheart noted that from what he had observed, it seemed as though the World Heart’s ability to sense power was increasing as it got stronger.

He then added that they needed more evidence to determine whether the World Heart’s reaction to Specter energy was simply a testament to its growth, or whether there was indeed some sort of relationship between Specter energy and the Godspheres. He then asked the Adversary to take on a new mission related to such research, explaining that the elders’ laboratory in the rainforest had been left intact, as the High Flora army had left in quite a hurry.

He explained that the Alliance investigation team hadn’t been able to find a way inside, though he asked the Adversary to try again with an Odium key card which Gaon had given him before leaving with Keira. He explained that since Odium had been a facility built by the elders, it was possible that its key card might be compatible with the new facility built by the traitorous elders.

The Adversary then entered the laboratory with the key card, which they used to access the data within the computer. They first began by accessing data about the Anima research log, most of which was corrupted and unreadable. However, one intact portion detailed the results of the elders’ seventh test subject experiment, which revealed three different stages to the experiment.

The Adversary learned that both the absorption rejection reaction experiment and the energy bonding reaction experiment had both failed, while the results of the infectious agent infection experiment were corrupted in the system. The Adversary also found records of the elders’ Specter research log, which detailed how different reactions occurred based on the type of soul. From the various test subjects gathered, the elders had been able to confirm the existence of a ‘special’ soul.

The elders had also noted that the total amount of energy known as the Abyssal Source was greater than expected, which they had concluded to be due to the influence of the Odium study. At the end of the report, the elders had noted that with all the other test subjects being failures, the probability of creating Adversaries was significantly low.

(A/N: The concept of a special soul was first explained in Ark’s storyline, in which the Specter tells Ark that there were two main reasons why Ark hadn’t been fully transformed into a Specter. The first reason was that Albaire had interrupted the ritual prematurely. However, the second reason is that Ark possesses a special soul, which is described as a sort of impurity that prevents the Specter from taking him over.

The concept of special souls and Adversaries mixed together is interesting because from what we know about the Adversary experiments, the Godspheres only bind to those whose humanity can be fully erased, whereas those who have special souls have a protection that prevents their humanity from being erased at all, which makes them seem antithetical to each other.

The fact that the elders are combining Specter experiments and Adversary experiments makes me wonder whether they might be trying to replicate us, the player, as someone who can exist as an Adversary with their ego fully intact. There’s also another possibly route which they can go in, which is tricking the Godspheres into awakening for a Vessel, even without their ego being erased.

From what we saw in Cernium, Gilmore was a special Specter filled with countless Specter souls, which tricked the holy sword into awakening for him, as it mistakenly believed that Gilmore was filled with the energy of countless others believing him to be the Chosen One. Since the holy relics of the Ancient Gods operate on a similar principle as the Godspheres, it’s possible that a special Specter could bond with a Godsphere and turn them into an Adversary without their ego needing to be erased.

It's highly likely that only those who possess special souls can withstand having countless Specter souls inside their body, and so the elders’ research might be to find someone with a special soul, fill them with Specter souls, and then bond them with a Godsphere to create an Adversary with an ego intact. Personally, I still think that Darmoor’s Adversary will be Asha from the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline, as she embodies his ideals of a perfect being, which would mean that he’d want her to retain her ego and humanity for what she represents.

The concept of contamination and Specters also seem to be related in some capacity, as both of them are forces that erase one’s humanity. Personally, though, I think that these concepts are more just meant to be thematically similar, rather than stemming from the same source, as a major theme of the game is the idea that in order to use the power of the gods, you have to give up the things that make you human.

This can be seen with how the Adversaries of Odium lost their egos in exchange for the power of the Godspheres, the elders were contaminated and began losing their egos in exchange for the power to create demigods, Specters gained immortality in the form of infinite regeneration in exchange for their host’s soul being erased, Reina’s prisoners lost their memories when she pushes off the cost of using the draining crystal’s power onto them, the White Mage losing sight of the value of life in exchange for becoming a Transcendent (although this is more symbolic than a literal cost), Aeona losing her free will and turning into a puppet in exchange for being a Transcendent, the Overseers literally having no form or feelings in exchange for being universal gods, and countless other examples.)

After gathering all the data they could in the laboratory, the Adversary returned back to the sanctuary and reported their findings to Neinheart, who was unsurprised to know that most of the important data had already been destroyed. However, he was surprised to know that the elders were researching Specters while working for the High Flora, noting that the biological experiments, the Specter experiments, and the Adversary experiments may all be related.

Based on this understanding, Neinheart concluded that the Alliance needed to restart their investigation on Specters from the very beginning so that they didn’t miss a single clue. As the Alliance had little information about the Specters, he explained that he would ask Edea for any details that the Nova had about them. The Adversary also noted that they might also be able to ask the elders in Shangri-La about the research that the traitorous elders were performing.

Neinheart agreed and told the Adversary that they could speak more about it once the Alliance finished its investigation. In the meantime, he asked them to share what they had learned with Hinya and Duhan. After learning about the experiments, Hinya noted that part of her was glad not to know the full details about what happened, as she would hate to know the pain that their fellow Anima had gone through.

Duhan agreed and added that it might be best not to dig too deep into what happened for a while. Hinya explained that for now, the Anima wished to focus on healing and rebuilding, though she added that they couldn’t stay still for long. She told the Adversary that after Carcion was mostly restored, they would start searching for all the Anima scattered and hidden throughout Grandis.

Duan explained that there must be countless other Anima suffering from the High Flora, and that they wanted to find and protect them all. Hinya added that it wouldn’t be easy to wash away the sins that their tribes had committed, nor would it be easy to find all the hidden Anima. However, she told the Adversary that they deserved to know, and she requested that they tell Keira about it if they met with her before she and Duhan did.

Carcion Public Works:
In the snake Anima village, the Adversary met with a village elder named Lupamo, who told them that he had been looking for them. He asked them whether they could feel Keira’s energy around Carcion, to which the Adversary noted that they could faintly sense her power around the Tree of Eternity. Pleased that they could sense her power, Lupamo asked the Adversary for their help, explaining that he couldn’t complete his task without them.

He revealed that Keira’s power that they were sensing around the tree came from the divine barrier that she had created long ago. He explained that after the battle against the Ancient God who had attacked Carcion long ago, Keira had begun to use her power to protect the Anima by blessing the waters, as well as creating a barrier around Carcion.

After Keira had fallen asleep, the power of the barrier had weakened, which was how the High Flora had been able to invade in the first place. As a new enemy could attack in the future, Lupamo believed that their first priority was to restore the barrier. Though Keira’s power had disappeared from the waters, Lupamo explained that it might still be possible to restore the barrier, whose power stemmed from the guardian stones.

As the guardian stones could only be reactivated by the power of the gods, Lupamo asked the Adversary to use the World Heart in order to restore the barrier. The Adversary then traveled all throughout Carcion and activated the four guardian stones with the World Heart before returning back to Lupamo.

Lupamo thanked the Adversary and explained that while the barrier was currently weak, it would continue strengthening with time. In order to show his gratitude, he offered to repay them by telling them a story about the Ancient Gods, whose power the Adversary was searching for. He explained that though the Anima knew little about the outside world, as they had settled in Carcion ages ago, they had heard stories from Keira, which had been passed down in the form of legends. He asked the Adversary how much they knew about the Ancient Gods, to which the Adversary replied that they had encountered some in their travels.

Lupamo was impressed to know that the Adversary had encountered other gods, though he noted that they likely didn’t know much about them. He explained that no one knew when the beings which they knew as the Ancient Gods had begun to be referred to as ‘gods’, though their incredible powers had been enough for mortals to revere them as such.

However, the different powers and beliefs of the gods had led them to conflict, just like the Ancient God who had fought Keira during the Ancient War. He revealed that the name of the god who had attacked Carcion was Brihini, an enormous sea dragon who could create a whirlpool the size of a mountain range, regarded by mortals of that time as a natural disaster in itself.

He explained that people were naturally attracted to stronger power, and that the Ancient Gods inherently brought chaos with their mere existence, which was why Keira had chosen to seal herself away. However, he revealed that not all gods were powerful, as there were rumors of some gods who were small and weak, but had the power to change the laws of the world.

He then joked that perhaps there were gods that walked amongst them even now, hiding their powers and living as ordinary people. His words caused the Adversary to realize that there could be clues about the Ancient Gods in places where they hadn’t even looked. Lupamo then told the Adversary that he hoped that his story had helped them, thanking them once again for their help.

Path of Harmony:
In the snake Anima village, a warrior named Rami called the Adversary and explained that though they didn’t know her, she knew them, as she had been watching them for a while. At their expression, she laughed and told them not to think of it as strange, as it was just a scout’s habit. She explained that it felt different from a distance, and that it wasn’t like the battle at the Tree of Eternity when they had faced the Specters.

She then told the Adversary that she had important information for them, revealing that the turtle Anima were planning to break from the alliance and attack the snakes. Upon seeing that the Adversary didn’t believe her, she told them that the turtles were constantly going in and out of the coral colonies, which wasn’t part of the reconstruction plan, and that she believed it was because they were discussing strategies and preparing weapons in secret.

Rami noted that the turtles seemed discontent with the idea of the alliance, and that she shared their feelings, as it was senseless that after generations of killing each other, they were simply expected to start laughing and holding hands.  The Adversary told Rami that they needed hard evidence of her claims, to which Rami explained that the very reason why she called them was to gather evidence in order to convince Hinya that the turtles were indeed preparing for war.

As it would be too suspicious for the snake Anima to be seen hanging around Pinjar, she asked the Adversary to help gather evidence on her behalf and stop another war from breaking out. Reluctantly, the Adversary headed to the turtle village and met with Eto, who was surprised to see them and explained that Chief Duhan was at the sanctuary. Realizing that they were formally meeting for the first time, Eto introduced herself as a tribal leader of the turtle Anima and apologized for being hostile during their first meeting.

The Adversary then told Eto that they had come to see how the turtle Anima were faring, to which Eto replied that thanks to them, the infected Anima warriors were well again, and that they were helping rebuild the village. She added that she was extremely grateful to them, and that she was thankful that they could meet properly under better circumstances.

Following Rami’s lead, the Adversary asked Eto whether the coral colonies were part of the restoration plan. Eto explained that the coral colonies were quite polluted, and that the turtles were trying their best to clean it up. She added that she herself stopped by for another reason, and that she wanted to ask them for their help about it.

She explained that waterdrop flowers grew exclusively in the coral colonies on the coast of Pinjar, and that they contained pure water, which helped the Anima of Carcion restore their health. She told the Adversary that she had been collecting waterdrop flowers, but the Specters were making it difficult for her. As she was collecting the herbs for a personal reason, she explained that she couldn’t send the warriors to gather them on her behalf.

The Adversary asked Eto whether she was collecting them to heal the injured Anima, to which she told them that most of the turtle Anima were already healed, and that she was actually collecting them for the snake Anima, as she wasn’t sure whether similar herbs grew in Laguna. The Adversary was surprised to hear this and asked Eto whether there was any ill will between the turtles and the snakes.

Eto explained that she already knew that what happened in the past couldn’t be changed, and that when Duhan had announced the alliance, there were some who simply couldn’t accept it. However, she noted that if one could not escape the shadow of the past, they would only end up being swallowed by the darkness. She explained that many Anima, including herself, were tired of the endless fighting, which had contributed to the atmosphere of change.

After hearing her words, the Adversary agreed to help her and collected waterdrop flowers from the coral colonies, fighting the nearby Specters in the process. Eto was pleased with the gathered herbs and placed them together with the ones that she had already collected. She then asked the Adversary whether they would deliver the flowers on her behalf, as she felt awkward going to the snake Anima village.

The Adversary then returned to the snake village and gave the flowers to Rami, who was immediately suspicious of the gift, as she believed that there was no way that the turtles would give them medicinal herbs. Furious at the Adversary for siding with the turtles, Ropa told them that she didn’t need their help anymore.

She explained that she shouldn’t have brought in an outsider into their affairs, and that though she was grateful to them for saving Keira’s life, she wanted them to stay out of the snakes’ business from now on, adding that they ought to leave Carcion if they didn’t want to get caught up in it. Rami then snatched the raindrop flowers from the Adversary’s hands and crushed them to pieces.

Just then, the Adversary noticed Ropa watching them from afar. They decided to meet with Ropa, who formally introduced himself as a tribal leader of the snake Anima. He explained that he already knew about their conversation with Rami, as well as Rami’s need for revenge. He explained that Rami had lost her younger brother in the civil war, and that many other snakes had similar stories and a similar drive for vengeance.

However, he told the Adversary that the Anima must never again fight amongst themselves again, as too many meaningless sacrifices had already been made from their conflict. He explained that he had been looking for a way to curb the snakes’ need for revenge, though he hadn’t found any good solutions yet. Noting that the Adversary had been to Pinjar, he asked them whether there were any turtle Anima who felt the same way about revenge.

After hearing about Eto’s story, Ropa realized that they needed to speak with Eto and try to find a solution themselves before bringing the matter up to the chiefs. As he needed to keep an eye on Rami and the other snakes, he asked the Adversary to talk to Eto on his behalf. The Adversary returned to Pinjar and told Eto about everything that had happened at the snake village.

Eto explained that she hadn’t considered how the snakes would feel, though she understood their feelings, as she had once felt the same way. As they needed to find a way to reconcile, Eto decided to go to the snake village and talk to them herself. Just then, they noticed smoke rising in the rainforest, close to where the snake village was. Believing that there was a fight going on, Eto asked the Adversary to accompany her and resolve the situation before Duhan or Hinya noticed.

Near the outskirts of the village, Ropa confronted Rami, who was leading a band of snake Anima warriors. Upon seeing that she was preparing to attack the turtles, Ropa noted that he should have intervened sooner. However, Rami replied that it would have changed nothing, asking him whether he truly believed in the turtles.

She pointed out all the countless families, lovers, and teachers who had been killed by the turtles, adding that none of them would be avenged if they simply gave up and held hands. She noted that Ropa should understand better than anyone, as his lover had been killed by the turtles as well. After a pause, Ropa asked Rami what would happen after she finished taking her revenge, explaining that her actions would drive someone else to get revenge, on and on until everyone would be killed, with no one left to mourn the souls of those who died first.

He then entreated her to put her weapons down, promising that he wouldn’t even tell Hinya about her actions. Just as Rami refused, the Adversary and Eto rushed to the scene. Upon seeing that the Adversary had brought a turtle into their business, she noted angrily that there really was no more turning back.

As she and her warriors raised their weapons, Ropa raised his own bow in response. Just then, however, Eto rushed between them and approached Rami, asking whether it was true that she had lost her younger brother. Ropa furiously explained that her brother had only just become a warrior when the turtles had killed him on his very first mission.

Eto asked Rami what her brother’s name was, to which Rami angrily demanded to know why she was asking such nonsense. Eto explained that her older sister’s name was Erin, and then unfasted a piece of her sister’s shield from her belt. She revealed that on the same day that she had become a warrior and been sent to battle, her older sister had died protecting her from a snake Anima ambush.

She explained that since that day, she had vowed revenge on the snake Anima, keeping a piece of her sister’s shield with her as a keepsake and a reminder of her need for vengeance. However, she then told Rami that she wouldn’t keep that reminder anymore, crushing her sister’s keepsake in her hands.

At Rami’s surprise, Eto explained that it was only after seeing countless other Anima die that she had realized that for the sake of their people’s future, they needed to escape the clutches of hatred, adding that her sister wouldn’t have wanted her to live for the sake of revenge, either. However, Rami asked Eto what of her brother – Ranin – and his revenge, angrily noting that dead people couldn’t come back.

Eto then approached closer to Rami and told her that all those deaths were a mistake that they all had to bear. She then asked Rami not to hurt herself anymore, explaining that all they needed to do was not to forget those names – Erin, Ranin, and the countless others who had sacrificed their lives to protect the future of the Anima. Defeated, Rami collapsed and dropped her weapons, too upset to remain angry anymore.

Soon after, the Adversary met with Ropa, who explained that Rami had calmed down a little. He added that she and all the other warriors who had tried to start a rebellion had been placed on probation, and that they were now under surveillance. He explained that while they wouldn’t publicly announce news of the rebellion, they would continue monitoring the situation closely. He then told the Adversary that he was deeply indebted to them and Eto for their help, adding that this would allow the Anima to walk down the path to harmony.

He then asked the Adversary for one more favor, explaining that they were planning to hold a memorial service for their fallen warriors. He revealed that the memorial service was an important tradition to the Anima of Carcion, as it was a chance for them to pray for the departed to find peace, and to pray for those who remained. He explained that the memorial service would be a good opportunity for them to put an end to the history of war and death, and to announce a new cycle of peace and life.

He told the Adversary that the memorial service would conclude by sending the keepsakes of the victims in the sacred waters of the Ishfira and offering prayers. He explained that for the keepsakes, he planned to use the warrior tokens received at adulthood, as those tokens honored the souls warriors. However, with the Specters around Carcion making it difficult for the recovering warriors to take back the tokens, he asked the Adversary to help them obtain the tokens, adding that it would be more meaningful if they – the person who gave them the opportunity to form the alliance in the first place – would be present at the service.

The Adversary then defeated the Specters and recovered the warrior tokens, which they brought back to Ropa. Ropa thanked them and explained that after talking to Eto, the snakes and turtles would hold a joint memorial service together. He then asked them to speak with Eto, who was having a similarly difficult time recovering her people’s warrior tokens.

The Adversary met with Eto, who asked them to recover the turtle warrior tokens, which were small, shield-shaped amulets. After the Adversary recovered the tokens, the memorial service was held, which was attended by all the snake and turtle Anima. After the chiefs gave a final farewell to the departed, the warrior tokens were placed aboard a small boat, which was sent across the Ishfira River in order to honor their souls.

If you’re still reading this, thank you so much for being as crazy as I am and reading over two thousand pages worth of content.

This project first took life as a twenty-page summary for a friend who wanted to know the full lore of MapleStory. Over the next few weeks, I started adding more bits and pieces, and I quickly realized that the plot of this game is so convoluted and complicated that even twenty pages isn’t enough to cover the full scope of how interconnected the story has become over nearly two decades. That was when I had the idea of creating a chronological ordering to the story just for the hell of it.

Over the next seven months, I began digging into every possible piece of relevant story, both in-game and online. Because of the severe lack of story documentation online, I ended up power-leveling a lot of characters in order to transcribe their story myself. A happy side-effect of this was that my Legion is now over 7.5k at the time of writing this.

From many of the online resources I found, I discovered that this game has a huge history of dialogue changes, many of which are now regrettably unrecoverable. There are a plethora of tiny character details referenced in the game that have come from now-removed pre-Big Bang quests, such as Grendel mentioning his dabbling in dark magic coming from a removed Ellinia town quest that talked about how he accidentally created Zombie Lupins. I’ve done my best to document every tiny scrap of these old quests for the sake of historical preservation, although I’m sad that a lot of little details are now lost forever.

Another big difficulty was that most story dialogue text is stored server-side, rather than client-side, meaning that it’s impossible to obtain story text from the source files. I was pretty disappointed when I found this out, as it would’ve made it a lot easier to grab exclusive dialogue from high-level content. I’m always grateful to people who post high-level content playthroughs online, and even low-level content, as Nexon always manages to surprise me with exclusive lines of dialogue in places that I wouldn’t have expected them, such as theme dungeons.

It took some pretty in-depth research to grab every piece of content that I could get my hands on, which included not only in-game dialogue and removed content, but also things like licensed webcomics and reference books, all of which came in varying degrees of accessibility. Some of them were only in Korean, some I could only get my hands on through obscure forum links to an archived page from 2004, and some were only second-hand summaries of things that are no longer accessible.

Half the struggle in making this site wasn’t just getting all the content together, but putting it all in chronological order. As much as I love this game, anyone who’s read this site knows how much I complain about the continuity errors and constant retcons. I have several dozen pages worth of notes and scribbles when I tried jotting down a timeline for a story filled with messy time travel and plot holes. I used a lot of throwaway lines for timeline ordering, like how the fairies of Ellinia knowing about elves in Mercedes’ storyline but not knowing about them in Luminous’ storyline meant that Luminous’ story should take place before Mercedes’, despite Mercedes being released before Luminous.

It definitely wasn’t easy trying to reconcile a chronology filled with mistakes, and I ended up having to settle for having one with the fewest glaring continuity issues. I complain a lot about the Destiny update and what the Explorer revamp did to the timeline, but if you had to scrap and redo two months’ of effort, you’d be annoyed too. Still, at least fixing the timeline wasn’t as hard as coming up with it from scratch.

I initially wrote this site up on Google Docs until I went over the maximum character limit for the document, which I didn’t even know was a thing until then. In hindsight, this was probably for the best because it took a full three minutes to load the whole document in the browser. I ended up trying out a bunch of different blogs and I found that Squarespace had a good UI and could load all 700+ pages instantly, back when this site was only 700 pages. Later on, I created individual pages for each section as an alternate way of viewing the site due to popular request.

I never could’ve imagined that what started out as a simple summary could evolve into a project this massive in scale. Even more than that, I never could’ve imagined how much this blew up in the MapleStory community. It’s no secret that most people aren’t too invested in the story, and some even demand for a smaller focus on the story, which I personally think is stupid because imagine complaining about there being too much story in a game that literally has the word 'story’ in it.

Regardless, I was really surprised that people were so receptive to the idea of a complete and chronological guide to the game’s story. Before making this site, there wasn’t really a centralized place for people interested in the lore to discuss and speculate. I feel like at least on some level, making this site created a revival in story interest, especially when I created a Discord server for people who like the story to talk about it. I’m really happy that there’s finally a place for lore nerds to talk and share things that they discover. Because of them, I’ve been able to find a lot of exclusive dialogue to add on this site, as well as Easter eggs and speculations.

It goes without saying that a project as big as this couldn’t have been possible without a great number of people, and so I’d like to recognize all of them here:

First and foremost, I want to thank PirateIzzy and Saught for being absolutely indispensable resources, both while developing this site and long after. For anyone who doesn’t know, Izzy kept the MapleWiki up to date for a good number of years until he retired, with everything from monster data, quests, bosses, game mechanics, and more. He’s also extremely knowledgeable about the lore and has posted a good number of high-level content playthroughs, as well as a bunch of class stories and miscellaneous storylines that include exclusive dialogue. Izzy was one of the most important pillars holding up accessibility to game information and the community was extremely lucky to have him. I’m fortunate enough to be able to rely on him for everything from grabbing obscure dialogue, extracting game assets, finding relevant resources online, and even just making memes about the game.

Saught has god-tier knowledge about the history of the game, from release day to the present. He’s made fantastic lore videos about extremely obscure topics, such as event stories and town quests. I would highly, highly recommend checking out his videos. Not only are they extremely informative, but he presents them in a way that’s clear and easily digestible. I’ve asked him a lot of questions while developing the GMS-verse section of the lore site and he was gracious enough to go the extra mile and give me in-depth answers to everything that I was curious about.

In terms of making information accessible, I want to thank the contributors of MapleWiki and Namu, a Korean wiki with a plethora of data. I’ve been giving back to the MapleWiki community by expanding lore articles, but I’m still grateful to everyone who’s added information before me. Namu was something I stumbled across because of Izzy, and I’m really glad that I did. Namu is kept up-to-date by KMS players and it’s a treasure trove of information and speculation. Unlike normal wiki pages, the writers of Namu articles include personal opinions, theories, and astute observations about story connections. A lot of the fan theories and fun facts that I’ve included in this site come from Namu.

The site is written in Korean, but I use Google Translate to get a rough understanding of what it says. Sometimes, it makes really funny mistranslations that keep me entertained while I suffer through keeping this site up-to-date. For example, one of the Black Mage’s quotes in Luminous’ storyline is, “Another foolish moth to my flame,” which Namu translates to be, “Another stupid moth flew in.” Another great example is Cannoneer’s Maple M article, which describes what happens after he escapes Coco Island: “When he opened his eyes, the cannon shooter was in an unfamiliar bedroom, and in front of him was a stoner with a remarkably neat appearance.” For context, Cannoneer’s job instructor is Cutter, whose name is Stoner in KMS.

On the topic of translations, I want to give a huge thanks to satsu, who’s done an incredible job with providing accurate English translations to the community. Typically when new stories come out in KMS, I usually translate them by holding up my phone and using the camera feature on the Google Translate app. For the most part, I get a decent idea of major plot points, although some of the finer details get lost in translation. I can usually always rely on satsu to provide a better translation soon after, and she’s always kind enough to do smaller translations and clarify any questions that I have about the differences between the direct KMS text and what GMS localizes it to.

I’m also forever indebted to all the people who’ve posted story playthroughs online. They’ve saved me literal months of time by not making me have to play through those stories myself. In addition to PirateIzzy, I want to thank Shiang for his MSEA playthroughs. MSEA localizations themselves aren’t always too great, as they typically have a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, with the early MSEA translation team even being as lazy as to simply put the raw Korean text in Google Translate and copy it into their region’s source code.

Still, MSEA is generally more faithful to the direct KMS text and it’s always helpful to compare it to what we get in GMS. Shiang has more class story playthroughs than anyone else on the Internet, and just the fact that the MSEA videos are in English is enough for it to be accessible to people, and so I’m very grateful to everything that he does.

I also want to thank the following YouTube channels for their story playthroughs. Unfortunately, I don’t remember every single channel that I used, but here are the main ones:

• Mapler LeeTBeats for their class story playthroughs and a plethora of exclusive dialogue from the Glory event.

• MasteringGaming for their high-level playthroughs.

• blushiemagic for power-leveling to keep the lore server up-to-date with the latest areas as soon as they come to GMS.

• Rhydog for a lot of canon, overseas, and event storyline playthroughs.

Aside from sources and references, I also want to give special thanks to a few other people.

I want to give the biggest thanks to Sacrix and his chat for all the lore readings on his streams. Site traffic to this website tripled in number when Sacrix began doing his lore readings, which was actually insane when I first read the statistics page. I made this site with the hope of making the story more accessible to people, but I’m well aware that reading over two thousand pages of lore is a pretty daunting task, even with all the things I do to make it easier on people.

I’ve been asked many times in the past to make YouTube videos or to even make an audiobook for the lore site, but unfortunately, I’m just far too busy for that sort of commitment, not to mention that my boring, monotone voice is probably gonna do the opposite of getting people into the lore. Because of this, I’m especially grateful to Sacrix for his lore readings.

I also want to give my sincere thanks to our lore server. I got into MapleStory when I was thirteen, right around the Legends patch, and I think I had a grand total of two friends who played the game. Because of this, I became that one middle-schooler kid who started unsolicited conversations about MapleStory lore like I was a Jehovah’s Witness. Kid me would’ve killed for a community of lore nerds like I have now, and I’m appreciative of every single one of them, whether they’re a regular or a lurker. We’re always happy to have more people, so feel free to join if you’re reading this.

Finally, I’d like to give thanks to the following:

• My friends for putting up with me every single time that I didn’t pick up their calls because contrary to what they believe, I’m not a magician who can talk and write at the same time.

• My family for making sure that I don’t die when I get so absorbed in my work that I don’t realize that I’ve gone like five days without eating yes this actually happened once lol.

• Spotify for getting me through days and weeks and months of editing hell.

• All the people reading this. Whether you’ve read this site from cover to cover, whether you’ve skimmed through, or even if you didn’t make it this far, this site would be nothing without the people reading it.

Despite how much I complain about it, I really do love this stupid mushroom game story. I never could’ve imagined that the story of five heroes fighting an evil wizard could have expanded into a colossal epic spanning across time and space: a battle against the gods, the philosophical struggle between fate and free will, and the emotional highs and lows of countless heroes striving to protect what they love.

I’ll keep updating this site with more information as it comes out in KMS and changing small details once the GMS localizations come out. I’ll also try to fix any spelling and grammar errors that I see when I check in from time to time, but if anyone notices anything off about spelling, grammar, chronology, or lore mistakes, feel free to let me know!