Legacy of Masteria

Chapter 3: Corrupted Heart Tree

(A/N: This is just the prequest for Gollux. Originally, Gollux had a much different backstory that related to the demons of Tynerum, with Hilla having a hand in his creation. You might recall how infamously long and tiring the old Gollux prequest was, which required you to do the Crimsonheart Castle theme dungeon before starting the actual prequest itself. The Gollux revamp changed his backstory to instead tie in with the Masteria storyline instead of Tynerum, and it’s a lot shorter than what it once was.)

While adventuring, the traveler encountered a yak-like creature called a Mountain Mumur carrying a great load of cargo. The traveler immediately sensed darkness similar to what they had encountered in the Phantom Forest within some of the items that it was carrying. The Mountain Mumur kept tugging at the traveler’s clothes, leading them towards the Phantom Forest.

Upon entering the forest, the creature ran off, leaving the traveler to wander around until they encountered a strange woman dressed in black. The woman asked the traveler what they were doing, as no one in their right mind would venture so deep into the Phantom Forest of all places. She then introduced herself as the Heart Tree Guardian and told the traveler to leave, claiming that the place was much more dangerous than they knew.

Suddenly, the ground began shaking as the traveler realized that they were the footsteps of an enormous monster. The Heart Tree Guardian decided to take the traveler back to her hideout, leading them into an enclosed canopy surrounded by a purification barrier that blocked corrupt forces from entering. She explained that she had taken a risk in allowing them to enter, as they could have been evil. The traveler protested that they were both good and powerful, with some even calling them a hero. The Heart Tree Guardian laughed and told them that she already knew, as her Mountain Mumur wouldn’t have brought them if they were weak.

She then explained that the large monster was called Gollux, who had once been the Heart Tree, the holy guardian tree of the Phantom Forest. The tree’s mere existence had poured holy blessings upon Masteria until the entire continent had been corrupted a thousand years ago, causing the Heart Tree and all the creatures of the forest to transform into monsters or ghosts.

However, the Heart Tree’s own transformation had been much worse, as a creature had fused with the tree during the process, giving rise to Gollux, who now endlessly scattered darkness throughout the forest, with his only instinct being to destroy all outsiders. The Heart Tree Guardian noted that she had observed several interesting traits of Gollux, such as his ability to endlessly regenerate, which was powered by the Phantom Forest itself.

She explained that the regeneration worked not only for Gollux himself, but also for pieces of Gollux that had been separated from the main body. She then showed the traveler a large purple crystal at the center of the hideout and explained that she had collected enough small fragments of Gollux to craft together an imitation heart of his, which could teleport anyone who touched it with another fragment straight to Gollux.

She explained that Gollux had four crystals on his waist, his two shoulders, and his forehead, all of which stored portions of his power. She told the traveler that destroying the crystals would weaken Gollux, with the destruction of his forehead crystal cutting off all his power, similar to destroying his brain. However, she warned them that going straight for the forehead crystal was extremely dangerous and recommended that they destroy the other three crystals first.

She then explained that Gollux had a heart, just like humans, and that his heart was the root of his corruption. She told the traveler that once Gollux had been weakened, he would be momentarily purified upon attacking his heart, though the corruption of Masteria would eventually regenerate him, meaning that the only option was to repeatedly subdue him.

The traveler agreed to help the Heart Tree Guardian face Gollux, and so they used the imitation heart to teleport straight to Gollux and defeat him. Though they continued facing Gollux, his regenerative abilities prevented him from remaining purified. (A/N: The rest of this takes place after finishing the quest that has you defeat Gollux ten times.)

Nevertheless, the Heart Tree Guardian thanked the traveler for their efforts and explained that the heart on the altar which had transported them to her hideout reflected Gollux’s mood. She expressed her hope that the Heart Tree would be purified one day before sending the traveler off. As the traveler walked through the forest, they began wondering what Gollux was in the first place. Though they knew him to be an evil creature, they also noted that something didn’t feel right.

To their surprise, Riman, Enneth, and Garnet ran into them. The traveler was pleased to see the familiar faces and explained that they had been helping out someone. Just as they began pointing the Afinas Knights to the altar portal, they discovered that the portal had vanished, causing Enneth and Riman to claim that the traveler needed a blessing from Garnet in order to cleanse their hallucinations. However, Garnet remained silent, staring intently at the direction of the portal. After a pause, Enneth asked her what was the matter, to which Garnet told him that it was nothing.

As the group turned back and began heading for New Leaf City, the Heart Tree Guardian watched them from a distance and worriedly noted that Garnet was a Devata dispatched from Afinas. However, she told herself that it wasn’t a problem, as the corruption being all but gone meant that it was time for her to move on. The Heart Tree Guardian, her real name being Hanett, then took off her black wig, revealing blonde hair, and declared that the tragedy that endlessly repeated had to be stopped.

(A/N: We have no idea who Hanett is, but her blonde hair and red eyes makes me strongly suspect that she’s a Devata from Afinas. Given that she’s surprised to see the Afinas relief squad, I wonder whether she’s left the organization. Her efforts to purify Gollux also lead me to believe that she’s actually good, and that Afinas itself is evil.)