PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 30: Heroes of Maple

(A/N: With the release of the Dreamer update, Heroes of Maple received a significant storyline revamp. Please note that some terms that I’ve localized in this translation are subject to change once the GMS localization comes out, which means that you might find that the names which I’ve used here are different from other sources that you might’ve seen. If you’re curious about the original Heroes of Maple storyline, check out the pre-Destiny page.

Personally, I have very mixed feelings on the changes made, because while some of them were definitely great - such as finally giving a conclusive answer to the difference between Tynerum and Friends World - a lot of the story was, in my opinion, significantly made worse than how it was originally. To give a succinct review of each, the original Heroes of Maple had a lot of out-of-character moments and questionable writing decisions, but its highs hit really high.

Meanwhile, the revamp played it extremely safe - to the point that it’s downright boring. A lot of Evan’s original character arc, for example, involved the Heroes comparing him to Freud and believing that he doesn’t measure up, which hits a culmination where Evan has to overcome his insecurities after being possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance in Damien’s sword.

All of this was completely thrown out the window, and Evan’s character arc rings pretty hollow when everyone around him is constantly reaffirming that he’s good enough, which makes it really difficult to actually feel any sort of connection to his character arc, or even to feel catharsis at the end, because there’s just literally no tension whatsoever when all his negative feelings are overshadowed by overwhelming waves of fluff and positivity the instant that he expresses them.

I have a mountain of thoughts about the details of the revamp, but I’ll put those aside for now and pick them back up in the actual writeup. Personal reviews aside, Heroes of Maple was a pretty-hyped up event at the time of its release, since the Heroes were - pretty obviously - the most popular characters in the game. There were two small prequels that were released during the lead-up to the blockbuster’s release. The blockbuster is divided into four acts, along with Act 1.5, which is a bridge between Acts 1 and 2. The first prequel that was released for Heroes of Maple was Act 0: Freud, The Last Record. It was a short animation that Nexon commissioned from a webtoon artist.

While the animation was never adapted into English, the summary is that after the Black Mage was sealed, Freud divined the future with the last remaining Shamanesses of Azwan and created a prophecy: “As the final battle approaches, the unshackled wolf will devour the World Tree.” Freud believed that the other Heroes would be able to stop the impending threat, and so he decided to leave the future in their hands. He was also certain that his successor would be stronger than him, and so he decided to seek out the Sanctum of Abraxas in order to help them.

With the Dreamer update, Act 0 has been made non-canon, along with the prophecy about the unshackled wolf devouring the World Tree. Instead, there’s a new prologue in-game that takes place at the start of Act 1, which has Freud meet with Alicia shortly before she seals herself in Root Abyss, in which he asks her for her help in restoring balance to Maple World. Alicia points him to the Sanctum of Abraxas in order to get his answers, and she asks him to ensure that the Heroes will help her in the future. If you want the full writeup for that, I have it towards the end of this section here. The prologue also contained a short sequence with Damien kidnapping Alicia in Ereve, which I’ve covered here.

Along with Act 0, there was also a second prequel released before the blockbuster in the form of an event called “Dark Decree”. The event starts out with Neinheart calling us to Ereve, where he explains that the Alliance has intercepted some messages from the demons of Tynerum. He tells us that the demons have been dormant for so long that it worries him that they’re starting to resurface.

After helping him decipher the first message, we learn that the demons are planning to attack Elluel in order to keep Mercedes distracted from what they’re really doing. Because of our warning, Mercedes and Danika intercept and defeat the demons near Ellinia, since the demons don’t know exactly where Elluel is. Mercedes notes that the demons were trained warriors and fears that something bad is about to happen.

The next message reveals that the demons are planning to trick Aran, whom they call a ‘simple meathead’ in their letter, by leaving behind an ancient grindstone and setting up a trap. For some reason, GMS also uses male pronouns to refer to Aran in this letter, which is a bit ridiculous at this point when Aran is literally being established as female in this blockbuster. But regardless, thanks to our warning, Aran is able to avoid their trap and defeats them, and she makes it clear that she’s annoyed about being called a meathead.

The third message reveals that the demons have become aware of Phantom and his skills, and so they’ve set a trap for him by making up a story about the rare Death Jewel of Nihal Desert. Even though we warn him, Phantom is already aware that it’s a trap because there’s no jewel in the world that he doesn’t know about. After he defeats the demons, he tells Gaston that he only took the bait because he wanted to know why the demons wanted to lure him. His information network then deduces that, based on their other attacks, the demons are after the Heroes.

The fourth message reveals that the demons are planning to attack Lania, as they’ve learned that she’s close to Luminous. Because of our warning, Luminous is able to put up an illusion around Lania’s home to protect her. However, he realizes that the demons might not be after the Heroes, and that it’s possible that the Heroes are just obstacles between them and their real goal.

The fifth message reveals that the demons are after Evan and Mir, as they’ve sensed the power of the Onyx Dragons in Henesys. Evan rushes home to his farm, only to find that the demons got caught in the wolf traps that Utah had left out. Utah, who doesn’t know that the soldiers are demons, tells Evan that the demons’ faces are so pale that they almost look blue.

Because of this, he mistakenly believes that they’re starving, and so he decides that he’ll give them a stern talking-to about trespassing before giving them some eggs and potatoes. He then begins lecturing the demons and asks them if they even understand how much effort goes into making those eggs and potatoes, to which the demons beg him to stop talking, as this is the 178th time that he’s repeated the same line. They believe that Utah is a master interrogator and start begging for mercy. Meanwhile, Evan realizes that if the demons have reached his home, then something bad must be happening.

The sixth message reveals that the demons have become aware of Shade. Though they don’t know who he is, they do know that he’s someone with significant power that’s on-par with the Heroes, as well as the fact that he trains in Mu Lung. The message orders the demons to meet Shade in Mu Lung and persuade him to join them, and to destroy him if he refuses. Neinheart is surprised because he realizes that the demons have expanded their focus to people outside the Heroes and wonders whether they’re just after powerful people, rather than the Heroes themselves.

In Mu Lung, Shade defeats the demons and wonders whether their appearance is an opportunity for him to be able to finally reunite with his friends. However, he then berates himself for dreaming of a reunion when the world is being threatened and calls himself selfish. Nevertheless, he can’t help but think to himself that he misses his friends very much.

The seventh and final message reveals that the demons have been ordered to go to a specific area in southern Leafre, which the “great one” had said is where everything had begun. The message then orders them to secure that location because the “great one” will be visiting it soon. Neinheart immediately realizes the significance of the location, after which the Demon contacts him and requests that he be allowed to handle the matter personally, as the location marked in the letter is his old family home.

The Demon then returns to his ruined family home and sees that there are signs that someone has already come and gone. He then wonders who else would come there when the house is only significant to him. He decides that he’ll come back to visit again because he has a bad feeling about it all, unaware that Damien is secretly watching him in the distance. The Demon later does return back to his family home during Act 1.5, where he also reunites with Damien.)

Through his connection to Afrien, Mir felt that something was wrong on Turtle Island. Evan and Mir went to investigate, where they found Damien’s demon army in the area. As they snuck past the demons and headed to Afrien’s cave, they fought past Murukuns with Damien’s curse mark on their foreheads. (A/N: Murukuns are monsters native to Rien, which Aran fights during her tutorial.) They continued to push forward and scaled a large cliff, where they found a cave at the top. Looking down from the precipice, they were shocked to find an entire encampment of demons below.

The two then entered the cave and fought through the demon soldiers before encountering Afrien trapped in a net of icicles and corrupted by Damien’s mark. Afrien greeted them, and though Evan attempted to reassure him that they would find a way to free him, Afrien told him that he knew that it was too late. However, he assured Evan that he would end things on his own terms before revealing that the reason why he had been holding out for so long was because he needed to share a memory that he had originally planned to show when Evan was older, though he added that there was no time to delay any further.

Through Afrien, Evan heard a pre-recorded message from Freud, who explained that he had placed several of his own memories inside Afrien’s mark of the Spirit Pact. He told Evan that the fact that Afrien was sharing his message meant that the Black Mage had returned. However, he added that Evan wouldn’t have to face the threat alone, as he was certain that his five friends who had faced the Black Mage with him were still fighting for Maple World. He then asked Evan to reunite the Heroes and told him that he would be waiting before the message ended.

After relaying the message, Afrien explained that his final task was now complete. Just as Mir entreated him not to speak as though these were his last minutes, Damien suddenly appeared and confronted Evan and Mir, using his powers to activate his mark of corruption on Afrien, who screamed in pain.

(A/N: We encounter Damien’s mark of corruption several times in previous storylines, such as Stone Colossus. The mark of corruption allows him to control the beings whom he places it on, as well as to augment his own power with theirs. Given the sheer number of beings with his mark of corruption, you can imagine how powerful Damien has become, similar to how strong Lotus had become with the massive amounts of energy that the Black Wings had harvested over the years for him.)

Upon seeing Damien’s eyepatch and scarlet sword, Evan immediately recognized him as the Commander who had attacked Ereve and kidnapped Alicia. Evan demanded to know how Damien how he could commit such atrocities for power, to which Damien told him that it was humans who had taught them that weakness was a sin when they had driven out the demons from their homes.

He then turned to Afrien and noted that he was impressed by his resilience, claiming that he was the first to have endured so much suffering at his hands. An angry Evan and Mir yelled that Afrien was a proud Onyx Dragon, and that he wasn’t someone who Damien could corrupt as he pleased, to which Damien smirked and used his mark of corruption to further torture Afrien, who cried out again in pain.

He then turned back to Evan and ordered him to reveal the memory which he had seen from Freud, warning him not to drag out his resistance. Evan was shocked and asked Damien how he knew about Freud’s memories. As he and Mir frantically attempted to figure out what to do, Afrien weakly told Evan that it would be alright and asked him to carry out his duty as a Dragon Master.

Upon hearing Afrien’s reassurance, Evan refused to tell Damien about Freud’s memories, claiming that those memories were Freud and Afrien’s legacy. Afrien then told Damien that if he had thought that their will would be so easily broken, then he was sorely mistaken. Amused, Damien told Afrien that he would then change the deal and offered him new vitality in exchange for striking down Evan and Mir, which Afrien immediately refused.

Damien laughed and told Afrien that he had expected as much, after which he activated his mark of corruption and caused Afrien to roar in agony. Furious, Evan and Mir unleashed an enormous barrage of dragon fire at Damien, who blocked the attack with his sword. Damien then laughed that he was disappointed and asked Evan whether Freud’s successor was truly so weak.

Evan was surprised by the strange power of Damien’s sword, with Afrien realizing that there was no way that they could defeat him. As Damien prepared to finish them off, Afrien used the last of his power to sacrifice himself in order to teleport Evan and Mir close to the cave entrance, though the effort ultimately killed him. Fighting through the demon army, the pair managed to escape the cave, which was collapsing as a result of Afrien releasing his full power. After reaching safety, Evan swore that he would avenge Afrien and carry out Freud’s will by reuniting the Heroes and stopping the demon army.

(A/N: In the original Heroes of Maple storyline, Aran and Shade arrived to help Evan, as the demon army had attacked Rien and kidnapped Lilin and several penguins from the island. In the original story, it was revealed that Aran and Shade had met during Black Heaven, after which they had become sparring partners.

Personally, I loved Aran and Shade’s dynamic together, and I was convinced that Aran and Shade were secretly dating because it just feels too perfect for the guy who no one remembers to not be dating the girl who remembers no one. I’m also convinced that Shade had a thing for Freud, and since he’s clearly not over him, I can imagine how awkward date nights might get:

Shade: “So, what do you like to do?”
Aran: “I love training, and fighting the Black Mage.”
Shade: “Oh… Freud used to love fighting the Black Mage.”
Aran: “Oh… neat. What about you?”
Shade: “I like stargazing. Freud used to love stargazing too.”
Aran: “Wow, that’s… pretty interesting.”
Shade: “…”
Aran: “…”
Aran: drinks water
Shade: “…Freud used to drink water.”
Aran: “Okay, check please.”)

Meanwhile, back at the demon camp, an injured Damien returned to his tent and seethed over what a waste of time it had all been. He then used the power of his sword to heal his injuries. A captured Alicia then noted that it seemed as though Damien had encountered something that he couldn’t handle. Damien reminded Alicia that she was bound by his power, to which Alicia told him not to be cocky, reminding him that it was his sword’s power, not his.

She then told him to stop his foolish plan now that Freud’s successor had already received Freud’s message, to which Damien amusedly asked whether she was hoping that Freud’s successor and the other Heroes were coming to rescue her. He then derisively remarked that she was an unworthy vessel for the power of a Transcendent and told her to stop resisting, as soon enough, he would devour everything. After Damien left the tent, Alicia silently noted to herself that there was still hope left.

Soon after, Evan and Mir traveled to Ereve and met with Cygnus, Neinheart, Claudine, and Athena Pierce. After being informed about the situation, Neinheart noted that Damien’s plans not only included attacking Ereve and kidnapping the World Tree, but also going after Freud’s memories. He explained that it was likely that a full-scale war may break out against the demons, to which Athena wondered what the Commanders could be planning, as it hadn’t been that long since Black Heaven.

Neinheart replied that there wasn’t enough time to prepare for the threat that they faced, as the demon army was already moving into Maple World as they spoke. After a pause, Cygnus offered her condolences to Evan and Mir for Afrien’s death, apologizing for not being able to do more to prevent it. Evan bitterly noted that his weakness was the reason for Afrien’s death, believing that he may have been able to prevent it if his connection to Mir as a Dragon Master had been stronger, which would have allowed him to detect Afrien’s pain sooner.

However, he told Cygnus that he knew that it was no time to blame himself, vowing that he would no longer allow anyone else to sacrifice themselves. He explained that Freud had instructed him to reunite the Heroes, and that he planned on doing just that in order to learn Damien and the Black Mage’s true purpose. He then asked Cygnus to mobilize the Alliance to face the demon army while the Heroes carried out their mission.

Neinheart asked Evan whether it would be possible for them to succeed with just the Heroes, who had all been weakened from the Black Mage’s curse. He also noted that since Damien already knew about Freud’s memories, it was possible that he was baiting the Heroes into isolating themselves and working alone. Evan replied that it was precisely the reason why he had come to Ereve, as he already knew that they had no hope of succeeding without the Alliance.

After considering it, Neinheart admitted that it would be more effective for a small, elite team to gather information, rather than a large-scale operation. He then asked the Empress for her decision, to which Cygnus told him that the Alliance would defend Maple World from the demon army while Evan and the other Heroes gathered more information. With their strategy finalized, Neinheart gave Evan the location of the Heroes, as well as a small airship piloted by a guide named Kiriru.

(A/N: You can visit the Heroes in any order that you want, but I’m ordering them based on how they appear on the list.)

Evan first traveled to Rien, where Aran was furiously attacking a large block of ice in frustration. Aran bitterly wondered aloud why the demons had attacked Rien, causing Maha to manifest himself and tell Aran to calm down, pointing out that nothing had happened. He then told her to stop taking out her anger on a block of ice, to which Aran heatedly retorted that it was the only way for her to feel better, adding that Damien – who hid behind his subordinates as they attacked helpless innocents – infuriated her.

Though Maha agreed with her, he told her to calm down, noting that a guest had arrived. Aran then turned to find that Evan and Mir had arrived. Aran greeted Evan, who told her that he had heard the stories about how the demons had attacked Rien. He then told Aran about what had happened on Turtle Island, causing Aran to seethe in fury at what had happened to Afrien. She then apologized to Evan, noting that she should have tracked down the demons after they had fled Rien.

However, Evan told her that it was no one’s fault, adding that the demon’s goal hadn’t been Afrien in the end. He then told her that they may be able to learn more from Freud’s memories and asked her to lend her strength. After a pause, Aran admitted that her memories and strength hadn’t yet come back fully, and that she may not be as helpful as he believed. Nevertheless, she agreed to help him however she could, promising to meet him in Ereve soon. After Evan and Mir left, Aran noted to herself that seeing Evan was exactly how she remembered feeling upon seeing Freud, which was something that she could look forward to.

(A/N: Evan meeting Aran was added into the revamp, as she and Shade had already agreed to help him after the fight at Turtle Island.)

Evan then traveled to Ellinia in order to meet Luminous. In the forest, Evan watched from a distance as a dispatch of demon soldiers attempted to attack Luminous, who defeated them effortlessly. Luminous then called out to Evan to reveal himself, causing him to wonder in surprise how Luminous had detected him. Luminous explained that a mage shouldn’t rely solely on magic, as they also needed to have the judgement to know when to use magic, the composure to always think ahead, and the ability to concentrate in order to find solutions.

He then noted that Evan’s visit likely had something to do with the demons and asked him to explain what had happened. After Evan told him what had happened to Afrien, Luminous remained silent for a moment before noting that Afrien had kept his oath to Freud until the very end, and that he had met a noble end for an Onyx Dragon. He then told Evan that it was now his turn to fulfill his oath, to which Evan admitted that though he wished to fight, his abilities simply weren’t enough, for which he asked Luminous for his help.

Luminous, in turn, admitted that he wished to help, but just as he trailed off, Lania opened the door to their home and invited them in. Mir sighed in relief, explaining that they had just been getting lectured by Luminous, causing Lania to reproachfully tell Luminous to be nice to their guests before Evan and Mir gratefully came inside.

Later that night, Lania found Luminous looking through his notes on magic. Lania noted that Evan and Mir had good hearts, to which Luminous replied that a good heart didn’t necessarily make for a good mage. Lania then pointed out that he seemed to be particularly strict with Evan. Luminous explained that Evan had been learning magic all on his own without a teacher until now, and that it would be difficult for him to grow without someone to help him.

Lania replied that Luminous and his friends could simply help Evan, to which Luminous protested that he couldn’t leave her side. However, Lania told him not to worry about her, as he would be back before they knew it. After considering it, Luminous agreed to leave and help Evan after strengthening the Light Barrier around their home. Lania then laughed and told him that she would pack lunches so that he could share them with everyone.

(A/N: This is one of those places where the revamp changed the story for the worse. In the original story, Luminous didn’t want to help Evan - not only because he didn’t think that Evan was worthy of replacing a master magician like Freud - but also because he believed that Freud’s vague plan to find an ancient ruin in order to save the world from an unknown threat was too far-fetched to have any merit.

Admittedly, there were certain things that I didn’t like in that conversation, such as Luminous pointing out that Mir’s small size compared to Afrien was because Evan’s magical power was significantly weaker that Freud. At the time of the blockbuster’s release, the writers changed certain details of Evan’s storyline to suggest that he was magically weaker than Freud, even though all past storylines explicitly stated that Evan was quickly on the road to becoming Freud’s equal in terms of power.

I wasn’t a fan of the way that the writers had to specifically go out of their way to tear Evan down by removing references to his strength and inventing “proof” that he’s not good enough to be Freud’s successor through retcons like the size of Onyx Dragons being proportional to their masters’ strength, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere in Evan’s class story. Evan feeling like he’s not good enough would’ve worked perfectly fine with him being canonically just as strong as Freud - imposter syndrome can happen to anyone, even if you’re one of the most talented people in the world.

On the other hand, I feel like the way that the writers handled it here isn’t that great, either. Like I mentioned earlier, Evan’s inferiority complex is supposed to be the central focus of his character in this blockbuster, and the moment where he overcomes it is meant to be the culmination of him overcoming all these littles jabs that build up over the course of the story. With all the Heroes being overly saccharine and coddling him about it, it doesn’t feel as earned anymore, and the story definitely suffers as a result.)

Evan then traveled to Elluel in order to find Mercedes, where the elders asked him to wait until she returned. Mercedes soon arrived with Leaves of Winter, hoping that it would help the elders lift the Black Mage’s curse on the elves. The elders noted that Mercedes had been working relentlessly without rest and asked her to take a break, adding that they were worried about her. They then told her that a guest had arrived, causing her to turn to see Evan trying to stop Mir from eating a bush filled with strange plants.

Mercedes took them to the Fairy Fountain in order to talk, where Evan told her about Afrien and Freud’s message. Mercedes was saddened to hear about Afrien’s fate and asked Evan whether he was okay. Evan told her that he was fine, though he added that Afrien wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully without him carrying out Freud’s will by reuniting the five Heroes. He then asked for Mercedes’ help, to which she told him that she couldn’t refuse, promising that she would fight by the Dragon Master’s side once again.

After Evan and Mir left, Mercedes spoke aloud to Freud and noted that it seemed as though they were all gearing up to jump into the fight that he had prepared for, though she solemnly noted that it would be without him this time. Nevertheless, she smiled to herself and declared that she had no regrets, as she would do her duty now, just as she had done before, as befit the Ruler of the Elves.

(A/N: Similar to Luminous, Mercedes in the original story didn’t want to help Evan because she wanted to put all her focus onto helping her people. However, just like Luminous ultimately changes his mind after Evan leaves, Mercedes also decides that she can’t sit back and do nothing.)

Next, Evan and Mir traveled to Magatia, where it was said that Phantom would be. As they began searching for him on foot, Phantom observed them from the rooftops, noting that Evan – despite being Freud’s successor – was rather clumsy. He then decided to test Evan by appearing before him and disappearing once again, causing Evan to give chase. As they continued searching the town, they spotted a man who looked just like Phantom. Knowing that Phantom was a master of disguise, Evan had Mir roast the man with his fire breath. Upon realizing that the man wasn’t Phantom, Evan began apologizing profusely.

As Mir turned away to look somewhere else, Phantom covertly appeared and teleported himself and Evan away. Atop a tall roof, Phantom amusedly noted that Evan wouldn’t be able to catch him with his level of skill, causing Evan to realize that Phantom had been testing him. However, he then declared that they didn’t have time for it, as he had something important to share. Phantom explained that he already had a rough idea, as his intelligence network had learned that the demon army was closing in on Maple World.

After Evan filled him in on the rest with Afrien and Damien, Phantom noted that it would be a lot of hard work to carry out Freud’s will, adding that the true test would begin now. He then told Evan that he was free to run away from it if he wanted, though Evan refused, vowing that he wouldn’t run from the task that he had been given, as Freud and Afrien were believing in him to see it through.

Phantom was pleased to see his resolve and declared that it was good that he was committing to it, as Master Thief Phantom couldn’t be left out of something so important. After Evan left, Phantom sighed amusedly and contacted his intelligence network, explaining that something important had come up that he needed to involve himself in.

Colette sarcastically asked Phantom whether he was planning to blow up the airship again, requesting that he let her know beforehand so that she could prepare herself for it, to which Phantom laughed and told her that in order to win big, one needed to bet big. Gaston then interrupted and told Phantom that the ship was ready for his return. As Phantom vanished in a flash of cards, he noted to himself that the title of ‘hero’ still didn’t suit him, though he would still step up if needed, just as Freud would have wanted him to.

(A/N: Like Mercedes and Luminous, Phantom in the original refused to get involved because he had no reason to fight alongside the Heroes anymore. In the end, however, he decides that he’ll return to the fold because he wants to see if Evan is truly Freud’s successor, or merely a pretender.)

Soon after reaching out to the Heroes, Evan and Mir returned back to Ereve, where they awaited the others to arrive on the day of the mission. When no one seemed to appear, Mir jokingly wondered whether they had all gotten lost on the way to Ereve, to which Evan replied that the Heroes weren’t like himself. Just then, Phantom appeared and told Evan not to make self-deprecating jokes about himself, as he needed to be more confident in himself if he was going to be Freud’s successor.

Looking around, Phantom noted in amusement that he seemed to be the first one there, just as Mercedes arrived on Sylvidia. Mercedes greeted Phantom warmly and asked him whether he had finished repairing the Lumiere after the battle of Black Heaven. Just then, Luminous appeared and sardonically told Phantom that it would be better for him to just get a new ship. Phantom sighed theatrically and told Luminous that his impression of him has gotten worse since they had last seen each other, to which Luminous replied that the same could be said of him.

Mercedes then smiled and told Evan not to pay any mind to them, explaining that they always bickered like that. Just as she began wondering where Aran, was, Aran crash-landed hard on the ground in a flash of ice before asking sheepishly whether her entrance was too flashy. Phantom laughed and noted that even with her memories gone, her personality was still the same as before, to which Aran told him that she was slowly getting her memories back.

With all five of them together, Mercedes noted that it felt strange for them to all be in once place, as they had all been on separate missions last time, which meant that this was their first proper reunion after hundreds of years. However, she then recalled how Evan had mentioned gathering five of Freud’s old friends together, which meant that one of them was missing. Evan told her that she was correct, as there were six Heroes that needed to be gathered.

Phantom wondered whether it meant that Freud had a friend which they didn’t know about, though Luminous replied that it was impossible, as there had only been five of them on the day of the decisive battle against the Black Mage. However, he also noted that he felt a strange sensation when he thought about the battle – as well as his time with the other Heroes throughout the war – as though a piece of his memory was missing altogether.

Aran agreed and added that she felt uneasy while thinking about it, as though she had made a promise to someone that she couldn’t recall anymore. Mercedes added on that she had also felt the same way, though she had believed it to be her imagination until now. Phantom admitted that even he had been feeling similarly before asking Evan whether he knew anything more about it. Evan explained that he had learned something important in Freud’s memories about the Black Mage’s seal. He then asked Luminous what he remembered about the Seal of Time.

Luminous noted that he couldn’t forget the seal easily, as it had been Freud’s greatest piece of magic. He explained that the seal warped time and trapped the target inside the distorted field, and that even using the sealing spell had come at a cost. Evan asked whether he remembered what the price had been, causing Luminous to immediately realize what Evan was implying. Evan then told the others that the cost of activating the Seal of Time had been the time of a living sacrifice, who would be erased from existence entirely – even from the memories of others.

As Mercedes realized that one of their friends in the past had sacrificed their existence to seal the Black Mage away, Phantom noted that whoever had made that sacrifice deserved the title of ‘hero’, though he wondered who it could have been. Evan explained that he believed that the Heroes already had an idea of who it could be, and that Freud had likely believed the same thing, which was why he had left those memories in the first place.

Though Luminous told Evan that the price of time magic couldn’t be nullified so easily, he also admitted that he had a few guesses as to who it might be. Mercedes then recalled how there had been someone during the battle of Black Heaven who had given her a strange feeling. Aran agreed and explained that though she hadn’t seen his back during the battle – which only a warrior who trusted their ally would show – she had nevertheless felt safe at his side. Realizing that they were all thinking of the same person, Phantom voiced aloud that they were all thinking of Shade.

(A/N: Just like with Aran, this scene didn’t happen in the original because Aran and Shade had already agreed to help. Personally, I think it’s a bit stupid how they all just conveniently happened to remember Shade. The original story had them know Shade as just Aran’s friend, and it was only after they got together that they learned from Freud’s message that Shade was the sixth hero.)

Soon after, the Heroes traveled to El Nath, where Shade had just received an order to gather with the Alliance. Just as he began heading out, he was surprised to find all the Heroes arriving to see him. Upon arriving, Evan noted happily that it was fortunate that Neinheart knew the location of all Alliance members. Phantom then told Shade that it was clear that after seeing his unusual fighting technique, it was clear that he was no ordinary fighter, with Aran wondering whether his skillset had changed from what she last remembered.

Mercedes then greeted him uncertainly as Shade, with Aran asking him whether that was his name, as she wasn’t sure whether it had been different in the past. Upon seeing that his friends remembered him, Shade began blinking back tears as he smiled broadly, explaining that ‘Shade’ would be fine. Evan then told Shade everything that had happened, with Shade noting that Freud had wanted them all to be reunited. Mir then pointed out that their reunion had all been made possible thanks to Evan, with Mercedes replying that if it hadn’t been for Evan, they might not have had a chance.

Phantom then asked Evan to show them Freud’s memories, to which Luminous began coaching Evan in linking their minds with the power of the Dragon Master. Using his power, Evan bridged the Heroes’ minds, allowing them to access the memories that Freud had given to Evan. However, they learned that his memories only contained basic information – the location of Abraxas, the Ruins of Memory, deep in the Nihal Desert, where Freud had made preparations to protect the balance of the world.

As the Heroes prepared to head out, Luminous pointed out that they still needed to remain wary of the demon army, which appeared to be tracking them, as they had attempted to ambush him in Ellinia. Aran agreed and pointed out that they had also attacked Rien, though she wasn’t sure whether they had been targeting her specifically. Evan then proposed splitting up into two teams, with one team searching for the ruins, while the other went after Damien.

In order to divide their forces, Phantom used his powers to magically place a card in each of their pockets, with each team being composed of those who shared a card with the same design. Based on the division, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous were assigned to find the ruins, while Phantom, Aran, and Shade were tasked with finding Damien. The Heroes then wished each other luck before heading out on their missions.

(A/N: This is a new addition to the revamp, as the original had Evan arrive at Nihal Desert alone, with him being sad that none of them wanted to help him until Mir encourages him to push through anyways. Over the course of the mission, the other Heroes slowly trickle in to help him as the change their minds from their initial stance.)

Meanwhile, the Demon returned to his burned family home in southern Leafre while tracking down the new Commander of the Black Mage. After defeating the demon soldiers, he cornered the Commander and demanded to know what they were doing on his family’s private land. He then noted that though the Commander was a demon, the power which had consumed him was one that should not be used. Drawing out his weapon, he pointed it at the Commander, declaring that he would unmask them at last.

(A/N: The Demon’s storyline has him chase after Damien upon learning that the Black Mage has a new demon Commander, though he has no idea that the Commander is his brother. This event is the culmination of that plot point.)

To his surprise and horror, the Commander removed his hood and revealed himself as Damien. The Demon was shocked to learn that his brother was alive and asked him how he had come to possess the Sword of Destruction. Damien revealed that hundreds of years ago, his latent powers had awakened, which had resulted in their mother’s death. However, he told the Demon not to worry, promising to restore everything to how it once was.

(A/N: I’ve said this before, but it was actually Arkarium who killed his mother, which caused Damien’s powers to awaken and destroy the building. Arkarium just tricked Damien into believing that it was his fault.)

As the horror-struck Demon realized that Damien had become a Commander in order to undo the tragedy which had befallen their family that day, Damien asked the Demon to become a Commander alongside him once again. However, the Demon warned Damien not to trust the Black Mage, claiming that in the end, his minions would only be cast aside like pawns.

However, Damien declared that the reason why the Demon had been betrayed was because he had been too weak, promising that they could turn everything back around if they stood together. The Demon hotly warned Damien that all demons who pursued power eventually walked the path of destruction. He then asked Damien whether he had forgotten what had happened to Tynerum.

Damien angrily retorted by asking the Demon whether he had any idea how he had been living for the last few centuries, revealing that because the Demon had served the Black Mage, the half-blood demons who had fled Tynerum had been forced back to their homeland by the people of Maple World. He explained that in Tynerum, all the half-blood demons without wings had been killed, with their souls ripped out, except for himself, who had survived and been chosen by the Sword of Destruction.

(A/N: A bit of a dumb plot point introduced here is that all the half-bloods in Tynerum were killed except for him, yet Damien’s entire army is filled with all the half-bloods that he led out of Tynerum. There are two ways that I imagine they could go about to fix it - one being that more half-bloods arrived in Tynerum after the sacrifice, or that Tynerum has other races like Maple World and Grandis whom the demons could have families with, resulting in half-blood demons with non-human ancestry that exist in the present day.)

However, the Demon warned Damien that the sword’s power was something that he would not be able to handle, to which Damien replied that he sounded exactly like Alicia, whom he simply called ‘that girl’. He then declared that after understanding the Demon’s choice, they would now walk separate paths.

He reminded the Demon about their people’s laws – that demons were not permitted to get involved in each other’s fights – and then used his powers to attack his brother. As the Demon fell unconscious, Damien told the Demon that the war was his fight and warned him to stay out of it. After a pause, he told the Demon that it was the only path left to him, after which he disappeared.

Soon after, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous set out to find the ruins of Abraxas. Using Freud’s memories as a reference, Evan led the others deep within the Nihal Desert, where they began wondering where the ruins could be. Luminous realized that the ruins would most likely be underground, as he had been unable to find any records of Abraxas during his research, indicating that the ruins were well-hidden.

As they moved ahead, Luminous and Evan began detecting faint traces of magical power before them. Just as Luminous attempted to warn him, Evan accidentally walked into a pile of quicksand, which pulled him down into a cavern deep underground. Mir, Luminous, and Mercedes quickly went after him, where they all began marveling at the ancient ruins around them.

They then began moving forward and fought past several monsters in their way. Mercedes wondered whether the monsters were the gatekeepers of the ruins, though Luminous explained that the monsters had simply been formed from the magic around them, and that the gatekeeper would be up ahead.

Soon enough, they arrived at the entrance to the sanctum, which had been sealed by powerful magic. Though Mercedes believed that Freud had sealed it, Evan inspected the door and noted that it had no traces of the Dragon Master’s power. He speculated that it had perhaps been sealed by the magic of the ruins, though Luminous observed that it was more correct to say that the seal was linked to the magic of something else.

Suddenly, Kapus the Gatekeeper awakened and began fighting the Heroes. After some time, however, Kapus stopped himself upon determining that the Heroes held no ill-will. Recognizing Evan’s magic as being similar to that of Freud’s, Kapus allowed them entry, welcoming Evan ‘back’ as the Dragon Master. Mir laughed that even the stones of the ruins recognized Evan as Freud’s successor, with Luminous agreeing and noting that it was beyond dispute that Evan had inherited the will of the Dragon Master.

However, he then added that what concerned him more was that he had never seen such materials as the ones used in the construction of the sanctum, which made Mercedes wonder how old the ruins were. Luminous noted that though he didn’t know, it did confirm that Freud wasn’t the one who had created them.

The Heroes then proceeded inside the sanctum, which Evan noted was overflowing with magic. Luminous noted that it almost felt as though the ruins themselves were alive, causing him to wonder what Freud possibly could have left behind for them. Looking around the ruins, Mercedes pointed out that it was entirely possible that they were the only visitors to the ruins besides Freud.

Just then, Evan pointed out several stone tablets infused with magic. Though Mercedes warned that they could be dangerous, Evan nevertheless approached the tablets in order to inspect them. However, upon looking closer, Evan found that they had been written in an archaic language, which Mercedes speculated had gone extinct with an old civilization long ago.

Luminous told Evan to instead focus his mind on the magic within the tablets, revealing that they were devices which could transfer information into their heads. Evan realized that the tablets operated on the same mechanism that Freud had used to transfer his memories into Evan through the Spirit Pact, causing him to wonder whether Freud had created the tablets as well. However, Luminous explained that it was the opposite – that Freud had observed the technique within the tablets and applied them into his own magic.

Mir was surprised to know that Freud had been able to replicate such powerful magic at a single glance and wondered whether there was truly such a difference between Freud’s power and Evan’s. However, Mercedes reassured Evan not to worry, reminding him that he and Freud were different people with different skills. The Heroes then began reading the stone tablets with their minds, causing them to realize in shock that the tablets documented the entire history of Maple World and all its people.

Luminous wondered in surprise who could have possibly recorded down the entire history of Maple World, to which Mercedes explained that according to the legends passed down between the elven rulers, there were stories of places in Maple World which self-recorded their own history. She noted that it was likely that the ruins of Abraxas were one of those places. However, Luminous noted that as the older the records went, the more history was missing altogether.

Evan realized that if Freud had indeed wanted them to come to the ruins, it meant that there was something within the compiled historical records that he had wanted them to see, with Luminous speculating that perhaps there was something that would help them thwart the Black Mage’s plans. Mercedes then noticed that there was a space up ahead that led to a new passage within the ruins.

In the next corridor, the Heroes arrived to find a large space filled with many murals. Luminous noted that there appeared to be an encryption spell upon the murals that prevented their information from being magically transferred. After breaking through the spell, the Heroes were able to properly view the mural, which Evan deciphered to be a representation of the three laws of light, life, and time, referring to the three Transcendents of Maple World who maintained the balance of the world.

From the information magically stored in the mural, the Heroes began learning about the birth of the Transcendents. They learned that in the beginning, there had been 365 laws born from 365 creations, such as the sun, the moon, stones, trees, wind, rivers, and seas. From those 365 creations that made up the world, powerful beings had been brought into existence that mortals would one day know as the Ancient Gods. However, the Ancient Gods had brought about immense chaos with their influence, for which the Overseers had sealed them away in the name of their Creator. (A/N: This is a reference to the Primordial God, who created the Overseers in order to restore order to the universe.)

Following this, the Transcendents had been born to create a new order, and to maintain the balance of the world. After reading the mural, Mercedes asked Luminous how much he knew about the Transcendents, noting that he had inherited the power of the Transcendent of Light. However, Luminous clarified that he hadn’t inherited the power of the Transcendent of Light, as he had simply been born from the light cast out by the White Mage when he had become the Black Mage.

A confused Mercedes asked him what the difference was, to which Luminous explained that he wasn’t a Transcendent, as it was the White Mage who had awakened as a Transcendent and faced the will of the Overseers, rather than himself. Because of this, he explained that he had little knowledge about the Transcendents themselves.

Evan then wondered who the Ancient Gods were, noting that he couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful such beings who had existed from the beginning of creation were. However, Mercedes then wondered whether the gods had even existed, as such powerful beings must have left some sort of trace behind if they had truly been real.

Suddenly, Luminous realized that there had been undoubtable traces of someone’s influence in recording history within the ruins. Evan asked Luminous whether he believed that it was the influence of the Ancient Gods, to which Luminous replied that it was highly likely. He then noted that if the information recorded in the mural was true, it meant that the power of the Ancient Gods was chaos itself.

(A/N: The revamp created a few significant changes to the lore about the Ancient Gods. The blockbuster was where the concept of the Ancient Gods was first introduced, and it revealed that all the gods were sealed away except for one - Abraxas the Watchful God, whose purpose was to watch over the graves of the primal forces who had come before.

This lore was significantly contradicted in the Arteria storyline, which revealed that Shinsoo was an Ancient God who remained awake in the age of the Transcendents. Following this, the Heroes of Maple revamp removed the detail about Abraxas being the only god permitted to remain awake, and while it’s still not explained how Shinsoo is awake, her existence at least doesn’t contradict the lore about Abraxas anymore.)

Luminous explained that from the standpoint of maintaining order, it was perhaps better for humanity that all traces of such power be removed from the world altogether, though Mercedes noted that his conclusion was simply his best guess from the information which they had been given. The Heroes then proceeded ahead and encountered another mural with an encryption spell, which they deciphered to reveal a mural of the White Mage awakening as the Transcendent of Light.

By reading the magic within the mural, the Heroes learned that the White Mage had forsaken his duty as a Transcendent, growing corrupted as a result. As a corrupted Transcendent, the Black Mage had abandoned the power of light and had chosen to use only the power of darkness. From his awakening as a dark Transcendent of Light, the Abyss Crystal had been created, which contained a dark power that could devour anything, even one who had transcended time.

(A/N: The Abyss Crystal replaces the role of the Transcendence Stone from the original storyline. Before the revamp, the Transcendence Stone was an object of unknown origin with the power to control or destroy a Transcendent. For unexplained reasons, the Transcendence Stone existed in Friends World, and the Heroes planned to obtain it before Damien could, which also happens in the revamp.

Following the revamp, the lore about the Abyss Crystal was created, and an actual explanation was given about its origins, even though there are still questions that get raised, such as whether Darmoor’s awakening could have created a similar crystal. As a matter of fact, the continental Grandis storyline does feature ‘draining crystals’, which have the ability to steal the power of a god, almost as a small-scale World Heart, which was the original relic created by the Overseers and used as a template for the weaker Godspheres and Seal Stones. It’s possible that draining crystals may have some sort of relationship to the Abyss Crystal, which we’ll likely find out as the Grandis story progresses.)

Evan immediately realized that the mural was referring to the Black Mage’s attack on the Temple of Time, in which he had likely used the Abyss Crystal to steal the power of the Transcendent of Time from Rhinne. The Heroes then read that as a result of the Black Mage’s corruption and Rhinne’s defeat, the balance of the world maintained by the three Transcendents had begun to break down.

Mercedes then wondered what happened when the Transcendents began to disappeared. Evan noted that according to the mural, the Transcendents maintained the balance of the world, which would mean that their disappearance signified a collapse of order itself. Mir pointed out that the collapse of order was a huge deal and asked what it would mean, though Evan was unable to provide an answer.

However, Luminous observed that the balance of the world had begun to break down from the moment that the Black Mage had been corrupted, though not all of the Transcendents had disappeared yet. Mercedes realized that it was possible that it was the reason why the Commanders had targeted the World Tree, with Evan speculating that perhaps the Black Mage intended to seal Alicia, just like he had once sealed Rhinne, by using the Abyss Crystal.

Luminous wondered whether the knowledge about the Abyss Crystal was what Freud had wanted them to know. He then noted that there was one more mural left and suggested that they read it quickly. After undoing the encryption spell, the Heroes found that the mural depicted the six Heroes sealing the Black Mage away, with the image of Shade cracked beyond recognition. Mercedes realized that the cracked portion must have been Shade, causing her to note in surprise that the ruins even had records of the magic which had sealed away a Transcendent.

After looking through the information in the mural, Mercedes noted that it was for the best that they had sealed away the Black Mage, though it meant that the balance of the Transcendents would not return back to normal. Luminous replied that he couldn’t imagine what would happen if the balance of the Transcendents broke down even further, with Evan grimly adding that the last Transcendent of Maple World was now in the hands of the Commanders.

Evan declared that they had to stop the Black Mage from using the Abyss Crystal on Alicia, though Mercedes wondered where the Abyss Crystal even was, as there was no way that the Black Mage had it. Suddenly, the ruins began shaking, causing the Heroes to realize that the ruins were reacting to something. Luminous then noted that the encryption spells on the murals must have been created by Freud in order to keep the knowledge of the Abyss Crystal hidden from the unworthy, with the spell breaking for Evan as the Dragon Master. Just then, Mercedes began hearing countless footsteps closing in, with the demon army arriving to stop them.

Elsewhere, Phantom, Shade, and Aran infiltrated Turtle Island in order to find Damien. Shade noted that it was fortunate that Phantom’s information network had allowed them to slip through undetected, to which Phantom told them that it was more fortunate that they had willingly followed his instructions, laughing that things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if Luminous had been with them.

Shade immediately realized with amusement that Phantom had rigged the cards which had determined their teams, to which Phantom pointed out that it would have ultimately resulted in the same thing if they had decided on their teams through discussion. Moving back to their objective, Phantom explained that the demon army was moving quickly, to which Shade noted that it was possible that Damien wouldn’t be at the base.

However, Phantom replied that it was more probably that Damien – after being injured from Afrien’s attack – would stay at the camp for treatment, rather than moving hastily while wounded, which made conditions ideal for a surprise attack. Aran added that even if Damien wasn’t at the camp, they had no choice but to attack, and so the Heroes began moving out to infiltrate the demon base.

As the Heroes fought their way through the demons at the outskirts, Alicia continued persuading Damien to give up his quest for vengeance. She warned him that he was heading towards destruction and pointed out that his plan was reckless before asking him whether the other Commanders knew about his plan. She then noted that even though Arkarium had betrayed the Transcendent of Time, he had known his limitations as a mortal and had never tried to absorb her powers.

(A/N: The only reason why Arkarium didn’t try to do it is likely because the Black Mage was literally standing right next to him and ready to take it for himself. He had no problems trying to do it during the Silent Crusade storyline, or even taking Tana’s Transcendent powers in Morass for himself when the Black Mage wasn’t there to stop him. To be fair, though, he had no idea that she was a Transcendent, although I doubt that would have changed anything, even if he had known.)

Damien then asked whether she was trying to say that he was limited, though he quickly laughed and declared that it didn’t matter, as it wasn’t just his fight anymore. He then left to get a report from his officer, Alchetto, who reported that they were still at a standoff with the Alliance, while the Heroes had split into two teams, just as Damien had anticipated. (A/N: Alchetto is the demon officer who gives us dailies in the Dark World Tree.)

Damien then told him that they would move with caution, promising that the war wouldn’t last much longer. He then turned to address his entire army, reminding them about his promise when he had led all the half-blood demons out of Tynerum that he would lead them away from the persecution of the pure-bloods and create a new world to rule.

He declared that though they had been born weak, they would not die weak. Raising his sword, he issued a rallying cry for the demons to join him as their time approached. Using his powers, Damien created several portals to teleport himself and his aerial forces away, just as Phantom, Aran, and Shade arrived at the edge of the camp to watch them leave.

As Aran noted in frustration that they had been too late, Shade wondered where Damien and the others had gone. Phantom – who had kept the Lumiere on standby over Ossyria – received a report from his information network that the demons were heading to the Nihal Desert, where an elite demon squad was closing in on Evan, Luminous, and Mercedes.

Just as they began to head out reinforce Evan and his team, the Demon appeared and stood before them, asking them to wait. Recognizing the Demon as a former Commander, Aran immediately pointed Maha at him, wondering whether he – despite joining the Alliance – had ulterior motives on the demons’ side. However, Shade told Aran to wait, pointing out that the Demon was injured.

The Demon then told the Heroes that he was the only one who could stop Damien, to which Phantom – noting the Demon’s condition – wondered whether Damien was the one who had attacked him in the first place. He asked the Demon whether there was infighting happening between the demons, to which the Demon revealed that his fight with Damien hadn’t happened because they were demons, but because they were brothers.

The Heroes were surprised at his words, with Aran lowering Maha before asking him why he had sought them out. The Demon explained that Damien had kidnapped the World Tree, and that he was now trying to take her powers, to which Phantom asked whether he was following the Black Mage’s orders. The Demon replied that though it was possible, he doubted that Damien would quietly hand over the World Tree’s power to the Black Mage.

Aran asked the Demon whether he had a plan in mind, to which the Demon explained that Damien was currently seeking Freud’s legacy, and that he had been using Turtle Island as a base to lure half of them away, leaving Evan’s team cut off and weakened. Shade declared that whatever Freud’s legacy was, they couldn’t afford to let Damien have it, for which he suggested that they move out immediately.

When Aran asked the Demon what he planned to do, the Demon replied that he would work alone to find a way to stop Damien in his own way, for which he asked them to ensure that Freud’s legacy remain safe. Phantom told the Demon that they wouldn’t get in each other’s way before teleporting himself and the other Heroes back to the Lumiere. After the Heroes left, Damien quietly spoke aloud to Damien and asked him to wait, declaring that he would save his brother no matter what.

Meanwhile, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous escaped from the ruins and emerged into a large ravine within the Nihal Desert, where they discovered a massive airship. As they began wondering whether Freud had left it behind for them, the demon army emerged and surrounded the group. Just then, Aran and Shade appeared and launched themselves into the demon soldiers.

Luminous then wondered where Phantom was, just as Phantom appeared in a flash of cards and asked Luminous whether he had missed him. Luminous flatly replied that he had thought that Phantom had gotten lost, to which Phantom retorted that he was overjoyed to know that Luminous had been so worried about him. He then explained that he had gotten late while dealing with the demon soldiers inside the ruins.

Mercedes asked Aran whether they had learned anything on Turtle Island, to which Aran told her that they needed to hurry and enter the airship, as the demon army was closing in on their location. While Aran and Shade covered them, the other Heroes pushed through the incoming wave of demon reinforcements from Turtle Island.

Evan then used his Dragon Master powers, focusing his willpower on protecting Freud’s legacy, in order to activate the airship. The Heroes then boarded the airship and took off, escaping the demon army in the air. Safely aboard, the Heroes marveled at the fact that they were standing on a flying ruin, with Phantom noting that all their hard work had finally paid off, though Luminous snapped that Evan was the one who had done all the work, while Phantom had shamelessly shown up late.

Just then, a projection of Freud appeared and laughed upon seeing that Phantom and Luminous were still arguing like always. The Heroes were shocked to see Freud, who apologized to them for making it difficult for them to access the ruins, explaining that he had to take precautions to ensure that not just anyone could come across them. Luminous immediately asked Freud whether he was really alive, to which Freud apologized and explained that he was only a sort of message in a bottle left behind by the real Freud, who had possibly passed away long ago.

Shade lamented that he hadn’t imagined a future where Freud wouldn’t be with them, despite having been the only one of them to escape the curse. Freud then apologized and told Shade that he didn’t remember his name before asking what he ought to call him. Shade asked Freud to call him ‘Shade’, explaining that the name had been given to him by a dear friend.

Mercedes was overjoyed for the six of them to be reunited again, with Phantom noting that Freud must have gone through a lot of trouble to make preparations for them, to which Freud laughed and replied that he had desperately wanted to see them all again. He then noticed Evan and immediately recognized him as his successor.

(A/N: One thing that I think was a nice change in the revamp is that Freud no longer calls Evan his ‘descendant’. In the original, Freud calls Evan his descendant, even though he adds in the very next sentence that Dragon Masters aren’t bound by blood. This created a level of ambiguity because you could make the argument that Freud was saying that even though Evan is his descendant, that’s not the reason why he’s Dragon Master, just as you could argue that ‘descendant’ was meant to say that Evan is Freud’s descendant in the Dragon Master lineage, rather than by ancestry.

Honestly, I really hate the implication that Evan is related to Freud because no matter how much the story tries to deny it, there’s still the unspoken suggestion that the reason why Evan is so powerful is all thanks to Freud’s superior genetics, with the whole ‘linked by fate’ thing being a hasty way of trying to blanket that. With Mir already being Afrien’s child, Evan being Freud’s genetic descendant would definitely make me feel like the whole idea of Evan being his own separate person means nothing when the Dragon Master position is just destiny being nepotistic.)

Evan told Freud that he had something important to say before thanking him for all the hard work that he had gone through to protect Maple World. After a pause, Freud expressed his gratitude and explained that it warmed his heart to hear those words. Mir also enthusiastically thanked Freud, who laughed and joked that Mir – whom he recognized as Afrien’s child – was much cuter than Afrien himself.

Noting that they still had time, Freud and the Heroes spent a long time conversing with each other, telling each other the stories of their journeys. Freud was deeply saddened to hear of Afrien’s passing, though he was the first to comfort Mir. He then shared his own story with the Heroes, revealing everything that he had learned about the Transcendents and their world.

Freud explained that the Abyss Crystal no longer existed in Maple World, as it needed time to recharge after being used to take Rhinne’s powers. In order to keep it safe, the Black Mage had stored it within a subspace where no one from Maple World could ever access it. Evan lamented that if Freud had been unable to access the subspace, then there was no chance that they would be able to.

However, Freud revealed that they would be able to enter the subspace, as the barrier between their worlds had already broken down. Furthermore, he explained that the airship would be able to track it down, as the airship itself was Abraxas, the Watchful God – which was the true form of the ruins which the Heroes had entered.

Luminous was shocked to learn this, with Freud revealing that Abraxas was one of the Ancient Gods who had been sealed away long ago. However, he explained that Abraxas wasn’t ‘alive’ in the proper sense, as his body was just the ruins, which had been infused with the power of a god. Freud admitted that he didn’t know much about the power of the Ancient Gods, except for the fact that they demonstrated a power that defied order.

He explained that Abraxas’ power was the ability to observe and record history, including the history of the Abyss Crystal, and that he had hoped to find the Abyss Crystal through those records. Phantom then joked that Freud had gone through much trouble to make preparations just to find a rock. Aran explained that though she didn’t quite understand too much, it seemed as though Abraxas could help them find the Abyss Crystal.

Shade added that nevertheless, it was the thought that counted, with Evan noting that perhaps their journey may take them even further than they had imagined. Freud then smiled and explained that his own journey was at an end, surprising the Heroes. He revealed that the magic powering his projection was coming to an end, much to the Heroes’ disappointment. Aran told Freud that she still had stories that she wanted to tell him, while Phantom exasperatedly told Freud that he never changed, from coming out of nowhere to disappearing while leaving so many things behind.

Shade sadly asked Freud whether they would ever see each other again, to which Freud apologized and explained that it would be their last meeting, as there were no more traces left of him. Though Mercedes was disheartened, she decided that it would be better for them to part smiling, and so she smiled before telling Freud that she would never forget him. Freud also smiled and thanked her before adding that he would never forget this meeting, either.

Though Evan frantically asked him to wait, Freud asked him to take care of the Heroes for him, adding that he could leave it all to him. Evan replied that there were still many things that he wanted to ask, to which Freud smiled and explained that long ago, when he had fought for Maple World, he had though that better days would surely come. He then told Evan that he was his hope for the future, reassuring him that he could accomplish anything, as he was his undisputed successor.

The projection of Freud then faded away, leaving the Heroes to briefly mourn his departure before preparing for their next mission. Nevertheless, Evan and Mercedes remained where they stood, with Evan asking Mercedes whether she was okay. Mercedes reassured him that she was fine, as she had already decided that she would send Freud off with a smile. She then told Evan that they should get ready to depart and see where the Ancient God that Freud had left behind for them would take them.

(A/N: In the original story, there was a scene that took place after Freud disappeared, in which the Heroes unanimously acknowledged Evan as their new leader after noting that he was the one who had reunited them all and led the mission to uncover Freud’s legacy. Although it was removed in the revamp, it was spiritually added back at the end of the story, which has the Heroes acknowledge Evan as Freud’s successor and one of the Heroes.)

Meanwhile, Damien was called by Arkarium to the Dimensional Schism at the Temple of Time, where Arkarium claimed that the Black Mage was interested in his progress. However, Damien called his bluff and told him that the Black Mage had more important things to do than to follow up with him. Declaring that he didn’t have the time to be plotting anything, Damien told Arkarium that he would continue with his task of handling the World Tree and ordered Arkarium to stay out of his way.

Annoyed at Damien’s insolence, Arkarium conjured Damien’s mother, frozen in time, and reminded Damien that he was the only thing keeping her from oblivion. Damien then furiously threatened Arkarium to keep her preserved if he valued his life, to which Arkarium seethed at being threatened by Damien. However, Damien merely laughed and replied that he was more in the Black Mage’s favor than Arkarium was, as he was the one in possession the World Tree, which meant that Arkarium was the one who would be killed if the Black Mage’s plan failed.

(A/N: I wonder what kind of leverage Arkarium even has over Damien at this point. He kept Damien under control all these centuries because he claimed that the Black Mage would convince the new Transcendent of Time to turn back time on his mother’s corpse, but since Alpha and Beta have clearly sided with the Alliance as of Black Heaven, I don’t know why he expects to be able to keep Damien in his pocket by bringing this up. Damien is also well aware of this fact, as it’s the reason why he chose to betray the Black Mage and become the Transcendent of Life himself.)

After Damien walked away, Arkarium fumed at Damien turning on him, realizing that despite having taken Damien in for his own uses, it seemed as though Damien was now a liability, for which he planned to eliminate him once the matter with the World Tree was settled. He then smiled sadistically as he imagined revealing the truth to Damien about his mother.

Following the battle at the Sanctum of Abraxas, tensions rose as the threat of war loomed over the horizon. Meanwhile, the Heroes began using Abraxas to locate the Abyss Crystal in the subspace where the Black Mage had hidden it. Soon after leaving Ossyria, however, Abraxas halted and froze in midair. Mir wondered whether the airship had run out of fuel, to which Evan retorted that there was no way that Ancient Gods ran on fuel. (A/N: I bet Archelon took that personally.)

Aran wondered whether the subspace’s barrier hadn’t actually collapsed, while Shade wondered whether it was out of range. Just then, Phantom and Luminous returned from exploring the airship after feeling it stop. Luminous explained that he had been researching everything that he could about the power of Abraxas and the Abyss Crystal, which had helped him learn why they had suddenly stopped. He revealed that while the barrier leading to the subspace had indeed collapsed, the subspace existed between Maple World and a parallel world on the other side of the barrier.

Luminous explained that while both Maple World and the parallel world stemmed from the same root, each of them existed in separate, independent locations. At the Heroes’ confusion, Luminous clarified by explaining that it was impossible to traverse between their world and the parallel world while the balance of the original world remained preserved, though the barrier had naturally begun weakening with the disappearance of the Transcendents.

Phantom then recalled hearing rumors of a portal somewhere in Maple World that could take one to a different world, to which Luminous noted that it was likely impossible to access that world during Freud’s time, which was why he had guided them to Abraxas, which was an Ancient God. He explained that if the Abyss Crystal was a substance capable of stealing the power of a divine being, it would naturally be able to attract another such divine being like Abraxas towards it.

Upon hearing Luminous’ explanation, Evan realized that the Abyss Crystal had fallen from the subspace into the parallel world, which was why Abraxas had stopped, as the airship was unable to enter. Though Shade noted that there was a portal that led to the parallel world in Henesys, Mercedes pointed out that the portal was barely big enough for one person, and that it wouldn’t be able to fit Abraxas.

She then added that even if they were to go on foot, they wouldn’t be able to find the Abyss Crystal without Abraxas’ tracking mechanism, to which Phantom noted that Freud hadn’t thought of that while making preparations. However, Luminous revealed that there was still a way and explained that Grendel the Really Old was a mage just as capable as Freud, and highly knowledgeable about parallel worlds.

(A/N: I’m sorry - Grendel? The same Grendel who went and fused Maple World and Grandis without thinking, which resulted in a wave of Sol Erdas nearly erasing the universe, and then giving the High Flora premier access to invade Maple World and wreck its leadership? What part of Grendel implies competence and knowledge, other than the fact that every other character is just that much stupider in comparison?)

The Heroes then contacted Grendel aboard Abraxas and asked him whether there was a way to take the airship to the parallel world. Grendel explained that it was certainly possible by using the power of Abraxas, though it wasn’t a force that they could easily handle. He revealed that the portal would be incomplete, to which Luminous replied that he believed that they would nevertheless be able to manage a round trip.

Though Grendel warned that they wouldn’t have much time, he added that he would be able to create a temporary portal by using the force of attraction between the Abyss Crystal and Abraxas, likening it to creating ripples in a calm lake. However, he explained that the portal would grow smaller over time and eventually disappear.

Shade then asked Grendel whether the parallel world was in a separate dimension, to which Grendel explained that it wasn’t. He told the Heroes that the name of the parallel world was Friends World, and that it was a sort of mirror that reflected Maple World, with both existing in the same dimension. He explained that while there were clues about the existence of other dimensions, the only three confirmed dimensions were Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum. (A/N: Big round of applause to the writers for finally clearing that up after, *checks watch*, six years.)

Mercedes recognized Tynerum as the homeland of the demons, though she was surprised to hear that it existed in its own dimension, as her understanding was that Tynerum existed to the south of Maple World. Grendel explained that though scholars in the past had believed Tynerum to be a parallel world to Maple World, it was indeed its own dimension separate from Maple World.

He revealed that the reason why the demons had been able to enter Maple World was due to a portal between the two dimensions located in the south of Maple World, which had existed for quite some time. Phantom asked who had connected the two dimensions together, and for what purpose, to which Grendel admitted that he had no idea. However, he speculated that it may have something to do with Tynerum being on the verge of extinction.

(A/N: It’s very likely that the portal between their worlds is an Interdimensional Portal created from one of their Transcendents stealing another Transcendent’s powers. Given that the Black Mage is a corrupt Transcendent of Light and Darmoor is a corrupt Transcendent of Life, I’m very much hoping that Tynerum’s main villain is a corrupt Transcendent of Time.)

Aran noted that the demon who had kidnapped the World Tree was from Tynerum, and that he was working on the Black Mage’s orders. However, Mercedes pointed out that it was entirely possible that he was acting independently. Evan noted that either way, their mission was still the same, as they had to do whatever it took to get the Abyss Crystal and save the World Tree, though he admitted that he had never been to a parallel world before. Grendel then told the Heroes that the portal to Friends World would last about a day and wished them good luck before opening it.

(A/N: In the original storyline, Shade remained behind on Maple World because Friends World was originally a separate dimension, which caused even more confusion about whether Friends World or Tynerum was the third world. Before Shade’s storyline revamp in the Milestone update, Shade even noted that he wouldn’t have to worry about crossing dimensions with Friends World being a parallel world, although the Fox God lifting his curse meant that that line could be removed.)

As the Heroes entered the portal with Abraxas, Damien and his flying reinforcements observed that the portal had opened, just as Damien had anticipated. He then ordered his unit to pursue the Heroes through the portal, declaring that the Abyss Crystal would be his.

(A/N: Before the revamp, Damien was able to track the Heroes because he had branded Maha with his curse mark when he and Aran had fought on Turtle Island. Personally, I thought that was a much cooler way for him to track the Heroes, although this version makes more sense with the way that it explains how both the Heroes and Damien were able to cross over into Friends World in the first place.)

Soon after arriving in Friends World, the Heroes began devising a strategy to obtain the Abyss Crystal. Though Aran believed that taking it by force would be the most efficient way, Luminous suggested that they avoid any unnecessary confrontation, as they had nothing to do with the parallel world. Evan agreed with Luminous and added that they also didn’t want to reveal their location to the enemy.

He suggested that they negotiate with the people of Friends World, as Grendel had some connections with several of them. However, Shade pointed out that they had nothing nearly as valuable as the Abyss Crystal to offer in exchange. Without being able to take it by force or negotiate, Phantom told them that their only option was to steal it.

The Heroes then discovered that the stone was inside the recently built Cosmic Museum in Seoul, whose opening gala was taking place in a week. Over the next several hours, Evan formulated a plan that involved Phantom, Mercedes, and Luminous disguising themselves as party attendees in order to locate and extract the Abyss Crystal.

On the night of the gala, Mercedes and Luminous moved into place, while Phantom began conversing with the attendees in order to learn where the Abyss Crystal was. While speaking to them, he learned about the recent sinkhole incident, and how everyone had already learned about the existence of a separate world, as well as the fact that several unique objects were going to be displayed in the museum through the work of Dr. Lim.

Phantom then made his way to Mercedes, just as Dr. Lim appeared on stage and began giving a speech for the museum’s inauguration. He explained how he had first proposed the theory of alternate dimensions, which had been proven correct with the sinkhole incident. His words caused Phantom to wonder whether the imbalance on Maple World was also affecting the parallel world, just as Freud had theorized.

Dr. Lim then showcased several objects from Maple World, which had proven the existence of another world, and revealed that his greatest discovery was an object that he had named Infinitasium, which caused radio waves and magnetic fields to distort in its presence, as well as having its mass change each time that it was measured.

He concluded that it was an object which defied the laws of physics, and that it was a demonstration that their world’s natural laws were not the absolute truth, as their world was simply a part of something bigger. Declaring that Infinitasium held the secret to the origin of the world, Dr. Lim explained that he had decided to put it on display in the Cosmic Museum for the public.

(A/N: Some of Dr. Lim’s speech was changed in the revamp in order to reflect changes to the lore about the three worlds, such as him stating that Friends World and Maple World had once been the same world before a higher power had split them apart, which had originally suggested that the Overseers had separated the two into their own dimensions, just like they had done with Grandis.)

Though the Heroes were unsure of whether Infinitasium was the Abyss Crystal, they nevertheless decided to investigate, as it was the only lead that they had. Based on Shade’s earlier investigation of the museum, the Heroes learned that they needed two access cards in order to enter the secured area where the Abyss Crystal was being held. Phantom intuitively realized that Director Oh and Dr. Lim each had one, as security was always the same, regardless of which world they were in.

Phantom then had Mercedes flirt with Dr. Lim in order to keep him occupied while Phantom used his disguise kit to impersonate Dr. Lim. He then approached Director Oh and asked for his access card so that he could see the Infinitasium. Next, he disguised himself as Director Oh and approached Mercedes and Dr. Lim in order to swipe it from Lim’s pocket.

After Phantom obtained the cards, Evan gave Luminous the all-clear to begin the next phase of the plan. In the utility tunnel, Luminous dodged through laser beams and reached the power supply in order to kill the lights. He then rendezvoused with Phantom and Mercedes before they all slipped into the high-security room amidst the chaos.

(A/N: There’s a Crimson Balrog skeleton on display there as well. It’s cool because it shows the actual proportion between our characters and the Crimson Balrog, which is about as large as a T-Rex.)

As they moved closer, Evan told them that there was a problem with the signal because of the way that the Abyss Crystal interfered with radio waves. Cut off from communications with Abraxas, the trio fought their way through the security drones and reached the Abyss Crystal. Phantom immediately sensed a unique aura emanating from it, with Mercedes wondering whether it was the power of darkness.

As Phantom began disabling the security devices around it, Luminous suddenly reacted to the power of the crystal and grew consumed by dark energy. Mercedes immediately rushed to his side and asked him what was wrong, noting that his complexion had been pale for some time since arriving. As the aura of darkness around him began growing stronger, Luminous yelled at Mercedes and Phantom to get back.

Meanwhile, aboard Abraxas, Aran noted that Phantom and the others hadn’t contacted them in some time and wondered whether there they had run into complications with extracting the Abyss Crystal. Though Evan worried that Phantom and Luminous were fighting, Shade reassured him that though the pair always bickered, neither of them were stupid enough to fight in the middle of a crisis. Aran also pointed out that Mercedes was also with them to mediate, and that they had nothing to worry about.

Just then, the demon army surrounded the airship, causing the shocked Heroes to realize that the demons had used the portal to follow them. As they began making their stand, the airship began rumbling violently, causing the Heroes to realize that the demons were targeting Abraxas itself, which quickly began crashing down.

Back at the museum, Phantom fought against Luminous in order to knock him back to his senses. In an effort to snap him out of his darkness, Phantom attempted to goad Luminous by declaring that his determination, as well as the determination of Aurora, was nothing special after all. Mercedes quickly rushed to assist Phantom and raised her bowguns at Luminous, urging him to remember the people that he was fighting to protect. Her words caused Luminous to recall Lania, using the memory of her to fight and overcome his darkness.

(A/N: The revamp fixed possibly the worst part of the whole blockbuster, which was Phantom and Luminous fighting after getting into a stupid name-calling argument. It was the most out-of-character thing that I’ve ever seen in my life, and a vast majority of people hated the blockbuster just for this one scene. The part where Shade talks about Phantom and Luminous not being stupid enough to fight when things are serious is an in-universe wink and nudge about how the writers have fixed this moment.

However, there’s one thing that I really hate from the removal of this scene, which is the deletion of Freud’s radical tendencies. The reason why Phantom and Luminous’ fight starts is because when they find the Transcendence Stone, Luminous wants to destroy it and Phantom wants to keep it as a weapon against the Black Mage after learning that it can destroy Transcendents, although this quickly devolves into personal attacks that completely ruins the initial intrigue of their ideological opposition.

During their conversation, Luminous reveals that he would often get into debates with Freud, who believed that the concept of the Transcendents as beings who monopolized an immense amount of power was inherently unjust. Though Luminous would liken it to a king ruling a kingdom, Freud believed that the world should be governed by the courage and wisdom of everyday people, rather than a single entity whose power could be corrupted, claiming that the day would soon come when people would grow capable of ruling themselves.

This was one of the most important concepts in the story, as Freud’s belief is essentially the central thesis of the game itself. The idea of people coming together to fight for their world is embodied in the Seal Stones, which are divine miracles that only grant the collective wish of a population, making them impossible to monopolize with the greed of any one person. Freud’s theories were highly radical in-universe, but they were also meant to be the basis on which the themes and messages of the game ran.

In the revamp, Freud has turned into some watered down version of his original self, seeking out Alicia in order to protect the Transcendents, rather than working with other human beings like the Shamanesses of Azwan to foresee the future and entrust its protection to his friends. There’s very little complexity to Freud when he just blindly believes that the Transcendents are necessary for balance, rather than his much more interesting beliefs before the revamp that ultimately proved true when the courage and wisdom of everyday people defeated a god.)

After a moment, Luminous came back to his senses and revealed that from the moment that they had entered the museum, he had felt an ominous energy flowing through him. He explained that it was likely because his darkness had been reacting to the Black Mage’s power within the Abyss Crystal. He admitted that the reason why he had kept it to himself was because he hadn’t wanted to burden them, to which Mercedes told him that it was alright.

She explained that she could tell that he was feeling uneasy about Freud’s departure, as she and all the other Heroes were feeling the same way. However, she added that it was precisely why they all needed to work together and told him not to shoulder everything himself, reminding him that Evan needed a good teacher as well.

After a moment, Phantom jokingly added that he would overlook what had happened out of generosity, adding that it had been a good warm-up before facing Damien. However, he warned that he wouldn’t go easy next time and told Luminous to be prepared, to which Luminous smiled and replied that there was no way that Phantom could beat him.

Suddenly, the roof of the museum caved in as Damien arrived at the scene and began gloating about how they had led him right to the Abyss Crystal. Phantom quickly realized that Damien had allowed them to escape from the Nihal Desert, declaring that he and the other Commanders were just as despicable as he had always imagined them to be.

Though injured from the collapsed roof, Mercedes and the others declared that they would have no problem fighting, to which Damien laughed and declared that he had no intention of fighting. He then seized the Abyss Crystal, claiming that with it, he would have no power taking the power of a Transcendent.

Luminous and Mercedes then realized that Damien had orchestrated everything from the beginning, including killing Afrien, as bait to have Evan unite the Heroes and locate the Abyss Crystal for him. Declaring that they would never forgive him, the Heroes unleashed their most powerful attacks, though they were unable to stop Damien from escaping with the crystal. Though Phantom and Luminous wished to pursue him, Mercedes noted that they were in no condition to go after him. They decided to regroup with the other Heroes aboard Abraxas and fought through the demons in the museum. Outside, however, they were shocked to find the airship crashing down.

With Abraxas lost to them, the Heroes quickly regrouped and began planning their next move. Luminous blamed himself for what had happened at the museum and apologized, though Phantom reminded him that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. However, Aran noted that Damien would soon absorb the power of the World Tree, which would make him unstoppable.

Shade then wondered whether Damien could even truly absorb the power of a Transcendent, causing Mercedes to speculate that it was possible that he might simply self-destruct in the process. Luminous noted that it was likely, as no matter how much of the Black Mage’s power was used, it was impossible for a mortal to fully absorb the power of a Transcendent. Realizing that they had a chance while Damien was highly unstable, the Heroes decided to move together in Maple World, with one team at the front and the other at the rear.

Meanwhile, Damien returned back to Turtle Island with the Abyss Crystal and confronted Alicia, who asked him whether he planned to absorb her power into the crystal and present it to the Black Mage. Damien merely laughed and instead asked her whether she had wondered why she had become a Transcendent, and whether she was worthy of its power, to which Alicia urged him not to let higher powers control him, reminding him that he controlled his own destiny.

Inflamed, Damien declared that he was sick of hearing about destiny and fate before absorbing the Abyss Crystal into his sword. Laughing maniacally as the power flooded into him, Damien declared that Alicia was right, and that he would prove that he decided his own destiny. As Damien absorbed her powers, Alicia wondered where it had all gone wrong, and she then wondered to Ryude whether things would have been different if she had believed in human beings more.

Meanwhile, the Alliance began to mobilize in response to Damien and the demon army’s imminent attack. As Cygnus and Neinheart oversaw preparations, Athena Pierce rushed to Ereve and warned them that the demons had already begun their attack. Though Neinheart believed that they could handle the demons, Cygnus suddenly felt the power of the Transcendent of Life fluctuating with Maple World’s vitality. She asked Athena whether there was anything else to report, to which Athena replied that Maple World’s trees were beginning to wither away. Suddenly, the sky grew dark as the World Tree began growing from within Root Abyss and towered over Sleepywood.

As the Heroes returned to Maple World and set sail aboard the Lumiere, Shade told the others that the spirits of Maple World had told him that the World Tree was growing larger by absorbing the life force of their world. With the Alliance battling the demon army, the Heroes flew towards the World Tree in order to confront Damien and force him to regurgitate the power that he had stolen.

Back at Turtle Island, Arkarium and his minions arrived to confront Damien, with Arkarium revealing that he had already been aware that Damien had planned to betray the Black Mage and absorb Alicia. As he began berating Damien for his treachery, Damien cut him off and told him to get to the point. Arkarium then ordered Damien to hand over the Sword of Destruction and the power of the World Tree absorbed within it.

Damien immediately began laughing, claiming that Arkarium had really come to take the World Tree’s power for himself. Furious at Damien’s insolence, Arkarium used his powers to freeze Damien in time, explaining that it was a failsafe that he had set up when he had taken Damien in. He then mocked Damien by declaring that no matter how much power he had absorbed, he was still mortal in the end, and that he would never be like the Black Mage.

He also revealed that Damien’s mother’s body was an illusion created to blackmail Damien, claiming that he would never have used his power to preserve a mere human. He also explained that he himself had killed her, rather than her death resulting from Damien’s awakening. As Damien seethed in rage, Arkarium told him that he had only taken Damien in as a tool to break his brother. Though he conceded that Damien had been useful over the past centuries, Arkarium had realized that Damien had outlived his usefulness, and so he had decided to end him, but not before forcing him to surrender the Sword of Destruction.

To his surprise, however, Damien began laughing and revealed that the sword was meaningless to him now, as he had already absorbed Alicia’s powers within himself and become the new Transcendent of Life. With his new powers, Damien effortlessly broke free from Arkarium's binding spell and utterly destroyed him, severing his head completely.

(A/N: Despite Damien’s claim, he’s not actually a Transcendent at any point in this story. Just like Luminous said, it’s not possible for a mortal to fully claim a Transcendent’s power, and all that Damien really did was absorb Alicia’s powers inside the Abyss Crystal, which only allows him to use them as long as he’s in possession of it. Even though he believes that the sword is meaningless to him, losing access to it would mean losing access to Alicia’s powers, as the sword is the proxy through which her powers can flow through his body.

I mentioned in the last section that there was a possibility that Gelimer could’ve turned Lotus into an Adversary and had him kill the Black Mage. Damien taking the Abyss Crystal is another example of an alternate timeline in which he could’ve stolen the Black Mage’s powers and destroyed him. In Limina, it was revealed by Grendel that Gloom’s core contained potential futures that would’ve led to the Black Mage failing to create a new world, with most of those futures coming about as a result of the Commanders themselves interfering with his plans, which we can see through these alternate possibilities for Lotus and Damien’s life choices.

Lotus and Damien actually have quite a number of parallels to each other - their respective close sibling relationships with Orchid and the Demon, the way that Lotus is a spirit with the body of a human and Damien is a demon with a fully human body, the way that they amass large quantities of energy via the Black Wings or the mark of corruption, and the way that they respectively lost their free will to Gelimer and the Spirit of Vengeance.

These similarities highlight how, despite the fact that these two came from very different walks of life, both of them had their destinies altered such that they ended up suffering the exact same fate. Just like how there were alternate timelines in which they could’ve killed the Black Mage, there were also timelines in which Orchid and Lotus could’ve lived happily together as spirits if the White Mage had never met them, and how Damien could’ve lived happily with his family if the Black Mage had never started the war that led to his family being torn apart.

The Demon being the Adversary explores this idea by showing how he and Orchid, the last survivors of these two parallel sibling pairs, work together to defeat the Black Mage and face the spirits of their departed brothers in the Labyrinth of Suffering. It also highlights the narrative of the Black Mage manipulating destiny and erasing every possible outcome in which the Demon and Orchid could’ve been happy.

It makes it so that Damien and Lotus have their individuality and feelings erased - first by being artificially placed on the same life path headed towards their own destruction, and then by being ultimately reduced into stepping stones for sufficiently traumatizing their siblings into playing right into the Black Mage’s plan. This especially hurts for Damien, whose attempts to break free of his destiny by taking Alicia’s powers was all part of the destiny that the Black Mage had laid out for him.)

Meanwhile, the Heroes began scaling up the Dark World Tree, which was growing at an alarming rate as it absorbed the vitality of Maple World. Fighting their way past the corrupted spirit of the World Tree, the Heroes scaled atop its poisoned branches and soon ran into the Demon, who realized that they had failed to protect Freud’s legacy.

However, he told them that he didn’t blame them, as it was his job in the end to stop Damien. Phantom recalled how the Demon had told them that he was searching for a way to stop his brother and asked whether he had learned anything. The Demon revealed that he had been looking for a way to disable Damien’s sword.

Aran noted how Evan had mentioned that the sword had been radiating strange energy, to which Evan explained that though he had originally believed that the sword contained the Black Mage’s power, sensing the Black Mage’s power within the Abyss Crystal had caused him to realize that the sword had a completely different energy signature, with the Demon revealing that the sword had a power similar to that of the Transcendents.

The Heroes were shocked at this revelation, with Luminous retorting that there was no way that the sword contained the power of the Transcendents. The Demon then explained that the sword was the product of an experiment conducted long ago in Tynerum, which had resulted in the destruction of their homeland.

Though the Heroes were dubious, the Demon told them that it didn’t matter if they didn’t believe him, as time as growing short. Evan asked the Demon to join forces with them, but the Demon told them that the battle was one between demons, and that he would put an end to things himself. The Demon then left to confront Damien, while the Heroes continued scaling atop the Dark World Tree, rushing to stop Damien before all of Maple World’s vitality was drained.

Meanwhile, the Demon reached the top and confronted Damien, who immediately pointed his sword at his brother. The Demon then decided to reveal the truth about the sword and their father, explaining that Damien wasn’t the first demon to try and take the power of a Transcendent, as their people had been conducting terrible experiments for thousands of years in order to claim that power for themselves, resulting in Tynerum becoming a desolate wasteland.

The Demon explained that the Sword of Destruction was one such failed experiment, to which Damien retorted that he had been chosen by the sword, and that had used that ‘failed’ sword to take the power of the World Tree. However, the Demon told Damien that he hadn’t been chosen by the sword and entreated him to open his eyes.

He asked Damien whether he knew what power the sword contained before revealing that it held the vengeful spirits of all the half-blood demons which had been sacrificed for thousands of years, adding that Damien was also being swallowed by that Spirit of Vengeance. At Damien’s surprise, the Demon noted that Damien’s knowledge of their father was likely limited to him being a pure-blood, though there was more to the story. He explained that their father had known that the Transcendent experiments would only bring disaster, for which he had attempted to put a stop to them, though he had ultimately been left isolated and killed.

(A/N: Before the revamp, their father was said to just have been banished. The revamp confirms that he’s dead, which will hopefully kill the theory that Havoc is the Demon’s father, which I always thought was stupid because the sole basis for the whole thing is that Havoc is a pure-blood demon like their father, which is true for the countless other pure-bloods that we just haven’t met yet.)

The Demon urged Damien to see that their people’s tragedies had all come from them attempting to seize too much power, which was why Tynerum had been ruined, leaving them as wanderers. Declaring that the tragedy had to end with their ancestors, the Demon told Damien to give up his quest for power, noting that his body was unable to hold any more of it.

After a moment, Damien told the Demon that he had spent hundreds of years living for just one thing and asked whether the Demon was truly asking him to abandon all of it. The Demon apologized to Damien, noting that he had only been criticizing him and ignoring all his pain. Damien paused before admitting that he had failed to save their mother, to which the Demon retorted that it hadn’t been Damien’s fault, and that he could never hate him for that. At Damien’s surprise, the Demon once again reaffirmed that he didn’t hate his brother, and that he never had.

However, after a pause, Damien merely scoffed at the Demon’s display of brotherly affection before cutting him down. Consumed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Damien declared that their ancestors’ mistake hadn’t been that they had sought ultimate power, but only that they had failed in the process. Just then, the Heroes rushed to the scene and found Damien towering over his fatally wounded brother. Vowing that they would stop him, the Heroes fought against Damien in a fierce battle and managed to defeat him.

(A/N: The revamp removed the Phase 2 fight for Story Mode Damien, and I’m not really sure why.)

Nevertheless, Damien refused to be beaten, with the Spirit of Vengeance emerging out of the sword as Damien began losing control over his power. Suddenly, the wounded Demon approached Damien and noted that the vengeful spirits of countless souls who had died in pursuit of power had formed the Spirit of Vengeance. Cursing the Black Mage for dragging his brother into the same fate as the rest of their people, the Demon declared that he would put an end to their tragedy once and for all.

As he approached the sword, an injured Damien looked up and told the Demon to end things. The Demon told Damien that he was his younger brother, to which Damien replied that he wasn’t, as all his precious memories were fading away, including the memory of their mother’s face and name. He then urged the Demon to finish him while he still had some vestige of his humanity left. Mournfully, the Demon destroyed the Spirit of Vengeance and Damien once and for all before taking Damien’s body away to bury at their ruined family home.

(A/N: Possibly my least favorite part of the revamp is the removal of the scene where Evan is possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance after Damien’s defeat. The scene involved the Spirit of Vengeance taking on the form of Mir in order to convince Evan to accept its power, claiming that Evan could go from being the least of the Heroes to even stronger than Freud. However, the real Mir uses their Spirit Pact bond to reach out to him and convince him not to listen, and Evan ultimately rejects the Spirit of Vengeance’s power.

It was supposed to be the culmination of Evan’s character arc, in which he overcomes his insecurities and criticisms about him not being anything compared to Freud, and his rejection of the Spirit of Vengeance - which embodied the generational trauma of countless tragedies brought about by an inability to let go of the past - represented his growth as someone who rejected those constant comparisons to Freud and put an end to them by affirming that he and his bond with Mir were enough.

Without all that in the revamp, it feels like there was no point at all to Evan or his character development, as his resolve is never actually tested in any meaningful way. There are still a couple of moments towards the end of the storyline here that touch on Evan’s feelings of inadequacy, but those moments feel completely hollow because he’s been constantly told by the Heroes that he’s enough, and so him finally accepting that is so narratively unsatisfying as a result.)

With the battle ended, Alicia emerged from the Sword of Destruction, which faded away and disappeared. Alicia thanked the Heroes for saving her, to which Evan told her that it had all been thanks to the combined efforts of all of Maple World’s countless heroes working together. Alicia noted that things had gone just as Freud had assured her, adding that they could now stop her.

Just as the Heroes expressed their confusion, Luminous suddenly asked Alicia where the Abyss Crystal was, noting that Damien must have used it to absorb her power, even as it was impossible for an unqualified mortal to fully absorb a Transcendent’s power. Though Mercedes told Luminous that he could check on that later, Luminous replied that it was both important and urgent, as the darkness of the Abyss Crystal was still within Alicia’s body, with his own darkness reacting to it.

Alicia told Luminous that he was right, adding that she didn’t have much time left. Just as she warned everyone to get back, Alicia was consumed by the Black Mage’s darkness, transforming her eyes scarlet, her hair silver, and her clothes purple, with her body engulfed within a dark tree imbued with Damien’s mark of corruption.

Shade was shocked to see Alicia consumed by darkness, as he had believed that the Spirit of Vengeance had been vanquished. However, Luminous explained that it wasn’t the power of the demons, but rather, it was the Black Mage’s will working through the darkness of the Abyss Crystal. Just as he wondered whether it had been the Black Mage’s plan from the beginning, Alicia suddenly declared that as the mother of all life, she would recall all the life which had begun with her.

Alicia then unleashed a powerful wave of energy that knocked Evan off the top of the Dark World Tree. As he began falling, Alicia spoke to Evan within his mind and warned him that a dark force was attempting to corrupt her with endless hatred. With the last of her energy, Alicia asked Evan to save her with his vitality before she was completely taken over.

Evan then awoke to the sight of Mir, who asked Evan whether he was alright. Evan frantically asked Mir where the Heroes were, to which Mir explained that he had no idea, as he had only seen Evan after waking up. He recalled a large explosion at the top of the tree and speculated that they had likely fallen to the lower depths.

Evan told Mir that the World Tree had been consumed by the will of the Black Mage after Damien had eroded her mental resistance. Feeling the Dark World Tree shaking from the top, Evan realized that the Heroes were likely attempting to subdue Alicia. Though Mir urged Evan to hurry and help them, Evan was consumed with guilt and exhaustion, noting that he had been unable to do anything.

He then began wondering whether he could even do anything at all, as he came simply from an ordinary farming family. Just as he declared that he didn’t have what it took to be a hero, Mir unleashed a breath of fire to snap Evan out of his self-doubt. He told Evan to listen to the sound of fighting and reminded him that he himself had said that there were heroes all across Maple World fighting together. He then reminded Evan that he was the Dragon Master, and that they were partners together.

Realizing that Mir was right, Evan apologized before admitting that though he was only a farmhand, not a hero, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t save the world. Just as they prepared to fly up, Evan suddenly noticed a flower blooming with vitality for a moment before withering away. Realizing that the power of darkness was too strong for Alicia to handle, Evan formulated a plan to save her from the Black Mage’s will.

As Evan and Mir flew back up to the top, the other Heroes unleashed their most powerful attacks upon Alicia in order to stop her, though Alicia simply absorbed their blows. Luminous realized that if Alicia wasn’t stopped, all of Maple World’s vitality would be depleted. Mercedes vowed that they would find a way, admitting that she was more worried about Evan and Mir. Aran reassured her that Evan would be safe, noting that he had survived far worse before.

She then told the Heroes that they needed to find a way to break through Alicia’s barrier, though Shade warned that their life force would be absorbed if they continued to attack recklessly. Growing more corrupted by the minute, Alicia told the Heroes to stop their pointless resistance, declaring that the world would soon return back to the beginning.

Suddenly, Evan arrived at the scene and told the Heroes that he had an idea. He explained that he had heard Alicia’s voice in his head, and that he had learned that there was a limit to the amount of life force that she could absorb. Because of this, he told the Heroes that if they could stop her tree trunks from spreading any further, she would eventually hit her limit.

The Heroes then worked together to contain Alicia, who eventually broke free from the Black Mage’s power after reaching the limit of her absorption. Alicia thanked the Heroes for helping her regain her senses, to which Evan noted that Damien had done something unforgivable. He then asked her how long it would take for Maple World’s vitality to return.

Alicia explained that she didn’t know, adding that it wasn’t simply because of Damien, as it had also been her fault for being unable to overcome the Black Mage’s will. Suddenly, Luminous realized that Alicia was losing her power as a Transcendent, to which Alicia noted that as Luminous had been born from a part of the White Mage, he was able to feel her power fading. She explained that her power had grown deeply intertwined with the Abyss Crystal, and that she would soon lose her ego entirely and become part of the crystal.

Shade noted that Maple World would never return back to normal if the World Tree were lost, to which Evan asked whether anything could be done. Alicia revealed that there was one way, explaining that just as her powers were tied to the Abyss Crystal, she could also use the power of the Abyss Crystal herself. Because of this, she planned to scatter her power contained within the crystal across Maple World in order to restore its vitality.

Though the Heroes worried that it meant that she would cease to exist, she reassured them that she would only be in a different place. She explained that Damien had inflicted his misfortune upon Maple World in the most piteous way and asked them to take care of the world so that the same misfortune wouldn’t befall it again, ensuring that hope for the future would always remain.

With that, Alicia scattered her life force across Maple World, restoring vitality to the withered lands. As she faded away, Alicia noted to herself that her duty had come to an end, with the mother of life returning to the embrace of the earth. Disappearing, she wondered what Ryude would say if he saw her now, sacrificing her existence to protect human beings.

As life began returning to Maple World, Phantom noted that the crisis had finally passed. However, Evan admitted that the sacrifices had been too great, with both Afrien and Alicia disappearing. He told the Heroes that he felt as though he had lost too much, to which Mercedes told him that there was no battle without loss, pointing out that they had come this far with many sacrifices. She noted that a hero, in the end, could be defined as someone who had lost much.

Phantom then added that even so, neither Freud, Afrien, Alicia, or even Aria would have regretted it. Luminous told Evan that Alicia had done her duty to preserve the balance of the world, and that her life force now permeated everything in Maple World. Aran added that Alicia had given them a future, to which Evan asked whether they would keep losing things while fighting in that future. Shade replied that though it was sad to hear, they would indeed lose a lot in the process. Luminous then added that even so, they had to keep fighting in order to defeat the Black Mage.

Mercedes asked Evan whether he was afraid, to which he admitted that he was. Mercedes explained that she was also scared, but that she couldn’t back down, as she was fighting to protect those that she wanted to keep safe. Evan then asked whether Freud had done the same, to which Mercedes told him that he must have.

After a moment, Evan explained that Freud had called him his hope for the future, for which he – just like Freud – would keep fighting to protect those whom he loved, with Mir enthusiastically adding that he would do the same. Phantom then smiled and asked whether they should start heading back, as he needed to give his report to the Empress.

However, Shade asked him to wait one moment and pointed out that Freud had first brought them all together, and that Evan – who had inherited Freud’s will – had done so again. Phantom laughed and noted that they could call it great history repeating itself. Aran praised Evan for his hard work, while Luminous told Evan to have more confidence, reassuring him that he was strong enough. Mercedes agreed, adding that no matter what anyone else said, he was Freud’s true successor. As Evan brimmed with pride, Mercedes welcomed Evan once again as one of the Heroes of Maple, affectionately calling him ‘Dragon Master Evan’.

Several days later, Neinheart and Cygnus traveled to the Sanctum of Abraxas with the Alliance, where Cygnus noted that she had learned a lot about the Ancient Gods, the Overseers, and the Transcendents by reading the history of Maple World inscribed in the ruins, adding that the information would undoubtedly prove useful in the future.

Neinheart noted that the Heroes had played a pivotal role in the conflict, to which Cygnus agreed, adding that despite the Alliance’s efforts, victory wouldn’t have been possible without the Heroes’ help. She noted that the Heroes who had saved Maple World in the past had saved their world once again. After a moment, however, she recalled how Neinheart hadn’t believed in the Heroes, which made her wonder whether seeing them in action had felt different for him than it had for her.

Neinheart admitted that initially, he had believed the Heroes to be merely legends, and that those who waited for them were afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, to which Cygnus noted that it was why he had decided to become her tactician. Neinheart explained that his aim had been to create a force equal to the Heroes if they wouldn’t come back, and though his initial position hadn’t changed, he admitted that he had come to realize that no matter how much time passed, it would always remain a fact that the world needed heroes. The two then gazed upon a new mural depicting the six Heroes saving the World Tree.

(A/N: One last revamp criticism for this section - the original storyline had Neinheart speak to Lilin, who came to visit the ruins after the Heroes saved her at Turtle Island, as the original story had her get kidnapped by the demons. This conversation was much, much more meaningful when Neinheart was talking to Lilin, since it was literally their resolution to the conflict that started their stories, with Neinheart leaving because he lost faith in the Heroes, and Lilin staying behind and resenting him for abandoning her because he wouldn’t believe in her faith.

They shoehorned Cygnus into this scene instead because they condensed the Turtle Dragon scenes, and also because they wanted to have an acknowledgement that the Alliance is now aware about the Ancient Gods and the Overseers, but having this blockbuster close out with a peaceful resolution of two estranged siblings tied so much better into the theme of breaking generational trauma than whatever we have now with Cygnus.)

Meanwhile, Arkarium slithered back to headquarters, having transferred his life force to a snake form before Damien had destroyed his body. Upon seeing him, Hilla laughed and told him that things were going smoothly without him. Arkarium demanded to know if there was a plan that he was not aware of being put into motion, though Hilla merely asked if Arkarium had really thought that the Black Mage hadn’t been aware of what he had been planning.

She told him to consider his snake form a punishment for his jealousy before reporting to the Black Mage that his plan was continuing smoothly, and with the Transcendent of Time imperfectly split and the Transcendent of Life scattered across the world, they were ready for his next orders. The Black Mage then told them to allow the Alliance to enter the Gate of the Present, where he awaited them on the other side.

Soon after, Arkarium slithered up the stairs to the Black Mage’s throne, fuming at Hilla’s declaration that he was being punished, rather than the Black Mage merely allowing him to rest. Gathering his power, he transformed back to his human form and appeared before the Black Mage, who ordered Arkarium to bring Tana to him. Arkarium protested that Tana couldn’t even control her own powers, but the Black Mage told him not to presume to judge what he couldn’t understand. As he turned to leave, Arkarium seethed that he would not allow that ‘stupid girl’ to go anywhere near the Black Mage, vowing to finish things for good.

(A/N: This scene of Arkarium getting his new orders is shown after you defeat him in the Genesis Weapon liberation questline. The rest of the section below comes from the Black Mage: Origin webcomic that was commissioned by Nexon.)

Some time later, Evan was helping his family harvest potatoes. When his attempts to use magic to harvest the potatoes resulted in them being set aflame, Evan realized that he needed to practice his magic in order to become strong enough to face the Black Mage. Luminous agreed to tutor Evan and began teaching him the complex theory behind magic. However, Evan, being unable to keep up, began wishing that he had been born with natural talent. However, Luminous warned him that overwhelming talent could corrupt a person.

To demonstrate his claim, he took Evan to the ruins of the Aurora Great Temple in the Forest of Peace and told him the origin of the Black Mage and how he had fallen to darkness. Evan asked Luminous what the point of even trying was if such a powerful mage could fall to ruin. Luminous reassured him that if humans could turn from brilliance to shadow, then even a regular child could attain greatness, pointing out how Evan had ascended from a simple farmhand to the Dragon Master. His faith renewed, Evan eagerly agreed to continue studying under Luminous in order to become stronger.