PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 9: Hunt for the Seal Stones

In Ellinia, Grendel summoned Evan and Mir to the Magic Library, where he explained that Chief Tatamo had gotten back to him and confirmed that he had information on the Onyx Dragons. However, he noted that Tatamo hardly talked about the Onyx Dragons, even to him, as though there was something about the topic that Tatamo felt guilty about.

When Evan asked if there was any way to convince Tatamo to share what he knew, Grendel told him that Tatamo might help if Evan were to give him an Onyx Dragon scale. Evan asked Mir for a scale, but Mir refused and told him that it would create a bald spot on his hide. After Evan persuaded him with shrimp and fish from Gold Beach, Mir reluctantly allowed Evan to pluck a scale. Evan brought the scale to Grendel, who told them that he would let them know what Tatamo said.

Soon after, Evan and Mir were contacted by Grendel, who told them that Tatamo was very curious about how Evan had managed to obtain an Onyx Dragon’s scale and wanted to meet him. Grendel offered to teleport them to Leafre, though he warned them not to roam outside the town, as the monsters in Leafre were far stronger than they could handle.

At the Halflinger village, Tatamo was both amazed and relieved that an Onyx Dragon still lived, and a young one at that. When Evan asked how the Onyx Dragons had gone extinct, Tatamo merely told him that a dark force had wiped them out centuries ago, though he claimed that he had no idea why. He offered to let Mir stay in Leafre, where he would be cared for by the Halflingers, but Evan and Mir both refused and told him that they belonged at each other’s side. Tatamo laughed and said that he understood, adding that Mir’s existence made him all the more determined to find another Onyx Dragon. After leaving Leafre, Mir told Evan that he felt sad thinking that he was the last of his species. However, he reassured Evan that he still had hope that other Onyx Dragons still existed.

Soon after returning to Victoria Island, Evan and Mir were contacted by Sabitrama, a shaman from Sleepywood. Sabitrama had heard stories about Evan’s heroic actions around Victoria Island and wanted to request the young Dragon Master’s help. He explained that someone had stolen his bag of herbs, which he used to make medicine, and suspected that the culprit was a thief from Kerning City. Evan went to Kerning City to investigate, where he ran into Alex, Chief Stan’s runaway son. Alex asked Evan about the latest news from Henesys ever since he had run away in exchange for a tip to seek out JM From tha Streetz, who knew everything in Kerning City.

JM demanded a fee of Stirge Wings for information, after which he told Evan that it was unlikely that anyone from the city had taken the herbs, as potions were much more convenient in modern day. Because of this, JM suspected that the thief had taken the herbs in order to use them rather than to sell them. He told them to speak with Nella, whose keen sense of smell might help them find the herbs.

Evan explained the situation to Nella, who was offended by Sabitrama’s belief that the thieves of Kerning City were criminals, explaining that the thieves of Kerning City merely adopted a particular aesthetic, and that they had no interest in taking other people’s livelihoods. She swore to Evan that the thief wasn’t from Kerning City and resolved to find them herself in order to restore Kerning City’s honor. 

Some time later, Nella contacted Evan and told him that she had sent her men to gather information on the thief, and that one of them had found a clue in Sleepywood. However, he had been attacked by Wraiths on the way back to Kerning City and had lost his report. Evan and Mir recovered the report in the Kerning City subway and brought it to Nella. She explained that the report was written in a secret code that only thieves used. After translating it, she learned that the thief had gone to a cave at the end of the forest in Ellinia.

Inside the cave, they found a lone puppet, who explained that his master had been injured while fighting his enemies. Since the puppet had no money to buy potions, he had stolen the bag of herbs in order to heal his master. As his master’s wounds still hadn’t fully healed, he begged them to bring him some potions in order to help his master.

After bringing him the potions, the puppet thanked them and returned the bag of herbs. Evan returned them to Sabitrama and told him how Nella had aided him in recovering the herbs. Sabitrama felt ashamed for his prejudice against Kerning City and asked Evan to apologize to Nella on his behalf. After Evan passed on Sabitrama’s message, Nella was pleased that Kerning City’s honor had been restored. 

Soon after, the puppet contacted Evan and told him that he needed bandages to treat his master’s wounds. Evan and Mir hunted Jr. Wraiths in the Kerning City subway and brought them to the puppet to use as bandages. The puppet was overjoyed and asked if they would be willing to join his master's secret organization.

Though the puppet didn’t know what the name of the organization was, he assured Evan that its members performed good deeds throughout Maple World. Evan believed that as a Dragon Master, he should join such an organization and accepted the puppet’s offer. The puppet told Evan that he would speak to his master and try to pull some strings in order to recommend him.

Some time later, the puppet contacted Evan and told him that his master had agreed to let Evan join, provided that he pass the entry test, which was to eliminate Ligators in the Swamp Region, as they were disrupting his master’s construction of a new base. (A/N: I don’t think that Francis ever has a base in the Swamp Region, this might be a dropped plot point.) After passing the entry test, Evan was told that there was yet another condition to join, which was to collect Croco skins. After Evan brought him the skins, the puppet told Evan to expect to hear from him soon.

Sure enough, the puppet soon told Evan that he had been accepted as a temporary member of the organization, though he added that Evan might soon be promoted to an official member after some time. He told Evan and Mir to go to the sixteenth floor of Orbis Tower, where they would find the details of their first mission behind a secret brick. He told Evan that upon becoming an official member, he would be able to meet directly with other members and choose which missions he wanted to accept.

The puppet then transported them to Orbis Tower, where Evan found a badge for the secret organization, as well as instructions to collect Rapid Growth Accelerants from the Muddy Swamp Monsters in Kerning City. Evan was also told to keep the instructions and the Accelerants behind the secret brick. After completing the mission, Mir wondered what the Accelerants would be used for, to which Evan suggested that they might be used to make crops grow faster.

Soon after, Tru contacted Aran and told her that he had expanded his intelligence network outside Victoria Island, allowing him to learn that something had happened in Orbis, which possibly involved the Black Wings. In Orbis, Aran spoke with a half-Nymph named Lisa, who told her that she had been unable to sleep last night because of a thumping noise that kept all the fairies in Orbis awake. After investigating the source, Lisa had learned that there were Giant Nependeaths growing in the Neglected Strolling Path. As Nependeaths didn’t grow so abnormally large, she asked Aran to investigate the source of what was causing such a drastic growth.

After defeating the Giant Nependeaths, Aran found bottles of Rapid Growth Accelerants. She brought them to Lisa, who told her that Orbis had been slowly sinking from the sky year by year, explaining that the heavier the mass on Orbis, the faster they would sink. She then asked Aran to consult with a seer named Spiruna about whether Orbis was going to sink because of the Giant Nependeaths. Though she normally hated strangers, Spiruna was shocked upon sensing that a great fate hung over Aran, which was to overcome a terrible curse that had persisted for countless centuries.

She explained that her fortune telling had allowed her to see that the Giant Nependeaths were being used to access the Sealed Garden. Though she didn’t know much about the Sealed Garden, Spiruna told Aran that the Seal Stone of Orbis had been kept there long ago at the request of a magician named Freud, whose name felt strangely familiar to Aran.

(A/N: Originally, this dialogue stated that the Goddess had ordered the Seal Garden off-limits. During the Heroes of Maple revamp, this dialogue was changed to the Empress ordering it off-limits, and was finally changed to its current version in the Milestone revamp.)

Spiruna explained that the only way to get to the Sealed Garden was to make the Nependeaths in the Neglected Strolling Path grow large enough to reach the vines growing down from the Sealed Garden and asked Aran to stop the people trying to steal the Seal Stone, though she admitted that she had no idea what the Seal Stone was, with very few even remembering its existence.

In the Sealed Garden, Aran encountered Dargoth the Giant of the Black Wings. Dargoth realized that Aran was the one who had defeated Francis and laughed that he would take the Seal Stone and defeat Aran all at once, thereby beating Francis. Though Aran was able to defeat Dargoth, a dark power suddenly froze her in a gravity sphere, with a portal opening for Hiver to emerge and claim the Seal Stone. Hiver realized that Aran was the one who had defeated Dargoth and Francis, just as Orchid appeared from another portal, recognizing Aran as the polearm hero.

Orchid was amused to learn that Aran had lost her memories and strength due to the Black Mage’s curse, laughing that it was ridiculous that she was still trying to be a hero in spite of it. Hiver then presented the Seal Stone to Orchid, who noted that he and the others had been so useless that she had been forced to come herself in order to ensure their success. Though she declared that she didn’t have time to play with Aran, she vowed that she would get rid of her the next time they met before retreating with Hiver through the portals and disappearing.

After Orchid disappeared, Aran was released from the gravity sphere, leaving her to wonder who Orchid was and how they knew each other. Frustrated, she returned to Tru and told him what had happened in Orbis. Tru reassured Aran that it hadn’t been her fault, as the Black Wings had been prepared, especially with their leader having special powers as well. He then suggested that she report to Lilin back in Rien.

Just like Tru, Lilin told Aran not to feel bad, as they had managed to learn that there were multiple Seal Stones. She also noted that the Black Wings had been planning the operation for a long time, meaning that it was all the more impressive that Aran had managed to save the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. She then told Aran to keep focusing on getting stronger, promising that she and Tru would keep the Seal Stone of Victoria Island safe in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Evan and Mir were anonymously contacted by Hiver, who told them that he was the one who had given them their first mission. Evan asked Hiver whether he was the owner of the puppet, to which Hiver told them that its owner was Francis, whom he outranked. He also congratulated Evan and told him that the Rapid Growth Accelerant had been a big help to their organization, adding that even though Evan was not yet an official member, he had gone up in the ranks enough to be ready for his next mission.

He told Evan to go to the Forest of the Dead in El Nath, where he was to defeat the Decaying Coolie Zombies and take their Decaying Zombie Molars, after which he was to take the molars and go to the Chief’s Residence basement and exchange them with a goblin named Shammos. Though Evan and Mir had a bad feeling, they nevertheless completed their mission and gave the teeth to Shammos, who gave them a black key in return.

Hiver then told Evan to put the key inside a small stump on the outskirts of town, explaining that another member of the organization would come pick it up. Mir was excited about having completed yet another mission and asked Evan if he felt as though they had done something good for the people of Maple World.

Though he was confused about the purpose of the mission, Evan agreed that defeating the zombies must mean that they had done some good. Mir then wondered why the organization was so clandestine, as no one would know about their good deeds if the organization was secret. Evan supposed that it wouldn’t be humble of them to brag about their good deeds.

Soon after, Mir experienced another metamorphosis and grew even larger as Evan’s magical mastery increased. Some time later, Grendel contacted Evan and asked how his research on Onyx Dragons was going. He had heard a rumor about someone on Victoria Island riding a dragon and wondered if Evan might be able to ride Mir. Mir told him that it was possible, but that Evan would need a saddle, as well as lessons on how to ride a dragon. Evan asked Grendel where the dragon rider could be found and learned that they were in Perion.

There, they met the dragon rider FangBlade, who told them that he could teach Evan how to ride a dragon if he were to find a mount. (A/N: This quest is really cool, as you can talk to the FangBlade NPC to get the mount skill. To my understanding, other regions have turned their first player who reached level 200 into an NPC as well.) FangBlade suggested that they try checking Ereve, as many of the people there rode birds.

In Ereve, Neinheart demanded that Evan state his name, job, and purpose, as Ereve was a restricted area. Evan was confused, as he had seen many people entering and leaving Ereve. Neinheart explained that they were Cygnus Knights and ordered Evan to leave immediately. Evan persistently asked how Ereve made their mounts, but Neinheart once again asked Evan for his name, job, and purpose.

Evan introduced himself as a Dragon Master, which intrigued Neinheart enough that he resolved to look into what a Dragon Master was. He then told Evan that they outsourced production of saddles to Kenta in the Aquarium. With that, Neinheart insisted that they leave at once. They then went to speak with Kenta, who was intrigued by Mir. After taking his measurements, Kenta asked for Freezer Leather, a Seruf Pearl, and a service fee. After providing the items, Kenta made a saddle for Mir. They returned to Perion, where FangBlade taught Evan how to ride Mir.

Meanwhile, as Aran continued to train, Tru reached out to her and explained that he had gotten reports of Black Wings activity in Mu Lung. He then asked her to investigate Mr. Do, who had been in contact with one of the Black Wings. Mr. Do told Aran that a member of the Black Wings had given him a Hanging Scroll to pass on to Mu Gong, the master of Mu Lung Dojo.

However, he revealed that he had accidentally boiled the scroll while making medicine, and that the contents of the scroll had been lost. He then asked Aran to visit Jin Jin, the best painter in Mu Lung, in order to see if he could restore it. Jin Jin had Aran gather ingredients to create a Special Ink, which he then used to restore the Hanging Scroll.

Aran read the scroll and found out that it was a warning from the Shadow Knight that he was going to steal the Seal Stone of Mu Lung. She showed the scroll to Mr. Do, who realized that the Shadow Knight had written it as a challenge to Mu Gong and asked Aran to warn him. Though one would have to normally fight to the top floor of the dojo in order to reach Mu Gong, Mr. Do told her that Mu Gong’s apprentice, So Gong, could be bribed into showing her the back route to Mu Gong. In order to help Aran, Mr. Do bribed So Gong, allowing her to use to secret path to Mu Gong.

At the top of the dojo, Aran gave the Hanging Scroll to Mu Gong, who grew worried that the Shadow Knight would steal the Seal Stone. He told Aran that the Seal Stone was a valuable item guarded by the warriors of Mu Lung for centuries. When Aran asked for more details on the Seal Stone, Mu Gong tested her to see if she was worthy of receiving the knowledge.

Aran successfully fought Mu Gong’s shadow and Mu Gong immediately recognized her fighting style, which he said had been used centuries ago and was rumored to have even been used by one of the Heroes. Because of this, he mistook Aran to be a disciple of the Heroes, but nevertheless told her the location of the Seal Stone, as well as the password to enter. Though he knew that the Shadow Knight’s challenge had been meant for him, he felt that it would be better for the hero’s successor to face him.

Aran then entered the Sealed Temple, where the Shadow Knight was waiting. Just like Mu Gong, he mistook her for the hero’s successor rather than one of the Heroes herself. Aran was able to defeat the Shadow Knight, but just like in Orbis, a portal opened for Hiver to appear from the shadows. Aran quickly dodged an incoming gravity attack, allowing Hiver to take the Seal Stone of Mu Lung.

Aran demanded to know where his leader was, to which Hiver replied that his master was busy, and that he had no intention of wasting time fighting her either. Though Aran attempted to stop him, Hiver fell back into the portal and disappeared. Frustrated, she returned to Mu Gong to report her failure. To Aran’s surprise, Mu Gong revealed that the Heroes had entrusted the Seal Stone with the chief of Mu Lung, who had constructed the Sealed Temple in order to safeguard it. He then told Aran that the loss of the Seal Stone may not have been significant, as he had believed that the reason the Sealed Temple was so heavily protected was because it was the legacy of the Heroes, adding that he didn’t know the purpose of the Seal Stone.

(A/N: I love how despite the whole purpose of the Seal Stones was to be used for the people to protect their lands, not a single one of them knows what they are or how to use them. I suppose they don’t need to since the Black Mage is sealed away, but what if he returned or a similar threat arose and the other Heroes weren’t around to explain how they worked? I would’ve thought that at least someone would’ve written down instructions on how they work for future generations.)

Aran was intrigued to learn that the Heroes had entrusted the Seal Stones, causing her to wonder whether Freud, whom Spiruna had mentioned, was one of her comrades as well. She then returned to Tru and told him about the events in Mu Lung. Tru reassured Aran that she was growing stronger, and that she would stop the Black Wings next time. He then told her to speak with Lilin about what she had learned in Mu Lung.

Lilin was excited to learn that the Heroes had left behind the Seal Stones and told Aran that the information made up for losing the Seal Stone of Mu Lung. Aran was confused by how she had reached that conclusion, to which Lilin explained that by piecing together information on the Heroes, she could predict which places were likely to have the Seal Stones before the Black Wings found out. As always, she told Aran to focus on training while she researched the Heroes and Tru looked into the Black Wings.

Just then, Maha reached out to Aran and asked her whether by ‘Seal Stone’, she was referring to a little gemstone, adding that he remembered the Heroes distributing them. Surprised, Aran asked Maha why he hadn’t told her before, to which he told her that their mental link wasn’t strong enough for him to speak to her at a moment’s notice. He revealed that the Heroes had hidden several Seal Stones across Maple World, though he couldn’t remember where they were after so many centuries.

As Aran had no memories about the Seal Stones, Maha suggested that she try searching for the other Heroes in order to ask them where the Seal Stones were, adding that Freud was the most knowledgeable of the Heroes, having formed a Spirit Pact with an Onyx Dragon. He pointed out that since Aran had been freed from the ice, the other Heroes would likely also be in the same boat. Aran asked Maha whether they would have also lost their memories, to which he replied that though he couldn’t be sure about that, they would undoubtedly have lost their strength.

Aran decided that she would first search for Freud, but with no information on him other than his name, she met with Tru in order to learn more about him. After searching through his records, however, Tru was unable to find any information about Freud. He explained that since Freud had formed a Spirit Pact with an Onyx Dragon, there was no way that he would have missed Freud if he had returned to Maple World. However, he added that there was another magician in Maple World who appeared similar to Freud, for which he asked Aran whether it could be Freud using an alias.

Despite having little memory about Freud, Aran instinctively knew that it wasn’t like Freud to use an alias, causing her to conclude that his lookalike wasn’t really him. Tru then suggested that the other Heroes may not have woken up yet, promising to let her know if he heard anything. Aran then left, wondering whether she would ever regain her memories.

Maha then reached out to her through their link and reassured her that she was remembering more and more, pointing out that she had come a long way from not even being able to remember her own name. He noted that the fact that she was missing Freud, without even knowing him, was proof that her memories were still dormant in her head.

Aran thanked Maha, who then asked whether she was planning to continue her search for Freud. However, Aran told him that she had decided that the quickest way of finding him was to regain her memories by becoming stronger. She added that since they were friends, she had a feeling that she and the other Heroes would be reunited again someday. Maha accepted her decision and told her to grow stronger quickly, adding that he had waited for hundreds of years already.

Meanwhile, Grendel contacted Evan and told him that a new book had arrived in the Magic Library, which held a clue on the Onyx Dragons. When Evan arrived, Grendel showed him the book and explained that it was a voyage log written by John from Lith Harbor, which detailed his encounter with a dragon that had black scales and four golden horns while he had been marooned on an island covered in ice. Evan and Mir went to Lith Harbor in order to speak with John, who gave them a map to the island and told them to ask Teo to ferry them.

Teo told them that the route to the island was especially perilous, and that he didn’t have the skills to take them. However, he mentioned that Olaf, an experienced sailor, would be able to help them and suggested that they buy him a drink in order to persuade him. Evan bought Olaf his favorite drink - a Tropical Fruit Punch - which successfully persuaded Olaf to take them, though he added that, due to the harsh conditions on the voyage, he would need a stronger ship. He asked Evan to bring Wooden Boards and Slates from the monsters at the Excavation Site in Perion in order to fortify the ship, after which he told Evan that he would reach out once it was ready. 

After Olaf finished fortifying the ship. Evan and Mir climbed aboard and, after a long voyage, they finally arrived on the island. (A/N: I’m not joking when I say that it was a long voyage. I think that it’s the only voyage left in the game that hasn’t been reduced by revamps to less than a minute. Each trip one-way takes 15 minutes, meaning that the round trip is half an hour, making Evan’s storyline one of the most tedious to finish.)

Mir was amazed at how quiet the island was, as the only noise came from the gently crashing waves. Directly in front of them was a large cave, inside which they found a large magical ice wall that separated them from what appeared to be a large Onyx Dragon. As they didn’t want to accidentally hurt the dragon, Evan decided to leave the ice wall alone and resolved to return after thinking of another way to get inside.

Soon after, Tru contacted Aran and asked her whether she had ever heard of Ludibrium. He explained that it was a land full of toys, which had been frozen in time so that the toys would always be needed by the children who didn’t grow up there. However, he revealed that one of the two clocktowers that managed the flow of time in Ludibrium had broken down, causing a portal to appear that led centuries in the past. He explained that Lilin had analyzed reports of the time period, which had caused her to conclude that it was a time when the Heroes had still been active.

Hoping to find clues about the Seal Stones and her own past, Aran entered the crack in time at the Time Control Room of Ludibrium and emerged in Ellin Forest. Proceeding deeper into the forest, she arrived at Altaire Camp and met Loha, who assumed that she was a lost refugee and sent her to Athena Pierce. At the Camp Conference Room, Aran met with Athena and began to explain who she was, but Athena remained unconvinced of her identity, as Aran looked different and she was unable to remember Athena.

Aran began explaining everything that had happened to her since awakening from the ice, and though Athena found it unbelievable, she could not deny that Aran’s eyes and her manner of speaking suggested that she was telling the truth. Choosing to believe her, Athena introduced herself and told Aran about how the refugees of Leafre had crash-landed on Victoria Island and established Altaire Camp while searching for fertile lands in order to relocate to. She then asked Aran why she looked different, causing them both to realize that coming through the crack in time had likely changed her appearance.

(A/N: This is later explained in the Ellin Forest theme dungeon as one of the laws of time established by the Overseers in order to ensure that the past can’t be changed.)

Athena then asked Aran whether she had come in search of her lost memories, but when Aran explained that she was looking for Seal Stones, Athena told her that she had been given a Seal Stone by the Heroes, which she was keeping locked in the library. After obtaining the storage key from Loha, Aran entered the library and encountered Hiver, who revealed that he had been tailing her the entire time.

Before she could stop him, Hiver disappeared with the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, hoping to keep it as a reserve, as it was a Seal Stone which couldn’t be obtained in their current time period. Aran then returned dejectedly to Athena Pierce, who apologized for not having better secured the Seal Stone, though Aran reassured her that it wasn’t her fault.

Athena then recalled that Aran of the past had written a letter, in which she had mentioned something about the Seal Stones. Suspecting that Aran had forgotten to send it before fighting the Black Mage, Athena attempted to give it to Aran of the present, though the letter merely fell through Aran’s hands. Athena found it strange, as Aran had been able to take the storage key from Loha without any problems. Aran replied that though she couldn’t be sure of why, the fact that they were from separate time periods made her believe that she could no longer interact with the past.

(A/N: Most likely, the reason for this is that objects can’t be taken outside of their proper time period. The Seal Stones are a likely exception, as they’re holy relics of the Overseers and contain divine power that allows one to defy the natural laws of the world.)

However, Athena suggested that since she was an elf, and thus had a long lifespan, she could keep the letter and instructed Aran to find her in the present day. After returning to her own time, Aran told Tru what had happened in Ellin Forest and asked him who Athena Pierce was. She was surprised to learn that Athena was one of the most famous people in Maple World, both as the instructor for bowmen and as an influential leader of Victoria Island. Aran then went to the Bowman Instructional School, where she found that Hiver had already gotten there first after eavesdropping on her conversation with Athena in Ellin Forest.

Athena, who had been knocked onto the floor, weakly told Aran to stop Hiver, who had already read the letter. Hiver laughed that he had already gotten what he needed, though he decided that Aran had become enough of a threat that he needed to eliminate her. However, Aran managed to defeat him and forced him to retreat. After Hiver was driven away, Athena gave Aran the letter that she had kept for hundreds of years. She then told Aran that though she wanted to talk more, she needed to strengthen the town’s defenses, as well as to let Mercedes know that Aran was alive, causing Aran to vaguely recall that Mercedes was one of the Heroes.

(A/N: This line is currently a plot hole, as it doesn’t fit no matter which order Aran and Mercedes’ storylines are set. In Mercedes’ story, Athena tells her that Aran is back during their very first meeting, which doesn’t make sense with Aran’s story, since the wording of her statement suggests that she already knows that Mercedes is back. This means that she’d just be telling Mercedes a second time. On the other hand, Athena resolving to tell Mercedes about Aran’s return doesn’t make sense if Aran’s story is set first because Athena shouldn’t even know that Mercedes is back. I’m hoping that future story revamps end up resolving the issues with this dialogue.)

Aran then took the letter to Tru, who found that it was completely unreadable. He realized that it was written in code, and that since Hiver had already read it, the Black Wings likely already knew the contents of the letter. Tru told Aran that Lilin would be able to decipher it, and so Aran went to Rien and showed the letter to her. Lilin realized that the code was extremely complicated, with several layers of encryption.

After deciphering the letter, Lilin learned that it had been written by Aran to the former Empress, and that the letter simply said to take care of the Seal Stone of Ereve. As the Black Wings had read the letter, Lilin realized that they likely knew of the Seal Stone’s existence, and so she asked Aran to warn the people of Ereve and told her to bring the letter as proof.

Aran went to Ereve and met with Neinheart, who recognized her from when she had brought 10 Boogies’ report on the Puppeteer. He was surprised to know that Aran knew about the Seal Stone of Ereve, also known as Shinsoo’s Teardrop. Nevertheless, he told Aran to leave, as not only was Ereve closed to foreigners, but he also didn’t trust that Aran wasn’t one of the Black Wings herself.

Meanwhile, Evan was contacted by Hiver, who began explaining his third mission. Evan interrupted him and asked to learn more about the organization, as he knew nothing about it, despite being a member. Hiver told Evan to come to the Frog House in Ludibrium, where he introduced himself by name and revealed that he was a top leader of the Black Wings. He explained that the Black Wings did many things to help Maple World, but that their primary goal was to bring back the ‘great' Black Mage.

Though he couldn’t elaborate too much, he told Evan that the Black Wings had been created to revive the Black Mage, and that his return would be the greatest thing that could happen to Maple World. With that, he gave Evan his third mission, which was to capture the ghosts of Secret Master Soul Teddies. While collecting them, Mir asked Evan if he had felt that something was off, as rumors stated that the Black Wings were the same organization hated by the people of Edelstein. Mir felt that he wasn’t sure whether they were on the right side or not. After returning to Hiver, Evan began to voice his concerns, but Hiver quickly dismissed him and said that he needed to focus on preparing the ghosts that Evan had collected.

Soon after, Hiver contacted Evan and told him that his preparations were complete. He gave Evan and Mir a pouch containing the spirits that they had captured and told them to use a special portal that he had created, which would take them to the Sky Terrace. There, Evan was to climb up a ladder and release the Master Soul Teddy spirits in order to chase everyone away. Evan and Mir followed his instructions and released the spirits, causing the guard who was patrolling the area to run away in fear.

Evan was confused about why he had been told to do this, and after returning back to Frog House, he attempted to question Hiver. However, Hiver interrupted him once again and promised to answer his questions after the mission was complete. He told Evan that thanks to his actions, a member of the Black Wings had been able to break through the first layer of security at the Sky Terrace. He then asked Evan to go further inside and defeat a monster called the Door Block. Evan and Mir returned to the Sky Terrace and encountered the Door Block, who called them thieves and denounced their audacity in trying to steal the Seal Stone of Ludibrium.

After defeating the Door Block, they returned to Hiver, who thanked them for their work and told them to get some rest, promising to contact them with their next mission soon. He then disappeared without having answered any of Evan’s questions. Evan and Mir agreed that there was something strange about the Black Wings, as things weren’t adding up about the missions that they had been completing.

Soon after, Hiver contacted them with their fourth mission, which was to obtain a map from Captain Hwang in Herb Town. He told them to ask the captain for a map of Turtle Island, as he would know what they meant. In Herb Town, Captain Hwang agreed to give them the map in exchange for defeating the pirates who had been harassing the people of Herb Town.

After Evan and Mir eliminated the pirates, the captain gave them the map, but warned them that the journey to the island was perilous and recommended that they don’t go. Evan then contacted Hiver to report their success. Hiver was impressed and teleported them to Frog House, where he told them that he had a fifth mission ready.

With the map, Hiver modified the special portal that had taken them to the Sky Terrace and explained that they could use the portal to get to Turtle Island. He then gave Evan a Gruesome Bone that reeked of dark energy and told him to place it on an altar inside the cave that they would find, after which they were to leave immediately, no matter what else they found. He explained that an evil being had placed a spell on the island that prevented the Black Wings from entering, which was why he needed Evan’s help. Evan reluctantly agreed and took the portal to Turtle Island.

Upon arriving, he and Mir immediately realized that Turtle Island was the same island that they had sailed to with Olaf. They entered the cave and placed the bone upon the altar, causing its dark energies to melt the ice wall between them and the Onyx Dragon. Hiver was pleased and told them to head outside, where a boat was waiting for them. Evan attempted to tell Hiver about the Onyx Dragon, but Hiver told him to ignore it and escape before the dragon awoke.

As they left the cave, Mir became increasingly frantic and told Evan that something was terribly wrong about the whole situation. Evan agreed with Mir and they decided to return to the cave, where they found Hiver and several Black Wings henchmen attempting to kill the dragon. Evan and Mir quickly defeated the henchmen and knocked back Hiver, who was impressed by their strength. He decided to retreat, but warned that they would be enemies once their paths crossed again.

The sleeping dragon then awoke and telepathically spoke to Evan, introducing himself as Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons. Evan asked him why the Onyx Dragons had gone extinct and why Afrien was trapped inside the ice cave. Afrien told Evan the story of how he and Freud had formed the Spirit Pact, and how the Black Mage had destroyed the Onyx Dragons.

To elaborate, he showed Evan a memory of himself speaking with Freud shortly before they had stormed the Temple of Time. Evan witnessed how Afrien had asked Freud to take care of his egg if he were to fall in battle, and how, in turn, Freud had Afrien promise that he would do everything in his power to survive, as well as promising not to sacrifice himself on Freud’s behalf.

Evan then realized that Mir was Afrien’s child, though Afrien asked Evan not to tell Mir, explaining that he was as good as dead, and that the knowledge would only bring Mir pain. He told Evan that when the Black Mage had cast his curse on the Heroes, he had taken the curse in Freud’s place. He explained that the ice around his body had nearly melted, but that his body had become one with the island. Because of this, the animals who lived there would die if he were to move. Freud had cast a spell on the island to prevent anyone affiliated with the Black Mage from entering, and made it so that only a Dragon Master could awaken Afrien.

Evan asked how Hiver knew all this, to which Afrien said that it wasn’t important. (A/N: I mean, I think it’s kinda important…) He then added that the important thing was that Hiver had used Evan. He explained that since Hiver couldn’t enter the island himself, he had manipulated Evan into breaking the spell and awakening Afrien. He then told Evan that his only wish was that Evan and Mir stop the Black Wings. As Mir hadn’t seen Afrien’s memories, he asked Evan to tell him what he had learned. Evan kept his promise not to tell Mir about his ancestry and instead explained that the Black Mage, far from being the force of good that Hiver had promised, was the one responsible for wiping out the Onyx Dragons.

Realizing that they had been manipulated, Evan and Mir decided to visit each of the places they had completed missions in in order to see what consequences their actions had wrought. In Orbis, they learned from Lisa that the Rapid Growth Accelerant had caused much harm due to the Giant Nependeaths it created, and that only the actions of a passing traveler had resolved the situation.

Next, they went to the Chief’s Residence in El Nath, where they spoke with the Magician Instructor Robeira. Evan asked if they had done good work by hunting the zombies, to which she responded that they had indeed. She told them that if it hadn’t been for the zombies, El Nath could have developed further such that they would have the resources to find a way to get rid of them. However, she warned them to take care of any zombie teeth that they recovered, as the teeth contained a dark corruptive energy. She told them that the corruption had taken hold of Shammos, who continued to perform misdeeds in spite of wanting to atone for his wrongdoings.

When Evan asked what Shammos had done wrong, Robeira explained that Shammos had been caught with a copy of the key to the basement of the Chief’s Residence. Although she had taken it away, she believed that he had likely made more copies and explained that there was an old treasure stored in the basement, which needed to be protected at all costs. (A/N: This is likely an allusion to the Seal Stone of El Nath, although this contradicts Phantom’s storyline, which reveals that the Seal Stone is located in the research lab of Alcaster’s master in Orbis Tower.)

In Ludibrium, they spoke with a guard named Marcel, who told them that the Door Block had guarded an important treasure. Although no one knew what the treasure was, its theft had been a major incident in Ludibrium. After realizing just how badly their actions had inflicted misfortune on the people of Maple World, Evan and Mir were furious and decided to confront Hiver at Frog House in order to get revenge. There, Hiver told them that while they had been useful for a time, they had become nothing more than hindrances. Evan and Mir unleashed their full power, which overwhelmed Hiver enough that he retreated. Knowing that he had probably returned to the Black Wings base in Edelstein, Evan and Mir decided to follow him there.

Meanwhile, the Black Wings conducted an operation to try to steal the Seal Stone of Ereve. Baroq used his powers to disguise himself and infiltrate the island, but thanks to Aran’s timely warning, Neinheart was prepared and mobilized the Cygnus Knights, who forced Baroq to retreat. (A/N: The events in which the Cygnus Knights stopped Baroq took place in the original Cygnus Knight storyline during their 3rd job advancement.)

Soon after, Lilin - at Neinheart’s request - contacted Aran and told her that the Knights wanted to thank her personally for warning them about the Black Wings’ plot. In Ereve, Neinheart thanked Aran and explained that her warning had allowed the Cygnus Knights to stop the Black Wings from taking Shinsoo’s Teardrop. He explained that he had initially mistrusted Aran because of her strange aura, and because the letter had been so realistic that he had suspicions about her. However, after thoroughly investigating her, he explained that there was no need to doubt her, adding that he could now understand, to some extent, the feelings of ‘that child’ who had waited for her, though he quickly dismissed his words as him merely talking to himself.

Some time later, Aran was summoned to Rien by a penguin named Pucci, who explained that while taking care of his huskies, he had realized that one of them was actually a wolf. As wolves weren’t native to Rien, he wondered where it might have come from. Though he didn’t know much about wolves, he felt that it would be cruel to abandon it, and so he had resolved to raise the wolf until it could take care of itself. In order to find out more about raising wolves, he asked Aran to go to Snowy Whale Island in Aqua Road in order to visit Nanuke, who was experienced in raising wolves.

Nanuke told Aran that she had raised wolves before and offered to make a Wolf Pup Formula in order to help it grow stronger. For the formula, she asked Aran to bring Seahorse Tails and Wolf Cub Vitamins from Kenta in the Aquarium. Aran brought the ingredients to Nanuke, who made the formula for her. She took it to Rien and fed the wolf, who instantly grew attached to her. Pucci told her that he had named the wolf Werewolf, and that Aran would soon be able to ride it. 

Some time later, Aran encountered Scadur in El Nath, who was impressed to see Werewolf, as he hadn’t seen anyone with a wolf in ages. He told her that he could teach her to ride the wolf and explained that she would need a Wolf Saddle. He offered to make her one in exchange for bringing Jr. Yeti Skins for the raw materials. With the skins, Scadur made her the saddle and taught her how to ride Werewolf.