PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 45: Labyrinth of Suffering

(A/N: Similar to Moonbridge, the 20th anniversary event in KMS deleted several quests in the Labyrinth of Suffering storyline. While these changes made completing the storyline faster, I personally hate them because of how they took away from the atmosphere and tension of the plot. Just like with Moonbridge, I’ll put what originally happened in the author notes.)

As the fog around Moonbridge lifted, Ollie was rescued from the core fragment explosion by the Flying Fish, which had regained its original form after being stuck as Jean in the Morass. After dropping her back off at the White Spear, the Flying Fish told Ollie that it would be back when it was time before it flew off.

Soon after, Ollie met with the leaders of the Alliance aboard the deck of the White Spear. Claudine asked Ollie if she was alright, as she had been exposed to the souls pouring out of the core fragment. Neinheart told Claudine that their examinations had found no lingering effects, though he added that Ollie had something important to say.

Ollie told them that exposure to the core, which had been formed from the Black Mage’s soul, had allowed her to see the Black Mage’s past, back when he had still been the White Mage. She described how the White Mage had stepped into the divine realm, beyond the horizon of awareness, as he had reached for the ultimate light. She explained that his heart had been filled with indescribable joy at the prospect of moving forward, at last, to a world complete and free of irrationalities and evil, which he called the Divine City.

(A/N: The Divine City is a reference to a book called The City of God, written by the philosopher Augustine of Hippo in the fifth century. It’s one of the most influential works of Christian philosophy and explores pivotal themes like human suffering, free will, good and evil, and the original sin. The Divine City is something that was introduced way back in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, in which the White Mage explained that his goal was to replicate the Divine City on Maple World, except GMS made the dumb decision to omit what’s essentially the central thesis of his life’s ambition.

Before I jump into it, I want to give the disclaimer that I have absolutely no knowledge or background in philosophy, and so everything that I’ve written is through me spending the better part of two days trying to understand the main concepts, which means that while I’m fairly confident in what I’m about to say, there’s a chance that some of this might be inaccurate. I’m always looking to keep everything on this site as accurate as possible, so if you happen to find any mistakes, don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know.

Jumping back into the City of God, the context for its writing is that after the sack of Rome in 410 AD, many Romans believed it to be a punishment from the gods for forsaking their traditional Roman religion in favor of Christianity. Augustine wrote the book in order to reassure them that converting to Christianity wasn’t a mistake.

The first half of the book was a scathing critique of paganism and an assertion that the fall of Rome had been because of moral decay, while Christianity had actually been one of the few things that had helped them. The second half of the book outlines two conceptual societies - the City of God and the Earthly City, which have been interlocked in conflict from the beginning of time until the end. The City of God is described as a state of salvation for those who place their faith in God, while the Earthly City is one in which people revel in superficial pleasures.

A lot of the concepts regarding the White Mage and his personal journey can be found in Augustine’s principles. He explains that the two cities are in conflict not just spiritually, but through politics and military as well, with God intervening to guide the actions of the people of His city to victory against the Earthly City and those who’ve sided with the Devil. He believes that as a result of the original sin, humans are fundamentally evil and need to be ruled by government to prevent them from selfishly hurting other people.

However, he also believes that even people from the Earthly City inherently desire peace, and since there are so many different people with different needs and desires, the role of government should be limited in order to not trample on people’s lives, and that it should only exist to guide people towards peace. At the same time, however, he also believes that in order to achieve peace, violence is both needed and justified if it means stopping a greater evil from taking over, citing how the sack of Rome was needed to purge the moral decay by the roots so that it could become part of the City of God. However, he adds that committing violence can only be justified through a holy war, and only if God has commanded for it to happen.

Within the context of the game, the Earthly City corresponds to Maple World in the time of the White Mage, in which the world was filled with violence from monster attacks, insular nations ruled by selfish aristocrats who profited off suffering, and endless civil wars that killed and displaced countless innocents. It was suggested that during this time, humanity was on an imminent course for annihilation, as the moral decay of the world was too deep to repair through conventional efforts.

Because of this, the White Mage sought to save the world by bringing them to the City of God - which isn’t a physical city, but a state of mind that eschews hedonistic pleasure in favor of wisdom and knowledge. He believed that this knowledge would complete humanity and evolve them into beings that could finally know the peace and freedom of the gods.

However, this is where the game subverts Augustine’s thesis by showing that the City of God never existed to begin with. The framework of his assertion is still there - that there are higher beings that intervene in the world for the sake of maintaining their divine will, but the nature of those beings is nothing like the benevolence of God that Augustine knows. Far from acting to bring people to the City of God, the Overseers actively manipulate the world to deny it salvation by keeping it anchored to the Earthly City. When the White Mage declares that there is no ultimate light, he’s saying that there fundamentally is no City of God because the existence of an absolute good can’t exist when God himself is corrupt.

Augustine’s belief in evil is that it was created through humans corrupting themselves with the free will that they were given by God, as God being a source of absolute good means that nothing in creation can inherently be evil, and so evil was created by the human soul through warping its own nature. However, bringing this into the context of the game, if the Overseers are the absolute authority of the universe, and if their purpose is to actively keep humanity anchored to evil, then accordingly, it would mean that ultimate light doesn’t exist, ultimate darkness does exist, and everything in creation is inherently flawed because of this, which is what led the White Mage to believe that salvation lay only in the destruction of God.

Even after he awakens as the Black Mage, you can see some of Augustine’s principles in play through his actions - borrowing the power of the gods in order to hold their authority, thereby allowing him to grant himself the permission of God to initiate his holy war against evil, embracing and justifying violence for the sake of stopping a greater evil, purging humanity in a war of genocide to wipe out the moral rot, and a high regard for the free will of mortals by using the Seal Stone as his tool to destroy the Overseers.

The absence of a City of God in the game brings up an interesting question of how humans can find salvation after rejecting the divine. Personally, I think the key difference in the game is that unlike real life, there was no original sin in the story, which means that humans aren’t fundamentally evil in accordance to Augustine’s reasoning. Augustine’s work actually inspired another philosopher named Thomas Aquinas, who ironically came to the exact opposite conclusion - that humans are inherently good, and that it’s possible to be happy and peaceful in the Earthly City, even if absolute happiness isn’t possible, which, in the context of the game, is a direct rebuttal to the White Mage’s philosophy and something that he admits to the Adversary in Limina.

Between 1259 and 1265, Aquinas wrote a series of four books as part of a collection called Summa contra Gentiles, in which he explained that absolute happiness isn’t possible because the world is filled with too much selfishness. He believes that God had created humans with the intent that they would come seeking His perfect knowledge and be completed, giving them absolute happiness and pleasure on an incomprehensible level.

However, he makes a distinction between perfect happiness, which he calls beatitudo, and imperfect happiness, which he calls felicitas. This is a refutation of Augustine’s principle that humanity is inherently evil and incapable of natural goodness. He cites Aristotle’s natural virtues and explains that along with the virtues of God, humanity is capable of attaining happiness on the mortal plane. However, he emphasizes that people have a natural drive to become complete, and that felicitas will eventually stop feeling like it’s enough, as no matter how happy people are, they’ll always feel like there’s something missing, which is their desire for beatitudo.

In context of the game, Aquinas’ writings acknowledge the White Mage’s belief that the world is imperfect and even goes as far as to justify his search for the ultimate light as a natural instinct of a being who seeks to be completed. However, his belief that humanity is inherently good refutes the idea that people are relegated to misery because an imperfect happiness, while not absolute, is founded on the basis that human beings choosing to be virtuous can create a worthwhile existence, even while trapped in the Earthly City.

Within the context of Augustine’s writing, Cygnus and her government in the Earthly City are actually the perfect form of authority. Just as he had outlined, the Empress is very hands-off and allows each nation to rule itself for the most part, thereby avoiding infringing on people’s wills. However, when it comes to defending the world from darkness, she utilizes all of her authority to wage war against the moral corruption that threatens her people. Taking the ideas that humans are neither inherently pure good or pure evil, and given the existence of the divine as corrupt, it supports the idea that humans should have the capacity to govern themselves in adherence to their virtues, rather than live under the rule of murderous gods, and the fact that Maple World’s government adheres to Augustine’s ideals supports this principle that humanity already has everything it needs in order to evolve itself into a better existence.

The Adversary’s victory over the Black Mage is a refutation of Augustine’s belief that humanity is sinful because of their free will, and the existence of the Seal Stone as a relic created by humanity through reclaiming the corrupt power of the Overseers inside the World Heart, the original relic upon which the weaker Godspheres and Seal Stones were made, remodeling it to awaken on a new set of conditions that embrace collective willpower, and creating a new type of demigod in the form of the Adversary, who exists as a unique amalgam of mortal and god, is a redefinition of divinity by placing its value in being flawed, rather than in an absolute good or evil to strive towards.

It adopts Aquinas’ belief that imperfect happiness and peace is possible to replicate in the Earthly City, and goes further to show that its imperfection is, in itself, an attainment of their ideals, as the drive to seek greater happiness - when applied with virtue - is what drives humanity closer to completing itself on its own merits, rather than by placing importance on abstract, unattainable, and flawed ideals like ultimate light or a City of God, as there’s no truth to be found in the constructs of a god without sanctity.)

Just then, however, he had found himself being held back by an unknown force that Ollie described as the world itself, or something beyond that. When Edea asked her what she meant, Ollie replied that she found it difficult to describe, though she attempted to explain it as the force of order, an essence of balance, principles, and rules. She explained that it was shapeless as fog, conceptual and abstract in nature, though she knew that it was real because of the way it had wrapped around the White Mage like an unbreakable chain, colder and heavier than any metal in existence.

(A/N: Something interesting is that Aeona described the voice of the Overseers as beautiful and cold, similar to how Ollie describes their influence as cold and metallic. In the Black Mage: Origin webcomic, we get to see another rendition of the White Mage entering the divine realm, which shows him standing on a large chessboard in the middle of space, with a large, eye-like nebula staring back at him, suggested to be the Overseer of Light.

The aesthetic of the Overseers being beautiful, cold, abstract, and synthetic is probably the closest thing that we have in the game to a true, omnipotent god compared to both the Transcendents and the Ancient Gods. Their existence is something that goes beyond the physical plane, melded as one with the universe itself. They’re imperceptible and unknowable, which adds a layer of intrigue and uncertainty to them because they’re forces of nature that behave mechanically and methodically, making them quite different to the villains that we normally face who have bodies, emotions, and desires of their own.)

The White Mage had demanded to know why the Overseers refused change, and why they allowed the world to remain stagnant and incomplete forever. Furious at the Overseers for deliberately leaving humanity to suffer without end, he had chosen to reject them, vowing that he would break free from the chains that kept the world anchored to darkness, even if he had to destroy the world itself in order to change it. In that moment, he had embraced the ultimate darkness and had awakened as the Transcendent of Light.

(A/N: I was talking to someone who plays in KMS, and they were telling me about one interesting nuance in the Korean dialogue that couldn’t get carried over in the English text. In the KMS dialogue, the White Mage has consistently used the highest form of honorifics to refer to every single person that he’s ever spoken with, but the one time that he ever drops his respectful way of speaking is to yell at the Overseers after learning what they’ve done to the world. I really like the added nuance in the Korean dialogue because it does an even better job of showing just how angry he was at the Overseers for indolently abandoning the world and its people.

There are a few other cases with honorifics that they were telling me about as well, but my favorite thing ever is that in Kinesis’ storyline, the White Mage talks to Kinesis very politely, and meanwhile, Kinesis talks to the White Mage with the same honorifics that he’d use to talk to an underclassman, which goes beyond disrespectful, as it’s basically him, a teenager, talking to an adult as though they were a little kid. It really adds a lot to Kinesis’ personality and goes to show just how much he hates the White Mage for what he did to Friends World and Yuna.)

Though Claudine and Edea were disturbed to know that the Black Mage wasn’t merely a madman out to destroy the world, Cygnus asked them to focus, as they were fighting to ensure the survival of their worlds. Neinheart agreed, reminding them that the Black Mage’s means were ruinous, regardless of how noble his ideals were. Ollie then told them that the final thought that she had felt from the Black Mage had been his goal to build the Path to Genesis. 

Just then, an Alliance soldier reported that they were about to reach Tenebris. Neinheart told the Adversary that it would be their responsibility to serve as the vanguard of the Alliance and to forge their path through the darkness as they reached the heart of Tenebris. However, Cygnus told Neinheart that the White Spear would be the vanguard and instead asked the Adversary to provide cover from the rear until the entire Alliance fleet reached Tenebris. Neinheart protested, telling Cygnus that the Alliance would collapse without its leader if she were to fall during the front charge, to which Cygnus then asked Neinheart why he was so willing to put the Adversary at the front if it was so dangerous.

(A/N: At this point in time, Cygnus has reached adulthood and has claimed the full power of Shinsoo. Her new personality lies in stark contrast to her happy, compassionate childhood self. There are quite a number of jaw-dropping moments like these where she acts out-of-character in both Tenebris and beyond. I’m sure that the writers probably wanted to demonstrate her being older and more mature, but it still feels really weird to see Cygnus behave like this. There’s one moment in Limina, in particular, that I absolutely hated, which you’ll see fairly soon in the next section.)

Cygnus reassured Neinheart that she wasn’t scolding him, but she pointed out that she could most effectively lead the fleet from the front, as well as provide better support, since she knew more about the fleet’s capabilities. She also added that if she used her command to keep herself safe, the Alliance would lose its trust in her. Neinheart reluctantly agreed to her plan and told the Adversary to watch their flank.

(A/N: Several classes get exclusive dialogue here, although sadly, Explorers, Adele, Khali, Hoyoung, and Lara got nothing. Those Grandis classes were released after Tenebris, which might be why they don’t get their own script. Kain was technically released after Tenebris as well, although he probably got dialogue because his is shared with the rest of the Nova, while the Flora classes at the time - Illium and Ark - had unique scripts and the Anima classes didn’t exist at all. Nexon was probably just too lazy to come up with unique scripts for Adele, Khali, and the Anima classes.

Cygnus Knights and Mihile note to themselves that the Empress has grown much stronger, and that they’ll support her as best as they can.

Resistance classes and Xenon sense the Empress’ determination and recall how Edelstein had escaped the Black Wings by stopping Black Heaven. However, they realize that this fight is bigger, as everyone is at risk. They think to themselves that they should renew the resolutions that they’ve made with their allies, noting that Claudine has joined everyone to help fight in the monstrous battle that they’re now facing.

The Demon notes that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about her determination, he looks back on when he had watched his family home burn with his own eyes, and when he had killed Damien with his own hands. He recalls that the determination and rage that he had felt back then was just as intense as it feels today. He then steels his resolve, reminding himself that it’s nearly time to face the Black Mage.

Aran, Mercedes, Luminous, and Shade sense the Empress’ strong resolve and note to themselves that though it’s been a long journey, they’ll finally meet the Black Mage soon. Shade gets some additional dialogue, in which he thinks to himself that he still remembers the decision that he made on that day. He recalls the determination that he’d had when he had left everything behind and had risked his life to stop the Black Mage, vowing that he’ll remember that determination when he faces the Black Mage again. The decision that he’s talking about is his vow that he’ll do anything to stop the Black Mage, even if it means that he’ll fade out of existence completely as a result.

Evan senses the Empress’ determination and notes to himself that it’s almost time to face the Black Mage. Though the thought makes him nervous, he vows to gather his strength, after which he and Mir reaffirm that they’re in it together.

Phantom senses the Empress’ strong resolve and wonders to himself whether it was how Aria had felt back then.

For Zero, Alpha and Beta both sense the Empress’ resolve and note that it’s nearly time to face the Black Mage. Beta asks Alpha if he’s shaking, which he vehemently denies. He tells her that he can’t leave Maple World, a place that Rhinne loved so much, in such a state, adding that as Transcendents of Maple World, they’re responsible for defending it. Beta agrees and vows that they’ll protect their world.

Nova classes note to themselves that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, they realize that if they don’t win the war, then Grandis won’t be safe either. They then resolve themselves to defend Maple World and Grandis.

Illium notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, he realizes that if they don’t win the war, then Maple World will end up just like the Verdant Flora, which would also mean the end of Grandis. He then resolves to defend Maple World so that others won’t have to go through what the Verdant Flora had.

Ark notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, he realizes that it’s a battle to survive, which is quite unlike the wars of the High Flora. He thinks to himself that he can’t stand seeing others disappear like they had in the High Flora purges, and he resolves to help defend Maple World so that what had happened on Verdel won’t happen again.

Kinesis notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. He reminds himself that this is just the beginning, and that if they don’t win the war, then he won’t be able to go back to Seoul. He then resolves to defend Maple World the same way that he had defended Seoul so that he can get back to his friends.

Additionally, while these classes aren’t canon to the main story, I’ll still list them here in case anyone was interested. I’ve added these lines to the GMS-verse section as well. I currently don’t have anything story-related on Mo Xuan as of now, since he’s neither part of the main story nor GMS-verse, although I’m planning to add him to the Maple Anthologies section one of these days. Zen is technically part of GMS-verse, but his storyline had such little coverage online that any chance of grabbing his exclusive dialogue has now been lost, as he’s unfortunately been removed from the game.

All the GMS-verse classes note to themselves that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about her determination, Beast Tamer and the Sengoku classes remind themselves that they need to defend Maple World, while Jett reminds herself that she’d better get back to them all.)

After the Adversary left, Cygnus confided to Neinheart that she had sensed a darkness hanging over the Adversary, which was the real reason why she had wanted them to stay back. Recalling the Black Mage’s prophecy, “A light whose brilliant glory is lost will face the soul of the world whilst steeped in mire and rot,” Cygnus had a terrible feeling that they would never see the Adversary again.

As the Adversary headed to the rear, they encountered Melange, who had been assigned to the same battleship. They thanked him for his help in dealing with Will, though Melange told them that he was unsure whether he could help them in the same way again. As they approached Tenebris, the darkness quickly began consuming their vision. Neinheart attempted to contact them about the lack of enemy movements, but the communication device soon stopped working. As the darkness grew even more intense, the Adversary was filled with an unusual sense of hopelessness and wondered why their thoughts had changed so suddenly.

(A/N: The Heroes get some exclusive dialogue here. As the darkness begins consuming everything, all the Heroes except Luminous wish that Luminous were there with them. As someone who hates the Adversary storyline, I also wish that the conclusion of this almost two decades-long story weren’t reduced to a one-man show. Phantom gets some additional dialogue when he says this, in which he says, “Never here when I need him… I’m telling you, he’s useless!”

The Heroes then realize that if Luminous had cast a light, then it would be visible ahead, making them realize that something might have happened on his end, which heavily suggests that all the classes in the game were technically present at Tenebris, and that the writers made it so that we not only don’t talk to a single one of them, but also that they did absolutely nothing significant, just so that the writers could make their generic protagonist more important than anyone else in the universe. Was it really that hard to add just one exclusive scene for each class where they meet another class NPC?

Luminous gets some alternative dialogue, in which he starts feeling like his own light is fading. He wonders whether it’s because of the Black Mage’s power, but he then realizes that no matter how strong the Black Mage is, even he can’t expel light itself. He then wonders what it is that the Black Mage is planning.

Illium also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that even the light of the Elder Crystal is fading.)

With no communications and no clear line of vision, a Resistance soldier reported that there was no way to signal the rest of the fleet. As the airship was pulled down, Melange ominously told them that they were already in ‘her’ clutches. He then told the Adversary, “Her sword is trapped in the haze of the Black Sun until the lying hand that blinds the eyes vanishes and the red thread that binds is cut. We have no choice but to dance with her.” Outside, a flash of lightning revealed a massive labyrinth until the darkness returned to cloud their vision. As everything disappeared, Melange cryptically told the Adversary to remember that "all roads exist inside your heart.”

(A/N: GMS is very inconsistent with the exclusive dialogue that references what Melange says here later on. Some characters will hear “mind” instead of “heart”, or even “paths” instead of “roads”. Based on the original KMS dialogue, I think that “all roads exist inside your heart” is the intended phrase, and so I’ve standardized it as such throughout this section.)

The ship then crashed in the Labyrinth of Suffering, where the Adversary awoke to find that several crewmembers, including Melange, were missing, and that communications were still down. The Adversary decided to climb up the wall to find their bearings and saw that all of Tenebris was an immense maze.

Suddenly, the walls began growing even taller, knocking the Adversary back on the ground. With few options, they decided to headcount the members present in order to find who was missing, after which they would recover any supplies from the destroyed ship before heading out to search for the others.

They picked up several barrier stones and placed them at natural choke points in order to defend against unknown threats. They were also able to salvage rations and flares, though one of the Resistance soldiers noted that damage to the ship had been focused on the most critical parts. The Adversary then tried to use one of the flares to signal the fleet, but found that they were unable to light it.

In order to kindle a small fire, the Adversary decided to find flint and tree branches in the labyrinth. The group then obtained a long rope, which they planned to tie to the ship while holding the other end in order to prevent themselves from getting lost in the labyrinth. The Adversary organized three groups and warned them not to stray too far from the ship.

(A/N: Anyone who’s ever seen a horror movie knows that this is a terrible idea. The quest to find the flint and tree branches got removed, and the scene instead fades out to black before fading back in to show us returning back from collecting the materials off-screen.)

After finding the materials inside the labyrinth, the Adversary returned back to the crash side, where they found that the other groups hadn’t returned. In order to signal the groups to return, the Adversary decided to use another flare. As the flare reached the sky, it mysteriously vanished, as did the next one that they used. With no more flares and no other options, the Adversary decided to look for the groups themselves.

Suddenly, a wounded Nova soldier ran screaming towards them, claiming that the walls had eaten his squad. The Adversary had three of the group members tend to the Nova soldier’s wounds and rounded up everyone who wasn’t fixing the ship to head into the labyrinth with them. They followed the rope through the maze and found the clothes and weapons of the missing crew. As they began searching for clues, the clothes and weapons all vanished. Overwhelmed by what was happening, the Adversary suggested returning to the ship.

(A/N: There was a feature in the original storyline where we wander around a 5x5 grid map in order to find our objective. The grid map mechanic got removed from the story and we skip straight into the cutscene where we find the clothes and weapons of the missing crew.)

Back at the ship, the Alliance soldiers welcomed them back, just as they noticed that only two out of the six had returned. The Adversary was surprised, as the missing people had just been following along moments ago. They then asked where the people fixing the ship were. A Cygnus Knight told them that they had gone to grab some tools just before the Adversary had returned, though there was no trace of them left. The wounded Nova soldier was convinced that the labyrinth was eating them, and that there were monsters coming soon.

Suddenly, one of the barrier stones activated, signaling an enemy attack. The Adversary and the other soldiers defended the camp from the Dark Miscreations, though two soldiers were lost. Frustrated at how fast their ranks were disappearing, the Adversary decided to search the area with two of the remaining soldiers and ordered a Temple Keeper to guard the wounded Nova soldier. (A/N: The Temple Keeper tells us that she’s scared to be alone, and so we get the choice to have someone stay with her or make her stay by herself.) The Temple Keeper also asked to have the Nova soldier tied to a barrel for her own safety, as he appeared delirious from fear.

The Adversary then entered the labyrinth once again, though the two soldiers accompanying them were quickly lost while inside. Wandering alone, the Adversary found a door that unexpectedly led back to the crash site.

(A/N: Originally, we wandered around the 5x5 grid maze and eventually found a blue Labyrinth Core, which we had to destroy before finding the door that leads us back to the crash site. I’m not sure why the parts with the Labyrinth Core got removed, since it was a somewhat important plot point.)

Back at the crash site, they found only the wounded Nova soldier tied up, with the Temple Keeper assigned to watch over him gone. (A/N: If we chose to have someone stay with her, they’re also gone.) The soldier chuckled, telling the Adversary that everyone had trusted them and asked how they expected to save the world when they couldn’t even save their friends. The Adversary accused him of being the reason why everyone kept disappearing, but the soldier told them that it was their own fault for bringing them there, splitting them up, and putting them in danger.

He asked if they had started believing that they were special simply because others had said so, declaring that they couldn’t even protect the people next to them. As his voice kept growing louder with accusations and insults, the Adversary instinctively lashed out at the soldier, who vanished in a puff of smoke.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, which is slightly different depending on whether you were Alpha or Beta at the time of this cutscene triggering. Regardless of who you were, you call out to your twin and wonder why you’re getting no answer. You note that your twin feels strange, as it feels like they’re not there, despite you being able to see them next to you.

If you’re currently playing as Alpha, you’ll say that it feels like the time that you saw Beta bound in the Umbra Temple. Meanwhile, if you’re playing as Beta, you’ll say that it feels like the time that you saw a vision of Alpha when you were bound in the Umbra Temple.

Evan also gets some similar exclusive dialogue here, in which he calls out to Mir and wonders why he’s getting no answer. He notes that something isn’t right with Mir, as it feels as though he’s not actually present, even though he’s right next to him.)

Suddenly, they heard a mysterious voice asking the Adversary to save them. They then entered the labyrinth and found a new region, which had previously been blocked by a wall. There, they found light emanating from a cave blocked by tree roots. After destroying the roots, they headed toward the light, just as tree roots magically grew to block the entrance behind them. They arrived in a deeper section of the labyrinth and proceeded deeper inside, where they found an unconscious Alliance soldier ensnared in roots.

(A/N: Before finding the Alliance soldier, we originally had to fight through Despairing Wing and Despairing Blade monsters. These monsters are meant to be fallen Nova and Cygnus Knight soldiers, which have been revived by Hilla. Throughout the deeper parts of the labyrinth, we encounter a lot more monsters meant to be dead Nova, Resistance, and Cygnus Knight soldiers, and while it may seem like all these Alliance soldiers are dead, all the fallen soldiers that we fight in the labyrinth are just illusions that Hilla created to break our spirit.

From the very beginning, we’ve been the only member of the Alliance actually inside the labyrinth, with even the crewmembers that we crash-landed with being illusions. One thing that clues us in on this is that Melange is nowhere to be found, despite having been on the ship with us. We, most likely, got tossed overboard from our ship because of the turbulence, causing us to fall into the labyrinth alone. The rest of the Alliance is still outside attempting to land the fleet past the monsters flying around the skies of Tenebris.)

After cutting the Alliance soldier free, the Adversary found more Despairing monsters chasing after them. The Adversary picked up the Alliance soldier and managed to outrun the monsters. (A/N: The quest where we kill monsters was replaced by a cutscene of us killing monsters.) After losing them, the Alliance soldier introduced herself as a Night Walker named Azalin. She immediately recognized the Adversary and noted that they had done many great things throughout their journey.

(A/N: You can easily tell that Azalin is Hilla with brown hair. One plot hole that opens up because of this is that every class who witnessed Hilla’s scheme to dethrone Cygnus with the fake Skaia should’ve immediately recognized that Azalin’s appearance matched Hilla’s noblewoman disguise from that conference. In particular, this should include Aran, Mercedes, and Phantom, who were all present when it happened.

A lot of classes also get some exclusive dialogue when they speak with Azalin. Unfortunately, Explorers (including Jett), and the Anima classes don’t get anything. I was a bit surprised that the Anima don’t get any exclusive dialogue, since all the other Grandis classes get the same exclusive script. I’m guessing that the developers probably don’t have an internal grouping for Grandis classes in their codebase, but instead, they have groupings based on class groupings, like the Nova, the Flora, the Heroes, etc.

Since there were no Anima classes at the time of Tenebris, they likely had flags included for the Nova and Flora class groups, which would trigger the exclusive dialogue when the code checks to see if the player falls under the category of the Nova or the Flora, since they don’t internally group by Grandis classes or Maple World classes. That would explain why Kain got dialogue with Cygnus earlier, since he’d be grouped together under the Nova, and why Adele and Khali got dialogue here, but not with Cygnus, since the Cygnus dialogue was individual for each Flora class, but the Azalin dialogue is the same for all the Flora.

For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, she tells them that as a Knight, she’s always looked up to their example, and that she’d always wonder if it was even possible to be like them. Upon finally meeting them, however, she laughs that they’re more ordinary than she’d expected. The Knight gets offended and wonders to themselves what she’s implying, to which she asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.

For the main Resistance and Xenon, she tells them that despite the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance being at odds for years, it looks like they’re in it together now. However, she coyly adds that she’s sure that they don’t completely trust her yet.

For the Demon, Azalin tells him that it’s funny how he seeks to destroy the Black Mage after having once been his right-hand. She then wonders who could have predicted something like that. She notes that the Alliance still accepts him, despite knowing what he’s done for the Black Mage, adding that she was surprised, asking who would’ve thought that someone could defect a second time and side with the Black Mage again. The Demon asks her what it is that she wants to say, to which Azalin merely says that she hopes that he’s made the right choice. The Demon notes to himself that something is off, after which Azalin says that what’s important is right now.

For Aran, Mercedes, and Luminous, Azalin notes how incredible it is that all the legendary Heroes who had once sealed the Black Mage away have returned, adding that she’s honored to be with them as they make history. She tells them that they seem as energetic as ever, despite how much time has passed, which surprises her, as she would’ve imagined that the long fight would be exhausting for them.

She then jokingly asks if they’re feeling rested because they’ve been sealed away for so long. They demand to know what she means by that, to which she interrupts and asks if she’s touched a nerve before saying that she had merely been thinking out loud. They then angrily wonder to themselves whether she’d really had the audacity to cut them off.

For Evan, Azalin notes how impressive it is that he’s the descendant of a great mage like Freud, despite being so young. She adds that Freud was truly incredible, and that she doesn’t know how anyone could match such a master of magic. She then apologizes and claims that she’s not saying anything about Evan specifically, as she’s simply making observations.

For Phantom, Azalin notes that he had even managed to stop Hilla from claiming the throne, adding that he must be pretty sharp to see through her tricks. She then adds that though everyone else was fooled, nothing got by him, although I guess that doesn’t include him getting fooled by the exact same disguise that he saw through the first time.

For Shade, Azalin notes that it’s strange that despite him not having any large, stand-out achievements, he had just happened to have one day fallen in with the legendary Heroes. She adds that while she doesn’t know whether he’s just well-connected, there has to be some reason why the Heroes let him hang out with them. She then asks if she’s touched a nerve before saying that she had merely been thinking out loud.

For Zero, she tells Alpha and Beta that she’s heard that they’re the new Transcendents who would succeed Rhinne as the Transcendent of Time. She adds that she can believe it, as she can feel the power shared between the two of them, and notes that it’s no wonder that the Black Mage’s Commanders have been after them. Alpha and Beta then wonder to themselves how Azalin knows that they’re Transcendents, and how she knows that they’ve faced the Commanders.

Just as they begin to ask her, Azalin interrupts them and says that since they’re a Transcendent split in two, she wouldn’t think that their powers actually match those of a real Transcendent. Just as they start getting offended that she cut them off, Azalin adds that the person next to them seems odd, referring to their twin, which is a reference to the earlier dialogue about our twin disappearing.

For the Nova, the Flora, Kinesis, Hayato, and Kanna, she tells them that she had always been surprised to hear that they had helped Maple World so much, since they’re not from around there.

The Nova and Flora classes get some additional dialogue here, in which Azalin, under her breath, snidely wonders how they could ever save Maple World when they can’t even protect their own. When the player asks her what she had just said, Azalin tells them that she had merely said that they seem a little distracted.

The Sengoku classes also get some additional dialogue, in which Azalin tells them that in any event, she knows that there are two sides, and so she asks them which one they’re on, laughing that they’ll need allies who can help them out in a pinch. She then asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.

For Beast Tamer, Azalin notes that Chase is from Arboren, and that she’s heard that Chase is also a big fan of the Heroes who had sealed the Black Mage. She adds that heroes who can save the world are amazing people, though she then points out that Chase hasn’t actually met the Heroes, adding that she had expected more from her. She then asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.

For context, when Beast Tamer was first released, she had an extremely long, tedious, and borderline torturous storyline to complete. However, the storyline itself was perfectly fine, it was just the arduous fetch and kill quests that were the problem. But since Nexon hates putting in effort to fix anything, they just decided to scrap her entire storyline after level 30, which now ends in the most random and abrupt way.

Her original storyline focused on her meeting the Heroes and proving herself to Neinheart and Cygnus in order to join the Alliance, while a Team Rocket knockoff called Triple Volt attempted to capture her animal companions. With over 80% of her storyline removed, the only remaining parts are her beginning quests in Arboren, her ten-second meeting with Evan in Henesys, and then a final quest at level 140 that has her officially join the Alliance while all the Heroes look on proudly at her.

The questline about her joining the Alliance in the first place has been completely scrapped, which makes it feel extremely jarring to see the Heroes in her level 140 quest talk about all her adventures that don’t happen in the game anymore. But that aside, the problem with this exclusive dialogue is that even though most of her storyline has been removed, she still technically does meet the Heroes at the end of her storyline, which makes Azalin’s claim incorrect.

After all the class-exclusive dialogue happens, there’s another piece of exclusive dialogue that occurs if the player has completed the Azwan storyline. Azalin notes that when she thinks about it, the Adversary really does tend to be wherever things are going wrong. She points out how they had driven Hilla from Azwan, and how they had gone after the Black Mage’s Commanders, whom they had taken out one by one.

The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue during this part, in which Hilla asks him how it had felt to take out the Commanders, since they had once been his comrades. She notes that he must have a cold heart, as she can’t think of how else he could have killed Damien, his own brother, with his own hands. However, she then adds that she didn’t mean anything by it, as she’s simply stating facts.

The Demon’s dialogue then converges back to the regular exclusive dialogue, in which Azalin says that though some of the Commanders have disappeared completely from Maple World, there are others whom the Adversary has merely slowed down.

If the player hasn’t completed the Azwan storyline, Azalin will instead just note that things haven’t really gone according to plan.)

Azalin told the Adversary that they had all been depending on the Adversary to lead them through the fight. However, she told them that they only had to look around in order to see what their situation was. She explained that she had been expecting it, as they weren’t actually fighting the real problem, which was that there were always problems when people came together. She told the Adversary that everyone really just wanted their own happiness, and that fighting the Black Mage didn’t change that basic fact. However, she told them not to worry, as people’s wishes still came true, even in the darkest times.

As the Adversary began questioning her words, Azalin changed the subject and asked where the rest of their team had gone. The Adversary told her that they had gotten separated in the labyrinth, after which the rest of the soldiers had mysteriously vanished one by one. They explained that they had discovered her after hearing someone screaming, but Azalin replied that she hadn’t been screaming, pointing out that she had been knocked out when they had found her.

Though Azalin’s words made sense, the Adversary couldn’t help but feel confused, as they were sure that they had heard someone scream right where Azalin was, and that it had stopped the moment that they had found her. Azalin then offered to help them find the rest of their team, but the Adversary told her that it would be safer to regroup at her ship in order to gather supplies and plan their next move. However, Azalin replied that she couldn’t remember where her ship had crashed, as she could only recall seeing the Adversary upon waking up.

The Adversary then decided that they would return to their own ship and began leading the way. To their surprise, however, many of the landmarks that they had mentally noted had vanished, causing them to get lost. Azalin testily asked them whether they were sure that they knew where they were going, causing the already-stressed Adversary to grow even more anxious.

As they continued wandering through the labyrinth, the Adversary found something glittering on the wall. Believing it to be a blocked tunnel, the Adversary attempted to break through, causing the ground to shake as a horde of monsters appeared and began attacking them. Frustrated at the Adversary's ineptitude, Azalin decided to lead the way instead. After outrunning the monsters, Azalin told the Adversary that she couldn’t trust them anymore and told them to listen to her before leading them ahead.

(A/N: Originally, this part was a lot more involved, and it’s one of the reasons why I don’t like the quest removals. After escaping the monsters, Azalin would ask us to collect Burning Black Souls in order to find clues about the labyrinth. After we obtained the souls from the monsters, we would start heading back when we’d hear a voice warning us about danger. However, we would believe that it’s all in our head, and so we’d ignore the voice and bring the souls back to Azalin, who would then tell us that she can’t find any clues from them.

Regarding the voice that we hear, there are two different voices that we hear in the labyrinth. One of them is a dark voice that Hilla creates to unravel us, while the other is the voice of the divine light that accompanies us on our journey. You can generally tell which voice is which depending on their actions, as the dark voice usually manifests as people crying out for help in order to bait us towards danger, while the divine light is meant to help us by steering us away from danger. As our psychological state begins deteriorating in the labyrinth, the divine light begins getting muffled, and the dark voice grows louder, eventually consuming us with despair and causing us to lose the will to live.

After we get the souls, Azalin takes us through the labyrinth, where we fight through the undead Alliance soldiers. We then have to go through a bunch of different paths by choosing to go left or right, which is supposed to be extremely frustrating because we keep getting lost and Azalin keeps making snide remarks about how bad we are at making good decisions. Once we finally finish backtracking and choosing the right path, we enter another juncture that the new questline skips straight into.)

After wandering through the labyrinth, Azalin led the Adversary into a juncture filled with dead soldiers, though the Adversary was sure that the bodies hadn’t been there moments ago. Losing confidence, they decided to press onward in order to find any survivors. As they walked away, the dead soldiers were reanimated into undead monsters. (A/N: Once again, all these bodies and monsters are just illusions.) 

The Adversary and Azalin then proceeded ahead and encounter another throng of dead Alliance soldiers. (A/N: There was a jump quest that got removed during this part, in which we had to sneak past a bunch of undead monsters before finding the next group of dead soldiers.) Filled with despair at being too late to save them, the Adversary continued searching and encountered yet another group of dead Alliance soldiers. To their shock, the dead soldiers reanimated into monsters.

The Adversary was horrified to know that the monsters they had been fighting were fellow Alliance soldiers. Azalin then attacked one of the monsters, telling the Adversary that they needed to move forward. Filled with regret, the Adversary fought past the Alliance soldiers, their heart filled with disgust at killing the very people whom they were sworn to protect. As they continued cutting down their allies, the Adversary wondered in anguish what they were supposed to do now.

(A/N: The Demon has some exclusive dialogue in place of the Adversary feeling disgust at killing the people whom they were sworn to protect. He wonders whether he can kill them easily because of the darkness in his past and berates himself for being unable to do even just one thing right and atone for his sins. He realizes that he’s never really moved on, not even by a single step. He then wonders whether he was just never meant to protect people.)

Azalin impatiently told the Adversary to hurry up before leading them to another juncture, where the Adversary was shocked to find that they were once again too late to have saved the Alliance soldiers lying dead on the floor. Azalin asked the Adversary whether death followed them wherever they went, or whether they were simply that unlucky. She suggested that they turn back before things got worse, just as the soldiers reanimated into monsters. (A/N: Originally, you had to fight through the monsters in order to escape, but the scene now just fades to black to show that we escaped off-screen.)

After fighting through the undead soldiers, Azalin noted that the Adversary seemed exhausted, snidely remarking that it was understandable when the monsters that they had just cut down had been their allies not so long ago. Overwhelmed and upset, the Adversary snapped at her to be quiet, to which Azalin asked them why they were yelling at her.

The Adversary apologized, explaining that they were tired, to which Azalin agreed to watch over them while they got some sleep. However, the Adversary’s dreams were filled with a voice of despair as Alliance soldiers were reanimated into monsters, forcing the Adversary to accept that there was no way to bring them back. The Adversary then awoke with a start, after which Azalin led them deeper into the labyrinth towards an altar.

Just as the Adversary was one step away from the altar, a curse sigil activated to engulf them. Suddenly, a portal opened, from which a powerful laser beam broke the curse sigil as the masked figure from Esfera appeared. Frustrated, Azalin revealed her true form as Hilla, augmented with even greater power from the Black Mage.

(A/N: I am this close to committing a murder on whoever it was that killed the spirit of Hilla’s original design and her beautiful color palette. Like I don’t hate the black and red scheme, but her original look had a lot of small decorations and colors that complemented the base black and red. When you looked at her, you could easily tell what her gimmick was.

With Verus Hilla, I’m convinced that whoever was in charge of her redesign read that her gimmick was “eternal beauty” and focused too hard on the word “eternal” because somehow their next leap of logic was, “I wonder if I can make a dead body look attractive by slapping on some lingerie.” I absolutely love some details of her redesign, like the green magic and the scythe, but the rest of it just looks like a horribly simplified aesthetic that takes away from the elegance of her original look. I can’t tell if the design is supposed to be intended to seduce or horrify, but at the moment, it’s doing neither for me.)

Hilla cursed the masked figure for interfering in their affairs, first with Will and now with her. However, she then laughed and explained that she had actually been meaning to kill them and stop them from meddling.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they knew that something had been off, as there’s no way that anyone could know that they were Transcendents, or that they had met the Commanders immediately after escaping Mirror World, as only one of the Commanders would have that information. Hilla laughs and asks if they had only just realized that, to which Zero demands that she put their twin back as they were, referring to the previous Zero-exclusive dialogue, which mentions how it feels like their twin has disappeared, despite them being right there.

The next line in the dialogue is dependent on which twin you’re playing as, but there’s a funny typo in GMS, in which you’ll either say, “Put the Alpha back the way they were this instant!” or “Put the Beta back the way they were this instant!”, to which Hilla will reply, “Why must I?” This whole exchange feels like the writers put the Korean text directly into Google Translate and pasted whatever came out. Hilla will then tell Zero that they should’ve sided with the Commanders when they had first been given the offer.)

The Adversary was shocked to see Hilla, believing that the Alliance had defeated her at Azwan and driven her from Maple World. However, Hilla merely laughed and told them that there was no way that she would have been defeated after a single battle when destiny itself was being written at Tenebris. The Adversary then demanded to know what she had done with Azalin, to which Hilla mockingly called out for help, demonstrating that she had been Azalin all along. She explained that she had broken their ambitions, but she had left their reason alone for this very moment.

(A/N: When the Adversary asked where Azalin was, I once again banged my head on my desk at the writers reaffirming that the Adversary really is an idiot. The line in which Hilla says that she broke their ambitions but left their reason alone was actually a lot more savage in KMS, and I strongly feel that they should’ve kept it like that in GMS. In KMS, she basically tells the Adversary that she had dampened their willpower, not their intelligence.)

The Adversary demanded to know why she had made them go through the labyrinth and kill their allies with their own hands. Hilla replied that it was because they were a fool, claiming that all humans were fools, wallowing in their helplessness and clinging to the coattails of their betters. She explained that when humans found an inkling of power, they would try to turn on those whom they once revered.

She then laughed and asked the Adversary if they had thought that she would simply leave Maple World, never to return. Upon seeing their shocked face, she told the Adversary that their fate was to fall into an ever-deeper quagmire and wander for all eternity, adding that it was high time that they stopped struggling and accepted it.

She then laughed at the masked figure for attempting to hide their identity from her. Claiming that they were too weak to handle her, she warned them to leave before she destroyed them. With that, she disappeared, claiming that she was eager to see what the Adversary’s soul was made of. With that, she disappeared and left the Adversary and the masked figure alone.

(A/N: If the player is the Demon, right before she leaves, Hilla will say that she ought to show him something interesting for old times’ sake, since he’s betrayed the Black Mage. She then uses her power to pull Damien’s soul from the afterlife and mockingly asks him how it feels to be reunited with his beloved sibling. The Demon angrily demands to know what she’s done, to which Hilla jokingly tells him that she had thought that he had wanted to see Damien again, adding that he’s making his beloved brother sad.

She tells him not to look so unhappy to see his brother, as Damien has come such a long way for him. Upon seeing the Demon’s anger, Hilla laughs and says that it seems that he still has a little spirit left in him after all. She then warns him not to do anything rash unless he wants another fight with his brother, after which she disappears and takes Damien’s soul with her.)

The Adversary asked the masked figure why they had saved them again, but the masked figure simply berated the Adversary for needing to be rescued so often. They then warned that there would be no more second chances before they vanished as well. Suddenly, they began hearing a dark voice inside their head filling them with terror. Believing that they were going insane, the Adversary began running through the labyrinth in an attempt to escape the voice.

As they stumbled through the core, the Adversary encountering more and more fallen Alliance soldiers. As they began cutting them down, the dark voice in their head manifested as those same Alliance soldiers cursing the Adversary in resentment for their failure to protect them. Unable to stop the voice from ringing in their head, the Adversary continued pushing forward in a desperate attempt to stop the voices from screaming with accusations towards them.

Facing dead-end after dead-end, the Adversary’s mental state gradually began deteriorating as they faced an endless series of guilt and frustration. As they made their way through the labyrinth, they continued encountering Alliance soldiers dying before they could do anything to stop it and transforming into undead monsters. Nevertheless, they willed themselves to believe that the monsters were merely illusions, and that the rest of their comrades were alive somewhere else.

(A/N: Many of these details got removed in the streamlined story, which replaced the monster fights and the dialogue boxes that expressed our inner thoughts with small cutscenes of us wandering alone through the labyrinth, with most of the old dialogue replaced with generic variations of the same “I have to get out of here” line. The 5x5 grid map is supposed to culminate in us finding the second Labyrinth Core, which we destroy before the part where make ourselves believe that our allies are still alive somewhere.

I really couldn’t bring myself to replace a lot of these parts of the old story in the writeup with the new version because it’s just so godawful how they managed to ruin some of the best parts of this storyline just for the sake of making the story go brrr. I can get them removing things like that one jump quest, but there’s no good reason for them to have removed a lot of these monster fights, especially given that the whole point of all this endless wandering is to make us feel the same frustration and fatigue as the Adversary. Nexon has really perfected ruining a good thing down to an art style.)

Just then, however, the voices inside their mind were accompanied by visions of a destroyed Maple World. The Adversary began seeing images of Athena Pierce dying in a ruined Henesys, a wounded Claudine being surrounded by the undead spirits of her fallen Resistance comrades, as well as a horrified Cygnus watching Neinheart succumb to his injuries, while the Cygnus Knight soldiers around them revived into monsters and swarmed around the wounded Empress.

Though the Adversary desperately clung to their belief that it was all an illusion, their fatigue continued clouding their battered mind, which was filled with the inescapable negative thoughts from the dark voices in their head. (A/N: I can’t believe that Nexon actually had a phone call with my psychiatrist about how to personally attack me as much as possible throughout this storyline.)

As they passed out from their exhaustion, they experienced a vision of Hilla and the fall of Azwan. They learned how Hilla, with her flaming red hair, had once been worshiped as the most talented and beautiful Shamaness of Azwan. Though she had basked in the praise of her people, she had realized that her beauty would eventually fade, causing her to be forgotten.

As the cracks in her heart had appeared, the Black Mage had approached her and had offered her eternal beauty and immortality in exchange for her proving her loyalty to him. She had eagerly laid the kingdom of Azwan at his feet, as it had all become meaningless to her in the face of her new power. Though she had been reviled as the Red Witch, Hilla no longer cared, as she had given her eternal loyalty to the one who had given her everything, for which she would never betray him under any circumstances, as she knew that he could take away everything that he had given to her.

Just then, a mysterious voice broke the Adversary free from the vision, calling out to them and reminding them not to forget about their allies. The Adversary then awoke in the deepest part of the labyrinth, where they realized that there was no escape. As they fell deeper into despair upon realizing that they were trapped alone, with all their allies dying because of them, a dark light appeared and began luring them deeper into the labyrinth.

After following the light, the Adversary was led to Hilla, who was amused to find that they had made it all the way to her. She mockingly asked them whether they had missed her that much, to which the Adversary told her not to be ridiculous. An annoyed Hilla noted that they still had a mouth on them, though she added that it seemed as though it was just their mouth that was still working.

She asked them whether they thought that there was anything that they could do, declaring that they would never escape. However, she then told them that it wasn’t yet time, and that she still planned to have more fun with them. With that, Hilla launched an attack on the Adversary, who immediately passed out and began experiencing another vision.

(A/N: This cutscene with Hilla was created for the new streamlined story, which replaced the old quest that had us fight our way through a 6x6 grid and destroy a third Labyrinth Core.)

In the Adversary’s vision, they found themselves in an enslaved Ariant, where SagaT and Ahmad worked laboriously under Areda’s rule. Ahmad told SagaT that everything had fallen apart once Areda had found the Elixir of Youth, causing her greed to grow insatiable. (A/N: If the player has completed the Azwan storyline, the Adversary will express their surprise that Areda has the Elixir of Youth, as they had given it to Medina in Azwan.)

Though Ahmad believed that many had left the city, worsening the situation for those who remained, SagaT revealed that the people hadn’t left, but rather, Areda had been kidnapping and draining their youth in order to maintain the effects of the elixir. The vision then flashed to the palace, where Areda was consumed by the obsession and insanity drawn out by the elixir, which compelled her to gather life energy, which the Adversary realized was Erda.

(A/N: Although most of the visions that we see in the labyrinth are illusions created by Hilla to break us, it’s more than likely that the vision about Areda and the Elixir of Youth is actually true, given that it lines up well with the Azwan storyline, which had a disguised Hilla give a second elixir to Areda after the Alliance recovered the first. That, plus the fact that there’s even exclusive dialogue that plays out if you did the Azwan storyline, makes me believe that this vision was supposed to be an actual event meant to address that plot point, although like I said in the Fight for Azwan section, the situation in Ariant never gets addressed or resolved ever again.)

The Adversary was then plagued by more visions of flaming wreckage raining down on the people of Henesys, dragons swarming the Halflingers of Leafre, and monsters marching on El Nath as Orbis Tower collapsed. As the sounds of the people screaming and dying relentlessly pounding in their heads, the Adversary began losing their faith in their purpose as a hero, believing that they had no right to call themselves one when they had allowed everyone around them to die painfully and miserably. They then realized that there was no way that they could save the world when it was already being destroyed because of their weakness and their failures.

Nevertheless, with the last of their willpower, they forced themselves to make one last attempt at escaping the labyrinth, only to find themselves right where they began. (A/N: The part where we have to fight monsters in order to escape got cut out, replaced with a fade to black instead.) Believing that Hilla wished for them to be driven to insanity, the Adversary attempted to go on, but found that they had no energy or will to keep moving.

With the heavy air smothering their lungs, the Adversary felt complete helplessness as they found themselves unable to even move anymore. As their vision darkened, their last thoughts turned towards them weakly wondering to themselves why it had to be them who was being forced to suffer. Finally admitting defeat, the broken Adversary chose to let go of everything and collapsed at the Altar of Desire, where Hilla, sensing that they had finally lost their will to live, appeared to reap their soul.

Nevertheless, the Adversary instinctively mustered the last ounce of will that they had left and began to fight Hilla in a desperate, half-hearted struggle for survival. As they continued battling, Hilla admitted that she was impressed by their tenacity, even while exhausted and hopeless. Hoping to make matters more interesting, she used her powers to drag Lotus’ soul from the depths of death.

As he began attacking the Adversary, the masked figure appeared once again to block his attack, chipping their mask and revealing Orchid underneath. Orchid furiously demanded to know what Hilla had done to her brother. Hilla was amused to see Orchid and realized that Guwaru’s influence had been masking her energy.

Hilla told Orchid that she had initially decided to leave her alone, since Orchid had seemed to keep to herself, but her continued interference had left Hilla irritated. Though she told Orchid to leave, Orchid continued to demand an explanation from Hilla about what she had done to Lotus. Realizing that Orchid wouldn’t let it go, Hilla mocked her and explained that Lotus was now her slave.

Overwhelmed, the Adversary collapsed, despite Orchid’s urges to get up. Hilla then summoned more monsters and told Orchid that for old times’ sake, she would grant one more chance for her to leave. As the Adversary lost consciousness, Hilla declared that she would live forever in the Black Mage’s new world as his chosen.

In the darkness of the Adversary’s mind, they began wandering aimlessly, wondering where they were. In the distance they were able to vaguely hear the sound of Orchid and Hilla fighting in the real world. Suddenly, they began to feel their memories fading, causing them to start wondering where they were and what they were doing there. In their memories, they recalled seeing a girl, whom they were barely able to remember was Cygnus. (A/N: Main Resistance classes and Xenon will instead recall seeing Claudine, rather than Cygnus.)

In the distance, they also heard Orchid’s voice from Black Heaven asking them, as they succumbed to Gelimer’s Retoxin, whether or not they felt cheated by meeting such a shabby end, and what good such an end was for them just to save others. Hearing Orchid’s voice, the Adversary was able to recall that they had been fighting Hilla, and that Orchid had also been there.

After considering Orchid’s words, they faintly declared that it wasn’t unfair, nor had it been all for nothing. As they began recalling their purpose, they remembered that they were on their way to face the Black Mage. Suddenly the divine light appeared in the darkness, from which a voice began speaking to them.

(A/N: Each class gets a slightly different script when they talk to the mysterious voice, with the identity of the voice being unique to each class as well. With the exception of Cannoneer and Ark, every class initially doesn’t recognize the voice’s identity until the very end of the dialogue.

For regular Explorers, the voice of Sugar asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Explorer tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Sugar asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Explorer replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Sugar asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Explorer begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless. They then ask what else they can do, to which Sugar tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them about the maple leaves drifting in the sky. She then tells them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Explorer recognizes the voice as belonging to Sugar.

For Dual Blade, the voice of Lady Syl asks him why he risks his life to save others. The Dual Blade tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Lady Syl asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. The Explorer replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Lady Syl asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which the Dual Blade begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Lady Syl tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do, reminding him that they are the Dual Blades, and they’re united as one right behind him. She then tells him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Dual Blade recognizes the voice as belonging to Lady Syl.

For Cannoneer, the voice of Monkey shrieks, causing a surprised Cannoneer to wonder how Monkey got there. He tells Monkey that Maple World is loved and cherished by all, and that all that he had wanted to do was to protect their precious world where he had made so many memories. Monkey then shrieks at him, to which the Cannoneer notes that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone.

He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless before asking what he’s supposed to do. Monkey shrieks back at him, to which the Cannoneer realizes that Monkey is telling him to open his eyes. Monkey then shrieks again, which the Cannoneer interprets as Monkey wanting him to search his heart before adding that he’ll try to keep their mission in mind.

For Pathfinder, the voice of Athena Pierce asks her why she risks her life to save others. The Pathfinder tells Athena that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Athena asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, and what her purpose is. The Pathfinder replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Athena asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which the Pathfinder begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she’s completely helpless. She then asks what else she can do, to which Athena tells her to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.

Athena asks her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she has to do, reminding her that she’s the one to find the path amidst the darkness. She tells the Pathfinder that fear doesn’t suit her and asks her to believe in herself, and to have courage. Athena then tells her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Pathfinder recognizes the voice as belonging to Athena Pierce.

For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, the voice of Empress Cygnus asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Knight tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Cygnus asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Knight replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Cygnus asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Knight begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and they have nowhere to go back to, as everyone - all the knights who had placed their faith in them - have been killed right before their eyes. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless.

They then ask what else they can do, to which Cygnus tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Knight recognizes the voice as belonging to Empress Cygnus.

For the main Resistance classes, the voice of Vita asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Resistance member tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Vita asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Resistance member replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Vita asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Resistance member begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that the place where they used to laugh and sing is no more, with everyone whom they had shared their time with being gone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless. They then ask what someone like them can do, to which Vita tells them to see the world with their own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. She then tells them that she cherishes their moments together and everything that they've done for her. As the voice fades away, the Resistance member recognizes the voice as belonging to Vita.

Originally, all the Resistance classes - including Xenon and the Demon - used to hear Claudine’s voice, although this was later changed so that the main Resistance, Xenon, and the Demon each get their own unique voices. It makes sense for the main Resistance to get Vita and Xenon to get Claudine, since Xenon and Claudine were closer as childhood friends, while the main Resistance classes were closer to Vita, with Claudine being more of a job instructor than a friend to them.

For Xenon, the voice of Claudine asks him why he risks his life to save others. Xenon tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Claudine asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Xenon replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Claudine asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Xenon begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that the place where they used to laugh and sing is no more, with everyone whom they had shared their time with being gone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what someone like him can do, to which Claudine tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do, reminding him that they're the Resistance, that they're united as one, and that they've always got his back. She then tells him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Xenon recognizes the voice as belonging to Claudine. He's then surprised, as he had been sure that Claudine had been killed. Nevertheless, he begins pondering on Claudine's words about opening his eyes, which leads back into the regular script of him awakening the power of the Seal Stone.

For the Demon, the voice of Damien asks him why he's fighting so hard for people that he doesn't even know. The Demon tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Damien asks him whether Maple World is really that precious to him. The Demon replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Damien notes that it's quite curious to hear him say that after he had turned his back so easily on his own people. After a pause, the Demon explains that it's the very reason why he had fought so hard, as he had wanted to protect everyone. However, he laments that he's failed again and adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what's left for him to do, to which Damien tells him to open his eyes and see the truth for himself, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart.

He then calls the Demon 'brother' and tells him that he'll be watching over him. As the voice fades away, the Demon recognizes the voice as belonging to Damien. Just like the main Resistance, the Demon originally got the voice of Claudine, although they later significantly reworked the Demon's exclusive dialogue throughout this area and gave him a lot more unique lines.

For Aran, Mercedes, and Luminous, the voice of Freud asks them why they risk their life to save others. They tell Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Freud asks them why they care so much for Maple World, which is nothing like their home, and what their purpose is. They reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Freud asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they're completely helpless, as even before, they had barely managed to seal the Black Mage, who had still come back in the end. They then ask what else they can do now, to which Freud tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.

Freud asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do, telling them to keep moving forward, just as they had done before. He then tells them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. He adds that the memories of them all will live on forever, and that he'll always be with them. As the voice fades away, they recognize the voice as belonging to Freud.

Personally, I wish that Aran got to speak with Lilin, as Aran has a much closer relationship with her in her story, and also because we've literally never once seen Aran have a one-on-one conversation together with Freud before.

For Evan, the voice of Freud asks him why he risks his life to save others. Evan tells Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Freud asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Evan replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Freud asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Evan begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless before sadly realizing that he'll never see his family in Maple World ever again. He then asks what else he can do, to which Freud tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.

He asks Evan to open his eyes and tells him that he has to get up and do what must be done. He then reminds Evan that he's the Dragon Master and asks him to have a little faith in himself before telling him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Evan recognizes the voice as belonging to Freud.

For Phantom, the voice of Empress Aria asks him why he risks his life to save others. Phantom tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Aria asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Phantom replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Aria asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Phantom begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he had once again failed to protect them. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Aria tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She asks him to open his eyes and tells him that he can get up and do what he must do. She then reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As her voice fades away, she also adds that she'd thought that his smiling face fit him best, too, causing Phantom to recognize the voice as belonging to Empress Aria.

GMS has completely butchered Aria and Phantom's dialogue throughout this game’s history and I absolutely hate them for it. In GMS, Phantom originally tells Aria, “I prefer a woman with a smile on her face," and here, Aria tells him, "One more thing, a smile wouldn't hurt either," which somehow drained every ounce of romance from the most romantic story in this game.

In KMS, Phantom originally tells Aria, "Your smiling face fits you best," and here, Aria reciprocates his words by saying, "One more thing, I thought that your smiling face fit you best, too," which utterly destroyed my fragile psychological state that's already been under siege this entire storyline. I can’t believe that GMS really omitted this exchange and replaced it with something so insipid. At what point is it okay to start demanding monetary reparations from Nexon about being scammed out of entire chunks of nuance like this?

For Shade, the voice of Freud asks him why he risks his life to save others. He tells Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Freud asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Shade replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Freud asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Shade begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless, as even before, he had barely managed to seal the Black Mage, who had still come back in the end. He then asks what else he can do now, to which Freud tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.

Freud asks him to open his eyes, get up, and do what he has to do. He tells Shade that he remembers him, and to never let them change his mind. He then tells Shade to keep moving forward, just as he had done before. He reminds Shade that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. He then adds that the memories of them all will live on forever, and that he'll always be with Shade. As the voice fades away, Shade recognizes the voice as belonging to Freud.

For Kaiser and Angelic Buster, the voice of Fenelle asks them why they risk their life to save others. They tell her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Fenelle asks them why they care so much for Maple World, as it's nothing like Grandis. They reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.

They explain that the people of Maple World had come to Grandis and had helped save them when they had needed it most, and that it’s now their turn to help them. Fenelle asks them whether they remember what they need to do next, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They realize that they'll never be able to return to Maple World, adding that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless.

They then ask what else they can do, to which Fenelle tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do. They realize that what they need to do now is to get back up and keep moving forward, as Maple World cannot fall while Darmoor still remains, for which there's no time to despair. Fenelle proudly notes that they've matured and reminds them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, they recognize the voice as belonging to Fenelle.

Cadena has a completely identical script to Kaiser and Angelic Buster's dialogue, with the only difference being that the voice belongs to her parents. Originally, even that used to be identical to Kaiser and Angelic Buster, but the writers eventually changed it because Cadena and Fenelle have a grand total of thirty seconds of interaction. Weirdly enough, her parents call her Cadena, even though that’s not her birth name.

For Kain, the voice of Luska asks him why he puts his life on the line for the faceless masses. Kain notes that it's a good question and wonders about it himself. Luska then asks him why he sticks his neck out for Maple World, as it has nothing to do with him. Kain notes that while she's right, it’s something that only used to be true. He explains that he's now learned why so many people love Maple World, as he's experienced that love for himself.

He tells Luska that Maple World is home to both his loved ones and all his new memories. Luska notes that he has happier memories now, rather than the painful memories of the past. However, Kain then begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, realizing that amidst all the loss and failure, everything has gone horrible again. He explains that he's just as helpless as he had been as a child, and he wonders what he could ever do about any of it.

However, Luska reminds him that he's not helpless and tells him not to give up now. She tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that the truth is right there in front of him, and that he just needs to open his eyes. She asks him to get up, brush himself off, and do what has to be done before telling him to go on, live his life, and do what he wants, reminding him that he's free. As the voice fades away, Kain recognizes the voice as belonging to Luska. What Luska tells him towards the end of their exchange are her last words to him just before she dies.

For Adele, the voice of Jerome asks her why she risks her life to save others. Adele tells him that it's just her duty as a knight, to which Jerome asks her why she cares so much for Maple World specifically, which isn't a part of her charge. Adele replies that she fights to save the weak, and that she doesn't need another reason. Jerome asks her if, in that case, she knows what she needs to do now, to which Adele begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she has nowhere to go back to. She adds that despite all her convictions, she's completely helpless.

She then asks what someone like herself can do, to which Jerome asks her whether what she had seen is true and tells her to see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth. He then asks her to open her eyes for now, and to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before addressing her as his knight. He then reminds her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Adele recognizes the voice as belonging to Jerome.

For Illium, the voice of Agate asks him why he risks his life to save others. Illium tells her that it’s because that everyone is that precious to him, to which Agate asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home. He replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.

Agate asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Illium begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he has nowhere to go back to. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Agate tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes, dust himself off, and do what he has to do, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Illium recognizes the voice as belonging to Agate.

For Ark, his inner Specter asks him why he's going out of his way to save random people. Ark tells it that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which the Specter asks him whether Maple World really is that precious to him. Ark replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

The Specter then tells Ark to reach out to it, claiming that it'll make it happen. However, Ark refuses, to which the irritated Specter asks him how he can still refuse in such a situation. It then tells him that it doesn't want to disappear either, and so it tells him to open his eyes, see the truth for himself, and to follow the road inside his heart.

Out of all the dialogues, this one takes the cake for being the stupidest one. Every other class hears the divine voice manifest as someone close to them, which motivates them at their lowest point, but of course Ark just has to get the parasite inside him. I will die on the hill that the voice should've been Albaire encouraging him instead. Just let the man hear his boyfriend's voice, Nexon - he's been through enough.

For Khali, the voice of Rasha asks her why she risks her life to save others. Khali tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Rasha asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, which has nothing to do with her. Khali replies that though it was like that at first, it's now a home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.

Rasha asks her if she now knows what to do, to which Khali begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she has nowhere to go back to. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless. She then asks what else she can do, to which Rasha asks her if that's really what she had seen and tells her to see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.

She then asks Khali to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that the truth is right there in front of her, and that she just needs to open her eyes. She tells Khali to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before addressing her as her proud older sister, explaining that what mattered was moving forward according to her own will, as all roads existed inside her heart. As the voice fades away, Khali recognizes the voice as belonging to Rasha.

For Hoyoung, the voice of Tai Yu asks him why he risks his life to save others. Hoyoung tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Tai Yu asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home. Hoyoung replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.

Tai Yu asks him if he can remember what he needs to do, to which Hoyoung begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he has nowhere to go back to. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Tai Yu asks him if that's really what he had seen and tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. He asks Hoyoung to open his eyes, get up, dust himself off, and do what he has to do. Calling Hoyoung his dear disciple, Tai Yu reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Illium recognizes the voice as belonging to his Master.

For Lara, the voice of Gri asks her why she puts her life on the line for the faceless masses. Lara replies that people can't live all by themselves, and that sometimes, one had to be ready to risk everything, even their life. Gri then asks her why she sticks her neck out for Maple World, as it has nothing to do with her. Lara explains that it's not like that, as Maple World holds all their memories.

Gri asks her if, in that case, she knows what she needs to do now, to which Lara begins to say hopelessly that she couldn't protect anyone, and that so many people have died right in front of her. She then wonders whether she'll still be able to go on in spite of it all, to which Gri replies that it goes without saying. He then asks her whether she's ready to give up in that case before telling her to open her eyes and see everything for herself.

He explains that the truth is right there in front of her, and that she just needs to open her eyes. He then tells her to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before adding that though he may have given her a hard time about being naive, he believes that she can still smile bigger and brighter than anyone else he knows. As the voice fades away, Lara recognizes the voice as belonging to Gri.

For Zero, the voice of Rhinne asks them why they risk their life to save others. Alpha and Beta tell her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Rhinne asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. Alpha and Beta reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Rhinne asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and they wonder whether it's because they’re only half a Transcendent, rather than a full one. Rhinne tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. Addressing them as her children, she asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Alpha and Beta recognize the voice as belonging to Rhinne.

For Kinesis, the voice of Yuna asks him why he risks his life to save others. Kinesis tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Yuna asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home, and what his purpose is. He replies that while Maple World is certainly a strange place, it's also the home of everyone that he knows and all his friends, calling it a precious place that holds all their memories.

Yuna asks him if he remembers what must be done, to which Kinesis begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that if Maple World has fallen to such ruin, then it means that there's no hope for Seoul. He then asks if there's anything that he can do in the face of such odds. Yuna points out that giving in to despair isn't like him and tells him that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes and keep going, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. She then adds that she'll always be here for him. As the voice fades away, Kinesis recognizes the voice as belonging to Yuna.

For Jett, the voice of Burke asks her why she risks her life to save others. Jett tells Burke that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Burke asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, which isn't her home. Jett replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Burke asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Jett begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that she has nowhere to go back to, as everyone has been killed right before her eyes. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless before asking what else she can do.

Thinking about fulfilling Burke's revenge and finding a way to return home, she wonders what someone like herself can do when she couldn't even protect what's most important to her. Burke then tells her to see the world with her own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.

Burke asks her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she has to do before asking her not to make him owe her again. He explains that in his eyes, she had never been helpless and reminds her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Jett recognizes the voice as belonging to Burke.

For Hayato, the voice of Princess Sakuno asks him why he risks his life to save others. Hayato tells Sakuno that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Sakuno asks him why he cares so much for Maple World. She points out that it isn't Zipangu and asks what makes him fight for it. Hayato replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

He adds that it's also where his lord lives, and that for her, he'll do whatever he must to protect it. The GMS dialogue actually had Hayato incorrectly refer to his lord as 'him’. Sakuno asks him if he can remember what she needs to do now, to which Hayato begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless before asking what else he can do, adding that he's failed yet again.

Sakuno then tells him to see the world with his own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do. She calls Hayato her sword and reminds him that he simply needs to eliminate everything that gets in their way. She reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. She then tells him to be sure to return, adding that she's waiting for him. As the voice fades away, Hayato recognizes the voice as belonging to Princess Sakuno.

For Kanna, the voice of Tsuchimikado Haruaki, Kanna's master, asks her why she risks her life to save others. Kanna tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Haruaki asks her why she cares so much for Maple World. He points out that it isn't her home and asks her why she would go so far. Kanna replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Haruaki asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Kanna begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless. She then asks what someone like herself can do, to which Haruaki tells her to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.

He asks her to open her eyes, get up, dust herself off, and do what she has to do, reminding her that the way of the Spirit Walker is to think not of themselves, but of the peace of the world, and that their path only concludes at the end of the Spirit Walker's life. He promises Kanna that her spirit will not fail her and tells her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Kanna recognizes the voice as belonging to Master Haruaki.

For Beast Tamer, the voice of Eka the hawk asks Chase why she risks her life to save others. Chase tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Eka asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, and what her purpose is. Chase replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.

Eka asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Chase begins to say hopelessly that everyone - all the people who had put their faith in her - are already dead. She wonders what someone like herself can do, as she couldn't even save her comrades, to which Eka sharply tells her to wake up and see the world with her own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.

Eka then tells her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she needs to do right now, reminding her about the strength that she has in her heart, adding that the power in her heart can overcome any fear and danger for the sake of others. She then tells Chase that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that.

Chase recalls having the courage and the heart of a hero, to which Eka declares that their hearts won't change, and that they'll stand strong and move towards that bright future together. As the voice fades away, Chase recognizes the voice as belonging to Eka, and all the other Critter Champs along with her.

Chase and Cadena are the only people who have multiple people being part of the voice, although in the case of Chase, it’s explained that Eka is the one primarily speaking, while the others’ presence is just there in the background. In the case of Cadena, it’s not clear whether both her parents are talking, or if it’s something like Chase’s situation, in which it’s just one person talking and the other is just there in the background.

You have absolutely no idea how excruciatingly painful it was to find these dialogues by looping story replay over and over again for each class, holding spacebar for 10 minutes during each loop just to get to the actual parts that I needed, taking screenshots, checking them against the KMS text for accuracy, serializing them, and compiling them into this section. If this isn’t a testament to my psychological instability, then I don’t know what is. In any case, I suffered immensely so that you don’t have to, so you’re welcome. And also a huge thanks to people on the lore server for helping lighten the load immensely.

The voices belonging to the characters’ loved ones makes me believe that the divine light does belong to the Goddesses, as their connection to their respective worlds might allow them to manifest the people whom the Adversary cares about, both living and deceased. I guess that it doesn’t work in Ark’s case, though, which is one more reason why I think that they should really change his voice from the Specter to Albaire.)

As the Adversary regained their determination, they felt a warm light inside of them created from the wishes of all the people whom they protected. As they basked in the warmth, they recalled that it was the same feeling from Black Heaven. Feeling the presence of all their loved ones with them, the Adversary regained consciousness as the Seal Stone activated from their powerful determination.

Awakening back in the labyrinth, Hilla was genuinely shocked when she sensed the divine power of the Adversary emanating from within them. The Adversary told Hilla that they had been broken because they had tried shouldering the burden of everyone upon themselves. Hilla attempted to slash at them with her scythe as they spoke, but Orchid immediately used her own powers to stop the attack.

(A/N: I love how Hilla doesn’t even bother to entertain the typical protagonist speech. Orchid says something like, “How dare you?!” when Hilla tries to slash at you, allowing us to successfully have our protagonist moment.)

The Adversary explained how they had realized that they had never been alone, even in spite of how Hilla had tried to trick them into believing otherwise, and declared that they refused to fall for her manipulations any longer. As they stood with Orchid once again, an enraged Hilla used her powers to pull Damien’s soul back from death.

Nevertheless, the Adversary successfully defeated Hilla, who was shocked to find her power and youth disappearing, leaving her as an old, withered hag. She wailed and vanished in black flames, leaving behind the Labyrinth Core. (A/N: Before the streamlining, the Adversary would note that this core is different from the others, although that line was removed with the removal of the other three Labyrinth Cores.) The Adversary then turned to Orchid and asked her how she had managed to appear in the first place.

(A/N: Although it’s heavily implied that Hilla died here, some people think that her death animation looked more like a teleport animation, and so I’m choosing not to definitively say that she died until we get some explicit confirmation. Personally, I think that she straight up withered into dust after she lost her immortality and youth.

Hilla’s death tragically marks the end of the iconic “hot but toxic” duo with Magnus. I wonder how he’s taking the news. Probably better than me. I’ve also just realized that at this point, I simp for more dead characters than living ones. I could probably reliably predict which characters are gonna die in this story based on whether I like them or not. Destonen was dead on arrival, Hilla just bit the dust, and the White Mage is right up next. I’m scared for whoever I simp for in the Grandis story, especially because my impeccable taste in people means that they’re inevitably gonna be well-written.)

Meanwhile, Neinheart contacted Grendel at the Outpost and reported that the White Spear had successfully taken out the monsters, and that a search party would be sent to the labyrinth soon. However, he explained that he wanted to confirm a theory with Grendel and hoped that he was incorrect.

Neinheart explained that according to his research, three elements were needed for the Genesis Ritual: first, the ultimate light held by Tana, which granted the power of creation; second, the ultimate darkness held by the Black Mage, which granted the power of destruction; finally, enough high-purity Erda to fill an ocean, satisfied by the Arcane River.

He told Grendel that the Arcane River was a flow of Erda generated by the convergence of three worlds, with the overwhelming excess caused by the absence of Transcendents from the sealing of Rhinne and the Black Mage. (A/N: Technically, Alicia was also sealed away in Root Abyss, but they don’t mention it in the dialogue.) Neinheart was troubled that the implication of this meant that the Black Mage had deliberately chosen to be sealed by the Heroes in order to achieve his goal.

Grendel then finished what Neinheart was thinking and explained that the Black Mage’s goal hundreds of years ago hadn’t been to destroy the world, but rather, to gather Commanders and minions in order to draw out the Heroes, who would ultimately seal him away. However, Neinheart was still frustrated that there were a few key pieces missing from the whole puzzle.

He pointed out the incident with the Demon and Arkarium, just before the Black Mage had been sealed, and how there had been a possibility that Arkarium might not have been jealous of the Demon enough to have destroyed Leafre, meaning that the Demon wouldn’t have sent the letter to the Heroes.

He added that when Ollie had witnessed the Black Mage’s memories, she had said that the incident had been set off by the trivial matter of the Black Mage praising the Demon while ignoring Arkarium, triggering the whole chain of events that had led to his sealing with only a few words. Grendel was disturbed by Neinheart’s implications and told him that they were in the final stages of analyzing the core fragment, which would soon reveal more of the Black Mage’s secrets.

(A/N: I absolutely love how well-written this storyline was. If someone were to ask me about the high points of the game’s writing, this is probably the storyline that I’d point to. I love the way that the Adversary is slowly broken down and unraveled by Hilla over the course of the story. It’s not even just the idea of being stuck in an endless labyrinth filled with monsters that’s scary, it’s a slow deconstruction of the Adversary themselves and everything that makes them important, just like what happened to Kao.

The Adversary is a vessel that harbors the collective willpower of the people, and their destiny is tied to that of their world, which is an idea that’s been continually reinforced throughout the game. Beings who hold immense power both shape and are shaped by the people whom they represent. The Cygnus Knights gain strength through the Empress, and the Empress is affected by the state of her Knights, like when Cygnus was affected by Lucid’s powers when the Cygnus Knight fell into the Gate to the Future during their 4th job advancement. Fairy rulers like Mercedes and Ephenia have their destiny tied to their subjects, meaning that what happens to one of them happens to them all.

Because of this, the Black Mage’s plan revolved around honing the determination of both the Adversary and the Alliance through forcing them to overcome tests of resolve. In Moonbridge, we got to see how Cygnus’ leadership abilities were drawn out under duress, as well as how all the individual soldiers of the Alliance responded to the fear and uncertainty of their situation by working together in order to survive, rather than giving up when the odds seemed insurmountable.

With the Alliance’s determination strengthened, the second phase of his plan was to sharpen the Adversary’s resolve by placing them in the most difficult situation that they could possibly be in, just like how the Alliance was in Moonbridge. The Black Mage intended for the Adversary to overcome the darkness inside their own mind, and in doing so, their determination would be strengthened enough to match that of the world. Because of their symbolic link, one can strengthen the other, and likewise, the weakness of one affects the other.

The Adversary is arguably the strongest mortal in the world, with the power to stand against immortal beings like the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents. Physically, there’s almost no way to overpower them, and so Hilla chose to break them by eroding their will to wield the immense power that they possess, thereby eliminating them without even needing to lift a finger in combat.

Her plan revolved around the understanding that there’s nothing more brittle or more pliable than the human mind. Under the wrong circumstances, we forget just how much we’re capable of under the right ones. Hilla, who believes that humans are fools incapable of rising above their despair, becomes the perfect enemy of the Adversary by weaponizing her faithlessness to cut away their faith in themselves.

Throughout the storyline, the Adversary’s resolve is slowly chipped away bit by bit, unraveling them by stripping them of their leadership, their composure, their resolve, and their very identity. From the beginning, the Adversary is placed in an uncertain situation in which they know that their leadership is the only thing keeping things together. Because of Hilla’s illusions, the Adversary is made to believe that their own judgement calls to separate the group and lead them into enemy territory is what led to everyone disappearing and dying.

Before the Adversary is isolated and cut off, the last soldier remaining plants an idea that slowly creeps into their thoughts throughout the story, which the idea that the Adversary isn’t a hero at all. While this might seem like a fairly simplistic idea, the Adversary’s perception of themselves as a hero is, quite literally, their entire identity. Out-of-universe, it’s because we’re a protagonist stand-in template for the player’s class, and in-universe, it’s because our character arc revolves around this idea that we exist only to save the world.

At the end of Black Heaven, the Adversary was revived by the final Seal Stone in existence, which means that the world willingly chose to revive them at the expense of allowing the Black Mage to return to full power. What this means for the Adversary is that they’re living with the knowledge that the entire world is now in jeopardy simply for their sake, and they now have to bear the burden of making sure that this decision that placed billions of people in jeopardy for the sake of saving one person wasn’t a mistake.

As a result, the Adversary mistakenly internalizes the Alliance’s faith in them as an expectation - that they have to defeat the Black Mage no matter what, because the entire world crippled itself on the assumption that saving them was worth losing the guarantee that the Black Mage won’t regain his full power. Our obsession with saving every single person comes from the fact that we’re harboring the burden of being that perfect hero that we think the Alliance expects us to be, and every life that gets cut short is our fault for not being strong enough to save them when none of them would’ve died in the first place if the Seal Stone hadn’t been used to save us, letting the Black Mage regain enough strength to kill everyone.

On top of that, the Adversary has repeated and compounded this costly decision by choosing to save Tana. They acted impulsively on their core belief that they have to save everyone, and the consequence of this was that not only has the Black Mage returned to full power, but now he has twice his original strength and everything that he needs to destroy the world was just handed to him by us on a silver platter.

We’re so riddled with guilt and fear that we’re prepared to risk everything that we have just to make sure that we don’t make any more mistakes, and we’re prepared to sacrifice every last shred of our existence so that no one else has to. And slowly, this all-encompassing idea starts overtaking our identity, which makes us stop seeing ourselves as a person, and instead, we see ourselves as just an ideal. We’re the Adversary of the Black Mage. We’re the hero who’s supposed to save the world. We’re the savior who has to save everybody, no matter how much of ourselves we lose in the process.

We’ve reduced ourselves into a set of characteristics that we have to embody, because it doesn’t matter what we want to be, it’s what the world expects us to be. And by the end of it, we suffer from psychological collapse because after losing everyone in the labyrinth, we’ve now failed to be the one thing that we were supposed to be, and we start sinking into the despair that in the end, every risky decision ever made about us amounted to nothing except that many more bodies to bury.

In a sense, the Adversary starts to dehumanize themselves, seeing themselves as only a function, just like how the Adversaries of Odium had their humanity erased, leaving them with nothing but their determination to fulfill their sole purpose as godslayers. From a certain point of view, it’s actually a clever way to give an in-universe reasoning for why every class has their personality overwritten with one so vacant, although I’m like 99% certain that there’s no way that Nexon actually intended for this, since the Adversary is just as boring in most of the Grandis storyline, with the exception of Cernium, which was also a masterpiece of a story.

Throughout the labyrinth, however, the Adversary has this idea of themselves as a hero slowly deconstructed. Their mental state deteriorates, not simply because they have to watch their friends and allies die, but because it was supposed to be their job to stop it. Their entire identity is being a hero, and heroes are supposed to be saviors who don’t let a single person die on their watch. Instead, they allowed everyone to crash in the labyrinth, they allowed everyone to get separated and disappear, and they allowed everyone to be killed. And at this point, it’s not only the fact that we failed to save everyone, it’s that we’ve failed to save anyone.

What makes it even worse is what happens right after - not only has the Adversary let all these people die, but after those soldiers resurrect, the Adversary now has to kill each and every one of them with their own hands. They’re supposed to be a savior, and here they are staining their hands with the blood of the very people whom they had sworn to protect. Not only have they fractured the trust placed in them, but they now have to live with the knowledge that all these soldiers who died can’t even be put to rest, as they’re now cursed to have their souls endlessly defiled by the Adversary, cut down over and over again.

In this way, the Adversary stops seeing themselves as a hero because they’ve broken every single promise that they’ve ever made. When they finally lose their will to live, it’s because they’ve lost everything else that came before it. They’re not a hero or a savior anymore - they’re not anything, really. Having destroyed their sole purpose for existing with their own hands, they now have nothing that drives them to want to stay alive anymore, and it’s with this knowledge that they fall into complete despair until the divine light speaks to them.

The destinies of the Adversary and the world are tied together, and this is the best example of this. In their darkest moment, the voice of the world itself, and the people most precious to them, calls out and supports them when they can’t support themselves. The world shares its determination with the Adversary, lighting up their own determination once again.

In the Ignition Cygnus Knight animated short, Cygnus makes an analogy that a lone candle can’t light the darkness alone, but when it lights another candle, and when that candle lights more, the collective brightness of all the candles is enough to melt away the darkness. I think that analogy works well for what’s happening here, in which the Adversary, who once ignited hope in the world, now has their own candle reignited by the world, in turn.

At the beginning of the storyline, Melange mentions that all roads exist in the Adversary’s mind, which is echoed by the divine light. The labyrinth itself becomes a metaphor for the darkness inside the Adversary’s mind, and it’s through navigating and overcoming that fear that they find the way out in the physical maze. Something that Melange also mentions at the beginning of the story is, “Her sword is trapped in the haze of the Black Sun until the lying hand that blinds the eyes vanishes and the red thread that binds is cut.” The red thread comes from the idea of the red thread of fate, which binds two soulmates together across space and time.

Here, the idea of the red thread is used by Hilla’s “lying hand” as a sort of puppetmaster, trying to make the Adversary believe that their destiny is to fall into darkness. In a broader sense, it’s also the idea that the Black Mage has trapped them into a predetermined future. By cutting the “red thread that binds”, the Adversary is essentially defying destiny, corresponding to how the Seal Stone activated from their powerful determination when they regain their faith in themselves.

I love this storyline so much, not only because of how well-made it was, but also because of the message that it gives of finding hope in hopelessness. I think it does a really great job at depicting a particular flavor of depression with all the ruminating, negative self-talk, and the high-energy panic falling flat into an inability to feel anything at all.

It’s also an incredibly long storyline, which I think adds to the idea of despair and being trapped in an endless maze, although I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how tedious this prequest is. I can definitely see that, although I’d probably sit through this storyline on every character if I could. I think that overall, Nexon needs to make all storylines skippable by default because not everyone is interested in the lore, and that’s totally understandable. I love the lore and I still hold spacebar on most quests that I’ve done before.

The only thing that I find annoying is when people start saying how Nexon needs to stop making long stories at all. First of all, shut up, I just get two new storylines per year, and so they’d better be over an hour long with how infrequently they drop. Second of all - my dude, you’re playing an RPG with the word “story” in the title, what the hell did you think you were signing up for? I can promise that you weren’t the victim of false advertising. I really need Nexon to add a story skip feature just so that I can finally stop seeing the incessant whining on my Reddit feed.

But anyways, Labyrinth of Suffering was amazing but also draining. I’m gonna go wallow in melancholia for a bit before Limina.)