PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 39: Lachelein, the Dreaming City

• The Adversary continued aboard the Flying Fish to Lachelein, which they learned had been created by Lucid. The Adversary discovered that Lucid had trapped the Erdas of Lachelein within a festival of happiness that never ended. With Lucid’s powers preventing them from leaving, the Adversary decided to help free Lachelein from her control.

• With the help of Protective Mask - a mysterious being who was neither Erda nor human - the Adversary began to slowly chip away at the dream, fighting against Lucid’s Dreamkeepers. Eventually, the Adversary confronted Lucid, who pulled them within her dream. After a fierce struggle, the Adversary defeated Lucid, with Protective Mask helping them along the way.

• With Lucid’s defeat, Lachelein was freed from her control, allowing them to move ahead. As thanks, the Erdas of Lachelein presented the Arcane Symbol of Lachelein to the Adversary.

• Before leaving, the Adversary also discovered several cracks within the dream. Upon entering the cracks, the Adversary witnessed Lucid’s memories and saw her childhood, as well as her time as a Commander. They also learned that Lucid, after looking into the Black Mage’s mind, had learned that he intended to remake the world into absolute darkness, where not even he existed.

• As Lucid had grown obsessed with the Black Mage, just as she had once been for Mercedes, Lucid had created Lachelein as a festival of happiness in order to change the Black Mage’s mind about destroying the world and ending his own existence. However, Lucid’s defiance of the Black Mage had resulted in her slowly losing control of her dream magic, with her Wightmare servants turning on her.

• Nevertheless, Lucid continued maintaining Lachelein in the hope of changing the Black Mage’s mind. Eventually, however, Lucid was trapped within her own nightmare, completely abandoned by the Black Mage.