2010-2015 (Big Bang-Heroes of Maple)

August 2011: Silent Crusade (Advance of the Union)

Silent Crusade - October 2011 (Advance of the Union):

(A/N: The Silent Crusade that we have in the game was adapted by KMS, but the content originally came from JMS. The original JMS story is significantly different and even has its own blockbuster that expanded the story. While I don’t know too much about the details, the story focuses on the player working together with either Crow or Starling, depending on your gender. Male characters get Starling while female characters get Crow, as your partner serves as both your rival and love interest. Personally, I wish that we got the option to choose our partner, but I think that Nexon would sooner give out free Frenzy Totems than let us have a romance with a character of the same gender.

I believe that Crow and Starling were also revealed to be siblings in the JMS lore, although they’re only teammates in KMS. The other notable difference is that the main villain of the JMS Silent Crusade is the Black-Blooded Demon Brigade, which actually has no relation to the demons of Tynerum. This game is ironically very unimaginative with its names, in spite of the creative stories that they tell. There’s also some tie-in with Hilla, although I don’t know much about the details. In contrast, the main villain of the KMS Silent Crusade is Arkarium, who’s creating Mystic Gates across Maple World in order to go back in time and free the Black Mage.

The placing of this storyline is a bit weird. During the Alliance prequest of the Resistance storyline, Orchid tells Gelimer that Arkarium has already made his move, which can only really refer to the Mystic Gates. The Silent Crusade is also said to be part of the Maple Alliance at the end of its storyline, but as the conversation between Orchid and Gelimer takes place before the Alliance is formed, this must mean that the Mystic Gates must have appeared before the Alliance existed. This implies that at least the first chapter has to take place before the Alliance is formed, while at least the last chapter has to take place after the formation of the Alliance.

Additionally, the events of Chapter 3 of the Silent Crusade are said to take place before the Lion King’s Castle storyline, while Chapter 4 takes place soon after. Because the formation of the Alliance now occurs much later in the chronology, it wouldn’t make sense to place Chapter 4 so far into the future when those events are meant to be a loose sequel to the Lion King’s Castle. Because of this, I’ve placed the first three chapters together and moved the last chapter and the Arkarium prequest to another section that’s set closer to this one, but keep in mind that the Alliance reference is just an irreconcilable plot hole, although the Silent Crusade being part of the Alliance and the Cygnus Knights is still canon.

Also, you’ll see that I refer to the protagonist of the storyline as a ‘traveler’ for the first part of the section before they join the Silent Crusade. I originally called them an adventurer, but since that’s too similar to Explorers, this was the best way that I could refer to a class-agnostic protagonist, and you’ll find that I use the same term frequently throughout this guide for non-class specific storylines.)

A traveler was contacted by Jake, a subway worker in Kerning City, who explained that a girl had followed several shady figures onto the subway. Worried about her safety, he asked them to check if she was okay and sent them a ticket that would immediately teleport them to the subway. (A/N: This is one of the worst setups for a storyline. Why would he contact us instead of asking literally anyone else in the area? Better yet, why can’t he just go himself? Since this quest starts at level 90, we’d be grinding in Nihal Desert right about now.)

Upon arriving, the traveler found the girl, who explained that her leg had been injured. Just then, Black Wings henchmen appeared and began attacking the traveler, who dispatched them easily.

(A/N: I think that at this point, Orchid is lending her support to Arkarium in order to revive the Black Mage while keeping her true goal with Lotus secret. The out-of-universe explanation is that the writers hadn’t settled on Orchid and her motivations at this point, and so her working together with the Commanders doesn’t really mesh well since future storylines imply that she basically quit.)

The girl then got up and thanked the traveler, who was confused about how she could stand in spite of her injury. She casually dismissed it and asked them to find her bag, which had been taken by a monster. At the empty platform outside, the traveler fought a Crimson Rock, but found no bag upon defeating it. They told the girl that they couldn’t find the bag, but she dismissed that too and told them that she was impressed that they had been able to defeat the Crimson Rock. She then gave them a ticket and explained that it would allow them to meet her at the Relic Excavation Site in Perion before disappearing.

The traveler used the ticket and met the girl at the Relic Excavation Site. She asked whether they had seen a strange gate in the area, to which the traveler replied that they had seen one in the Prohibited Area during their adventures. The girl told them that it was likely the reason why the monsters around the gate were behaving strangely and led them inside, where they encountered Lord Skeleton. After the traveler defeated it, the girl asked if they were interested in protecting the peace in Maple World and instructed them to find Bastille in Edelstein.

There, Bastille welcomed the traveler and took them to a hidden room. He explained that he needed to test their strength, and so he had them fight his puppy, Coco, who had the power to project a monstrous shadow of itself to fight. (A/N: Bastille’s idle dialogue in Edelstein actually says that his dog’s name is Muffins. I assume that either this is a continuity error or Muffins is the name of the dog, while Coco is the abomination that lives inside it.)

After passing the test, Bastille explained that their organization was called the Silent Crusade, a special group whose purpose was to collect information from the shadows regarding the Black Mage’s return. He gave the traveler a special ring that identified them as a Silent Crusader and introduced the girl from the subway as Starling, explaining that she would help them get started on their missions until they became skilled enough to operate alone like the other members. Starling told the Crusader that their current operations revolved around investigating the Mystic Gates that had been popping up throughout Maple World.

For their first mission, the Crusader traveled to Ariant and met with Lora, who explained that a Mystic Gate had popped up in the Royal Cactus Desert.

(A/N: Lora is an interesting agent because she’s a Wild Hunter. Given that the Silent Crusade is affiliated with the Cygnus Knights, I wonder why someone from the Resistance would involve themselves with it. It’s also worth noting that the headquarters of the Silent Crusade are in Edelstein too.)

Lora explained that she had been keeping an eye on the Nihal Desert with her jaguar, Sun, when she had come across the Mystic Gate. As the Crusader had prior experience with the Mystic Gates, she asked them to go inside and deal with whatever they found. Inside, they defeated Deo Ghameq and witnessed a strange shadow when he was defeated. They returned to Lora and reported what they had found. Lora made a note of it and told them that Starling had called to give them their next mission.

The traveler went to Lab Unit 102 inside the Zenumist headquarters in Magatia, where they discovered the new Mystic Gate that had popped up. Upon entering it, they defeated Rurumo and returned to report back to Starling. Starling was interested in learning that the Rurumo inside the gate was much more aggressive than a regular Rurumo. She explained that there were many gates popping up around Magatia and the Silent Crusade was scrambling to get them under control. She mentioned that one of their agents was on the scene, and that he likely needed backup. She then asked them to rendezvous with him in Lab Unit 203 and finish clearing the rest of the Mystic Gates in Magatia.

The Crusader traveled there and encountered Crow, who dismissed them as weak and told them not to get in his way. He then told them to go into the Mystic Gate to deal with the monster on their own, claiming that he wasn’t a babysitter. He explained that the monsters in the Mystic Gates were similar to the ones in the Nihal Desert, citing Deo and Rurumo being stronger versions of their usual selves. The Crusader went into the gate and defeated Homunspeculler. After returning, Crow refused to praise them, claiming that it was something that any Crusader could do. He then told them to meet him in Lab Area C-3 in the Alcadno headquarters.

There, Crow told them to deal with the monster inside the gate, just like before. The Crusader successfully defeated Deet and Roi, and after returning, Crow told them to meet him in Lab Area B-1 after investigating the Iron Mutae and Mithril Mutae first. After hunting them down, the Crusader met up with Crow, who told them that he had found traces of the Black Wings on his way there, which led inside the Mystic Gate. (A/N: As I’d mentioned, this is a remnant from the original story point that the Black Wings and the Commanders were united in reviving the Black Mage.)

After they entered the gate and defeated Chimera, Crow noticed that the energy inside the gate was chilling and wondered whether the Mystic Gates were empowering the monsters inside. They explored the area inside to uncover clues and discovered research notes. The Crusader reached out to grab them, but Crow immediately pulled them back, just as the notes exploded. Crow realized that there was something lurking within the Mystic Gates and told them to first get stronger while he went over his findings, as the Crusader couldn’t be of any more help at their current strength.

(A/N: This is the start of Chapter 2.)

Some time later, Starling reached out to them and explained that Crow had been impressed with their work in Magatia, which in turn had impressed Starling, as Crow was difficult to please. She told them that just like in Magatia, Mystic Gates were popping up in Leafre and dark energy was seeping out of them. She instructed them to go to the Cranky Forest in Leafre and deal with the Mystic Gate there.

Inside, they defeated Master Hoblin and returned to Starling, who told them that some monsters could even escape from the Mystic Gates given enough time, and so she thanked them for preemptively stopping Master Hoblin. She told them that she had sent her report back to headquarters, and that they would contact her with their next mission. Sure enough, Bastille reached out and told the Crusader that he had an urgent matter to discuss with them. He recapped how the Mystic Gates were appearing across Leafre and asked them to join Starling in her investigation.

In Leafre, Starling told them to go to the Sky Nest and deal with a new kind of Harp monster inside the Mystic Gate. There, the Crusader fought Master Harp and returned back to Starling, who explained that the monsters around the area were becoming more violent because of the Mystic Gates. Starling then received news that the Manon and Griffey copies inside the Mystic Gates had gone berserk, and that they would soon break out if they weren’t stopped. The Crusader rushed to the Mystic Gates and defeated them both before reporting that the situation was under control.

Soon after, Crow reached out and told them that the Kentauruses, who held a grudge against the Halflingers, were staging an uprising. He told them that since he had saved them back in Magatia, he expected them to repay the favor by stopping the Kentauruses. After putting down the uprising, the Crusader returned to Crow, who told them that another Mystic Gate had appeared. He also told them that the Halflingers in the village were strangely dazed and sleepy, with some even falling asleep on the road. He asked them to check on a Halflinger named Ito in order to determine what was happening.

Ito explained that ever since he had licked a Mystic Gate, he had begun to feel exhausted, as though something had sucked the energy right out of him. (A/N: For my own sanity, I’m not going to question why he decided to lick a strange gateway.) He told them that he would be fine and asked them to tell Crow that he needn’t bring hot soup for him. Crow was unusually impressed by the Crusader’s kindness and told them that they had done a good thing, adding that he would call them again if needed.

Meanwhile, Starling told them that the Mystic Gates’ appearance in Leafre had coincided with the new Kentaurus King, and that she was afraid that it was leading up to something major. She then asked them to enter the gate and defeat the Kentaurus King. Just as the Crusader defeated him, a Wightmare appeared from within the Kentaurus King and immediately vanished. The Crusader returned to Starling, who realized that the Wightmare was a servant of the Black Mage, which confirmed that the Mystic Gates had something to do with him.

(A/N: The Wightmares were originally portrayed as servants of the Black Mage, as you can encounter two of them talking about his imminent return after you defeat Chaos Horntail. Though they’ve now been retconned as servants of Lucid, we do see that they betray her shortly before the events of Lachelein when she goes against the Black Mage’s orders, which confirms that they answer to the Black Mage over her.)

From what had happened to the Halflingers, Starling concluded that the Mystic Gates controlled nearby monsters and drained the life out of anyone who got near them. She asked them to report to Bastille while she wrapped up her investigation. At the Silent Crusade headquarters, the Crusader gave their report to Bastille, who was troubled to learn that the Black Mage’s servants were controlling the Mystic Gates and wondered what the Black Mage’s goal could be, believing that it had to be more than simply causing chaos.

Just then, Crow arrived at headquarters and frantically reported that Arkarium had been sighted in the Temple of Time. The Crusader asked who Arkarium was, to which Bastille explained that Arkarium was one of the Commanders of the Black Mage who had disappeared after his master had been sealed. The Crusader asked whether Arkarium’s return meant that the Black Mage had returned as well, but Bastille merely told them that he couldn’t be sure, as the only thing that he could be sure of was that Arkarium’s return and the appearance of the Mystic Gates signified that evil forces were in motion. However, he rewarded the Crusader by promoting them to a Silent Crusader Officer.

(A/N: This is the start of Chapter 3.)

Soon after, the Crusader received a strange letter decorated with the symbol of the Silent Crusade. Upon opening it, they read that it was a message from Starling, who ordered them to return to headquarters immediately. There, Starling explained that more Mystic Gates had been discovered and asked them to go speak with Sodane at the Crossroad of Time in Ludibrium. Sodane explained that the Mystic Gate had been releasing strange energy and asked them to check it out. Inside, they defeated Over Time and returned to Sodane, who was impressed by their skills.

Just then, he received an encoded message from Krag, a legendary Crusader in El Nath. Sodane explained that Krag never called for backup, meaning that it had to be something significant. Though he wished that he could accompany the Crusader, he still had work to finish in Ludibrium, and so he told the Crusader that they would need to go alone. The Crusader traveled to the Forest of Dead Trees, where Krag was waiting for them. He explained that he had heard a lot about them from Crow and asked them to check out a nearby Mystic Gate, from which he had felt bad energy. (A/N: In Chapter 4, we learn that Krag had asked us to deal with the Mystic Gate because he was busy investigating the Lion King’s Castle.)

Inside, the Crusader defeated the Lich and returned to Krag. He was impressed by their strength and asked them to go see Lora in the Virtuous Forest near Mu Lung. There, the Crusader helped Lora investigate the nearby Mystic Gate, where they defeated King Sage Cat. Lora then explained that the next Mystic Gate was in the Isolated Swamp, which was on the way to Herb Town. The Crusader defeated King Centipede inside the Mystic Gate and returned to Lora, who thanked them for their help and sent them to reinforce Sodane, who seemed to be having trouble in Ludibrium.

Sodane told them that a new Mystic Gate containing a version of the powerful monster Papulatus had appeared deep inside the Clocktower. After defeating Papulatus, the Crusader returned to Sodane, who thanked them for helping him with his work and explained that Bastille was looking for them at headquarters. Upon arriving, Bastille told the Crusader that he had been pleased by their work and promoted them to a Silent Crusader Commander. (A/N: The rest of the storyline takes place in the future, and so it’ll be wrapped up in a later section.)

(A/N: This is the last chapter of the Silent Crusade, along with the Arkarium prequest. I placed this here because this chapter is set after the Alliance is formed, and because I feel like Arkarium’s plan to use Dark Alchemy to destroy the Seal Stones ties into his prequest, which has him attempt to destroy the Black Mage’s seal.)

Elsewhere, the Crusader received a letter containing a ticket and a signature from Lora, who wrote that she was waiting for them at the Dangerous Cave. After using the ticket to teleport there, Lora greeted them and explained that Krag had found something while investigating the Lion King’s Castle, and so he had summoned reinforcements to look further into it. However, this meant that there was a shortage of Crusaders available to investigate the Mystic Gates, and so she had called them in order to deal with the Mystic Gate that she had uncovered, though she warned that they might encounter a Pianus, the King of the Sea.

After the Crusader defeated Pianus, Lora told them that she needed to send a report to Starling. The Crusader asked where Starling was, to which Lora explained that Starling was investigating a new Mystic Gate in Leafre. The Crusader decided to reinforce her and traveled to Leafre, where Starling greeted them and thanked them for helping Lora. She explained that a new Mystic Gate had popped up in Wyvern Canyon, and that she was certain that Leviathan was hiding inside. The Crusader went to the valley in order to investigate the Mystic Gate and successfully defeated Leviathan.

Just as Starling began to congratulate them, she received a scrambled message from a Silent Crusader. Though she was unable to decipher it, she determined that it had been sent from the Resting Spot of Memory in the Temple of Time. The Crusader decided to investigate and arrived at the Resting Spot of Memory, where they were surprised to see Wence, the merchant from their warehouse. Wence explained that he had sent the message because he needed backup.

The Crusader realized that Wence wasn’t just a merchant, but a veteran Crusader as well, one even more legendary than Krag. Wence told them to go to Memory Lane and defeat the Dodo inside the Mystic Gate. After defeating Dodo, the Crusader returned to Wence, who explained that ever since Rhinne had been sealed, time had grown distorted and strange monsters had begun appearing in the Temple of Time.

(A/N: This might contradict with the Temple of Time questline, as the three bosses that he’s likely referring to predate Rhinne’s sealing, not to mention that all of them have been established as guardians of the temple, not intruders.)

He then told the Crusader that they had just defeated one of the three most powerful among them and asked them to go to the Road of Regrets and defeat Lilynouch inside the Mystic Gate. After defeating Lilynouch, they returned back to Wence, who asked them to defeat Lyka inside the final gate.

Once they defeated Lyka, the Crusader returned back to Wence, who explained that the reason that he had made them complete the trials was because Krag had told him that the Crusader had unparalleled skill, and so he had wanted to see for himself. He also told them that Krag had needed them to eliminate the Lich inside the Mystic Gate during their first meeting because he had found traces of the Black Mage at the Lion King’s Castle, where he was still investigating. He also revealed to them that the Silent Crusade was a secret organization that had been formed by the former Empress many generations ago, adding that they were secretly part of the Maple Alliance, and that their purpose was to collect information on the Black Mage and to prevent disasters before they happened.

(A/N: This last part is the Arkarium prequest. Interestingly, Zero gets to skip the entirety of this prequest and face Arkarium directly. They also get some exclusive dialogue in which Arkarium is amused to see them and says that they can talk about teaming up after proving themselves to him, which is a reference to the offer that the Commanders give them at the end of their storyline to help the Black Mage in exchange for becoming the Transcendents of Time in both Maple World and Grandis.)

Soon after, the Crusader met with Bastille at the Silent Crusade headquarters when Starling arrived and explained that something strange was happening at the Temple of Time. She told them that time was rippling outward, as though someone had created a crack in time. Bastille realized that Arkarium was the final piece of the puzzle, and that his messing with time could have dire complications. He took the Crusader to the Temple of Time in order to investigate, where they discovered a hidden part of the temple.

Upon entering, the Crusader was greeted by the spirit of Rhinne, who explained that Arkarium was trying to break the Black Mage’s seal by traveling to the past, and that he had drawn energy from the Mystic Gates in order to create a crack in time. She then asked the Crusader to travel back to the past and stop Arkarium. The Crusader explained to Bastille what had happened, and Bastille agreed that they needed to stop Arkarium. He instructed them to go to the past, where Crow and Starling would meet them soon.

Upon arriving, the Crusader met Crow, who told them that he felt an unpleasant aura in the area. He explained that he and Starling had entered the crack in time together, but that they had gotten separated. The Crusader went ahead to find Starling while Crow continued to investigate. They went deeper into the forest of Corrupted Wyverns and discovered an injured Starling.

She explained that she had gotten separated from Crow and had dropped in the forest, where she had been fighting off the Corrupted Wyverns, though their numbers had overwhelmed her. She then asked them to finish off the monsters while she gathered her strength. After they defeated the monsters, Starling told them that she was impressed by how strong they had gotten, and as she couldn’t go on, she asked them to finish her mission.

As they continued forward, they discovered an unconscious Aran and Maha floating next to her. (A/N: The character model used in this quest is actually a male Aran, but I’ll continue using female pronouns, since that’s her canonical gender.) Maha explained that Aran had been cursed by the Black Mage, and so he was planning to take her to Rien’s frozen lands in order to slow down the curse.

However, Maha had broken while Aran had been fending off the Black Mage’s army, and so he was too weak to take her there. He asked the Crusader to find his broken pieces to repair him. The Crusader defeated the Corrupted Kentauruses and recovered the missing pieces of Maha. He thanked the Crusader and told them to find Afrien.

(A/N: Several Heroes get exclusive dialogue while talking to Maha that replaces the regular script.

For Aran, after encountering Maha floating over her unconscious past self, she expresses her shock at seeing him, while Maha is shocked to see two Arans and wonders whether it’s another trap of the Black Mage. Aran tells him that she’s come from the future after traveling back through the crack in time created by Arkarium. Maha is relieved to hear that Aran came from the future, as it means that she won’t die from her injuries in the present.

He then tells her about his plan to seal her past self on Rien and asks her to collect the broken polearm pieces. After Aran collects them, he thanks her and jokes that it seems as though his master really can be useful once in a while. Aran retorts by asking him whether she needs to remind him who the boss is around here, to which Maha tells her not to get grumpy with him, adding that she’s just not seeing things from every angle.

After he asks her to find Afrien, Aran notes that what had been a brief moment in time for her must have been centuries to him. She then apologizes to him, regretting that things could have been different if she had been stronger. Maha then blesses Aran with one of her old skills, which you obtain after completing the quest. The skill is called “Regained Memory”, which increases your Attack Power by 5%, your Defense by 300, and your Speed by 10. You also get a chair called “Chair of Aran the Guardian”.

For Evan, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, he expresses his shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha mistakes Evan as Freud and wonders in surprise how he’s become so much younger. Evan explains that he’s not Freud and introduces himself and Mir, to which Maha notes that it seems strange, as their energies are nearly identical to those of Freud and Afrien.

After introducing himself, he tells them about his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. When Evan asks him whether there’s anything that he and Mir can do, Maha tells them that he knew that they were good people, just like Freud and Afrien, and asks them to collect his broken polearm pieces. After they collect the pieces, Maha asks them to find Afrien, adding that Mir ought to know Afrien fairly well.

For Mercedes, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, she expresses her shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha is relieved to see Mercedes safe and asks her how she had managed to escape the Black Mage’s curse. Mercedes tells him that it’s a long story, and that the short answer is that she hadn’t, as she’s been recuperating from the curse for some time now. Maha is confused by her words, though he dismisses it as her being cryptic as usual.

When he laments that Aran is still unconscious, Mercedes reassures him that Aran’s strength will return in time, as she’s seen it with her own eyes. Maha asks her why she keeps saying weird things as though she’s been to the future, after which he tells her that if she’s going to say things like that, then she might as well help him while she’s at it.

He tells her about his plan to seal his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. Mercedes assuages him by telling him that everyone knows how much he loves Aran, to which he shushes her, explaining that he can’t have his reputation getting ruined. After she collects the broken polearm pieces, Maha asks her to see Afrien, explaining that Freud ought to be with him.

Phantom and Luminous unfortunately don’t get any dialogue. Shade does get some dialogue later on, but not with Maha.)

The Crusader went deeper into the forest, where they discovered Afrien, along with an unconscious Freud and Mercedes. Afrien sensed that the Crusade had come from the future and explained that he and the other Heroes had fought the Black Mage, capitalizing on the fact that the Demon had fought and weakened his former master in retaliation for the deaths of his family.

He told the Crusader that the Black Mage had cursed the Heroes, and that he had taken the curse in Freud’s place, which would only lift when the seal broke, though he added that he and Freud had created the seal to last until the end of time. He added that the curse had also affected the Onyx Dragons, making it so that no more of their descendants would ever be born. He explained that he had protected Freud from the curse on the Onyx Dragons by taking it fully in his place, in exchange for his promise to keep the last Onyx Dragon safe, which had been safe from the curse in the egg.

However, he told the Crusader that the egg had been lost during the fight with the Black Mage, and that he was concerned that it may be in danger from the corrupt monsters of Leafre. The Crusader found the egg deep in the forest and brought it back to Afrien, who thanked them and explained that Freud would keep the egg safe once he awakened.

He then explained that Mercedes had been gravely injured during her battle, and that she was slowly dying. The Crusader offered some of their vitality, which Afrien used to create a crystal that would restore Mercedes to health. (A/N: Sadly, Mercedes gets nothing if you save her while playing as a Mercedes.) Afrien thanked them for their sacrifice, but explained that he had felt a dark presence for a moment. He told them that the energy was concentrated in the Temple of Time and asked them to ensure that the seal on the Black Mage still held.

(A/N: Similar to the conversation with Maha, several Heroes get exclusive dialogue while talking to Afrien that replaces the regular script.

For Aran, Afrien recognizes her and notes that she looks well. Aran greets Afrien and replies that it’s been a while. Afrien agrees with her, adding that it’s been several centuries in her case, revealing that he knows that she’s come from the future. He asks her how she managed to go back in time, as he had believed that such a feat would be impossible. Aran explains that she had come through a crack in time created by Arkarium, and that she hadn’t expected to see him while working to stop Arkarium’s plot.

Afrien then tells her that while she may already know, there was a young Onyx Dragon who had survived the Black Mage’s curse while inside its egg. As the egg had been lost during the battle, and as Leafre was filled with dangerous monsters, he asked Aran to find it and return it back to him. After Aran brings the egg back, Afrien thanks her and explains that her courage provides a powerful shield. He adds that even after centuries, he finds himself in admiration of her, explaining that the Onyx Dragons owe her a debt that they can never repay.

Aran tells him that there’s no need for such a sappy thanks, as friends help one another. Afrien then tells her that the child was meant to be protected by Freud, though he fears that she and Freud may never meet again, as such events were simply not to be. However, Aran replies that it’s enough that she got to see him one more time.

He then tells her that they need to see to Mercedes’ safety, whose energy is fading. Aran offers to lend her strength to Mercedes, to which Afrien calls her noble as always. After Aran heals Mercedes with the crystal, Afrien thanks her and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks her to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.

For Evan, Afrien greets him as his future friend, explaining that his great knowledge as an Onyx Dragon had allowed him to determine that Evan was from the future. He then greets Mir and silently notes to himself that the last descendant of the Onyx Dragons has grown significantly. He then tells them that the hands of fate truly are out of their control for him to be asking his future successors for a favor. He then asks Evan to recover the missing egg, causing Evan to realize that inside the egg is Mir.

After Evan finds the egg, Afrien explains that he’ll give it to Freud to protect until it hatches. He then gives his blessing to Evan, which you obtain after completing the quest. The skill is called “Inherited Will”, which increases your Magic Attack and all stats by 10. Evan thanks Afrien for his gift, after which Mir notes that he gets a strange feeling while looking at the egg, as his heart beats faster each time that he does. Evan is also shocked to realize that he was the one who had saved Mir in the past, though he keeps it secret from Mir.

Silently, Afrien notes to himself that though it seems like a bizarre coincidence, such a great moment makes him believe that every struggle that they had faced in the past was worth it. He then passes on a chair that Freud had often used during his travels, which gives you a chair called “Chair of Evan the Guardian”.

After blessing Evan, Afrien adds that Evan’s help is still needed to save Mercedes, to which Evan notes that Mercedes seems to be in even worse condition than Aran and offers his strength to heal her. Afrien extracts some of Evan’s health and notes that Evan’s strength is incredible and an easy match for Freud, adding that he can feel the power of the Dragon Master inside him. After Evan heals Mercedes with the crystal, Afrien thanks him and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks Evan to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.

For Mercedes, Afrien is shocked to see her and asks how she managed to travel back in time, as he had believed it to be impossible. Mercedes explains that she had come through a crack in time created by Arkarium, and that she hadn’t expected to see him while working to stop Arkarium’s plot. Afrien then asks Mercedes to save the last child of the Onyx Dragons, causing her to wonder whether the child is the dragon that travels with Evan.

After she brings back the egg, she asks Afrien whether Freud will take over its safety. Afrien tells her that he hopes for Freud to awaken soon so that he can protect the egg, to which Mercedes reassures him that the will of the Onyx Dragons continues in the future. He then explains that she will need to use her strength to reawaken, causing Mercedes to wonder what he means, as she’s already awakened from the curse. Suddenly, she realizes that Afrien is referring to helping her past self regain consciousness.

Afrien asks her whether she remembers anything about the past from before she arrived, to which she replies that she doesn’t. He then takes a portion of her strength and creates a crystal, which he tells her to touch her past self with gently, warning her that causing her past self to see her would create a ripple in time that would cause grave repercussions for her. After Mercedes heals her past self with the crystal, Afrien thanks her and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks her to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.

(A/N: Move to Shade section BEGIN.)

For Shade, Afrien doesn’t recognize him and asks him who he is. Shade is shocked to find Afrien so weak and explains that he’s come at Maha’s request. Afrien asks him whether Maha and Aran are well, to which Shade reassures him that both of them are fine, and that Maha had taken Aran to be sealed away on Rien.

Afrien notes that Shade seems strange, and that while it may be because of his own weakness, he can’t sense anything from Shade at all. Shade asks Afrien whether he’s okay, to which Afrien explains that he and the other Heroes have been weakened from the Black Mage’s curse. He adds that the curse will lift once the Black Mage breaks free, for which he prays that he and the other Heroes will stay lost forever, as they had made a tremendous sacrifice to seal him away.

After Shade finds the lost Onyx Dragon egg, Afrien asks him to help Mercedes, whom Shade notes looks exactly as she had on the day when he had last seen her. Afrien extracts a portion of Shade’s strength and notes that it’s quite astonishing, as the energy inside him is quite unique. Just as he begins to say more, he stops himself and gives Shade the crystal. After Shade heals Mercedes with it, Afrien thanks him and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks Shade to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.)

(A/N: Move to Shade section END.)

The Crusader headed towards the Temple when they met Bastille, who unexpectedly began to attack them. After defeating him, Bastille came to his senses and realized that Arkarium had possessed him. He decided to head back and ensure that the other agents hadn’t been compromised, leaving the task of defeating Arkarium to the Crusader.

They continued deeper into the forest and met Tamil, who had the power to transform people into dragons. Tamil told them that she would transform them in exchange for defeating the monsters that were trapping her there. (A/N: Tamil is the grandmother of Corba, the NPC in present-day Leafre who transforms you into a dragon in order to get to the Temple of Time.) After defeating the monsters, Tamil transformed them into a dragon, allowing them to fly to the Temple of Time.

Upon arriving, they were met by the spirit of Rhinne, who confirmed that Arkarium was trying to break the seal. The Crusader asked why Arkarium didn’t just prevent the seal from being created in the first place, to which Rhinne explained that Freud had created a barrier to prevent anyone from traveling back further than the point when the Black Mage had been sealed. She then asked the Crusader to stop Arkarium before he succeeded. The Crusader arrived at the entrance to the Black Mage’s throne room, where Arkarium was quietly muttering incantations. The Crusader halted Arkarium, who was enraged that his work had been disrupted.

After a fierce battle, the Crusader managed to defeat him and returned to Rhinne, who explained that they had only defeated a clone of Arkarium, whose real self had had fled back to his hideout in the Dimensional Schism, but as most of his power had gone into creating the Crack in Time, Rhinne explained that it was the perfect opportunity to defeat him.

The Crusader returned to the present and met Bastille, who confirmed that no other agents had been compromised by Arkarium. The Crusader told him of their battle with Arkarium’s clone and what Rhinne had said about Arkarium’s weakness. Bastille then told the Crusader to enter the Dimensional Schism and stop Arkarium. After a fierce battle, the Crusader succeeded in defeating Arkarium and forced him to abandon the Temple of Time.

By defeating Arkarium, the Crusader also freed Rhinne from her seal in the Dimensional Schism. Rhinne thanked the Crusader for freeing her, explaining that though she hadn’t fully regained her powers yet, she soon would in time. She told the Crusader that over the centuries, the Heroes had slowly begun returning one-by-one as a result of the Black Mage’s seal weakening from Arkarium’s manipulations. Warning that the Black Mage would soon return, she asked the Crusader to get stronger, adding that she would also prepare in whatever way she could.

(A/N: I’m headcanoning that we freed Rhinne’s soul, while her physical body remains trapped in Mirror World, since it doesn’t make sense otherwise why she’d be sealed twice. I’d imagine that it would be similar to how Alicia’s soul is in the Tower of Oz, even while her physical body exists separately, and later gets destroyed.)

(A/N: Move to Mihile section BEGIN.)

Neinheart soon reached out to Mihile and asked him to meet with Della at the Temple of Time. There, Della explained that another crack had opened in the Temple of Time, which led to the past, as well as an altar, where she had briefly seen Arkarium and Rhinne before she had been chased off by the monsters nearby. Mihile decided to help her investigate and discovered the secret passageway into the Dimensional Schism near a fountain by the Three Doors.

Della then asked him to break Arkarium's wards, and so she told them to obtain Lambent Essence from Neinheart and combine it with Dragon Warrants from the monsters of Leafre. In Ereve, Neinheart gave Mihile a Light Catcher and instructed him to capture the elemental spirits in the Hallowed Ground to create the Lambent Essence. Mihile then brought the ingredients to Della, who explained that the Dragon Warrants weren't for the spell, but simply to help boost her courage.

Mihile then entered the Dimensional Schism and defeated the corrupted monsters before using the Lambent Essence to break Arkarium's barrier. After breaking the barrier and thinning out the monsters, Mihile confronted Arkarium and defeated him, forcing him to retreat. He then returned back to Ereve, where Neinheart asked him to bring back a Stained Soul, which contained Arkarium's corruption. As Arkarium now existed out of time, Mihile was able to confront him once again and defeat him in order to obtain the Stained Soul.

Mihile brought back the soul to Neinheart, who believed that the corruption of the soul might be the key to undoing the Black Mage, though he doubted that it would be so simple. To reward Mihile for his efforts, Neinheart taught him a powerful skill called Noble Mind, which Mihile strengthened by collecting more Stained Souls from Arkarium.

(A/N: Move to Mihile section END.)