PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 31: Return of Kritias

(A/N: Although this is a level 170 questline, the reason why I placed this section here is because the Black Mage orders Arkarium to bring Tana to him at the end of Heroes of Maple, and so I’d assume that this is the point in time that Kritias would return.)

Neinheart contacted an Alliance member and explained that a kingdom had suddenly appeared near Leafre, where a castle was floating upside down in the kingdom’s sky. He asked them to investigate the area in order to determine what kind of place it was and why it had suddenly appeared. The Alliance member arrived at the southwestern barracks, where they encountered Commander Isaac.

Isaac believed that the Alliance member was a spy and asked them to prove their loyalty by defeating the floating weapons around the area and bringing them back to him. After returning with the weapons, Isaac received a message from General Blundell requesting the Alliance member’s presence. In the northern barracks, Blundell told the Alliance member that he was being extra cautious of the floating weapons because of their sudden appearance, as well as a large golem who had taken over the floating castle.

(A/N: This golem is actually King Hekaton fused with the castle after the interrupted Ascendency ritual, which made him immortal, though at the price of losing his humanity. KMS, MSEA, and JMS used to have him as a massive boss that a hundred players could fight together before the content was removed. Personally, I wish that Hekaton was reintroduced as the final boss of this theme dungeon on a smaller scale, maybe even by making it similar to the Gollux fight.)

Learning that the Alliance member had come from Ereve, Blundell asked if the priestess had sent reinforcements to Kritias. However, he was surprised to learn that the Alliance member had come to investigate on behalf of Ereve what the kingdom was, as Empress Aria had personally visited Kritias several days ago. This, in turn, surprised the Alliance member, as they believed that Cygnus was the priestess of Ereve. They noted to themselves that the idea of the Empress gathering support to fight the Black Mage sounded right, but everything else was all wrong, as though Kritias was from a completely different era.

(A/N: Priestess seems to be another term to refer to the Empress. Orchid also referred to the Empress as the Castellan in the Demon’s tutorial, as did Mercedes and Athena Pierce in Mercedes’ storyline.

Several classes get an alternate script in response to Blundell’s explanation that Aria had visited Kritias several days ago.

Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue, although his dialogue is pretty much just identical to the generic script, with the exception that he’ll use the word “Empress” instead of “priestess”. There are also some exclamation marks wrapped around parentheses in his dialogue that look like this (!!), and I’m assuming that it’s meant to suggest that his heart skipped a beat when he heard Aria’s name.

He and all the other Heroes except for Evan then get some more exclusive dialogue, in which they think to themselves that they’d been having doubts ever since hearing the name “Kritias”, but after hearing the whole story, they’re now sure that this place is the same kingdom that the Black Mage had annihilated hundreds of years ago. They then wonder why the kingdom that had vanished into thin air centuries ago has appeared now all of a sudden. I appreciate the fact that Aran also gets this dialogue because it does a good job of subtly showing that her memories really are starting to come back as she gets stronger.

The Demon also gets an alternate script, in which he recognizes Kritias as the place that the Black Mage had attacked alongside Leafre centuries ago. However, he’s confused by why it’s here now because Kritias was meant to have been completely wiped off the map. General Blundell mentions that Aria had visited Kritias several days ago, which means that there’s no way that Leafre and Kritias’ destruction could refer to the Black Mage’ final orders to destroy all of Ossyria, as this would mean that Phantom joined the Heroes less than a week before they sealed the Black Mage.

We know that the Black Mage had explicitly promised the Demon that he would spare southern Leafre, where the Demon’s family lived, and so we could interpret Leafre and Kritias being attacked as all of Leafre except the southern part being destroyed. This would make it so that it’d be possible for Aria to have visited several days before Kritias’ fall, and there wouldn’t be a bottleneck on how long Phantom would’ve been with the Heroes. The Demon being surprised that Kritias hadn’t been wiped off the map could just be because he saw the Black Mage sealing it away and assumed that its disappearance meant that it had just been destroyed.)

Blundell suggested that they talk to a scholar in town named Beatrice, who was a professor at Ranheim Academy. At the academy, they told Beatrice about how Kritias felt like it had come from another era. Beatrice explained that Kritias had seemed chronologically off ever since the Black Mage had invaded, after which the castle of Trueffet had begun floating upside down in the sky.

While Beatrice investigated the cause, the Alliance member spoke to an academy student named Chen, who was paranoid that the fall of Kritias had happened because he had forgotten to do his homework. In order to finish his work, he asked the Alliance member to help him collect Basic Magician’s Cloth from the Basic Magicians outside, after which he suggested that they talk to Bianca.

Bianca gave them an anti-magic container and asked them to collect anti-magic fragments from the burning weapons. After collecting the pieces, they brought it back to Bianca, who decided to create a weapon with the anti-magic and gave them the container as thanks. She then suggested that they ask Hirrel, the town clerk, about Kritias’ history. 

In the town square, they explained the situation to Hirrel, who incorrectly concluded that the Alliance member had come from the future before realizing that the Black Mage had frozen Kritias in time. He gave them a copy of Kritias’ history and asked them to take it to Ereve, as well as to bring back a history of Maple World in order to find out what they had missed.

In Ereve, Neinheart was intrigued that the textbook seemed new, though its contents were centuries out of date. He explained that nearly all references to the war against the Black Mage had been destroyed, including all records of Kritias. He told them that he could only recall one mention of Kritias in Ereve’s library, which had simply stated that the Black Mage had removed Kritias from existence in order to make an example out of it.

(A/N: The records of the war against the Black Mage being destroyed is likely because of Lotus, who had been erasing all historical mentions of the Black Mage in the centuries that his soul had wandered outside his comatose body.)

Neinheart then gave them a copy of the history of Maple World to bring back to Hirrel and asked them to continue investigating what the Black Mage wanted with Kritias. After receiving the book, Hirrel asked the Alliance member to learn more about the floating castle by speaking with the people who had fled from it before the castle had begun levitating. After learning that the royal family and their servants were staying at the inn near the marketplace, the Alliance member decided to head over there and investigate.

Inside the inn, they encountered the royal princess, Miriam, who seemed to be in discomfort. Just then, her maid, Parma, stepped in and told them that they needed to request an audience with the princess in order to speak with her. Parma then put the Alliance member through a rigorous screening process by asking them to bring Intermediate Magician’s Cloth from the Corrupted Intermediate Magicians and Broken Shafts from the Burning Rage monsters, though they quickly realized that Parma was making up the screening process as she went. Though she admitted that they had passed, Parma told them that the princess was tired, and so she couldn’t hold an audience.

As they began to leave, Ian the serving boy suggested that they buy a Fancy Handkerchief for the princess so that Parma would run off, allowing them to speak with Miriam. Sure enough, Parma went to place the handkerchief on the princess’ bed, leaving the Alliance member alone with Miriam. The Alliance member was surprised to find that Miriam spoke in an undignified accent, which was quite unbefitting of a princess.

Miriam then asked them to find her Worn Wooden Comb that she had dropped in the forest, as it was a gift from her father. They obtained the comb from the Burning Vanity monsters and brought it to Miriam, who then decided to tell them the truth. She explained that she was a maid who was pretending to be the princess in order to keep the real princess safe. (A/N: This reminds me a bit of Padmé’s handmaidens from Star Wars.)

The Alliance member realized that though Miriam wasn’t the real princess, the maids wouldn’t have let the real princess out of their sight, meaning that she had to be somewhere nearby. They decided to speak to the other women in the town and interrogated Parma, Nita the armor seller, Beatrice, and Bianca, all of whom denied being the princess. Just as they reached a dead end, Michelin the court chef asked them to bring a famous cookbook called 100 Palace Dishes from Hirrel. Hirrel asked them to obtain Black Spellbooks from the Corrupted Advanced Magicians in exchange for the book, which they brought to Michelin.

Michelin thanked the Alliance member and told them that the princess was right about them being a true hero. They questioned Michelin about the princess’ identity, and though Michelin would not reveal the truth out of regard for the princess’ safety, he pointed them to a man named Bernhardt. Bernhardt told the Alliance member that according to Beatrice, the monsters outside Kritias were people’s darkest feelings given physical form. He asked them to defeat the Permeating Terrors and Permeating Anxieties outside, after which he told them that he was on a top-secret mission to guard the princess.

Now sure that the princess had to be close, the Alliance member went to speak with a masked person named Cantor, who was the only one with whom they hadn’t spoken yet. Cantor gave them a flower vase and instructed them to pour it on Bernhardt in order to uncover the truth. Upon pouring the water onto Bernhardt, Parma and Ian appeared to see what the commotion was about. Ian gave Bernhardt a handkerchief to dry himself with, and the Alliance member immediately realized that it was the same handkerchief that they had given to Parma for the princess.

Ian then revealed herself to be Ione de Kritias, the true princess. She apologized for not having revealed the truth earlier, explaining that she didn’t know who to trust. She told them that when the Black Mage had invaded Kritias, her father - King Hekaton - had ordered an evacuation of the city when a dazzling light had engulfed the castle, causing it to lift into the air and vanish in the clouds. She explained that she had no idea where her father was and suspected that the Black Mage was holding him prisoner. 

Ione wondered why the Black Mage had invaded Kritias and why the castle was floating in the sky. The Alliance member suspected that the Black Mage wanted something unique to Kritias, to which Ione began to suspect that he may have been after Kritias’ magic, as the kingdom was famous for Ranheim Academy. She then asked them to speak with Hirrel and Beatrice about Kritias’ history and magic.

At the town hall, Hirrel told the Alliance member that he couldn’t read the Black Spellbooks that they had given him earlier because of an encryption spell. In order to decipher the text, he asked them to bring the books to Beatrice. Beatrice asked them to bring Magic Orbs that the Corrupted Advanced Magicians carried, which she used to learn that the spellbooks made references to a powerful pentacle. She suddenly had an epiphany and asked them to bring her Tower Fragments from outside of town to confirm her theory.

With the fragments, Beatrice was able to confirm her suspicions that the floating castle of Trueffet was the center of a large pentacle created by the Black Mage, believing that it was the reason why he had invaded Kritias and why he had returned Kritias back into the present. Knowing that Kritias wasn’t ready to face such a threat, Beatrice asked them to return to Ereve and ask for reinforcements.

The Alliance member explained the situation to Neinheart, who was surprised to learn the truth about the Black Mage’s plans for Kritias. Believing that the Black Mage planned to use the pentacle as a weapon against Maple World, Neinheart resolved to mobilize the Alliance in order to prevent it from being completed. He then asked the Alliance member to investigate more about the pentacle.

(A/N: There originally used to be this thing called Kritias Invasion that you could do after finishing this storyline. It involved the Alliance defending Kritias from the Black Mage’s Commanders and their forces, with two Commanders being chosen at random between Magnus, Hilla, Arkarium, and Von Leon. From a story perspective, it never really made sense for Magnus to be there when he had already left the Black Mage’s service centuries ago.

The thing about the pentacle originally had no relevance to the story, and was most likely a dropped plot thread. Kritias was released during the RED patch, which was also the same patch that released the original Explorer storyline and Zero. These three storylines laid a lot of the groundwork for the Black Mage’s ultimate plan, as the Explorer story introduced the Goddess of Maple World, depicted the Black Mage’s resurrection, and expanded the lore on the Seal Stones.

Zero’s storyline revealed that the Black Mage had discovered the “secret of the world”, which had led to his fall, and it also revealed that he planned to fuse Maple World and Grandis in order to become a Transcendent of two worlds. The secret of the world was later revealed in Tenebris as the White Mage learning that the Overseers kept the world anchored to a fixed destiny, which I think was probably always intended, since the concept of the Overseers had existed for a couple of years before the RED patch came out.

Given that these two storylines had major plot points that factored into the final story, I’m strongly convinced that Kritias was meant to play a larger role in the overarching lore. The RED Explorer music video, as well as the promotional animation for Morass, both showed the Black Mage using the castle of Trueffet as his stronghold. Based on that, I have a strong suspicion that Kritias and the spell circle were meant to tie into the Genesis Ritual, and that this was later changed to take place in Tenebris some years after Nexon came up with the 5th job advancement and the Arcane River storyline.

However, the Milestone update added a small set of quests at the end of the original Kritias storyline in order resolve the plot point about the pentacle, as well as to tie into the Morass storyline.)

The Alliance member returned to Kritias and first spoke with Parma about the pentacle and King Hekaton, though Parma told them that she had no idea where the king was. However, she revealed that on the day of the disaster, Hekaton had gone somewhere, though he had returned to evacuate everyone when the fall of Kritias had happened. She explained that he had gone there with a small number of attendants as usual, and that no one had been allowed to ask about their destination, though she then revealed that Hirrel knew where he had gone, as he was the king’s right-hand, just as General Blundell had been the king’s sword.

However, Parma emphasized that Hekaton’s disappearance had nothing to do with the pentacle, insisting that the king was a benevolent and wise man, with his evacuation being the very reason that they were all alive. She added that though there were rumors of immortality and eternal youth spreading around in regard to the king, there was nothing unusual about it, as the king was a very old man.

With nothing else to learn from Parma, the Alliance member met with Hirrel and asked where the king had gone. Though he noted that the information was classified, Hirrel admitted that it was unavoidable to speak about it now. He explained that Hekaton’s disappearance was an important matter, though it was impossible for them to conduct a search in their current situation, as General Blundell was doing all he could to protect them, with the floating castle of Trueffet being inaccessible as well.

He then revealed that one the day of the disaster, Hekaton had gone to a top-secret area beneath Kritias, which – despite several rumors about its existence – was a place that was forbidden to mention or acknowledge. With Hekaton having gone missing there, and Kritias being gone for centuries, Hirrel noted that it was possible that the king might even be dead by now. He explained that there was something in the top-secret area that he suspected was the cause of everything.

The Alliance member asked whether there was anyone who had gone there, to which Hirrel revealed that General Blundell had gone there once while transporting “it”. He explained that though Blundell had never spoken of it to him, he knew because he had processed Blundell’s report on the incident. The Alliance member then met with Blundell, who was shocked to learn that they knew about the top-secret area. Realizing that it was a matter of great importance to finding the king, Blundell decided to share what he knew about it.

He told the Alliance member that he had been responsible for bringing the “Angel of Death” there, explaining that she was a seemingly ordinary girl who had survived an accident involving an exploding anti-magic stone. However, Blundell noted that the girl was an inhuman creature with unearthly powers, and that she had been brought to the top-secret area and bound in chains, with Hekaton ordering for the matter to remain completely secret. He added that though the king’s researchers would know more, it was unlikely that the Alliance member would find any, as most of them had perished in the disaster. However, he believed that Princess Ione may know more about it and directed them to speak with her.

The Alliance member met with Ione, still disguised as Ian, in the inn, and asked her about the top-secret area. Ione was confused about why the Alliance member was questioning her in regard to her father’s disappearance, as she believed that the Black Mage’s invasion had been responsible for Kritias’ fall, though the Alliance member quickly told her about the stories they had gathered from the others.

Though Ione noted that her father had never spoken to her about such matters, she revealed that he was the highest-ranking magician in Kritias, which itself was a kingdom renowned for its advanced magic. She explained that while she herself had never held an aptitude for magic, her father was an excellent magician, and that she believed the Black Mage would want to target him.

The Alliance member asked Ione whether she believed the Black Mage had invaded Kritias with the intention of capturing Hekaton, to which Ione replied that she couldn’t be sure about that. However, she noted that she sometimes suspected that her father had delved too deeply into the study of magic, for there were times that he sometimes behaved unlike himself, with his benevolent and wise demeanor sometimes giving way to fits of rage and outbursts, particularly on the day of disaster.

She explained that Hekaton had seemed unusually pleased on that day, which had made her believe that something good had been about to happen. The Alliance member then asked her about the so-called Angel of Death, to which Ione replied that there was one person in the town who had seen the girl, though she refused to reveal their identity, as they had hidden their face and name to take on a new life, for which she would not betray their confidence. However, she did tell the Alliance member to meet with Cantor, adding that it was all that she would say on the matter.

The Alliance member met with Cantor, who realized that the fact that they had found him meant that they already knew most of what had happened to Subject No. 618. The Alliance member noted that Cantor’s whole body was shaking in fear, to which he told them that they he was a priest who had witnessed all of King Hekaton’s twisted experiments, which had birthed grotesque monsters in the dungeons. He explained that he couldn’t speak on the matter without shivering in fear, adding that he had taken on a new life to forget the deplorable acts that he had committed there.

He then revealed that Hekaton wasn’t dead, and that he had evacuated the people before extinguishing them, after which the castle of Trueffet had slowly risen into the sky. The Alliance member was shocked to realize that Kritias’ fall hadn’t been because of the Black Mage’s invasion, to which Cantor revealed that it was quite the opposite, as the large pentacle was Hekaton’s magic. He suspected that Hekaton’s failed ritual had drawn the Black Mage’s attention, and that it had all been related to Subject No. 618. He explained that the test subject, known as the Angel of Death, was a mysterious being from whom Hekaton had wanted to take the power of eternal life.

The Alliance member noted that it sounded like a ridiculous notion, which Cantor agreed with, noting that such absurd ambitions and acts of cruelty had resulted in the fall of Kritias itself. The Alliance member then asked where Subject No. 618 was, to which Cantor replied that he didn’t know. He explained that “it” had vaporized right before their eyes, which was why Hekaton’s ritual had failed, with the Black Mage invading amidst the chaos.

He told the Alliance member that when he had come to his senses, he had found himself in their current situation, and that he had no idea where Subject No. 618 had gone. However, he added that he couldn’t speak any more about it, though he noted that perhaps there may come a day when he might be able to talk about it without shaking in fear. He then entreated them to leave him, declaring that his name would remain Cantor from now on, having already died once in the kingdom’s fall.

Realizing that they had uncovered all the information they could, the Alliance member returned back to Ereve and informed Neinheart about what they had learned. Just like the Alliance member, Neinheart was surprised to learn that Hekaton had been responsible for Kritias’ fall, and that he had done it all in the pursuit of eternal life. Based on all the information the Alliance member had gathered, Neinheart suspected that Subject No. 618 had been the Black Mage’s target. He decided to keep the information secret, as he believed that since the worst had already happened, and with it appearing difficult to find Hekaton’s location, it would be better for them to focus on the current situation and hope that they someday learn the truth.

(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Morass storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next section.

We find out in the Morass storyline that Subject No. 618 is actually Tana, Grandis’ Transcendent of Light, whose immortality Hekaton had coveted. It’s strongly suggested that Cantor is actually Shey, a researcher whose body we inhabit while trapped in Tana’s memories of Kritias.)