Aeona and Tana:

Believing that her sister had become insane, Tana fought Aeona and managed to kill her, upon which she felt the power of the Transcendent of Light flooding into her. The Executors realized that they had been wrong in their proclamation that Aeona held darkness, while Tana held light. They then proclaimed that Tana was darkness and Aeona was light, heralding Tana as Aeona, the Transcendent of Light. Tana suddenly began to hear the voice of the Overseers and realized that she was now shackled to their will. However, she refused to be enslaved and vowed to live freely, even if it would destroy her.

(A/N: The Executors’ naming system confused everyone who played through Esfera. To clarify, Aeona and Tana aren’t really names so much as titles. Aeona is the title for the Transcendent of Light, while Tana is the title for the reserve. Originally, the Executors claimed that Aeona was darkness and Tana was light because the one who held darkness had heard the voice of the Overseers.

After Aeona’s death, the Executors proclaimed that the one who held light was the new Transcendent, and so they swapped the names for the two girls. While Tana continued using her original name, her official name is still Aeona, which many characters like Neinheart and Orchid continue to use after the events of Esfera, despite the Adversary continuing to call her Tana.

Regarding the old Aeona, I feel really bad for her. She seemed fairly cold and distant, but she was never particularly hurtful towards Tana. She came across more as bitter and jaded because her entire existence was just her being forced to wipe out entire races by the Overseers against her will. It seemed like she was actually trying to protect Tana from the truth when she destroyed the book about Transcendents and kept her at a distance with snide comments. Even at the end, I don’t think that she was able to properly explain that her actions were being done against her will, making Tana believe that she had simply gone insane.

The concept of the Transcendent of Light and their reserve was added in the Esfera storyline, but a lot of the details are still pretty nebulous. We don’t know what happens when the reserve dies or awakens as the new Transcendent of Light, such as in the case when Tana awakened after her sister’s death. Since it was emphasized how the two powers need to be shared, I wonder whether a new reserve would be chosen to wield the other power.

Additionally, I find it interesting that Tana was able to kill a Transcendent. The Ancient Gods and the Transcendents are said to be a class of higher beings, and that mortals are unable to harm them. The Overseers had also created laws that governed Transcendent powers, which made it so that a Transcendent is unable to kill another Transcendent, including themselves.

However, the fact that Tana is neither mortal nor a Transcendent means that she’s in a unique position to be able to kill other Transcendents. If it’s true that Luminous is the reserve for the Black Mage, it might imply that Transcendents who were mortal before awakening have reserves who are also mortal, which would explain why Luminous wouldn’t be able to directly kill the Black Mage.

Regarding Tana’s awakening as Aeona’s replacement, it’s unknown whether the reserve for the Black Mage would awaken as the new Transcendent of Light after his death, but given that there’s no mention that Luminous or anyone else suddenly becomes a Transcendent, it either means that we don’t know the identity of the reserve, Maple World is completely bereft of a Transcendent of Light, or the fusing of Maple World and Grandis means that Tana’s existence satisfies the requirement of a Transcendent of Light, and so there’s no need for the reserve to awaken. It does pose an interesting question about what the fates of the other Transcendents are since Alpha/Beta and Chronica share the title of the Transcendent of Time, as well as Alicia and Darmoor sharing the title of the Transcendent of Life, but that’s beyond the scope of this author note.)

After leaving the Radiant Temple, Tana eventually left Grandis itself and soon found a way to cross dimensions into Maple World. Her travels brought her to the kingdom of Kritias, where she arrived at the capital of Trueffet. While walking in the town square, a young orphan named Jean snuck up in order to pickpocket her.

Just then, a large anti-magic stone being hoisted by a rope fell down and exploded. Tana pushed Jean out of the way, but she and everyone else in range were vaporized. To everyone’s shock, however, Tana rematerialized out of thin air. She was then arrested and thrown into prison, where the mages of Trueffet experimented on her in order to find the source of her immortality so that they could bestow it upon their ruler, King Hekaton.

After her capture, the mages of Kritias began experimenting on Tana, now known only as Subject No. 618, in an effort to learn the secret of her immortality. During their research, the mages discovered that memories were tied to the body, rather than the soul, as Tana kept losing more and more of her memories each time that she regenerated the injuries that the researchers inflicted upon her, leaving her with only the faint memory of wanting something.

After a year, the mages grew frustrated that their experiments had yielded no results. They began wondering whether there were any clues in Tana’s memories, though they regretted that any chance of learning them was now lost, as Tana couldn’t even remember her own name anymore. Believing that they had no other choice, the researchers decided that they would attempt to force Tana beyond her regenerative capacity.

The mages inflicted a fatal wound upon Tana, who unexpectedly went berserk and unleashed a massive flash of light, just as she had when the anti-magic stone had fallen on her, causing six of their best researchers to vanish into thin air. In the aftermath, she calmly spoke aloud that she remembered her name, Tana. Because of the inhumanity and incomprehensibility of their experiments, the High Priest, who had been summoned from the Temple of Time, resigned, saying, “This is neither magic nor science. It is beyond human; it is of the gods. We have overstepped our bounds.”

In his place, the new High Priest, Arkarium, was ordered to continue conducting the experiments. As a boy, Arkarium had demonstrated great devotion to the Transcendent of Time, the Goddess Rhinne, allowing him to rise through the ranks to become her most trusted priest. Along with Arkarium, a young man named Shey, who had left Kritias after Tana’s capture in order to become a Priest of Time, returned back to his home in order to assist Arkarium.

After arriving in the dungeons, Shey was shocked at how inhumanely the mages of Kritias treated Tana, viewing her as nothing more than an inanimate object with no emotions, desires, or memories of her own, despite the fact that she was in immense pain. Upon speaking with Tana, Shey learned that the only thing that she could remember was her name and the faint memory of there being something that she had wanted.

Over time, Shey helped Arkarium and the other researchers attempt to transfer Tana’s regenerative capacity to others. Though Arkarium made great strides in the experiment, Tana continued rejecting the transfer of her power to the test subjects, causing their bodies to disintegrate while their souls were left behind. Their souls would desperately attempt to create new bodies for themselves, which resulted in them transforming into monsters.

Meanwhile, Jean - Shey’s childhood friend and the pickpocket whom Tana had saved - discovered where Tana had been imprisoned and broke into the dungeons in order to see her. Though Tana’s memories and emotions had been erased, Jean would nevertheless bring food and read stories to her every night in order to keep her company.

From afar, Shey secretly watched his friend fall in love with Tana, noting that Jean - an orphan whose greatest fear was to be forgotten - had likely felt great compassion for Tana, who had been imprisoned and forgotten in the dungeons. Though it remained unclear whether Tana was being positively affected by Jean’s visits, Shey did notice that during the experiments, Tana would occasionally look up at the ceiling, as if waiting for Jean to climb down and visit her.

As the experiments continued, King Hekaton began to grow impatient and ordered Arkarium to succeed in his experiments by the next day, which would be the day of his Ascendancy ritual. As the experiment for that day concluded, Tana overheard the researchers claiming that regardless of the outcome of the Ascendency ritual, Tana would die one way or another.

That night, Jean came to see Tana, who attempted to push him away so that he wouldn’t miss her when she disappeared. Though she claimed that she had grown tired of his visits and the book that he would read to her, Jean quickly saw through the lie. As the realization that she was about to die set in, Tana’s mental state began deteriorating, causing her powers to spiral out of control. Repeating the mages’ words that she wasn’t human, Tana began screaming in excruciating pain and begged for it to stop.

As Jean attempted to calm her down, Tana recalled that alongside her name, she also had a faint memory of wanting something. As the memory came back to her, Tana realized that what she had wanted more than anything else before she had lost her memories was to die. Upon realizing this, however, Tana immediately grew terrified at the thought, as she realized that she didn’t want to die anymore.

As her mental state continued deteriorating from fear and pain, Jean hugged Tana tightly, promising that he would always keep her safe. Though Tana was afraid of hurting him, Jean’s refusal to leave her side helped her regain control of her powers. Unbeknownst to them, however, Arkarium had secretly watched the entire exchange, causing him to realize that Jean was the key to ensuring the success of the transfer ritual.

The next night, Jean obtained an anti-magic necklace as a present for Tana, which was part of his plan to break her out. With Shey’s help, Jean broke into the dungeon where Tana was being held. Before he could free her, however, Arkarium used his magic to possess Shey, forcing him to call the guards. King Hekaton, whom Arkarium had asked to wait outside, then arrived and ordered his guards to kill Jean in front of Tana.

Just as Arkarium had anticipated, the shock of Jean’s death eradicated Tana’s willpower in rejecting the power transfer, allowing Hekaton’s Ascendency ritual to begin successfully. However, Tana crushed the anti-magic stone in the necklace that Jean had given her, causing the unstable magic to disrupt the Ascendency. Though Hekaton successfully gained the immortality that he sought, the disruption to the ritual caused him to be transfigured into a monster.

In his final moments, Hekaton experienced a brief glimmer of humanity and ordered the evacuation of his people from the castle into town. Hekaton then fused with the castle of Trueffet and transformed into a large golem, while the soldiers who were caught in the blast lost their bodies, causing their souls to create grotesques forms to inhabit. The castle of Trueffet then rose up into the sky, where it hung upside down. Meanwhile, the disrupted ritual forced Tana into a state of endless pain as her sanity began to erode, trapped in an endless cycle of decomposition and rematerialization.

(A/N: After the fall of Kritias, Shey goes into a self-imposed exile in order to atone for having helped with the experiments. It’s implied that he’s the masked NPC named Cantor in Kritias, who tells us in the Kritias storyline that he’s hiding his name and face in order to start a new life of atonement for his involvement in the inhumane experiments.)

The Seven Commanders:

The Lion King of El Nath, Von Leon, was a wise man who ruled El Nath benevolently alongside his beloved wife, Ifia. As El Nath was perpetually covered in snow, the kingdom was comparatively poor, though its people were happy. When stories of the Black Mage’s destruction began to spread, the Anti-Black Mage Coalition was formed. The coalition approached Von Leon and requested that he join, but Von Leon refused to involve himself, as he didn’t want to create a target on his kingdom, believing that the Black Mage would leave them alone since the kingdom had little to offer. After being corrupted and driven to insanity by the Black Mage’s forces, the coalition mindlessly stormed Von Leon’s castle, resulting in Ifia’s death. In despair, Von Leon sold his soul to the Black Mage in exchange for the power to exact revenge on those who destroyed his kingdom and his true love.

(A/N: It’s heavily implied that Hilla is the one who corrupted the coalition, as the Milestone update emphasizes her ability to use illusion magic, and the Winter Bard storyline shows Hilla being the one who recruits Von Leon as a Commander.)

The King of Spirits, Guwaru, was considered to be the Great Spirit amongst his kind. As the Black Mage’s power as the dark Transcendent of Light grew stronger, the powers of Alicia and Rhinne - the Transcendent of Life and Transcendent of Time - grew weaker, shifting the balance of the world. Because of this Guwaru, who was tied to the world itself, grew corrupted and came to serve the Black Mage against his own will. (A/N: Before the Milestone update, it was said that Guwaru joined the Black Mage after his anger at the humans who disrespected spirits and nature was exploited.)

The Seal of Time:

The Lion King’s Castle:

Side Quests

FOX Valley Shade ending

While exploring the Temple of Time, the Adversary encountered a Temple Keeper who asked them for help, as they had gotten lost.

(A/N: They use male pronouns for Kao in the amnesiac Temple Keeper storyline, but they use gender-neutral pronouns during the events of Vanishing Journey, since Kao’s gender is the same as the player’s gender. I’ll continue to use gender-neutral pronouns to refer to them both, so apologies in advance if it sounds confusing.)

The Adversary gave them directions to the Three Doors and soon encountered them standing near the head Temple Keeper when they returned. The head Temple Keeper thanked the Adversary for helping the amnesiac Temple Keeper. The Adversary asked him whether the amnesiac Temple Keeper was new, to which the head Temple Keeper explained that the amnesiac Temple Keeper kept getting lost in the temple while trying to find their old memories. He told them that the Temple Keepers had found them in the Gate of the Past with their memories missing and had decided to take them in. The Adversary then agreed to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper’s memories back. 

The Temple Keeper sent the Adversary to the Memory Keeper, who explained that the memories which the amnesiac Temple Keeper had lost were the innocent childhood memories that defined who they were, and that the amnesiac Temple Keeper would need to retrieve those memories on their own in order to get the rest of their memories back. The Adversary returned back to the amnesiac Temple Keeper and told them what the Memory Keeper had said. After realizing that they would need to find the memories on their own, the amnesiac Temple Keeper dejectedly thanked them.

Just as the Adversary was about to leave, the Temple Keeper pulled them aside and told them that he had a plan to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper’s memories back. He asked them to visit the Sorcerer, a greedy man who was adept at making potions. The Sorcerer offered to sell them Tinglebrain Potion, which he believed could help the amnesiac Temple Keeper get their memories back. The Adversary brought him Shards of Recollection and Pieces of Memory and paid the fee in exchange for him brewing the potion. They brought the potion to the amnesiac Temple Keeper, who eagerly drank it, though they were disappointed when they were unable to recall anything more.

(A/N: Before the Ellin Forest revamp, Kao used to recall their time in Ellin Forest, although all references to Kao existing in Ellin Forest have now been removed. Originally, Kao recalled a dark forest, tents, fairies with beautiful wings, and someone with glasses scolding them. The person scolding them was actually Loha, who also scolded the player for being lazy during the original Ellin Forest storyline after mistaking them for Kao.)

Frustrated, the Temple Keeper asked the Adversary to see the Record Keeper, who had recorded all events of the past. The Record Keeper explained that he had been awaiting their arrival, but he added that he couldn’t help. He told them to return to the Temple Keeper and to tell him precisely that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had ‘lost their time’. The Adversary told the Temple Keeper what the Record Keeper had said, but the Temple Keeper was confused by the Record Keeper’s words and decided to give up.

The Adversary asked him what the Record Keeper had meant, to which the Temple Keeper replied that he wasn’t sure, though he wondered whether it might mean that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had actually come through the Gate of the Past, rather than merely being a vagrant whom he had found wandering in the halls.

As the Adversary approached the amnesiac Temple Keeper to tell them about their failure, the amnesiac Temple Keeper excitedly told them that they now remembered their name - Kao - which had been given to them by the Guardians of Time. They then removed their hood and, to the Adversary’s shock, revealed that they had the exact same face. 

(A/N: Kao’s backstory was reorganized during the Ellin Forest revamp, and it was explained that the Black Mage sent Kao back in time after they failed to defeat him. This caused Kao to emerge from the Gate of the Past, but forcing one’s way through the gate without permission causes them to lose their memories. Kao was eventually found by the Temple Keepers, who named them Kao, which means “chaos”, in order to represent the undefinable meaning of time.

The line that Kao has about their name being given to them by the Guardians of Time was added in the revamp, which also retroactively renamed all the Temple Keepers in the Arcane River to the Guardians of Time, possibly to make it more consistent with Arkarium being described as a Guardian of Time. Before the revamp, it was suggested that the player’s canonical name is Kao, but the revamp confirms that Kao’s real name is still the player’s name. For a complete timeline of Kao’s journey, see the notes at the end of the Esfera and Limina sections.) 

(A/N: They use male pronouns for Kao in the amnesiac Temple Keeper storyline, but they use gender-neutral pronouns during the events of Vanishing Journey, since Kao’s gender is the same as the player’s gender. I’ll continue to use gender-neutral pronouns to refer to them both, so apologies in advance if it sounds confusing.)

The Arcane River:

(A/N: From here on out, the story presentation of the game shifts from a series of parallel stories into a singular journey made by the Adversary. Personally, I think that the way that Nexon has handled the concept of there being a singular protagonist for the main story has been downright atrocious, specifically because of the way that they pretty much drop every single bit of characterization, personal struggles, and motivations of the class that we’re playing as in favor of a generic template of a protagonist, effectively sweeping the personal journeys of every single class under the rug, as though none of it mattered.

If that’s not bad enough, every class is now subjected to the same canned dialogue that doesn’t even fit the personality of the vast majority of classes. We get characters like Kain talking like they’re twelve years old, saying things like, “Hi, Mr. Fishy!” and completely killing any sense of immersion that might’ve existed. If I decide to make an Evan, for example, I sure as hell expect to keep playing as an Evan throughout the game, not have him be spiritually killed off and overwritten by someone who functionally has no backstory, no personality, and no proactiveness to do anything beyond what he’s been told.

The Adversary protagonist as a character is so vacant and unresponsive that it feels like we exist solely to be talked at by other characters and react to their instructions by killing things, with no semblance of having any thoughts or opinions of our own. If my hypothetical Evan goes to Sellas, he’ll just sit there and vacantly listen to Ollie talk about how she had to overcome people’s low opinions of her through hard work and perseverance, because at no point did the writers think it appropriate to have him actually bond with her in a meaningful way through his own experiences with the Heroes thinking him to be unworthy of succeeding Freud. A good 70% of the Adversary storyline is exactly like this, with the other 30% admittedly being a decent character arc for the generic protagonist that we’re now playing as for the rest of our lives.

The game tries to make some sort of an effort to remind us that we’re playing as a class by introducing exclusive dialogue that certain classes will get in relevant storylines, such as Kinesis getting exclusive dialogue in Reverse City or Ark getting exclusive dialogue with Limbo in Carcion, but the main issue with this is that when classes get exclusive dialogue in the Adversary storyline, it’s like they suddenly switch back into themselves for a couple of sentences, and then abruptly switch back to the Adversary script like they’re two completely different people, because for all intents and purposes, they practically are different people.

With all that being said, however, I’ll still give the story team a good bit of credit. The introduction of story replay has made it much easier to find exclusive dialogue in the game, and there’s a decent amount of it that’s been added in storylines to make the immersion factor even better. The NEXT update has also revamped the entire Arcane River storyline and created a cohesive narrative that’s fixed a huge number of issues that originally existed at the time of the Arcane River’s release, creating a story that actually feels linear instead of a bunch of random areas with little to no relevance to each other.)

The Adversary was contacted by the Memory Keeper, who told them that those who served the Temple of Time had figured out a way to transcend one’s limitations, and he invited them to see him in order to learn how. After they arrived, he asked them whether they were aware of the Erda Flow, the energy that made up the world. After the Adversary voiced their confusion, the Memory Keeper explained that Erdas were the basic building blocks of reality, constantly undergoing a cycle of creation and destruction. However, he told them that the Erdas had lately been disappearing from the world. He then taught them how to perceive Erdas, allowing their consciousness to meld with that of the Erda Flow.

Suddenly, the Adversary heard the voice of the Erdas, who explained that they had once flowed through the World Tree in their cycle of creation and destruction until her life force had been scattered across Maple World. With her disappearance, the Black Mage had been able to steal the Erdas from their natural flow, pulling them into the Gate of the Present. They suspected that the Black Mage wanted to use the Erdas to create a new world, though they warned that it would mean that Maple World would be destroyed in the process.

(A/N: This is a pretty major inconsistency in the writing for the Arcane River storyline, as the knowledge that the Black Mage was planning to create a new world was meant to be a secret until Esfera. Although the Arcane River was marketed as the final chapter of the Black Mage arc, it’s pretty clear that there was no overarching plan for its writing, as seen with how pointless two-thirds of the whole thing was.

Morass and Esfera were really the only areas with any actual substance to their story, and I’m pretty sure that they were also written alongside Tenebris by a different writer, which explains why it seems like the knowledge about the Black Mage’s plan to recreate the world was retroactively treated like some sort of secret revelation, since I doubt that the new writer who took over would’ve paid attention to a 10 second conversation in a job advancement.)

In order to accept their power, the Erdas told the Adversary to seek out the Goddesses of the three worlds. After returning back to the Temple of Time, the Adversary told the Memory Keeper that they had spoken to the Erdas. The Memory Keeper was surprised to learn this, as he had never been able to communicate with the Erdas in all the time that he had observed them. He realized that the Adversary had a grander fate than he had initially suspected and believed that the Erdas wished to bestow their power upon them.

As the Goddesses acted as the conduits between the Erdas and the people of their respective worlds, he explained that they would be able to help. He then told them that according to legend, the Goddesses had used the Erdas in the darkness of the beginning to sculpt a soul, and that it was said that their ability to manipulate the Erdas could be passed down.

(A/N: Before the Destiny update, the Memory Keeper actually explained that after the fall of the Ancient Gods, the Goddesses had used the Erdas to sculpt the three worlds, and that they had taught a select few humans, elves, demons, and dragons how to use the Erdas as well. The writers likely removed the part about the different races in order to avoid restricting themselves, since the Flora and Anima are also major races that weren’t mentioned.

The part about the Goddesses creating the three worlds has always been a plot hole because every other storyline in the game states that the Overseers were responsible for separating the three pre-existing worlds - once existing together as a mega-world - into their own dimensions. Worlds like Grandis were said to have existed during the time of the Ancient Gods, and so it would be impossible for the Goddesses to have created them after the Ancient Gods’ fall. I have no idea what they mean by sculpting a soul, but I’m assuming that it’s meant to be a plot point in the future.)

In order to speak with the Goddesses, the Adversary first went to the Bowman Instructional School, where they found a Horizon Portal that sent them to the Goddess of Maple World in the Erda Flow. The Goddess told them that few had come this far and explained that if they learned to control the Erdas within themselves, they would unlock a new power. Before she aided them, however, the Goddess asked what it was that they cherished most in the world.

(A/N: Each class gets two options to choose between, although neither affects the overall story.

Explorers get to choose between their friends or the people of Maple World.

Cannoneer gets to choose between Monkey or his fellow adventurers. Before the Destiny update, he originally got to choose between Monkey or his true love, whoever they end up being. I think that the reason why this got changed is because the writers wanted to standardize the choices for all Special Explorers to be between something unique to their story and their friends. Both before and after Destiny, Monkey will point to himself when Cannoneer is choosing. Before Destiny, he would either shriek happily or angrily depending on whether Cannoneer chose him or not. After Destiny, even if Cannoneer chooses his fellow adventurers, he’ll still include Monkey as part of that list, and so Monkey will shriek happily in either case.

Dual Blade gets to choose between the Secret Garden, where he first learned the art of the sword, or his friends whom he’s journeyed with.

Pathfinder gets to choose between the promise that she made to Athena Pierce to explore undiscovered places, or the new friends that she’s met while exploring.

Cygnus Knights get to choose between Empress Cygnus or the Chief Knight who trained them.

Mihile gets to choose between Empress Cygnus or his fellow Chief Knights.

The main Resistance classes get to choose between Edelstein and the Resistance, or the promise that they made to Vita to make a better world.

Xenon gets to choose between Edelstein and the Resistance, or his old friends from his hazy memories.

The Demon gets to choose between his old family home - the place where he made his only happy memories of Maple World, or Mastema. Mastema gets very flustered if you choose her.

Aran gets to choose between the other Heroes or Lilin.

Evan gets to choose between the people of Henesys or Mir. He’s also the only member of the Heroes who doesn’t get the option to pick the other Heroes, probably because he’s barely interacted with them outside the Heroes of Maple blockbuster.

Mercedes gets to choose between the other Heroes or Elluel and the elves.

Phantom gets to choose between the other Heroes or Empress Cygnus. His reasoning for Empress Cygnus is that the most important thing to him is preserving the Empress’ bloodline, and with Aria gone, Cygnus is the only one left to carry it on, for which he vows that he’ll do anything to help her.

Luminous gets to choose between the other Heroes or Lania.

Shade gets to choose between the other Heroes or Moonbeam.

Kaiser gets to choose between Tear or those whom he protects as Kaiser.

Angelic Buster gets to choose between Kyle or everyone whom she helps as Angelic Buster. After the player makes their choice and finishes explaining their reasoning to the Goddess, Eskalade will interrupt and ask if he’s one of the choices. Angelic Buster will reassure him that he’s precious to her, although she’ll think to herself that she completely forgot about him. This dialogue is a remnant from her original storyline, in which Eskalade was a lecherous pervert. Although he fully deserved it in her old storyline, it’s a bit sad that he’s forgotten in the new one, especially since he and Angelic Buster have a much better relationship in the revamp.

Cadena gets to choose between her old memories of her castle and her family, or her fellow Shadowdealers.

Kain gets to choose between his childhood memories of Luska or his new memories made from adventuring. For the second choice, he explains that the more that he tried recalling his past memories, the more pain and Malice came with them. However, after leaving Toolen City, he’s made new friends and all his memories of his time in Maple World are happy, and so he wants to protect the world in order to ensure that those memories won’t turn to into regret or loss like his old ones.

Illium gets to choose between Morian, Ex, and Machina, or the people of Maple World. Despite only naming those three people for his first choice, his dialogue if you pick that option has him also mention Dean, Carnelian, and Sinaria.

Ark gets to choose between his new friends or his promise to an old one to end the tragedy in the world. For the second option, he tells the Goddess that even though Albaire may have given up hope, he vows that he won’t, and that before they meet again, he’ll prove that determination can make all the difference when it comes to protecting the ones that he cares for. They’re hyping up Ark and Albaire’s reunion so much and I can already guarantee that it’s going to absolutely devastate my fragile psyche.

Adele gets to choose between her promise to Jerome or her commitment to chivalry. For the second choice, Adele tells the Goddess that as a knight, she won’t abide corruption and wrongdoing before her, and that nothing can justify sacrificing innocents for one’s ambitions. Didn’t really seem to matter to her a few sections ago when she celebrated defending a man who was literally ready to do exactly that, but go off, I guess. Then again, Darmoor also organized a coup to kill his own father because he was about to wipe out all life, and then Darmoor goes and does the exact same thing, and Veronica and the other Knights of the Einherjar also seem to be totally chill with Darmoor’s war, but not his father’s, so maybe hypocrisy is just a High Flora tradition.

Khali gets to choose between her family or the people that she met in her adventures. For her family, she explains that she had thought that she had lost everything when Rasha and her father were killed, leaving her only with fierce vengeance. However, she tells the Goddess that vengeance wasn’t the only mission left to her, as she also wants to ensure that what had happened to Rasha wouldn’t happen ever again. She adds that she doesn't want anyone to feel the guilt that she had when she had run away at the expense of leaving her father behind to be killed.

Hoyoung gets to choose between dreaming of the blue sky or the bond of the outside world. The description for both is a bit vague, but the first option is basically his dream to become a sage and surpass even Tai Yu, while the second option is basically all the things outside the Hermitage that he’s come to love, like food, people, etc.

Lara gets to choose between her calling to ring the bell or helping all the people that she’s met.

Zero gets to choose between Alpha/Beta or the priests who helped them at the temple.

Kinesis gets to choose between Yuna and Jay, or himself. Even the Goddess is shook if you choose the second option and she asks him about his reasoning. Kinesis tells the Goddess that he’s learned that he can’t protect others if he can’t protect himself. Kinesis is an absolute legend for deviating from the usual protagonist script.)

After hearing their response, the Goddess gave them the Arcane Stone of Maple World, which she explained would help them gather the ambient Erdas within their own body once the stone was awakened.

(A/N: This next portion takes place only if you’re an Explorer. I personally view it as additional proof that the Explorer really is intended to be the canonical Adversary.)

Before leaving, the Explorer asked the Goddess why she didn’t come back as Sugar anymore. The Goddess explained that she would answer their question by explaining why she had appeared as Sugar in the first place. She told the Explorer that it was the duty of the Goddesses to protect their worlds, and that she had been waiting for someone with the power to sense the Gate of Darkness, and to rid Maple World of it once and for all. (A/N: The Gate of Darkness is likely her referring to the Gate of the Present behind which the Black Mage was sealed.)

The Explorer was surprised to learn that they were the one whom she had been waiting for, to which the Goddess told them that she had come to witness the goodness not only in their heart, but the hearts of multitudes from around the world joined together for the sake of the world that they loved. She explained that mortals didn’t need someone to intervene for them, as they had always had the power to save themselves, and that she merely helped them where she could. She then asked the Explorer not to forget the goodness that lived within before sending them on their way.

After speaking with the Goddess of Maple World, the Explorer heard the mysterious voice calling out to them. The voice explained that the Explorer was the incarnation of his will, just as they were representative of his will, adding that it would be their final meeting, as the Explorer had awakened their full potential. The voice explained that he was a man who had given his heart to calm the chaos of his time, just as the Goddess had willed it. He then wondered aloud whether history remembered him.

The Explorer asked the voice whether he was the legendary First Explorer, to which the First Explorer expressed his surprise that the people of the present saw him as a legend, as he had been born merely as an ordinary human child. Though he had been an orphan, he had never been alone, as Sugar had always been beside him.

He explained that eventually, he had realized who she really was, but no matter how much they had enjoyed spending time together, she had always seemed sad, as though she were consumed with guilt. Eventually, he had realized that she had created him to save the world, and that she would have to watch him die in order to do so - a cruel fate that the Goddess herself had laid out for him.

(A/N: The GMS translation team has been doing a pretty bad job ever since the Destiny update. Whereas the KMS text has the First Explorer talk about the “cruel fate” that the Goddess had laid out for him, the GMS text merely says that they were both intertwined in their tragic fate. The GMS dialogue fails to properly capture the nuance of what the First Explorer is saying, as the original text suggests that he blames Sugar on some level for his destiny.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

The Shangri-La storyline expands on the First Explorer’s words, as it reveals that the fate of every Adversary is to die after fulfilling their purpose by killing a god. It explains that the Overseers had believed that the Adversaries - beings who held unchecked and immense power to influence the shape of destiny - were a threat to order itself, as unleashing such powerful, uncontrollable beings into the world and allowing them to live after fulfilling their mission would plunge the universe into a second age of chaos, as though the Ancient Gods had never left. In order to circumvent this, the Overseers ordained that the Adversaries would meet their end after they fulfilled their purpose, ensuring that they would not be allowed to keep living after they were of no further use to the Overseers.

In regard to the First Explorer, Sugar had deliberately led him into fusing with a Godsphere, knowing full well that he would be killed after his purpose was fulfilled. The fact that he seems to blame Sugar in the original KMS text makes me think that he likely felt betrayed by her, since she probably glossed over the fact that choosing to fuse with a Godsphere would result in his premature death. Personally, I like to think that his problem wasn’t that he would be killed, since he was a hero who would’ve made that choice anyways, but rather, it was the fact that Sugar felt the need to lie to him in the first place and took away his right to choose his destiny for himself.

Given how close they both were, I can definitely see how the First Explorer might’ve taken the fact that even after knowing him so well, Sugar couldn’t even trust him to make the right choice on his own without sugarcoating (no pun intended) what would happen to him. However, this is all assuming that she didn’t tell him the truth until after the fact. It’s also very possible that she didn’t tell him until right before he became an Adversary, which is still technically lying, although it’s more understandable why she wouldn’t have told him before that. Somehow, I doubt that coming up to an orphan and asking them to die for the world in your very first meeting is gonna go the way you want it to.

There are a lot more questions to be asked about the whole thing, like where Sugar even got the Godsphere from when the Godspheres and the Adversaries themselves were all created by the elders in Odium, whether the First Explorer was created outside Odium, whether he was able to retain his humanity and sense of self, and whether he was the only Adversary that fought in Maple World, but those are questions that Nexon probably won’t be answering for a couple more years.

On another note, I’ve said in the past that the Goddesses are more like the spirit manifestations of their world, but I actually wonder whether they’re like the interfaces between the Overseers and mortals. The Overseers are abstract, formless beings who’ve been shown to look like giant nebulas in space, and so it would make sense that the Overseers, also described as the will of the world, would use the Goddesses, described as the spirits of their worlds, as mouthpieces to make their will known to humanity.

At the same time, the fact that the Goddesses seem to have some capacity to directly interfere in the world, such as the Goddess of Maple World manifesting as Sugar, likely means that the Goddesses are also their own beings with their own free will. If the Goddesses are the interface between the Overseers and mortals, then the Transcendents would be the interface between the Overseers and the physical plane.

Since the Transcendents were the only things created by the Overseers, they’re also the only beings that the Overseers can completely control like puppets, whereas they can’t directly override the free will of mortals, for which their only option is to ask nicely through the Goddesses in order to convince mortals to do what they want, like how Sugar aids the First Explorer and the Explorer, and how the Overseers were said to have somehow blessed the elders of Grandis and asked them to conduct their experiments in Odium, which I’d suspect is through the Goddess of Grandis.)

The Explorer asked about their power, to which the First Explorer explained that the power within them was a portion of his own power, which had been granted to him by “the ones who keep order”. Regarding their fate, the First Explorer told them that they were the one who had inherited his fate and asked that their good will be a torch to light the way.

(A/N: In the GMS dialogue, the First Explorer will instead tell us that our power flows from him, just as it flows to those who desire a safe, stable world and have the heart to bring it about. I have absolutely no idea why this was changed because “the ones who keep order” is a reference to the Overseers, whose power dwells within the Seal Stones. You’ll see in future sections that GMS has some stupid obsession with omitting important bits of lore in their translations.)

When the Explorer asked if their fate was to defeat the Black Mage, he told them that if the chaos of their time had begun with him, then it was. However, he told them that how their fate transpired depended on them, for while his will was their will, his choices were not theirs. Having answered all their questions, the First Explorer told them to walk the fated path with awakened power, as the chaos that had long since faded was gathering again.

(A/N: From here on, the story returns to being class-agnostic.)

Next, the Adversary traveled to Pantheon and used the Horizon Portal inside the Great Temple to meet the Goddess of Grandis.

(A/N: Her form varies depending on your class. For all non-Grandis classes and Nova classes, she appears as an ancient Nova, which is more dragon-like, similar to how Eskalade appears. For Anima classes, she appears as a rabbit Anima. For Flora classes, she appears as a Verdant Flora, although her blue wings are natural, not mechanical.

Each of the Grandis classes also get some exclusive dialogue with Goddess of Grandis.

For Kaiser, the Goddess greets him and asks if he’s come to raise his power to the next level.

For Angelic Buster, the Goddess explains that she’s been watching her progress intently and notes that she’s done well to protect and grow her power.

For Cadena, the Goddess greets her and notes that though Cadena was born to royalty, she’s chosen a darker path, adding that she knew that Cadena would come to her seeking more power.

For Kain, the Goddess greets him and notes that he’s survived his tribulations and has emerged from the darkness.

For Illium, the Goddess greets him and asks if he’s come to unlock more of his mytocrystal’s power.

For Adele, the Goddess greets her and notes that she’s overcome her hardships and has discovered a new calling.

For Ark, the Goddess notes that his determination is strong, even in the face of chaos.

For Khali, the Goddess greets her as the one who has overcome her vengeance in the tragedy of the desert.

For Hoyoung, the Goddess greets him and explains that she’s been monitoring his performance for some time. She notes that it seems that he and Taotie have developed what she can only assume to be some tentative form of friendship.

For Lara, the Goddess notes that she’s the one who will wash away the wrongs of the Sinners and bring unending goodness.)

The Goddess greeted the Adversary and asked them to prove their strength by defeating Magnus. She sent them into an illusion of Tyrant’s Castle, in which the Adversary successfully bested the conjured Magnus before returning back to her. Impressed by their strength, the Goddess gave them the Arcane Stone of Grandis.

Finally, the Adversary returned back to Maple World and went to the base of the Dark World Tree, where the remnants of Damien’s army who had accepted defeat fought against the rest of their comrades, who had become possessed by the vestiges of the Spirit of Vengeance. They took the Horizon Portal at the Deserted Camp and found the Goddess of Tynerum, who told them that if Maple World was a world of rules and order, then Tynerum was a world of chaos and uncertainty. She explained that the demons had played as shadows did in candlelight for a very long time.

(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue, in which she notes that he should know what she’s talking about well, since he’s a demon himself.

I really hope that they move the Goddess of Tynerum to Tynerum, rather than Maple World, once Tynerum is released as an area. Currently, Crimsonheart Castle and Azmoth Canyon are the only accessible parts of Tynerum, but there’s no actual world map for Tynerum as a whole.)

She added that though she had no interest in the affairs of Maple World, the balance between the worlds had to be maintained by defeating the Black Mage. She then tested them by sending them to the Dark World Tree and having them defeat the demon soldiers that she summoned. After defeating the corrupted demon soldiers, the Adversary returned to the Goddess, who gave them the Arcane Stone of Tynerum.

(A/N: Originally, she used to kick you out and move the Horizon Portal to one of the three top branches of the Dark World Tree, after which you had to find her within five minutes. Literally everyone hated this because many classes simply couldn’t survive with the level 220 mobs and the anti-AFK mob that locked your potion use. Thankfully, it was changed with the Destiny update.)

The Adversary then returned to the Memory Keeper, who activated the Arcane Stones and used them to awaken a new power within the Adversary. The Memory Keeper then asked the Adversary whether they wished to hear about what had happened on the day that the Gate of the Present had opened. He explained that he had sensed a sudden anomaly within the temple, with the Temple Keeper and several Guardians of Time immediately rushing to the scene. There, they had seen the Gate of the Present opened, with several unknown people entering through it.

(A/N: During the Memory Keeper’s explanation, we see several illustrations that give more context to his story. When he first senses the door opening, we see an image of the Black Mage, Will, Lucid, and Verus Hilla entering the Gate of the Present. Soon after, the Temple Keeper and the Guardians of Time arrive and find Arkarium escorting Tana into the Arcane River.)

The Memory Keeper then asked the Adversary if they remembered Kao, the amnesiac Temple Keeper. He explained that the priests of the Temple of Time had entered the Gate of the Present in order to explore the Arcane River, a river created from pure Erdas, and that Kao had gone with them in search of their memories. Because of the purity of the Erdas, he told the Adversary that only those who possessed Arcane Power could fight the Erda monsters. When the Adversary expressed their confusion, the Memory Keeper told them to see for themselves and instructed them to fight the Happy Erdas.

(A/N: Yeah no, I’m good, I’d rather throw myself off a building. There’s a whole damn timeline where us not having Arcane Power led to the world being destroyed, and yet this Temple of Time employee - whose literal job is to observe those exact moments in time - is really gonna do me like this. Where’s the option for me to say “I believe you” and he gives me the stupid symbol without requiring my squishy mules to die before we even take one step towards the Black Mage? It gets to the point that random strangers will offer to carry me because the sight of me charging in and dying for the seventeenth time in a row like I’m a level 10 noob stuck in Orbis is too pathetic for anyone with dignity to watch.)

The Adversary found that the Happy Erdas were extremely difficult to fight and returned to the Memory Keeper, who explained that the reason why they were struggling to face the Erdas was because the power of the body and the power of the soul were different. He told the Adversary that only by tapping into the Erda Flow could they wield the Arcane Power to face high-purity Erda monsters.

He explained that by forging the Erda within themselves into an Arcane Symbol, they would be able to use the symbol as a protective mark, which would allow them to call upon the Arcane Power within the Erda Flow without their energy being sapped away upon contact. He gave the Adversary a basic Arcane Symbol and explained that strengthening it would allow them to wield more Arcane Power and deal more damage to the monsters of the Arcane River.

Vanishing Journey:

(A/N: Something cool that you can see is that the Vanishing Journey contains objects from Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World. This is because the Arcane River was created as a result of the Erdas that rubbed off from the collision of these three worlds, allowing elements from each of them to manifest across the Arcane River.)

Upon visiting the Nameless Town, the Adversary was surprised to find that it was inhabited by Erdas that took humanoid forms, all of whom mistook the Adversary for Kao and cursed them for destroying their memories. As the Adversary resolved to find Kao and ask them about what had happened, the powerful monster Arma sensed the arrival of new memories into the Vanishing Journey, for which he created a duplicate of himself in the form of a human to lure the Adversary towards him. Meanwhile, the Adversary found Kao nearby, who confessed that it was because of them that the townspeople had lost their memories.

Kao explained that the Lake of Oblivion on the outskirts of town could erase the memories of anyone who fell into its waters, and that the townspeople had been slowly losing their memories due to their proximity to the lake. Because of this, they had created the Tree of Memory, where they had hung up precious memories so that they wouldn’t be forgotten. Kao revealed that after hearing about the tree, they had approached it in the hopes of finding their own memories there. Upon touching it, however, all of the memories hung upon the tree had been scattered. Kao revealed that as a result, the townspeople had stopped their daily activities and had even halted the boat that could cross the Lake of Oblivion.

As Kao lamented that their attempt to regain their memories had resulted in everyone else losing theirs, the Adversary placated Kao by noting that they merely needed to restore the scattered memories back onto the tree. As Chief Legato wouldn’t speak with Kao, the Adversary decided to speak with him themselves. Legato recognized that the Adversary appeared identical to Kao, though he noted that they were a different person entirely. His words caused the Adversary to realize that Kao was indeed entirely identical to them, causing them to wonder who Kao really was.

The Adversary then offered to help restore the villagers’ memories, to which Legato explained that the powerful Erda monsters around the area had already devoured the memories, and that the villagers were too weak to recover their memories on their own. However, Legato noted that the Adversary, unlike Kao, appeared to be strong enough to fight the Erda monsters, for which he asked them to collect the villagers’ happy, sad, raging, and joyful memories. After collecting the memories from the Erda monsters, the Adversary hung them back on the Tree of Memory.

With their memories back, the villagers were able to resume their normal lives and the oarsman returned to ferry people across the lake. Legato told the Adversary that he had been curious about whether Kao’s memories were amongst the recovered ones, though he had found no trace of them when he had checked. However, he explained that the Fountain of Reflection, somewhere beyond the Nameless Town, had waters which reflected one’s past, though he added that he wasn’t sure whether the fountain was still there, since everything within the Vanishing Journey seemed to fade away in time.

The Adversary told Kao about what Legato had said, to which Kao excitedly decided to accompany the Adversary across the Lake of Oblivion in order to recover their memories. The pair met with Kima the oarsman, who ferried them across the lake on a large paper boat. On the other side of the lake, they climbed a large cliff and found themselves in a desolate forest with burning blue flames all around them. Just as they were about to cross an enchanted bridge, they were stopped by a girl named Rino, who told them that the bridge was an illusion created by the blue flames of the Extinction Zone in order to trick them into falling off the cliff.

Rino asked the Adversary why they had come to such a dangerous place. Upon hearing that they were hoping to reach the end of the Vanishing Journey, she offered to guide them through the Extinction Zone, claiming that they would need her expertise in order to avoid the blue flames, which would destroy their physical forms upon contact. Kao then told the Adversary that their journey together may end soon, as reaching the fountain was more important to them than anything else.

Sensing Kao’s resolve, the Adversary suggested that they ask Rino about the fountain. Though Kao agreed that it was a good idea, they noted that they couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease when it came to her. The Adversary asked Rino about the fountain, to which she asked them why they were seeking it, as she had thought that they were trying to reach the end of the Vanishing Journey. Upon learning that Kao was hoping to regain their missing memories, Rino offered to lead them to the fountain while the Adversary collected the necessary materials to cross the Extinction Zone.

She explained that the only way to safely cross the blue flames was to ride the Flame Birds, for which she asked the Adversary to collect Solid Claws from Stone Erdas, Sticky Oil from Blazing Erdas, and Hard Shells from Soulful Erdas in order to call and tame the birds. While the Adversary collected the materials, Rino escorted Kao to the Fountain of Reflection. At the fountain, Kao looked into the waters and felt their head about to burst from the onrush of memories that were flooding into them.

Within the reflection of the water, Kao saw their fight against the Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River, the moment in Esfera when they had been faced with a choice to kill Tana and stop Will’s ritual, and their power being drained by Arma in the Vanishing Journey. Kao then realized that they were the Adversary from the future, and that they had fought and lost to Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River after losing the ‘crucial power’, and that it had all begun when they had been tricked by Arma’s clone, Rino. In order to change the future, they had used all their power to travel back in time to warn their past self, though they had lost all their memories in the process.

(A/N: Although Kao believes that they went back in time on their own, it was actually the White Mage who sent them back in order to ensure that the Adversary succeeded in killing him. Most likely, the White Mage modified Kao’s memories in order to ensure that no one knew that he wanted to lose before the time was right. Regarding Arma, just like the monsters in Arcana, Arma was created as a result of Tana’s influence in reshaping the Erdas across the Arcane River and transforming them into corrupted monsters.)

Realizing that the Adversary would also meet the same fate, Kao resolved to stop Rino before she could lure them to Arma. Rino noted that Kao was someone whom she had already fed upon, though she amusedly added that there was nothing that they could do to change things with such a weak body. She declared that she would feed upon the Adversary and use them as sustenance. Kao demanded to know why Rino was luring the Adversary, both in the past and in the present, to which she replied that she had no choice, as she needed to keep feeding on memories in order to not disappear.

She explained that she bore no ill will towards them, and that it was simply a matter of them having far more memories to feed upon than the Erda villagers in the Nameless Town. However, Kao retorted that Rino wasn’t just feeding on memories, to which she noted that she could feel a strange, yet familiar power inside the Adversary, which she would devour from inside them. Surprised to hear this, Kao wondered whether Rino had sensed the power of the Seal Stone inside the Adversary. Rino then pushed Kao off a cliff and created a doppelgänger to take their place, hoping to lure the Adversary directly to her main body. However, Kao managed to follow Rino and replace the doppelgänger without her knowing.

(We don’t see this.)

Meanwhile, the Adversary returned back with the materials and asked Kao if they had recovered their memories. Kao told them that the waters had reflected a fragment of their memory, which had helped them recall other memories buried deep within their minds. Having achieved their purpose, Kao told the Adversary that they had no reason to stay any longer, for which they resolved to return back to the Nameless Town. Nevertheless, the Adversary noticed that Kao’s gloomy expression seemed unusual for someone who had just gotten their memories back. They decided to ask Rino, who told them that Kao had been rather downcast ever since recovering their memories. Though she hadn’t seen Kao’s memories, she supposed that they must have been rather sad.

With all the necessary materials gathered, the Adversary then blew on the Hard Shells to summon the Flame Birds, fed them Solid Claws to tame them, and applied the Sticky Oil so as not to fall. The three then began to fly across the Extinction Zone and Rino, believing that Kao was still a doppelgänger, told Kao that they could turn around at the upcoming mountain peak to return back to the village. Suddenly, however, Kao swooped toward Rino on their Flame Bird and pushed her off.

The Adversary immediately rushed down after Rino, who had barely survived the fall by landing on the soft sand. Rino told the Adversary that they had arrived at the entrance to the Cave of Repose, and that the end of the Vanishing Journey was at the end of the cave. Though the Adversary was concerned by her injuries, Rino told them that she would be fine, and that they needed to focus on reaching the end of the cave first. The pair then pressed on, with the Adversary harvesting Tranquil Solvent from the Tranquil Erdas and Lantern Erdas in order to dissolve the Slaws blocking their path. Just as they reached the end of the cave, an injured Kao suddenly appeared and told the Adversary that Rino was leading them into a trap.

Kao revealed that Rino was leading them to her true body - the giant monster Arma - revealing that they had learned the truth about Rino from the Fountain of Reflection, as well as how they had lost their memories in the first place. After explaining Rino’s true purpose, Kao told the Adversary that the power which Arma possessed was no ordinary energy, and that the strange yet familiar power that Rino had sensed inside the Adversary’s Seal Stone was the power of the gods, with that same divine power existing within Arma.

(Tana)

At the Adversary’s surprise, Kao revealed that if they hadn’t been attacked by Arma in the past, they may not have been defeated by the Black Mage. Though Rino admitted that she should have been more careful in getting rid of Kao, she declared that it didn’t matter anymore, as they had already reached their destination. Transforming back into his true form, Arma declared that they would now become part of his memories.

As Arma launched his attack, Kao jumped forward and took the attack in the Adversary’s place. Their sacrifice allowed the Adversary to defeat Arma once and for all, after which they carried Kao’s fading body out of the cave. The Adversary to Kao apologized for not being able to protect them, to which Kao asked them not to blame themselves, noting that it had all been inevitable. However, Kao also admitted that they were glad to have been able to regain their memories and make up for their mistakes, even if it had all come too late.

(A/N: All classes get exclusive dialogue here.

For Explorers, Kao talks about how they had lived a long, free life with Sugar’s help. However, they had found out too late that it wasn’t easy to protect what they loved, though they tell the player that there’s hope now because of them. This dialogue is shared with all Special Explorers and Jett, which is dumb because Pathfinder and Jett don’t share the main Explorer storyline and they’ve literally never met Sugar once in their lives for them to be talking about her. Despite many other classes talking about their companions, such as Evan and Mir, Cannoneer doesn’t get any unique lines about Monkey, which is the biggest travesty of them all.

For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, Kao tells the player to seize the opportunity and to carry out the Empress’ will to protect the world. Kao explains that they had lost their memories in the fight against the Black Mage and had forgotten the promise that they had made to the Empress, because of which, they believe that they no longer have the right to call themselves a Knight.

For the main Resistance classes, Kao asks the player if they remember when Edelstein was freed from the Black Wings at the end of Black Heaven. Kao notes how they had risen up from the despair of losing Vita and had attained freedom, after which they had promised to help others achieve that same freedom as well. They tell the player that the same promise is engraved in them, though Kao regrets having forgotten all of it.

For Xenon, Kao asks him if he remembers the day when he had broken free from Gelimer’s lab. He explains that even after being changed into a machine, his heart had still remained human. Though he had lost his past, he had thought that it would be fine because he had made new memories. However, Kao notes that even after all that, he had still managed to lose his memories once again, and he wonders if things would have been different if he had been stronger.

For the Demon, Kao explains that he had known that he couldn’t beat the Black Mage when he had faced his old master centuries ago, though he had hoped desperately for just one more chance to face him again, which he had miraculously gotten. For his people, his mother, and Damien, he had focused all his rage in order to face the challenge, though he had soon forgotten everything, including his rage. He explains that he doesn’t think that someone like him will ever be given another chance, though he says that it’ll be different for the Demon.

For Aran, she asks where Kao has left Maha. Kao says that thought she can’t be sure, she believes that Maha has ceased to exist. She recalls how Maha was there with her for her entire life, but after losing him and seeing how she’s fallen after losing her memories and her power, she believes that she no longer has the right to fight anymore.

For Evan, he realizes that if he and Kao are the same person, then that must mean that Kao has his own Mir. When he asks where Kao’s Mir is, Kao apologizes and says that he wasn’t able to protect Mir because he wasn’t strong enough, which had hindered Mir’s growth in turn. He believes that if he had been more careful, he could have saved the world and Mir as well. Evan’s Mir then speaks to Kao and calls him by the player’s IGN, after which Kao thanks him and says that he had never thought that he’d ever hear Mir call his name again.

For Mercedes, Kao asks her if the people of Elluel are alright. After Mercedes says that they are, Kao tells her that it’s a relief to hear. Kao then laments that she had caused her people to be frozen in the past, and that she couldn’t save the world either. She regrets that not only had she been unable to save the world, but she had also been unable to secure a better future for her people and their home. Without her memories or her power, she notes that it means that she no longer has the chance anymore. She then asks Mercedes to gift their people a hopeful future in her place.

For Phantom, Kao apologizes for being unable to protect the world that Aria loved. He explains that when he sees Aria again in the afterlife, he doesn’t know what she’ll say to him. He wonders if she’ll forgive him for his failures before supposing that she’d be kind and say that he had done his best, after which he says that the only person who isn’t ready to forgive him is himself.

For Luminous, he notes that he can’t sense the power of light or darkness inside Kao. Kao explains that he himself isn’t sure, but when he had come to his senses, the power of darkness had dissipated and only a faint power of light remained. He asks Luminous if Lania is doing alright, to which Luminous says that she’s doing fine. Kao is relieved to hear it, explaining that she had sacrificed herself for him in her past life, and that she hadn’t resented him when she had learned the truth in her current life. He recalls how he had given thanks to her and had promised to do better, though he had ultimately failed to protect both the world and Lania. He then wonders what she had thought when the world had been destroyed and supposes that since she’s kind, she must have pitied him for his failures. He then tells Luminous not to let Lania down like he had.

For Shade, Kao asks to let his sacrifice be enough. He then wonders if it would be arrogant of him to hope that his sacrifice will save the world. Shade then asks Kao where he kept Moonbeam’s guardian spirit, to which Kao explains that when he had regained his memories, he couldn’t sense the spirit’s energy anymore. He recalls how, despite being a stranger, Moonbeam had trusted him without hesitation and had given him her power that he had to eventually return. He notes that Moonbeam’s spirit and her world don’t exist anymore, despite how much he had wanted to protect them. He then asks Shade if Moonbeam is doing alright, after which he apologizes, as he had forgotten about the curse for a moment. He adds that he’s sure that she’s doing fine before reminding Shade that he needs to protect the world, adding that they both will remember the charge that had been entrusted to them, even if the memories fade away.

For Ark, he notes that he can’t sense the Specter’s energy inside Kao and asks if something has happened. Kao explains that the Specter has ceased to exist, as he suspects that going back in time might have affected it.

For Hoyoung, he asks Kao where he’s left his Taotie. Kao notes that his Taotie must have sacrificed himself. Hoyoung’s Taotie then emerges from him and calls Kao a buffoon before telling him to stop it with his sob stories. Kao smiles sadly at hearing Taotie calling him a buffoon, adding that it’s been a while since he’s heard that.

For Zero, the script is the same no matter whether the player was Alpha or Beta at the time of accepting the quest. Zero asks Kao, who’s revealed to be Alpha, where Beta is. Kao explains that she was with him until the last attack on the Black Mage. When he had woken up and had come to his senses, he had found that he was alone. He believes that Beta was killed because there’s no way than anyone could walk away unscathed after losing to the Black Mage. He notes that Beta had always helped him, and that she had always been hurt because of him, from the time that he had been Alpha to when he had become Kao. He recalls how Beta used to tell him that if the two of them cooperated, their combined strength would be unstoppable. However, he laments that he’s lost all his power, and now, he’s also lost his sister.

Every other class in the game - Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, Kain, Illium, Adele, Khali, Lara, Kinesis, Hayato, Kanna, and Beast Tamer - get a generic script for classes not from Maple World. What’s dumb is that Beast Tamer gets the non-Maple World script about saving a dimension that’s not her own, despite the fact that she’s literally from Maple World. I’m also gonna give the disclaimer here that Kao is talking about themselves throughout this script, not the player, since it’s gonna sound weird with only gender-neutral pronouns.

Kao asks the player if they remember when they had awoken with the power of the Seal Stone. Kao recalls shouldering the responsibility to save another dimension instead of their own. Though they hadn’t shown it, Kao notes that it must have weighted on them, and for good reason, as it was someone else’s world and not their own. However, Kao notes that they had taken their responsibilities seriously, and though they want to say that their heart was true, they find that they’re not sure anymore. They then wonder whether there’s someone better than them who can actually save the world, after which they suppose that they had lost their worthiness the moment that their faith had wavered.

A lot of the dialogue for certain classes was written in order to account for why they don’t have their partners like Maha or Mir, or why they don’t have any magical mechanics that would either reveal their identity or influence their decision-making, such as Luminous losing his darkness or Ark losing his Specter. It does make me wonder why they didn’t give any lines to Angelic Buster to account for Eskalade, since he’s technically her partner and could easily ruin the Black Mage’s plans by distracting Kao or making the present-day Angelic Buster suspicious when she sees a second Eskalade.)

As the Adversary continued carrying Kao’s body through the cave, they were surprised to find that Kao was fading away. Kao explained that their body would soon lose its form and scatter into Erda. The Adversary apologized and blamed themselves for allowing Kao to get attacked by Arma, but Kao told them not to be sorry, as their regrets had faded away because of the Adversary. Kao then noted that it was the end for them, and that, if they could, they would pinpoint the exact moment when they had lost.

Though Kao wanted to come with the Adversary and see the future with their own eyes, they regretted that there was nothing more they could do after losing their power. Kao noted that they were sure that they had made more mistakes aside from being tricked by Arma, but found that they were unable to remember, as their memories were fading away by the minute. They then apologized to the Adversary for not being able to warn them about any other fatal mistakes that they had made, after which they asked the Adversary to take their body to the waterfall up ahead.

At the waterfall, Kao explained that they had one last important thing to say. Kao explained that amongst the memories that they had seen at the Fountain of Reflection, there was one which had stuck in their mind more than anything else. Kao revealed that it was a memory of someone who was in great pain, as well as Kao feeling great regret over something. Though Kao was unable to remember who that person was, they urged the Adversary not to make any choices that they would regret, and to make their own choices without being swayed by anyone else.

Declaring that the Adversary would walk a different path, having survived Arma with their power intact, Kao told the Adversary that they would be able to fully embrace the power of the Arcane Symbols. Kao explained that they would need to collect Arcane Symbols from the many Erdas that they would encounter along the Arcane River in order to strengthen their power. Though Kao noted that many threats existed in the shadows, they also added that there were also just as many allies who would help them on their journey. Before vanishing, Kao asked the Adversary for one final favor - to make their dream come true - after which they scattered into Erdas, leaving behind the Arcane Symbol of Vanishing Journey.

(A/N: This fulfills Kao’s mission to warn their past self about Arma. In Kao’s original timeline, a chunk of their power was drained by Arma, and this weakness made them unable to protect Ollie in Esfera, leading to her death and catalyzing the events which would lead to their defeat at the hands of the Black Mage. For a complete timeline of Kao’s journey, see the notes at the end of Esfera.)

The Adversary then returned back to the Nameless Town and met with Chief Legato, who asked them whether Kao had found their memories. After the Adversary told him about Kao’s death, Legato noted that it was a shame that Kao had passed away, explaining that though he had once resented Kao for losing the town’s memories, he no longer felt that way, as he realized that his feelings of despair at losing his memories must have been exactly how Kao had felt at the time. He added that it was fortunate that Kao had regained their memories in the end, and that he hoped that Kao could now rest in peace.

Legato then asked the Adversary what they planned to do now, and whether they were going to continue going up the Arcane River. He warned the Adversary that going downstream would be more dangerous, as the flow of Erdas grew stronger the further one went. Upon hearing this, the Adversary realized that it would be better to first contact the Alliance about what they had learned, for which they asked Legato whether there was a way to contact Maple World. (A/N: Yeah, I know a way. Go two maps to the left and you can tell them yourself.)

Upon hearing the term ‘Maple World’, Legato noted that it sounded vaguely familiar, explaining that the Erdas of the Vanishing Journey didn’t have many memories left. However, he revealed that the reflection of what had appeared to them in the waters of the Arcane River may have been Maple World, adding that Kima the oarsman would know more about it, as he traveled back and forth across the river more than anyone else in town. The Adversary met with Kima and asked him about the world seen under the river, to which Kima explained that he had seen things like mushroom houses, a town made of toys, deserts and snowfields, and even a temple that floated in the sky.

Kima explained that the world beneath the Arcane River was real, and that it likely existed at the starting point of the Arcane River. The Adversary asked Kima how they could contact Maple World, to which he noted that since they likely didn’t have time to go back upstream, they could instead send a paper boat with a message. As the Arcane River was nothing more than a current of Erdas, Kima explained that the Adversary could manipulate the Erdas in the paper boat to flow upstream against the current into Maple World. Following Kima’s advice, the Adversary found a sturdy piece of paper and wrote about everything that they had learned in the Vanishing Journey before folding the letter into a paper boat. Hoping that the message would reach Maple World, the Adversary sent the boat floating upstream before preparing to continue on their journey towards the Black Mage.

Some time later, Starling arrived at the Temple of Time, where she began studying the energy leak from the Gate of the Present alongside the Temple Keeper. After finishing her observations, Starling asked the Temple Keeper whether it was true that the Adversary had gone through the door, to which the Temple Keeper confirmed that after hearing the call of the Erdas, the Adversary had gone in search of Kao. However, he added that he had no idea what was behind the door, as the present was something that everyone already experienced for themselves, meaning that there was no reason why there should be anything different from what they were already seeing.

The Temple Keeper explained that the only reason why such an anomaly was appearing behind the Gate of the Present was because the Black Mage must have used his Transcendent powers to exert a great influence upon the world, to which Starling thanked him before preparing to head back to inform the Alliance. Just then, a Guardian of Time named Johanna rushed over to the Temple Keeper and presented the Adversary’s paper boat, which had crossed through the Arcane River and reached Maple World.

After reading through the letter, Starling met with Bastille, Cygnus, and Neinheart in Ereve, where Starling reported that though they couldn’t confirm how the Adversary had sent it, the letter had definitely been written in their handwriting. Bastille then reported that the Silent Crusade had confirmed that an enormous amount of Erda was being sucked through the Gate of the Present, and that the Memory Keeper had confirmed that the Black Mage had created a world called the Arcane River beyond the door.

Just as Neinheart declared that the Alliance needed to come up with a plan, enormous chains began falling from the sky, latching onto Ereve. Though Neinheart wondered whether it was an attack, Starling noted that it didn’t seem as though whatever was happening was already over. Just then, 10 Boogies rushed to the scene and reported that the massive chains had also fallen down upon Henesys and other regions of Victoria Island. Realizing that they needed more information, Neinheart asked Bastille and Starling to get the status of the various regions of Maple World.

Both Starling and Cygnus realized that the chains had something to do with the Arcane River, and that the Black Mage was making his move. Cygnus then ordered Neinheart to mobilize the Alliance into the Arcane River at once, to which Neinheart agreed, adding that it was fortunate that the Adversary had already gone ahead, as he believed that they had an important role to play in the battle ahead.

Chu Chu Island:

(A/N: As much as I love how cute Chu Chu Island is, it’s a colossal waste of time that could’ve been better spent building up the overall story. Most of the other regions of the Arcane River do something to test the Adversary by putting them in situations that force them to strengthen their determination and resolve. Vanishing Journey, for example, sets up the idea that the Adversary has already once failed to save the world, which eats away at the back of their mind and culminates in their choice to save Tana in Esfera, in which they have to decide whether to risk repeating history by saving her or giving the world its best chance at survival by taking her life.

Other regions like Lachelein are a literal nightmare that we have to break free from, while Morass makes us relive the fear and pain of Tana’s most traumatic memories. In contrast, the biggest stakes in Chu Chu Island are whether the friendly giant is going to like our sandwich or not. Chu Chu Island does absolutely nothing for the overall story, and it’s honestly a complete waste of an area that could’ve instead been used to improve the pacing of the Arcane River storyline.

One of the biggest problems with Tenebris before the Arcane River revamp in the NEXT update is that it haphazardly rushed into a mediocre conclusion and forcibly made everything wrap up in an inorganic and contrived manner. The story that they presented was very clearly half-baked, not to mention that they didn’t even bother to address the dozens of unresolved plot threads that, even to this day, are still being completely ignored. Given that the writers made the moronic decision to turn not one, but two whole areas - Chu Chu Island and Arcana - into filler content, it’s not hard to see why. I really don’t mind having filler areas as breathers from the constant tension of the story, but if a full third of your story is filler, to the point that you have to severely compromise the quality of your decades-in-the-making finale, then that’s obviously a glaring problem.

If they wanted to keep some of the light-hearted atmosphere, it would’ve been nice if they’d explored the idea of the Erda fusions by adapting some of the ideas introduced in Yum Yum Island and showing us some of the fallen Commanders and other villains of Maple World, which would’ve given an excuse for cute character designs, and it would’ve gotten us to reflect on all the enemies that we’ve faced in order to get here. It also would’ve flowed nicely into the idea that later gets introduced in Limina about the Black Mage using and discarding them as tools.)

After helping the townspeople of Reverse City, the Adversary continued on their journey to the end of the Arcane River. At the cave exit in the Vanishing Journey, they jumped down a waterfall, where a Flying Fish caught them as they were about to fall into the water. The Adversary thanked the Flying Fish and wondered if they were one of the allies that Kao had spoken of. They then resolved to ride the Flying Fish upon the rapid currents straight towards the Black Mage.

Suddenly, however, the Flying Fish abruptly stopped, to which the Adversary urged it to keep moving ahead to the end of the Arcane River. To their surprise, the Flying Fish dropped them on the ground before flying away, leaving the Adversary confused, as they had believed that the Flying Fish had come to help them. Just then, they heard the roars of a large stone giant, Muto, who declared that he was hungry. The Adversary then realized that the Flying Fish had stopped because Muto was blocking the path ahead. Realizing that they wouldn’t be able to pass if Muto remained where he was, the Adversary approached Muto and politely asked him to step out of the way.

However, Muto merely began grumbling loudly that he needed something delicious, to which the Adversary offered him a few of the sandwiches they had brought with them. Muto eagerly ate the sandwiches and told the Adversary that they were delicious, though he grew angry when the Adversary told him that they had no more food left to give. Realizing that they had no choice, the Adversary prepared to fight Muto when suddenly, a large lion theatrically jumped in and accidentally knocked the Adversary out as he landed.

Upon hearing Muto demanding more sandwiches, the lion - surprised to hear that Muto had enjoyed a dish in a long time - decided to take the Adversary back to the village, believing they were just what the townspeople needed. The lion brought the unconscious Adversary to the outskirts of town, where he hit them with his staff in order to wake them up. The lion then introduced himself as Chief Lyon, the great hero and leader of Chu Chu Island, claiming that he was famed for his unrivaled wisdom and strength. Surprised to see a giant lion, the Adversary jumped away as Lyon laughed at the Adversary calling him a ‘lion’, as he was unfamiliar with the term.

(A/N: This joke works better in the original KMS text, as Chief Lyon’s name is written in Korean to sound phonetically like the English word ‘lion’, while the word that the Adversary uses for ‘lion’ in KMS is just the Korean word for ‘lion’, which obviously sounds very different from the English pronunciation. It kind of falls flat when translated to English, since ‘Lyon’ and ‘lion’ are pronounced the same way here.)

Though Lyon asked the Adversary to come closer - falsely claiming that Muto was the one who had hit him, and that he needed to treat their injuries - the Adversary jumped back even further, claiming that lions were dangerous creatures. Laughing that Muto must have given them a head injury, Lyon told the Adversary to just follow him back into town and rest there until they came to their senses. As Lyon began walking away, the Adversary thought for a moment and realized that a walking, talking lion wasn’t outside the realm of strangeness compared to what they had seen in Maple World, for which they reluctantly began following Lyon back to the village.

In town, Lyon welcomed the Adversary to Chu Chu Village, which he explained was the center of Chu Chu Island and a name which he had come up with himself. The Adversary then demanded to know who Lyon and the giant blocking their path were. Lyon laughed that the Adversary seemed to have many questions, and though he had questions for the Adversary as well, he decided to answer theirs first. He explained that he had no idea who he was, to which the suspicious Adversary wondered whether Lyon was a minion of the Black Mage.

Upon hearing Lyon’s confusion about who the Black Mage was, the frustrated Adversary snapped that the Black Mage was the dangerous Transcendent at the end of the river who was planning to destroy the world. However, Lyon replied that he had no idea what existed at the end of the river, and that he was simply a hero who had volunteered to lead the village, adding that strangely, none of the villagers in Chu Chu Island had any memories about their past, revealing that they had all woken up in different places and different times before coming together to build Chu Chu Village together. Realizing that Lyon was too naive to be a minion of the Black Mage, the Adversary decided to reluctantly believe his story. They noted to themselves that based on everything that they had seen with Lyon being a walking, talking animal, the Erdas of Chu Chu Island were likely Erda fusions of various living things.

(A/N: Most of the life forms in Chu Chu Island are fusions of different types of Erdas, such as animals and food, or animals and monsters. Later in the Yum Yum Island storyline, Chief Lyon is revealed to be a fusion of Damien and a lion. You can infer this even before we’re told in Yum Yum Island because his cape bears Damien’s curse mark. This is because the Erdas, which normally get recycled and reincarnate into new life, have been taken out of their natural lifecycle, forcing them to fuse inside a smaller pool of Erdas that flow within the Arcane River.

There’s one interesting interpretation based on this that I do like about Chu Chu Island as an area, although not enough for me to change my mind on its existence being completely pointless. Someone on Discord pointed out that Chu Chu Island can be taken to symbolically represent Damien and his endless hunger for power, with the monsters being food fusions, as well as Chu Chu Island itself being named after chewing food, which is made more apparent in how other regions spell Chu Chu as Chew Chew.

In a way, Chu Chu Island can be viewed as Damien’s hunger for power finally getting sated after he broke free from the Spirit of Vengeance’s control and made the choice to allow the Demon to end his life at the Dark World Tree. In the wake of him choosing to turn away from his obsession with power, he finally gets the chance to know peace, as he enters a spiritual form of heaven in the form of Chu Chu Island - a land of plentiful food and happiness where his hunger can finally be sated, which lies in stark contrast to how Damien had been starved and tortured for most of his life as a slave in Tynerum.)

Lyon then explained that Chu Chu Island was a beautiful place with lots of food, and that everyone was quite happy there, with the exception of Muto. He explained that Muto was the beloved child of Chu Chu Village, and that though he had appeared violent, he was normally quite kind-hearted, as he protected the villagers from the giant monster Gulla, a destructive creature who could not communicate with the villagers and attempted to destroy everything in sight whenever he rose to the surface. Lyon revealed that in exchange for protecting the village, the townspeople would feed Muto, whose heavy body made it difficult to get food on his own.

However, Lyon explained that Muto had recently stopped liking the food that the villagers would make him, leaving the townspeople in fear of when Gulla would attack next. He revealed to the Adversary that since Muto had liked their sandwiches, he had brought them back to the village so that they could help make food that Muto would enjoy. Realizing that there was no other way to cross the river, the Adversary decided to help the townspeople make a better dish for Muto. Though they were unsure about their ability to cook, Lyon reassured them that they had Master Lyck, an anteater wearing a broccoli hat who was the best chef in town. Lyon asked the Adversary to seek Lyck out, though he warned them not to say anything about his tongue.

The Adversary met with the irate Master Lyck, who immediately put them to work before firing them after mistaking their confused reaction for an insult to his long anteater tongue. After realizing that the Adversary wasn’t one of his employees, Lyck ordered the Adversary to obtain Sweet Hooves from the Pinedeer in order to create his signature dish for Muto before Gulla’s attack. The Adversary brought the ingredients to Lyck, who finished creating his dish. However, upon tasting it, the Adversary was disgusted with the flavor and noted that it was no wonder that Muto had stopped eating if Lyck was making such terrible dishes for him.

Furious at the affront to his culinary skills, Lyck demanded to see the kind of food that Muto had enjoyed, to which the Adversary gave him a piece of their sandwich which they had been saving. However, Lyck declared that the sandwich tasted horrible, even as the Adversary insisted that Lyck’s dish was appalling. In order to put their tastes to the test, the pair presented their food to the townspeople, all of whom agreed that they wouldn’t eat the sandwich, even if they were starving. The confused Adversary wondered how all the townspeople could collectively agree that Lyck’s awful dish was so good, to the point that they wondered whether the mixture of different Erdas had affected their taste.

(A/N: The Adversary: “Is it possible that people can have different personal preferences? Of course not - clearly the answer is that each and every one of these people was just born wrong.”)

Nevertheless, the Adversary maintained that Muto shared their taste in food, and that Lyck’s dish would not satisfy him. Lyck then retorted that his food was beloved by the entire village and challenged the Adversary to do better in the three days before Gulla’s next attack. As the Adversary began thinking of how they could make a meal with the ingredients around the island, they suddenly smelled something delicious and found a girl named Simia cooking a dish for three chicks - a girl named Pimi, her combative older brother, Pibik, and their youngest brother, Pidol, who had sustained a head injury that had left him scatterbrained.

As she watched the siblings eat her cooking, Simia noted that it was fortunate that the siblings were a family, as she - like many others in the village - didn’t have one. However, Pimi told Simia that she was part of their family as well, as she had taken them in when they had been kicked out of the village for their strange sense of taste. Simia agreed and noted that since she didn’t have a place to go either, they should all stick together. As the Adversary smelled Simia’s delicious Chewy Sole soup, they began wondering whether Simia’s cooking could satisfy Muto.

The Adversary began approaching the group, just as Pibik aggressively demanded to know who they were and why they were interrupting their meal. Pimi agreed and declared that she wouldn’t allow the Adversary to steal their food, to which the Adversary noted that Simia’s cooking was delicious before asking to try some. Unwilling to turn a guest away, Simia agreed to share her food, though she warned that it wouldn’t taste good if the Adversary didn’t share their sense of taste. Upon seeing how much the Adversary enjoyed her cooking, Simia realized that they must all have the same sense of strange taste which had made the village exile them.

After hearing about their journey, Simia asked the Adversary for a bit of her sandwich, claiming that the Pi siblings were expert taste testers, and that she herself was a kitchen hand for Master Lyck. Simia and the Pi siblings were all amazed by the sandwich, with even the scatterbrained Pidol fervently agreeing in broken language. Simia then introduced herself and the children, explaining that they had left the village because all of them had been ostracized by the townspeople for their strange taste, to which the Adversary assured Simia that she would have been an extremely successful chef if she had lived in Maple World.

Simia was touched by the Adversary’s words and noted that she simply liked to cook her dishes for others with special tastes so that they wouldn’t have to go hungry. Upon hearing Simia’s words, the Adversary realized that the reason why Muto had stopped eating Master Lyck’s dishes was because he shared the same sense of taste that Simia and the others did. They asked Simia to help prepare a dish for Muto before Gulla’s attack, to which Simia appeared reluctant, believing that her skills weren’t up to par. However, the Adversary assured Simia that she was quite talented, and that only she could help Muto from going hungry, just as she had said.

After Simia agreed, the Adversary and Pidol suggested making a large sandwich for Muto, as he had enjoyed the ones that the Adversary had given him before. Simia asked the Adversary what they needed to make a sandwich, to which the Adversary explained that they needed bread, lettuce, and meat. Using her expertise with the taste of the island’s natural ingredients, Simia first directed the Adversary to first collect Spicy Hooves from the Pinedeer in order to imitate the taste of bread. Before they left, however, Simia suggested that they name their special dish, for which the Adversary and all the Pi siblings worked together to create its name.

(A/N: You get to make up the name of the dish by choosing adjectives amongst three prompts. For Pibik’s prompt, you get to choose between “Delicious”, “Homecooked”, and “This is dumb.” For Pimi’s prompt, you get to choose between “Beefy”, “Smelly”, and “Your ideas are all terrible…” Finally, for Pidol’s prompt, you get to choose between “Bite of Heaven”, “Surprise”, and “Delight”. However, regardless of what you pick for Pidol’s prompt, Pidol hates your suggestion and ends the name of the sandwich with the word “Tastesplosion” instead.)

After the Adversary obtained the Spicy Hooves for the bread, Simia asked them to collect Greasy Peels and Sour Peels from the Ewenanas and Ramananas in order to imitate the lettuce. At Pibik’s suggestion, the Adversary then obtained Fresh Manes and Zesty Manes from the Flyon and Angry Flyon monsters, which he claimed tasted just like the meat inside the Adversary’s sandwich. After the Adversary brought the ingredients, however, Pibik decided that the sandwich still needed more meat, for which he instructed them to obtain Soft Soles and Chewy Soles from the Unripe and Ripe Wolfruits.

Though Pibik was satisfied with the dish, Pimi believed that no dish was complete without seafood, for which she asked the Adversary to collect Savory Fins and Tart Fins from the Green and Blue Catfish, as well as Crunchy Shells and Soft Shells from the Rhyturtles and Boss Rhyturtles. As they continued assembling the sandwich, Pidol unexpectedly began speaking normally and told the Adversary to create an egg patty, though he quickly returned to speaking in broken language right after. At Pidol’s suggestion, the Adversary brought back Slimy Feathers and Sticky Feathers from the Crilia and Patriarch Crilia, which Pidol used to season the eggs that he had hatched.

After the Adversary returned, however, Pidol once again switched back to normal language and asked them to bring Unpleasant Talons and Chewy Talons from the Birdshark and Patriarch Birdsharks, though he reverted back to his old self immediately after. With all the ingredients collected, the Adversary tasted Simia’s final product. Though they agreed that it tasted great, they noted that it was still missing something, for which Simia suggested obtaining a Slurpy Fruit from the dangerous Slurpy Tree. The Adversary then entered the deepest part of the forest and defeated the Slurpy Tree, with Simia using its fruit as the final seasoning for the completed sandwich.

Pidol then tasted the sandwich, giving an eloquent and posh review of the sandwich’s taste palette, surprising his siblings, who believed that he had finally recovered from his head injury. When Pidol returned back to being scatterbrained, however, Simia laughed and explained that Pidol could sometimes be shocked back to his old self, and that the taste of all the ingredients that the Adversary had been bringing must have been responsible for his momentary lapses back to his regular speech.

Just then, the ground began shaking as Simia and the others realized that Gulla was beginning to resurface. They quickly returned back to the village, where the Adversary informed Chief Lyon that they had finished making a dish for Muto with the help of Simia. Though Master Lyck haughtily proclaimed that their dish was inferior to his, the townspeople nevertheless gathered around Muto, where Lyck scolded Simia for deserting her post at the restaurant. Though Simia retorted that she had helped because she wasn’t allowed to cook at the restaurant, despite being his assistant, Lyck claimed that she still had other responsibilities, such as taking out the garbage.

Lyck then ordered Muto to eat his dish and stop Gulla, berating him when Muto refused to touch it. Though Simia told Lyck to stop yelling at Muto, reminding him that Muto was the beloved child and protector of the village, Lyck admonished Simia for lecturing him after abandoning her duties. Upon smelling Simia’s sandwich, however, Muto eagerly gobbled down it down and smiled in satisfaction, with Lyck enraged that Muto had preferred Simia’s cooking over his.

With Muto growing more and more enraged over Lyck’s insults, Chief Lyon quickly knocked Lyck out with his staff and sent the chef back to the village for the time being, causing the Adversary to have a strange sensation that something similar had happened to them without them being able to remember it. Feeling bad that the villagers had been feeding Muto food that he hated for so long, Simia told Muto that they wouldn’t force him to fight Gulla for them, as it was enough for her that he enjoyed the food which she had made him. Muto then hungrily finished Simia’s sandwich and even ate Master Lyck’s dish before resolving to fight Gulla.

Some time after Muto drove Gulla from the village, the villagers gathered around Muto, with Master Lyck waking up from being hit by Chief Lyon, though Lyon happily lied and claimed that Muto was the one who had attacked him, just as he had lied to the Adversary earlier. After hearing that Muto had chosen Simia’s dish over his, Lyck burst into tears upon the realization that Muto hated his food. Though he resolved to resign as a chef, Simia reassured Lyck that he was an excellent cook, with Muto revealing that he had eaten Lyck’s dishes because he cared deeply about his friends, though he had enjoyed Simia’s cooking more because he simply had a different sense of taste.

The Adversary and Chief Lyon then reminded Lyck that his cooking was still loved by most of the village. Simia then noted that Muto had been forcing himself to eat bad food the entire time, and she reminded Lyck that it wasn’t a question of which of them was a better cook, but rather, it was that they had been taking Muto for granted the entire time, rather than ensuring that everyone in the village was satisfied. As she resolved to take care of Muto’s food, Lyck apologized to both Muto and Simia for his arrogance and invited Simia to become a true chef alongside him, thereby ensuring that every single person in the village had their needs taken care of.

Chief Lyon then realized that he, too, had been too indifferent to the needs of his people, for which he resolved to take on a more active role in ensuring that everyone in the village felt safe. He then thanked the Adversary for all their help in uniting their village and offered to grant any of their desires, to which the exasperated Adversary reminded Lyon that all they had wanted from the beginning was to keep moving through, just as they had been saying the entire time. Lyon then asked Muto to move aside, with the Adversary thanking Muto, claiming that they could now reach the Black Mage.

Lyon then asked the Adversary why they were trying to reach the Black Mage in the first place, wondering whether they had some business with him. As the Adversary explained that they had something very important to do once they reached him, Pidol - coming to his senses once again - asked the Adversary to wait a moment as he presented the Arcane Symbol of Chu Chu Island to them. Pidol explained that from the moment that he had met them, he could sense that the Adversary was special. He revealed that whereas the people of Chu Chu Island had lost the memories of their origins, he could sense that their existence and memories were being protected by a great power.

Pidol explained that upon realizing that the Arcane Symbol of Vanishing Journey had been protecting them, he had kept the Arcane Symbol which he had found safe in order to give it to them. The Adversary thanked Pidol for the Arcane Symbol, but when they asked him why he had given it to them now, Pidol suddenly reverted back and spoke to them again in broken language. Simia then asked the Adversary whether it was their first time seeing such an Arcane Symbol, revealing that though they were uncommon, they seemed to appear more often after Muto and Gulla fought. (A/N: This is likely because their fights stir up Erdas, allowing them to coagulate into Arcane Symbols.)

Simia asked the Adversary whether they knew how the Arcane Symbol was made, and what power it had, to which the Adversary began answering that the Arcane Symbol was deeply connected to the birth of the villagers and Chu Chu Island itself, though they then paused as they considered how best to answer. Simia realized that the truth must not be easy to talk about and admitted that the villagers had several questions about who they were and why they couldn’t leave the island. Pibik agreed and revealed that an invisible force kept pushing the villagers back whenever they attempted to cross the river.

Simia added that though they couldn’t leave, they were all happy and satisfied with their lives in the village, and that their only desire was to preserve that happiness for as long as they could, for which she asked the Adversary not to answer their questions if the truth would threaten their peace of mind. The Adversary agreed and decided to leave things alone, admitting that even they had no idea why the Arcane River had been created in the first place. Simia then told the traveler that they had a good heart, and that she was certain that whatever they were trying to do was the right thing, for which she told them that they were welcome to come see them if they needed more Arcane Symbols, or if there was anything that the townspeople could do to help them on their journey.

Though Pimi wished for the Adversary to stay a bit longer, the Adversary noted that they couldn’t linger, as something terrible could happen if they didn’t reach their destination as soon as possible. The townspeople then thanked the Adversary for all their help, promising to cherish it as a precious memory. The Adversary was pleased to hear it and told them that they should all make another sandwich together once if they made it back from their journey, to which Chief Lyon laughed and told the Adversary not to talk like they were going to die, noting that the Adversary was certainly going to come back before offering to push them along, knocking the Adversary into the river.

Soon after, the Adversary decided to write another letter to the Alliance about everything they had learned on Chu Chu Island before continuing on their mission. Though they were unsure whether their words were actually reaching Maple World, they resolved to do everything in their power to help the Alliance on even the slimmest chance that their information would prove useful. After making another paper boat, the Adversary used the power of Erdas to have it sail upstream towards Maple World.

Elsewhere, Hawkeye began facing the Erda monsters in the Vanishing Journey, noting that despite the monsters being weak, his attacks were barely doing any damage at all. As he began realizing that they couldn’t push forward into the Arcane River when they were being pushed to their limits in such small skirmishes, Oz approached him and informed him that she had also been struggling against the Erda monsters, noting that even fire magic couldn’t deal damage to them. She told Hawkeye that just as the Adversary had said in their letter, they would need to use a special method to deal damage to the Erdas in the Arcane River.

Hawkeye recalled what the Adversary had said about harnessing the Erdas inside them and began wondering how in the world the Adversary had managed to accomplish such a feat. Oz agreed, noting that such a power was impossible to achieve by mere mortals, and that only the guidance of the Goddesses could help awaken such an ability. Just then, a Cygnus Knight arrived and reported that he had found another message from the Adversary floating up the river.

Upon reading the letter, Oz and Hawkeye learned about the Adversary’s journey past the Vanishing Journey into Chu Chu Island, as well as the fact that the entire region had been created from a fusion of Maple World’s Erdas. Noting that the Arcane River itself seemed vast and confusing, Hawkeye wondered how they could fight past the Erda monsters and make any progress towards the end. Oz reminded him that Ereve was still conducting research with defeating Erdas, and that there was still hope.

Elsewhere in Ereve, Cygnus, Neinheart, Athena Pierce, and Claudine watched as Edea arrived with a strange young boy with light-blue skin and a magician staff. Neinheart welcomed Edea, though he asked her to get straight to the point, as the situation had gotten quite urgent. Edea reported that she had been investigating a way to deal attacks to monsters born from a density of high-grade Erdas. She revealed that the Nova had found no way of imprinting the power of Erda upon a person, and that though they may find the answer by scouring Grandis, such an initiative would take too long for the Alliance’s mission.

However, she revealed that the magician whom she had brought, Melange, had helped developed another way by imprinting a disintegration spell upon an external substance other than a person, thereby temporarily breaking down the magical Erda barrier around monsters in the Arcane River. Edea noted that despite Melange’s appearance, he was the disciple of an extremely famous magician in Grandis, and that his skills were certified as remarkable. She then presented a special blue ore that she and Melange had developed together, revealing that the disintegration spell imprinted upon it would help the user deal normal damage to the Erdas of the Arcane River.

However, Edea noted that there were three main drawbacks to the technique which they had developed. She explained that firstly, the disintegration spell would be less effective than if the power of Erdas had been imprinted onto a body, such as the Adversary, though she added that a sufficiently powerful person would be able to overcome that drawback with enough strength through physical training. She revealed that the main issue was that the ore which they were using was incredibly rare, as the Nova had only been able to find ten with all their resources. Finally, she added that the third drawback was that the spell wasn’t permanent, and that the ore needed to be replaced periodically.

Edea explained that with their limited resources, they would only be able to move a small team of soldiers into the Arcane River, rather than being able to mobilize all their forces. Neinheart noted that a small team was better than nothing, though it would prove to be an obstacle when it came to an enemy as strong as the Black Mage. He asked Edea how there could be such a limited number of ore available on Grandis, to which Edea explained that the Nova had closed their borders and trading lanes for quite some time before opening them recently.

Just then, Claudine asked to examine the mineral, and upon seeing, she revealed that its sheen had made her certain that it was Rue Ore, found in the Verne Mine. She explained that Rue Ore was an Edelstein specialty, and that the Black Wings had taken over their town specifically for the Rue Ore, which held a great amount of energy and could be used for a versatile number of purposes. With the mineral being extremely common in Edelstein, Claudine explained that the Resistance could provide an ample amount of it from the Verne Mine so that the Alliance could mobilize.

Cygnus thanked Claudine earnestly, to which Claudine smiled and replied that it was only natural to help an ally. Athena Pierce then offered to solicit the help of Grendel the Really Old and the Magician Association so that they could help the Nova imprint the disintegration spell upon the ore. As Neinheart and Cygnus thanked Edea for her help, Edea replied that it was nothing, as the Alliance had already helped the Nova retake Heliseum in their time of need. Cygnus then noted that the Alliance would finally be able to enter the Arcane River, with Edea wondering what kind of world a fallen Transcendent like the Black Mage had created, and for what purpose, though Melange remained oddly silent as she spoke.

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

It’s revealed at the end of the Limina storyline that Melange serves Gerand Darmoor, and that he was dispatched to infiltrate the Arcane River expedition in order to spy on the Alliance and monitor the situation with the Black Mage. At the end of Esfera, Melange obtains a book that Will dropped after his defeat at the hands of Orchid, which contains records about the Black Mage’s plans and prophecies, bringing them back to Darmoor after the Black Mage’s death.)

Yum Yum Island:

(A/N: Like Reverse City, Yum Yum Island was retroactively added to the Arcane River in the RISE update as level 215 content in order to bridge Chu Chu Island at level 210 and Lachelein at level 220. Yum Yum Island continued setting up Kaling as an antagonist in the Grandis storyline and established a timeline regarding when the Alliance sent their advance guard that caught up with the Adversary during the events of Esfera.

Similar to Reverse City, Yum Yum Island is technically an optional area, which means that future content is set up so that it’ll create conditional exclusive dialogue depending on whether or not you completed this area. However, I’ll be treating it as canon that we did go to Yum Yum Island, and I’ll add all the conditional dialogue for both completing and not completing this region in the author notes of those relevant sections.)

As the Adversary began making preparations to leave Chu Chu Island, they were contacted by Chief Lyon, who asked them to meet him at the outskirts of the village, as he had a favor to ask of them. There, he explained that behind Chu Chu Village, there was a forest filled with mushrooms, which the townspeople stayed away from because of its distance from the village. However, he revealed that a few days ago, they had heard an incredibly loud roar from the forest, which had caused a quake so loud that they had feared that all of Chu Chu Island was going to sink. Because of this, he asked the Adversary to visit Yum Yum Island in order to investigate the source, as well as to see whether Chu Chu Island was in any danger.

At Lyon’s request, the Adversary traveled to Yum Yum Island, where they began wandering around the deserted field of mushrooms. Just as they noted to themselves that no one appeared to be there, they were approached by a chameleon with a chicken-like comb and wings. Though the Adversary realized that the chameleon's mixed appearance was similar to the other Erda fusions of Chu Chu Island, they also began to feel as though it seemed vaguely familiar. The chameleon immediately noticed that the Adversary didn’t have a blue button on them, explaining that all the residents of Yum Yum Island had one, and that those who didn’t were outsiders.

(A/N: Hoyoung has exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that the button seems familiar. Taotie adds that the energy in the button feels familiar, though he can’t recall what it is. At the time that this story was released, people believed that it was because the button contained the energy of another one of the Four Perils, as it’s later revealed at the end of the storyline that the person responsible for the events of Yum Yum Island is Kaling, who wears a blue button identical to the one worn by the creatures of Yum Yum Island.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

The Shangri-La storyline reveals that the familiar energy is actually because these buttons are imperfect Godspheres. The Godspheres, also known as the “spear of god” in KMS, are the Seal Stones that the elders created in Odium to create Adversaries in order to face the Ancient Gods. Eons later, Freud used their scattered power to create the Seal Stones, which are identical to the Godspheres, with the only difference being the name that he gave them. During the Shangri-La storyline, it’s revealed that the buttons on Yum Yum Island were Kaling’s attempts to create a Godsphere in order to complete her experiment for Darmoor, which involved the Four Perils being combined with a Godsphere and a Vessel to create an immensely powerful Adversary.)

Just as the Adversary began to question the chameleon about the strange ongoings on the island, a horde of Bunshrooms and Monkeyrogs suddenly appeared and surrounded the pair. The Adversary mistakenly believed that the creatures were friends of the chameleon, though the chameleon revealed that the monsters were dangerous, for which he urged the Adversary to run while he held them off. However, the Adversary replied that they would fight alongside him, asking him to handle the rear while they took the front. As they began fighting the monsters, the chameleon introduced himself as Caster, noting that the Adversary seemed to be quite powerful.

After the pair defeated the horde of monsters, one of the Monkeyrogs told Caster to give up his pointless ways and live according to his instincts. Lamenting his lost friendship with the Monkeyrogs and Bunshrooms, Caster told the Monkeyrog that they should all just mind their own businesses before the horde got in trouble with the Adversary, whom Caster called his new friend. After the horde retreated, the Adversary asked Caster why they had seemed so hostile, noting that they had the same blue button as him. Just as Caster began explaining that he had a greater goal than the others, he suddenly stopped to look at a small flower about to bloom.

Upon blooming, a small three-headed puppy with wings appeared, with Caster wondering whether the puppy was the match that Bappy had been waiting for. He explained that Bappy was one of the residents of his village, and that he was searching for his match made in heaven. He also told the Adversary that he, too, had someone that he was searching for, and that he and Bappy were working together to find them both. He revealed that he could vaguely remember a sun in his distant memories, and that he was searching for his sun. (A/N: For the few people who watch Boruto, this sounds exactly like Mitsuki simping for Boruto.)

The Adversary noted that the sun sounded like someone very important, to which Caster explained that he believed that the sun was the one who had created everyone on Yum Yum Island, noting that the buttons were round like the sun. However, he admitted that he had no idea what he would do once he met his sun, though he remained certain that he would figure it out once it happened. He then brought the Adversary and the puppy, Puptail, to his village, where he introduced the Adversary to Bappy - a parrot dressed as a clown.

Upon seeing Puptail, Bappy asked Caster whether the puppy was a newly-born creature. Just as Caster began talking about Puptail, they heard the puppy barking and turned to see that Puptail had climbed to the top of a tall mushroom. Caster urged Puptail to come down, claiming that he would hurt himself, though Bappy noted that Puptail would be fine with his wings. However, Caster retorted that Puptail’s wings were far too small to allow him to fly. Though he attempted to bring Puptail down, the puppy remained just out of reach and barked happily, with Bappy noting that Puptail’s three heads meant that his bark was three times louder than a normal puppy.

Caster then gave up on trying to bring Puptail down and instead introduced Bappy to the Adversary, who once again had a strange feeling that they had met Bappy before, just as they had with Caster. Bappy then greeted the Adversary and asked them whether they liked parties, explaining that he was planning to host one soon, and that he wished to extend them an invitation. Caster shook his head at Bappy inviting the Adversary to a party that hadn’t happened in years, to which Bappy noted that it was Caster’s fault for the party’s delay, as he couldn’t throw it until Caster had found him his match made in heaven.

Though Caster asked Bappy whether Puptail wasn’t his match either, Bappy reminded him that his match was colored blue. Upon hearing this, the Adversary began thinking about Bappy being red, his match being blue, and his love of parties, noting that everything was starting to feel too familiar. Recalling how the people of Chu Chu Island had been born from the Erdas of different creatures mixing together, they suddenly remembered how the Bunshrooms had been fusions of Mushmom and bunnies, while the Monkeyrogs had been fusions of Balrog and monkeys.

Suddenly, they realized that Bappy must have been created from the fusion of Pierre and a parrot, noting how Pierre had been a clown who threw tea parties and split into his red and blue halves. They also realized that Caster must be a fusion of Von Bon - a chicken who wore the same monocle that Caster carried around - and a chameleon, as the Adversary recalled seeing chameleon’s in Von Bon’s garden within Root Abyss.

Thinking back on Puptail’s three heads, they realized that Puptail must also be a fusion of Horntail and a puppy. The Adversary was shocked to realize that Yum Yum Island was filled with creatures born from the Erdas of the most powerful monsters in Maple World. Suddenly, they thought back to Chief Lyon and the strange symbol on his cape, which they realized was identical to Damien’s curse mark. However, they noted that Lyon didn’t wear a blue button, and that he must have simply been influenced by Damien after his passing in Maple World.

(A/N: The Demon has some exclusive dialogue here that adds on to the generic script. He notes that Lyon is nothing like Damien and realizes that after Damien died at the Dark World Tree, parts of him trickled into the Arcane River as Erda, which resulted in the creation of Lyon.

Later on, we also encounter a couple of other monster fusions. Piabees come from Pianus and bees, Lytones come from Lyka and stones, Stonepy come from Stumpy and stones, Kumpiders come from Zakum and spiders, and Squirrelnons come from Manon and squirrels.)

Upon recalling Caster’s words about how the sun had created them, with the buttons being round like the sun, the Adversary began to suspect that the people of Yum Yum Island had not been created naturally like the people of Chu Chu Island, which meant that someone had intentionally created them by mixing together the Erdas of Maple World’s strongest creatures. Noticing the Adversary’s expression, Caster and Bappy both asked them whether they were okay, to which the Adversary - realizing that the creatures of Yum Yum Island were far weaker in their new, hybrid forms - decided to see how things went, believing that there was no reason to needlessly antagonize the others when they appeared to be friendly.

After the Adversary dismissed their silence as them merely being lost in thought, Bappy asked Caster why he had brought them to the village. Caster began to answer when he suddenly stopped and realized that he hadn’t even asked them about their intentions, with Bappy chastising him for his rudeness towards their party guests. The Adversary then explained that they had come to investigate the large roar on the island from a few days ago, to which Caster explained that there had been a commotion in Fungos Forest, which the villagers were too afraid to enter. However, he noted that it had sounded as though something huge had awakened there, with Bappy adding that it fortunately hadn’t affected his party preparations.

Caster then realized that since they were searching for more newly-awakened creatures, it would be beneficial for them to investigate Fungos Forest as well, noting that the Adversary being able to handle their own against the Bunshrooms and Monkeyrogs was proof that they would be fine in the forest. Bappy then asked Caster to find his match made in heaven inside the forest, to which Caster asked him whether his instincts were pointing towards any particular region. However, Bappy replied that he couldn’t be sure, as his instincts were pointing him all over the place, for which he asked Caster to trust his enormous eyes.

The Adversary then whispered Caster why Bappy didn’t just look for his match himself, with Caster whispering back that Bappy was busy preparing for his party. Bappy then asked the pair what they were whispering about, to which Caster immediately denied saying anything before suggesting that they head out. As they prepared to leave, the Adversary asked Caster why he and Bappy seemed so different from the Bunshrooms and Monkeyrogs. Caster explained that for him, finding his sun was more important to him than anything, though he admitted that the other monsters seemed to have an instinct for causing chaos, and that he was able to suppress those urges for the sake of finding his sun, just as Bappy had done to find his match made in heaven.

With no flowers left in Mushbud Forest, Caster led the Adversary to Illiard Field, where the Adversary was surprised to find giant Lytone monsters. Though Caster noted that they were impressive, he explained that the Lytones weren’t actually alive, and that they had an entirely different nature altogether. He then asked the Adversary to thin out the number of Lytones so that they could examine the nearby flowers. Upon finding no flowers blooming, however, Caster suggested that they try somewhere else.

Moving forward into a field of Stonepy monsters, the pair were surprised to find that Puptail had followed them from town, barking happily. After clearing out the Stonepy monsters and finding no flowers blooming, Caster suggested that they go even deeper towards a place where he had never entered alone before, though he added that things would be fine with the Adversary and Puptail with him. The group then arrived in a field filled with flowers, fighting off a swarm of Piabees which had arrived to attack. With none of the flowers blooming, however, Caster realized that they would need to enter Fungos Forest after all.

On their way, however, they encountered a flower that began blooming open, out of which emerged a blue version of Bappy named Muppy. As Caster marveled over how identical Muppy appeared to Bappy, the Adversary recalled painful memories of fighting Pierre in Root Abyss when he had split into two. Caster then greeted Muppy and revealed that his other half had eagerly been awaiting him, and that he was preparing a party in celebration. Muppy expressed his excitement about the party before noting that Caster had a blue button on him. He then wondered whether Caster was the one who had wandered in and out before, though he noted that the person he was thinking of had a bigger button on them.

A confused Caster replied that it was his first time in the area, though he suddenly realized that the person Muppy was talking about might be his sun. He eagerly asked Muppy which way the person had gone, though Muppy noted that it didn’t seem right to call them a sun, as there was a great darkness around them. He added that they had also said something very strange while he had been sleeping inside the flower, revealing that they had called him a useless failure when they had inspected him.

At Caster’s shock, Muppy noted that he didn’t know who that person was, though it had seemed rather harsh of them to call him a failure. He added that if it wasn’t Caster who had come to see him, it must have been someone who had been born before either of them, which made him wonder whether calling him a failure had been their way of bragging about being older than him. Upon hearing Muppy’s words, Caster was distraught upon realizing that the sun hadn’t wanted him, and that he was simply a failed experiment for someone else that they had actually wanted.

Furious at the revelation that his creator had rejected him, Caster was engulfed by a great wave of anger, forcing the Adversary to fight him in order to knock him back to his senses. After being knocked unconscious and waking up, Caster apologized to the group before rushing toward Fungos Forest. While Muppy waited at the entrance, the Adversary and Puptail ran after Caster, where they found themselves in the depths of the dark and ominous forest. With no trace of Caster in sight, the Adversary began wondering which way they should go upon finding a fork in the road.

Puptail began barking, attempting to direct the Adversary towards the path on the right. The Adversary noted that Puptail could sense a bad energy on the right path, but though the Adversary also felt an ominous aura, they also noted that the energy seemed to have little substance to it, whereas it felt as though there was a stronger power slumbering on the left path. The Adversary decided to take the path on the left and fought through the creatures along the way, hoping that it would reduce the danger to Caster if he was indeed in the area.

At the end of the path, the Adversary was shocked to encounter an enormous flower, which they noted was far bigger than any of the other ones which they had seen before. They realized that the flower had engorged itself by drawing in all of the surrounding Erda, giving it an immense and terrible presence. Suddenly, however, the flower bloomed and revealed a giant, dragon-like monster. The Adversary wondered whether it as a Nova or a dragon of Leafre before realizing that it was Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons.

(A/N: The Heroes have some slightly different dialogue in the way that they realize that the creature is made of Afrien’s Erda. It’s nothing significant, but the wording is changed enough to make it clear that they personally recognize Afrien. For Evan’s dialogue, Mir will address the creature as ‘ancestor’, just as he does with Afrien, and asks if it’s really him.

Nova classes also get some exclusive dialogue, in which they first mistake the creature for a Nova before realizing that its energy is completely different from normal Nova, as the creature has a dragon face, whereas the Nova have human faces. Afrien’s fused form actually does look pretty humanoid, with the exception of his dragon face. His armor and color scheme make him look similar to Magnus, and it actually makes me wonder whether this was the fusion of Afrien and a past Kaiser.)

The creature roared loudly and demanded to know whether the Adversary was the one who had woken him up before attacking. As the Adversary fought the creature, they were shocked to note that a portion of Afrien’s immense power had been carried over into this creation. Though they refused to be defeated by him, the creature’s strength began to overwhelm them, forcing them to collapse before him. As the creature launched an attack to finish them off, Caster suddenly appeared and took the blow in the Adversary’s place.

The creature then declared that yet another insignificant being had appeared. Angered upon being called ‘insignificant’ like his creator had done, Caster flew into another rage and rose up to fight the creature off. Together, the Adversary and Caster managed to defeat the creature, who was shocked to have been beaten. Claiming that his will could not be taken away, the creature disintegrated away, leaving behind his blue button. The Adversary picked up the button and noted their shock at the fact that such a powerful monster could be made in such a way. As the button disintegrated in their hands, they were disturbed to realize that anyone, both their allies and enemies, could be reborn, and that there was no telling how powerful they would be.

They then turned to see that Caster was still in a rage, unresponsive to their attempts to calm him down. Suddenly, however, Chief Lyon arrived and knocked out Caster as he landed, causing Caster’s button to fall off. As Caster awoke and came back to his senses, he looked down to find that a massive claw made with evil energy had manifested out of the button. Laughing that the claw was nothing like the cute claws of cats such as himself, Lyon swiftly brought down his staff on the button, shattering it and dispelling the evil energy inside it.

(A/N: The claw attack is the same one that Kaling uses, powered by one of the Four Perils. Hoyoung and Lara both have exclusive dialogue, which has them recognize the hand. For Hoyoung’s dialogue, Taotie also adds that he now remembers the energy as being what Kaling had unleashed at the Temple of Time during Hoyoung’s level 200 quest. Both Hoyoung and Lara then wonder what Kaling is scheming.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

It’s explained in the Shangri-La storyline that only someone who can fuse with a Godsphere can destroy the buttons, which contain a trace of a true Godsphere’s power. The creations on Yum Yum Island that Kaling made were intended to be Vessels who can hold a Godsphere’s power, although all her Godspheres and Vessels were failures. However, the fact that Lyon could destroy one might mean that he’s a successful Vessel, although the funny thing is that he was created naturally in the Arcane River, rather than through Kaling’s experiments, similar to how the Adversary was made organically, rather than the Adversaries created through experimentation in Odium.)

Lyon noted that he had never expected such a dark place to be so close by, adding that one would have never even known about it without going there. Meanwhile, Caster began laughing in relief, realizing that the button had never been the sun in the first place. The Adversary then asked Lyon what he was doing in the forest, to which Lyon explained that he had come in search of them after hearing another loud roar from Yum Yum Island.

Upon noticing Damien’s mark on Lyon’s cape, Caster realized that it was shaped just like a sun, meaning that Lyon was the sun whom he had been searching for all along. Lyon asked Caster whether they knew each other, noting that Caster seemed strangely familiar, even though he couldn’t recall where exactly they had met before. The Adversary then recalled that they, too, had thought that the symbol on Lyon’s cape had been a sun when they had first seen it, noting that Caster believing Lyon to be his sun and creator had likely been carried over from Von Bon being created by Damien.

Just then, Puptail began barking and led the others towards the other side of the forest, where he had originally been trying to lead the Adversary. There, they discovered a group of smaller flowers which had already bloomed. Caster noted that there were quite a number of flowers, with Lyon adding that the energy felt even worse than on the left side of the island. Upon seeing the flowers, the Adversary realized that the creatures which had been born from the flowers had already left a long time ago, and that there was no trace of them remaining. Caster wondered what the purpose behind the flowers was, adding that the flowers appeared to be in a strange state.

The Adversary realized that though the flowers still gave off an eerie aura, they seemed less powerful than the ones which they had seen before. Because of this, they told Caster that the flowers weren’t something that they needed to worry about. Nevertheless, they noted to themselves that the Arcane River was home to many different Erdas which had fused together into new Erdas, which meant that it wasn’t unusual for there to be creatures mixed from the Erdas of powerful beings.

However, they also realized that it wasn’t normal for the buttons to belong to Erdas which had been mixed together organically, leading them to suspect that someone was artificially fusing together different Erdas together in order to create some type of powerful creature. They noted that the Afrien fusion, despite having immense strength, had been weaker because it had just been born and hadn’t been able to control its power properly. However, they realized that whoever was creating these creatures would be able to do so again, and that the monsters born from such experiments would be extremely formidable.

(A/N: Hoyoung and Lara both have exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they hadn’t expected Kaling to go so far. For Hoyoung, Taotie adds that Kaling is really something else and suggests that they be more careful.)

Caster then interrupted the Adversary’s thoughts and suggested that they head back to the village with Muppy, adding that he didn’t want to stay in such a dreary place any longer. At the village, Bappy was thrilled to be united with his match made in heaven at long last, with Chief Lyon inviting the people of Yum Yum Island to visit the others on Chu Chu Island whenever they wished. The Adversary was pleased to see that everything had worked out in the end, as they had been worried about the townspeople’s old memories resurfacing after being reunited. Caster then thanked the Adversary for their help and gave them several Arcane Symbols as a reward, with Bappy throwing his party in honor of finding Muppy.

(A/N: The Demon has a few exclusive lines of dialogue before he leaves, in which he silently says that if he ever sees Damien again, then he hopes that Damien will be able to live a better life like the people of Chu Chu Island do.)

As Bappy’s party finally took place, the Adversary noted to themselves that though no damage had occurred, the events on Yum Yum Island hadn’t been a trivial occurrence. Because of this, they decided to send another letter to the Alliance in order to update them on what had happened. Soon after, Cygnus and Neinheart arranged a meeting in Ereve with Claudine, Edea, and Grendel the Really Old. Neinheart finished describing the Erda experiments on Yum Yum Island to the others, with Edea noting that she had no idea what the true intentions behind the experiments could be.

Neinheart reported to Cygnus that the Alliance had no record of any of the Black Mage’s Commanders or followers having such powers, making him believe that it could be a new enemy working for the Black Mage. However, Cygnus replied that they couldn’t do anything about identifying the unknown enemy, and that all they could do was to send the Alliance into the Arcane River as soon as possible in order to help the Adversary. Neinheart then asked Grendel about the status of enchanting the Rue Ore, to which Grendel reported that the first imprinting had just been done, adding that it was quite fascinating magic.

However, Grendel added that only three such stones had been finished, and that it would still take some time for the entire Alliance to mobilize. Neinheart replied that it would be enough, as the advance party’s goal was reconnaissance and communication, as well as creating a gateway for the rest of the Alliance to follow. He then introduced Ollie of the Thunder Breakers, explaining that she was a talented member of the Cygnus Knights whom he wished to recommend as a reconnaissance scout. After Ollie introduced herself, Claudine presented Shubert, a Blaster and communications expert, explaining that Neinheart could leave communications to the Resistance, as they had quite a bit of experience in the area.

Finally, Edea explained that though she wished to join the advance party herself in order to create a gateway, her duties in Pantheon meant that she would need to send someone else in her place. Because of this, she presented Melange to go in her stead, noting that his work with imprinting magic onto the Rue Ore spoke to his skills. Cygnus then thanked the trio for volunteering for the expedition, noting that they would soon catch up to the Adversary and open the path to the Black Mage at long last.

Meanwhile, Kaling arrived at the left side of Fungos Forest, where she was surprised to find that the Afrien fusion had unexpectedly awoken in the short time that she had been away. Realizing that even her strongest creature had been defeated, Kaling declared that all of her creations had been failures in the end. Having been unable to achieve her goal, Kaling decided that she had no reason to remain on Yum Yum Island and decided to move on to her other plans elsewhere.

(A/N: At the time that this storyline came out, people assumed that Kaling wanted to create a substitute Peril after she lost Taotie to Hoyoung.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next section.

Like I mentioned in earlier author notes, the Shangri-La storyline later reveals that the experiments on Yum Yum Island were meant to create a Vessel and Godsphere for her Adversary experiments, although all of her creations are deemed failures in the end.)

Lachelein, the Dreaming City:

Having finished investigating Yum Yum Island, the Adversary decided to continue on their journey. Climbing aboard the Flying Fish, they headed deeper into the Arcane River and eventually found themselves floating in a canal. Suddenly, they felt a wave of drowsiness come over them, causing them to fall asleep atop the Flying Fish. They soon woke up in a vibrant nighttime city with music and fireworks. They were surprised to find other humans in masquerade masks and decided to talk to them. The masked people seemed abnormally thrilled to be taking part in the festival and emphasized just how much fun they were having.

Just then, a person in a plague doctor mask, Protective Mask, realized that the Adversary was from the outside world and warned them that the city was dangerous. Suddenly, two Dreamkeepers appeared out of nowhere and dragged the Adversary away. They brought the Adversary before Lucid and put them in line behind another citizen, whom Lucid transformed into a butterfly with a snap of her fingers.

She then greeted the Adversary and welcomed them to Lachelein, the city of dreams and illusions, where there was no sadness or pain. (A/N: Lachelein comes from the German word ‘lächeln’, which means ‘smile’.) She then snapped her fingers to transform the Adversary into a butterfly, but she was surprised when nothing happened, causing her to realize that they were the honored guest whom she had been awaiting.

(A/N: Mercedes has a slightly modified version of this scene. Since Lucid recognizes Mercedes, she already knows that Mercedes isn’t part of her dream, and so she snaps her fingers already knowing that nothing will happen. When Mercedes realizes that she didn’t get transformed, Lucid mocks her for being surprised. Mercedes then wonders who Lucid is, noting to herself that it feels like she ought to remember Lucid, despite being unable to.

Shade also has a slightly modified version of this scene. Similarly with Mercedes, Lucid recognizes Shade and asks him if he remembers her, reminding him that she had promised that they’d meet again. Shade is confused by who she is, to which she jokes about how ironic it is that he can’t remember the one person there who can still remember him.

Before the Milestone update, Shade’s storyline had him meet Lucid in Elluel, where she had put all the awoken elves in a nightmare. When Shade entered her illusion, he encountered Lucid disguised as Mercedes, though he quickly figured out that she wasn’t the real Mercedes because of her suspicious behavior and her calling him ‘Shade’ when the real Mercedes shouldn’t have known about the new name that Moonbeam had given him. As a result of this, Lucid was forced to give up her on her game with the trapped elves and vowed to give Shade a nightmare to pay him back.

This nightmare was the same one that Shade gets in his current storyline, in which the Black Mage reveals that the reason why Shade hadn’t disappeared when he sacrificed his existence was because the Black Mage, a Transcendent, could remember him. Although Lucid’s involvement in Shade’s storyline has been removed, including her being the cause of his nightmare, the fact that the writers explicitly kept in his exclusive dialogue with Lucid in Lachelein suggests the possibility that Lucid was indeed the cause of his nightmare in the current version of his story, and that the reason why she doesn’t show up in that sequence is to mimic her erasing herself in Shade’s memory, as she reveals later on in the Lachelein storyline, so that both he and the audience are surprised about it.

As far as why Lucid remembers Shade’s existence, the most likely explanation is that the Black Mage had simply just told Lucid about Shade when he asked her to send him the nightmare, since she’d kinda need a bit of an explanation about why he’s asking her to send a personalized nightmare to some random dude that nobody seems to know about. Before Shade’s revamp, me and the lore server had come up with another theory by proposing a connection between time magic and dream magic. Although none of it fits with canon anymore, you can feel free to check it out here.)

Just then, Protective Mask arrived and created a distraction to help the Adversary escape. As punishment for allowing them to get away, Lucid transformed the Dreamkeepers into butterflies. She then declared that there was no point in running away, as all of Lachelein was nothing more than her dream. Suddenly, Arkarium arrived in Lachelein while escorting Tana and noted snidely that Lucid seemed to have created something rather useless. An annoyed Lucid noted that she didn’t remember inviting him and demanded to know who had given him permission to enter her domain.

Arkarium replied that Lucid’s taste didn’t seem too bad before revealing that he was crossing through on the Black Mage’s orders. He then asked her to take down the red fog surrounding the city, which prevented anyone from leaving. However, Lucid simply told Arkarium to do it himself, to which Arkarium asked her with forced politeness whether she would oblige, as he didn’t want to get into an altercation with a fellow Commander while he was transporting sensitive cargo, indicating to Tana at his side. As Tana watched the exchange silently, Lucid laughed before agreeing to heed Arkarium’s request, claiming that she would abide by an order given by the Black Mage himself. She then lifted the red fog and wished Arkarium good luck on successfully completing his mission before restoring the fog over Lachelein.

Meanwhile, Protective Mask took the Adversary back to the hideout, where they met Protective Mask’s ally, Gray Mask. Gray Mask told the Adversary that the girl whom they had met was Lucid, who had the power to manipulate dreams. He explained that Lachelein was a giant prison created from her dreams in order to keep everyone inside, where they were forced to enjoy a festival that never ended, brainwashed into believing that none of it was strange. He told the Adversary that he and Protective Mask were the ‘awakened ones’ who had awoken from Lucid’s dream. Knowing that their existence put her dream in jeopardy, Lucid had sent her Dreamkeepers to hunt them down.

The Adversary asked if they could escape the city, but Gray Mask explained that the fog surrounding the city prevented anyone from leaving. He told the Adversary to try it for themselves, but warned that falling into the river would tear them into their component Erdas. Sure enough, the thick fog pushed the Adversary back to the city’s edge no matter how many times they attempted to get through.

(A/N: The properties of the Arcane River seem to change from area to area. The waters in the Vanishing Journey cause you to lose your memories, while the waters in Lachelein tear you apart. However, the other parts of the river seem to be perfectly safe, as the Morass and Sellas allow you to even breathe underwater.)

After they returned back to the hideout, Protective Mask told the Adversary that they needed a mask in order to blend in. Gray Mask told them to obtain materials from the Paper Bag Alley Citizens. The Adversary collected the materials and gave them to Gray Mask, who began to work on making the mask for them. However, he asked them to fight the Wood Board Alley Citizens, who were disturbing his work with their noise.

After the Adversary returned, Gray Mask handed them the finished mask. Protective Mask then offered to form an alliance, as freeing the people of Lachelein from Lucid’s dream would also allow the Adversary to continue along the Arcane River. After accepting, Gray Mask told them that their mission was to protect the awakened ones and liberate the city from Lucid. He asked the Adversary to return to the city and locate the other awakened ones in order to bring them back to the hideout.

After speaking with the townspeople in the main street, the Adversary determined that Shrimp Mask was an awakened one. They began persuading Shrimp Mask to come with them when the Dreamkeepers arrived. The Adversary grabbed Shrimp Mask and fled back to the hideout while Protective Mask ran in the opposite direction to trick the Dreamkeepers.

The Adversary then calmed Shrimp Mask down and asked if he remembered anything from the time that he had been brainwashed. Shrimp Mask told them that he could recall a sound that had come from an old music box, which he had last heard in the Noisy Market. Gray Mask believed that awakened ones couldn’t hear the music box because the device maintained the dreams of the townspeople. Just then, Protective Mask arrived and told them that he would take care of the music box.

(A/N: They use male pronouns to refer to Protective Mask in the Lachelein storyline, but you find out later during the Convergence storyline that Protective Mask is actually a projection of Mercedes that Lucid subliminally created in order to save her from her nightmare. I originally used gender-neutral pronouns for Protective Mask at first, but it became really messy, since I’m also using gender-neutral pronouns for the Adversary. I’ll use male pronouns for Protective Mask in this section, since that’s what he and everyone else seem comfortable using, but just bear in mind his true identity while it’s going on.)

The Adversary began gathering information about the music box while Protective Mask kept watch for the Dreamkeepers. They learned that Circus Mask was lamenting about the disappearance of his true love, a chicken named Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s owner, Stylish Mask, told them that chickens returned back to their friends when threatened, and so the Adversary began attacking the nearby Gallinas and Galluses in order to lure out Elizabeth.

Soon enough, they were able to get Elizabeth to return home. Having helped Circus Mask, the Adversary asked him if he had heard the music box, to which he gave a nonsensical answer, although Protective Mask was able to determine that Circus Mask was telling them that the music was coming from the direction of the river’s source. 

Along the way, they met Huge Watermelon Mask, who asked them to shatter Angry Victory Plates and bring back their pieces in exchange for the music box’s location. He then told them that the sound had come from Pie Mask, who asked them to shatter Crooked Victory Plates and bring the pieces back as proof. After they returned, Pie Mask suddenly turned into the music box and Dreamkeepers began arriving at the scene. While Protective Mask held them off, the Adversary destroyed the music box, breaking the dream and causing the Dreamkeepers to fade away.

All the people in the Noisy Market then awoke from Lucid’s dream and Protective Mask was filled with a surge of memories. He recommended that they keep the awakened ones in the Noisy Market, as the Dreamkeepers couldn’t exist in the area, since the dream had been broken there. They decided to head back to the hideout and Huge Watermelon Head also volunteered to come along with them.

Meanwhile, a Dreamkeeper reported to Lucid that the Adversary was breaking the illusion of Lachelein, though he was quickly transformed into a butterfly for failing to stop them. Lucid wondered whether the Adversary was the one chosen by the Black Mage, or if they had come for her. However, she believed that it changed nothing and invited them to continue clinging onto their false hope.

Back at the hideout, Protective Mask explained that the dream would collapse once enough citizens escaped, and that they needed to destroy the remaining music boxes for that to happen. He explained that Lucid’s memories had flooded into him when the first music box had been destroyed, from which he had learned that the music boxes kept Lucid’s dream from collapsing upon itself.

He then asked Huge Watermelon Head if he remembered anything before he had awakened. Huge Watermelon Head told them that he remembered seeing Lucid, who had been saying “Where is the nightmare?” Gray Mask realized that even though Lachelein was a dream that she had created, there had to be elements that even she couldn’t control and believed that it was the key to defeating her. Huge Watermelon Head added that he had heard a second music box near Lachelein Ballroom just before he had awakened.

As they made their way to the ballroom, Protective Mask asked the Adversary who they thought the residents of Lachelein really were, as the Arcane River was a newly-born world. Protective Mask believed that the people of Lachelein were Erdas shaped into human form and blinded by a dream of being human.

He wondered whether Erdas had souls, and whether struggling to live was proof of a soul, before telling the Adversary to forget about it and instead focus on the mission. Just like before, the Adversary attempted to interrogate the citizens, but they were stopped by Piper Mask, who told them that they needed a flashy mask to pass the dress code. They collected materials from Angry Masquerade Citizens for Piper Mask, who created a fancy mask for them.

While speaking with the townspeople, Stylish Youth Mask asked them to defeat the Insane Masquerade Citizens for him. As thanks, he suggested that they speak to Dark Mask. Dark Mask revealed that he was an awakened one, though he still felt trapped, since they were all still inside Lucid’s dream. He refused to help them and instead tried to leave, ignoring Protective Mask’s suggestion that he blend in amongst the ones still dreaming. Protective Mask then went off after him and the Adversary ran after the two.

The Adversary quickly found Dark Mask and Protective Mask being surrounded by waves of Dreamkeepers. Dark Mask explained that Protective Mask had gotten injured trying to protect him. Though Dark Mask believed that they were done for, Protective Mask told the Adversary that the Dreamkeepers around them seemed weaker because of the destroyed music box at the Night Market. The Adversary told him that they would hold the Dreamkeepers off, prompting Dark Mask to ask if they were the nightmare that Lucid was looking for. He explained that though he didn’t know where the music box was, Masquerade Mask often talked about hearing music.

While the Adversary held off the Weakened Dreamkeepers, Dark Mask was able to escape. Protective Mask then told them that they needed to return to the Lachelein Ballroom. Regarding their conversation about whether Erdas had souls, Protective Mask told them that it didn’t matter, as he needed to face Lucid, even if it meant that he didn’t come back. The Adversary asked what the nightmare was, to which Protective Mask explained that the Adversary was immune to Lucid’s power, since they weren’t part of her dream, meaning that they were the only one who could stop her.

They then arrived at the ballroom and found Masquerade Mask, who told them that she wanted to impress everyone with her dancing skills. Protective Mask noted how Lucid’s subconscious thoughts were reflected in the characters that she had created in Lachelein, including her strong need to be appreciated by others. The Adversary then hunted the Red Dancing Shoes in order to bring a pair to Masquerade Mask. After giving them to her, she transformed into the music box. Immediately, Dreamkeepers arrived to apprehend them. The Adversary quickly destroyed the music box, causing the Dreamkeepers to vanish and allowing everyone in the ballroom to awaken from Lucid’s dream.

Protective Mask was then consumed by more of Lucid’s memories, which weakened him as Lucid’s hold on the dream slipped further. At the clocktower, Lucid decided to take drastic measures and sent her butterflies across Lachelein. Protective Mask felt her power and realized that Lucid was causing Lachelein to rapidly expand and consume the entire world. One by one, the citizens of Lachelein began transforming into Dreamkeepers, including Gray Mask and the other awakened ones.

With no other choice, Protective Mask pushed himself and the Adversary into the Arcane River, where the Dreamkeepers would not follow. Lucid was pleased to see them fall, believing that they would decompose into Erdas. (A/N: If the player is Mercedes, Lucid will say, “Goodbye, my queen,” after we fall in. For male Mercedes, Lucid will instead say, “Goodbye, sweet king.” Before the Milestone update, Lucid would also tell Shade that she would remember him, although this was removed since he won’t be forgotten anymore.) However, when Protective Mask saved the Adversary from touching the river at his own expense, Lucid witnessed how Protective Mask had survived unscathed and realized that he was the nightmare that she was searching for.

Protective Mask also realized this and told the Adversary that since he was neither human nor Erda, he had survived the fall into the Arcane River. He also realized that it was the reason why he alone could peer into Lucid’s memories and why he was the only one who grew weaker as the dream weakened. Dejectedly, Protective Mask told the Adversary to leave him alone to grapple with the revelation that he was a soulless illusion created by Lucid.

However, the Adversary told Protective Mask that the way he had worked to save people and his drive to keep living was proof that he was alive. Protective Mask, after a pause, told the Adversary that the final music box was at the clocktower. The Adversary raced up the clocktower and fought through the Dreamkeepers and Gargoyles, whose defeat helped turn the transformed awakened ones back into themselves. Along the way, they received the Arcane Symbol of Lachelein from Gray Mask, who had discovered it while transformed as a Dreamkeeper.

At the top of the clocktower, they faced Lucid herself and demanded that she free the enslaved people of Lachelein, who were unhappy no matter how many times they went through the motions of enjoying themselves. However, Lucid refused, claiming that the gesture would be enough if she could change the Black Mage’s mind.

(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue in which he asks Lucid why he can’t remember her. Lucid replies that she might have played around with his memories and adds that it wouldn’t be fun if he knew everything. It then transitions back into the generic script that has Shade say that no one is happy in Lachelein.

Mercedes also gets some exclusive dialogue right before demanding Lucid to free the people of Lachelein. Mercedes tells Lucid that she’s certain that she’s met Lucid somewhere before and wonders why she still can’t remember. Lucid replies that it doesn’t matter, as Mercedes means nothing to her anymore.

Mercedes then asks whether this is all part of the Black Mage’s plan and demands to know how Lucid can still follow him, as his victory would mean the end of the world as they know it. She then points out that no one in Lachelein is happy and asks Lucid if this is the world that she wants, which transitions back into the generic script that has Lucid say that she doesn’t care if they’re happy, as the gesture is enough if it’ll change the Black Mage’s mind.)

The Adversary was taken aback, as they believed that Lucid was a loyal Commander. They asked what the Black Mage was planning, but Lucid merely told them that they couldn’t begin to comprehend his plans. She then sent several butterflies at them, but Protective Mask arrived to warn that Lucid’s dreams were carried on the dust from the butterflies. However, Lucid told them that it was too late and dragged the Adversary into her dream world.

From the real world, Protective Mask explained that he was immune to Lucid’s dream because of his gas mask and helped walk the Adversary through breaking free of Lucid’s dream. With Protective Mask’s help, the Adversary was able to defeat Lucid in her dream world, causing it to collapse. Furious, Lucid unleashed her true power and created butterfly wings for herself, shattering the clocktower.

Within the air, the Adversary faced Lucid, and after a fierce battle, they managed to defeat her once and for all. Protective Mask explained that with Lucid’s defeat, the dream of Lachelein would fade away and the fog surrounding the city would lift, though it would mean that he would also disappear. However, he told them that he had no regrets, as he had fulfilled his purpose of protecting the Erdas of Lachelein.

Soon after defeating Lucid, the Adversary decided to send another letter to the Alliance in order to inform them about everything which had taken place in Lachelein. After setting sail a paper boat, the Adversary noted that the fact that a Commander had appeared in-person was proof that the Arcane River was part of the Black Mage’s endgame. They also noted that there was no way that the Alliance would have missed that, and that they must be preparing countermeasures by now.

Just as they began wishing that they could get news from the Alliance, a citizen of Lachelein named Red Flower Mask approached the Adversary and asked them whether they were having a good time, noting that the festival was ending and lamenting how much she still wanted to dance. She explained that she even wanted to dance in her dreams, though she added that the man in her dreams didn’t seem to want to dance, as he seemed far too busy for that.

Red Flower Mask then asked the Adversary whether they also dreamed, explaining that the man in her dreams wore a mask and protected a young and frail Empress. The Adversary was shocked to hear about her dream and realized that the masked man who protected the Empress had to refer to Eckhart. They asked Red Flower Mask whether she was dreaming about Maple World, which she confirmed, adding that the man in her dreams had been talking about how they needed to protect Maple World from the Black Mage.

At the Adversary’s request, Red Flower Mask began telling them about her dream, in which Eckhart had been dispatched to the Black Mage’s laboratory deep beneath Magatia. There, Eckhart noted that there didn’t seem to be anything left, with Neinheart replying to him over the comms to explain that almost everything there had already been recovered by the Alliance in previous missions. However, with the Black Mage having created the Arcane River as part of his endgame, Neinheart explained that he had dispatched Eckhart in order to find any clues that he could, as the Black Mage’s laboratory was the only place where they may be able to learn about his true intentions.

Eckhart asked Neinheart about the Adversary’s status, to which Neinheart replied that they had just received another letter, and that the Alliance needed to continue doing what they had to do. However, he added that he would cease investigating the Black Mage’s laboratory if they didn’t find anything, as the current investigation was merely his last-ditch hope that the sharp eyes of a Chief Knight would find something that they had overlooked. Eckhart noted that finding something with no clues to go on was impossible, though just as he spoke, he had an idea.

To Neinheart’s shock, Eckhart destroyed the altar in the laboratory, revealing that the clue they were missing was that if they had found everything that they could see, they needed to look for something that they couldn’t see. Though Neinheart chided Eckhart for his recklessness, Eckhart told Neinheart that there was no harm done, as he had just revealed a secret passageway behind the altar. As he walked through the darkness, Eckhart noted that the passageway ran quite deep, especially given that the laboratory itself had already been deep underground.

Soon enough, Eckhart arrived at a hidden lake deep within the underground caverns. Looking down, he was surprised to find entire bookshelves underground, with pages floating beneath the surface of the water. Eckhart wondered whether the books were records left behind by the Black Mage, just as he noticed a lamp nearby. Upon turning on the lamp, a starry image of Kao riding the Flame Bird in the Vanishing Journey was projected into the air, with Eckhart realizing that the lamp had been enchanted by the Black Mage, though not for offensive or defensive purposes.

Activating the lamp a second time, Eckhart saw an image of Tana chained in Kritias. Though he had no idea what he was seeing, Eckhart began to wonder whether he was viewing events which had been recorded from history. However, he noted that something seemed off, and so he turned on the lamp one more time to view an image of the giant in Limina looming over the Arcane River. Eckhart then began suspecting that, rather than the records being historical events, they were instead something else. With the lamp no longer functioning, Eckhart decided that they would instead need to gather the paper records under the lake in order to analyze.

Back in Lachelein, Red Flower Mask told the Adversary that the man from her dreams had returned to an island floating in the sky, as he had been certain that the clue which he had found would lead them to their destiny. However, she added that she hadn’t seen anything else, as she had woken up soon after. After Red Flower Mask left to dance more, the Adversary noted that her dream had been far too realistic, and that she had even dreamed about one of the letters which they had sent to the Alliance.

They also noted that though Lachelein had been created by Lucid, the Arcane River had been created by the Erdas of Maple World, and that it was possible that the residents of Lachelein had been dreaming about things which had been happening in Maple World through their link to Maple World as the Erdas which composed it. Because of this, the Adversary was filled with hope that the letters which they had been sending to the Alliance had been useful after all.

(A/N: The following are a special storyline involving Subconscious Cracks that reveal more of Lucid’s past. The memories in these cracks can be viewed as they appear intermittently throughout the storyline, with the final crack appearing after you defeat Lucid. However, I’m covering them all at once here so as not to break the flow of the story.)

As the fog slowly began to clear, the Adversary found several Subconscious Cracks, which had formed as a result of Lucid’s dream breaking. By stabilizing them with Dream Fragments, the Adversary was able to view Lucid’s memories of her past. In the first Subconscious Crack, the Adversary witnessed a young Lucid and Athena Pierce being trained by Danika in Elluel. After their training session, Athena asked Danika whether she could show off what she had learned to Mercedes, who would be returning back soon. Danika told her that Mercedes would see them tomorrow, after which Athena and Lucid began heading off. Though Athena was quite excited to show her skills to Mercedes, Lucid was rather nervous.

Later that night, Lucid began practicing her archery skills, though she grew frustrated when she was unable to shoot properly. Wishing that she were gifted like Athena, Lucid began growing tired and fell asleep. In her dreams, she found herself hitting every target perfectly, with Mercedes acknowledging her skills. Blushing from the praise, Lucid felt pride in herself as Mercedes commended her for her progress, adding that she couldn’t wait to see what Lucid could do with Dual Bowguns. Lucid noted to herself that she felt incredibly happy, and that she never wanted to wake up.

Suddenly, however, she awoke and found herself back in the training field. Though she knew that she had only been dreaming, she also felt that everything had been too real to be an ordinary dream. She then realized that she herself had woven the dream, and that she had been in complete control of everything. She proudly noted that though archery was a skill that anyone could learn, the ability to control dreams was something that she alone possessed.

The next morning, Lucid presented a beautiful music box to Mercedes, which she claimed would give sweet dreams to the listener. As the other elves gathered to listen to the music, Mercedes was impressed by Lucid’s creation and told her that it may just become Elluel’s greatest treasure. However, Lucid was frustrated upon seeing everyone else enjoying the music, as she had intended for it to be a gift only for Mercedes. As she had been hoping for an even bigger reaction from Mercedes, she decided that she would create something even more spectacular and perfect, as she wanted it to be something exclusive between herself and Mercedes.

In the second Subconscious Crack, the Adversary saw all the elves seeing Mercedes off as she left to fight the Black Mage. Lucid grew worried that she might be seeing Mercedes for the last time and decided that she would go with her. Just then, Athena stepped up and declared that she would accompany Mercedes, causing some of the other children to speak up as well. Mercedes thanked them for their bravery, though she told them that it was her duty to protect them, not the other way around. That night, Lucid followed Mercedes and Danika as they headed off, intent on joining them. To her shock, however, she discovered that Athena had gotten there first. Lucid watched in horror as Mercedes agreed to let Athena accompany them, even giving her the Mistelteinn for protection. Filled with despair, Lucid ran off in tears, feeling as though no one in the world cared about her.

In the third Subconscious Crack, the Adversary found Lucid somewhere remote, deciding that if no one cared about her anymore, then she would remove herself from their memories, declaring that she didn’t need any of them. After erasing herself from the minds of the elves, Lucid immersed herself in a dream world of her own making, completely isolated from the outside world. Oblivious to the passage of time, Lucid was unaware of the Heroes finally sealing the Black Mage away, as well as his final curse upon them.

With the destiny of the elves being tied to Mercedes, all the elves were frozen in ice, including Lucid. Because of her abilities, Lucid’s mind remained awake, and her dream world quickly became a prison. Though she attempted to weave happy dreams for herself, such as ruling the elves as their queen, she remained aware that it was merely an illusion. Crafting one dream after another, Lucid soon began wishing that she wouldn’t wake up again.

In the fourth Subconscious Crack, the Adversary saw how, over the centuries, Lucid grew increasingly desperate to be saved from her prison and eventually projected her mind as far as it could go. Unexpectedly, Lucid touched the consciousness of the Black Mage, who promised her eternal life, infinite knowledge, and a new world. As a child who had never even left Elluel’s borders before, Lucid grew enticed by the Black Mage’s offer. To hear that such a powerful being needed her was all that Lucid desired, and so she took his hand without hesitation. Feeling like her mind was about to burst from all the new things that the Black Mage had offered to show her, Lucid used her augmented powers to break free from the ice and become one of the Black Mage’s Commanders.

In the fifth Subconscious Crack, the Adversary watched the Alliance bicker amongst itself, with Claudine confronting Cygnus, claiming that her scouts had entered the Gate to the Future, in which they had seen Cygnus and her knights turn on the people of Maple World. Cygnus attempted to remind Claudine that the vision of the future was a fabrication created by the Black Mage, though Claudine remained unconvinced. While Athena Pierce attempted to keep the peace, Lucid watched in amusement as the Black Mage’s plan to waver the Alliance’s willpower continued smoothly. Though the Alliance had realized that it had just been an illusion, the seeds of doubt had been planted in their minds, which she hoped to further reinforce with the nightmare that would soon come forth.

In the Black Mage’s throne room, Lucid reported to the Black Mage that a new world was about to unfold. Curious about what sort of a world he was planning to create, Lucid asked him to show her a glimpse of what he was hoping to bring about. The Black Mage then showed her a vision of ultimate darkness, causing a shocked Lucid to realize that there was absolutely nothing in the new world that the Black Mage planned to make - and most importantly, not even the Black Mage himself would exist.

(A/N: This is another case where it was shown to the Adversary that the Black Mage is planning to create a new world, even though we’re surprised to learn it in Esfera. I guess you could technically interpret the concept of a new world loosely by having the Adversary take it as the Black Mage turning Maple World into a realm of darkness, rather than him literally making a new world from scratch.)

Upon realizing that the Black Mage sought to end his own existence through the Genesis Ritual, Lucid grew shocked and saddened, as the Black Mage was the center of her world. Hoping to change his mind, Lucid chose to betray the Black Mage and created Lachelein in the Arcane River. By creating a festive city with no sadness or pain, Lucid planned to grow her dream beyond the Arcane River and envelop the world, believing that showing the Black Mage the joys of life would be enough to convince him not to end his own life.

(A/N: Lucid simping for the Black Mage made me immediately think of that one meme with the dudebro on Snapchat.

Black Mage: vents about how much he wants to die
Lucid: “Nooo don’t kill urself ur so sexy aha”

Lucid might actually be the messiest person I’ve ever seen, like even more so than me, which is saying a lot. Between her unresolved abandonment issues, her infatuation with people five times her age, her own coded suicidal ideation, her trying to bait people into killings themselves, and her trying to fix a mass murderer’s suicidal tendencies with “don’t be sad, be happy :D”, like girl, come on - pick a struggle.

Originally when Lachelein was released, people thought that Lucid’s plan to change the Black Mage’s mind was because she wanted to convince him not to destroy everything and instead make a world filled with happiness and joy. After the Genesis Weapon storyline was released, it was revealed that Lucid was shocked not because the world that the Black Mage would create was empty, but because he himself didn’t exist in it. However, the Adversary doesn’t have that context when they see these memories, and so they just think that the Black Mage wants to make a world of darkness.

Also, for the record, GMS localization is actual garbage that completely omitted Lucid’s motivations with a bad translation. I feel like I complain every other section about how bad the localization is, but it really is the worst thing ever. The fact that you have to go to KMS and somehow have the means to translate the original Korean text in order to learn important lore things is an embarrassment to the quality of GMS.)

In the sixth and final Subconscious Crack, the Adversary watched Lucid holding a glass of wine as she celebrated the completion of Lachelein. (A/N: I guess we can add on “underage drinking” to Lucid’s list of evil, heinous crimes too.) Suddenly, however, Lucid felt a wave of drowsiness, causing her to collapse and fall unconscious. Inside her dreamscape, Lucid sensed that something was wrong and decided to leave. Suddenly, several Wightmares appeared and amusedly asked where she was going, laughing that they were the ones who had called her.

Lucid dismissed them as fragments of her imagination and attempted to banish them, though she was shocked when nothing happened. The Wightmares laughed that she wasn’t in control anymore, and that she was now trapped inside her own dream. As the Wightmares cackled that she would be trapped inside a nightmare forever, Lucid fell to her knees in horror. Suddenly, she awoke back in Lachelein, feeling chills running down her spine. After realizing that she had lost control of her own dream, she suddenly began laughing maniacally and invited her nightmares to swallow her whole, though she entreated them to follow her obediently until she could successfully change the Black Mage’s mind. She then added that until the whole world was shrouded in sweet dreams, the festival needed to go on.

(A/N: This last part is a flashback that gets shown after you defeat Lucid during the Genesis Weapon liberation questline.)

Meanwhile, back in the present, Lucid grew increasingly consumed by her nightmares as she continued trying and failing to reach the Black Mage’s mind. Nevertheless, she persistently attempted to reach her master, who had once saved her from despair, as she believed that it was her turn to save him from his own despair, even if she became trapped in her own nightmare as a result.

Within the darkness, Lucid cried out and apologized to him for her betrayal, explaining that she had only acted because she had been afraid of losing him. Suddenly, Lucid managed to reach the Black Mage’s subconscious, and though she didn’t know whether it was because her heart had reached him, or whether it had simply been pure coincidence, she was overjoyed at having finally reached him nevertheless.

Before the Black Mage was able to detect her presence, Lucid quickly sensed that there was a disturbance inside his unconscious mind. Peering deeper inside, Lucid sensed a faint, yet intense memory filled with sadness and relief, which had soon turned into unbridled hatred. Just then, however, the Black Mage became aware of Lucid accessing his memories and pushed her out of his mind, leaving her trapped in her own nightmare forever with the knowledge that the person who had meant everything to her had abandoned her for good.

(A/N: The memory that Lucid accessed was the moment that the White Mage had entered the divine realm, with his emotions corresponding to how his pain and sadness had turned into relief upon reaching the ultimate light, right before his relief had turned into pure hatred for the Overseers and what they had done to humanity.)

Mysterious Forest of Arcana:

(A/N: Just like with Chu Chu Island, this storyline is also mainly filler and could’ve instead been removed and replaced by something that would’ve helped the pacing of the Arcane River storyline as a whole. Arcana seems to be based on the Forest of Spirits that Orchid, Lotus, and Guwaru come from, making it possible that it was created from the Erdas of spirits from Maple World and Grandis.)

With the red fog around Lachelein still remaining, the Adversary realized that it would still take some time before the nightmare over the city would lift. Suddenly, however, they heard a noise near the canals, where they were surprised to find that the Flying Fish awaited them. Realizing that the path which the Flying Fish had taken was free of the red fog, the Adversary hopped aboard its back as the pair left Lachelein and began flying over the Arcane River. Soon, however, they ran into a large Vortex of Light that pulled them in and threw them in the middle of the forest of Arcana.

There, the Adversary encountered a mysterious light and began following it. They soon encountered a Small Spirit crying by himself and lamenting the corruption of the forest. They approached the spirit to comfort him when suddenly, dark Water Spirits appeared and began attacking. The Adversary defeated the spirits and returned to the Small Spirit, who told them about the large Spirit Tree in the center of the forest, which had once resonated with the Song of the Forest and had sheltered the spirits from danger.

However, the Song of the Forest had grown silent, causing the Spirit Tree to wither, after which discordant spirits had begun to manifest. As the tree withered, it had become shrouded in an evil stench, and the Vortex of Light had appeared shortly afterward. The Adversary asked about the Song of the Forest, which the Small Spirit explained had been created by the Songblooms that grew around the forest.

The Small Spirit believed that the Spirit Tree would restore itself if the Song of the Forest were to play once more, but he explained that he had been unable to restore the Songblooms. Just then, a mysterious Wind Spirit appeared and offered his help. The Small Spirit asked him to carry them down the cliff to the Floral Flute. After gently setting them at the foot of the cliff, the Wind Spirit flew off.

The Small Spirit told the Adversary that they would need to collect the life force from the wild spirits in order to breathe life back into the shriveled Floral Flute. The Adversary collected Essences of Water, Sunlight, and Earth from the nearby spirits, which briefly revitalized the flute before it shriveled up again. They attempted to revitalize it once again with more essence, though it still had no effect.

The Small Spirit then began crying, causing the Wind Spirit to appear once again. The Wind Spirit told them that one of the Whispering Flowers might know how to help before vanishing once more. After searching through the forest for the right flower, the Adversary found a Whispering Flower, which told them that the Floral Flute thrived on moonlight, and that the greatest amount of moonlight fell on the highest place in the forest.

The Adversary told the Small Spirit what they had learned, but the Small Spirit explained that the Floral Flute was too big to carry. He instead suggested cutting a trimming from the Floral Flute plant and planting it at the spot with the most moonlight. After planting the cutting atop the highest point, the moonlight revitalized the withered cutting and allowed it to bloom, creating a beautiful sound.

The pair then went to the Spirit Tree in order to see its status, though they discovered that it still remained silent. Undeterred, the Small Spirit led the Adversary to the heart of the forest, where he told them that they would need to ask the Tree Spirits for their help in navigating through the maze. As they proceeded deeper into the forest, they found the same mysterious light that had led the Adversary to the Small Spirit and followed it until the light split into two paths.

The pair decided to split up in order to cover both paths, and as the Adversary continued alone, they soon felt their strength being drained. Several Tree Spirits then appeared and demanded that the Adversary return their friend, believing the Adversary to be the same stranger who had appeared some time ago. Just then, the Small Spirit appeared and created a bright light to distract the Tree Spirits, allowing the Adversary to escape. They returned to the heart of the forest, where the Wind Spirit returned and told them that he had seen the missing Tree Spirit somewhere nearby before vanishing once again. They began to search for the Tree Spirit and found him being corrupted amongst the wild spirits.

The Adversary took the lost spirit and fought through the corrupted Snow Cloud Spirits and Thunder Cloud Spirits in order to bring him back to the other Tree Spirits. There, the Tree Spirits transferred some of their energy into their comrade in order to stop the corruption. The Small Spirit then told the Tree Spirits about his mission to revive the Songblooms in order to restore the Spirit Tree and asked about the Bramble Harp. However, the Tree Spirits told him that his efforts were pointless, as they believed that the corruption was too deep to undo.

Just then, the trail of light reappeared and the Adversary followed it to the withered Bramble Harp. The Wind Spirit then popped in and told them that a large tree that responded to sound was blocking the Bramble Harp from feeling the starlight in the sky. The Small Spirit believed that the tree might move if they made enough noise on the other side. In order to do so, the Adversary collected the crystallized Deathcries of the Toxic Spirits and Volatile Shrieks of the Volatile Spirits. By smashing the crystals, they were able to create a large noise that caused the tree to move aside. Just then, the Tree Spirits arrived and demanded that they stop, claiming that there was no hope of reviving the forest. When the Adversary and the Small Spirit refused to give up, the Tree Spirits created vines in order to trap the pair as punishment for ignoring their warnings.

Just then, the Tree Spirit whom they had rescued arrived and told the other Tree Spirits that the Bramble Harp was beginning to bloom. The rescued Tree Spirit freed the Adversary and the Small Spirit and thanked them for rescuing him. He explained that the other Tree Spirits were behaving aggressively because they felt guilty for failing their duty to protect the Spirit Tree.

He apologized on their behalf and noted that the Adversary was nothing like the stranger with the terrible aura who had passed through the forest earlier. He explained that a calm yet powerful aura of immense evil had appeared not long ago from the stranger. As the stranger had passed through, everything in her wake had vanished and transformed into something else. Though she had only been walking by, her mere presence had resulted in the corruption that plagued the forest. He added that others had followed behind her, though he didn’t know how many.

(A/N: The corruption in the forest was caused by Tana, who’s being escorted to the Black Mage by Arkarium. This corruption is just like how she corrupted Arma in the Vanishing Journey.)

The Adversary and the Small Spirit then went to Marimba Lagoon, which they found had completely dried up. The Small Spirit explained that when the lagoon used to be full, the dew that collected on the blossoms would drip onto the surface of the lagoon, creating a calm concerto of water. At the base of the lagoon, they found a large rock obstructing the water flow. They broke through the rock and found a new passageway. Upon entering, they discovered a vast cave, where a Rock Spirit was trapped under brambles. After being freed, the Rock Spirit told them that he had been swimming underground with his brothers when a large wave had swept them away. They found the Rock Spirit’s brothers trapped in brambles up above and realized that they were blocking the water.

The Rock Spirit told them to find seven of his ten brothers scattered throughout the cave so that the Adversary could stack them on top of another and climb up to free the other three. After rescuing the scattered brothers, the Adversary was able to save the trapped ones, allowing the water to flow back into the lagoon. Just then, they heard a rumble as the Wind Spirit returned and warned them that the Spirit Tree was in trouble. They fought their way out of the cave and found the Spirit Tree completely engulfed by the evil aura. The aura began to spread outward, creating corrupted spirits that began attacking them. As they fought the spirits off, a massive spirit with much darker energy appeared. After the Adversary defeated it, the massive spirit shrank in size and revealed itself as the spirit of the Spirit Tree, the Spirit of Harmony.

The Spirit of Harmony’s memories revealed how he had tried to reach out to the other spirits during the time of peace, and how he had been too shy to talk to them. When the corruption had begun to spread, the Spirit of Harmony had attempted to seal the corruption in order to protect the other spirits, causing him to become corrupted himself and lose his strength, which had resulted in the Spirit Tree withering.

As all the spirits gathered to apologize to the Spirit of Harmony for not noticing how he had sacrificed himself, the Song of the Forest began to play and restored life throughout the forest. In the distance, the Adversary noted that the Vortex of Light had disappeared, meaning that they could continue on their journey. Before heading out, they said goodbye to the Small Spirit, who thanked them for helping him restore the Song of the Forest and gave them the Arcane Symbol of Arcana as a token of his gratitude.

As the Adversary prepared to leave, they realized that the information that they had gathered in Arcana - particularly about the stranger with the ominous aura - would be important to send to the Alliance, for which they sent another letter, hopeful that the Alliance would receive it after hearing about the dreams of the Erdas in Lachelein.

Some time later, Checky watched the preparations in Ereve for constructing the Alliance fleet to enter the Arcane River, with construction going faster than usual thanks to the combined efforts of everyone in Maple World, as well as Edelstein for sending the schematics for the airships in the fleet. Just then, Grendel the Really Old arrived and greeted Checky, noting that the airships were nearly complete. Checky replied that he had also heard that the enchantment of the Rue Ore was also nearly complete, and that the expedition into the Arcane River could soon begin. He added that such a mission had never before happened in the history of Maple World, and that they would soon be able to put an end to the Black Mage once and for all.

However, Grendel noted that it wouldn’t be easy, to which Checky asked Grendel whether he was afraid. Grendel replied that it wasn’t what he had meant before looking up at the immense airship looming in the distance, wondering whether that was the White Spear. Checky confirmed that it was indeed, and that it was the flagship which Empress Cygnus would be sailing upon. He added that it wasn’t just pretty on the outside, as its sturdy and powerful construction meant that it would certainly be able to deal damage to the Black Mage.

After a pause, however, Grendel told Checky that wouldn’t happen, explaining that though the White Spear may be able to help them get near the Black Mage, it wouldn’t be what would pierce through him. At Checky’s confusion, Grendel ominously explained that defeating the Black Mage was a destiny that was already in someone else’s hands.

That night, Claudine arrived in Ereve, where she was surprised to see flashing lights in the distance. She then met with Neinheart, who asked her whether something was wrong. Claudine explained that she had come to report that construction of the fleet was nearly complete. However, she noted that the Empress was absent and asked Neinheart about the light which she had just seen. Neinheart explained that Cygnus was currently training, revealing that she had been working to gain control over the new abilities which she had gained upon awakening as a Transcendent-in-reserve, as she had believed that they would be needed during the fight against the Black Mage.

Claudine was shocked that Neinheart was planning to send Cygnus into battle, reminding him that she was a civilian with no combat training and a frail body. However, Neinheart revealed that it had been Cygnus’ own decision to go into battle herself. He reassured Claudine that he himself would have argued against letting Cygnus go into battle if he had thought that the risk outweighed the benefits. However, he explained that he had seen Cygnus’ abilities first-hand, and that he was convinced that they would be crucial in the fight ahead.

He then added that it was the Empress’ decision, and that he would stand by that decision, adding that the Cygnus Knights would fulfill their responsibility to keep the Empress safe in the battle. Claudine replied that if that was indeed the Empress’ decision, there was nothing that anyone could do about it. However, she noted that the Resistance had no intention of hiding behind a young girl on the battlefield, as they had been waiting for the moment to fight the Black Mage for a long time. She then told Neinheart that the Resistance would do their very best during the battle as well.

Morass, the Swamp of Memory:

Tana then realized that Jean wasn’t truly himself, which the Flying Fish sadly confirmed. However, he warned them that Black Mage of the past, created from Tana’s memories, would soon arrive in order to seal Kritias in time. The Adversary asked why the Black Mage’s forces had invaded Kritias centuries ago, to which the Flying Fish explained that it was to cover up any evidence of Tana’s existence. He advised that they leave immediately, since the Black Mage created by the Morass, though not as powerful as the real one, would still be incredibly dangerous. 

The three of them finally escaped the Morass and were transported to the bottom of the Arcane River, where the Adversary awoke to find themselves and the Flying Fish, who was still stuck in Jean’s form. Realizing that Tana must have fallen somewhere else, the Adversary began searching for her in order to convince her not to join the Black Mage. However, Jean told the Adversary that there was no point in trying, revealing that only the destruction of the world would bring an end to her pain.

Jean then added that they had bigger problems, as he had no way of taking them to the end of the Arcane River in his current body. However, he noted that there was a chance that Tana may have opened a portal on her way to meet the Black Mage, which they may be able to use in order to follow her. As they prepared to return back to Trueffet, Jean felt something in his pocket and discovered the Arcane Symbol of Morass, which he gave to the Adversary. Meanwhile, in the distance, Tana watched the Adversary from afar, briefly wondering whether she ought to stop them in order to prevent them from thwarting the Black Mage. However, when she saw the Flying Fish in the form of Jean, she ultimately decided against it and walked off.

(A/N: Tana’s story makes me really sad in the same way that Shade’s does. There are a lot of parallels between her and the White Mage as the Transcendents of Light of their respective worlds, and amongst some of their shared traits is the fact that both of them had wanted to die in order to escape their fates. The White Mage’s death, for him, was quite impersonal, because he saw himself and everyone else as just cogs in a grand design, and so he never viewed his own life as something particularly meaningful beyond the salvation that it could offer the world through ending it.

Tana, in contrast, lived a very small, intimate life that was only ever filled with herself and few others. She spent most of her life alongside her sister, Aeona, and she had to go through the trauma of having to accept that her sister had gone insane, and then killing her, and in doing so, killing the only person in the world who ever cared about her. After that, just like the White Mage, she learned the truth about the Overseers and their chains of law that threatened to drag her down into slavery, just as they had done to her sister.

Similar to the White Mage, Tana’s strong willpower allowed her to resist the Overseers and rebel against them, but unlike the White Mage - who had his convictions and a strong drive to see them through - Tana had nothing except the pain and suffering that continued haunting her no matter where she went. It’s a bit ironic that the White Mage, having awakened with the power of destruction, sought to create a better life for the world, whereas Tana, who awakened with the power of creation, sought to destroy her own.

For me, Tana’s life - and the Morass storyline as a whole - is a metaphor for trauma and mental illness. The Morass reshapes itself to become your greatest fear - for the Adversary, it was their traumatic memories of Black Heaven, and for Tana, it was her traumatic memories of her imprisonment and torture in Kritias. Everything about the Morass, from the music, to the atmosphere, to the monsters, conveys a sense of hidden fear. A morass is a marsh or a swamp, but it’s also a word that refers to a confusing and overwhelming situation, similar to the moments that shape our trauma.

Inside the Morass, we’re confronted by shadows on the wall, monsters that represent our hidden fears - with the disembodied Kritias weapons, such as the Permeating Terrors or Frozen Anxieties, being our darkest emotions, like anxiety, rage, and terror, given physical form - and Erdas that shape themselves into things from the most horrifying moments of our lives. Within that Morass, Tana continues this theme of mental illness through a lot of the subtext in her life, specifically in regard to her powers and her relationships to others, which opens up a different interpretation of her life through that lens.

On one level, Tana hearing the voices of the Overseers and feeling compelled to obey them sounds akin to auditory hallucinations, but that idea of feeling compelled to obey their commands can also be interpreted as a feeling of being trapped in an inescapable destiny and all the pain that it brings. Mental illness can quite often make it feel as though you have no power or agency over your life, as though the universe or the gods or some higher power is working to keep you trapped, similar to the Overseers attempting to take away Tana’s free will and control over her own life.

Her instability and her inability to control her powers can also be taken as a metaphor for some of the more destructive aspects of mental illness. When she loses her grip on her sanity, she quite literally explodes and takes anyone in the near vicinity with her, which is something pretty relatable to people who experience things like anxiety or manic episodes, who often end up saying or doing things that hurt others.

In the immediate aftermath of Tana’s explosive bouts, she also starts losing her feelings and memories, which sounds a lot like the haze of numbness and difficulty thinking associated with low moods following those anxious or manic episodes. After the loss of her memories, Tana ended up getting completely dehumanized by the mages of Kritias, who viewed her as an object instead of a real person, and that idea of not feeling like a living thing sounds very reminiscent of feelings associated with depression.

Going by this interpretation of Tana being mentally ill and self-destructive, it adds up with the idea that she had come to Kritias with the intention of killing herself. When she arrives in Kritias and saves Jean, she deliberately chose to stand in the way of the anti-magic stone in the hope that she might finally be able to die and put an end to her suffering. When Hekaton imprisoned her and ordered his mages to experiment on her, she likely didn’t resist because she knew that if Hekaton stole her Transcendent powers, it would finally allow her to become mortal and die.

During those years, she was trapped in a living nightmare and was experimented on by being tortured and maimed routinely, and it came to the point that she lost everything that made her a person. What’s important to note is that she didn’t simply have a desire to die - she only had a faint memory of wanting to die. Her agency was stripped from her so completely that she wasn’t even allowed to have the capacity to want anything anymore - she was left with just a brief memory of a time when she still had that fundamental right to have opinions about her own existence.

In the midst of all that darkness, Jean was able to shine as a light in her life when she needed it most. When she thought that she would never be saved, Jean came into her life at the most unexpected moment and changed everything by making her care about herself again. Jean spending time with Tana gave me the same vibe as someone helping a person who’s going through a very rough patch, and what I really loved to see was that even in spite of her being emotionless and unresponsive, he never once gave up on her in all those years.

Despite the mages of Kritias stripping her of her humanity, Jean was able to counteract that by treating her with dignity and love. Even though the other mages didn’t notice, Shey was able to see Tana’s emotions slowly returning with the way that she’d look up at the ceiling to see if Jean was coming, which shows that she was slowly able to start having wants and feelings like every living thing deserves to have. With her memory of wanting to die erased from her mind because of the experiments, Jean was slowly able to help her find meaning in her life again, and she started believing that being alive was worth something.

The night before the Ascendency ritual, Tana starts having a mental breakdown upon realizing that she’s going to die tomorrow, and that it’s something that she had been desperately hoping for. In spite of barely having any memories or emotions, she starts feeling terrified because after all the time that she’s spent with Jean, she’s realized that she doesn’t want to die anymore, because for the first time in her life, she’s met someone who genuinely cares for her and wants nothing in return.

I think that there’s something very raw and powerful in the idea that in spite of wanting to die so badly, when you’re finally faced with the real possibility of it happening, the terror that you feel is something both unexpected and liberating because it shows that in spite of all your pain, there’s still a small, resilient part of you that still keeps alive our natural instinct to hope and to choose to persist.

Jean then stays with Tana through her breakdown and promises that he’ll stay with her no matter what, and that he won’t let anything happen to her, which gives her the strength to finally care about herself again after spending countless years of having given up on herself and any chance of thinking that she’ll be anything other than an object for someone else to use. That, more than anything else, made me really sad, because it’s clear that Jean was the best thing to ever happen to her, which makes it even more tragic and unfair that Tana had to watch the only source of happiness in her life bleed to death on the floor right in front of her.

Overall, I think Tana might’ve had one of the worst lives in the game and I really hope that the writers give her a decent ending because there’s nothing that I hate more than characters who solely exist as narrative punching bags just to squeeze out emotions from the audience. Even Shade, who had a similarly tragic life, ended up getting a happy ending, which means that there’s no reason why Tana shouldn’t either.)

Meanwhile, the Adversary and Jean returned to Trueffet, where they began following traces of Tana and discovered a portal which she had created. Jean noted that the portal was sucking in all the surrounding Erdas and asked the Adversary to try going through. Upon attempting to do so, however, the Adversary was pushed back and collapsed on the floor. Upon getting up, they turned to Jean and demanded to know whether he had really asked them to go through a strange gateway without knowing what would happen.

Jean laughed that the Adversary seemed fine, adding that they must have fallen once or twice before. However, he then wondered why going through the portal hadn’t worked. The Adversary attempted to go through the portal once again, though after being pushed back, Jean realized that Tana must have made it so that the portal would prevent them from following her. Suddenly, the ground began to shake as the Black Mage from Tana’s memories began to recreate his invasion of Kritias.

As the Adversary and Jean fled, Arkarium - whose body had been destroyed - transferred his life force into his backup snake body, just as he had done when Damien had used Alicia’s powers to destroy his body. Badly damaged, Arkarium awaited the Black Mage of the past, believing that Rhinne’s power would allow him to enter Kritias of the past and restore his powers. Just then, the Black Mage of the past appeared and told him that the real Black Mage had commanded him to say, “You have done well. Rest.” The Black Mage’s echo then killed Arkarium, who had finally outlived his usefulness.

(A/N: Arkarium also has a really bad habit of thinking that he’s stronger than literal Transcendents and then getting utterly demolished as a result. In fact, Arkarium’s story can basically be summed up in a single line: “How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?!”)

Back in the Morass, Jean noted that they had escaped just in time, while the Adversary pointed out that Trueffet still hadn’t disappeared. Jean told the Adversary that he planned to return back to Trueffet in order to find a way ahead, as well as to find a way to return to his original form. He then asked the Adversary not to stray too far, promising that he would call them back when it was time.

(A/N: I mentioned earlier that I’d cover all the parts of Shey’s journal at the end, which I’ll do here.

The first entry has Shey talk about Tana reforming after the anti-magic stone shattered.

The second entry has Shey talk about Jean after first seeing him visit Tana. Shey recalls the last words that Jean had said to him before he left to study at the Temple of Time: “If I had died in that accident… would anyone have missed me?” Shey speculates that as an orphan with no home or family, Jean’s greatest fear was being forgotten, which is likely what had sparked his compassion for Tana, who remained forgotten and imprisoned in the dungeons.

The third entry has Shey explain that the people of Kritias viewed Hekaton as a benevolent king, whose strength, wisdom, and compassion surpassed even his extensive magical knowledge. Under Hekaton’s leadership, Kritias had entered a grand renaissance. Over time, however, Hekaton had grown weak and frail with age, causing his mind to grow warped by fear, turning his benevolence into cruelty. As even the advanced magical knowledge of Kritias couldn’t stop his aging, Hekaton’s lust for immortality turned him into a monster. Shey adds that he could scarcely recognize Hekaton after returning back to Kritias and seeing him in the dungeons.

The fourth entry talks reveals that every test subject that they had used as recipients of Tana’s magic had rejected her power, causing them to vanish. Later on, one of the researchers had discovered the monsters in the dungeons, and he had learned that though the test subjects’ bodies had been destroyed, their souls had remained, with the monsters being those souls’ vain attempts at reforming bodies that they could never again inhabit. The researchers had been sickened, but they had nevertheless chosen to seal the dungeon and continue experimenting for many years, creating countless more monsters doomed to eternal suffering.

The fifth entry is written right after the failed Ascendancy ritual, which had nearly destroyed all of Kritias. Soon after, the power of time had pulled Kritias into the future by the Black Mage, who had decided to invade after learning about Tana’s existence. Hekaton, in his final moments, regained his humanity and ordered the evacuation of the castle of Trueffet, after which the castle had lifted into the sky.

The sixth and final entry has Shey explain that with Kritias in ruins and countless lives sacrificed, he can’t call himself a priest anymore. Because of this, he chooses to exile himself and spend the rest of his life atoning, adding that while he knows that atonement is impossible, he believes that spending his life consumed with sorrow is the only fate that he deserves. It’s strongly implied in the Kritias storyline that Shey becomes Cantor by hiding his face and identity.)

Esfera, the Origin Sea:

Some time after Tana’s disappearance, Jean contacted the Adversary and explained that several suspicious people had arrived in the Morass, and that they were investigating the coral reef in the area. As they seemed to be following Tana’s trail of Erda, he explained that the group must be people from the outside world. He added that since he was still in an unstable state, it would be better for the Adversary to meet them personally before they arrived in Trueffet, noting that though the group didn’t seem dangerous, it would be best to avoid any unnecessary altercations.

Meanwhile, at the Morass, Ollie pointed out Trueffet to Shubert and Melange, explaining that the Adversary had likely gone there. However, Shubert noted that something seemed strange, as the Erdas of the Morass replicated memories, while the castle seemed as though it could disappear at any moment. Realizing that Shubert had a point, Ollie asked Melange to check the path to the Adversary again, though Melange replied that it was unnecessary, as the Adversary had just come to meet them. Ollie was thrilled to meet the Adversary, introducing herself as a Thunder Breaker and explaining that her mission was reconnaissance and guidance.

(A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue here, in which Ollie tells us that it’s an honor to be able to help us, adding that we’re someone that she’s only heard of before. She then says that she’s been practicing hard in order to distinguish herself.)

Shubert thanked the Adversary for saving them the trouble of searching for them and introduced himself as a Blaster, adding that his job was to keep the communication lines open to HQ, as well as providing technical support.

(A/N: The main Resistance classes and Xenon get some exclusive dialogue here, in which he explains that he’s heard a lot about us whenever he’d go to the Resistance headquarters, and so he’d been hoping to get the chance to work with us even just once.)

He then awoke Melange, who had fallen asleep, and nudged him to introduce himself. Melange then introduced himself and explained that his name was short for Melangioruiana. Ollie told the Adversary that Melange was a magician sent from Pantheon by Edea in order to create a dimensional gate back to HQ, as well as to follow the Adversary’s trail.

(A/N: Grandis classes have exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they’ve never seen anyone of Melange’s species before in Grandis. Adele gets some additional dialogue, in which she wonders whether Melange’s species appeared during her time in the Void. Grandis classes then wonder whether another minor race has been found which can help stand up to Gerand Darmoor.

Personally, I think that Melange’s race was wiped out either by Darmoor. Based on how powerful Melange is, it’s highly likely that he’s an Apostle of Darmoor. The Apostles draw inspiration from the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and since we all know what ended up happening with Judas, it’s highly likely that one of Darmoor’s Apostles is fated to betray him in a significant way. My personal headcanon is that Melange is working for Darmoor with the intention of betraying him as revenge for wiping out his race. I have no idea whether that’s how it’s gonna pan out, but regardless, it should be pretty interesting to see which one of Darmoor’s Apostles is gonna turn out to be the Grandis version of Judas.)

The Adversary was surprised to know that the Alliance had even sent out someone from Pantheon, though they were relieved that their letters had made it after all. Ollie told the Adversary that thanks to their letters, the Alliance had been able to successfully enter the Arcane River, though somewhat belatedly. She added that though it must have been hard for the Adversary to make it through the Arcane River on their own, they now had the support of the Alliance. She then revealed that in Maple World, the Alliance was gearing up for a full-scale operation against the Black Mage, and that the Adversary would be quite surprised to see it.

The Adversary asked Ollie about the state of Maple World, to which she replied that Maple World had been affected by the Arcane River’s appearance, though she would share the details after they returned back to HQ. The Adversary was surprised to hear that they were returning, with Shubert noting that Melange’s job was to create a portal back to HQ, and that they would continue their next mission at a later point. However, Melange told Shubert that there was somewhere else that they ought to go first, as he could feel the power of the Transcendents still lingering in the area.

As Melange began leading them towards a doorway, Shubert began fretting that they were going off-script for their mission, while the Adversary realized that there may be a clue to Tana’s whereabouts somewhere. Because of this, they told Ollie and Shubert that Melange’s lead was worth investigating, though they realized that they ought to speak with Jean first. While Ollie and Shubert chased after Melange, the Adversary met with Jean in Trueffet, where they explained the situation and asked him to come with the Alliance to follow Tana.

However, Jean told them that Tana’s influence on his form had been stronger than he had thought, and with his body showing no signs of reverting, he believed that it would be better for him to stay behind, as the echo of Trueffet would revert back into its original coral reef much faster without his presence keeping it intact. Realizing that Jean was right, the Adversary decided to rendezvous with their allies. However, they asked Jean whether they would meet again, to which Jean laughed before reminding the Adversary that their allies were waiting for them. After the Adversary left, Jean spoke aloud and thanked the Adversary for giving him hope. Noting that his role was at an end, he wished aloud for the Adversary to take care of the rest.

The Adversary then arrived at the dungeons of Trueffet, where they found Ollie and the others standing in front of a sealed door with light pouring out of it. Ollie noted that the door gave her a strange feeling and wondered whether it was truly the power of a Transcendent like Melange had said. Realizing that they hadn’t informed the Alliance about what happened in the Morass, the Adversary quickly filled them in about Tana and Arkarium. Though Ollie wondered who Tana could be, Shubert pointed out that they had to worry about the door first and resolved to blow it open with demolitions. However, Melange told Shubert that there was no need to force it open, as they already had the key, pointing to the Adversary.

As the Adversary approached the door, a great rush of energy blasted it open from the inside, revealing the same Erda portal which Tana had used to leave the Morass. With the portal sucking everyone in, Shubert quickly called two scout ships, while the Adversary was dumbfounded that Melange had fallen asleep once again in such a moment. Thanks to Shubert’s timely intervention, the group was able to regain their footing as the scout ships flew over the skies of Esfera. As the Adversary wondered what kind of place they had fallen into, Ollie pointed out the large black orb looming in the sky.

As they looked up at it, Melange immediately noticed how strange it was that there was no sun. At everyone’s confusion, Melange explained that the black orb wasn’t a sun, but rather, it was a Black Moon. Just as he attempted to clarify, he suddenly stopped upon sensing an incoming threat. To everyone’s shock, an unknown enemy attacked with powerful dark energy, causing the scout ships to explode mid-air.

The Adversary and Ollie awoke on the surface of the water, with Ollie realizing that it wasn’t ordinary water, as they were able to stand upon it. Having been separated from Shubert and Melange, Ollie wondered whether the attack had been from a Commander. The Adversary replied that though they couldn’t be sure, they were certain that the Black Moon was where the Black Mage awaited them. A surprised Ollie realized that the time of the final battle was fast approaching, with the Adversary noting to themselves that their long struggle against the Black Mage was finally coming to an end.

(A/N: Grandis classes get some exclusive dialogue, in which they note to themselves that defeating him will also take them one step closer towards defeating Gerand Darmoor, which will allow Grandis to know peace once more. Khali gets a slightly modified version of this dialogue, in which she notes that defeating the Black Mage will bring her one step closer to Darmoor and “him”, which is a reference to Ypsilon.)

However, the Adversary couldn’t help but wonder what the ‘sun’ that Melange had spoken about referred to. Ollie then told the Adversary that they should first rendezvous with Shubert and Melange by firing a signal flare and waiting for them to fire one in response so that they could pinpoint the others’ location. Just then, Ollie realized that her flare had fallen out of her pocket. They then turned to find an Ahtuin monster eating the fallen signal flare. At Ollie’s request, the Adversary hunted the Ahtuin monsters and recovered the flare, which Ollie fired into the air.

Upon receiving a response from Shubert, the pair made their way over to Shubert’s location, where they found that he and Melange had constructed a base camp using the ship wreckage. Shubert greeted them and pointed to a sleeping Melange, revealing that he had fallen asleep through the landing and even falling into the water. As Shubert began repairing the communication system, the Adversary woke Melange up and asked him what he had meant earlier about there being no sun. Melange replied that he had seen Erda remnants in the area and suggested that the Adversary seek them out in order to find out for themselves.

Believing that the Erda remnants had been left behind by Tana, the Adversary and Ollie - with the directions which Melange had jotted down for them - soon came across an anomaly radiating with Erda energy. Reading through Melange’s directions, Ollie told the Adversary that they needed to stabilize the anomaly by injecting it with Erda from the surrounding area. The Adversary harvested Erda Fragments from the nearby Bellalion monsters and infused them into the anomaly, transporting them into one of Tana’s memories.

Inside the memory, Tana walked alone through Esfera, which was eerily dark without a sun, and soon collapsed from utter exhaustion, wondering where the Black Mage was. Suddenly, Will appeared before Tana and promised her that she would meet the Black Mage soon, though he added that she would only meet him if she fully complied with the ritual. He then welcomed Tana to Esfera, explaining that they were standing in the Origin Sea, where Tana would be reborn as the sun, serving as the foundation of a new world.

Confused, Tana asked Will who he was, to which Will introduced himself and explained that he was a guide who would lead her. He then told her that time was running out and invited her to follow him to enact the ritual before ‘the intruders’ appeared. After a pause, however, Tana channeled her powers and refused to go with Will, claiming that she had come to meet the Black Mage in-person. Amused, Will asked Tana whether she had had a change of heart, reminding her that only the Black Mage could grant her wish. Though Tana agreed with Will’s words, she declared that she had no intention of becoming his puppet.

Upon seeing Tana’s resolve, Will laughed and noted that though he didn’t wish to hurt her, he had no choice but to go all-out in order to face someone like her. As the two began to battle, the memory suddenly ended, leaving the Adversary and Ollie shocked at what they had seen. Ollie explained that the man in Tana’s memories was Commander Will. Upon seeing the Adversary’s confusion, Ollie noted that she wasn’t surprised that they didn’t know him, as Will had never made a direct appearance in Maple World yet. She added that the Silent Crusade had determined that Will was the one responsible for the strange dimensional cracks which had recently appeared in Maple World. Ollie then told the Adversary that though they weren’t sure about Will’s abilities or what he had been up to, they could be sure that the fact that he had come out of the shadows held great significance.

(A/N: The Heroes get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that the closer they get to the Black Mage, the more Commanders they find that hadn’t been there centuries ago. All the Heroes except Evan wonder how long the Black Mage has been laying the groundwork for all this and note that they need Freud now more than ever. Evan instead wonders whether they’ll be able to make it through and asks himself what he would’ve done at a time like this if he were Freud.

The Demon has similar dialogue, in which he notes that new Commanders are appearing one by one as he gets closer to the Black Mage. He realizes that the Black Mage has grown stronger, but he also notes that things will be different this time, vowing to succeed for Damien’s sake.

Zero also has some exclusive dialogue, in which Alpha and Beta tell Ollie that they know Will personally. They note that Will looks different from how they remember, as he used to hide behind a friendly façade, though he’s now taken off that mask. Alpha and Beta then think to themselves that they’ve always wondered where Will had gone ever since the day they escaped Mirror World before they start wondering what he’s scheming.)

Ollie then pointed out that Will had called Tana the sun and wondered what the Black Mage was planning between a new sun and a new world. Realizing that either Tana or Will must have been defeated from their battle, the Adversary decided to look for them. Ollie noted that if the attack which had destroyed the ships had come from the Black Moon, it was likely that Tana must have been captured already. Just then, Shubert reached out through the repaired communication system. Though he was shocked upon hearing about Commander Will, Ollie reassured him that a single punch from the Adversary would be enough to defeat him.

She then asked Shubert whether it was possible to contact HQ through the repaired communication system. Shubert patched them through to HQ, though he warned them that the system was barely functioning. The pair then made contact with Neinheart, whose voice was distorted from the barely functioning communication system. Nevertheless, the Adversary noted to themselves that it felt surreal to hear Neinheart’s voice so far from Maple World. After Ollie reported the situation, Neinheart managed to tell them to protect Tana and stop Will’s ritual, just as communications fizzled out.

The Adversary and Ollie then prepared to head out, unaware that one of Will’s spider monsters was watching them from Mirror World through the water’s reflection. After reaching the next Erda anomaly that Melange had noted, the Adversary gathered more Erda Fragments to stabilize it, allowing them to see more of Tana’s memories. They watched as Will prepared to begin the ritual with a captured Tana, noting that her power was truly incredible, and that he would have met the same fate as Arkarium if she had been at full strength. However, he added that given how emotional she was, he wondered whether she could still be considered to be the same as the Black Mage.

Though Tana attempted to resist, Will amusedly told her that it was too late before ordering her to remain silent and become the sun of the new world. Nevertheless, Tana’s immense willpower allowed her to push back against the ritual. As Will attempted to push harder, he suddenly grew serious as a portal opened, from which a powerful beam of energy shot out towards him. Though Will managed to dodge the attack, the disruption to his concentration resulted in Tana plunging deep into the Origin Sea. Noting to himself that losing Tana hadn’t been part of the plan, Will turned to face the unknown assailant as they shot more beams of dark energy at him.

With the memory ending, Ollie and the Adversary realized that thanks to the ritual being interrupted, Tana had fallen out of Will’s clutches somewhere in the Origin Sea. As the Adversary began to wonder whether Will’s assailant had been the one who had destroyed their ships, Will himself appeared and unleashed a powerful attack on the Adversary, though Ollie stepped in between and barely managed to dispel it with her sword. Will then laughed and told Ollie that he had come to see the Adversary.

The Adversary demanded to know what Will was planning, to which Will told them that the Black Mage had once said, “The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness,” adding that it would be time for the Adversary to face him by the time they understood those words. Suddenly, he told the Adversary that it wasn’t the time for them to have a leisurely chat, adding that though he normally enjoyed the anticipation, this time felt special to him. Though the Adversary attempted to stop him, Will teleported away, leaving them to wonder what the ‘ultimate light’ and ‘ultimate darkness’ were.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue while encountering Will. When he first appears, Alpha and Beta start threatening him to back down, to which he laughs and says that he had only come to say hello. When they demand to know what he’s planning, Will tells them not to be impatient and jokingly suggests that they catch up over a cup of tea. The dialogue then transitions back into the generic script that has him talk about the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness. After that, he tells Zero that though he normally enjoys the anticipation, this time feels special to him, adding that it might be because of them. He then calls Zero an incomplete Transcendent split in two and tells them not to make him wait for too long before disappearing.

In regard to Zero being an incomplete Transcendent, the reason for this is because Alpha and Beta awakened as full Transcendents when Rhinne gives them the full power of the Transcendent of Time within herself. However, this results in both her and Mirror World disappearing, for which Alpha and Beta use the power which she gave them to keep Mirror World intact and resurrect Rhinne in the body of a human child. As a result, all of Rhinne’s power is being used to maintain Mirror World, leaving Alpha and Beta with a fragment of their power from the Goddess Teardrops collected in their class story.

The Heroes also get some exclusive dialogue here. After Will disappears, all the Heroes except for Luminous consider Will’s words about the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness, after which they wonder whether Luminous knows anything about it. However, Luminous has nothing intelligent to say on the topic, as he just wonders aloud, “Ultimate light and ultimate darkness…” and leaves it at that.)

Unable to figure out what Will meant, the Adversary turned to Ollie, who seemed strangely distracted. They then looked to see that Ollie had been injured from Will’s attack, with a shaken Ollie wondering whether the Adversary had really been facing such powerful enemies the entire time. She then turned to the Adversary and assured them that she was fine. In the air, a masked figure watched the pair before teleporting away. Elsewhere, Will noted that he hadn’t expected ‘that child’ to have gotten involved, though he believed that it would change nothing. Nevertheless, he noted that the experience brought back unpleasant memories for him.

(A/N: Please note: the following text reveals the identity of the masked figure. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

The child that Will is referring to is Orchid, the masked figure. The unpleasant memories that he’s experiencing are most likely from when he failed to prevent Alpha and Beta from awakening as the Transcendents of Time. Will really can’t catch a break from handling Transcendents, first with Zero, and now with Tana. Ironically, he’s faced this same situation before with Fang. Just like how Orchid is a Spirit of Darkness, Fang was a Darkling, with both of them intervening at different points in time to stop Will from succeeding in carrying out his plans with Zero and Tana.

I remember back when Esfera first came out, people had a lot of different theories about who the masked figure could be. A lot of people correctly guessed that it was Orchid because the way that the masked figure destroyed the Alliance ship was exactly like how Orchid destroyed the Retoxin bombs in Black Heaven.

However, there was also a popular theory going around that the masked figure was Cassius from Zero’s storyline, as Cassius had been revived by the Commanders and it would’ve made a lot of sense for him to show up in Esfera with Will. Honestly, I really wish that the masked figure had ended up being Cassius just so that his story could’ve been resolved. I think that if they wrote it well enough, they could’ve had both Cassius and Orchid show up in Esfera, which would’ve let them kill two birds with one stone.)

Though the Adversary was worried about Ollie’s condition, Ollie assured them that she was fine and added that their priority was to secure Tana before Will could recover her. Just then, Shubert contacted them and asked about the loud noises which he had heard from afar. Upon hearing that Ollie had been injured by Will, Shubert urgently suggested that they return to HQ, though Ollie promised him that she had patched herself up with bandages. With Shubert having restored short-range communications, Ollie told him that in the event of an emergency, she would prioritize saving the Adversary over herself. At the Adversary’s shock, Ollie reminded them that they were the one who would face the Black Mage.

With Melange heading over to reinforce them, the pair pushed deeper into Esfera, where they were shocked to find that the scenery had changed into withered trees, chains falling from the sky, and the water turning purple. As they wondered what had happened, Melange arrived and explained that the power of the mirror had touched Tana, causing it to flow throughout the Origin Sea. At Ollie’s confusion, Melange explained that from what he understood, Will used the power of mirrors to create his own Mirror World, which was completely cut off from the outside world. He added that conducting the ritual using the power of Mirror World would make it extremely difficult for others to interrupt from the outside.

However, he revealed that since Will’s ritual had been interrupted, the power was flowing out with the Erdas. He then told them not to worry about Will for the time being, as he was being overwhelmed by Tana’s power. He explained that as long as Tana continued to resist, the power of the mirror couldn’t be used where they currently were, as Tana’s power conflicted against Will’s. He added that from what he had heard, Will was quite weak without the power of Mirror World, though he warned them not to let their guards down, as he suspected that Will’s true strength lay elsewhere.

Ollie asked Melange whether he could track down Tana, though Melange added that it would be difficult, as Tana and Will’s powers had collided and spread outward, making it hard to feel her presence. However, he noted that Will seemed to be tracking them down as well, for which he suggested following the spiders. The Adversary asked Melange whether he was coming with them, to which Melange explained that he had something else that he needed to take care of first, though he added that they ought to find more traces of Tana along the way.

After Melange left, the pair prepared to head out when Ollie’s injury began stinging once again, though she insisted to the Adversary that she was fine. Elsewhere, a gravestone was created from Tana’s memories alongside two beings - an Executor of Light and an Executor of Darkness - who declared that the spiders were their enemy. Meanwhile, the Adversary and Ollie fought through the spider monsters that Will had created before running into a battle between the spiders and several Keepers of Light, which the Adversary realized had been created by Tana.

Ollie was impressed by Tana’s power to bring forth such creations and wondered what the source of her abilities were. The Adversary began thinking back to what they had heard earlier about Will noting that Tana was the same as the Black Mage, Melange noting that the power of the Transcendents had been flowing through Tana’s portal, and Arkarium noting that Tana’s power was more than just immortality, allowing her to control the Erdas themselves. As the Adversary began suspecting the truth behind Tana’s abilities, Ollie noticed the gravestone floating in the water. Realizing that the gravestone was even closer to reality than all of Tana’s past creations, the Adversary wondered whether Tana’s memories had been infused into it. Though the gravestone, unlike the Erda anomalies, was already stabilized, Ollie suggested clearing out the spider monsters before viewing the memory.

Upon entering it, the Adversary witnessed Tana and a girl who appeared to be her twin appearing before the Executors of Light and Darkness, with the Executors telling the girls to create with the power of light and destroy with the power of destruction. The Executors declared that there were two forces and two candidates before them, with Tana’s sister using the power of darkness to destroy a tombstone in front of them before Tana used the power of light to recreate it.

Tana then noted that there was darkness because there was light, while Tana’s sister noted that there was light because there was darkness. Tana asked her sister whether they were also like that, to which her sister noted that though it was possible, it didn’t matter, as they couldn’t coexist together, as that was the fate of the Transcendent of Light. The Executor of Darkness then declared that destiny would soon be decided, while the Executor of Light wondered which of the two candidates would be chosen. Suddenly, both Tana and her sister began to hear a voice in their heads, thus beginning the selection. The Executors told the two girls that the one who would not be chosen at the end of the selection would be known as Tana, while the chosen one would be known as Aeona.

The memory then ended, leaving the Adversary to wonder about Aeona and the Transcendent of Light, while Ollie pulled out a top-secret document. Ollie explained that after the Adversary had entered the Arcane River, the Alliance had begun to reinvestigate the Black Mage from the beginning, particularly his power as the Transcendent of Light. She revealed that the Alliance had gathered a great deal of information about the Transcendents, including Grandis’ Transcendent of Light, Aeona. She presented the document to the Adversary, who read that the Alliance had hoped to learn more about Aeona in order to understand the Black Mage’s powers, though they had found no information at all about Aeona or her whereabouts.

(A/N: Grandis classes get exclusive dialogue in place of this. Upon hearing the name ‘Aeona’, they immediately realize that Aeona is Grandis’ Transcendent of Light. They then reveal to Ollie that no trace of Aeona has been found on Grandis, and that there are rumors that Aeona had even faced Gerand Darmoor in the past. Ollie then pulls out the top-secret document to present to the player, although her explanation about the investigation into the Black Mage is omitted. After reading the document, Grandis classes note that the information isn’t much different from what the people of Grandis know.)

The Adversary realized that Tana’s powers made sense if she was indeed a Transcendent, though Ollie noted that there was something strange, as the Executors had talked about there being two candidates, with the girls using two different powers. As the Adversary recalled how the Executors in the memory had mentioned creation and destruction being the two powers, the Executors of Light and Darkness created by Tana appeared before them and confirmed their thoughts, explaining that they were the Executors, who had lost their names and forms, and that their will was Tana’s will.

The Executors then led the pair deeper into Esfera, where they came across Keepers of Light, which the Executors explained had been created from a small portion of Tana’s power. They explained that in order to fight Will, they needed to gather Erda, to which Ollie noticed a bookshelf floating in the water, just as the gravestone had been. With the Executors claiming that there was little time, the Adversary and Ollie entered Tana’s memories and discovered Tana and her sister facing each other in a battle.

Tana noted to herself that just as light and darkness were one, she and her sister were destined to embark on the same path, despite having different powers, noting that it may have all been planned. After killing her sister, Tana wondered where it had all gone wrong, realizing that she and her sister had not been allowed to coexist. With the death of her sister, Tana was given the title of Aeona, the Transcendent of Light, with the power of the Transcendent flowing into her. Suddenly, Tana began to hear a beautiful yet cold voice in her head and realized that she could not refuse its call.

With the memory ending, an amazed Ollie noted that they had just seen something incredible, noting that in the end, Tana had become Aeona, the Transcendent of Light. However, she noted that there were still so many questions left, such as why Aeona wasn’t the one with the power of darkness. The Adversary agreed, adding that Tana also called herself Tana, rather than Aeona, despite the fact that her sister was the one who should have been called Tana as the candidate who hadn’t been chosen. They noted that it seemed as though there were still questions about the Transcendent of Light that they did not yet have answers for, such as why they had begun fighting in the first place.

The Executors answered the Adversary’s question by revealing that the two had fought because they had been divided. They explained that there was always light where there was darkness, and vice versa, the simultaneous coexistence of the two forces was not inherently out of balance. However, they revealed that when the two were not one, not everyone could hear the voice. They then added that everything adhered to the will of the world, leaving the Adversary and Ollie confused even further.

However, the Executors told the pair that there was no time to waste, as they needed to hurry and save Tana. As they kept moving, however, the Executors suddenly stopped and revealed that they could go no further, as Tana had created a barrier that prevented them from moving ahead. However, they revealed that destroying the nearby Keepers of Darkness would allow the Keepers’ power to flow into them, thereby giving them the power to break through Tana’s barrier. As they could not harm the Keepers themselves, the Executors asked the Adversary to defeat the Keepers for them.

After the Adversary defeated the Keepers of Darkness, the Executors absorbed the Keepers’ power and broke through Tana’s barrier. The group then proceeded ahead to an empty region, where the Executors revealed that Tana was directly below them at the bottom of the sea. Shubert then called and told Ollie that she would need to dive down and recover Tana with the diving gear that he would transmit to their location. With the Adversary manning the pulley system, Ollie dove down and recovered Tana, who was sleeping inside a glass coffin, with the Adversary pulling her back up to safety right before the monsters below the ocean attacked.

As they prepared to move out, however, Ollie’s bandages came undone from diving into the water, revealing a spider mark that Will had given her with his attack. (A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which they recognize the spider mark on Ollie.) Upon seeing the spider mark, the Executors designated Ollie as an enemy and immediately began to attack her, gathering other Light Executors to eliminate the perceived threat. The Adversary fought off the waves of Executors and contacted Shubert, telling him to quickly prepare the short-range teleportation system for their escape.

With Ollie injured from the attack, the Adversary prepared to send them back to the base camp when Will arrived, noting that Ollie didn’t look so good. Though Ollie told Shubert to extract Tana, the Adversary ordered Shubert to instead extract Ollie, declaring that they would keep Tana safe from Will. However, Ollie refused to leave the Adversary behind, revealing that her mission had been to protect them from the beginning, much to the Adversary’s shock. Though Ollie attempted to stand up, she quickly collapsed once again from her injuries, to which Shubert - at the Adversary’s insistence - quickly extracted Ollie back to base camp.

Laughing, Will then used his power to bind the Adversary with his powerful magic. The Adversary was surprised that Will could still fight, as Melange had told them that his powers were being suppressed by Tana. Will revealed that the Adversary was the one who had weakened Tana’s power by destroying the Executors, thereby allowing him to use his abilities once again. The Adversary realized that Will had marked Ollie on purpose, which Will confirmed, explaining that he had hoped to use them in order to weaken Tana’s power, as her resistance had been far stronger than anticipated.

He mockingly congratulated the Adversary for putting the world at risk just to save Ollie, adding that she had merely been a pawn to sacrifice in the Adversary’s place. At the Adversary’s confusion, Will explained that they were the great Adversary - the only one with the power to face the Black Mage - and that the obvious choice was to sacrifice others to save them if necessary. He then called out for the masked figure, who was hiding in the shadows, to reveal themselves. He told the masked figure that he had seen through their plan of trying to have him use the power of Mirror World by fighting with the Adversary. He then gave the masked figure a choice between saving the Adversary and stopping the ritual before throwing the bound Adversary into the Origin Sea.

The masked figure immediately moved to save Adversary, allowing Will to escape with Tana. The Adversary recognized the masked figure from Tana’s memories and realized that they were the one who had been fighting Will. The masked figure asked the Adversary whether they could still fight, to which the Adversary asked the masked figure why they had saved them, though the masked figure merely told them to answer the question. However, the Adversary insistently noted that the masked figure had interrupted the ritual and demanded to know what they were after. The masked figure replied that in order to destroy the Black Mage, they needed an Adversary.

They then warned the Adversary that Will was planning to resume the ritual with Tana, and that unlike last time, they would not be able to interrupt him again, as Tana was no longer able to resist and disrupt his concentration. They added that with Tana having lost consciousness, there was only one way to wake her up again. Before the Adversary could do anything, the masked figure ordered them to chase after Tana while they finished their own work, teleporting the Adversary back to the base camp. Vowing that they would face they Black Mage soon, the masked figure disappeared as well.

Back at the base camp, the Adversary looked up to find that the White Sun now appeared in the sky alongside the Black Moon. They then met with Shubert, who revealed that the poison inside Ollie was spreading. Melange added that poison was enchanted, and that only its creator could cure it. He pointed to a mirror that Will had created, revealing that it was the only way to reach the White Sun, and that it was an obvious trap, for which he decided to follow the Adversary on their path to Will.

Before they left, Neinheart contacted the base camp and, through the static, warned the Adversary not to fall into Will’s trap and explained that reinforcements were coming soon. Upon hearing from Neinheart that the Adversary’s survival was paramount, however, the Adversary recalled what Will had said about Ollie being a sacrificial pawn, causing them to ask Neinheart whether he was the one who had ordered Ollie to protect them. At Neinheart’s silence, the Adversary declared that they would go in themselves and told Neinheart not to stop them. Though Neinheart’s signal began cutting out, he warned the Adversary that there was still a way and asked them not to hesitate when the time to choose came.

Vowing not to make the same mistake twice, the Adversary entered the mirror with Melange and appeared in the same temple which the Adversary had seen in Tana’s memories. Melange revealed that they were inside a replica of the Radiant Temple within Mirror World. (A/N: The Radiant Temple is called the Temple of Light in KMS, which I personally feel is more appropriate, especially with the Black Mage being in the Temple of Darkness in Limina.) The Adversary asked Melange what they should do next, as it was clear that Will was intending to pass on Tana’s powers to the Black Mage. Melange explained that in order to figure out what to do next, he needed to examine Tana’s memories within Mirror World.

Though the worried Adversary reminded Melange that they needed to hurry, Melange warned them to have patience, claiming that they would undoubtedly lose if they rushed into things. The pair then moved forward and encountered Executors of Light created with the power of Mirror World. Melange revealed that the Executors were a minor race from Grandis who served the Transcendent of Light, though no details about that race existed. He supposed that it made sense that information about the Executors would be scarce, as they were affiliated with the Transcendent of Light, whose actions were also unknown to Grandis.

(A/N: Grandis classes get exclusive dialogue here, in which they’re surprised to hear about such a race existing, noting to themselves that they had never heard such a story before. They then wonder how Melange knows so much about them.)

The Adversary then told Melange that there should be Erda traces for him to read Tana’s memories, to which Melange told them that he had been analyzing Mirror World’s power leaking out into Esfera, and that he believed that if they were able to access Tana’s memories from the objects which had manifested in Esfera from Mirror World, they ought to be able to access more memories from within Mirror World itself. In order to help Melange concentrate, the Adversary defeated the nearby Executors of Light, allowing Melange to access Tana’s memories.

The pair watched as Tana, following her awakening as the Transcendent of Light, left the temple in order to escape fate. However, she noted that she could still feel the chains placed upon her by the will of the world, and that she knew that those chains could never be broken. Though she wandered all over Grandis, she could still hear the beautiful yet cold voice in her head that constricted her tightly enough that she felt dizzy and disoriented. However, Tana declared that things wouldn’t go as planned and vowed to live as herself no matter what, even if the price was to lose everything that she had.

With the end of the memory, Melange told the Adversary that unlike the Transcendents of Maple World, the Transcendents of Grandis were actively involved in shaping their world, and that Aeona - unlike the others - had left no trace of her actions, though he added that he hadn’t known about the details of her circumstances until now. He explained that he now understood why she had called herself ‘Tana’, the title for the candidate who hadn’t been chosen by the will of the world, rather than her given title of ‘Aeona’ that signified a fate which had been forced upon her.

(A/N: When Melange tells Grandis classes about the Transcendents of Grandis, he also precludes his explanation with a disclaimer that they might already know what he’s about to say.)

However, Melange noted that there was one thing that still bothered him, as he found it strange that the Black Mage wanted to take the powers of a Transcendent of Light when he himself already was one. Thinking back to the Executors’ explanation, the Adversary realized that if Tana held the power of light, then that meant that the Black Mage held the power of darkness. Just then, Melange noted that he could feel the White Sun drawing closer to the Black Moon, though he noted that there was still time to stop the ritual. However, he told the Adversary that he still needed to access one more memory in order to understand the Black Mage’s true purpose.

After the Adversary defeated the Executors of Darkness, Melange used his staff to pull them into the final memory. To their surprise, however, the pair found themselves in a celestial dreamscape that appeared much more vivid than the memories which they had seen earlier. Melange immediately realized that Tana must have brought them into her mind herself, likely because she had something important to show them.

They then watched a memory of Tana speaking with the Black Mage, with Tana asking whether he could really give her what she wanted. She wondered whether it was really possible for the Black Mage to so, noting that even with his Transcendent powers, such a thing would be even more impossible specifically because he was a Transcendent. The Black Mage replied to Tana by revealing that he had a plan as the Tana’s memory of the Black Mage appeared before her in her dream.

Tana noted that he was cold and dark like a black moon and asked him what he wanted, to which the Black Mage explained that he wished to change destiny by combining light and darkness. Upon hearing his words, Tana noted that he shared the same fate as hers. The Black Mage then ordered Tana, addressing her as Aeona, to go to Kritias, claiming that in the vortex of desire, she would be reborn as the White Sun. Tana agreed to comply with the Black Mage’s request, explaining that she would do it as long as she could live as herself.

Though the memory faded away, the Adversary and Melange still found themselves within Tana’s mind. Melange noted that what he had seen was incredible, as he had never thought that something like that could happen between two Transcendents. The Adversary then noted that Will had mentioned how the ultimate light could only be found in the ultimate darkness, to which Melange noted that Tana was light and the sun, which represented the power of creation. The Adversary then realized that the Black Mage was darkness and the moon, which represented the power of destruction, and that he intended to use Tana in order to gain both opposing powers, though they wondered what the Black Mage intended to do with Tana’s powers, as they had believed that the Black Mage had simply intended to destroy everything.

Suddenly, a projection of Tana herself appeared before them, revealing that the Black Mage had promised to grant her wish by putting an end to the world and her life alongside it. However, she explained that after meeting Jean, she had realized that she hadn’t wanted to die, and that she still wished to have more time. Because of this, she asked the Adversary to lend her their strength so that she could take them to Will immediately. She then begged the Adversary to stop the ritual, claiming that only they had the power to do so.

After leaving Tana’s mind, the Adversary and Melange discovered that Tana had created a portal to her. Melange then revealed that based on everything he had ascertained, the Black Mage’s ritual would result in the power of the Transcendents of two worlds becoming one, and that they would have no chance of winning against him if he were to succeed. He explained that the portal which Tana had created would lead to a Mirror World within Mirror World, though he added that the Adversary would have to face Will alone, as he was unable to fight within Will’s Mirror World.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here. Alpha notes that they can finally take on Will face-to-face. Beta adds that it had taken quite a while for them to reach this moment and asks Alpha if he’s nervous. Alpha admits that he is, as he’s gone through the cycle of brainwashing so many times at Will’s hands. However, he notes that he’s not alone now, to which Beta agrees and says that they’ll always be together.)

The Adversary then entered the portal alone, where Will noted his impressment with them managing to chase after him all the way. However, he revealed that the only way that they could stop the ritual was by killing Tana, causing the Adversary to realize that Neinheart had been talking about that moment. Will then told the Adversary that he was interested in seeing what kind of person they were and asked whether they would kill an innocent girl to save the world, or to put the world’s survival at stake in a hopeless battle against a being who had transcended the Transcendents themselves.

Upon hearing Will’s words, the Adversary realized that they had already made a mistake and put their allies and countless others at risk. Vowing that they wouldn’t fail again, the Adversary declared that they would defeat Will and put an end to Tana’s life if they had to. An amused Will noted that a person’s true nature was revealed at the most desperate moments of great choice, and that no matter which they chose, what would always remain was the fact that the decision was always in their hands.

After a fierce battle, the Adversary managed to defeat Will, who admitted that he had been cleanly beaten, for which he used his magic to erase the enchanted poison inside Ollie. However, he then reminded the Adversary that the only choice left to make was to kill Tana. Upon hearing his words, Adversary realized that though they had been able to save Ollie, countless other would be put in danger if they failed to stop the ritual. However, they then thought back to Tana’s words about how she didn’t want to die, just as Tana called aloud for help as she dreamed.

Hearing Tana’s plea for help, the Adversary realized that Tana had suffered immensely in her attempts to escape her fate, though they nevertheless noted to themselves that they couldn’t hesitate and risk any more lives. Just then, Tana called out for help once again in her dreams, though she instead called out for Jean to save her.

Suddenly, the Adversary recalled what Kao had told them about how one of their memories had been about someone in pain and how they had been regretting something. They also remembered Kao’s warning to them about not making any decisions that they would regret, and to make their own choices without being swayed by anyone else. Because of this, the Adversary instead chose to spare Tana’s life instead. An amused Will asked the Adversary whether they knew what they were doing, to which the Adversary replied that they were fully aware that they would be allowing the Black Mage to gain the power of two worlds’ Transcendents, and that they would nevertheless find a way to overcome their odds.

Will was impressed by the Adversary’s choice and admitted that he couldn’t help but be amazed, just as Tana disappeared. As the ground began to shake, Will revealed that the ritual had begun, and that there was no way to stop it once the White Sun and Black Moon fused together. However, he explained that the Adversary’s choice hadn’t mattered from the beginning, as the outcome would have been the same no matter what. He revealed that he had merely been interested in which choice they would make, and though he noted that they were too dangerous not to be eliminated, he told the Adversary that he would never forget their decision.

After Will disappeared, the Adversary was faced with an endless onslaught of spiders. As they grew overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies, Ollie appeared to defend them, revealing that she had anticipated that while they would have no trouble dispatching Will, he would not have gone down easy, for which she had asked Shubert to transport her to them directly. She then revealed that it was the Empress, not Neinheart, who had given her the mission to protect them, as she had known that the Adversary’s tendency to shoulder all burdens alone would overwhelm them, for which she had asked Ollie to lend them her strength when the time came.

Ollie noted that while all of them were weaker alone, the reason why the Cygnus Knights and the Maple Alliance existed was so that the collective strength of everyone would allow them to protect each other and fight together. As she spoke, Neinheart arrived with the Alliance reinforcements - the Chief Knights and the Resistance leaders - breaking through into the inner Mirror World and quickly dispatching Will’s spiders. Neinheart revealed that Shubert had fixed long-range communications, and that Melange had opened a gateway for the Alliance to enter, just as he had planned.

Melange then reported that Will had fled into the innermost part of Mirror World, to which Neinheart suggested that they quickly evacuate before the White Sun fused with the Black Moon. As the Alliance retreated, an injured Will collapsed in the innermost part of Mirror World, noting to himself that not even Melange would be able to follow him inside. Though he lamented not being able to offer the Adversary to the Black Mage, he took comfort in the fact that the time of Genesis was at hand, wishing that he could see the perfect world that the Black Mage would create, which would be free of chains and unchecked powers.

Just then, however, the masked figure arrived and confronted Will, who was shocked that they were able to follow him into the deepest part of Mirror World. The masked figure told Will that he could not escape, to which Will, realizing that he had no choice, decided to settle their conflict once and for all. As the two began fighting, the White Sun was absorbed by the Black Moon, transforming it into the Black Sun, Tenebris, and creating a massive storm that slowly began to grow throughout the area. Having gained the power of both creation and destruction, the Black Mage sent massive chains into the waters, pulling Maple World closer into the Arcane River and absorbing the Erdas within the Origin Sea in order to begin the Genesis Ritual.

Meanwhile, the Adversary met with Neinheart, who noted that they seemed downcast and asked whether they still blamed themselves for not being able to stop the ritual. He assured the Adversary that none of them could have anticipated that the Black Mage would have such a plan, though the Adversary replied that they had been unable to do anything but watch the ritual unfold in the end. Neinheart told the Adversary not to blame themselves, noting that just knowing what the Black Mage was planning was already a huge advantage. He then told the Adversary to take heart, as the real final battle was about to begin.

Elsewhere, in the deepest part of Mirror World, Melange secretly arrived to find the region empty after Will’s battle with the masked figure. Noticing that a Will’s book had fallen, Melange used his magic to copy its contents into his own book before noting that all the walking that he had done had made him sleepy. He then opened a portal to return back to the real world.

Moonbridge:

With the fusion of the Black Moon and White Sun, a storm zone was created over the Arcane River that grew stronger with each passing day, eventually making its way to the Esfera base camp. Knowing that the time had come, Neinheart ordered all Alliance forces in Esfera to return to Ereve in order to prepare for the final battle against the Black Mage. The Adversary accompanied Neinheart across the storm zone by airship, where Neinheart explained that he was taking them to the Outpost, which was the center of the Alliance’s preparations for the final battle.

He told the Adversary that not long after they had departed for the Arcane River, immense chains with an ominous aura had begun to appear across Maple World, pulling their world closer into the Arcane River. Neinheart explained that it was a sign that the dimensional collapse had reached critical levels, but just as he was about to continue, large purple meteors began falling from the storm zone, with Neinheart realizing that the strange creatures which were invading Maple World had found them.

The attack quickly destroyed the airships, causing the Adversary and Neinheart to plummet to the ground. Upon awakening in Ereve, Neinheart noted that it was fortunate that they had gotten close enough already before the airships had been destroyed. The Adversary then looked around in awe at the massive chains which had fallen from the sky, with Neinheart warning them not to get too close. Just as he spoke, several Wandering Soot Glare monsters were summoned and began to attack. Together, the Adversary and Neinheart fought through the monsters, with Neinheart using a heavy book to whack the monsters away, joking that he couldn’t be the one who always got hit.

After defeating them, the pair encountered Kiriko, Kizan, and Kidan patrolling the area. They reported that the Soot monsters, which had begun appearing around Maple World, were appearing with greater frequency each day, with more and more chains falling from the sky. However, they also noted that the Adversary’s return to Maple World must signify that the final battle was coming. Neinheart then asked them whether they had seen Ollie, Shubert, and Melange, tasking the scouts with informing the trio to meet at the Outpost.

After the scouts left, Neinheart told the Adversary that the Arcane River had been created from the collision of worlds, and that dimensional collapse had reached critical levels, which had resulted in the chains and monsters appearing. As all of existence would cease to be if the Black Mage succeeded, he emphasized that even with the Alliance preparing countermeasures, it was imperative that they stop the Black Mage once and for all before his new destiny was completed.

At the Adversary’s confusion, Neinheart began leading them on foot towards the Outpost as he explained. As they walked, the Adversary noted that they couldn’t see any people in Ereve, with the Cygnus Knights gone and only the Piyo scouts remaining. Neinheart explained that everyone had gone to the Outpost to prepare for the final battle, and that he had left behind only the minimum number of troops to defend Ereve. He told the Adversary that when they had gone into the Arcane River, he hadn’t simply sat idly by, and that he had done everything in his power to learn more about the Black Mage and his goals.

As they arrived at the Conference Pavilion, Neinheart explained that after he had resolved to look deeper into the Black Mage’s past following the Black Heaven incident, Eckhart had recovered an important clue from the Black Mage’s laboratory in Magatia. He then presented the Scroll of Destiny to the Adversary and revealed that inside the laboratory, Eckhart had discovered writings that suggested that the Black Mage had been able to predict events before they happened, as he had foreseen not only the creation of the Adversary, but also the birth of the Arcane River and the fusion of the Black Moon with the White Sun. He then showed the Adversary the final prophecy written on the scroll:

They who cross the breath of twilight and turn towards the sun,
on broken wings will be crushed and undone by despair.

A light whose brilliant glory is lost
will face the soul of the world whilst steeped in mire and rot.

A crimson tear will spawn a giant that swallows hearts,
and when determination is swallowed by the deepest dark,

a new destiny will be written, a destiny apart.

(A/N: The first stanza refers to Moonbridge, the second refers to the Labyrinth of Suffering, and the rest is for Limina. There’s also an alternate version of the prophecy written in the Black Mage: Origin webcomic:

The first adversaries will be lost to time.

When the fallen throne rises once more
the final adversaries will reach the sea of beginnings.

Once darkness swallows all and the end approaches
A new destiny shall be written!

The original line in Korean was actually, “The first adversaries will be encased in ice”, referring to the Heroes. The word ‘adversaries’, as written here, is meant to be taken as a word that just means ‘opponent’, rather than the in-universe title of Adversary with a capital A, as the actual title of Adversary refers to someone who’s bonded with a Seal Stone, which isn’t the case with the Heroes at the time when they fought him centuries ago.)

Neinheart explained that he had been able to interpret most of the other prophecies in the scroll based on what the Alliance knew of the Black Mage, but he added that the final prophecy which he had just shown them was still unclear. He also added that he was uneasy about the prophesied new destiny, as a destiny written by the Black Mage could only end in disaster. However, he explained that the Alliance had already begun preparing for it, adding that thanks to the Adversary’s paper boat, their warning had given him enough time to begin researching the Black Mage in the first place.

He revealed that the Cygnus Knights had sent letters to summon the leaders of the Alliance, who had all agreed to make a final stand against the Black Mage, though he added that the Empress had been uneasy about the decision. He explained that Cygnus had the power to see the future as well, and that she had been plagued by nightmares every day about the Alliance falling in battle ever since the massive chains had begun appearing across Maple World.

He added that Cygnus’ nightmares had been very similar to the Black Mage’s final prophecy, and that no one had been sure whether it had been because of stress or her ability to see the future. Fearing that she would be leading her people into a destruction that she would be too weak to protect them from, Cygnus had sought out Shinsoo at her refuge in Leafre. There, Shinsoo had noted that a dark shadow had fallen, blotting out the brilliant light. Neinheart explained that Cygnus had confided her nightmares and worries that she kept buried deep within to Shinsoo.

Upon hearing her troubles, Shinsoo had asked Cygnus who ruled the world, to which Cygnus replied that it was all the people who inhabited it. Shinsoo had then asked Cygnus what she would do if someone threatened to destroy their world, to which Cygnus had hesitantly replied that they would fight, though she admitted that she nevertheless had fears about what would happen in such a battle. Shinsoo asked Cygnus whether she believed that their destiny had already been decided by the Black Mage’s prophecy, and whether that meant that everything which they had done up until that moment was rendered meaningless.

After reflecting, Cygnus noted that their efforts had not been in vain, with Shinsoo encouraging her to put aside her fears. She then created a jeweled bracelet upon Cygnus’ wrist, explaining that the wings of the Divine Beast had the power to protect and embrace the weak. However, she admitted that her body was in such a weakened state that she no longer had the power to do so. She then explained that she had bestowed her strength upon Cygnus and asked her to use that power to protect the determination of the Alliance, as only Cygnus had the power to do so. Shinsoo then told Cygnus that humans were delicate and fragile beings, as they had moments of weakness when fear could easily grip their hearts. However, she revealed that Cygnus was the light of hope that would save them all in the depths of their despair.

After finishing recounting the story, Neinheart told the Adversary that Shinsoo had also revealed that the determination of countless warriors would become their strength to fight in the coming battle. He explained that after Cygnus had returned with a shield imbued with Shinsoo’s divine power, Shinsoo had fallen back into slumber at her refuge in Leafre. With her resolve having been strengthened by Shinsoo’s counsel, Neinheart revealed that Cygnus had sent letters to all members of the Alliance, announcing the great expedition into the Arcane River.

He added that since that time, everything had gone exactly as prophesized, though he admitted that it had helped them get a timeframe of when exactly the full-scale battle would take place. As he spoke, the pair arrived at the Sky Ferry, where they began flying towards the Outpost on airship. At the Outpost, a large floating island in its own right, Neinheart explained that it was the center of the Alliance’s operation, and the place where its commanders would unite the determination of its warriors. He then showed them the White Spear, explaining that the massive airship would serve as the Alliance’s flagship, modeled into a spear to symbolize their will to carve out their own destiny, and large enough to shield their allies, embodying the Empress’ will perfectly.

As they landed, Neinheart explained that warriors from all over were still gathering at the Outpost, including the Nova and the Guardians of Time. Just then, two Cygnus Knights arrived to greet them, with Neinheart ordering them to let the Empress know about their arrival. At the center of the Outpost, the Adversary noted a brazier with a brilliant blue flame, which Neinheart explained was a divine flame created from the determination of countless warriors. He noted that just as Shinsoo had said, that fierce determination would become the strength to overcome the darkness that they faced.

Just then, Ollie, Shubert, and Melange greeted them, noting that they had heard how the monsters had attacked them on the way from Esfera. Ollie explained that they had been some distance away from the enemy’s attack, and so they had managed to evacuate unharmed. Meanwhile, a dozing Melange began mumbling in his sleep about a crux bursting forth, with Shubert wondering in confusion what he was dreaming about. With that, the three prepared to head off to their respective assignments, noting that their mission with the Adversary had finally come to an end.

Neinheart then told the Adversary that it wouldn’t be a bad idea to speak to the warriors of the Alliance now that they had returned back to Maple World. He pointed out Athena Pierce in the distance and explained that she had been handling the various monster attacks across Maple World, noting that the worlds were facing disturbances from the dimensional collapse. Believing that the return of the Alliance’s ace would boost morale, Neinheart asked the Adversary to speak with the soldiers in order to help motivate them as the final battle approached.

The Adversary first met with Athena, who noted that the soldiers seemed to be getting nervous. She admitted that even she was getting nervous herself, despite having lived for centuries and experienced many crises in her life. At her request, the Adversary met with a Nova soldier, who told the Adversary that it was an honor to meet them, and that he was ready to go. He explained that he had thought that he’d had enough of boring battlefields, though he added that it felt strange to fight in another world, with their enemy being a Transcendent at that.

Though he claimed that neither he nor any Nova soldier would be afraid, he admitted that he was still nervous after seeing the immense black chains falling down across Maple World, with their immense size and terrible power making him believe that an invisible hand was manipulating the world from above. He noted that if they didn’t stop the Black Mage, Maple World itself would be dragged into those chains, for which he resolved to do his part and protect his allies’ world from the threat of the Black Mage.

The Adversary then met with a Resistance soldier, who greeted them and explained how he had heard that the Adversary had already gone into the Arcane River. The Adversary then asked the soldier about his concerns, to which he admitted that he was worried about the state of Maple World, as things had been quite chaotic when he had arrived. However, he noted that it was expected with the chains and the mobilization of the entire Alliance. He added that the Alliance was also working to dissuade panic amongst the citizens. He explained that Ariant, in particular, was said to be on the verge of collapse, as the Alliance had little presence in the area and its queen was rumored to be incompetent. He told the Adversary that only the Black Mage’s defeat would restore peace to Maple World, for which he vowed to fight his hardest.

Finally, the Adversary spoke with a Cygnus Knight, who reported that preparations had completed, adding that he hoped that the expedition would begin soon. He admitted that he was more worried than nervous, as he had seen something terrifying while standing watch near some of the chains across Maple World. He explained that everything that came near the chain turned to dust and disappeared, with the Magician Association in Ellinia having explained that it was because their Erdas were disappearing.

Upon hearing the Knight’s explanation, the Adversary realized that it must have been the reason why Neinheart had warned them not to get too close to the chains. The Knight then told the Adversary that he knew for certain that all life would disappear from Maple World if the Black Mage wasn’t stopped, and that he was committed to doing his part in the battle. He then asked the Adversary to protect Maple World, adding that everyone would clear the way for them, even if it cost them their lives.

After speaking with the Alliance soldiers, the Adversary returned back to Neinheart, who escorted them to meet Empress Cygnus, dressed in full battle armor and carrying an ornately-crafted sword. She thanked the Adversary for their instrumental role in pushing forward through the Arcane River, revealing that they had paved the way for the Guardians of Time to investigate the area, which had set the stage for discovering the Black Mage’s prophecy and all their countermeasures, including the White Spear itself.

However, Cygnus added that the Adversary themselves were the greatest symbol of hope for the Alliance and asked them to lend their strength once again. She noted that the final battle was far more dangerous than anything they had ever fought, for which she would not force them to fight, though the Adversary readily accepted her request. Cygnus thanked them for their bravery and told them that she would engrave their determination deep inside her heart.

At Cygnus’ command, Neinheart took the Adversary aside so that Athena could brief them on the situation. As they waited, Neinheart began to summarize the Adversary’s journey through the Arcane River, and how they had bested Commanders Lucid, Arkarium, and Will in their travels. After summarizing, however, Neinheart pointed out how Will had called them an Adversary, revealing that they had found one more writing in the Black Mage’s laboratory that stated: “Only the Adversary can counter immortality’s fate with the strength of a Seal Stone.” Though Neinheart admitted that he didn’t want to immediately trust it, given who had written it, he felt that they needed something to believe in while waging war against a god.

(A/N: The game has always been pretty loose with throwing around the word ‘god’, but in this case, it’s being used more poetically to say that the Black Mage has gotten immensely powerful, rather than making any sort of lore revelation about him becoming an Ancient God or something. In the continental Grandis storyline, they’ll sometimes use ‘god’ as a catch-all term for both Ancient Gods and Transcendents, and sometimes they’ll just use the term ‘higher being’. It’s just one of those side-effects of having a ridiculously convoluted pantheon.)

Just then, Athena Pierce arrived, with the Adversary greeting her and asking whether she would be coming with them. Athena explained that Maple World was suffering from critical dimensional collapse, and that she needed to remain behind and manage the situation, as there would be no world to get back to otherwise even if they defeated the Black Mage. Neinheart told the Adversary that regional leaders like Athena were remaining behind to keep Maple World safe as the rest of the Alliance fought the Black Mage.

He then told the Adversary that what he wanted to discuss with them and Athena was determination, noting how the Flame of Determination was emitting special power as the determination of warriors gathered. He explained that the determination which Shinsoo had spoken of wasn’t simply a metaphor, and that the Alliance had concluded that it, alongside the Seal Stone and the Adversary, were the three elements to secure their victory. Because of this, he asked Athena and the other regional leaders to remain behind and keep that flame alive. After Athena agreed, Neinheart asked her to take care of things on Maple World while the Alliance prepared to embark on their mission.

Athena Pierce then told the Adversary that she planned to distribute emblems of the Alliance to each ship before departing in order to boost morale. She gave the Adversary their own emblem and asked them to give one to Kyrin aboard the Nautilus, explaining that Kyrin would represent the Explorers in her place while she remained behind on Maple World. Aboard the Nautilus, the Adversary gave Kyrin the emblem, as well as a letter from Athena Pierce reminding her that they were all in the fight together.

(A/N: This was a nice callback to Athena and Kyrin’s shared history, as Athena raised Kyrin after the deaths of Destonen and Yuris, since Tess had gone in search of a way to break their blood curse.

Pathfinder gets some exclusive dialogue when Athena asks her to give the emblem to Kyrin. Athena realizes that the Pathfinder is about to embark to save the world and explains that it’s a new feeling entirely. She notes that the Pathfinder always manages to surprise her each time that she shows up looking more mature. She then adds that she’s looking forward to reuniting once the fight is over.)

Meanwhile, Athena met with Edea and explained that she had come to see the expedition off. She then gave Edea an emblem, thanking her for the Nova’s help. Edea replied that she should be the one thanking Athena, as the Alliance had played a major role in retaking Heliseum. She added that the Nova would wear the emblem with gratitude and determination to protect the world.

She then told Athena that the Black Mage’s influence covered not only the Arcane River, but Maple World as well. Though she had prepared countermeasures with the help of Maple World’s leaders, including Grendel, she feared that their efforts may not be enough, as their enemies had been created from the Black Mage’s thoughts. For this reason, she asked Athena to lead the soldiers in her place while she was away at Tenebris.

Elsewhere, Neinheart met with Claudine, who asked whether the time to embark had arrived. Neinheart confirmed her suspicions and gave her an emblem, to which she noted that they were all once again setting off into battle together for the Alliance. She added that though Edelstein had been liberated, a dark curtain still covered the world, and that their freedom was not yet complete as long as the Black Mage still lived. She then told Neinheart that though they had once been enemies, they were now part of the same Alliance which had overcome many hardships together.

Brighton then noted that an expedition that transcended dimensions was quite exciting and asked Belle whether she agreed. Belle reminded him that they weren’t going to a picnic and told him to be more serious, to which Brighton replied that being lax was better than quaking in their boots. Neinheart laughed and noted that they were still the same, jokingly likening them to a pair of cockroaches. Belle quickly grew furious, while Brighton laughed awkwardly, with Checky attempting to calm Belle down. Neinheart then assured her that he was joking before asking the Resistance leaders to take care during the battle.

Back at the White Spear, Cygnus told the Adversary that the emblem of the Alliance represented their mutual trust and the courage to stand against evil. She showed them the jewel on her wrist that Shinsoo had given her and explained that as commander, it was her duty to nurture that trust and courage, adding that she was determined to do just that. (A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue here, in which they vow that they’ll protect the Empress with that same determination.)

Cygnus then announced that it was time to launch all Alliance ships to Tenebris. Before they launched, however, Neinheart told the Adversary that he had something to give them. He presented them Tana’s necklace which they had recovered in Sellas, explaining that it would be helpful for them to keep it with them, as it was an item which had once belonged to the Transcendent of Light. (A/N: If the player hasn’t completed Sellas, Neinheart will merely state that Tana’s necklace had been recovered from the Origin Sea without going into detail about the operation.)

With that, Cygnus commanded the Alliance fleet to take off, with hundreds of smaller ships launching alongside the White Spear, including the Lumiere and the Nautilus, heading straight into a large portal that would take them into the Arcane River. Several hours later, Neinheart reported that they were passing over the Esfera base camp, which had vanished without a trace. He told the Adversary that they would soon be arriving at Moonbridge, which was the Alliance’s name for the path that had bridged Esfera with the Black Moon, before it had become the Black Sun.

As they entered Moonbridge, Kyrin reported that the Nautilus had encountered heavy turbulence ahead, with monsters emerging from the thick fog to attack the fleet. Just then, Edea and Claudine reported that powerful monsters had just attacked the Nova and Resistance fleets as well. Disturbed by the turbulence behind the fog and the monster attack, Neinheart asked the Adversary to handle the incoming enemies first and obtain samples from them. The Adversary returned with Wicked Soul Remains, which Edea began analyzing.

As she did, the Adversary reported that there seemed to be no shortage of monsters, which seemed to be coming out of the fog. Just then, Kyrin reported that a thick wall of fog was blocking the fleet’s path, with Cygnus realizing that it was the source of turbulence. Neinheart realized that it would be difficult to pierce through, while Claudine added that she was certain that the monsters were being created from behind it.

Edea soon finished her analysis and revealed that a dark entity within the fog was crafting the monsters from pure Erda. Neinheart asked whether it was coming from Tenebris, to which Edea replied that it was difficult to say without piercing through the fog. Claudine suggested focusing their firepower on a single point, to which Neinheart replied that the White Spear’s cannon was currently charging up, though the monsters were swarming around it, making it difficult to get a clear shot.

Kyrin explained that she had learned that the monsters were being drawn to strong energy, which was likely why they were swarming around the cannon. In order to handle the threat, Neinheart proposed scattering the fleet and having each ship generate enough power to draw the monsters towards them, thereby clearing a path for the White Spear’s cannon to pierce through the fog. Claudine decided to lead the charge, claiming that disruption and baiting was the Resistance’s specialty. With the Nova taking the rear, Neinheart asked the Adversary to protect the Resistance ships as they drew in the monsters. The Adversary met with the Resistance leaders, who explained that Checky was planning to set off detonations to draw in the enemy. Together, they worked to set off the charges and finish off the drawing throng of monsters.

Soon enough, Neinheart reported to Cygnus that their line of fire had been secured. On Cygnus’ command, the White Spear fired its cannon and created a large hole in the fog, allowing the Alliance fleet to push through. As the Alliance began celebrating taking their first step towards Tenebris, Cygnus thanked the Adversary for their help, though she warned that they didn’t know what dangers awaited them on the other side of the fog.

Some time later, the Adversary found Cygnus collapsed on the deck of the White Spear. They quickly rushed to her side and asked her whether she was okay, to which Cygnus apologized, noting that a commander shouldn’t be showing weakness during a battle. She admitted that she was still afraid, as she feared what awaited them after getting past their first major hurdle. She added that she couldn’t stop having such negative thoughts, and that she worried whether they would be able to defeat the Black Mage at all.

The Adversary reassured her that they would prevail, to which Cygnus confessed that her fears made her wonder whether she would be able to fulfill her responsibilities as a leader and bring her people back home safely. Realizing that Cygnus was afraid of showing weakness to her allies, the Adversary consoled her and assured her that her fears were unfounded, and that she should focus on doing what only she could do. (A/N: Here, the player gets a choice between telling Cygnus that she doesn’t have to carry the burden alone, or that it’s natural to be afraid.)

Elsewhere, a Nova ship began entering an even thicker fog, where the Nova aboard the ship began hallucinating chains and thousands of terrible eyes staring through the fog, with several Nova being consumed by their despair and negative feelings, just as Cygnus had. Aboard a Resistance ship, the Resistance leaders noted that the fog had grown even heavier, and that they could feel an ominous chill in the air. Suddenly, a Resistance soldier arrived and reported that new enemies were appearing out of the fog and disappearing, leaving behind a feeling of dread and helplessness.

On the White Spear, Neinheart explained that the Nova ships were reporting an emergency, for which the Adversary was dispatched to investigate. Arriving at the Nova fleet, the Adversary saw immense chains wrapping tightly around the ships. They rushed aboard, where they found one Nova soldier barely conscious amidst his unconscious comrades. At his request, the Adversary destroyed the chains, feeling the presence of a powerful soul as they did. Realizing that something was wrong, the Adversary reported back to Edea and met with the Alliance leaders remotely.

With all the Alliance leaders reporting that their soldiers were seeing chains and thousands of eyes, as well as losing their will to fight, Neinheart noted that they needed to find a way to respond to the threat. Edea replied that all the enemies were emitting strong thoughts, which meant that it had to be linked to the Black Mage. Neinheart realized that they needed to get closer to Tenebris in order to find the source, but just as he spoke, the Giant Monster Gloom emerged from the fog and loomed ominously in the distance.

Edea noted that Gloom had been created from the malevolent thoughts of the Black Mage, which were strong enough to sweep any ordinary person away. Because of this, she explained that the ominous aura and feelings of despair were spreading from the monsters being created by Gloom with those malevolent thoughts. She noted that they would likely need to reach Gloom’s core in order to destroy it, though she warned that it would be difficult to reach it. The Adversary immediately volunteered to reach the core, for which Neinheart ordered the fleet to regroup.

Cygnus then declared that the White Spear would take point and lead the charge, replying to a surprised Neinheart that it was the very reason why the flagship had been made. On her command, the Alliance fleet began to regroup as the soldiers fought through the incoming wave of monsters for the Adversary to get closer to Gloom. Though Cygnus herself led the charge to boost morale, Neinheart reported that the front lines were falling as the Alliance soldiers began succumbing to the despair of the Black Mage’s powerful thoughts.

Refusing to let her allies give up, Cygnus used Shinsoo’s bracelet to create a powerful shield of light in order to defend them from the onslaught. Emboldened by Cygnus’ leadership, the Alliance soldiers pushed on behind her, with Cygnus noting to herself that her allies had protected her with bruised hands like hers were now, and that it was now her turn to protect them. From the distance, the Adversary saw the brilliant light from the White Spear and felt as though Cygnus was calling to them to keep pushing forward.

Suddenly, however, Gloom emitted its own light as it shot a powerful beam of energy that easily shattered Cygnus’ shield and unleashed a barrage of devastation on the White Spear. Cygnus quickly attempted to create another shield, but found that Shinsoo’s power appeared to have been depleted entirely from it. Though she prayed to be granted the strength to protect everyone, Cygnus found that the shield had lost its light as she fell into despair herself. As she collapsed, Cygnus heard the morale of the soldiers dwindling as their allies began succumbing to their injuries and their helplessness.

In the depths of darkness, however, Cygnus recalled the Adversary’s earlier words of encouragement to her, reminding her to do what only she could do. Remembering the determination which had led the Alliance to where they currently were, Cygnus inscribed those feelings upon her heart and vowed to do whatever was in her power to lead her people to victory, declaring that it was her duty as the Empress to shoulder the burdens of her people and become a shield to protect their determination.

Resolute in her own determination, Cygnus stood up and empowered the Alliance soldiers to fight alongside her. Upon seeing the Empress still fighting, the others around her stood up and fought the monsters in spite of their injuries, just as the Adversary arrived at the White Spear. Relieved to see that they had managed to rendezvous with the flagship, Cygnus asked them to finish off Gloom while the others cleared a path to the core. The Adversary then confronted Gloom and destroyed its core, causing the giant monster to disintegrate into pieces.

With Gloom defeated, the Adversary returned back to the White Spear and met with Edea, who reported that the path to Tenebris would soon open up. They then encountered Ollie standing beside a chest leaking with ominous energy. Ollie explained that the chest contained a fragment of Gloom’s core, and that she had been tasked with transporting it back to the Outpost for analysis, as the Alliance leaders believed that they could learn something important from the core, which had been formed out of the Black Mage’s thoughts.

The Adversary then met with Kyrin, who told them that they had all seen a beacon of light shining as a ray of hope in the midst of their despair, and that it had been through the Alliance’s collective determination that they had secured victory. The Resistance leaders then congratulated the Adversary for their work in defeating such a powerful foe, adding that they would soon be moving ahead towards Tenebris, though they added that Cygnus wanted to speak with them first.

The Adversary then met with Cygnus, who thanked them for their hard work and encouragement, adding that it had been their words of advice which had brought her back from the brink of giving up when Shinsoo’s shield had broken and she had believed that all was lost. She explained that she had finally learned what it was that only she could do: to never give up and to lift others’ spirits up, even in the most desperate moments. She added that she would not waver again, as their collective determination was stronger than the darkness that sought to drag them down. Neinheart then reported that they would take a short break before resuming the operation to head towards Tenebris. Just he spoke, however, a Cygnus Knight reported in that an explosion had taken place while transporting the core fragment, and that Ollie had gone missing.

(A/N: At the end of the Moonbridge storyline, Cygnus Knights get an extra quest with Neinheart, who asks them if they had seen the light that the Empress had wielded to block Gloom’s attack. He notes that her power was much stronger than what she had used to save Shinsoo after Damien’s attack. He reminds us that the Cygnus Knights’ power is directly linked to that of the Empress, to which we note that we can feel a surge of strength within us. Neinheart explains that though he doesn’t know what this means for the future, the boost in power is nevertheless helpful for their current situation. Following this conversation, Cygnus Knights’ 5th job skill “Empress Cygnus’ Blessing” gets upgraded into “Transcendent Cygnus’ Blessing”.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Arteria storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

The scene between Shinsoo and Cygnus early in this storyline, as well as its connection with this exclusive quest, is somewhat recontextualized by the Arteria storyline, which reveals that Shinsoo is an Ancient God. This revelation elaborates a bit more about the kind of power that Cygnus wields throughout the game, whether it’s Shinsoo’s Ancient God powers, her own partially-awakened Transcendent powers, and sometimes a combination of the two.

Based on everything we know from past storylines, combined with the Arteria storyline and a bit of headcanon, Shinsoo was tasked by the Overseers with watching over the Empress’ bloodline until the day that a new Transcendent is needed to replace one that’s disappeared, whether that’s Rhinne or Alicia (or possibly the Black Mage, but the mechanics for mortal-born Transcendents have gotten pretty wonky over the years, so I’m not sure how the specifics for that would work.)

Since Zero replaced Rhinne and Alicia is still technically alive, Cygnus’ unexpected awakening at a moment when all the Transcendents are around puts her in a limbo state as a Transcendent-in-reserve until Zero or Alicia die, allowing her to replace them as a fully-awakened Transcendent. Zero dying is never gonna happen for obvious reasons, and Alicia dying may or may not happen depending on what Darmoor has planned, but given that he’s harvesting the power of higher beings, rather than killing them outright, it’s unlikely that Cygnus fully awakening is in the cards at this time.

In regard to Cygnus and her powers, the only power that the Empress is meant to wield is Shinsoo’s, which Shinsoo can’t manifest on her own, likely because the Transcendents suppress her powers as an Ancient God. As a result, each Empress spends years in a state of weakness until their adult body can handle the power of the gods flowing into them. Through Cygnus as a medium, Shinsoo can manifest her powers in order to strengthen the Cygnus Knights and create the protective barrier around Ereve.

After Cygnus prematurely awakened as a Transcendent-in-reserve, the Knights got an added power boost through Cygnus’ new abilities, which is independent of Shinsoo’s. After Shinsoo left Ereve, Cygnus likely stopped absorbing Shinsoo’s powers without the two of them being in close proximity to each other, until Shinsoo gave her the diadem that contains a portion of her Ancient God powers. Because of this, Cygnus - who’s now reached adulthood - can fully command Shinsoo’s powers, on top of the Transcendent powers that she’s awakened, allowing her - and the Knights, by extension - to grow even more powerful.)

Labyrinth of Suffering:

Soon after Gloom’s defeat, the Adversary was summoned to the deck of the White Spear, where a Cygnus Knight reported that the operation to advance on Tenebris was about to take place, adding that Ollie had also been rescued. The Adversary rushed to meet Ollie and the other Alliance leaders gathered on the deck, where Neinheart explained that a small scout ship near the explosion had managed to find her. Claudine asked Ollie if she was alright, noting that she must have been exposed to the Black Mage’s thoughts inside the core during the explosion. 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 thoughts, had allowed her to see the Black Mage’s past, from 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 new world free of irrationalities and evil.

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 Tana 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 their survival. 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. Cygnus then ordered the Alliance leaders to prepare for battle, as well as telling Ollie to get some rest. She then asked Neinheart to give his strategy recommendation to minimize casualties, to which Neinheart told her that the Adversary would serve as the vanguard of the Alliance and 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 it was too dangerous for her to lead the charge from the front lines. However, Cygnus retorted that she couldn’t afford to hide behind others, as no one would trust her to lead them otherwise. She explained that everyone in the Alliance had placed their trust in her to be their leader, and that it was her responsibility to do so, for which she asked Neinheart and the Adversary to trust in her.

(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.)

Neinheart reluctantly agreed to Cygnus’ plan and told the Adversary to watch their flank. 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 felt a terrible sense of dread over what would happen to the Adversary.

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, noting that there had at least been reflections in Mirror World. At the Adversary’s confusion, Melange told them to disregard him as the fleet prepared to embark.

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.)

As the ship began crash-landing on Tenebris, the masked figure from Esfera watched the Alliance fleet from afar as they charged in themselves. Meanwhile, the Adversary awoke within a liminal space filled with labyrinth walls. Finding themselves trapped inside, the Adversary began banging on the walls as they attempted to escape. Suddenly, they began hearing a voice as they awoke to find themselves in the Labyrinth of Suffering, where several crewmembers were standing huddled around their crashed ship.

The crewmembers told the disoriented Adversary that the ship had crashed, to which the Adversary noted that they couldn’t remember the ship crashing at all. The crewmembers noted that the Adversary must have lost part of their memory from the fall before asking them for their orders, adding that everyone was getting anxious without a leader to direct them. They reported that though none of the crew was severely injured, there were five people missing, including Melange, and that communications were still down.

The Adversary decided to organize a search party to find the missing crew, tasking several soldiers to search, and others to salvaging the wreckage for anything which could be recovered. They then placed several barrier stones at natural choke points around the area in order to warn them of any impending enemy attack. The crew then reported that they had recovered plenty of food, and that repairs on the airship were underway, though they admitted that it was possible that the ship had been damaged beyond repair.

With the search party still not back, the Adversary decided to launch a signal flare. To their surprise, however, the flare disappeared as soon as it reached above the walls of the labyrinth, with a second signal flare meeting the same fate. Just then, a lone Nova soldier from the search party rushed back to the base camp, 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.

Inside the labyrinth, the search party found the clothes and weapons of the missing crew. As they began approaching closer, the clothes and weapons all vanished. Overwhelmed by what was happening, the Adversary suggested returning to the ship. 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, to which 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. 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: Several classes get exclusive dialogue here, although I’m still in the process of finding them all.

So far, I’ve found that Aran and Angelic Buster call out to Maha and Eskalade respectively after wondering whether they’re all alone. Upon getting no answer, however, they wonder what exactly is going on.

Evan 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.

Zero also 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.)

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. 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 wanted to thank them for working so hard.

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 though they had worked hard, not everything had turned out alright, adding that 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 it would be better for them to regroup back at 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.

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. 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. Azalin amusedly noted that it seemed as though the monsters that they had been fighting had been trapped in the labyrinth, growing so desperate that they had lost their original forms upon experiencing the pain of death. She then added that the monsters with black wings which they had fought earlier had also looked similar to the monsters that stood before them.

The Adversary was horrified to know that the monsters they had been fighting were fellow Alliance soldiers. Azalin then asked the Adversary whether they planned to sit and do nothing as they died alongside the others, adding that they would also be responsible for her death as well by choosing not to fight the undead Alliance soldiers. She urged the Adversary to slay the monsters, claiming that it was the only way to fulfill their responsibility and protect her. As one of Azalin’s eyes began glowing with green flames, the Adversary reluctantly attacked the soldiers and finished them off, leaving their heart filled with regret and disgust at killing the very people whom they were sworn to protect.

As they continued along, the Adversary wondered in anguish what they were supposed to do now, believing that if they could protect even just a single person, they could still salvage the situation. Azalin then told the Adversary that since it was clear that the soldiers in the labyrinth had all become monsters, it would be better for them to give up on rescuing them and simply escape. When the Adversary pointed out that their ship was broken, Azalin revealed that she had discovered a way out while wandering alone.

However, the Adversary believed that they couldn’t escape when there was a chance that even a single Alliance soldier could still be saved, though Azalin retorted that it was too late. She asked the Adversary what point there was in saving people whom they didn’t even know, and whether they could even remember a single person’s face. Upon thinking, the Adversary found that they couldn’t recall anyone’s face in their memory, filling their mind with doubt about whether their actions had even had any meaning.

Noting that they seemed lost and confused, Azalin offered to lead them onward, claiming that it was time for them to rest. She then brought them to the deepest part of the labyrinth towards an altar, where her eyes once again blazed with green fire as the Adversary was lured closer under her spell. As the Adversary reached the altar, a curse sigil activated and engulfed the area with a blinding flash of light as 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 laughed as the Adversary collapsed, noting that their soul would ripen sweetly now that they had reached the Labyrinth Core. The Adversary was then filled with visions of a destroyed Maple World as they began watching scenes 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.

The Adversary then found themselves back in the same liminal space which they had first awoken to after crashing in the labyrinth, where they were filled with distraught at the fact that both the people who had left to fight the Black Mage and those who had remained behind to protect Maple World were all dead. In the depths of their mind, however, they began hearing a mysterious voice, filling them with a sense of ease and clarity. As they began thinking back, the Adversary began wondering whether the sounds of people calling for help had really been from the Alliance soldiers in the first place. Though they realized that it had all been an illusion, and that they hadn’t killed anyone with their own hands, the Adversary began feeling fatigue creep over them.

Suddenly, the voice in their head spoke clearly and asked them whether everything they had done had all been meaningless. The voice asked the Adversary why they chose to fight and helped them see that there had been a point to their journey and all the sacrifices along the way, after which it told them to open their eyes and see the truth for themselves. Confused, the Adversary wondered aloud who the voice belonged to, to which they quickly realized that the voice had been their own all along.

(A/N: In the original Labyrinth of Suffering storyline, this mysterious voice would originally take on the identity of someone close to the Adversary, encouraging them to keep fighting in the depths of their despair. In the current storyline, Adversary will actually mistakenly believe that the voice belongs to that person before it’s revealed that the voice belongs to themselves. However, the idea of someone close to them encouraging them is still part of the game, except it’s been moved from the Labyrinth of Suffering storyline to the Limina storyline at the critical moment when the Adversary needs to awaken the Seal Stone.

Before the revamp, me and the people on the lore server had catalogued the full dialogue of every single class in the game, although the fact that story replay has temporarily been disabled in the NEXT update means that I don’t have the new scripts for each class. Because of this, I’ll keep the specific context of the voice’s dialogue with the Adversary generic enough until I can grab all of the exclusive dialogue for all classes again.)

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 broke through Hilla’s spell as the Seal Stone activated from their powerful determination.

Awakening back in the labyrinth, the Adversary told Hilla that they had been broken because they had tried shouldering the burden of everyone upon themselves, losing themselves to ghosts. They declared that their eyes had been covered, while their hands and feet had been bound, becoming a puppet as they had believed all the illusions that she had shown them. However, they then told Hilla that it was only then that they had realized that they had never been alone, as everyone had been fighting all along to protect what they cherished most.

(A/N: As the Adversary speaks, we see cutscenes of Chief Stan and the people of Henesys fighting monsters, the Priests of Leafre fighting corrupted dragons, and Alcaster and Spiruna fighting zombies in El Nath.)

The Adversary told Hilla that they could feel the collective determination of everyone inside of them, and that they would no longer be tricked by her evil schemes any longer. However, Hilla was merely amused that they had managed to break free of her spell at the critical moment, adding that they never failed to entertain. She noted that they truly were an Adversary if they had been able to use their fierce determination to see through her illusion magic on their own. However, she added that it didn’t matter, as their soul had already reached the deepest part of the labyrinth.

Hilla and the Adversary then began to fight a fierce battle, with Hilla admitting that the Adversary was indeed different from ordinary people. Hoping to make matters more interesting, she used her powers to drag Lotus’ soul from the depths of death. As Lotus began attacking the Adversary, the masked figure appeared once again to block his attack, chipping their mask and revealing Orchid underneath. The Adversary was shocked to see Orchid and realized that she was the one who had been helping them all along.

As they began wondering why, Orchid furiously demanded to know what Hilla had done to her brother. Hilla was amused to see Orchid, noting that she had betrayed the Black Mage, 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, adding that Orchid should have taken better care of him if he had been so precious to her. As Orchid vowed to never forgive Hilla, the Adversary realized that though they had no idea why Orchid was helping them, the rift between the Commanders may work out in their favor. They then told Orchid to move out of the way if she wasn’t going to help, declaring that they would defeat Hilla themselves.

However, Orchid stood with the Adversary and worked alongside them to defeat Hilla, who had also summoned Damien’s soul alongside Lotus to aid her. After a fierce battle, Hilla was defeated once and for all, and was shocked to find her power and youth disappearing, leaving her as an old, withered hag. She then wailed and perished in black flames, causing the altar to break and flood the Adversary with 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. The Adversary then turned to Orchid and asked her how she had managed to appear in the first place.

(A/N: For a long time, it was left somewhat ambiguous as to whether Hilla had truly died, as some people had believed that her death animation looked more like a teleport animation. However, the revamp explicitly revealed that she had truly died in the flashback at the end, giving proper closer to her storyline.

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.

Limina:

At the Labyrinth Core, the Adversary demanded to know why Orchid had been hiding her identity from them all along. Orchid revealed that after Black Heaven, she had gone to see Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits in order to reclaim her original power as a Spirit of Darkness, as she had learned that the Black Mage had been manipulating events for centuries, including the events which had led to Lotus’ death. She explained that Guwaru had agreed to grant her power, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Adversary at the final battle. Guwaru had also given her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would also allow her to communicate with him.

She then told the Adversary that in order to face the Black Mage, they would need to destroy the Labyrinth Core. The Adversary expressed their doubts about whether they could trust her, causing Guwaru’s spirit to manifest from Orchid’s mask. Guwaru told the Adversary that Orchid’s words were correct, to which the surprised Adversary asked him whether he was the one who had given Orchid back her power.

Guwaru revealed that he hadn’t bestowed his power upon her, but rather, he had merely shown her some of the powers that spirits could use, as she would need it to aid them in the final battle against the Black Mage. He revealed that only the Adversary had the power to escape the Path of Destiny that the Black Mage had set, and that they needed to destroy the labyrinth and face the Black Mage.

The Adversary suddenly noticed that the Labyrinth Core was glowing and wondered whether it was because Hilla had been defeated. Guwaru explained that the core contained the power of the Transcendents, and that it could not be destroyed through normal means. He revealed that only the power of the Adversary could destroy the core, to which the Adversary paused. Orchid asked them why they were hesitating, believing that it was because they still didn’t trust her. Frustrated, she attempted to use her powers to destroy the core herself, though her attack did no damage.

Guwaru told Orchid that just as he had said, the power of the Transcendents could not be damaged through normal attacks, causing Orchid to note in frustration that she couldn’t avenge Lotus with her own power. Guwaru then told the Adversary that the great power to bend causality had been granted only to them, though the Adversary replied that they had no idea how they could draw out that power for themselves. Guwaru told them that they already knew the answer and asked them what it was that drove them.

He explained that for himself, he had fought with great willpower centuries ago, driven by his desire to protect nature. However, he added that he lacked a sense of direction, as he himself had been a product of nature as well, and that it was for that very reason why he had become a minion of the Black Mage as the shifting balance of the Transcendents had shifted his own balance as well. He then asked Orchid what drove her, to which she explained that in the past, she had originally only wanted to have ignorant bliss and fun, as she had been too naive to know what was precious to her and what wasn’t. However, she revealed that what motivated her now was vengeance, as she would do whatever it took to avenge Lotus’ death.

Guwaru then asked the Adversary what drove them, to which they began thinking back to their journey. They admitted that there were still too many things for them to know for sure, though they noted that what they wanted most was to protect the lives of their loved ones, their own life, and the world itself, and that they knew for certain that they would sacrifice their own life if they had to. Guwaru told the Adversary that risking their own life was a powerful drive, and that it would certainly be enough to draw out the power of the Adversary.

By focusing on their strong determination, the Adversary summoned a small portion of the Seal Stone’s power, shattering the Labyrinth Core and collapsing the labyrinth to reveal Limina, a cascade of waterfalls. Immediately, Tana’s necklace which Neinheart had given them earlier began shining, with Guwaru recognizing the red jewel as an anti-magic stone. However, he noted that there was something different contained inside it, to which the Adversary revealed that it had belonged to Tana.

Orchid recognized Tana as the Transcendent of Light and wondered whether the necklace was responding to the presence of its owner. The surprised Adversary realized that Tana must be close by, with Guwaru adding that the Black Mage must be there as well. He warned the Adversary that the Black Mage would soon create the Genesis Crux, explaining that it was a seed from which the new world would blossom and replace what came before. He explained that the Adversary would need to destroy the Genesis Crux, as the Genesis Ritual would not stop otherwise.

Just then, several Alliance soldiers found the Adversary, with Orchid quickly pulling her hood up to hide her face peeking out from the shattered mask. The Alliance soldiers were relieved to find the Adversary and explained that with communications back online, everyone had been ordered to return back to the fleet immediately in preparation for the final assault. Suddenly, Orchid spoke up and told the Adversary that they couldn’t leave, as they had barely managed to make it as far as they had. She asked them whether they were truly going to turn back when it was their destiny to face the Black Mage, after which she told the Alliance soldiers to leave without them.

Recognizing Orchid as a dangerous foe, the Alliance soldiers prepared to stand off against her, to which an unconcerned Orchid reminded the Adversary that only they had the power to defeat the Black Mage, and that everyone else who couldn’t help would only get in the way. However, Guwaru then spoke up and told Orchid that she was wrong, as everyone’s collective determination was needed to defeat the Black Mage. The Adversary then asked the Alliance soldiers to return back and inform the Alliance that Orchid was on their side. They also explained that they were planning to go with her to face the Black Mage themselves, for which the soldiers reluctantly agreed before Orchid used her power to teleport them back to the White Spear.

The Adversary and Orchid then proceeded to move ahead, following the trail of red light from Tana’s necklace leading to the Genesis Crux. As they made their way past the waterfalls, Guwaru warned them that he was sensing pure Erdas up ahead. They soon discovered several strange monsters, which Guwaru explained were primordial creatures which had sprung from the raw power of creation. He added that though the creatures had no egos, they would instinctively attack anyone attempting to scale up the waterfalls.

He also warned the Adversary to take care, as the waters of the Arcane River were different from those of Maple World. As the Adversary fought past the monsters, they took care to hide from the Erda Surge that occasionally washed away all the monsters. Scaling up the waterfall, Orchid noted that Tana’s necklace was glowing even brighter, meaning that she must be close by. Suddenly, they were stopped by Guard Captain Kellad, who warned them that they would not be permitted to go any further.

Though Kellad appeared human, Orchid warned the Adversary to be on their guard, as she could sense the Black Mage’s energy inside him. She explained that though Kellad may have once been human, he certainly wasn’t anymore. Kellad admitted that it filled with him sadness to hear that, claiming that though his body and the power inside him weren’t human, the emotions that he felt very much were. He then warned the Adversary to heed his words, claiming that the more they raised their blade to protect others, the more their future and everything they sought to protect would crumble before them. He added that having experienced that first-hand, he could say that with more certainty than anyone else.

Suddenly, Kellad transformed into Guard Captain Darknell and told the Adversary that he would test the will in their blade. Declaring that he would stop all his liege’s enemies, Darknell summoned the five Elite Bosses to face the Adversary and Orchid while he disappeared to guard the Genesis Crux. Realizing that they had little time, Orchid teleported herself and the Adversary to the top and ordered them to reach the Genesis Crux while she handled the Elite Bosses, claiming that they needed to save their strength for the final battle. She also gave them her mask, claiming that Guwaru’s power would mask their presence from the Elite Bosses.

Orchid then teleported back to face the Elite Bosses alone, declaring that they would not be able to defeat her so easily. Though the Adversary was worried about Orchid, Guwaru assured them that she would be fine, as she was stronger than before. The Adversary was surprised, as they had believed that Orchid couldn’t use her powers without Lotus. Guwaru told the Adversary that they were correct, and that Orchid was instead drawing out her original Spirit of Darkness powers. However, he revealed that since Orchid now had a human body, the cost of using her spirit powers in such a way was her lifespan, adding that perhaps there may even be a greater cost than that.

Meanwhile, Orchid began facing the Elite Bosses, who quickly began gaining the upper hand. In order to pursue the Adversary, the Bad Brawler, the Mad Mage, and the Black Knight broke off from the battle, leaving behind the Vicious Hunter and Rampant Cyborg. Nevertheless, Orchid refused to be beaten, explaining that she hadn’t felt alive ever since Lotus had died, and told the pair to attack her with everything they had using their weapons, not their words.

As she fought them, the Adversary defeated the other three Elite Bosses as they scaled up the waterfall before finally reaching the Genesis Crux at the top. Guwaru told the Adversary that they could still avoid the worst by destroying it before the Genesis Ritual began. Just as he spoke, however, Darknell appeared and congratulated them for reaching the top. As he struck the Adversary with his blade, Guwaru used his spirit powers to create a shield around the Adversary, blocking Darknell’s surprise attack before it could reach them.

With the magic in the mask fading, Guwaru told the Adversary that he had something to say before the connection severed. He explained that mortals were always wandering, adding that even he had made a wrong choice and regretted it once. Because of this, he urged the Adversary to make the right choice, and to not be confused on their true goal. He then asked them to step off the Path and save the world before disappearing.

Darknell noted his impressment with seeing their power and walking along the path that the Black Mage had chosen, for which he offered to show them their destiny. He introduced himself as the captain of the Black Mage’s personal guard and declared that out of respect for them, he would fight with all his heart without yielding. Suddenly, the Genesis Crux activated and began absorbing the Black Sun, turning the waters crimson red. As darkness fell upon them, the five Elite Bosses appeared to reinforce Darknell, who issued them their combat orders.

After a fierce battle, the Adversary managed to defeat Darknell and the Elite Bosses. As the Elite Bosses turned back into their human forms and perished, a mortally wounded Darknell warned the Adversary that they would not escape the Light of Annihilation, adding that everything transpired according to the Black Mage’s will. Darknell then returned back into his human form and collapsed as Orchid arrived and realized that the Genesis Ritual had already begun. Orchid noted in frustration that even if they were going to die, she wanted to hit the Black Mage at least once, to which the Adversary told her that even if the ritual had begun, they could still stop it by defeating the Black Mage.

Realizing that they still hadn’t given up after everything, Orchid realized that they truly were the Adversary destined to stop the Black Mage. She then told the Adversary that she couldn’t guarantee their safety if they were to get caught up in the ritual, for which she decided to use the last of her strength to send them back to the Alliance. She tasked the Adversary with preparing alongside the Alliance for a final offensive while she delayed the ritual for as long as she could. As she refused to give up on her revenge, Orchid told the Adversary that she would trust them because they hadn’t given up either, after which she told them to be sure to escape the Path.

After Orchid sent the Adversary back to the White Spear and left to confront the Black Mage, a dying Kellad looked around to see all his comrades fallen. With all the people of Sharenian finally dead, Kellad realized that their curse of servitude was finally broken at last. Noting that he had followed Prince Sharen’s final command until the very end, Kellad noted that though nothing in the sky could last, loyalty was eternal. With that, Kellad and the Sharenian Knights scattered into Erda and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the Adversary was teleported back to the White Spear, where they found the Alliance bombarding an enormous giant whose heart was the Genesis Crux. With the Alliance’s barrage too out of range, the giant released a wave of energy that began rocking the White Spear. Neinheart then turned to see that the Adversary had returned, expressing his relief that they were safe. He explained that the giant had burst forth from the crimson waters flowing out of the Genesis Crux, which had stained the Origin Sea red. He explained that the next part of the prophecy, “A crimson tear will spawn a giant that swallows hearts,” had come to pass, with the giant serving as the Black Mage’s declaration that he had become a god.

Realizing that they had just been in the heart of the giant, the Adversary was shocked to realize that Orchid had just been in the midst of the wave of energy that the giant had just emitted. Cygnus then ordered another barrage against the giant, which once again emitted a wave of energy in response to the ineffective cannon fire. Neinheart then ordered all Alliance forces to clear a path for the Adversary to return to the Genesis Crux., adding that he had something important to tell them in the meantime.

He then turned to Edea and Kyrin and finished relaying his orders to them, warning them that their job wouldn’t be easy. After the pair left to carry out their mission, Neinheart wondered to himself whether sending their allies to their possible deaths was a necessary risk. He then turned to the Adversary and explained that he wanted to tell them more about the Black Mage’s true goals. Neinheart began by telling them that the Black Mage’s ideal world was one without Transcendents. In order to achieve this, he had not only defeated Rhinne, Alicia, and Tana, but he had kept the first two from passing on their powers while absorbing the latter.

Neinheart was intrigued that he had managed to do so under the most unfavorable conditions. Bound by the laws of the Overseers that even he could not break, the Black Mage was unable to battle the other Transcendents directly, which was why he had recruited the Commanders to aid him. However, the Commanders had their own agendas, and so the Black Mage had needed to manage them carefully in order to ensure that they wouldn’t turn against him to advance their own goals.

In order to do so, he had needed to convince the Commanders that their goals aligned with his, while simultaneously hiding his true intentions from them. The Adversary then recalled how Damien had planned to betray the Black Mage by stealing Alicia’s powers, while the Heroes had stood against him. Though none of the parties involved had supported his goals, the Black Mage had still been able to emerge victorious.

Neinheart then recalled what the Black Mage had told Cygnus in her nightmares: “Your fate is sealed.” Though he had initially believed that the Black Mage had merely been boasting, Neinheart had come to realize that the Black Mage was speaking literally, referring to the Path of Destiny. Neinheart told the Adversary that Grendel’s analysis of the core fragment would soon be completed, allowing them to find the missing element in the puzzle.

Just then, an Alliance soldier reported that one of the Resistance ships needed immediate reinforcements. As the Adversary headed over to help them, Neinheart contacted the ship and told Belle to take point on the assault. Belle grew furious at Neinheart’s orders, as not only was their ship damaged, but Neinheart was also keeping the White Spear and its escorts out of firing range. As she and the other Resistance leaders began demanding to speak with Cygnus, Claudine arrived and told them that they needed to follow orders in order to win the battle. Neinheart thanked her and explained that reinforcements would soon arrive.

The Resistance leaders were outraged to find a single one-man ship arriving until they realized that the Adversary was aboard. Claudine assigned the Adversary to the starboard deck, where they rescued the soldiers and stopped the monsters from destroying the ship’s cannons. After helping the Resistance retake the ship, the Adversary received orders to return back to the White Spear in order to get Grendel’s analysis of the core fragment.

As they headed out, Claudine briefed the other Resistance leaders on Neinheart’s plan to have them get as close as possible to the giant and fire directly into its heart. The Resistance leaders were taken aback by Cygnus’ plan, as she never usually put them in such a dangerous position, but Claudine told them that they needed to trust that she had a good reason. They then began firing on the giant, damaging its exterior and leaving it exposed.

As Claudine ordered a retreat back to the White Spear, a massive wave of light emanated from the Genesis Crux. The soldiers who were caught in the Light of Annihilation immediately scattered into Erdas. (A/N: I still can’t believe that they actually plagiarized the Thanos snap for this storyline.) Though dumbstruck by their heavy losses, Claudine decided that they would hold a memorial for their fallen soldiers later, as they had no time to mourn in the middle of a war. The Resistance leaders agreed that they wouldn’t let their sacrifices be in vain, and that they would make the Black Mage pay.

Back on the White Spear, Grendel told them that he had finished his analysis of the core fragment. The Adversary then asked Grendel to explain what destiny the Black Mage had in store for them. Grendel noted that he could tell that the Adversary was afraid that the Black Mage’s destiny would swallow them whole and lead them to ruin. He explained that mortals tended to regard fate with a mixture of awe and fear because of how unpredictable the future was.

Though there were some mortals who could see the future, such as the Empress, Grendel explained that they could only see fragments, rather than the full scope and the process by which their vision would come to pass. Though the future was determined by the present, there were so many variables in any given present, such as fate, chance, and free will, that countless futures were constantly being created and erased. Grendel claimed that it was impossible to process such vast possibilities, likening it to a two-dimensional creature perceiving a three-dimensional world. However, he revealed that the Black Mage had somehow managed to perceive destiny, allowing him to change it.

Grendel cited how the Black Mage’s choice to praise the Demon had set off a new destiny by putting Arkarium on the path to destroy the Demon’s family, which had resulted in everything that had happened, from Black Heaven, to Damien, to Aeona, thus placing the whole world on the Path to Genesis. Though he conceded that everyone had behaved according to their own free will along the way, he explained that they hadn’t realized that the Black Mage had been influencing their decisions. He then showed them the core fragment from Gloom and explained that within the fragment were futures that had once existed before being erased by the Black Mage.

Having examined the timelines within the fragment, Grendel noted that the single great constant was that the ones who had done the most damage to the Black Mage’s grand design had been his own Commanders. He added that the only Commander who had fully known the Black Mage’s plan and had embraced it was Will, while the other Commanders had inevitably betrayed him in order to ensure their own survival.

Grendel pointed out how the Black Mage had manipulated events perfectly, such that the Commanders would serve him until they were defeated by the Alliance before they could interfere with his plans. The Adversary asked whether it was possible to stop the Black Mage after having learned of the Path, but Grendel pointed out that even the fact that they had realized the existence of the Path was part of the Black Mage’s plan. He then told them that he could see no action that would allow them to change the fate laid out by the Black Mage.

As the Alliance prepared to counterattack, the Adversary was left speechless by the revelation that everything they had done had all been predetermined by the Black Mage, even up to their current moment. As they began wondering whether they could really defeat the Black Mage if their destiny had already been decided, Cygnus snapped them out of their stupor and told them that she was afraid just like them, as she feared whether she even deserved to be the Empress if everything had already been preordained by the Black Mage.

However, she told them that despite those fears gnawing away at her, she would continue to fight no matter what, as she couldn’t back down when there were so many people depending on her. She then asked the Adversary to continue lending their strength to the Alliance once again, reminding them about how they had already done the impossible many times before, and that if there was anyone who could defy destiny, it was them.

Just then, Neinheart reported that the giant’s exterior layer had been shattered, and that the path to the Genesis Crux had been opened. Realizing that the time had come, Cygnus ordered all the core members of the Alliance to gather for the final battle. She then turned to the Adversary and told them that she trusted them, for which she asked them to trust her as well. She told the Adversary that together, they would prove that they were not merely pieces on a chessboard, and that they could live with their own free will, not as puppets of the gods.

Aboard the White Spear, the greatest heroes of the Alliance assembled together: the Explorer, Tess, Olive, and Rondo, the Chief Knights, the Resistance leaders alongside the Demon and Xenon, the Heroes, Edea and the Nova, the Flora, the Anima, Kinesis, and Zero. Cygnus then addressed the gathering and told them that the time had come to defeat the Black Mage, who had cast darkness upon all of Maple World. She explained that their fight had begun centuries ago when the Black Mage had first tried to destroy the world, resulting in the death of Empress Aria as she moved for peace.

Though it had felt as though the world itself had been ending, the sacrifice of one lone mercenary - Ryude - had become a spark to signal the crisis on Ossyria, gathering together brave Heroes who had risked their lives to seal the Black Mage away. She added that though the Heroes had fought alone hundreds of years ago, things had changed considerably, as there were brave heroes from Maple World and other dimensions who had gathered together. Though she noted that they all seemingly had nothing in common, they had all united together under one Alliance to save the world.

She explained that they all had something that they would risk their lives to protect, and that they would fight for that very reason. She then declared that it was time to commence the final operation with determined minds by facing the Black Mage together alongside all their allies. She explained that the White Spear would pierce through the giant and open the way to the Black Mage, with the flagship serving as the transport vessel for the Alliance’s heroes to reach him safely.

The White Spear then pushed forward into the giant’s heart, where the Alliance arrived at the Temple of Darkness. There, the Adversary and their allies confronted the Black Mage, who addressed the Alliance from the Throne of Darkness and declared that their path had always been preordained, and that they were only quickening their pace to its end.

Facing the Black Mage, the Explorer noted to their allies - including Sugar, who had appeared as the Goddess of Maple World - that they had finally made it to the end of the road at last. They declared that they would stop the Black Mage no matter the cost before he destroyed the Maple World that they loved so dearly. The Goddess of Maple World then blessed the Explorers as they charged into battle. Cygnus then addressed the Black Mage and declared that the Maple Alliance would never support him before she rallied the Chief Knights into attacking.

As they did, Claudine told the Black Mage that the Resistance finally stood before him, and that the people of Edelstein, who had once been oppressed, had found freedom. She declared that they would not allow that freedom, which had been born of countless sacrifices, to disappear in vain. As they vowed that they would create a better future where their children would not have to make the same sacrifices, Edea agreed and told the Black Mage that it was her first time seeing him. She declared that the Nova understood the meaning of sacrifice, which was why they had all gathered to stand before him, as fighting corrupted Transcendents like him mattered greatly to them.

Edea added that the people of Grandis would not go down easily, to which Kaiser added that if the Black Mage wasn’t stopped, it would impact not only Maple World, but Grandis as well, for which he vowed never to stand down. Kain then asked the Black Mage how a fallen Transcendent could talk about a predetermined destiny, declaring that his Malice did not follow any preordained path, and that he would not relinquish the freedom that Luska had given him.

Cadena then wondered whether it was just her who was feeling gloomy, noting how she had no choice but to run away in the past when she had no power, though she added that things were different now. Angelic Buster agreed with Cadena and vowed that she wouldn’t cry anymore, and that she would fight proudly. Cadena was pleased to hear Angelic Buster’s response and noted how cool she sounded, to which Kaiser called upon the Nova ancestors to grant them strength, with the Nova and the Resistance charging in together.

Adele then declared that no path would stop her convictions, and that she would wake him up from his perfect dream. Illium agreed and noted that whether it was the Black Mage or Darmoor, arrogance would certainly be their downfalls, as there was no place in the world for corrupted Transcendents. Khali declared that destiny could always be changed if even a single person had a strong enough will, just as Rasha had taken the fate meant for her. Ark told the Black Mage that it was time to end things once and for all, and that he would no longer tolerate such cruelty anymore.

As the Flora jumped into battle, Lara declared that their path was not always set, just like when she had followed the Mountain Kids to the restricted sanctuary, which had proven that she had always had the choice to step off any predetermined path. Hoyoung then chimed in and asked the Black Mage whether he was so certain that he was correct before telling him to open his ears and listen to a sage’s words when he said that even small, seemingly inconsequential choices could easily change their destiny, as everyone forged their own path.

With the Anima charging in, Alpha scoffed at the Black Mage’s predetermined path, noting that it was just like the fate which had failed to keep him and Beta imprisoned. Beta added that they had broken through and come out on the other side, with Alpha declaring that they would get off the Black Mage’s path as well. As they charged in, Kinesis noted that whether it was the Black Mage or the White Mage of Friends World, both of them were the same. However, he pointed out that the White Mage of his world had failed, and that it would be the same for the Black Mage as well.

As Kinesis jumped forward, the Demon declared that it was time to put an end to their long history. He noted that while they had stood alone centuries ago, things were different now, as he would use the same power that he had once wielded for the Black Mage to destroy him, adding that winning the battle wasn’t just for him, but for Damien as well. Mercedes noted that it felt strange to be fighting alongside both former enemies and countless allies, to which Luminous added that though the fight had been long, they would soon put an end to what had been started hundreds of years ago.

Phantom agreed and noted that he had made mistakes in the past while blinded by revenge, though he would seek vengeance no longer and instead protect the world, just as Aria had asked of him. Aran then told the Black Mage that paving a path ahead had always been her specialty, and that she would definitely defeat him this time. Mercedes added that though Freud was no longer with them, those who carried on his legacy still were, and that the Black Mage would not escape them.

She turned to look at Evan, who remained silent for a moment as he prayed for Freud and Afrien to watch over them. At Mercedes’ concern, Evan laughed embarrassedly and explained that he had simply been praying for a moment, and that he wasn’t afraid. He then told Mir that they would stake it all on the honor of the Dragon Master and the Onyx Dragons before declaring that he would fight in the name of Freud and Maple World.

Luminous then told the Black Mage that he had been waiting for this moment for a long time. He declared that for everything that the Black Mage had done to Maple World and to the members of Aurora who had followed him, he would wipe the world clean of the Black Mage’s darkness and make him regret the day that he had left him behind.

Meanwhile, Shade noted to himself that he wasn’t sure what would happen to him if the Black Mage were to disappear, as his existence might disappear as well. However, he vowed that even if no one remembered him, he would put an end to his long history with the Black Mage once and for all. As the Demon and Heroes charged in, the Black Mage then used his power to create his two knights of light and darkness, the Aeonian Rise and the Tanadian Ruin.

(A/N: In non-GMS translations, these knights are called the Aion of Creation and the Demiurge/Yaldabaoth of Destruction, which are figures of good and evil in Gnosticism. I prefer these names over what we got in GMS because Aeona and Tana are titles that refer to the Transcendent of Light and their reserve, not the power of light and darkness.)

After the Adversary and the Alliance defeated the knights, Eckhart noted that the battle had been difficult. Hawkeye jokingly asked Eckhart whether he was tired already, with Irena reminding him that they still had a long way to go, as they had only beaten the gatekeepers. Oz encouraged everyone to keep going, reminding them that they still had the strength to fight on. Cygnus agreed and pointed out that the true battle was now beginning. Phantom then yelled at the Black Mage to show his face, to which the Black Mage got up from his throne and addressed them, claiming that he had seen a world constricted by chains in the name of balance, an indolent god, and mankind that had lost the meaning of its own existence.

Luminous immediately warned everyone to be wary of the Black Mage’s chains, while Claudine scoffed at the Black Mage’s claim that humanity had lost its meaning. Evan agreed, declaring that there wasn’t a single unnecessary person in the world. Edea them told the Black Mage that even if humanity had no meaning, it wasn’t his place to decide that, with Aran adding that she couldn’t listen to his nonsense any longer. Shade declared that the Black Mage had no qualifications to exact his plan, to which Cygnus then warned everyone that the battle was about to begin, just as the Black Mage invited them to approach and meet their destiny.

The Adversary and the Alliance then began fighting fiercely against the Black Mage. As their battle intensified, the Black Mage declared that the end of the world was approaching as an unknown energy burst forth from him and swallowed the Temple of Darkness, transporting the exhausted Alliance into an ethereal, galaxy-like realm, where the Adversary was surprised to find Orchid. Orchid revealed that after the Genesis Ritual had begun, she had found herself within the inner realm, where she had been fighting the Black Mage the whole time. She explained that her attacks seemed to have no effect, and that the Adversary would have to end things after all.

She revealed that the best time to finish off the Black Mage was now, as things would change as the time of Genesis approached. She told the Adversary that if such a time came, their only chance was to destroy the Genesis Crux before the ritual completed. As the Adversary vowed to do whatever it took to destroy the Black Mage - even sacrificing their own life - the Black Mage suddenly manifested before them as a powerful being of light, having ascended to become a god in his own right. The Black Mage then told the Adversary to risk everything they had as the Adversary and Orchid worked together to fight the Black Mage and his godlike powers of creation and destruction.

The overwhelming energy from their battle soon engulfed everything in the surrounding area and created a void of black and white, where the Adversary found that the rest of the Alliance had vanished. They realized that Genesis was about to begin, just as Orchid had warned, and that they would need to summon the power of the Adversary in order to win. They noted that everyone would die if they failed to stop the Black Mage, and that they would risk everything they had for it, just as he had asked of them.

Vowing to sacrifice their own life if necessary, the Adversary fought the Black Mage alone in a fierce battle, just as the Genesis Crux appeared before them. Realizing that the critical moment had arrived, the Adversary began to summon the full power of the Adversary by focusing on their strong determination to sacrifice their own life, but to their shock, the small amount of divine power drawn from the Seal Stone proved to be insufficient in destroying the Genesis Crux.

The Black Mage mocked them for believing that they had escaped the Path of Destiny. He declared that they would not live to claim the true power of the Adversary, and that their destiny had already been decided. He then entered the Genesis Crux, leaving the Adversary aghast that even this very moment had been preordained. As the time of Genesis approached, the Adversary collapsed in exhaustion and found themselves in a dreamscape filled with crystals containing scenes from their own memory. They began lamenting how, even at the end, they had been unable to defeat a Transcendent who had become a god.

Looking up at a crystal containing the memory of them fighting Hilla, the Adversary realized that she had been so much stronger than before, and that they had only managed to beat her through pure luck. Upon seeing a crystal with Cygnus’ face, they noted how Cygnus had trusted them and apologized for betraying that trust. Finally, looking at the memory of Tana, they began wondering whether saving her life had truly been the right choice, though they noted that even now, they still didn’t regret saving her.

As they began wishing that they could turn back time, they thought back to their journey through the Arcane River in reverse, recalling how Jean had been smiling until the very end in the Morass. They wondered how the Rock Spirits were doing in Arcana after the Song of the Forest had been returned, and they began apologizing to Protective Mask in Lachelein for failing to win their freedom on their own, just as he hadn’t. Looking back on Chu Chu Island, they realized that the villagers had lived bravely, even without knowing their identities.

Finally, they thought back to the Vanishing Journey and realized that they finally understood Kao, as both of them had now failed to protect their world. Though they wished once again that they could turn back time like Kao had, exhaustion quickly began overtaking them as they realized that there was nothing left to do but rest until the end came for them. As they closed their eyes, however, a formless white light appeared and spoke with Tana’s voice, asking them whether this was truly the end that they wanted. She reminded them about how they had saved her in Esfera when she had called out for Jean to help her and asked whether they were giving up now after everything.

The Adversary weakly looked up at Tana and told her that they didn’t want to give up, though it was too late now. Tana then revealed to the Adversary that the world didn’t want them to die, with memories of Athena Pierce, Neinheart, Claudine, Cygnus, and others speaking aloud to the Adversary from within the crystals, reminding them of the Alliance’s commitment to surviving together. Tana then used her power of creation to craft an enormous maple leaf, from which a voice of someone close to the Adversary spoke to them, helping them find the strength to keep fighting.

As the Adversary got up, Tana asked them whether they were still choosing to give up, to which the Adversary vowed that they understood the truth now. They explained that they had been prepared to sacrifice themselves all the while that they had faced the Black Mage, but what they had instead needed to believe was that they needed to survive and save everyone, including themselves, not to give up on themselves and die for the sake of a world that wanted them to live.

(A/N: This is hands-down my favorite scene and favorite message in the entire game, a lot of which was sadly omitted in the GMS localization. A lot of stories emphasize that true commitment can only be demonstrated by the willingness to give up one’s own life, but few ever really say that your own life is worth just as much as everyone else’s, and that you shouldn’t throw it away carelessly. I think that it takes a special kind of courage to lay down your life, but I also think that the idea of dying for the greater good is an idea that’s almost been weirdly romanticized in a sense.

Self-sacrifice has been deified for a long time in our society, and we can see it in our media, our religion, and our cultural values. However, I feel like there’s an undercurrent that’s taken root in the idea of self-sacrifice, which is a somewhat toxic emphasis on minimizing yourself for the sake of others. Obviously, there are moments when sacrifice is unavoidable, but I think that something has gotten lost in translation in what’s actually being conveyed through the depictions of sacrifice that we see in media lately.

In a way, self-sacrifice is framed as more of a duty than a choice. Heroes depicted in media are presented as these paragons of virtue who are always willing to lay down their lives for others, and I feel like there’s almost something damaging in showing a person who only ever does the right thing without hesitation, even if it means giving up everything that they have.

I think that the glorification of self-sacrifice without a second thought instills a belief that you don’t really matter at all. It’s true that self-sacrifice is one of the greatest acts of service that we can do, but I think that its importance comes from the fact that you have a choice of whether or not you want to do it. It’s common for heroes to be portrayed as absolutely selfless because all the selfish parts of them have been abstracted from sight.

As a result, the takeaway becomes that there’s no question of whether we’re willing to sacrifice or not. It’s no longer a choice when you think that there’s just one option. Consequently, we internalize the belief that in order to be a good person, we have to rid ourselves of the idea of “I want”. Subconsciously, there’s a rewiring of our morality that keeps us thinking that being selfless and sacrificial means hurting ourselves over and over again for the sake of someone else’s comfort.

Most of us will obviously never be in a situation in which we have to die for the sake of others, but this type of mentality still pervades in everything else that we do - social obligations, work, and relationships. The need to be a good person is so great that we tell ourselves that it’s okay that we’re carving out pieces of ourselves for others. We start seeing pain as just the symptom of our selflessness. After a while, we don’t feel comfortable being whole anymore. Somewhere along the way, putting ourselves last went from a bad habit to a compulsion. Sacrifice stops being a choice and instead becomes a product of our conditioning.

That’s why I think that depictions of sacrifice like what happens in this storyline are important in order to break that mentality. I think that remembering that you matter as much as the people that you care about is an important distinction that changes the connotation of what sacrifice means. What gives meaning to sacrifice is that you always have the choice to say no and walk away. Sacrifice inherently comes from the feeling of “I want”, not the absence of it. If you don’t think that what you want is important, then you’re not really giving up anything at all.

This idea is also the culmination of the Adversary’s own character arc. Throughout the storyline, the Adversary constantly tells themselves that they have to take on the heaviest burdens because they’re the strongest. When they found out that the Black Mage was at the end of the Arcane River, their first instinct was to rush in alone and take him on by themselves without even thinking of contacting the Alliance for help.

They’ve been hailed as a hero so many times that they’ve made it their entire identity, and it’s the same idea of, “I am a hero, which means that I have to be strong for everyone else. I have to do everything alone and put myself through the hardest and most traumatic situations without question.” They’re so willing to believe Orchid when she tells them that they have to be ready to die for the world because that thought just comes to them without instruction at this point.

They’re so shocked that their determination to die isn’t enough because they forgot that they first changed destiny by refusing to take Tana’s life. They were willing to let the Black Mage become practically undefeatable because they had the conviction that they would never give up on trying to save everyone, no matter the odds.

Through all of their trauma, the Adversary has subconsciously decided that they’re expendable, and that their life only has meaning if they can save everyone, even if they have to die in the process. And in the moment when the Adversary is so desperately channeling their desire to end their own life, it’s Tana who comes back to help the Adversary by reminding them that they have to live, just like how they helped her live when she finally chose survival over wanting to die, and in the process, the Adversary finally remembers the value of their own life and chooses to survive too.

That mindset - the determination to protect all life, including our own - is what finally awakened the Seal Stone. At its core, the Seal Stone is an object that will only ever work for a population, and the Adversary is nothing more than a Vessel embodying the world’s deepest desire. The Adversary’s mindset and the world’s determination need to be synced in order to activate its power. At this point, the entire world wants to not only win, but they want the Adversary to come back to them safely, just as their desperate wish to save the Adversary’s life at Black Heaven was what had resulted in the Adversary becoming one in the first place.

Because of this, the Seal Stone will fundamentally never awaken if the Adversary was only determined to die, no matter how good their intentions, because the world cares about them so deeply that that they refuse to allow the Adversary to give up on themselves, just like how the Adversary never gave up on them. It’s a level of pure symbiosis capable of channeling divinity itself, answering the artificial machinations of a god with a human instinct to survive, which is just a fancy way of saving that the Power of Friendship™ always saves the day.)

As the divine power flowed through the Adversary, the Genesis Crux began to shake, creating a powerful golden glow from within the giant’s heart that the exhausted Alliance fleet saw from the distance. With Tana sending them back to the Genesis Crux, the Adversary confronted the Black Mage and declared that it was time to end things. Channeling their fierce determination to survive, the Adversary awakened the full power of the Seal Stone and summoned a divine blade, with which they prepared to deal a decisive blow to the Black Mage.

(A/N: The divine blade is where the name “spear of god” comes from, which got bizarrely localized as the Godsphere in GMS. The name “spear of god” is probably intended to be stylized, as the blade that we summon is a sword, not a spear. It’s basically all but confirmed that the canon Adversary is meant to be Hero, as the default Explorer who appears with other classes in this storyline is Hero, and the attack that the Adversary uses when charging up the divine blade is literally just an augmented version of Hero’s Worldreaver skill.

As far as the divine blade being a spear, not a sword, swords are usually associated with the idea of knighthood and chivalry, whereas spears are much more primordial, being associated more with Greek heroes and legends from a time before knights. While it makes sense for the divine blade to physically be a sword for the sake of suggesting a canonical Adversary, calling it a “spear of god” instead of a “sword of god” invokes a sense of grandness through the imagery of Adversaries being these legendary demigods, reminiscent of Hercules or Achilles. It also ties into the idea behind the White Spear, which was created as a symbol of the Alliance’s commitment to carving out their own destiny, as well as Cygnus’ declaration that they would become the spear that would pierce the gods themselves.)

The Adversary declared to the Black Mage that there was no fixed fate, which was why they stood now before him. The Black Mage retorted that their hopes were futile, to which the Adversary vowed that their collective determination would bring forth a miracle. They explained that they could hear the voices of many people inside them - Jean telling them that they needed to win, the Small Spirit crying that he didn’t want to disappear, Protective Mask asking them to bring freedom to the world, Simia promising to make them delicious food if they survived and came back, Rasol telling them that they would see the sun together in Friends World, and Legato affirming that the Adversary would win.

With the voices of everyone filling them with strength, the Adversary vowed to defeat the Black Mage and return back to those who were waiting for them to come home alive. Tana’s voice then called out and told the Adversary that their determination was finally fully attuned to the determination of the world, revealing that the world was crying out that it didn’t want to disappear, and that she would leave the rest to them. The Adversary then the memory of Kao asking them to create the future that they themselves couldn’t, to which the Adversary promised their future self that they would carry on that will.

With the full power of the Seal Stone, the Adversary cleaved the Black Mage and the Genesis Crux in half, returning Cygnus and the other heroes of the Alliance back into the giant’s heart. Orchid noted that the Genesis Crux had vanished, while Oz realized that she couldn’t sense the Black Mage’s aura anymore. As everyone began celebrating their victory, Cygnus outstretched her hand and asked the Adversary to come back with her, as everyone was waiting. To her shock, however, the Adversary suddenly scattered into Erdas and vanished.

(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here as he scatters into Erda. He thinks to himself that this is really the end for him, and as he disappears, he breaths a sign of relief that he’ll finally be with Freud again.) 

As Cygnus fell to her knees in anguish, the Chief Knights reported that the giant was moving, with Claudine urging her to retreat. With Cygnus remaining unmoving, Claudine told Cygnus not to let the Adversary’s sacrifice be in vain, to which Orchid asked everyone to lend her a portion of their magic, as it was her first time teleporting so many people. Meanwhile, Neinheart watched in earnest as ten minutes passed since the giant had fallen silent. Suddenly, Cygnus reported that the Genesis Crux had been destroyed, causing the soldiers to begin cheering. However, she struggled with how to break the news that the Adversary had been destroyed.

Elsewhere, in the Erda Flow, the Adversary awoke and wondered whether they had died before finding that the White Mage was standing before them. The White Mage explained that their body had been annihilated, and that their soul would dilute and disappear after some time. He then congratulated them on their victory, explaining that they had saved the world.

The Adversary asked why he had appeared before them if the battle was over. The White Mage replied that he only wanted to share a few words, as he had been waiting to speak with them for a long time. The Adversary was surprised that he had been waiting for them, to which he explained that they were the only one who could save him from the prison of immortality. He noted the irony that the very nature of a Transcendent prevented them from destroying themselves. The Adversary then realized that his ideal world without Transcendents also included erasing himself. The White Mage confirmed their suspicions and explained that it was the very reason why he had needed them.

(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that only a Transcendent could stand against him. He explains that the other Transcendents had simply accepted their fates, whether they were their original fates, or the ones that he had set upon them. He adds that he knew that Alpha and Beta would turn away from that, or at the very least, that they would fight back.

This line is extremely confusing, as Transcendents are incapable of killing each other. I think what he means is that only someone as strong as a Transcendent could stand against him, whether that’s another Transcendent or a mortal with a Seal Stone. Zero being able to kill the Black Mage likely either stems from them not constituting as a proper Transcendent, or from the Seal Stone allowing them to override their limitations as Transcendents.

The White Mage talking about Zero resisting their fate is told from the perspective that Zero is the Adversary, and so it retroactively means that the White Mage’s plan had always revolved around having Zero destroy him from the very beginning, and so his exclusive dialogue was written to match this setting. In actuality, there’s no canon Adversary, and so I wouldn’t take anything from this exclusive dialogue with much weight, as its inclusion isn’t worth the mental gymnastics that we need to do in order to make it all fit.

Luminous also gets exclusive dialogue here, which is similarly told from the perspective that he’s the Adversary. The White Mage explains that Luminous has always had the power to face him, as he was once part of the White Mage and the light itself. He then reveals that he had deliberately chosen not to destroy Luminous upon their separation, despite having had the power to end him right there. He explains that in a sense, Luminous was the light that he had sought, as Luminous had his own destiny. He notes that Luminous has just seen that destiny through, adding that he’s always believed in him.)

The White Mage revealed that as a result of their actions, they had shattered the fate that had bound them both. He explained that the axis of fate had been tilted the moment when they had refused to take Tana's life. He then asked what had led them to make that decision, to which they replied that it had been because Tana had cried out for help, and that she hadn’t wanted to disappear.

(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he says that he had thought that he’d been prepared for his fate too, but when the moment had come, he had realized that even in spite of being prepared, he had realized that he still didn’t want to disappear, just like how Tana hadn’t either, and so he couldn’t do that to her.

Kain also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he says that Tana hadn’t wanted to disappear, just like his sister, Luska.

Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she says that Tana hadn’t wanted to disappear, and that it must have been the same for Gri’s brother, Gru.

Through some stupid convoluted thought process, GMS somehow managed to localize, “Because she asked for help. She didn’t want to disappear,” to “I couldn’t take her life, no matter the cost. That’s not what a hero does. Our doom wasn’t certain. And as long as there was a way to save her and everyone else, I had to try.”

First of all - where the hell did they pull those extra twenty-seven words from? Second of all - how is it that even with those extra words, they couldn’t even manage to properly capture the nuance of something that could be conveyed in ten? In KMS, you have the Adversary’s motivations being something as simple and powerful as just, “She didn’t want to die,” because that’s all the motivation we needed.

We saw just how miserable Tana’s life was, and how she was constantly being used and exploited by other people, whether it was the Overseers, Hekaton, or the Black Mage. We saw how Jean was the only person in her life who cared about her, and how she called out to him for help in Esfera, even after he died, because in her mind, there was literally no one else in existence who would ever care about her enough to help her again.

Her desire to be saved, and our desire to save her, both came from the same primal human will to live, and the simplicity of saying, “She asked for help,” is supposed to convey just how instinctual that desire to live was. It didn’t need any long-winded heroic explanation - it’s completely self-explanatory because anyone hearing that would immediately understand what the Adversary means, because it’s an instinct shared by all living things, encoded intrinsically into our design.

GMS’ localization not only cuts out that entire nuance, but it just has to make everything all about us. The focus in GMS is on us deciding what a hero would do, us weighing pros and cons about what it would mean for the world, and it takes away from the fact that this isn’t about us - it’s about Tana, and it should’ve been about Tana after she’s spent centuries being a plot device for everyone else’s needs.

In KMS, we acted simply because we wanted her to live, and having us go into this whole explanation in GMS about how we spent all this time thinking about ourselves and what it means for us to kill her, rather than us just saying that we acted instinctively because we care about her, makes it so that we end up becoming just another person who saw her as a tool for our own personal agenda, whether that was for saving the world, or even just us using her as a stepping stone for our own character development as a hero or whatever.)

After a pause, the White Mage told them that though he been the one to ask them why they hadn’t killed Tana, he had perhaps known the answer all along, explaining that he had been in a similar situation. He revealed that the moment that he had awakened as a Transcendent, he had also become a pawn of the Overseers. He explained that while trapped in his destiny set by the Overseers, he had tried going against them and had eventually succeeding in carving out the future that he had desired. He noted that it was ironic that the same destiny that he couldn’t accept had been forced upon the Adversary. He explained that even if someone had set the path of destiny, a soul like the Adversary’s, which had been forged from the belief engraved in their heart, could not waver or bend to another’s will.

He told the Adversary that such a soul was the result of having lived a life and added that they really were just like him, as they were both people who had fought against destiny. He noted that as the Adversary had traveled, they had likely experienced the beauty of the world, and that they must have met and walked alongside many others. He explained that those experiences had made them evolve into a being who didn’t forget to live with harmony, even in the face of despair, and one whose heart could lead the way by shining a light in the darkness.

The White Mage then told the Adversary that life was precious because it was finite, and that, having lost sight of the value of life, he believed that he wasn't qualified to realize his grand ideals. He explained that he had believed that he couldn't change fate as a mortal, and so he had sought to borrow the power of the divine by becoming a Transcendent. He then wondered whether he had lost his qualifications to realize his ideals from the moment that he had cast aside his humanity.

The Adversary suddenly felt a strange sensation as their body began disappearing from their fingertips, to which the White Mage told them that it couldn't have been stopped for long. The Adversary then asked him why he had kept fighting if they had already won when they had changed fate in Esfera. The White Mage replied by asking what they had felt as they had walked the Path of Destiny, when they had begun to question their own free will.

After considering it, the Adversary replied that they had felt a sense of helplessness, as they had known that mortals didn’t have the power to change their destiny, as those destinies had been set by gods who were too powerful to overcome, just as the White Mage himself had learned firsthand. The White Mage then asked them why they had gone ahead anyways, to which they replied that they couldn't give up simply because it was difficult.

(A/N: If the player has completed the Ellin Forest storyline, they note that they had become convinced that destiny couldn’t be changed when they had gone back in time to change history and found that they couldn’t. When the White Mage asks them why they had gone ahead anyways, the player replies that they could have settled things in Ellin Forest easily if they had told people about the future, but they note that the people of the past had decided not to hear it, vowing that they would create their own future instead, rather than someone else deciding it for them.)

The Adversary then noted that what they had really felt upon learning about the Path of Destiny was both anger and the will to live, all at once. They added that their desire wasn’t some grand dream of wanting to protect the world, but merely the will to fight for what they believed in, their free will, their belief, and their unwavering faith. They told the White Mage that destiny wasn't set by anyone, but rather, it was shaped by them simply living in the present. The White Mage then noted that the higher beings whom they fought against would see their resistance as futile and asked if they still wouldn’t give up, even while knowing that. The Adversary agreed that those higher beings would regard them as pathetic and weak, but nevertheless, they believed that they shouldn’t accept their destiny without question.

The White Mage was satisfied with their answer, after which the Adversary noted that they now had a better understanding of his thoughts and goals, as being deprived of one's free will and being forced to live in accordance with someone else's destiny was a painful existence. However, they told the White Mage that even though they understood his suffering, it still didn’t justify his evil deeds.

(A/N: Honestly, there are some classes who I really can’t see sympathizing with the White Mage at all. Kinesis, for example, absolutely hates the White Mage of Friends World for destroying his city and hurting his friends, and I don’t see him entertaining the White Mage’s tragic backstory for even a second, as he’d probably just straight up tell the White Mage that he couldn’t care less about any of his justifications because all he cares about are his friends. Similarly, I don’t see Phantom sympathizing with the White Mage when his only motivation is to protect the world that Aria loved, and so I strongly doubt that he would’ve sympathized with why the Black Mage wants to destroy the world, only that he’s putting Aria’s dream at risk.)

After a pause, the White Mage told them that when he had first learned about the chains of destiny, he had likely felt the same as them. Though he had felt rage when he had realized that he had been losing his free will, he had still felt uncertainty. As he had been alone for all his life, he had tried deciding his own path himself, but the moment that he had stopped believing in himself, he had been shaken.

In contrast, he told the Adversary that making connections with countless people must have helped them during moments when their faith in themselves had been wavering, which made the Adversary recall Empress Cygnus and Tana. After a pause, the White Mage told them that even though his plan had been perfect, he had started questioning it. He cited how Kao had lost to him in the past, and how he had sent them back in time, adding that such a risky action of sending a variable back in time could only be done once. (A/N: I’ll get more into this in the next section.)

He then revealed that it was then that he had begun to think deeply and had actually begun to notice the Adversary and the world more closely, noting that so many things had changed since he had first tried to take over the world centuries ago. He explained that unlike the selfish people of his time, so many good people had banded together in order to try and change the world. He added that the one who would lead them was not one who lived in fear, but rather, someone who could unite everyone, unlike himself.

He then told them that their anger, the answer to his question about what they had felt upon discovering the Path of Destiny, was enough. He explained that life was full of trials and tribulations, but if people like the Adversary could come together and work together, they would be able to overcome any ordeal. He then told them that if the feelings that they had felt were real, then it was enough. As the Adversary began disappearing from the Erda Flow, the White Mage told them to never forget their anger. After a pause, he told them that the world which good-natured beings like them would create would be more perfect than anything that he could have made, and so he was content with leaving it all behind to them.

(A/N: As the scene fades out, the White Mage bids the Adversary farewell by referring to them with a special title that’s unique to their job:

Explorers (including Special Explorers): The One Who Walks Down the Path of Adventure. Before the Destiny revamp, their title used to be “Explorer of Legend” in GMS, although this was a mistranslation of the actual KMS title, “Brave Explorer From Another World”. The KMS title was a reference to the original Explorer storyline, in which it was said that Explorers came from another world. In the Destiny revamp, the backstory for the Explorer was changed so that they were native to Maple Island instead, which explains why they changed it to what it is now.
Cygnus Knights and Mihile: Brave Knight of the Empress
Main Resistance and Xenon: Bold Liberator of the Shadowed City
Demon: Resilient Soul
Aran: Undying Warrior
Evan: Heir of the Great Mage
Mercedes: Ruler of the Elves
Phantom: Thief of Destiny
Luminous: Light of the World
Shade: Forgotten Hero. After he gives this title, the White Mage tells Shade, “Be at peace. She will remember you now,” with ‘she’ referring to Moonbeam.
Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, and Kain: Descendent of Dragons
Illium, Ark, Adele, Khali: Mystic of a Distant World
Zero: Transcendent of a New World
Kinesis: Hero of the Mysterious World
Hoyoung, Lara: Conqueror of Destiny

Additionally, while these classes aren’t canon, I’ll list them here in case anyone is curious, although I’ve added them in the GMS-verse section:
Jett: Far-flung Avenger
Hayato: Honorable Warrior
Kanna: Fated Master of Spirits
Beast Tamer: Hero of Nature

I really, really love the White Mage as a character, but unfortunately, his story and motivations have suffered from a lot of instability because of the lack of cohesive story direction under one writing team. At the start of the game's story, the Black Mage was just a generic evil villain who wanted to destroy the world. The White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum was the first time that we got to see that there was some level of depth to his character, and whoever wrote it deserves a lot of props for the philosophical nuance that it brought to the story.

At the time of Tenebris' release, the conversation that we had with the White Mage was extremely short. The only thing that he really discussed with us was him wanting to create a world without Transcendents, the idea of us changing destiny by refusing to take Tana's life, him losing sight of the value of life and consequently losing his qualifications to realize his ideals, and him telling us to never forget the anger that we had when we felt helpless on the Path of Destiny.

It's pretty easy to see that there really wasn't much explanation given about the White Mage's motivations beyond just that his goal was to destroy the Transcendents. In fact, a lot of people came to conclude that his ultimate aim was simply to have the Adversary kill him because he was tired of being bound by the Overseers’ will, similar to how Tana wanted to end her own existence. Even with how barebones the original story was, the Black Mage’s 5D chess game being an elaborate assisted suicide attempt is a conclusion that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever with what was actually presented, despite the fact that it was a popular narrative that people spread after Limina’s release.

If the Black Mage had only wanted to die, then there was no purpose in getting rid of the other Transcendents, which means that he wouldn’t have needed the Commanders to help him fight Alicia and Rhinne, which means that there was no need to make a new world to buy their loyalty, which means all he needed to do was threaten to destroy the world in order to unite the Alliance and create an Adversary to kill him. Pretty much everything that he did is completely pointless if we assume that his only goal was to die, which is why his primary motive has always been to destroy the Overseers, even if the story does a really bad job of showing it.

In the absence of explicit dialogue that actually explains his motives, the idea of the Divine City was meant to be the central point around which his ideals were originally based, and it was the original foundation for the conflict of ideology that he had with the Overseers. The White Mage's system of morality is based on the idea that people who have power are morally obligated to use it in order to help those who don't. The reason why he wanted to reach the divine realm is because he believed that God, the universe, or whatever highest entity that exists out there would help him change the systematic oppression of society.

From the brief dialogue that we saw when he reached the divine realm, his issue with the Overseers is that they were choosing to leave the world incomplete, which we can infer to mean that they were choosing to do absolutely nothing while humanity suffered. This is essentially the root of where his hatred for them stems from - the Overseers are nearly omnipotent beings who can take away all pain in an instant, but they choose to remain indolent while countless innocents are impoverished, killed, and exploited by oppressors who use them for their own personal gain.

Under the White Mage's system of morality, the Overseers refusing to use their power to help people makes them just as morally corrupt as the people who actively use their power to dominate others, as choosing to do nothing in the face of oppression is still a choice that you're making consciously. On top of that, not only are the Overseers choosing to do nothing, but they're also trying to force the White Mage to do nothing by binding him with their chains of law when he decides to become a Transcendent and help the world himself when no one else will.

It’s at this moment that he realizes that his ideal of ultimate light and everything that he’s ever worked for has been shattered, as the Overseers are actively trying to stop him from fixing the world, which is when he comes to believe that they represent ultimate darkness, which is his declaration that their apathy and carelessness makes them evil, necessitating their destruction. Since he can’t physically destroy the Overseers, however, his goal is to destroy all the Transcendents, who are the Overseers’ only means to influence the world. However, this is where the fuzziness in his plan starts to manifest, in large part due to an excess of ambiguity on the writers' part.

If we're getting technical for a moment, while the Overseers aren't doing anything to help the situation on Maple World, they're also not actively doing anything to make it worse. Rationally speaking, there's no real reason why removing their influence is going to make anything better when they're not even exerting any sort of influence that we can see.

We've seen them force Aeona to wipe out over seven races on Grandis, but the thing is that the Transcendents of Maple World are known for staying out of mortal affairs, as the Overseers - from what we can speculate - were most likely only wiping out races who have the power of the Ancient Gods. Since the Ancient Gods seem to have had very little influence in Maple World, there’s not much reason for the Overseers to have the Transcendents of Maple World do anything when everything is already in order.

Because of this, the White Mage's motivations in stopping the Overseers are something that we have to make certain assumptions with, based on everything that we know about him. His first motive is likely that there's no guarantee that the Overseers won't use the Transcendents to kill people on Maple World. The Overseers are described less as people and more like abstract, conceptual entities. While they're not solely a force of nature, it would be more accurate to compare them to something like gravity or electricity than it would to compare them to living beings.

They seem to have their own will, but this will is more just like computer code that executes in accordance to pre-programmed rules that were likely set by the Primordial God when he created them. Calling the Overseers morally evil makes as little sense as calling gravity evil for making you fall, but at the same time, their rules are complex and arbitrary, which will always make them a danger because there's every chance that they could detect your attempts at reforming society as a threat to whatever they consider to be ‘order’.

Personally, however, I think that the idea of the Transcendents of Maple World turning on the people is extremely slim. The Black Mage might’ve factored that into his motives, but I think that his primary motive is really just the principle that drives his ideals. The White Mage hates the Overseers more than anyone else in existence because from his moral viewpoint, there's nothing more evil than a god who sits back and watches billions of people get tortured and murdered every day when they could stop it with a simple lift of their finger.

The Overseers' very existence as beings who wield ultimate power and do nothing with it is an abject affront to everything that a god ought to stand for, which is why he believes that the Overseers, by principle, need to be cast down, as they don't deserve to sit on a throne and call themselves God when they withhold salvation from countless beings praying desperately to them in vain.

His issue with the Overseers aside, however, there's a lot of ambiguity about the actual execution of his plan. The biggest question is whether or not he actually intended to create a new world. Before the Kao revamp, all that we knew was that the Adversary choosing to spare Tana was what had allowed us to change destiny, which was what the Black Mage had intended, and that he had only ever talked about removing the Transcendents. This makes me believe that his plan was never to create a new world, but rather, it was just a means to drive the Alliance into defeating him, while also manipulating his Commanders into following him.

The main idea behind this is that the Black Mage knew that the leaders of Maple World were short-sighted and only cared about themselves. By threatening to end the world, he would force all world leaders to look past their own petty self-interests, like the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance’s squabble, and actually work together with other nations for their survival, and by promising to create a new world, he would be able to get his Commanders to help him in exchange for power and comfort in his new world order.

The other part of the Black Mage's plan that doesn't get explicitly mentioned, but is still an extremely important byproduct of it, is the methodology by which his perfect world was created. With the assumption that his goal was never to physically create a new world, but merely to remove the Transcendents, we can see a significant effect of his plan, which is the unification of Maple World. The society of his time systematically oppressed people and created a wide disparity in suffering based on socioeconomic inequality, with national leaders lining their pockets at the expense of their citizens' lives.

In the process of nearly wiping out Ossyria centuries ago, creating Victoria Island, and drawing out the Heroes who inspired others to follow in their footsteps, the Black Mage destroyed the corrupt power base of the world and paved the way for that void to be filled with brave and selfless leaders like Athena Pierce, Grendel, Cygnus, Claudine, and countless others who risk their lives to help their people, rather than sacrificing them to keep their power, which ultimately created a much better society for people to live in.

On top of that, the Black Mage gathered together some of the most vile beings in the world like his Commanders and the Black Wings, used them in his plan to help better the world, and then eliminated them when they were no longer useful, thereby getting rid of every being who would ever pose a threat to the society that the Alliance would build.

The culmination of this plan was the creation of the Adversary, who was created from the most selfless decision in the history of the world, which was to save the Adversary’s life, even while knowing that the Black Mage would return to full power as a result. The Adversary's creation is the most singularly unique event in history, as not only was the world able to collectively choose to be selfless - something that could never have happened during the White Mage's time - but also because no other Adversary, as far as we know, has ever been created organically, rather than artificially through experimentation, which could only have happened because of the symbiotic relationship between the Adversary and the people whose will they represent.

After the Kao revamp, however, there was a significant change to the Black Mage's motivations. It gets explicitly mentioned that the Black Mage had indeed planned to create a new, perfect world, and that he had intended to enact the Genesis Ritual at the very moment that the Adversary killed him, which would result in the creation of a world without Transcendents. I think that this is around where there's a major discrepancy in the writing, as there are certain things that just don't make any sense with this explanation.

The Black Mage wanting to create a new world in this version of the story stemmed from his belief that Maple World was beyond saving, as the Overseers' influence had corrupted it to the point that humanity was doomed to destroy itself no matter what. Because of this, his intention was to reset everything and allow life to evolve from scratch, starting from the abstract life forms of Limina, which would eventually develop sentience and build a new society that he believed would be perfect, as the Overseers would never have had any influence in its creation.

However, there are two very serious flaws with this reasoning. The first is that the Overseers haven't had any sort of influence that we can see on Maple World that resulted in its imperfect state. I feel like the story team has significantly misunderstood the Black Mage's motivations in removing the Overseers - it's not because he thinks that they've made the world imperfect, it's because they're doing nothing to help repair it. Human beings were always the main culprit behind ruining their own world. It was their own choice to be selfish that created inequality, not because the Overseers went out of their way to have the Transcendents create a flawed society.

Even if a new society were created in the Black Mage's perfect world, there's no guarantee whatsoever that it won’t face the exact same problems that Maple World has. As long as the concept of free will exists, there will always be a duality of good and evil just by the very nature of being able to make choices, which leads into the second major flaw with his reasoning.

The Black Mage believed that humanity was incapable of being saved, which is why he wanted to create a world free of evil. However, literally the entire crux of his plan was hinged on the basis that humanity would collectively choose to make the most selfless decision of its life to save the player, which is how they became an Adversary and killed him in the first place. If the world was capable of coming together and helping each other, shouldn't that, in itself, have been a dead giveaway that there was still a way for humanity to be saved?

I don't even accept the argument of him losing sight of the value of life - this was a mistake that anyone with an IQ in triple digits should've caught while drafting it on paper. I refuse to believe that the White Mage, a once-in-a-generation prodigy, would've glossed over this chance to avoid committing genocide when he was fundamentally acting to save an entire species from day one.

Instead, he comes to realize this basic fact only after Kao fails to kill him. After he sends Kao back in time, he starts to take another look at humanity and realizes that people have come together in a way that he never thought possible, which begs the question of how he seriously expected the world to create an Adversary at the expense of crippling themselves if they were all truly the flawed and selfish beings that he thought they were.

At the same time, however, there's a particular feature of this revamped story that I really like. Whereas the Adversary's choice to save Tana was something that the Black Mage had anticipated in the old story, their choice to save her in the revamp is the true moment when they really saved the world. The Black Mage had fully expected that after sending Kao back in time and changing the past, the Adversary would have the determination needed to awaken the Seal Stone in Limina.

However, since the Adversary didn't know how to awaken its power in Esfera, he anticipated that we would've tried and failed to kill Tana, with Ollie surviving and ensuring that we wouldn't have mentally fallen apart at the critical moment. To his surprise, the Adversary made the choice to spare Tana's life, going against everything that he had expected would happen. Following Kao's failure, he had already been shaken up by his plan failing, and because of this, he had taken another glance at everything, which is when he had come to realize that the people of the present were working together in a way completely unlike the people of his time centuries ago.

The Adversary choosing to save Tana was the final nail in the coffin for him, which proved that humanity was being led by selfless beings. It was at that moment that we changed destiny because our actions successfully changed the Black Mage's mind, as he decided that he wouldn't enact the Genesis Ritual after we killed him, and that he would instead allow us to lead the world into the future with our pure-hearted ideals.

Personally, I'm conflicted about this revamp because on one hand, it kills all the genuine nuance with the Black Mage's plan to shape humanity into the best version of itself that it can be, instead retconning him into an edgy teenager who spent 20 minutes reading and misunderstanding Nietzsche before deciding to turn into a nihilist who thinks that everything is worthless and needs to be destroyed.

On the other hand, it really strengthens the Adversary as a person and places actual weight on their existence as someone who embodies the best of humanity, enough so that they were able to defeat the Black Mage long before their physical battle. Their choice to be selfless and kind is what ultimately led to their victory without them ever needing to even strike a single blow.

Also, while the Black Mage's motivations aren't consistent at all with his original characterization, I also like the fact that he gets an actual character arc. His old characterization and plan were really great in the way that he was written with nuance, rather than him being a generic Saturday morning cartoon villain like he is now, but the fact that he transitions from that generic villain and becomes the character that he was in the old version makes him feel a bit more fleshed out.

Both before and after the revamp, he admits that he was a villain who lost sight of the value of life. Even if his belief was true that humanity was beyond salvation, and even if his perfect world would’ve actually been perfect and free of suffering, it doesn’t erase the fact that it came at the cost of killing billions of people. At the end of the day, his ambitions couldn’t be satisfied by anything except perfection itself. It wasn’t enough for him to create a better world - he was obsessed with creating a perfect world and nothing less.

When he came to realize that there was a possibility of attaining it, he decided on behalf of everyone in the world that they would be dragged along in his mission without their consent, and that millions of them would die in order to get to that perfect world, without considering or caring what any of them wanted, effectively taking their agency away from them.

The White Mage, in resistance to the Overseers' chains of law, started using chains as his own weapon, which is meant to symbolize how he weaponized the Overseers' own rules against them. He took advantage of the fact that they created a fixed destiny in order to have tactical knowledge of everything that would happen in the future. He also took the Seal Stone, which held the Overseers' own power, and used it to destroy their hold on the universe.

However, in the process of doing this, he became the very thing that he wanted to destroy by manipulating the destiny of mortals and binding humanity with his chains of ideology. Before the revamp, I wouldn’t criticize the White Mage at all for what he did. His plan worked with remarkable success by removing the influence of the Overseers and creating a society whose leaders value courage and kindness, which is guaranteed to create a bright future for entire generations.

After the revamp is a much different story, however. Fundamentally, the Black Mage’s plan both before and after the revamp is the same - sacrificing millions for the sake of creating a better world. But the difference is that his pre-revamp plan had a very viable, tangible chance of coming to fruition. The post-revamp Black Mage is a complete idiot who wanted to create a new world that had no better chance of being perfect than the old one.

At the same time, however, the Black Mage’s belief in creating a perfect world - both before and after the revamp - is something that ties into what I mentioned in the last section about the City of God and Thomas Aquinas’ refutation of Augustine’s belief that humans are incapable of attaining happiness on the mortal plane. Aquinas talks about the idea of imperfect happiness, called felicitas, which he believes is capable of being replicated in the Earthly City, even if perfect happiness, beatitudo, can’t be.

Within the context of the game, we didn’t need to be saved absolutely, and we didn’t need the Transcendents to be destroyed. In all those centuries after the Transcendents were sealed away, people had struggles and hardships, but life during that time was honestly fine. While it might not have been perfect, it was still good enough for people to have led complete, fulfilling lives by accepting that suffering is an inevitability of life that enhances the meaning of how we enjoy it. Under the leadership of good people, people could’ve been happy knowing that there was little disparity between their suffering and everyone else’s.

Even before the revamp, this idea still holds true. Like I said before, the chances of the Overseers wiping out humanity is slim to none. His desire to remove the Overseers from power is more just his stubbornness to uphold his ideology than anything else. If he had given up his ideals to destroy the Overseers, he might’ve been able to use his powers as a Transcendent and his resistance to the Overseers’ commands to find another way to reform society without as much bloodshed.

The tragedy of his life is that, in spite of having his own free will, he could never have brought himself to give up on his perfect ideals because of his own character flaws - his ego and his insatiability for anything but the absolute best. As a result, he was fated to become a villain, not out of maliciousness or misjudgment, but because he was someone who cared so deeply about people that in his single-minded drive to help them, he inadvertently started treating them like pieces on a board instead of living things with feelings and free will of their own.

When he tells the Adversary about him losing sight of the value of life, he tells them that life is precious because it's finite, and he's actually echoing something that Kellad of the Sharenian Knights had once said - that the beauty of life stems from its brevity - which is something that he had heard from Kellad while posing as Prince Sharen IV in Ergoth’s mirror dimension. While the Sharenian Knights chapter was released after Limina, I think that it was a deliberate choice on the writers' part to echo this line as a deliberate tie-in to the White Mage's dialogue.

Viewing these events chronologically, the fact that he repeated this line to the Adversary means that it clearly must have resonated with him, especially with him knowing that he himself only had a few more years left in his life before he would die at Tenebris. I think that he must have spent a lot of time reflecting on his actions and his mistakes in the last few years of his life, especially about how he had lost sight of the value of life in his pursuit of a perfect world.

Him admitting as much to the Adversary is also the culmination of his own character arc. He comes to understand that the tragedy of his life - to be forever remembered as a villain - was something that he himself had created because of his tunnel-vision. He also came to accept that there’s no redemption for someone like him, but that he can still find peace by finally letting go of his ego and accepting that he isn’t meant to be the savior who makes it out on the other side.

In his final moments, he tells the Adversary that they, not him, are the one who deserves to inherit the future, because they’re someone who’s gone through the same struggle as him - a fight against a higher power - but unlike him, the Adversary never once gave up their core values, making them worthy to achieve what he never could. Though the White Mage couldn’t let go of his ideals in his past, he can now make peace with the fact that he doesn’t have to be the only one to save humanity, which mirrors the Adversary’s own realization that they don’t have to be the only one who suffers and sacrifices themselves to save the world.

When Lucid looked into the Black Mage’s mind in Lachelein and saw that nothing exists in his perfect world, not even him, she thought that it was because the Black Mage wanted to die in the process of creating an empty world. Personally, I like to interpret it not as him wanting to create an empty world, but him not having any idea of what that perfect world looks like, only that he knows that he isn’t meant to be a part of it.

In the original Heroes of Maple storyline, Freud mentions that he believes that the time will come when the world outgrows its need for Transcendents and kings, eventually coming to a point where people grow capable of ruling themselves through compassion and mutual goodwill, which is something that gets echoed here in Limina. In the original version, it was shown through how the world is finally ready to outgrow its dependency on the White Mage to help it escape the Overseers’ influence, but there's a bit more depth added to this in the revamp.

Now, it's the idea of letting go of ideology in favor of instinct. Something that we see in the story is how ideals are chains that restrict freedom. The Overseers embody the ideal of order. The Black Mage's ideals of a perfect world were something that he couldn't let go of, and it caused the world to nearly be destroyed twice. The Adversary was chained by their own conception of being a savior, which drove them to losing their will to live when they couldn’t embody the idea of being a perfect hero who can always save everyone no matter what.

Even after they made it out of the labyrinth, them losing the will to live didn’t go away, it just evolved into their toxic belief that they had to be ready to die in order to save the world until Tana helped them break free from that mindset and reminded them of their instinct to live. When they tell the Black Mage what had driven them, they explain that it wasn't some pursuit of a grand ideal like saving the world, but rather, it was simply their instincts, their free will, and their faith.

The message of the story might err on the side of simplistic without introducing nuance about the time and place of when to follow your ideals and when to let them go, but there's still something very satisfying and cathartic in the idea of a simple world where just caring about each other and being kind is enough to make things better. In our world, where everyone has their own schemes and selfish goals to get to the top, the game offers a hopeful outlook that a perfect world isn't something that we attain through some abstract ideal like “ultimate light” or “destiny”, it’s something much simpler and comes through nothing more than our determination and our instinct to choose to be better, which is something that no one - not even a god - can take away from us.)

Back aboard the Alliance fleet, all the soldiers who had been scattered into Erda were restored to life. As the Adversary returned back into the material world, they heard the White Mage’s final words congratulating them for their victory in having escaped the destiny that he had set for them and finding a new path. He told them that the future was now in their hands, adding that though he didn’t know what kind of enemies they would face next, he trusted them to face it. He then asked them once again to keep persevering, and that he would give his blessings for the future that they would create.

The Adversary then appeared before the astonished Alliance leaders, with Edea wondering whether the Black Mage had used the power of creation to resurrect them. However, Claudine happily declared that it didn’t matter, as the only important thing was that the Adversary was alive. A teary-eyed Cygnus asked the Adversary to never disappear like that again before thanking them for coming back. With everyone in the Alliance slowly returning back to life, the Adversary spoke a final farewell to the Black Mage once and for all.

After getting some much-needed rest, the Adversary soon returned back to the Outpost, where Cygnus greeted them and asked if they had gotten some rest after defeating the Black Mage, to which the Adversary replied that it had been ages since they had been able to sleep as well as they had. Neinheart then told the Adversary that he had several things to report, with the first being that Orchid had disappeared after the battle. He explained that he had attempted to ask Guwaru about her whereabouts, though Guwaru had refused to cooperate.

Neinheart added that the Alliance was continuing to track her down, and that though she had helped the Alliance during the Arcane River and Tenebris expeditions, they could not ignore all her past crimes. Nevertheless, he admitted that they would have to think about how to handle her if she had truly changed her ways. He then added that there were others waiting to meet them, causing the Adversary to worry whether there was another threat. Just then, several other leaders of the Alliance arrived, causing the Adversary to realize that Neinheart had merely been joking.

(A/N: Each class gets a unique script for this part.

For Explorers, Athena Pierce, Grendel, and Kyrin arrive and congratulate the Explorer for all that they’ve accomplished. They reminisce about how curious and wide-eyed the Explorer had been when they had first met, and how much has changed since then. If the Explorer is a warrior or a thief, Athena Pierce will tell them that their job instructor couldn’t make it, though they send their best regards. Dances with Balrog, the Dark Lord, and Lady Syl got completely sidelined from the entire story and I’ll forever be salty about it.

For the Cygnus Knights and Mihile, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them, adding that it’s thanks to them that the Alliance was able to rally around Cygnus, who led them to victory. Cygnus agrees and notes that it’s thanks to them that they were able to gain everyone’s trust and unite as one.

Claudine then admits that they were reliable, to which Neinheart laughs that if Claudine is saying that, then they must already know what everyone else is thinking. As Claudine bickers with Neinheart, Cygnus laughs and notes that Claudine and Neinheart seem to be getting along well, to which both of them are flustered into silence.

For the Resistance classes and Xenon, Claudine proudly calls them a valued member of the Resistance. She explains that everyone else has already returned to Edelstein, and though they had all wanted to go back with the Resistance member, she hesitates before explaining that they had needed someone to stay and clean up. Neinheart laughs and tells Claudine to be honest, reminding her that she had insisted that she would stay and meet with the Resistance member on behalf of everyone. Claudine gets embarrassed, though she quickly recovers and tells the Resistance member that it’s time to go home, as everyone is waiting.

For the Demon, Neinheart tells him that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Claudine adds that no matter what he did in the past, he’s always been at the Resistance’s side. Cygnus tells him that he no longer lives under the shadow of the Black Mage, and that he’s a valued member of the Alliance.

She then asks what he’ll do now, to which he says that he’s not sure. He thinks to himself that there’s nowhere to go home to and no one that’s waiting for him. Cygnus then tells him that no matter where he goes or what he finds, the Alliance will always be there for him. The Demon is overwhelmed by the overwhelming support of everyone and jokes that this is one way to make new acquaintances.

For all the Heroes except Evan and Shade, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Cygnus notes that they’ve been keeping Maple World safe for so long, and now they’ve saved the world from the greatest threat that they’ve ever faced. She then thanks them and vows that the Alliance will continue protecting the world that they’ve given everything to save.

For Evan, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Cygnus thanks Evan for everything that he’s done for them. Athena Pierce then adds that she’d never thought that he’d grow so much, to which Evan laughs in embarrassment and says that he still has a lot to learn. Cygnus smiles and tells him that he doesn’t need to be so modest, as he’s already the hero of the Alliance. Athena agrees with Cygnus and adds that they have no doubt that he’ll become a great Dragon Master, and perhaps even greater than Freud.

For Shade, Neinheart tells him that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that they’ll never forget his part in the battle, or his sacrifice. Neinheart agrees and calls Shade a hero for the ages. Shade is lost for words and chuckles awkwardly before thanking everyone. Cygnus then asks Shade what’s next for him, which causes Shade to think that he hadn’t even thought about that.

He then wonders to himself what heroes do once their villains are gone before supposing that he should be happy that he’s still alive to wonder that. He then thinks to himself that there must be more before telling Cygnus that he’s planning to go on a quest to find himself. Cygnus then wishes him a safe and fulfilling journey.

For Zero, Neinheart tells Alpha and Beta that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus explains that the world has found peace thanks to the two of them, adding that they’ve done so much. She then asks what they’ll do now, to which they reply that they’re planning to sleep for a few weeks. They also think to themselves that they need to think about what they’ll be doing from now on. Cygnus then tells them that they’ve done just as she’d hoped.

For all Grandis classes, Neinheart tells them that all of Maple World owes them a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that the Alliance’s allies in Grandis played a major role in bringing peace to Maple World, for which they have her utmost gratitude. Edea notes that they were fortunate enough that the situation on Grandis was quiet enough for them to come. She adds that there’s no telling what will happen next, though this was a nice enough break. Cygnus then promises that Maple World will be there when Grandis needs help, just as the Adversary was there for Maple World.

For Kinesis, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Grendel adds that he was surprised when Kinesis had arrived on Maple World, but he believes that Kinesis has grown a lot. Cygnus then asks him what he’ll do now, to which Kinesis replies that he’s going to visit his friends, as he hasn’t seen them in a while. He then laughs that they’ll know why once he tells them. Cygnus then tells him that a lot of other people on Maple World will miss him too.

For Hayato and Kanna, Neinheart tells them that all of Maple World owes them a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that peace has been brought back to Maple World because of people from other worlds like them, for which they have Cygnus’ utmost gratitude. Princess Sakuno then arrives, much to Hayato/Kanna’s surprise, and replies that they stand together as one Alliance.

She explains that Maple World has accepted them, and so it’s only right for them to return the favor. She then turns to Hayato/Kanna and notes that they’ve saved the world yet again, adding that she couldn’t be prouder. Cygnus thanks Sakuno and promises that the Alliance will be there when the Sengoku Warriors need help, just as Hayato/Kanna and the Sengoku Warriors have done. Sakuno replies that she doesn’t need a reward for helping her comrades, though she adds that she appreciates the sentiment.

For Beast Tamer, Neinheart tells her that all of Maple World owes her a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus thanks her once again for everything, while Athena Pierce tells her that she had never imagined that she would grow to such heights, adding that it’s truly impressive. Chase replies that she still has a long way to go, adding that she’s just happy that she could fight alongside the five Heroes. Cygnus tells Chase that she’s already a hero to all of them, and that she can enjoy the feeling a little, to which an awestruck Chase marvels at the fact that she’s now considered a hero.)

Meanwhile, at the Aboris Royal Palace, Melange presented the book that Will had dropped in Esfera and recited the Black Mage’s prophecy of the final battle to Gerand Darmoor. Melange noted that Darmoor must be pleased to have received such a useful book, as well as to have detected the seed of the new world that the Black Mage had left behind. Darmoor then ordered Melange to find Aeona and the Seed, claiming that all would be ‘there’.

(A/N: I was so shook when this was first revealed, I never expected Melange to be a traitor. Originally, Melange said that he had found a way to thwart destiny, not that he had detected the seed of the new world. This was changed a few months after Tenebris was released, although for some reason, it still hasn’t been changed in GMS.

The GMS localization makes it sound like the Seed is the Tower of Oz, which is what the Seed is called outside GMS, and it’s also where Alicia’s soul remains after her physical body was destroyed. Because of this, a lot of people in GMS speculated that Darmoor wants Alicia’s soul, and the fact that he said that “all would be there” likely meant that Tana would somehow be in the Tower of Oz too.

However, it’s clear from the KMS translation that Darmoor really just wants the seed of the new world, which probably refers to the Genesis Crux, and that honestly makes a lot more sense when you consider that Tana had emerged from the Genesis Crux to help us, explaining why she and the seed of the new world would be in the same place.

The end of Limina also marks the end of the Black Mage arc, which spanned for roughly eleven years from 2007-2018. GrandisStory officially began a year later with the Glory update in 2019, which we’re currently in the midst of. There’s no telling how long it’ll last, but given how many open plot points there are, I can easily see it lasting for at least five to ten more years at minimum.

I have very mixed opinions about the Grandis storyline, but I’ll complain about it later. For now, I’ll end this section with a bittersweet sendoff for Maple World and its horrendously mishandled finale, and a huge thanks to KMS for protesting vocally enough for Nexon to retcon it into something that can be barely considered passable. To commemorate it, here are my feelings on the Maple World vs Grandis debate in the form of a meme video.)

Aftermath:

Following the battle against the Black Mage, the Adversary met with Jean in the Morass. Jean noted that a strange wave of Erdas had been released and asked the Adversary whether they had defeated the Black Mage. He congratulated them for their victory and told them that he knew that they could do it, and that there was no one else he could have trusted but them to succeed. He then explained that with the Black Mage’s death, Erdas would no longer be pulled from Maple World, after which he asked them what they planned to do now.

The Adversary told him that they would return back to Maple World, to which Jean asked whether they were sure that there was no other work left for them to do in the Arcane River. At their confusion, Jean told them that they should meet with all the Erdas of the Arcane River, as they must all be worried. At Jean’s suggestion, the Adversary first traveled to Arcana and met with the Small Spirit, who was pleased to see them return. He noted that they had gone off to do something important after the Vortex of Light had dissipated and asked whether they had finished their mission.

As the other spirits of Arcana gathered around, the Adversary told them that they had succeeded in defeating the Black Mage. Though the spirits had no idea who he was, they believed that he must have been an evil person if the Adversary had killed him. The Adversary then asked how the spirits were, to which they explained that the Spirit of Harmony was no longer in hiding, and that everyone was happy together in the forest. However, the Small Spirit revealed that evil spirits still dwelled within the forest, though they were slowly returning back to normal.

After the Adversary finished catching up with the spirits, they traveled to Lachelein and met with Gray Mask, who was surprised to see them and asked whether they had completed their mission after they had set out with the red fog around Lachelein slowly rolling away. He then called over Protective Mask, who listened to the Adversary’s story about the Black Mage. Gray Mask was surprised to learn that even Lucid herself had been someone else’s subordinate, with Protective Mask noting his amazement that there existed someone stronger than the one who had dreamed up an entire city.

He was pleased to hear that the Adversary had defeated the Black Mage and hoped that Lucid could find some peace, admitting that he didn’t hate her, despite everything she had done. Though he wondered whether it was because he had been born from her mind, he noted that he only felt pity for her now. He explained that Lucid must have felt that she had needed to create a world of dreams, even though she had known that it was all fake, and that he hoped that she would find her freedom, just as the people of Lachelein had.

Gray Mask then noted that the Adversary’s purpose in traveling the Arcane River had been fighting the Black Mage from the beginning. He explained that though Lucid had vanished, the nightmare itself still remained, and that he had been worried that he may slip back into it again. However, he added that he was no longer afraid, as the Adversary had just defeated the real culprit behind the nightmare, for which they could all finally relax.

The Adversary then traveled to Chu Chu Island, where Chief Lyon gathered together the entire village. The villagers learned about how the Adversary had defeated the Black Mage and recalled the Adversary’s explanation about how the Black Mage was an evil Transcendent who was trying to destroy the world. Though they had little idea what that meant, Lyon congratulated the Adversary for saving the world regardless. Master Lyck expressed his surprise that they had been trying to get past Muto to defeat the Black Mage, as he had simply thought that they were searching for new ingredients.

Pimi realized that the battle must have been why the Alliance had been rushing back and forth the Arcane River lately, with Pidol congratulating them on their victory. The Adversary told Pidol that the Arcane Symbol which he had given them as a gift had helped them in the battle, though Pidol quickly reverted back to his usual scatterbrained self again. Lyon then called for a festival in the Adversary’s honor and invited the people of Yum Yum Island to attend as well. Simia and Lyck then prepared meals for everyone’s different tastes, including Muto as well.

At the village outskirts, Caster, Muppy, Bappy, and Puptail arrived to greet the Adversary, with Muppy and Bappy immediately beginning to dance loudly. Pibik then tasted a dish that Lyck had made especially for those with peculiar tastes, causing him to immediately collapse in disgust, which Lyck mistook for Pibik being overwhelmed by its excellent flavor. Simia then asked Caster whether the people of Yum Yum Island had peculiar flavor palettes and invited them to try all the food in order to find out for themselves.

After the festival ended, the Adversary met with the people of Reverse City, who were pleased to see them again. The Adversary then began recounting the full story about their journey in the Arcane River. Alamo was surprised to learn that the Black Mage had been pulling in Erdas from Friends World and wondered whether it was something that a normal human could do. He noted that it was a good thing that the Black Mage had been defeated so that there wouldn’t be more victims of his machinations, such as Barr.

Rasol then revealed to the Adversary that after they had left, people from Friends World had continued visiting Reverse City after being pulled into the Arcane River. She explained that the townspeople had done their best to send them back through the portal between Reverse City and Friends World, and that the displaced people had been quite cooperative, and even somewhat excited to be visiting after having read Barr’s survival book. Rasol added that it was quite fun interacting with them, and that she wondered whether they could even go to Friends World themselves, noting how they had gone from hiding in the sewers to helping lost people.

Finally, the Adversary traveled to the Nameless Town, where a surprised Chief Legato asked them why they had returned when Kao was gone and there was nothing else for them to do in the village. After the Adversary explained what had happened, Legato noted that even someone as powerful as the creator of the Vanishing Journey had met his end. He added that he shouldn’t be surprised, as everything on the Vanishing Journey had an end.

He explained that it was hard to feel emotion when someone passed away, as he and the other Erdas of the Vanishing Journey were barely holding on to fading memories. Nevertheless, he added that he felt a faint sense of happiness because of the Adversary, as it had been quite a long time since someone had come to him and told him their story. He then thanked them for visiting him and promised that their conversation would be hung upon the tree as a precious memory. With that, he bade the Adversary farewell and gave them his blessings for the journey ahead.

Having said goodbye to all the Erdas of the Arcane River, the Adversary returned back to Jean, who asked them whether they had met everyone whom they had formed close bonds with. He noted that it would be impossible to meet everyone, as they must have undoubtedly met quite a number of people on their long journey. He asked whether they had felt happy or sad while meeting them, noting that though it may have seemed like a hassle, it was something that they ought to have done at least once before the Arcane River disappeared.

At the Adversary’s shocked expression, Jean told them that with the Arcane River having been artificially created by pulling in Erdas from Maple World, the Black Mage’s death had made it so that those Erda would naturally scatter and return back to where they had originally come from. He apologized to the Adversary for overwhelming them, explaining that he had thought that they had already figured it out on their own. However, he reassured them that it would still take several hundred years for the Arcane River to fully disappear, as it was filled with an enormous volume of Erda.

He told the Adversary that their conversation wasn’t a goodbye unless they somehow never found themselves back in the Arcane River again, though he added that he was sure that wouldn’t be the case. He then noted his surprise that the Adversary appeared so sad about the Arcane River vanishing, as he had believed that they would be glad that the place which had given them so much hardship was disappearing. Nevertheless, he affirmed that it needed to disappear, as such an unnatural concentration of Erda drawn out from its original source would only cause great imbalance to the world.

The Adversary asked Jean what he meant by the Erdas returning back to where they belonged, to which he explained that the Erdas had come from Maple World, and that they would slowly return back to Maple World over time. He admitted that he, too, was disappointed that the Arcane River was disappearing, explaining that his journey with the Adversary had been incredible, and that he likely wouldn’t ever have that again. However, he noted that his home was Maple World, and that he would need to go back to his home someday as well.

He explained that until then, he would remain in the Morass as Jean, as the townspeople would notice his absence otherwise. He then laughed that his current form was much more fun than swimming along the Arcane River as a Flying Fish, for which he invited them to visit him whenever they wished. After a pause, he thanked the Adversary for traveling across the Arcane River to hear the Erdas’ voices, for defeating the Black Mage, and for saving the whole world, adding that he would never forget them.

After the final battle, the Adversary met with Jenn the Locksmith in El Nath. Jenn recognized them as the hero who had defeated the Black Mage and told them that he had known from the start that they weren’t just an ordinary adventurer. He explained that thanks to their help, he was getting by in El Nath alongside his brother, despite it being difficult to make a living there. He then revealed that something strange was happening at the Lion King’s Castle and asked them to find out what was going on.

The Adversary traveled to the Lion King’s Castle, where they discovered that the area was completely devoid of monsters. At the castle grounds, they encountered the ghost of Luden, who greeted them and explained that he had been waiting. The Adversary asked Luden why the castle was so empty and quiet, to which he revealed that Von Leon’s curse had vanished after the Black Mage’s death. He thanked the Adversary for defeating the Black Mage and breaking the chains of hatred and revenge upon Von Leon, who had found true peace at last.

Luden explained how, after the Black Mage’s death, Von Leon’s curse had been lifted, causing him to immediately begin dying with his immortality severed. Von Leon had realized that even the Black Mage, whom he had thought would exist forever, had been vanquished, and that it was a cause for celebration to be released from such bondage. As he collapsed upon the ground, Von Leon noted that the end that he had long been waiting for was coming, causing him to wonder whether he would finally see Ifia again.

As Von Leon passed away, Ifia’s ghost rushed to the throne room as she felt the dark energy around the castle lifting. Finding her husband’s body on the floor, Ifia began sobbing profusely, though she told herself that she would not be sad if it meant that he was free at last. Nevertheless, she lamented that she had still been unable to see him one last time, even at the very end. Suddenly, Von Leon’s ghost emerged from his body, finally able to see his beloved wife in death.

As the two tearfully embraced, Von Leon told her that he had waited to see her again, while Ifia affirmed that she hadn’t left his side, even after centuries. Von Leon then apologized to Ifia, explaining that he had committed far too many sins in the name of vengeance for her death, adding that he had made her suffer for centuries as a result. He asked Ifia not to forgive him for his sins, to which she told him that he didn’t need to apologize to her, as she couldn’t blame him for anything. She then told him that he had her forgiveness, and hers alone, out of the love that she had for him. Von Leon reaffirmed his own love for Ifia and promised that he would never lose her again, with the two departing together for the afterlife.

After Luden finished recounting his story, he noted that the Adversary may not have liked Von Leon’s ending, believing that his fate had been too lenient after all the sins that he had committed. However, he admitted that he was but a helpless knight, and that he was glad if his king and queen had found true peace at last. He then explained that though the castle was empty, the monsters which had temporarily vanished would soon return alongside Von Leon’s afterimage in the throne room. Nevertheless, he noted that those, too, would disappear someday, buried in the white snow of El Nath.

He told the Adversary that he hoped that they would remember him, as it was time for him to leave as well. At the Adversary’s surprise, Luden explained that a knight must follow his king, and that he had only remained behind in order to tell them about Von Leon’s fate. He then thanked the Adversary for everything before disappearing into the afterlife as well. With the spirits of the castle slowly departing, the monsters slowly began to return alongside Von Leon’s afterimage.