PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 10: Siege of Heliseum

(A/N: The Heliseum prequests were initially one of the most exhausting quests in the entire game. Y’all can’t even begin to fathom just how much I suffered while doing them over and over again for every single Grandis class while also taking notes on the whole thing. I spent almost two months just on this section alone, and good god, those might have been the longest two months of my life. I’ll spare you the misery and the melodrama, but I honestly deserve a goddamn medal for this. And maybe a vacation to KMS headquarters so that I can give the story team a piece of my mind.

Fortunately, the Heliseum storyline was revamped alongside Angelic Buster during the KMS Fall 2023 update, which significantly shortened the quests and streamlined them into a singular narrative, as well as standardizing the level requirement from level 90 to 100. Before the revamp, Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena had significantly different questlines than other classes, and they were also much longer than the regular one. At the same time, these quests built upon and expanded their class stories in a much-needed way, especially with Cadena, and so I consider those quests to be an integral part of their storylines.

The original Heliseum storyline, which you can see in the pre-Destiny page, was formatted to have four different storylines in their own sub-sections (the generic story, Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena). Because of the way that the revamp has changed the flow of the story, however, I think that I can keep everything under one section under the generic title of “Alliance member” for everyone’s storyline, with the exception of certain portions of exclusive dialogue for those three main Nova classes, as well as certain other Grandis classes. Because of this, I’ll make notes about where those special storylines converge and diverge from the generic story.

As an important disclaimer, I’ve been unable to find any playthroughs online of Cadena’s revamped Heliseum prequest, as the one video which someone put up got taken down before I could make a backup of it. Because of this, this section will unfortunately remain incomplete until the update comes out to GMS. However, from the small skim-through I did, most of her story seems almost all-but-identical to the pre-revamp version, and I’ll make certain notes about important details from her story that are lore-relevant.)

Having increased their strength since repelling Magnus’ invasion of Pantheon, the Nova began their operation to retake Heliseum. With Edea appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Nova army and Piston as her second-in-command, their forces were able to push into Heliseum and establish the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.

As the battle began, Kaiser was summoned back to Pantheon by Beldar, who told him that the Nova had finally begun the operation to retake Heliseum. Though he admitted that Magnus was a formidable foe, he explained that they couldn’t put it off any longer, as they needed to recover the Outrigger, a holy relic given to the Nova by their Ancient Gods. In order to gather allies, Beldar asked Kaiser to deliver a letter to the Cygnus Knights in Ereve.

In Ereve, Kaiser delivered the letter to Neinheart, who told him that the Alliance needed to hold a conference to discuss the matter. At the conference, Claudine and Athena Pierce were informed by Neinheart about the Nova. Athena noted that though she knew about Grandis, it was strange to work with people from an entirely different world. Claudine pointed out that if the Nova were asking for help in defeating Magnus, a former Commander, it was inevitable that the Alliance would want to aid them.

Neinheart agreed and added that he felt uneasy about the fact that Magnus knew about Maple World, even though they knew almost nothing about Grandis. He explained that it may even be a good opportunity to gather information about Gerand Darmoor. Though the Alliance remained in agreement to send help, Claudine pointed out that it would be difficult to mobilize a large number of troops, to which Neinheart explained that he wasn’t planning to, as it would be too difficult to send a large force to another world.

He also noted that the Nova themselves wouldn’t want many troops from a foreign power in their homeland when trust hadn’t yet been fully established. Because of this, Neinheart explained that he would send only volunteers and the Alliance’s most elite soldiers to assist the Nova in their operation. Kaiser then returned back to Pantheon and informed Beldar about the Alliance’s plan to reinforce the Nova.

(A/N: These next few quests are the Heliseum intro quests for several Grandis classes, most of which follow the same format. For some weird reason, all Grandis classes besides Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena are treated as though they come from Maple World because they’ve all been given the generic storyline. These classes typically have a class-exclusive quest to initiate the Heliseum prequests, followed by a class-exclusive quest after retaking Downtown Heliseum. Although I separated out these quests in the old version of this section, I’m listing them all out here in a serialized way, since that’s how I’m doing this current version of the section.)

Soon after, Kylan summoned Illium to Pantheon and told him that Beldar had requested aid from the Maple Alliance about reclaiming Heliseum. Illium noted that Beldar didn’t trust him, but Kylan told him that Beldar might see the Verdant Flora in a different light if Illium were to help the Nova. Illium went to see Beldar, who told him that though he still didn’t trust him, he trusted Kylan’s recommendation. He then asked Illium to travel to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ in order to meet with Piston and Edea. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

Meanwhile, Kaiser contacted Ark to let him know about the good news that he had mentioned during their encounter in Sleepywood and asked him to come to Pantheon. He reassured Ark that the barrier wouldn't affect him as much, since was stronger now, though he warned that Ark would still feel weaker. In Pantheon, Kaiser told him that he had convinced the Council to allow Ark to join the Heliseum Reclamation HQ, though he added that not everyone had agreed. Even though he knew that Ark didn’t have bad intentions, Kaiser explained that he still needed proof that the Nova would be safe, since it was his responsibility as the Guardian.

However, he then added that Ark’s lack of hesitation to help those in trouble served as proof enough to him. He also told Ark that though he hadn’t been able to tell him before, the people who had arrived in Pantheon earlier had been Verdant Flora, adding that Ark may encounter them soon. Ark was hesitant about the news, as he was worried about how the Verdant Flora would take his presence as a High Flora. Nevertheless, he went to Pantheon and met Beldar, who directed him to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

Elsewhere, Adele received a letter from Fenelle asking for her aid in retaking Heliseum. She traveled to Pantheon and met Beldar, who told her that though he didn’t trust her, he was willing to work with her because of Fenelle’s recommendation. He told Adele to meet with Piston and Edea at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

Some time later, Fenelle reached out to Khali and explained that the Nova were fighting to retake their capital, and that now was their chance to do so. She then asked Khali to return to Pantheon in order to aid them. Khali noted to herself that the Nova had believed in and helped her, a High Flora, and so, she decided that she would be happy to help if she could. Fenelle asked her to learn more from Beldar, who told her that though he didn’t trust her, he was willing to work with her because of Fenelle’s recommendation. He told Khali to meet with Piston and Edea at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

Meanwhile, Kain received a letter from Gen, who wrote that the Nova were planning to retake Heliseum and asked him to assist them, as the Nova were one of the Shadowdealers’ biggest clients and their loss would affect the Shadowdealers. In exchange for access to the Shadowdealers’ intelligence network, Kain agreed to help the Nova. Kain met Beldar in Pantheon, who recognized him by the new name that Gen had given him. (A/N: This is just the IGN of the player.) He then directed Kain to meet with Edea and Piston at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

While on her travels, Lara was approached by Kain on behalf of the Shadowdealers, who told her that the Nova were preparing to retake Heliseum. Kain was surprised that Lara readily accepted his request without even considering stipulations, payments, or even details. He connected her with Beldar in Pantheon, who explained their situation and asked her to travel to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)

Elsewhere, Hoyoung received a letter from Fenelle asking for his aid in retaking Heliseum. He traveled to Pantheon and introduced himself to Beldar, who was surprised to see an Anima not in hiding. He then asked Hoyoung to meet with Edea and Piston at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.

(A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one. With the Grandis classes out of the way, here’s the starting quest for non-Grandis classes.)

Soon after, Neinheart reached out to an Alliance member and explained that he was contacting them in regards to an important Alliance matter. He asked them whether they had heard rumors about another world and revealed that they were true. The Alliance member traveled to Ereve, where Neinheart told them that according to various records and verified data, there were indeed other worlds besides Maple World, and that one of them was a world called Grandis.

He explained that amongst the people of Grandis, a race called the Nova had already established good relations with the Alliance, as both the Nova and the Alliance had a common enemy in Magnus, a traitorous Nova who had once been a Commander of the Black Mage. He told the Alliance member that though the Alliance had been preoccupied with matters concerning Maple World, it was clear that there were grave threats from other worlds that they were facing, which was why they were working with the Nova to learn more about them.

He then asked the Alliance member whether they would be willing to take on a new mission to help the Nova gather information in their mission to retake Heliseum from Magnus. He revealed that he had specially chosen them for the mission, as they had already demonstrated great courage and strength throughout their service to the Alliance. The Alliance member accepted Neinheart’s request and used the Interdimensional Portal to travel to the Great Temple in Pantheon, where they met with Fenelle.

Fenelle greeted them as a hero of Maple World and told them that she had been told that Maple World would be sending warriors to help the Nova, adding that she hoped that the relationship between the Nova and the Alliance would continue to prosper. She then led the Alliance member to Beldar, who expressed his sincere gratitude to them for lending their aid. He explained that the Nova had been planning to retake Heliseum for many years, and with the appearance of powerful warriors like Kaiser and Angelic Buster, the Nova had gone forward with their plan to retake the capital by establishing the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.

However, as Magnus’ Specter army was too strong for them to face, he asked the Alliance member for their aid in the battle. After the Alliance member accepted, Beldar asked them to meet with Tiron at the dimensional door to Heliseum. There, the Alliance member found Tiron crying. (A/N: If the player is Angelic Buster, Tiron enthusiastically fanboys over her before he randomly goes back to crying like in the regular script. Talk about whiplash lol.)

Tiron explained that Specters had just attacked HQ, and that the two Nova commanders – Edea and Piston – had rushed in to rescue the soldiers cut off from the others. Though he had faith that Edea and Piston would be safe, he told the Alliance member that he was worried that the operation was taking much longer than usual, with the number of soldiers holding the barricade growing smaller.

The Alliance member immediately rushed into the battle, where they encountered Edea and Piston holding the line. Edea recognized the Alliance member as the reinforcements from Maple World and asked them to help defeat the Specters. (A/N: If the player is Kaiser or Angelic Buster, Edea and Piston will recognize them immediately.) After retaking HQ, Edea thanked the Alliance member for their help and noted that their battle prowess was incredible, especially after hearing that the Alliance had sent only its most elite soldiers.

(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, in which Edea notes that Kaiser’s battle prowess is incredible, and that he truly is that Kaiser of their generation.

Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, in which Edea notes that her battle prowess is incredible, despite her delicate appearance.)

Edea and Piston then introduced themselves before explaining the situation at HQ. Edea explained that the Specters had been attacking quite frequently, though the most recent attack had caught them off-guard with the sheer size and scale of the surprise operation, which made her believe that it was due to a lack of intel on their part. As HQ was lacking in many other things, Edea explained that their first priority was to reestablish their operations before continuing the fight.

Piston told the Alliance member that the Specter Battle Hounds had played a major role in sniffing out HQ, for which he asked them to defeat the monsters. After defeating the Specter Battle Hounds, the Alliance member returned to Piston, who told them that their efforts had helped free the supply lines. However, in order to open them up further, he asked them to defeat the Specter Shieldbearers in the Forest of Choices.

With the Forest of Choices opened up, Edea asked them to check with the quartermaster, Harpoon, about their supply problem. Outside the tent, the Alliance member met Harpoon, who introduced himself and his twin brother, Maroon. Harpoon explained that he and Maroon had chopped off their horns on different sides in order to help people tell them apart.

(A/N: I’m guessing that the Nova don’t have nerve endings on their horns, kind of like hair or fingernails on humans, since cutting off her horns was a huge source of trauma for Cadena. Most likely, they just chopped off the superficial parts of their horns, while Cadena cut her horns from the roots.)

Harpoon then asked them to collect Dinogoth Tails in order to restock their rations. After collecting the meat, they returned back to Harpoon, who thanked them and explained that their next focus was to obtain armor. He revealed that thanks to the help of a great warrior, he had learned that they could take the shields of the Specter Shieldbearers for wood. (A/N: In the original Heliseum prequest, Cadena was the one responsible for giving Harpoon this idea. I’m assuming that this detail has been preserved in Cadena’s new story.)

After the Alliance member obtained the shields, Harpoon thanked them and explained that Edea was looking for them. Back at HQ, Edea told them that with their supply lines and rations secured, she hoped to focus on strengthening the soldiers. She explained that though their soldiers had been trained in Pantheon, none of them had ever faced someone as strong as the Alliance member, and so she asked them to spar with the soldiers in order to help them grow stronger.

After the Alliance member agreed, Piston led them to the training field, where he introduced them to the soldiers and explained that they were a warrior from another world who had come to help them. (A/N: For Kaiser, Piston introduces him as the Kaiser of their generation, while he introduces Angelic Buster as “the famous Angelic Buster”.) He then asked the Alliance member to demonstrate their skills by sparring with the soldiers. After the sparring session, Edea thanked the Alliance member for their help, noting that it would go a long way in making the soldiers ready to retake Heliseum.

Soon after, Edea told the Alliance member that many of the soldiers had unexpectedly asked to spar with them again, as they had been invigorated by the Alliance member’s skills and passion. The Alliance member agreed to another round and fought the soldiers once more. After the battle, Edea told the Alliance member that in addition to training the soldiers, they would need to obtain stronger weapons for the battle.

She revealed that the Nova had a powerful weapon called the Blue Dragon Cannon, which was capable of breaking down a city wall in a single blow, though most of it had been lost years ago during the first battle against Magnus. However, she explained that Eurenth, once known as the Great Sage of the Nova, knew how to restore the weapon. Edea asked the Alliance member to speak with Eurenth, though she warned him that he was rather eccentric, for despite once being a great sage, he was now a recluse who never left his hut in the Forbidden Forest. She also warned them not to mention her name to him, as he would grow even more upset because of it.

The Alliance member traveled through the Forbidden Forest and arrived at Eurenth’s hut, where Eurenth noted that they were a warrior of another race. He explained that he had always been a proponent of gathering the aid of other races, adding that it seemed as though the Nova were finally listening to him.

(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this interaction. When he arrives at Eurenth’s hut, Eurenth recognizes Kaiser by his armor and notes that the new Kaiser seems to have resurfaced quite late, adding that it gives him a bad impression of him.

Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue here. When she arrives at Eurenth’s hut, Eurenth recognizes her from the rumors circulating about an idol. He then notes sarcastically that he’s heard stories about strange people coming to Grandis, though it seems that the strangeness hasn’t stop there. Nevertheless, he feels the power of the sacred stone that Angelic Buster carries, surprising her with his perception as the Great Sage. He then asks her why she’s come to him with the power of a sacred stone.)

The Alliance member then asked him whether he knew how to restore the Blue Dragon Cannon. Eurenth explained that though he did, he couldn’t share that information with just anyone.

(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he insistently tells Eurenth that it’s crucial in retaking Heliseum. Eurenth then recognizes his sincerity and agrees to consider sharing the information.

Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she insistently tells Eurenth that it’s crucial in retaking Heliseum. Eurenth bitterly retorts that Heliseum never should have been taken in the first place, though he nevertheless agrees to consider sharing the information.)

In order to test them, he asked them to obtain the tears of Popo, his pet Kaloong, who was a special monster capable of speech. He explained that Popo only cried for people that it liked, though he hadn’t been able to get Popo to cry for him in years. He told the Alliance member that if they could get Popo to cry for them, it would mean that they were truly a special person worthy of the knowledge.

The Alliance member spoke with Popo and learned that though Eurenth considered it a pet, he never actually fed it. Popo revealed that the Yellow Speeyor monsters had stolen its jewel, and so it asked the Alliance member to recover the jewel in exchange for its tears. The Alliance member recovered the jewel and brought it back to Popo, who ate it and revealed that it was actually candy. For their help, Popo gave them a bottle of its tears.

Popo then revealed that the reason why Eurenth lived alone in the woods was because the Nova had ignored his counsel, which had resulted in Magnus taking over the capital. Since then, Popo had refused to shed its tears for Eurenth, as it wanted him to change his mind and continue helping his people. Popo explained that it hoped that Eurenth would reconcile with his disciple, as it didn’t want to see him stuck in a rut anymore.

(A/N: Eurenth’s characterization has been vastly changed in the revamp, as he was originally the typical pervy sage character, which was a trait that he shared with pre-revamp Eskalade. I’m very thankful that both their characters were changed because watching them sexualize children was honestly one of the worst parts of playing through Angelic Buster’s story.)

The Alliance member then brought Popo’s tears to Eurenth, who was surprised that they had been able to obtain them. He then presented his documents on the Blue Dragon Cannon and revealed that though he had initially planned to withhold them until the Heliseum Council would beg him for it, he would nevertheless give them to the Alliance member, just as he had promised. He then told the Alliance member to hurry and give the documents to Edea. The surprised Alliance member asked how Eurenth had known that Edea had sent them, to which Eurenth told them that only his former disciple would know to send them to him.

The Alliance member then returned back to HQ and gave the documents to Edea, who revealed that though she had once been Eurenth’s disciple, she had stopped considering him her teacher after he had gone into exile. After looking through the documents, Edea realized that the cannon, which converted willpower into energy, would be difficult to restore with the lack of supplies at headquarters. She explained that the amplification device couldn’t be built with their current resources, as the required materials would need to be obtained outside Pantheon.

As the Nova had cut off all trade routes with external merchants after the fall of Heliseum, Edea realized that only way to obtain the materials without establishing a new trade route would be to work with the Shadowdealers. She explained that the Shadowdealers were black market merchants who worked in the shadows. However, she revealed that the scale of their operations was huge, as they had even handed the secret of creating Vision Bombs to the High Flora.

(A/N: Vision Bombs were briefly mentioned in Cadena’s story in a throwaway line about how Mr. Hazard sold Vision Bomb tech to the High Flora. They finally made their debut in the Arteria storyline, in which it’s revealed that Vision Bombs are highly potent poison bombs.) 

Though the Shadowdealers weren’t directly allied with the High Flora – only siding with the highest bidder – Edea told the Alliance member that she had wanted to avoid dealing with them unless it was absolutely necessary, despite the fact that they had reached out to the Nova several times in the past. She then gave the Alliance member a D-03 Transmitter and told them to work with the Shadowdealers to obtain the amplification device for the Blue Dragon Cannon.

At the meet-up spot, the Alliance member contacted a Shadowdealer named Tonero, who recognized the signal as Edea’s and noted his surprise that she had finally reached out to him. After the Alliance member clarified that they had been sent on behalf of Edea, Tonero traveled to the meet-up spot personally and met with the Alliance member. Upon learning that they wanted an amplification device, Tonero agreed to help them in exchange for Specter Cores.

After the Alliance member obtained the cores, Tonero was impressed with how quickly they had returned and noted that they were quite powerful. He also noted that the situation with the Nova seemed to have changed as well, and upon learning that the Nova were planning to retake Heliseum with the help of the Alliance, he told the Alliance member that he believed that the Nova had a high chance of victory.

He then revealed that he hoped to establish trade with the Nova, as they were major race cut off from the outside world, which meant that there would be no other competition. He added that he would always have an ample amount of trade opportunity whether the Nova prolonged the war or retook Heliseum, as they would need military materials during the battle and resources to maintain the capital.

He explained that he had been hesitant to support the Nova initially, for it would be impossible for them to defeat Gerand Darmoor, even if they were to defeat Magnus. However, with the support of allies from outside Grandis, he noted that there was a chance for victory. He then gave the amplification device to the Alliance member and told them to give it to Edea as a show of trust that their transactions were trustworthy.

The Alliance member brought the device to Edea and told her what Tonero had told them. Edea explained that she had been worried about the Shadowdealers taking advantage of their war, for which she decided to speak with the Heliseum Council in order to decide their next move in regard to an alliance with the Shadowdealers.

(A/N: These next parts are listed separately for the sake of continuity, but they happen smoothly within the flow of the current story for Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and classes who follow the generic story. Cadena’s part of the story is supposed to take place before the rest of this, as hers focuses on obtaining the schematics for the Blue Dragon Cannon from the Shadowdealers. After she obtains them, she asks Coney to create special modifications to the weapon, which is the backstory for one of Cadena’s 5th job skills called the Apocalypse Cannon, which is a reforged version of the Blue Dragon Cannon combined with Shadowdealer tech.)

As the Nova began restoring the Blue Dragon Cannon, Edea reached out to the Alliance member and asked them to help obtain High-Quality Oil from the Red Speeyors in order to make the weapon run smoothly. After the Alliance member obtained the oil, Edea thanked them and explained that they would continue working on restoring the weapon.

Soon after, Edea called Kaiser to HQ and asked him to help them with testing the weapon, which had been mainly completed, with the exception of the amplification device. Though Kaiser admitted that he had never fired such a weapon before, Edea explained that for the Blue Dragon Cannon, willpower was more important than artillery skills, which was why she had chosen him for it. Edea told Kaiser that as the amplification device hadn’t been installed, the weapon’s firepower would be minimal and perfect for him to do a test run.

Kaiser traveled to the construction site of the Blue Dragon Cannon, where he marveled at how large it was. By honing his willpower, Kaiser was able to fire the cannon, which let out a large explosion that Kaiser noted was already powerful, despite the amplification device not being installed. Kaiser then reported his findings to Edea, who was impressed to know the weapon’s efficacy. She then told him that the coordinates would soon be set, and that the operation would soon begin.

Edea then called Angelic Buster and explained that they were in the process of gathering the right coordinates for the Blue Dragon Cannon to fire upon. She then asked Angelic Buster to help Tiron, who was busy calculating the coordinates. Angelic Buster then helped protect Tiron from invading Specters while he finished the necessary calculations.

Having successfully obtained the coordinates, Edea contacted the Alliance member and informed them that all the necessary preparations had been made for launching the weapon. However, she explained that though the weapon had immense power, the true operation would begin after launch. Kaiser then activated the Blue Dragon Cannon, after which the Nova and the Alliance fought to drive back the remainder of enemies.

With Piston’s guidance, the Alliance member continued driving the Specter army into the valley near the outskirts of Heliseum, where Edea unleashed a massive wave of lightning to destroy them all at once. With Magnus’ forces in shambles, the Nova were able to push forward and establish a new base camp in Downtown Heliseum.

Edea and Piston then told the Alliance member that before they could push forward to retake Tyrant’s Castle, they would first need to properly setup their new base in the black-market district. The Alliance member began working with Tiron to defeat the Specters near the base. As the Alliance member defeated the Guerrilla Specters, Tiron was amazed by how many Specters had been deployed by Darmoor, causing him to wonder whether the Specters were all made somewhere.

The pair then began clearing out the Specter Engineers, with Tiron noting that there were no Nova living in Heliseum, as the entire capital was filled with nothing but Specters. He speculated that the Nova who had been unable to flee to Pantheon had already been killed long ago. Moving further into downtown, they began eliminating the Power Specters. As they did, Tiron pointed out that Magnus had filled the entire city with low-intelligence Specters who had no leader directing them, which made him believe that Magnus was shut inside the castle for some unknown reason.

After clearing out downtown, the Alliance member returned back to Edea, who told them that based on Tiron’s investigation, she could conclude that the reason why Magnus had left Heliseum overrun with Specters was because he had no interest in the city itself, as his true goal was the Outrigger, which she explained was a holy relic that the Ancient Gods of the Nova had left behind to protect their people.

(A/N: Angelic Buster gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Eskalade expresses his outrage at a traitor like Magnus attempting to take the power of the Outrigger.)

She then told the Alliance member that their next mission was to scout out Tyrant’s Castle in order to confirm that Magnus was inside. She asked them to check the castle, though she noted that they would likely be unable to enter the throne room due to a barrier. However, she warned them not to enter if they found themselves able to enter, as Magnus and his defenses were too dangerous for them to handle alone without preparation.

The Alliance member infiltrated Tyrant’s Castle and arrived at the throne room, which they found to be locked. They reported back to Edea, who realized that the locked door meant that the three Guardians of Heliseum were still active. She explained that the three Guardians were responsible for keeping the keys to the throne room, and that Magnus had swayed two of the three Guardians to his side when Heliseum had fallen, which was how he had been able to take the castle so easily.

(A/N: For Kaiser and Angelic Buster, Edea notes that they must already know about the three Guardians, with Kaiser and Angelic Buster both noting that the three Guardians protect the throne of Heliseum.)

In order to take the keys from the Guardians, Edea devised a plan and asked the Alliance member to defeat the Purple Reagent Rocks and Red Reagent Rocks in the eastern part of the castle. After the Alliance member defeated them, they reported back to Edea, who revealed that Treglow, the eastern Guardian, had created the creatures long ago, and that they still appeared to be active. She then asked the Alliance member to investigate the basement, which they found to be locked with a chemical seal. Edea explained that Treglow would often lock his laboratory in order to block out distractions, though she had several books which he had lent to her, which outlined the creation of his chemical seal.

After looking through the books, Edea told the Alliance member to obtain Purple Reagent and Red Reagent in a 3:2 ratio, which would break the chemical seal. The Alliance member used the reagents in order to melt through the seal before reporting back to Edea. Edea explained that Treglow had been a genius scientist adept in various fields, though chemistry had been his greatest. Despite being celebrated by the Nova, his thirst for achievement had been insatiable, which Magnus had taken advantage of by sending spies to support his research for a long time, procuring books and materials from the High Flora that were difficult to obtain.

Eventually, Magnus had given Treglow a cursed reagent several days before the fall of Heliseum, which he had claimed was extremely useful. Because of the cursed reagent, Treglow had lost his mind, resulting in him obeying Magnus’ orders blindly in his madness. The Alliance member then entered Treglow’s lab and defeated him, taking his key in the process.

With Treglow’s key, the Alliance member returned back to Edea, who noted that though she couldn’t sympathize with Treglow, she was relived that her old colleague’s suffering had been put to an end. She then told the Alliance member that though she was surprised that Treglow had been alive, she was certain that the western Guardian, Victor, was dead. However, she told them to check his workshop in order to see whether his creatures were still there, which would prove that he was actually alive.

In Victor’s workshop, the Alliance member defeated the Red Totem Staffs and Blue Totem Staffs before reporting back to Edea, who was shocked that Victor was still creating minions, despite his death. She asked them to check Victor’s workshop to see what condition he was in, as she was curious to know how he had seemingly survived. The Alliance member peeked through the door and saw that Victor was nowhere in sight.

They reported back to Edea, who asked them to obtain the key. Inside, however, they encountered a magical canvas that began attacking them. After they defeated the creature, the Alliance member obtained Victor’s key and his diary. They gave the diary to Edea, who read through it and learned that long ago, Victor’s fiancée had passed away after falling ill, leaving Victor so heartbroken that he refused to see anyone else, only painting pictures obsessively.

Soon enough, an anonymous sender had given Victor a magical canvas said to bring anything painted upon it to reality. Victor had earnestly drawn his fiancée, though the canvas continued creating only dolls of her. Over time, Victor had felt his soul being bound to the canvas as he compulsively kept drawing upon it.

Edea explained that the diary ended with Victor declaring that he would end his pain by taking his own life. She told the Alliance member that she felt rather shaken to know the fates of her fellow Guardians, and that the magical canvas which they had fought must have been Victor, with his soul trapped inside it. Nevertheless, she took Victor and Treglow’s keys and began combining them with her own.

Just then, however, a Nova soldier arrived and reported that Piston had been seriously injured. At the infirmary, Edea and the Alliance member met with Piston, who explained that Velderoth had attacked them, and that he had become a new Guardian of Heliseum, replacing Edea.

(A/N: Kaiser and Angelic Buster both get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they express their shock upon hearing that Velderoth has sided with Magnus. They also get some exclusive scenes following this, which I’m listing out separately because they intersect with the generic story. For the purposes of this section, I’m making the assumption that Kaiser and Angelic Buster are both present while visiting Piston, regardless of whether or not they’re the player character.)

Soon after, Edea met with Kaiser and noted that he had once been close friends with Velderoth, to which he told her that he had never thought that Velderoth would join Magnus. However, Edea reminded him that they were at war, and that he needed to focus, as such things sometimes happened in war, just like how she was facing her former friends, Victor and Treglow.

Though Kaiser apologized, Edea told him not to be sorry and admitted that a letter had come for him some time ago, which she now realized had been from Velderoth. She explained that in the letter, Velderoth had challenged Kaiser to a one-on-one, and that he had claimed that he would withdraw the Specter army if he lost. Though Kaiser realized that it was likely a trap, he asked Edea to let him follow through with it so that he could reason with his old friend. A hesitant Edea asked him whether he was ready, to which Kaiser vowed that he would handle Velderoth personally if he confirmed that Velderoth had sided with the enemy.

Some time later, Edea met with Angelic Buster and noted that she had seemed quite surprised to hear about Velderoth. Edea then asked whether she knew anything about him, to which Angelic Buster explained that she had once been close friends with him. Edea sympathized with Angelic Buster, though she also reminded her - just like Kaiser - that they were at war, and that she needed to focus, pointing out how facing old friends could sometimes happen, just as she had faced Victor and Treglow.

Though Angelic Buster apologized, Edea told her not to be sorry and admitted that a letter had come for Kaiser some time ago from Velderoth. She explained that in the letter, Velderoth had challenged Kaiser to a one-on-one, and that he had claimed that he would withdraw the Specter army if he lost. Edea noted that it was an obvious trap to separate Kaiser from the rest of their forces, and though she had faith that their forces would be ready for the ambush, Edea asked Angelic Buster to follow Kaiser in order to ensure that he remained safe.

Edea then realized that the Specters would be launching another attack while Kaiser was drawn away, and so she ordered Tiron to locate the Specter army so that the Nova could attack first, which she believed would deal a huge blow to Magnus. Together, the Nova and the Alliance member successfully launched a counterattack that wiped out the remaining Specters.

Meanwhile, Kaiser - with Angelic Buster secretly following - arrived to find Velderoth, augmented with greater power. Kaiser confronted Velderoth and demanded to know how he could have sided with Magnus. Velderoth asked Kaiser whether he remembered when they had first faced Magnus, and how – despite being Kaiser – he had been nothing more than a child before Magnus.

Velderoth revealed that he had come to realize that Magnus was the path to greater, overwhelming power, which was all that mattered. A shocked Kaiser told Velderoth that power was meant to help others, not to dominate them. However, Velderoth told Kaiser that he could continue using his freely-handed power in such a foolish way, while he would use the power that he had earned from Magnus however he wished.

Kaiser told Velderoth that though he had no desire to fight him, he would fulfill his duty as Kaiser and defeat any who had betrayed the Nova. As he transformed into his Kaiser form, Angelic Buster solemnly thought to herself that Velderoth really had betrayed them. Kaiser then fought against Velderoth, while Angelic Buster secretly dispatched the Specter reinforcements which Velderoth had called for.

After a fierce struggle, Kaiser managed to best his former friend, who was surprised to find that Kaiser had grown even stronger. However, Velderoth laughed that he had only been buying time for the Specter army to overrun the black-market district. Declaring that they would meet again, Velderoth disappeared and left Kaiser alone.

Kaiser rushed back to Downtown Heliseum and attempted to warn Edea, who revealed that she had already expected the attack and had used their reinforcements from Maple World to launch a counterattack. Soon after, Angelic Buster returned as well and met with Edea, who explained that Kaiser had already told her the full story. Angelic Buster then revealed that she had dispatched Velderoth’s reinforcements, to which Edea noted in relief that it was fortunate that she had been sent to follow Kaiser, adding that it was thanks to her that they hadn’t lost him.

With little resistance left, Edea hoped to launch the final attack on Tyrant’s Castle. However, she first asked the Alliance member to defeat Velderoth, who was a formidable opponent as the third Guardian of Heliseum.

(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue her, in which Edea wonders whether it’s right of her to ask him to defeat a former friend, noting that Kyle, despite being Kaiser, is still quite young. Though she offers to let another warrior handle it, Kaiser insists on following through with it, claiming that it’s his duty as Velderoth’s former friend to handle the matter.

Angelic Buster gets some similar dialogue here, in which Edea wonders whether it’s right of her to ask Angelic Buster to defeat a former friend, addressing her as Tear. At Angelic Buster’s surprise, Edea notes that they’ve spent a lot of time together, and that she has a sharper eye than most. Though she offers to let another warrior handle it, Angelic Buster insists on following through with it, claiming that it’s her duty as Velderoth’s former friend to face him and try her best to reason with him.)

The Alliance member fought their way into Velderoth’s chambers, where Velderoth was shocked to find that the Nova had come for him. He began wondering whether he had been wrong to leave, though he quickly regained his resolve and noted that he would have stayed nothing if he had chosen to stay in Pantheon. He told himself that all he needed to do was win, so that Magnus could soon arrive and turn the whole situation around. However, he was quickly defeated by the Alliance member, forcing him to retreat.

(A/N: Kaiser gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic interaction. Kaiser fights his way into Velderoth’s chambers, where he finds Velderoth waiting for him. Velderoth curses himself for his stupidity, noting that despite having tried to lead Kaiser into a trap, he was the one who had instead been led into a trap by the Nova, resulting in the destruction of his Specters. He explains that he had never expected Kaiser to use such a cunning strategy, as his image of Kaiser had been of his old, innocent friend.

Upon hearing his words, Kaiser declares that as the Guardian of the Nova, he’ll do anything to protect his people. Velderoth angrily retorts that he’s sick of hearing about how Kyle is Kaiser, adding that none of it would have happened if he had awakened as Kaiser instead. Kaiser then tells Velderoth that it’s over, and that he’ll bring Velderoth to justice. Velderoth is then defeated by Kaiser, forcing him to retreat.

Angelic Buster also gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic interaction. Angelic Buster fights her way into Velderoth’s chambers, where she finds him waiting for her. She attempts to convince Velderoth to return back to Pantheon, claiming that he isn’t the type of person to follow someone like Magnus. When Velderoth demands to know how she could know what type of person he is, Angelic Buster reveals herself as Tear.

However, Velderoth calls her bluff, claiming that Tear has no magical powers. Angelic Buster then revealed that she obtained powers from the sacred stone, and that she had been defeated by Magnus alongside him and Kaiser, for which she had been training hard ever since. To her surprise, however, Velderoth is infuriated to know that just like Kaiser, Tear had been blessed with magical power, whereas he remains the only one amongst them who hasn’t been blessed with luck.

He then declares that it didn’t matter to him whether she’s Tear or not, as he only follows Magnus, whom he believes will be the sole victor in the end. As he declares that he’ll remove her, Tear pauses for a moment before claiming that he’s made his choice. She notes that though she hadn’t been able to stop him from going down his path, she’ll take him down in the name of their old friendship. Velderoth is then defeated by her, forcing him to retreat.)

The Alliance member then reported back to Edea, who noted that while Velderoth may remain a thorn in their side, his injuries meant that he would be out of the picture for some time. She then explained that she had combined the keys and unlocked the throne room. She warned the Alliance member that Magnus would likely be trying to absorb the power of the Outrigger, though the fact that his door had remained locked likely meant that he was encountering trouble. As Magnus taking its power would spell disaster, Edea asked the Alliance member to stop him while the Nova held off the Specters.

The Alliance member arrived in the throne room, where they found Magnus attempting to absorb the power of the Outrigger. However, Magnus was quickly pushed back by the relic, causing him to seethe in fury that he had failed once again. He then cursed the Ancient Gods of the Nova and demanded to know why they continued to reject him, despite having taken the Nova throne.

He then wondered whether they were rejecting him because he had betrayed the Nova, sighing to himself that he should have found a way to take the sacred stones of the Nova and transfer the rest of the Outrigger’s power into them. Nevertheless, he declared that he would never give up, and that the Ancient Gods’ power would be his. He then declared that he would kill every single Nova in the world, even if it meant that he would be the only one left.

(A/N: The Outrigger was created by the Ancient Gods of the Nova after one of the dragon gods, Satiras the Devil Dragon, and his Black Nova followers began a campaign of domination against Grandis. The Outrigger contains the will of the other dragon gods to protect the Nova, and this strong will prevents a mortal like Magnus from misusing its power, though a Transcendent like Darmoor would have the power to go against the will of the gods.)

Just then, the Alliance member confronted him and vowed to stop him. Magnus was surprised to see them and wondered whether Heliseum’s defenses had been breached. He angrily seethed that the Guardians were all useless – even Velderoth, who had originally seemed promising to him. However, he laughed that a fight would be more entertaining, as he was sick of trying to absorb the holy relic.

(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When he arrives at the throne room, Magnus recognizes him as Kaiser, and when Magnus decides to fight, he notes that Kaiser must have grown stronger since the last time they had fought, for which he tells Kaiser to show his full power.

Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When she arrives at the throne room, Magnus doesn’t recognize her and instead refers to her as a stranger. When he decides to fight, he tells her to draw her weapon and show her full power.

The Demon also gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When he arrives at the throne room, he tells Magnus that it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other. Magnus is surprised to see a Commander of the Black Mage on Grandis, and especially on the side of the Nova. He asks the Demon what happened to him after betraying the Black Mage, to which the Demon replies that it’s a long story, just as long as how Magnus had ended up in Heliseum.

Magnus agrees that talking only makes things messier, and so he tells the Demon to state his purpose. The Demon replies that he’s already made his decision, and that he’s come to defeat him. Magnus then laughs that he wishes that the Demon had said that earlier, admitting that he had always wanted to get rid of the Demon too, which transitions into their battle.

All the Heroes except for Evan and Shade also get some exclusive dialogue here. When they arrive at the throne room, Magnus is surprised to see a hero of Maple World fighting in Grandis for the Nova. He then adds that seeing an old enemy after so long brings back memories and declares that he’ll finish them off, which transitions into their battle.)

Magnus and the Alliance member then fought in a fierce battle, during which, Magnus lost control of Guwaru’s power, allowing it to flow back into him on Maple World. (A/N: It’s unknown what this means for Magnus, who had stolen Guwaru’s powers in order to restore his lifespan, which had been cut short by the former Kaiser’s attack, even with Darmoor treating his injuries.)

After the Alliance member emerged victorious, Magnus expressed his shock that he had lost, claiming that it couldn’t be over yet when he still had work to finish. Suddenly, a large, mysterious vortex appeared and sucked in both Magnus and the Outrigger, causing them to disappear from the throne room, leaving behind only the cursed Kaiserium, which was reclaimed and later restored by Kaiser.

The shocked Alliance member returned back to Edea and told her everything that had happened. Though Edea was surprised to learn of Magnus’ fate, she nevertheless thanked the Alliance member profusely for helping them retake Heliseum, explaining that she had never thought that she would see the day that the Nova would regain their capital.

As part of the celebration, the Nova arranged for a festival headlined by Angelic Buster, who agreed to put on a performance for both the Nova and the people of Maple World. After the concert, however, Edea met with the Alliance member and noted that despite her early happiness, there was still a lot of work to do, as Magnus was still alive, the Outrigger was missing, and Heliseum was barely up and running.

She also noted that their true enemy, Gerand Darmoor, had remained completely absent throughout the conflict, which made her wonder whether their struggle to retake a single city was beneath his notice as the ruler of all of Grandis. However, she explained that it was possible that the Nova would fight him one day, and that the people of Maple World may be involved in that battle as well. She told the Alliance member that though his goals remained unknown, it was possible that for someone who already ruled Grandis, it was possible that he would covet to rule another world.

In order to prepare for the coming fight, Edea decided that the Nova would officially join the Maple Alliance, for which she traveled to Ereve in order to finalize the details. There, she spoke with the Alliance leaders, who were pleased with having new allies. Though Claudine was wary about committing to a fight against another enemy when the threat of the Black Mage still remained, Edea noted that she had learned that their two worlds were connected, and that the enemies of one world were the enemies of the other. Cygnus welcomed Edea and hoped that their alliance would make them all stronger.

Soon after, Edea reached out to Kaiser and explained that after the operation, the Council was planning to make him Knight Captain, as Piston was still injured, causing great uncertainty amongst the Nova knights. She told Kaiser that having him as the new captain would add more stability to the situation, adding that it was a reward for his valor in the battle. However, Kaiser refused and claimed that he was still too inexperienced to have the position.

A surprised Edea asked him to spend time thinking about it, as she hoped that she would reconsider. After some time, Kaiser returned to Edea and told him that his position still hadn’t changed. He explained that their true fight was against Gerand Darmoor, and that, just as the Nova were growing stronger through joining with the Alliance, he also needed to grow stronger, which he could only do by traveling the world, rather than being locked in place due to his position. Edea was impressed by Kaiser’s maturity and told him that she would convey his message to the Council.

After helping retake Downtown Heliseum, Ark met with Cadena and introduced himself, reminding her that they had met before in Savage Terminal. He explained his situation to her, and though she still didn’t fully trust him, she acknowledged that his actions to help the Heliseum Reclamation HQ, as well as having saved Coney during their first encounter, was enough to make her believe that at the very least, he wasn’t a follower of Magnus. As they talked, Cadena told him about how Mr. Hazard had nearly destroyed Savage Terminal while making a weapon for Magnus. After Cadena left, Ark realized that the High Flora’s reach was long enough to have even reached Savage Terminal.

At Eurenth’s hut, Ark met Angelic Buster and told her about how Kaiser had recommended him to join the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. She told him that she was grateful for more allies, as it had taken a lot of people to help breach the city. He asked her who else had helped retake Heliseum, to which she replied that she had only heard of the Maple Alliance, the Hero of Justice, and another person who looked similar to Ark. Realizing that it was likely a Verdant Flora, Ark asked if she knew where they were. She pointed him to the City Center, where he encountered Illium.

Though he was nervous, Ark shared his story while Illium occasionally asked questions politely. He also listened to Illium’s story about the Verdant Flora, and how Darmoor had recently discovered their home. Illium told Ark that it had been his master’s dying wish that the High Flora be stopped and hoped that they would meet again.

(A/N: The rest of this section is literally just going to be Beldar going down his list of people to apologize to, so apologies in advance haha. These are supposed to be the quests that most Grandis classes get after the end of the prequest, but you’ll very quickly see that there’s not much substance to them at all, outside of maybe a few classes.)

Soon after, Beldar summoned Ark back and apologized for his behavior, noting that it must have taken great strength and courage on his part to help. He explained that he now believed Kaiser’s word that Ark had good intentions and invited him to visit Pantheon or call on the Nova for help if he ever needed it.

Meanwhile, Morian contacted Illium and told him that Beldar wanted to speak to him. In Pantheon, Beldar told Illium how Edea had mentioned that he had been helpful in reclaiming Heliseum, for which Beldar wanted to offer his deepest gratitude and apologies for mistrusting Illium and the other Verdant Flora. He admitted that the Nova records of the Verdant Flora revealed a dark history, but that Illium’s actions had proven that their histories were biased. He welcomed the Verdant Flora to visit Pantheon whenever they wished and implored them to let him know if they ever needed the Nova’s help.

Beldar then summoned Adele back and apologized for his behavior earlier, calling her a true friend of the Nova.

Soon after, Beldar summoned Khali back and explained that he had received a letter from Fenelle about how she had played a big role in retaking Heliseum. He then apologized for his behavior and thanked her for her help.

Beldar then summoned Kain back and thanked him for his help. He told Kain to tell Gen that there wouldn’t be any more issues in their future dealings, and that he didn’t need to worry about picking up the tab. He also told Kain that Fenelle had sent her best wishes and had asked him to tell Kain, “Memories and Malice are one. You will find both, whether you want them or not.”

Some time later, Beldar summoned Lara back and thanked her for her help.

(A/N: For some reason, Hoyoung is the only Grandis class that Beldar doesn’t call back. After the storyline, there’s a small questline where you can help Romero obtain certain Specter items for his black-market deals. This questline is extremely short and inconsequential, and so I’m not even gonna bother covering it. The following is a special cutscene that takes place for Cadena, which can only be unlocked by defeating Normal Magnus.)

Following the battle against Magnus, Cadena tearfully left flowers on the throne for her family, telling herself that even if her family were to somehow come back, things would never be the same, and that she would never be who she was before. She resolved to stay on the path that she had committed herself to, hoping that she would one day make sense of why she was the only one who had survived.

(A/N: Honestly, the writers did a phenomenal job with how they handled Cadena in this storyline. I like that despite her finally defeating Magnus, which is meant to be the culmination of the goal that she’d set for herself at the start of her storyline, it doesn’t actually give her any closure. Usually, beating the main antagonist of your story is supposed to feel momentous or celebratory, but here, it only feels hollow and pyrrhic. It’s a good reminder that you can’t erase trauma just by being rid of the things that caused it.

I’m usually pretty wary of how media depicts trauma because of how they often simplify it as something that you can just overcome by confronting the root of it and living happily ever after, which is rarely ever true. Sometimes, you’ll never get closure no matter what you do, and even when you’re doing everything right, you might come out feeling even worse. I think that media really needs to move past the idea of characters overcoming trauma and never having it be a problem for them again because not only is that blatantly false, but the people who consume that media end up getting the wrong message.

A lot of times, people describe overcoming trauma as a road, as though it’s a journey of some sort where you can point at yourself and say, “Look, I’m halfway to the finish line.” I think that analogy is pretty reductionist because in my experience, the road to recovery is almost never linear. For every day that you’re going forward, you’ll have some where you’re running in circles, and some where you’ll find yourself going backwards. You can’t divorce yourself from trauma by crossing some magical finish line because you can’t remove something that’s now become a part of you, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t.

For me, I like to view coping with trauma as a thermometer. The goal isn’t to reach a finish line, it’s to stay warm enough for as long as possible. Some days, you’ll feel like there’s a fire in your head that you can’t put out. Other days, you’ll shut down as though you’re buried six feet deep in a snowfield. Thermometers are sensitive like a hairpin trigger and even something as small as a thought can affect the reading.

But eventually, you figure out how to dress for the seasons and the weather gets more bearable every year. Even then, though, trauma can still creep up on you, even if you thought that you were long past it all, and that’s perfectly okay. Your progress isn’t defined by outrunning the things that hurt you. Even accepting that you’ll never know peace is a form of closure in itself. Just like what Cadena said earlier, finding meaning in all the things that were once senseless is the closest thing there is to moving forward.

This was probably a really heavy way to close out this ridiculously long section, but I think that it’s an important PSA to anyone who needs to hear it, and also because it’s a topic that’s very personal to me. With that being said, this is a website about a happy mushroom game, so I’ll end on a positive note - here’s a link to one of my favorite MapleStory meme videos of all time.)