PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 17: Tallahart, Grave of the Gods

(A/N: Tallahart is a major turning point in the continental Grandis story, as it sets the stage for the start of the proper war between the Alliance and the High Flora, with the Primacy being introduced as major allies for the Alliance in Grandis, as well as the Adversary continuing to unlock greater mastery over the World Heart and Darmoor’s true plan to create a paradise for ‘noble lives’ being made even clearer. It’s also the longest storyline at the time of its release, spanning almost two hours without skipping through the story.

Personally for me, the storyline felt a little bit filler-y, as there wasn’t much that really ‘happened’ for the main story as much as it did tell a big self-contained story with hints of what’s to come next, but I still thought that it was one of the better entries in the Grandis storyline. Even though it could’ve explored it a bit deeper, it did a really good job of showing us more about the Ancient War and touched on the concept of the Adversary and how we’re different from our predecessors who were created in Odium. Unfortunately, they did sort of waste the villains, since the new Apostle, Baldrix, felt like a bit of a non-character, but overall, there wasn’t anything I was super disappointed with in particular.

At the time of its release in the test server, there was a little bit of confusion regarding how Tallahart fit together with the Extradimensional Visitors event, since a lot of the dialogue was worded as though we had never met the Primacy in Tirnog. This was fixed in the live server, and I used the chance to fill in the conditional exclusive dialogue in the case that the player didn’t complete the Extradimensional Visitors event.)

Soon after the dimensional machine was stabilized inside Tirnog, Neinheart summoned the Adversary to Ereve in order to brief them on the movements of the High Flora army. He explained that Hawkeye – originally tasked with locating Havoc after the battle of Cernium – had instead switched focus to monitoring the Flora army after Havoc had revealed himself at Carcion. The Adversary then traveled to Ereve, where they met with Neinheart and a hologram of Hawkeye.

(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue with Hawkeye at the beginning of their interaction. Hawkeye greets Mihile and hesitantly notes that he must have been having a hard time. At Mihile’s silence, Hawkeye explains that he had heard about Empress Cygnus’ fate, though he adds that he’s certain that she’s having good dreams. Mihile replies that it’s his own fault for not protecting the Empress and that he should have tried harder. However, Hawkeye reminds him that the burden wasn’t his alone, as it was the responsibility of them all as Cygnus Knights to have protected her.

He then expresses his regret for not having been there when Ereve had been attacked, though he stops himself and notes that they shouldn’t talk so negatively, as Cygnus wouldn’t like it, since she always wanted them to be strong. He then suggests that they change the subject and get back to the meeting, as they need something good to report to Cygnus once she awakens. Mihile agrees and adds that Hawkeye is right about how they need to focus on doing what must be done, after which Neinheart begins the meeting.

Thunder Breakers also get some exclusive dialogue with Hawkeye at the beginning of their interaction. Hawkeye greets the player and tells them that he hopes that they’ve been doing great things while he’s been away. The player hesitantly brings up the Empress, to which Hawkeye assures them that what happened to Cygnus wasn’t their fault, and that she’ll definitely wake up, for which he says that they should instead look to the fight ahead. The player agrees with Hawkeye and tells them that they’ll keep that in mind, after which Neinheart begins the meeting.)

Hawkeye reported that he had been hoping to deduce Darmoor’s location by tracking Havoc’s movements after his disappearance in Cernium, though the Apostles had soon launched their widespread attack first, resulting in the invasion of Ereve and the battle in Carcion. As Neinheart had feared that the Alliance would suffer a crippling defeat due to their lack of information, Hawkeye explained that Neinheart had tasked him with assessing the damage from their prior battles and determining where the Apostles had stolen the power of the Ancient Gods from.

Hawkeye then pointed out a region in the center of Grandis, where he had discovered traces of the High Flora army, despite them having left that region almost completely alone. Neinheart noted that it seemed suspicious that the High Flora had not moved to attack the region like the others, which made him suspect that they were exploring the area instead. Hawkeye explained that while there was little information available about the area, they needed to exercise great caution, as the center of the continent where that area was located brushed the heart of the High Flora nation. Neinheart agreed and decided to authorize an investigation into the region and the High Flora’s purpose there, for which he tasked Hawkeye with gathering information from the Seekers in Hotel Arcus.

Though the Adversary wished to check on Archelon’s safety after the Apostles’ raids on the Ancient Gods, Neinheart asked Hawkeye to handle the investigation alone, as he needed to discuss an update on Seren’s last message with the Adversary regarding ‘the place where the world starts again’. After Hawkeye left to visit Arcus, Neinheart instructed the Adversary to meet with Carlisle at a top-secret meeting place at the outskirts of Cernium. There, Carlisle apologized for having to meet them in such a place, explaining that after the Apostles’ raids, refugees from all across Grandis had flocked to Cernium after hearing stories that the holy city had repelled the High Flora, leaving him to deal with the chaos from their arrival.

He then explained that after delving through many ancient documents, he had discovered a passage in the holy texts of a small religion which spoke of how ‘the world starts again’ at the Grave of the Gods. He told the Adversary that a famous Grandis legend about the Grave of the Gods stated that it was the place where the sparks of the Ancient War had been lit, as it was a place where powerful gods had once reigned until the city had become their tomb, when the age of the gods had come to an end. As a result, the city – Tallahart – had become a place still remembered by many in legends.

The intrigued Adversary wondered whether something would happen if the gods were to reawaken there, to which Carlisle laughed and explained that it could very well just be nothing more than a story. However, he added that it was certain that Tallahart was real, as its ruins were littered on the path beyond the deserts of Grandis, causing the Adversary to wonder whether Carlisle was referring to the area where the High Flora army had last been seen. After hearing about the Flora army’s movements, Carlisle noted that it seemed to be too suspicious to be a mere coincidence. Nevertheless, he noted that the ruins of Tallahart could barely even be called ruins, with neither Seekers nor tomb robbers having ever found any relic of significance there over the years, as the city was said to have been destroyed overnight.

After speaking with Carlisle, the Adversary contacted Neinheart and informed him about what they had learned. As they spoke, however, a mysterious girl named Luce watched them from afar, recognizing them as the Adversary who possessed the World Heart. Though she noted to herself that it would be dangerous, she nevertheless realized that only they would be able to help her before vanishing. As she disappeared, the Adversary heard the ring of the bell on her staff, causing them to look around as Neinheart spoke. Unable to see anything, however, the Adversary looked back at Neinheart’s transmission as he tasked them with rendezvousing with Hawkeye in Hotel Arcus, which was close to the ruins of Tallahart.

At the hotel, the Adversary met with Hawkeye, who suggested that they speak with the Seekers to learn more about Tallahart. The Adversary was surprised to learn that stories about them were circulating amongst the Seekers, such as their victory over the Apostles during the raids across Maple World and Grandis. They also learned that Hotel Arcus had not been targeted during the raids, causing them to note in relief that Archelon was safe. After asking about Tallahart, they learned from the Seekers that the city ruins were different than those of Karote, as they were merely stationary ruins, and that they appeared to hold no traces of the Ancient Gods.

With no other clues, the Seekers advised the Adversary to speak with Rusty to learn more. However, Rusty told the Adversary that Archelon would likely know more about Tallahart and suggested that they speak with him instead. The Adversary met with Archelon and immediately noticed that his divine power had not yet fully returned, to which Archelon explained that he would remain the eternal captain as long as his consciousness resided within his robotic body, causing the Adversary to realize that Archelon’s current body allowed him to mask his power from the High Flora.

The Adversary then asked Archelon about Tallahart, to which he began recounting the legend of the Grave of the Gods. He explained that in the beginning, no gods had been worshiped anywhere throughout the world until one powerful god had appeared and reigned over the others. Under that god, many other gods had begun to gather, with mortals eventually coming to worship them all, resulting in the creation of Tallahart.

The Adversary was surprised to know that such a powerful god had once existed, recalling the stories of how Tallahart had been destroyed overnight. However, Archelon admitted that he had no knowledge of how Tallahart had been destroyed, though he invited them to use the Arcus Gate to visit the ruins. However, just as he had once warned them during the expedition to Karote, Archelon warned the Adversary that great power would bring about great disaster.

After speaking with Archelon, the Adversary reported back to Hawkeye, who suggested that they consult with Neinheart about what to do next. Neinheart, believing that there was little more they could do by chasing rumors, approved an expedition to Tallahart, though he added that he couldn’t send any more troops besides them just yet, as the mission needed to be conducted discreetly to avoid drawing the attention of the High Flora. Hawkeye and the Adversary then used the Arcus Gate to head to Tallahart, with Luce – who had followed the Adversary from Cernium – using her staff to teleport after them.

The pair then arrived in the white wastelands of Tallahart, where they discovered the buried ruins of the city. Immediately upon coming closer, however, the Adversary was surprised to find that the World Heart was reacting strongly, causing them to see a vision of a storm and an altar somewhere within the city. Just then, the World Heart began shining brightly as the dormant power of the gods was awakened, causing a powerful storm to appear in the distance over the ruins.

Realizing that there was no way that the High Flora wouldn’t have noticed such a strong disturbance, Hawkeye suggested that they retreat and wait for reinforcements to arrive. However, he quickly discovered that the storm had blocked off communications, and so he instead suggested that they head straight for the city. Meanwhile, above the ruins of Tallahart, two Knights of the Einherjar floating over the city with their wings felt the storm’s sudden arrival and noticed Tallahart rising from the ground.

Suddenly, Veronica arrived and ordered them to report on what was happening, to which the knights saluted her as the Vice Captain before explaining that the city had come back to life. However, Veronica snapped at them that she could see something so plainly obvious before asking them who their enemies were. When the knights apologized and stammered that everything had happened too quickly for them to see, Veronica berated them for their incompetence, demanding to know how they could call themselves Knights of the Einherjar.

Suddenly, the flaming blue head of Captain Baldrix magically appeared before them and told Veronica to have patience before revealing that the Adversary and the World Heart had appeared, noting that the Adversary had grown much stronger since their battle with Limbo. He then explained that he was heading straight to the city before tasking Veronica with proceeding as planned. After Baldrix’s head disappeared, Veronica ordered the knights to call in their forces to capture the enemy. After the knights disappeared, Veronica stood alone for a moment, awestruck at the immense amount of divine power contained within the World Heart.

(A/N: Ever since Adele’s release, it was speculated that Veronica was an Apostle of Darmoor, as her position as a Knight of the Einherjar who had sided with Darmoor, as well as her position of authority in Adele’s storyline, made it seem like she had the background and skills for it. Baldrix’s introduction as the person whom a speculated Apostle reports to did a great job of showing just how strong he is as an Apostle without him even doing anything.)

Elsewhere, the Adversary and Hawkeye continued walking around the ruins of Tallahart for over an hour, unable to make any progress, with Hawkeye noting that they were simply going in circles. The Adversary realized that there was some kind of magic blocking the path ahead, to which Hawkeye added that they were going to lose again to the Apostles if they couldn’t make any more progress. Just then, Luce – having followed them from Hotel Arcus – appeared before them and revealed that Tallahart had a spell placed upon it to prevent intruders from entering the city. She then introduced herself as a Seeker and explained that she might be able to help them. As she approached the pair, the Adversary noted that the sound of the bell on her staff seemed familiar, recalling it from when they had briefly heard it in Cernium.

Though Hawkeye dismissed her as a child, Luce adamantly claimed that she wasn’t a child and that she was much older. However, as the Adversary began to approach her, Luce jumped back and warned them to stay away from her, to which the Adversary stopped and apologized for startling her. They then asked her whether there was a way to break through the illusion spell, to which Luce asked them to make a contract with her, such that she would open the path to Tallahart if they took her into the city with them. At Hawkeye’s surprise at her ability to break the spell, Luce explained that she had been chasing after Tallahart for longer than anyone else as a Seeker, and that she had been researching magic that could dispel the city’s illusion spell.

Hawkeye noted that Luce didn’t seem to need their help in entering the city if she was so powerful. Luce replied that with the Ancient Gods waking up across Grandis, she had been hoping for the Ancient God of Tallahart to awaken as well. She revealed that Tallahart hadn’t been destroyed in a natural disaster like the legends stated, but rather, it had been wiped out in the Ancient War. She explained that the Ancient Gods of Tallahart wielded the power of illusion, and that the reawakened city was an illusion created by their influence. However, she added that the illusion was filled with the wrath of the gods who had fallen in the Ancient War, which was why Tallahart was called the Grave of the Gods. She explained that it was said that the bodies of the gods who had been defeated in battle had disappeared somewhere, though their immortal power had remained dormant in Tallahart for ages, leaving behind their hatred for the Adversaries who had sealed them away.

(A/N: The line about the Ancient Gods’ bodies being moved somewhere is interesting because it gives us our first clue about what really happened to them. There’s been a lot of confusion about how the Ancient Gods are still alive if the Adversaries were created to kill them, since that would mean there should be little to no gods still left. We got our first hint about it during the High Mountain storyline, in which Mitra awakens in what appears to be some sort of strange tomb, and he wonders whether his followers had moved his body after his defeat at the hands of his Adversary. If it’s true that the Ancient Gods were sealed away instead of being killed, the question still remains as to who moved their bodies, and why they were merely sealed away instead of being killed outright.)

Luce explained that the wrathful power of the gods would attack them if they were to enter the city, causing Hawkeye to realize that Luce intended to use them as escorts into Tallahart. Luce replied that she could only use a small bit of illusion magic, leaving her exposed to being attacked by the monsters within, though she added that she needed to enter the city and retrieve her ‘divine treasure’. As the ground began to rumble, Luce noted that the power of the gods within was growing stronger by the minute and that the awakened gods would pose a great challenge. Realizing that Luce was right, Hawkeye turned to the Adversary and explained that it was in their best interest to claim the gods’ power while the gods were still weak.

Recalling Keira’s words about how restoring the World Heart could only be done by defeating a higher being or being given their power freely, the Adversary realized that it was highly unlikely that they would continue encountering gods like Keira or Shinsoo who would willingly give up their power, for which they approached Luce and agreed to help her. Though Luce once again jumped back and warned them not to come close to her, she acknowledged their contract before leading them to a spot where the illusion spell had weakened. Just then, the wrathful traces of the gods’ power appeared and began to attack, causing the Adversary to stop and defeat them first, with Luce noting her awe at the Adversary’s power.

When Hawkeye explained that they were the great Adversary of Maple World, Luce paused and noted that she knew the power of the Adversary well, causing the Adversary to wonder what she meant. Luce then changed the subject and asked the Adversary why they wished to enter Tallahart in the first place, to which they explained that they wanted to claim the power of the Ancient Gods before the High Flora could take it first. Luce recognized the High Flora as the subordinates of Darmoor, whom she noted was the Transcendent of Life. They then proceeded ahead, with the Adversary defending Luce from the vengeful monsters while she broke through the illusion spell.

(A/N: One thing that I really hate about this storyline is just how much stupider the Adversary is, even more so than usual. Luce talking about how old she is, all her knowledge about the Ancient Gods, her knowing about the power of the Adversary ‘well’, and her not wanting to get close to the World Heart practically screams out what she really is, but for whatever reason, neither we nor Hawkeye seem to put the very obvious pieces together.)

Upon dispelling the illusion, Luce instructed them to continue ahead past the bridge, which she explained was the only way into Tallahart. Though Hawkeye praised their progress, claiming that the wrathful spirits weren’t as dangerous as he had thought, Luce warned him that the power of the gods would grow stronger as they went closer into the city. As they neared the bridge, the Adversary felt the World Heart reacting to something as more vengeful spirits appeared. After defeating them, they proceeded across the bridge and arrived at the entrance to the city, where Hawkeye marveled at the size of Tallahart, noting that it was several times bigger than Cernium.

However, Luce scoffed at Hawkeye’s words, claiming that a small town like Cernium couldn’t be compared to a sanctuary like Tallahart, where many powerful gods lived, including the highest god of Tallahart, who wielded pure power itself. The Adversary was confused by Luce’s words, while Hawkeye noted that while she seemed to know much about Tallahart, she was wrong about Cernium being a small city. Luce was surprised to know that Cernium was a large city, adding that she had never been there before. She then turned to the hole in the illusion spell and used her magic to dispel it, just as the World Heart began reacting once again.

The Adversary immediately looked up to find Veronica casting a spell to rain down a bombardment upon them. Just as she fired, the World Heart reacted on its own and created a powerful shield using its stored power to block the attack. Veronica and two Knights of the Einherjar then flew down to the group, with Veronica noting amusedly that the title of ‘Adversary’ wasn’t simply an empty boast after all.

(A/N: Adele gets some exclusive dialogue here. After Veronica reveals herself, Adele immediately recognizes her, with Veronica noting amusedly that Adele seems to have survived her attack just fine, adding that the title of ‘Adversary’ isn’t simply an empty boast after all.)

A surprised Luce asked aloud who their enemies were and why they had attacked her, to which Hawkeye identified Veronica from the Alliance reports as a subordinate of Darmoor. As Veronica launched another attack, the World Heart once again reacted on its own and created a divine shield to block her bombardment, with Hawkeye wondering in amazement where the Adversary had learned such a skill. The Adversary wondered to themselves whether the World Heart had reacted to their strong willpower, noting that its power was growing much stronger. Veronica then thanked them for laying open the path to Tallahart, claiming that things would be much easier thanks to them.

(A/N: For Adele, Veronica instead states that though she enjoys looking down on Adele from above, she doesn’t have the time for it, after which she delivers the line from above.)

Though the Adversary declared that they wouldn’t simply allow her to go freely, Veronica mockingly asked them whether they had thought that she had come unprepared before fleeing, leaving behind monstrous golems created with Baldrix’s power. The Adversary and Hawkeye began to fight the golems, which immediately began reforming themselves the instant that they were defeated. With no other choice, Hawkeye urged the Adversary and Luce to go on ahead while he held the golems off, reminding the Adversary that only they could claim the power of the gods. Promising that he would follow them as soon as he could, Hawkeye held his ground and covered the Adversary and Luce’s escape, silently planning to go out in a blaze of glory after realizing that reinforcements wouldn’t be coming.

The Adversary and Luce then arrived at the center of Tallahart, where Luce asked the Adversary whether they were really okay with leaving Hawkeye behind. The Adversary replied that they trusted Hawkeye to survive, to which Luce noted that they were far too trusting for an Adversary. She then asked them why they had put themselves at risk to save her earlier at the bridge, to which they replied that it was only natural to want to protect one’s allies. Luce was bemused at their words, noting the irony of being allies with an Adversary before telling them that they shouldn’t be so easily trusting of people weaker than them. She then asked them whether the power of the gods was important to them because they were an Adversary, adding that though she didn’t know what kind of mission they had, she personally liked to be a bit suspicious of others.

Luce then changed the subject and noted that it was only a matter of time before she recovered her divine treasure now that she had entered Tallahart. However, she quickly noticed that the rest of Tallahart hadn’t fully manifested before pointing out an unlit brazier at the center of the city, explaining that it was the symbol of Tallahart that showed the state of the gods’ power. Because the flames were out, Luce explained that the city’s form was still in an incomplete half-illusion and that the only way that she could find her divine treasure was to revive all the powers of Tallahart by breaking the three seals upon the treasure. However, she noted that since she couldn’t hear the voices of the spirits in the direction of the first seal, it likely meant that the High Flora had managed to get there first.

The pair then headed towards the first seal, where they found the path blocked by the same rejuvenating golems that Hawkeye was facing at the bridge. Luce wondered what kind of power the enemy had that allowed them to casually produce so many powerful monsters. The Adversary noted that the golems didn’t seem to have been produced by Veronica’s power, which likely meant that she had a stronger ally working with her. Luce noted that it may be the work of an Apostle before turning back to the task at hand. She explained that each seal was placed upon the altar of a lesser god at the outskirts of the city, and that they would reach the first altar by following the path.

The Adversary defeated the golems and cleared a way forward, allowing them to reach the first altar. There, they sensed not only Veronica’s power, but a second, even stronger power, for which they realized that they needed to hurry. Suddenly, they encountered a spectral vision of an unknown warrior facing off against an Ancient God. At the Adversary’s surprise, Luce reminded them that the power of the gods had been revived by the Ancient Gods’ hatred towards the Adversaries who had felled them, and that their memories of the Ancient War were resurfacing with the city. The Adversary was shocked to realize that the unknown warrior was actually an ancient Adversary, with Luce noting that the Adversaries were puppets without egos created solely for the purpose of slaying the Ancient Gods.

As the vision of the battle ended with the ancient Adversary defeating the god, Luce noted that many Ancient Gods had been sealed away by their Adversaries. However, she explained that while it was said that the Ancient Gods had caused chaos in the world, there had nevertheless been gods who had recognized their great power and lived peacefully. She then asked the Adversary what they thought about the Ancient Gods’ existence, and whether they were serious about protecting the gods’ power from the High Flora.

She noted that they were quite different from the Adversaries of the past and wondered what made them so unique. Upon seeing the Adversary’s confusion at her strange questions, however, Luce changed the subject and suggested that they turn back, as their current path led to a dead end. She then led the Adversary on a different path to the first seal, explaining that by putting out the fire on the altar, they would release the power of the gods and break the seal. Suddenly, however, Veronica appeared in their path and asked whether they had thought that she would simply allow them to go freely.

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

Ark notes that Veronica isn’t part of the Central Army and demands to know her identity. Veronica immediately recognizes Ark as the ‘test subject’ and laughs that he’s even uglier than she had thought. She then asks Ark whether he’s never heard of the Knights of the Einherjar before, and whether he had been loitering around somewhere on the outskirts before betraying Darmoor.

Adele demands to know what Veronica is doing, to which Veronica mockingly tells Adele not to get so riled up when she hasn’t even done anything yet. Upon noticing Luce standing near Adele, Veronica adds that she didn’t know that Adele had a habit of carrying strange kids around, recalling that Jerome, whom she calls ‘that prince from last time’, was the same way. Adele tells Veronica to stop talking nonsense before asking whether the soldiers who had come with her were Knights of the Einherjar, noting that she had heard that the knights had disappeared after 'the incident'. She then adds that it's ridiculous that Veronica, who had betrayed her oath as a knight, still served in the knighthood.

Veronica retorts that Adele isn't in any position to be saying something like that before confirming that the Knights of the Einherjar had once been destroyed, adding that most of them had been fools who couldn't see where the future was heading. However, she adds that the new knights are different, and that the knighthood reformed under Gerand Darmoor's banner aren't the weaklings that Adele once knew. Adele pointedly asks Veronica whether she's leading the new Knights of the Einherjar, to which a furious Veronica tells Adele to shut up, noting that she's still looking down on her after all these years. Adele then notes that Veronica of the present isn't the same girl who used to cross blades with her when they were kids, causing Veronica to retort that nothing about her has changed.

Khali notes that Veronica isn’t a member of the Zealous or the Central Army, to which Veronica recognizes her as the mutant who had escaped from Ypsilon’s territory. She then adds that Khali has a cocky look in her eye, just as she had heard from the stories about her.

For Illium, Veronica notices his mechanical wings and notes that the Verdant Flora really had been alive after all, even though she had thought that they had all been wiped out, adding that they’re quite tenacious. Illium demands to know whether she had harmed any of the Verdant Flora, to which Veronica replies by asking why that matters now, noting that his people are just as odd as she had thought. She then tells Illium to look closely at her if he’s curious to know about the fate of his traitorous people, claiming that their blood may still be upon her wings. Upon hearing her words, Illium realizes that Veronica isn’t an enemy he can reason with.)

The Adversary demanded to know whose magical power was at the altar, and whether they were an Apostle. Veronica laughed and mockingly asked them whether they were planning to stop them if they were indeed one. As the Adversary ordered Luce to head to safety, Veronica told them not to get cocky simply because they had defeated Kaling, who tinkered with strange monsters, or Limbo, who was obsessed with Specters, adding that they were vastly underestimating the pure magical power of the High Flora. She then declared that they wouldn’t touch a single hair on Lord Baldrix’s head before creating orange aether swords and attacking.

(A/N: High Flora classes get exclusive dialogue that replaces Veronica’s last line about the player underestimating the power of the High Flora. Veronica instead notes that it’s pitiful of them to have forgotten the greatness of the High Flora.)

Elsewhere, Hawkeye continued struggling as he faced off against Baldrix’s monsters. Just as he began faltering, however, a distant sniper’s shots pierced through the monsters and prevented them from reforming. To Hawkeye’s surprise, several members of the Primacy appeared, with Ailene laughing that the monsters could only be taken down with a special substance that counteracted their magical power. As she praised her abilities, Khafdi scolded her, reminding her that it had all been thanks to the special bullets that Gob had made her.

Just then, a hologram of Kelly appeared, with her noting satisfactorily that transmission had been perfect and that the portal device had worked. As Kelly continued chattering, Iker began complaining about how noisy everyone was being before ordering his team to wipe the remaining monsters out. As the team moved out, Iker addressed Hawkeye and noted that he belonged to the Alliance. A surprised Hawkeye asked Iker who he was, to which Iker replied that it wasn’t important, changing the subject and demanding Hawkeye to tell him where the Adversary was.

Back in Tallahart, the Adversary easily defeated Veronica, who was dumbfounded and angered to see the kind of power that they were wielding. She demanded to know how they were so strong, wondering whether it was because of the power of the Ancient Gods contained in the World Heart. As she began expressing her frustration at her magical power, carefully cultivated over many years, not being enough, she angrily noted to herself that she wouldn’t have been defeated if she had been in possession of a draining crystal.

Just as she vowed to win, however, an orange portal created by Baldrix appeared to drag her in, even as Veronica promised aloud to him that she would emerge victorious. Though Luce wondered whether Veronica had retreated, the Adversary immediately realized that it had clearly been the work of an Apostle, which made them wonder whether he intended to deal with them personally.

Though the Adversary advised Luce to stay back while they went to seal themselves, Luce refused to stay behind, reminding them that the terms of their agreement had been that she would stay by their side as they escorted her to the divine treasure. Together, the pair arrived at a brazier that burned with golden flames. Luce explained that in order to break the seal, they needed to extinguish the flames with a power that matched the power of the Ancient Gods, adding that it shouldn’t be any trouble for an Adversary.

Just as the Adversary approached the brazier, however, the World Heart began to react as Baldrix himself appeared before them. Baldrix greeted the Adversary before turning to look at Luce in surprise, noting her strange aura. The Adversary immediately told Luce to stand back, with Luce warning them that Baldrix held immense magical power. Laughing that it had been worth coming in person, Baldrix introduced himself as the Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar and one of the glorious Apostles of Darmoor.

(A/N: Adele gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she realizes that the magical power that she’s sensing from the Knight indeed belongs to the Baldrix that she remembers. She then notes how Baldrix, centuries ago, had refused the position of Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar, as he had been loyal only to Prince Darmoor, and that it seems only natural that Baldrix would now become one of Darmoor’s Apostles.)

Realizing that they were face-to-face with another Apostle, the Adversary asked Luce about the status of the seal, to which Luce replied that though it had not yet been broken, there was something wrong. Baldrix then laughed that the power of the gods was destined to belong to Darmoor, though the Adversary declared that they had no intention of losing it. Just then, Baldrix pulled out a draining crystal to attack the Adversary with the power of the gods contained within it, with the World Heart simultaneously reacting to the Adversary’s willpower and releasing a beam of divine energy that easily overpowered and shattered the draining crystal, causing the golden flames of the seal to react to the divine energy and extinguish.

As the seal broke, the power of the many gods within was absorbed into the World Heart, overwhelming the Adversary and surprising Baldrix. Claiming that he hadn’t expected such a situation, Baldrix noted in satisfaction that the World Heart appeared stronger than before, after which he unexpectedly declared that the Adversary was free to do as they wished before creating a portal and disappearing.

After Baldrix retreated, Luce rushed to the Adversary’s side and expressed her shock that they had absorbed the power of the gods inside them. However, she declared that they had made a grave mistake, revealing that the wrath of the gods had turned towards them, and that there was nothing more they could do except face death humbly.

Nevertheless, the Adversary refused to give up and concentrated their willpower on surviving, resulting in them collapsing to the ground. As they did, they experienced a memory of the supreme Ancient God of Tallahart, Noctis, defeating several Adversaries of Odium, claiming that as pathetic puppets of the Overseers with no emotions or memories, their spears would never reach her. As countless more Adversaries descended from the sky, Noctis invited them to face her, declaring that upon their graves, ‘the world would start again’.

The Adversary then awoke to the sight of Luce, who was shocked to find that they had survived the wrath of the gods. After they explained the memory that they had witnessed, Luce told them that they had witnessed the memory of a god as the divine power had brushed against their soul while absorbing it. She then expressed her amazement at the fact that the Adversary of the new era had the power to absorb the power of the gods, with the Adversary noting that it was clear that the World Heart had gotten much stronger as a result. However, they also noted that not all the power had been absorbed, causing them to wonder whether it was because not all the seals had been broken.

Believing that it was better not to tell Luce about it, they instead wondered aloud where Baldrix had gone. Luce explained that she couldn’t sense any magical power, which meant that Baldrix had likely gone to the second seal. The Adversary asked Luce to guide her to the second seal, to which Luce hesitantly asked whether they intended to continue absorbing the power of the gods. When the Adversary explained that they had no choice, as Baldrix would claim it otherwise, Luce paused for a moment before relenting and agreeing.

On the path to the second altar, Luce told the Adversary that while there were no signs of the Apostle, the wrath of the gods had gotten stronger, and that they would be targeting the Adversary for having absorbed their power. After defeating the vengeful spirits along the way, the pair made their way to the entrance to the second seal, which Luce noted in satisfaction held no trace of the enemy’s presence.

Just then, however, Iker’s team and many other Primacy soldiers appeared and stood between them, claiming that they wouldn’t allow the Adversary to take the power of the gods all for themselves. Recognizing the Primacy from their time inside Tirnog, the Adversary wondered what they were doing in Tallahart and demanded that they state their purpose.

(A/N: If the player hasn’t completed the Extradimensional Visitors storyline, they’ll wonder who the people standing in their way are.)

Luce immediately asked who they were, to which Ailene irately claimed that since she had little patience, she would have cut to the chase even without being asked. Khafdi then apologized for Ailene’s behavior, claiming that they had a rather short-tempered member of the team, to which Ailene snapped and asked whether he was talking about her. Iker then removed his hood and stepped forward, addressing the Adversary and noting that they were meeting yet again.

(A/N: If the player hasn’t completed the Extradimensional Visitors storyline, Iker will instead note that he’s heard the rumors about the Maple Alliance and their Adversary who would face Gerand Darmoor. The Adversary asks Iker in confusion whether he knows about them, to which Iker explains that he knows that they had come to Grandis after defeating the corrupt Transcendent of another world, surprising the Adversary that such rumors were spreading about them. Iker then replies that they have a rather curious person on their side who’s gathered information about them.)

He then formally introduced themselves as the Primacy, explaining that they were a militia formed to reclaim Grandis’ freedom from Gerand Darmoor. However, Luce noted that they were merely ordinary people and asked how they intended to regain their freedom from the Transcendent of Life himself. However, Ailene retorted that the means and methods didn’t matter, as it was undeniable that they would win in the end no matter what. Upon hearing her words, the Adversary noted to themselves that the Primacy weren’t easy-going people at all, causing them to wonder whether the Alliance could really join forces with them like Seren had hoped.

The Adversary asked Iker what the Primacy’s purpose was in Tallahart, to which Iker told them that he would get straight to the point and asked the Adversary to make a deal with them by surrendering the power of the Ancient Gods in exchange for the Primacy handling the High Flora forces in Tallahart for them. He explained that he already knew that the Adversary was seeking the power of the Ancient Gods, and that they had likely acquired some already.

The Adversary was surprised to find that the Primacy already had such information, to which Khafdi replied that they had very capable friends. He explained that the Primacy had been keeping its eye on Tallahart from the beginning, hoping to find some trace of the Ancient Gods’ power, and that they had learned earlier that same day that a great deal of power had been released from the ruins.

However, Ailene noted that when they had arrived, both the Alliance and the High Flora had already gotten there, with Iker adding that they also knew that Baldrix was there, and that his purpose was likely related to acquiring the power of the gods. He then revealed that they had a way to neutralize Baldrix’s monsters, and that it was a good deal for the Adversary to accept their help.

The Adversary asked whether they knew Baldrix, which Ailene confirmed, adding that he was an enemy that she never wished to fight again. Just then, however, Luce interrupted and demanded to know whether they thought that the power of the Ancient Gods was some kind of toy, adding that she could never hand it over. An irritated Ailene dismissed Luce as a child and told her to hide somewhere until they were finished talking, though Khafdi interrupted and told Ailene to calm down.

The Adversary then asked the Primacy why they needed the power of the Ancient Gods, to which Iker explained that they intended to use that power to make weapons against the High Flora. At the Adversary’s surprised expression, Ailene asked whether the Adversary didn’t trust their words before declaring that she’d known from the beginning that working together was a mistake, as they only ever needed each other to win. However, she then noted that the Adversary had reportedly defeated two Apostles and decided to test their strength. As she raised her sniper rifle, Khafdi stepped in between them and attempted to diffuse the situation.

Just then, Hawkeye arrived as Kelly’s hologram transmission flickered on, explaining that it had taken some time to outfit Hawkeye with the transporter. Hawkeye laughed at the Adversary’s surprise before explaining how the Primacy had saved him. Though Ailene was annoyed at Kelly for sending Hawkeye over, Kelly insisted that they needed all the help that they could get to defeat the Apostle.

After hearing the situation, Hawkeye told the Primacy that just as he had said earlier, the power of the Ancient Gods couldn’t be handed over so easily. Luce once again spoke up, furious to know that they intended to turn the power of the gods into a weapon, with the Adversary also admitting that they couldn’t hand that power over.

Just as Iker decided to acquire that power in their own way, Hawkeye made a suggestion and noted that the Primacy simply needed a weapon against the High Flora army, not necessarily the power of the Ancient Gods. He then explained that the Alliance already had a powerful weapon in the form of the Adversary, whose help he offered to the Primacy for whatever mission they needed. At the Adversary’s hesitant expression, Hawkeye promised them that it was a good plan, as he had seen firsthand that the Primacy had the technology to deal with the Apostle’s magic. He then promised that it was an emergency measure, and that Neinheart could sort things out later on.

Though the Primacy conceded that it was a good deal, Iker nevertheless pointed out that there was no trust on either side for such a deal. Suddenly, however, the ground began rumbling as the power of the gods manifested into vengeful spirits. After working together to defeat the monsters, the Primacy – having seen the Adversary’s power first-hand – agreed to the deal and formed a truce to help the Alliance acquire the power of the gods from Tallahart.

Iker then ordered Khafdi and Ailene to move out and ordered Kelly to transport the wounded back to the hideout before telling the Adversary that he would come with them personally to see the power of the gods for himself. As he walked on, Luce disdainfully noted that they wished to turn the power of the gods into a weapon and wondered aloud what they thought of gods at all before storming off.

Nevertheless, Luce led them to the second altar, with the brazier burning brightly with purple flames. There, Luce noted hesitantly that extinguishing the flames would result in them taking the divine power for themselves, to which Hawkeye asked her why that was a problem, claiming that it was better than it falling into the High Flora’s hands. The Adversary then noted that the seal seemed rather different from the last one, as the Apostle’s presence had made the gods’ power unstable.

Nevertheless, the Adversary began to use the World Heart to break the seal, causing them to fall into a dark void where they encountered the memory of Noctis. Within the illusory replica of Tallahart, they witnessed Noctis speaking with two Ancient Gods, asking whether they were truly so afraid of the Overseers. One of the Ancient Gods, Prague, admitted that he was indeed afraid, as the Overseers had made the immortal gods experience the fear of death for the first time. The other god, Edmir, agreed and told Noctis that she was certain that the Ancient War would result in their eventual defeat.

However, Noctis scoffed and declared that they should know better by now that she would never die, and that anyone who threatened her or her twin sister would not survive. As Noctis walked away, Prague noted disdainfully that Noctis was correct that she would never die as long as she held that kind of power. Edmir then added that they would simply need to take her power for themselves in order to ensure their own survival.

From afar, the Adversary realized that it wasn’t simply Noctis’s memory that they were witnessing, but rather, the memories of all the gods whose power had been sealed within the altar, all of which were manifesting with their power of illusion into the scene unfolding before them. The Adversary then proceeded ahead and witnessed another memory of Noctis, who was gently holding the silhouetted form of her twin sister.

In the memory, Noctis’ sister warned Noctis that the other gods were beginning to fear her, as Noctis’ power was calling forth stronger and stronger Adversaries to Tallahart in an attempt to slay them. Though Noctis acknowledged that she was aware, she admitted that none of it mattered to her, as she would never die, and that she would never let her sister die either. She then reassured her sister, explaining that the Overseers were afraid of them and that the Adversaries were nothing more than their selfish playthings born out of that fear. Just as she declared that a blade without cause would never reach them, the memory of Noctis turned to face the Adversary directly, malevolently asking them whether she was right or not.

Back at the altar, the Adversary awoke from the illusion as the World Heart finished absorbing the power of the gods contained within the seal. Hawkeye was surprised at the sight, with Iker impressed by the Adversary’s power. Hawkeye asked the Adversary what they had seen, as they had been completely unresponsive after taking out the World Heart and breaking the seal.

As the Adversary began explaining their vision to the others, Veronica and Baldrix – floating above the skies of Tallahart – monitored the situation from afar, with Baldrix sensing that the Adversary had absorbed more divine power into the World Heart. A frustrated Veronica asked Baldrix why he was allowing the Adversary to grow even stronger, to which Baldrix nonchalantly asked Veronica what there was to be so afraid of, noting to her that the Adversary’s fate was already in Darmoor’s hands. He then told Veronica not to be so impatient and reminded her that she was but a member of the Knights of the Einherjar, and that she was only to follow his orders.

After a pause, Veronica apologized before Baldrix ordered her to handle the rest while he prepared to face the Adversary personally. After he disappeared, two knights arrived to report to Veronica and asked for her orders, to which she snapped and asked them whether they were incapable of doing anything without being told. She then ordered them to prepare for battle by mobilizing Baldrix’s soldiers, switching from referring to him as ‘Lord Baldrix’ to simply ‘the Captain’ mid-sentence as her resentment towards her superior grew stronger.

Meanwhile, the Adversary finished recounting their story, with the others realizing that the seals contained the power of many gods, not simply one. The Adversary then revealed that amongst the powers which had been absorbed, there was one which had escaped the World Heart and fled somewhere else, to which Iker wondered whether someone else had absorbed that power after the seal had broken. Though Hawkeye feared that the Apostle had taken it, the Adversary explained that it was unlikely, as Baldrix had already been foiled once when he had tried to absorb the power with a draining crystal. They added that it had instead seemed more like the power had naturally returned to its original source rather than being absorbed.

The Adversary then asked Luce whether she knew more about the gods of Tallahart, noting tha it seemed as though they had not been on good terms with each other. However, Luce defensively asked the Adversary why they thought that she knew, as she had not been a part of those events. She added that she had already told them everything that she knew, and that the only thing that was certain was that the divine treasure would return once all the seals had been broken.

With no other options, the group decided to head to the final seal, whose path Iker explained had already been secured by the Primacy. However, Hawkeye was wary that the enemy had set a trap for them, as there was no way that they would allow them to reach the final seal without a fight. Nevertheless, Iker dismissed his concerns by reminding him that they could simply fight their way out of any trap.

As they headed out, Luce told the Adversary that once the final seal was broken, the divine treasure would be revealed. Hawkeye asked Luce what that treasure was and whether it was the power of the Ancient Gods, to which Luce hesitated before admitting that it was something similar. Hawkeye then asked the Adversary whether they had seen any clues in their vision, just as Iker interrupted and explained that he had gotten reports that the High Flora army had been sighted mobilizing above Tallahart, with Baldrix nowhere to be seen.

With the enemy having likely determined their location, Iker decided to launch a preemptive strike, believing that there was not much point in determining the enemy’s strategy without knowing what Baldrix was doing. However, the Adversary expressed their unease with dispersing their forces and putting them at risk, with Luce silently noting the Adversary’s concern for their allies. Though Iker admitted that fighting to protect was a good motive, he added that the Primacy had already lost everyone that they wished to protect, and that they were now only fighting to get it back.

As neither of them would agree, Iker decided that each side would fight as they saw fit without getting in each other’s way. He then asked the Adversary what they intended to do, as they were likely walking into a trap with the final seal. However, Hawkeye noted that there was something off, as the High Flora would have already attempted to break the seal if they had wanted to.

Suddenly, the ground began rumbling as Ailene and Khafdi reported that the enemy’s aerial force had merely been one part, with the main force surging in to attack. As Veronica and her knights launched a bombardment on Tallahart, the World Heart instinctively reacted to create a shield around the Adversary and their allies. Veronica then flew down and amusedly asked the Adversary whether they truly believed that they could defeat her with so many fools around.

As the High Flora prepared to wipe them out, Hawkeye realized that they had been waiting for their forces to split up all along. After confirming in a panic on whether his allies were safe, Iker told the Adversary to head to the altar while he handled Veronica and her knights himself. However, Hawkeye refused to allow Iker to sacrifice himself after saving his life and decided to stay behind and assist him.

Meanwhile, the Adversary and Luce arrived at the final altar, which glowed with white-blue flames. Sighing in relief that she had made it at last, Luce told the Adversary that once the final seal was broken, the divine treasure would be hers and their contract would be complete. As the Adversary approached the altar, Luce asked them whether they had truly meant it when they had said that their fight would be meaningless without protecting their allies.

She noted that they were an Adversary, and that the fights of the ancient Adversaries had been meaningless, as their sole purpose had been to destroy the Ancient Gods. She then asked them why they were so different from all the other Adversaries who had come before them. The Adversary replied that though they didn’t know much about their predecessors, they believed that if there was a reason why they were so different from the others, it was because they weren’t alone.

(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Alpha turns to Beta and asks her whether she agrees. Beta concurs with Alpha and notes that it’s not simply each other that they have, as they also have Rhinne, Pietta, and the others. I’m not really sure why Zero gets dialogue here and no one else, especially since literally every single class has other people that they’re close with.)

They then added that there were others fighting beside them, which was enough. After a pause, Luce noted that they were indeed very different and that perhaps it was a good thing that they were her new Adversary. Before the Adversary could express their confusion, Luce told them to hurry and break the final seal. As they turned to do so, however, Luce silently apologized and noted that she was glad that it was them who had absorbed the power of the gods. She then declared that, nevertheless, she would get her treasure back no matter what before teleporting away.

Within the illusory memory of Tallahart, the Adversary witnessed the two Ancient Gods, Edmir and Prague, noting that they had done well in fulfilling their plan, and that they would become more complete after carrying it out. Edmir asked whether Noctis had given in yet, to which Prague replied that they had forced her to accept an absolute, unbreakable covenant that would result in her surrendering her power in exchange for her twin sister’s life. Edmir triumphantly noted that the day was not far when they would finally be able to sweep away their Adversaries.

The Adversary then proceeded further into the memory and witnessed the many gods of Tallahart standing before the chained forms of Noctis and her twin sister, revealed to be Luce, with Noctis demanding to know whether they were satisfied at last. She added that she had never expected the jealousy of a god to be so ugly, though Prague snapped at her to stay quiet, claiming that hers was the power that would soon destroy Tallahart.

Though Luce urged Noctis not to give in, Noctis assured her that she would not give in, as the gods wanted her power, and that as long as her power persisted, her will would not disappear either. Edmir then ordered Noctis to fulfill the covenant by surrendering the last of her power, to which Noctis replied that she needed to make sure that they would hold up their end. Edmir promised Noctis that they would spare Luce’s life, though she then added that Luce would never again be allowed to set foot in Tallahart.

The gods then began draining Luce’s power, causing a furious Noctis to note that they had promised not to touch her. The gods replied that they would indeed spare her life, though they would strip her of her power and banish her from Tallahart, though they added that she would simply fall prey to the Godsphere instead. Enraged, Noctis swore that she would exact her revenge upon the gods for their despicable betrayal. Luce then apologized to her sister for only being a hindrance, though Noctis replied that she was the one who should be sorry. However, she reminded Luce that they were always connected, and that she would save her no matter what happened. Luce then promised tha she would also save her sister no matter what, calling Noctis her treasure.

The Adversary was shocked to learn that Luce was an Ancient God, just as the gods of Tallahart had banished Luce from the city. As they began to strip Noctis of her power, Noctis vowed that she would curse them in darkness forever. As the memory ended, the Adversary felt the final thoughts of the gods, in which they recalled how they had stolen Noctis’ power for themselves and prepared to start the final war against the Overseers. However, as only Noctis had been able to handle such immense power, the other gods had been swallowed up by darkness and met their ends at the hands of the Adversaries, resulting in their power being sealed away alongside Noctis in Tallahart.

Elsewhere, Veronica mocked Hawkeye and Iker, who were surrounded by the enemy, claiming that for a lowly race, they were holding up surprisingly well. However, Iker retorted by telling her not to look down on humans, just as Ailene and Khafdi broke through to their location. With Veronica surrounded and alone, Iker demanded to know where Baldrix was.

Veronica then recalled Baldrix’s orders to leave them alone for the time being, though he had also ordered her to counterattack when the right time came. When Veronica had asked him why he had left her with such counterintuitive orders, Baldrix had explained that when the final seal was broken, only the Adversary and Luce could approach it. Realizing that the time was at hand, Veronica gathered together her magic, causing Khafdi to wonder in shock whether she was planning to blow herself up.

Just as she unleashed her power, Kelly used the teleporter that she had outfitted Hawkeye with to bring him and the Primacy to safety. They then rushed to the altar, where they discovered that the Adversary had successfully absorbed the power of the gods within the seal. However, they also noted that Luce was missing, and upon recalling how she had mentioned that the divine treasure would appear after the seals were broken, Iker – after receiving a new report from Kelly – explained that a new source of divine power had appeared in the center of the city.

After revealing what they had learned in the memory, the Adversary realized that Luce likely intended to free Noctis - her treasure - and keep her promise to save her sister. Worried that Noctis’ seal had been Baldrix’s target all along, the Adversary decided to head to the final seal, which they realized was the unlit brazier at the center of Tallahar,t which they had first seen with Luce upon entering the city. After considering it, Iker ordered the Primacy to retreat while he, Khafdi, and Ailene accompanied the Adversary and Hawkeye alone to the final seal.

Meanwhile, Luce arrived at the final seal, where she sensed her sister’s power returning with the Adversary having released it from the other seals. Just then, however, Baldrix arrived and noted that everything had gone as he had anticipated. He explained that he had sensed that something was off when he had arrived at the first seal, as though it was the power of many gods that had been suppressing a greater force, and that Luce’s energy had resembled that force.

Luce was shocked to know that a mortal such as Baldrix could have sensed such a thing, to which Baldrix triumphantly presented several draining crystals, revealing that despite being a mortal, he had defeated countless Ancient Gods and stolen their power. He then asked Luce why she struggled so much, unimpressed with Luce’s answer that she was trying to bring back a precious person, as he claimed that it was unfitting of her as an immortal to wish so. Drawing upon his magical axe, Baldrix prepared to attack as Luce silently apologized to her sister for failing.

Soon after, the Adversary and the others arrived at the seal, where they were shocked to find a dying Luce. Luce weakly revealed that Baldrix had stolen what remained of her power, and that she would soon disappear forever. She then asked whether they had seen the memory and revealed that her sister was the highest god of Tallahart before being betrayed and sealed away by the other Ancient Gods. Having failed to save Noctis, Luce asked the Adversary to protect her sister from the Apostle, as well as to not absorb her sister’s power. She noted that they were different from past Adversaries, and that though she hadn’t wanted to admit it at first, she understood it now, which was why she asked that they keep their contract with her until the very end.

After Luce’s body scattered away, Khafdi reported that Baldrix appeared to have gone underground. After following him, the Primacy told the Adversary to chase after Baldrix while they covered from the rear. Fighting past the powerful spirits in the area, the group prepared to surround and overwhelm Baldrix together. The Primacy declared that they would avenge their comrades whom Baldrix had killed during his attack on their hideout. However, Baldrix merely laughed before summoning more monsters and teleporting himself away, inviting the Adversary to follow. Furious that Baldrix considered them to be beneath his notice, the Primacy told the Adversary to pursue him while they handled the monsters.

The Adversary chased Baldrix to Noctis’ seal, which Baldrix noted was quite beautiful. He then told the Adversary that if the Ancient Gods had used their powers in the right places, they wouldn’t have fallen in battle. However, the Adversary ignored Baldrix’s words and demanded to know where Luce’s power was. Baldrix presented a draining crystal to the Adversary, claiming that her power had been far too insignificant for her to be called a god.

To the Adversary’s surprise, Baldrix freely gave the draining crystal to them, leaving them mystified and angered by his purpose. Baldrix noted with satisfaction that they were angry, explaining that anger brought out power in people. Drawing his blade, Baldrix told the Adversary to show them the power they possessed by risking their life and giving it their all. He then used his magic to cover their surroundings, creating an illusory space to ensure that nobody would interrupt their duel.

The Adversary was shocked at the sheer scale of Baldrix’s magical power, noting that Baldrix must be incredibly strong to cover the entire sanctum of an Ancient God with his magic. Baldrix noticed the Adversary’s surprise and laughed before asking whether they had sensed his power, revealing that they weren’t the only one who could wield the power of multiple Ancient Gods. He explained that he had gained his abilities and his form by becoming reborn in service of the God-King.

However, he then declared that it wasn’t important, noting that they had come all the way to challenge him. He explained that he could feel their anger pouring out alongside the World Heart’s power, after which he engaged in a fierce battle with the Adversary, unleashing the power of the gods within his draining crystals to face them. As the battle continued, Baldrix transformed the illusory space into an icy snowfield, mounting his immortal steed Sleipnir and unleashing his divine power against them.

(A/N: A lot of Baldrix’s lore is based on Norse mythology, as the Knights of the Einherjar themselves are based on the einherjar, the warriors who died and went to Valhalla. His steed, Sleipnir, is a reference to the eight-legged horse of the same name, whom Odin rides into battle in Norse mythology.)

After the Adversary defeated Baldrix, the illusory space collapsed back into the interior of Tallahart, with a wounded Baldrix impressed to see how strong they had grown, noting that the World Heart was truly within them. Congratulating them for their strength, Baldrix shattered his helmet, revealing nothing more than blue flames where his head should be. He explained that he wasn’t sure how long it had been since he had been so close to death, for which he decided to reward them for such a great duel. He then revealed that a great culling would soon take place under Darmoor’s command, and that only worthy lives – such as the Adversary – would survive it, adding that in the end, it would be Darmoor who looked down upon them.

(A/N: This culling is almost certainly part of Darmoor’s belief that only ‘noble lives’ - those who would sacrifice their own life for a higher purpose - deserve to live, which lines up with what we’ve seen in the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline about how he thinks that worthless life needs to be pruned away so that the parts which deserve to flourish can live. We’ve seen that Asha the gardener is an example of the noble life that he wishes to preserve, although I personally think that it’s extremely inconsistent with the story for the Adversary to be a noble life like Baldrix claims.

Throughout the game, we’ve seen that the message of the story is the precise opposite of what Darmoor’s ideology is. In Esfera, we refuse to take Tana’s life because we reject the idea that we need to sacrifice in order to win, and we commit ourselves to the belief that we can save everyone without having to kill innocent lives. In Limina, this comes to a culmination where - even with Orchid telling us that we can only awaken the Seal Stone by our willingness to sacrifice ourselves - we ultimately reject that and win by focusing on our refusal to self-sacrifice and instead live.

The game hammers in the fact that the Adversary is a person who - while noble and selfless - is someone who draws strength and power from their refusal to self-sacrifice and instead survives with the people whom they fight to protect. We fundamentally exist in stark contrast to the Black Mage’s belief that humanity is on a predestined path for selfishness and destruction, and Darmoor’s belief that the only good people are those who will kill themselves for a noble cause. Us being a ‘noble life’ by Darmoor’s standards makes absolutely no sense, and I’m very much hoping that Baldrix is just mistaken or misinformed about Darmoor’s criteria or secret plot twist plan.)

The Adversary declared that they would hear the rest once they captured him, to which Baldrix replied that the rest was rather messy and that they didn’t have the time to be worrying about him. As the ground began rumbling with Noctis’s seal breaking, Baldrix told the Adversary that they should have a true fight for their lives next time.

Just as Baldrix disappeared, Hawkeye and the Primacy arrived to meet the Adversary. Though impressed that the Adversary had proven equal to Baldrix, the Primacy noted that the seal was highly unstable and that it contained the supreme Ancient God of Tallahart. Hawkeye suggested that they retreat, though the Adversary refused to leave, as they had made a promise to Luce to protect her sister. Hawkeye warned the Adversary that Noctis held great animosity towards the Adversaries, though the Adversary replied that they believed themselves to be different, and that they would find a way to reason with her.

Using the World Heart, the Adversary broke the seal on Noctis, who thanked them and declared that thanks to them, she could now enact her revenge, promising to grant them eternal rest as a reward. Using her power of illusion, Noctis caused the Adversary’s allies to disappear, leaving them alone to face her. Noctis then noted that they possessed the power of the gods of Tallahart within the World Heart, and was angered to find that they also held her sister’s power within a draining crystal. Though the Adversary attempted to explain, Noctis refused to hear them and immediately began to attack.

After a fierce battle, the Adversary managed to defeat Noctis, who was shocked to find that she had lost. Silently, the Adversary noted to themselves that their victory had not only been because of Noctis’ weakness from the seal, but also because the World Heart had grown much stronger. The Adversary begged Noctis to listen to their story, though Noctis refused to hear them and told them to finish her off with the Godsphere now that she had been defeated, claiming that it was her destiny as an Ancient God and theirs as an Adversary.

However, the Adversary refused to take her life, claiming that someone else had once told them about their predetermined destiny, and that they would tell her what they had told the Black Mage – that destiny was not something decided for them, but rather, it was something they created for themselves in their present. Noctis was intrigued by the idea of an Adversary who created their own destiny before looking through the Adversary’s memories using their connection to the World Heart and her power contained inside it, allowing her to see the truth about what had happened to Luce.

The Adversary asked Noctis whether Luce could be saved with her remaining power inside the draining crystal, to which Noctis explained that with Luce’s physical body destroyed, such a thing would be impossible. However, she added that with her connection to Luce as twins, there may be a way to restore her to life. For this reason, Noctis proposed a deal with the Adversary to surrender her remaining power in exchange for keeping her body and the draining crystal containing Luce’s power.

The surprised Adversary asked Noctis whether she was sure, as she would be unable to take her revenge on the other gods without her power. However, Noctis replied that she didn’t like revenge, and that she didn’t deserve to have her great power. She explained that she had been unafraid of her own power and that she had lost her sister and led Tallahart down the path of destruction as a result. Because of this, Noctis willingly surrendered her power and the remaining power of the gods of Tallahart into the World Heart in exchange for Luce’s power. She explained that the illusion of Tallahart would soon disappear as a result, though the city itself would remain standing, as only the owner of the power which had revived it had changed.

Though the Adversary offered to help her with her mission, Noctis assured them that Luce’s power was enough for her, and that if the destiny that they were creating together led their paths to cross, they would meet again, adding that the world might start again with them. Declaring them as the Adversary of the new era, Noctis asked them not to die before disappearing and using her power to send the Adversary to the outskirts of the city.

At the bridge to Tallahart, Hawkeye and the Primacy found themselves unable to enter the city when the Adversary appeared. After explaining what had happened, Hawkeye noted that it was perhaps time to return and report to the Alliance. He then asked Iker what the Primacy intended to do, to which Iker explained that their mission could be considered a success, and that their paths may perhaps cross again. He then told the Adversary that when the time came, he would call upon them to fulfill their deal before having Kelly teleport them back to the hideout. Just then, Alliance ships appeared in the sky, with Neinheart having arrived with reinforcements to bring them back to Ereve.

There, the Adversary and Hawkeye finished their report, with Neinheart noting with pleasure that the mission had been a great success for the Alliance, having acquired a significant amount of divine power and making contact with the Primacy. However, both he and Hawkeye agreed that Baldrix and Veronica’s actions had seemed highly suspicious throughout the mission, as it seemed that while they had initially come to Tallahart with the intention of taking the power of the Ancient Gods, their purpose appeared to have abruptly changed midway.

The Adversary then recalled how the High Flora had reached the first seal before leaving the other paths completely unguarded, making them wonder whether something had happened at the first seal to change their objectives. Nevertheless, Neinheart noted that they couldn’t form any proper conclusion with only circumstantial evidence. He also noted that the great culling that Baldrix had spoken of worried him, as he could scarcely even begin to imagine the scale of such an initiative.

He then told the Adversary that he had heard that they had given Luce’s power to Noctis and allowed her to go free, to which the Adversary replied that they didn’t believe that it would harm the Alliance, promising to stop Noctis herself if she became a threat. Though Neinheart admitted that they had made the right decision, he cautioned them to remember that their choices affected the entire Alliance. With that, he decided to end the briefing, adding that he would soon be calling a conference with the Alliance.

Elsewhere, Baldrix and Veronica arrived at Aboris, where a frustrated Veronica noted bitterly that all the divine power in Tallahart had been taken away by the Adversary. However, Baldrix snapped at her to keep her voice down, reminding her of where they were. As Darmoor appeared before them, Veronica immediately bowed her head before the God-King before apologizing for her rudeness.

Baldrix then reported to Darmoor that he had successfully checked on the condition of the Adversary, whom he called the Vessel, and that he had ascertained that they were more stable than he had thought. He then explained that he believed that if the World Heart were to be completed, Darmoor’s plan would be possible. Darmoor thanked Baldrix for his work before declaring that he would begin the cull. After he disappeared, Baldrix reminded Veronica that he had already told her not to doubt his words, with Veronica agreeing that everything happened according to Darmoor’s will.

After Baldrix left, however, Veronica noted to herself that she had never had doubts from the beginning. She spoke aloud that if the God-King wished her to play her current role, she would do so faithfully until she achieved her purpose, adding that she would fly up even higher past the title of Captain until she reached the top. She then vowed that she would soon show the Adversary what position best suited the one who had broken down the Einherjar, the palace gate of the former God-King.

(A/N: It’s pretty clear that Veronica is shooting to replace Baldrix as an Apostle, which gets confirmed in the Morning Star Banquet event. The end of Tallahart sets the stage for the true battle against Darmoor to begin, and while some people are speculating that this is shaping up to be the end of the continental Grandis storyline at level 300, I can almost guarantee that it’s impossible.

Outside of how rushed the narrative would be, we currently have the following unresolved plot points at the time of Tallahart coming out: six of the twelve Apostles, the three elders of Shangri-La, the five other territories of the High Flora, Chronica being missing, the God of the Verdant Flora still not showing up, the missing Flora bowman, the missing Anima warrior, pirate, and bowman, the missing Nova mage, the plot points that need to get introduced and resolved for those classes’ storylines, plus a whole bunch of unresolved plot points scattered across the rest of the Grandis storyline. There is zero chance that they can finish the Darmoor arc without skipping over half the story. If anything, the level 300 story will probably set the stage for the second half of the storyline, and we’ll get a proper conclusion, maybe after they increase the level cap to 350 or something before we shift over to Tynerum.

With that being said, here are a series of side quests that can be completed after the main storyline. Please note that these side quests chronologically take place after the events of the Morning Star Banquet storyline, although you don’t need to have read anything about that storyline to understand what happens in these quests - it’s really just one of the quests that references the event.)

Traces of Baldrix:
The Adversary was approached by the ghost of Ao, who introduced himself as the High Priest of Tallahart. He apologized for the delay in greeting them, explaining that he had been exploring the city after being revived by the power of illusion. He revealed that he knew a little about their relationship with Noctis and thanked them for everything they had done in helping her. He explained that Noctis was currently in hiding, though he added that those who sought to take her power would continue entering the city. Though he was certain that Noctis would return someday, he vowed to continue fulfilling his duties as High Priest and protect Tallahart until that day arrived. As Ao spoke, the Adversary noted to themselves that Noctis wouldn’t return until she regained her power.

Ao then told the Adversary that he had heard how they had defeated the powerful magical knight who had sieged Tallahart, noting that even in his mortal eyes, they were quite extraordinary. He explained that though he hadn’t seen Baldrix himself, he could feel the Apostle’s magic from afar, which had bene powerful enough to envelop Noctis’ sanctuary. The Adversary noted to themselves that Baldrix’s magic had been so great that it could distort a space containing the power of the Ancient Gods, causing them to realize that his magic wasn’t that of an ordinary Flora. Ao then revealed that traces of Baldrix’s magic still remained in the city, and that though it was subtle, it was enough to affect Noctis’ power in maintaining the city. Because of this, he asked the Adversary to neutralize Baldrix’s magic, as he feared that the illusion of Tallahart might be affected if that power persisted.

At Ao’s request, the Adversary went to Noctis’ seal, where they felt the World Heart reacting slightly to Baldrix’s magic. Realizing that the magic was connected to the power of the gods, the Adversary decided to consciously wield the World Heart to absorb that power, just as they had done in Carcion. As the World Heart began absorbing the divine power, Baldrix’s memories – which had been mixed into his magic – began flooding the Adversary’s mind.

They began witnessing memories of Baldrix from when he had been a High Flora, serving as an ordinary knight. Despite his strength and power, Baldrix had been ridiculed by the other High Flora for unknown reasons, with only Prince Darmoor believing in him. In the memory, the Adversary witnessed Baldrix bowing down before Prince Darmoor, with several draining crystals floating around them. Darmoor then told Baldrix that he was special, and that Darmoor had recognized him, despite the doubts of countless others, as Baldrix’s fierce determination and self-sacrificial tendencies had made him worthy of being chosen.

He then noted that as Baldrix’s unwavering loyalty melded with his own will to usher in a new era, the time had finally come to realize his grand plan. Darmoor then used his Transcendent power to rebirth Baldrix, destroying his physical form and creating a body of pure magic, thus allowing him to freely wield the power of the gods without harm. As the memory faded away, the Adversary recalled Baldrix’s earlier words about how he had been reborn under the God-King’s will to wield the power of many gods, causing them to realize that Baldrix hadn’t originally been a powerful magician. With Baldrix’s magic neutralized, they returned to Ao, who thanked them for their help.

Sieg’s Chest:
Ao reached out to the Adversary and thanked them for their earlier help in neutralizing Baldrix’s magic. However, he revealed that he still had some worries about the state of the city. He explained that Tallahart was currently being maintained by the Adversary, who had absorbed the power of Tallahart’s gods, including Noctis. However, he revealed that the illusion wouldn’t remain forever, as they were an Adversary, which were fundamentally enemies of the gods. Because of this, he explained that he wanted to ask them for their help in finding a way to strengthen the illusion magic maintaining Tallahart.

Ao then asked them whether they had met Sieg, a knight of Tallahart who guarded one of the two large chests in the city. He explained that according to the stories passed down by the priests, the two chests were said to contain objects that could bring about great destruction. Ao believed that Sieg’s chest contained Noctis’ holy relic, which they could use to strengthen the illusion maintaining Tallahart. He then asked the Adversary to speak with Sieg and open the chest, hoping that they could do so with Noctis’ power.

The Adversary met with Sieg, who revealed that he was on a mission given to him by the gods themselves. After learning that they had come for the item inside the chest, Sieg determined that the Adversary was qualified and allowed them to open the chest. The Adversary began pouring Noctis’ power into the chest, though they were surprised that it had no effect. As they continued channeling more of Noctis’ power, Sieg quickly stopped them, fearing that they would break the chest altogether.

Realizing that the chest wouldn’t open, they asked Sieg to tell them more about the chest. Sieg explained that he had been tasked with protecting the chest, though he revealed that even though his mandate had come from the gods, he doubted that it contained Noctis’ relic, as he couldn’t feel any divine power within. Sieg explained that the knights who had guarded the chest over the ages had three mandates: to protect the chest, to ask no questions about its contents, and to never reveal what was inside if they were to somehow learn the truth. He noted that he had been adhering to his duty both in life and death, as he had continued his mission even after being revived.

However, he admitted that he had grown weary of carrying out his task after so long, for he now found himself in a city of gods with no more gods left. He believed that his mandate would come to an end if the seal on the chest were to break, for which he invited them to try opening it, though he warned that they may not find what they expected, and that they may instead find great disaster. He pointed out a small hole in the chest and noted that it may be a keyhole, adding that the priests had been guarding something that he believed was the key to opening the chest.

At his request, the Adversary met with Ao and told them about what they had learned. Ao revealed that the priests had been guarding a pendant containing Noctis’ insignia, though he noted that it had no special powers other than merely being symbolic regalia. As the chest couldn’t be opened with the power of the gods, Ao believed that it was worth trying to use the pendant, though he added that he didn’t have it. He explained that he had dropped the pendant when he had been killed ages ago in Prague’s rebellion. Ao asked the Adversary to find the pendant amongst Baldrix’s golems near the first seal.

After recovering the pendant, the Adversary used it to open the chest, from which mysterious black fog emerged and enveloped them for a moment before disappearing. Sieg was relieved to know that the Adversary was unharmed, noting that he had been unaffected as an illusion. He then asked them to check the contents of the second chest being guarded by his fellow Night Knight. Upon unlocking it, the chest disappeared, leaving behind only a piece of parchment. They brought the parchment to Sieg, who noted that it was a cipher that had been passed down through generations of knights.

After translating it, Sieg revealed that the black fog inside the chest had actually been a plague, and that the parchment had been written by a priest named Veiga, who had enclosed instructions for how to cure it. Sieg explained that according to the parchment, a plague had once swept across the world and taken many lives, including some in Tallahart. He revealed that the plague had come upon the wind, covering the land with black fog and causing those who contracted it to rot away and die. As the gods had been unaffected by the plague, the mortal knights and priests had worked together to seal away the black clouds over Tallahart.

Sieg then realized that the chest had nothing to do with the power of the Ancient Gods, and that it hadn’t been created by the gods, but by his own mortal ancestors. He noted that though the parchment contained instructions for how to cure the plague, the fact that what remained of it had disappeared quickly meant that there was no need for it anymore. Sieg then admitted that he didn’t know how to feel about the truth, as he had always believed that he had been carrying out a mission from the gods, rather than one which had been handed down by his ancestors.

He then began lamenting that perhaps there had been no meaning to his long watch, to which the Adversary – realizing that Sieg had grown disheartened – attempted to change the subject and asked whether there was anything else written down on the parchment. Sieg explained that at the end of the parchment, Veiga had written down that they must not rely solely on the power of the gods. He then suggested that the Adversary speak with Ao and tell him about what they had learned.

Ao was surprised to learn the truth about the chest, realizing that Tallahart may be doomed without Noctis’ holy relic to sustain the city’s illusion. After thinking for some time, he explained that he recognized Veiga’s name from his father’s stories, revealing that Veiga – despite being mortal – had been renowned as a great mage. However, he admitted that he couldn’t understand why Veiga had considered the plague so important that he had kept a portion of it inside the chest, especially when it didn’t even have anything to do with the power of the gods.

The Adversary then told Ao about what Veiga had written about how mortals shouldn’t rely solely on the power of the gods. After ruminating on Veiga’s words, Ao soon realized that Veiga had left behind those words for the people of the future. He revealed that before becoming a priest, he had once been a scholar who had been deeply interested in studying the essence of magic. However, he explained that he had stopped studying magic after becoming a priest, believing that it was nothing more than a parlor trick compared to the immense power of the gods. He admitted that even now, he had attempted to rely on Noctis’ holy relic to protect the city, rather than using his own strength.

He then explained that he now understood why the chest’s contents hadn’t been revealed to them, as it had originally been passed down to the priests and knights at first. As Tallahart was a city of gods, it was likely that a plague which the gods were immune to wouldn’t have even been bothered to be recorded down in its history, leaving the chest and its contents to be forgotten over the ages. He then declared that he would do his best to maintain Tallahart’s illusion with his own power, rather than relying on the power of the gods, even though he couldn’t say how long his revived body would last. He admitted that he himself didn’t understand why he was trying so hard to protect Tallahart, wondering whether it was because he didn’t want to lose his hometown after it had been destroyed overnight in an instant.

Nevertheless, he thanked the Adversary for all their help, noting that though the outcome had been different from what he had initially anticipated, he had nevertheless received an important teaching from his ancestors. He then asked them to speak with Sieg, as he was worried about how Sieg was handling the revelation that his family had not been carrying out a mission from the gods for so many generations. The Adversary met with Sieg and told them about how Ao, despite being initially disheartened, had learned an important lesson and resolved to rely on his own strength.

Sieg was glad to hear that Ao was feeling better before revealing that he had found a second parchment stuck onto the first one, which had been written by a knight commander named Yus. He explained that Yus had written down that many lives had been saved by their actions, and that their sacrifices hadn’t been in vain. By reflecting on those words, Sieg realized that by guarding the chest, his family had kept many other lives from being sacrificed, for which he hoped that their time hadn’t been a waste in the end. With his mandate coming to an end, Sieg resolved to do whatever it took to help protect Tallahart and keep it from disappearing, for which he thanked the Adversary and told them to come to him if they ever needed help.

Secret of the Knights:
Neinheart contacted the Adversary remotely and told them that the Alliance was currently focused on investigating the power of the gods in Tallahart, as well as finding traces left behind by the Knights of the Einherjar. Though the investigation had been delayed because of the angry spirits of the gods, he revealed that they had recently detected Flora magic at the outskirts of the city, for which he asked the Adversary to fight through the monsters and investigate before a Chief Knight arrived to reinforce them. After fighting past the monsters, the Adversary discovered an injured Knight of the Einherjar, whom they quickly tied up before contacting Neinheart.

Neinheart was pleased to hear that they had captured a Knight of the Einherjar, believing that they could learn important information about Darmoor from a member of the God-King’s royal guard. He then asked them to hand over the knight to Eckhart, who would escort the knight for interrogation in Ereve. Soon after Eckhart brought the knight to Ereve, the Adversary contacted Neinheart, who told them that despite Eckhart’s interrogation tactics, they hadn’t learned much useful information about Darmoor from the knight. Nevertheless, he added that they had gotten some interesting information about the Knights of the Einherjar, which he began detailing to the Adversary.

He first revealed that the Alliance had little information about the knighthood outside of rumors circulating around Grandis and certain information provided to them by Adele. He explained that from the interrogation, they had learned that the current Knights of the Einherjar were an entirely different organization from the original knighthood, which had once been the God-King’s personal guard. Despite sharing the same name, the new order had been formed by Darmoor some time after an incident which had resulted in the disbandment of the original order.

(A/N: The reason why this side quest was created was to fix a plot hole that originally got created with Tallahart’s release. In Adele’s storyline, it’s stated that the Knights of the Einherjar went extinct after the coup against the God-King, with Veronica’s appearance in the present-day scenes of Adele’s story having her dressed in the typical Central Army officer uniform, rather than her knight uniform. However, Tallahart’s release revealed that the Knights of the Einherjar were still alive and active, and so this side quest tried to reconcile these different depictions of the knights by saying that the Knights of the Einherjar did go extinct, and that the new knights are just elite soldiers under Darmoor’s command, rather than the honorable and chivalrous Flora knights of Adele’s time.)

Neinheart explained that the current Knights of the Einherjar were an elite team that served directly under Darmoor, and that their members were selected from the most distinguished High Priests of the Flora: Priests with exceptional magical mastery within their caste. He explained that it wasn’t surprising that Darmoor would have kept the original name of the knights, as monarchs often appropriated the legacy of their predecessors in order to further cement the legitimacy of their rule.

Though many knights of the old order had been killed alongside the former God-King during ‘the incident’, there had been several survivors, including Veronica and Adele. However, he revealed that with the exception of Adele, Veronica was the only survivor left, as the surviving knights had mysteriously disappeared one by one in the time between the disbanding of the old order and the formation of the new knighthood. He added that the disappeared survivors were officially marked as missing, rather than deceased, which meant that their bodies had never been recovered, almost as though the perpetrator had gone to great lengths to hide something about the knights they had attacked.

(A/N: It’s very likely that these knights were the ones who acted to stop the God-King before he could begin his war of genocide. One thing that never really made sense before this side quest was the fact that the Knights of the Einherjar remained loyal to Darmoor and continued to help him carry out his war against the other races, despite the fact that most of their order was against the plan. However, this side quest makes sense of it by implying that all the knights who were against Darmoor and his designs were systematically eliminated, and potentially even sent to the Void like Adele, which might explain why their bodies were never found.

Something else that’s very interesting to note is that Baldrix isn’t mentioned to be a Knight of the Einherjar. Although we know that Baldrix was indeed a knight, the fact that he was ridiculed by High Flora society, as well as the fact that he was loyal only to Prince Darmoor, suggests that Baldrix was just an ordinary knight, rather than part of the God-King’s royal guard. The fact that Baldrix wasn’t even loyal to the God-King should likely already be a big indication that Baldrix wasn’t fit to serve as the God-King’s protector, and the fact that Baldrix refused the position of Captain and professed loyalty to Darmoor alone potentially might mean that he resigned as a knight, which might be why he became an object of ridicule in Flora society.)

He then revealed that there were rumors that Veronica had disappeared for some time after the Knights of the Einherjar had been disbanded, resurfacing around the time that the new order had been created, which was also when she had been severely punished. Though the reason for it was unknown, Neinheart explained that they could confirm that Veronica had indeed been punished, with rumors amongst the High Priests stating that it was because she had rushed into a mission which had not been assigned to her and failed it. However, he added that they only had rumors and whispers, as though the High Priests were attempting to cover up the incident. Nevertheless, he noted that Veronica had disappeared for some time after her punishment and that she had returned to serve as the Vice Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar after its reformation.

The Adversary then asked about Baldrix, to which Neinheart explained that he hadn’t gotten much information about Baldrix from the captured knight, who had appeared terrified of him. However, Neinheart revealed that Baldrix had been working as a close confidante of Darmoor since the time he had been a prince, though no one knew what Baldrix had looked like in the past. Because of Baldrix’s talent, many in the past had once believed him to be a prime candidate to serve as Captain of the old Knights of Einherjar. Though Baldrix could be confirmed to be a pure-blooded High Flora, his existence was kept secret by the other High Flora, which was the last of the information that the Alliance had been able to gather from the captured knight.

The Adversary then asked whether the Alliance had learned anything more about the great culling which Baldrix had mentioned, to which Neinheart explained that they had no further information about the culling, the Apostles, or even Darmoor himself, as the knight hadn’t been aware of anything useful pertaining to those topics. However, Neinheart explained that there would be a large-scale movement of the Flora army before such a thing were to occur, pointing out the Apostles gathering during the Morning Star Banquet.

(A/N: Like I said earlier, this side quest technically takes place after the Morning Star Banquet in the next section, but you don’t really need to know anything more about it, other than maybe the fact that the purpose of the Apostle meeting was for Darmoor’s next orders to accelerate the great culling being conveyed to the Apostles who attended the banquet.)

He revealed that, according to the captured knight, the order for the Apostles to gather had been issued long before the banquet itself. As the order had been issued by Darmoor himself, Neinheart believed that important information had been conveyed to the Apostles for their next move, causing him to wonder whether they had received new instructions about the great culling. Neinheart explained that from the information they had, it was likely that the great culling would be carried out by most, if not all, of the Apostles.

He noted that while tracking the Apostles’ movements had been difficult in the past, there would be unmistakable signs if so many powerful figures were to move simultaneously, for which he assured the Adversary that the Alliance would be able to detect when the cull would begin before it transpired. He then explained that the Alliance would continue their interrogation and track down the Knights of the Einherjar, promising to reveal any more information when they discovered something useful.

Crystal Ball of Illusions:
The Adversary was contacted by a priest named Nona, who told them that she had finally been able to use her crystal ball, which she revealed had been imbued with Noctis’ power. Though it was normally used to record information, infusing the crystal ball with the power of the gods could manifest certain mystical abilities. The Adversary asked what kind of information was stored in the crystal ball, to which Nona invited them to see for themselves. However, she revealed that as the crystal ball in her possession was an illusion of the real thing, it was completely devoid of Noctis’ power.

The Adversary offered to pour Noctis’ power into the crystal ball, though Nona warned them not to use too much power, as doing so all at once would break it. At her request, the Adversary gathered fragments of divine power from the vengeful spirits around Tallahart, which they poured into the crystal ball. Though the crystal ball’s power was restored, Nona told them that most of the records inside had been lost to time since it was only an illusion of the real thing, with only the strongest memories surviving inside, such as those of Noctis herself.

At Nona’s insistence, the Adversary accessed the memories of Noctis, who noted how yet another race had disappeared from the world. She explained that a small city in the desert had been destroyed without a trace after getting caught up in a fight between gods. Noctis noted that it hadn’t been war or slaughter, but just a pointless fight for the sake of fighting and showing off one’s superiority, adding that she had once been the same way. As the memory progressed, Luce asked Noctis whether she was trying to fight once again, to which Noctis asked whether Luce was asking her to simply let it go, reminding her that striking first was the only way.

Luce pointed out that many people had been killed in such fights, to which an unconcerned Noctis asked her why it mattered. She then told Luce to stay safe, as she didn’t want her to get hurt. Noctis then began dueling the gods who had challenged her, noting that standing above the weak was the mission of those who were born with power. However, Luce unexpectedly rushed in to stop the fight, nearly getting killed in the process. Within the record, Noctis noted that though she had taken many lives, she couldn’t stand the idea of losing her only sister. Because of this, Noctis agreed to listen to Luce and gave up on fighting, instead creating a small temple in the desert that Luce named Tallahart.

Noctis noted that over time, Tallahart quickly became a city, with many gathering under her. She explained that she cared little for those who followed her, though she was glad to see that Luce was happy, for which Noctis vowed to do anything to preserve Luce’s happiness. However, she noted that she could tell that the peace was about to end, as rumors began spreading that immortals were closing their eyes. Noctis noted that she could tell that something strange was about to happen, as great anger and bloodshed were surging through the wind as the Overseers declared war upon the Ancient Gods.

After the memory ended, Nona told the Adversary that Noctis had left behind the record in the crystal ball during a time when Tallahart was flourishing, though she admitted that she couldn’t know for certain whether Noctis had intended to leave behind the visions as well. She then revealed that there were two more accessible records left in the crystal ball, for which the Adversary gathered more divine power from the monsters in Tallahart before accessing the crystal ball, which revealed a record left behind by Prague.

In the record, Prague noted how he would once ask the mortals who revered him whether they were afraid of his immense power. He then explained that in a battle against an Adversary, that Adversary had asked him the same thing as they passed away, to which Prague had noted to himself that he was indeed afraid of the Adversaries who wielded the Godspheres, whose tenacity made them powerful weapons until the very end. Prague noted that even stronger Adversaries were beginning to siege Tallahart, which was the only city that remained aside from the holy land ruled by ‘them’.

(A/N: Although the heavy implication here is that the ‘holy land’ is Cernium, while the god ruling it is Mitra, the city of Cernium itself never actually existed until after the Ancient War was over, as the Cernium side quests go into detail about how a priest named Masra founded the city at the scar of the earth, where the final god left in the world was defeated and sealed away.

We don’t actually have confirmation that Mitra was the last god left, as we only know that Mitra ruled from High Mountain. However, we do know that the final battle at the place where Cernium would be founded was called the ‘scar of the earth’, as the landscape was cleaved by the enormous blade of the Ancient God who fought the Adversaries there. Later in the side quests, we actually get introduced to a new Ancient God who was said to be extremely powerful - likely on the same par as Mitra and Noctis - and so it’s entirely possible that this god ruled at the site where Cernium would be founded, rather than Mitra.)

In the memory, the Adversary witnessed one of Tallahart’s gods informing Prague that the Adversaries would soon begin an all-out attack on the city, and that, excluding the immortals who refused to participate in the battle, the gods of Tallahart believed that this attack would be the last battle. Prague was furious to learn that Noctis had refused to participate in the defense, having ordered them to only call her once the Adversaries overwhelmed them while she spent all her time with Luce.

He noted that with Noctis’ immense power, she ought to be the vanguard of the battle, rather than behaving like a mother bird guarding her nest. He believed that the life of a weak god such as Luce was not worth that of all the gods of Tallahart, for which he decided that he would carry out his contingency. He then ordered the other gods to summon Edmir, believing that they would be defeated if they did not act, for which he left behind the record in the crystal ball as proof that his judgment had not been wrong.

As the memory finished, the Adversary accessed the final record left in the crystal ball, which had been created by Luce. In the memory, Luce spoke into the crystal ball as she noted that she had known all along that she was a hindrance to everyone because of her weakness. She explained that by the time her sister would see the record, she would already be gone, as she was planning to leave Tallahart behind. Luce noted that Noctis would continue risking her life to protect her as long as she stayed in the city. She revealed that she had originally tried to ignore that fact, not because she enjoyed watching her sister protect her, but because she had hoped that Noctis’s remaining in Tallahart would keep her from going back to her old life, fighting other gods without a purpose.

However, Luce noted that Tallahart itself would be destroyed if Noctis were to continue to fight, and that she wanted Noctis to fight for herself, not for her. She added that it was sometimes okay to run away, admitting that she herself still didn’t understand why they all had to fight. She explained that she only wanted to live in a world where neither the strong nor the weak fought, adding that as soon as she met with Prague and Edmir – who had asked to meet her – she would leave the city before sunrise. She noted that she wouldn’t be able to see Noctis until all the fighting was over, though she vowed that she would come running if anything were to happen to her sister, whom she noted was her beloved treasure. She then bid Noctis farewell in her message, noting that they would meet again if fate led them back together.

After the memory finished, Nona told the Adversary that Luce always worried about Noctis fighting, and that she hated seeing Noctis fight, especially because Noctis had to in order to keep her safe. She also added that the priests of Tallahart had known that Prague and the other gods had dissenting opinions from Noctis, but that none of them had ever anticipated that Prague would turn traitor and betray her in such a way. She then added that she herself had been killed in the rebellion, and that she had never expected to be revived in such a way. Nevertheless, she thanked them for their help in restoring her crystal ball, which she could now use as she had before.

Nona then added that on top of seeing records, the crystal ball could exhibit mysterious powers when touched by the power of the gods, such as how it could see the future when infused with Noctis’ power. Though she herself couldn’t use those powers, she noted that it was different for the Adversary, who had the power of the gods, including that of Noctis – the crystal ball’s master. As the crystal ball was now stable enough, she invited them to try infusing Noctis’ power within so that she could divine their future. The Adversary extracted a small portion of Noctis’ power from the World Heart and infused it into the crystal ball, which manifested as a light that grew bigger and bigger before disappearing altogether.

Nona was surprised and noted that the Adversary’s fate was undecipherable, as their destiny had been intertwined with a great power, making it impossible to predict. Suddenly, the crystal ball began glowing erratically with energy, to which a surprised Nona revealed that it seemed as though someone was trying to convey a message through the crystal ball, speculating that it may have been in response to Noctis’ power being infused into it.

She noted that it appeared to be a message sent with the power of an Ancient God, which appeared to have honed in on Noctis’ power after the Adversary had just wielded it. She noted that it would take more of Noctis’ power to hear the message, noting that the Adversary’s own power was still different from that of Noctis, and that Noctis – the true owner of her power – was still alive. As the Adversary still required more training to fully handle Noctis’ power, Nona suggested that they fight the monsters of Tallahart, which contained Noctis’ power, believing that it would help them grow attuned to it.

After the Adversary trained to hone wielding Noctis’ power, they returned to Nona and used the crystal ball to hear the message of an Ancient God, who sent out a call to his fellow gods, asking them whether they would fall dormant again or experience death again before declaring that they would not. He noted that there was no place left for them to hide anymore, as they were the only gods left in the world. He then sent a rallying cry for the gods to shake off their fears, leave behind their anger, and the struggles of the past in order to join forces, calling for them to come together and follow his voice before declaring that things would not go as the Transcendent of Life willed.

After the message finished, the Adversary realized that the Ancient God who had sent it held strong animosity towards Gerand Darmoor. Nona, who hadn’t heard the message, asked the Adversary what had happened, to which they explained what they had heard. Nona wondered who could possibly have sent such a message and noted that there were quite a few interesting things in store for the future, adding that it was worth having been revived as an illusion to see what came next. She then promised the Adversary that she would inform them if any other strange happenings with the crystal ball occurred.

The Voice’s Identity:
The Adversary was soon called by the ghost of Prague, who revealed that he knew that someone had sent a message through Noctis’ crystal ball, slyly asking whether they were curious to know about the sender’s identity. He explained that he had used the crystal ball before, and that since his power was mixed into it, it wasn’t difficult for him to determine who had sent the message from the outside world. He then offered to reveal the sender’s identity in exchange for a favor. Upon seeing that the Adversary didn’t trust him, he noted that their suspicion was natural after having seen his past, though he then proposed forming a divine contract, assuring them that its terms were so absolute that not even a god could break it.

After the Adversary agreed, Prague told them that he needed them to find three items of his fellow gods scattered across the three altars in Tallahart, where the gods’ power had once been sealed. The Adversary then traveled to the three altars and obtained a golden apple, a ring of eternal life, and a compass of illusion. Prague then instructed them to bring the items to the brazier at the center of the city, where he agreed to fulfill the terms of the contract. However, he then revealed that there was something that he would do first, laughing at the Adversary’s naivety as he attempted to draw out the power of the items in order to restore his body.

Suddenly, however, the three items disappeared as Gob appeared alongside Tirnog, who swallowed them as Prague watched in shock. Gob noted that his gut instinct had been correct, noting to the Adversary that they had almost gotten into big trouble. The Adversary was surprised to see Gob outside his hideout, with Prague recognizing Gob and demanding to know why he had come. Gob told Prague not to underestimate his intel, noting that the three items which the Adversary had brought were likely batteries of sorts that could replenish Prague’s strength. He noted that though Prague had cleverly hidden himself in an illusion and erased all traces of his divine power, Prague’s attempts still couldn’t fool him. He then told the Adversary that Prague likely would have regained his body if Gob hadn’t stepped in, to which Prague furiously denounced Gob as a coward.

However, Gob merely asked Prague who he was calling a coward when he was stuck and unable to do anything before noting that Prague should stop acting out foolishly and simply rest. As Prague demanded to know why Gob was taking the side of an Adversary, Gob simply ordered Tirnog to swallow Prague, to which Tirnog opened a dimensional portal that sucked him in. Gob then turned to the Adversary and noted that it was his first time in Tallahart before realizing that they had no idea what was happening. He then decided to explain and revealed that he had been keeping an eye on them for some time, as he had been worried that something might happen.

The Adversary asked him whether he was talking about Prague, to which Gob laughed and explained that he hadn’t been worried about Prague, who would have posed no threat even if his body had been restored, as most of his power was now in the Adversary’s possession inside the World Heart. He revealed that the real reason why he had been watching them was because he had also received the same message that they had gotten in the crystal ball from the mysterious Ancient God. Gob explained that the Ancient God had been trying to send out messages to other powerful gods, and that the Adversary – who had the power of the Ancient Gods – had inadvertently received the message, likening it to them receiving a radio transmission.

The Adversary asked Gob whether he knew the identity of the sender, to which Gob laughed that he, as the Hand of God, would know for sure, revealing that the god who had sent the message was named Jupiter. However, he explained that, unlike Prague, Jupiter was quite a nuisance and a troublemaker. Gob told the Adversary that in the past, Jupiter was a powerful god who had led many other powerful gods, and that he was now working to regain his power and influence by uniting the few remaining Ancient Gods still left.

(A/N: Something that’s interesting to note is that out of all the Ancient Gods in the game, the most powerful ones are the gods whose names take inspiration from real-life deities. Mitra is the name of an actual Sun God in Indo-Iranian culture, while Noctis is the Latin word for ‘night’, which draws from the Greek word ‘nyx’, also referring to the primordial deity Nyx, who represents night. As most people know, Jupiter is the Roman version of Zeus, the god of lightning and the king of gods altogether. Because of Jupiter’s influence and strength, it’s also possible that Jupiter was the final god defeated by the Adversaries at the scar of the earth, rather than Mitra.)

He then speculated that Jupiter’s target was Gerand Darmoor, believing that Jupiter wouldn’t sit idly and allow Darmoor to claim his godly power. Gob revealed that Jupiter had even tried to recruit him, though he added that he was far more interested in the Adversary and the Primacy than Jupiter’s alliance. He explained that he had been worried that something strange would happen, which was why he had been keeping an eye on the Adversary, adding that though nothing had happened yet, they should still keep their guards up.

Because of this, Gob decided that he would keep a copy of Tirnog in Tallahart and inform the Primacy to expect the Adversary to enter the hideout whenever they needed something. He then told the Adversary that he needed to return to Tirnog, as he wasn’t in any condition to be leaving the hideout any more than he already had, though he promised to inform them if he learned about anything else. Before he left, however, he suggested that they inform the Alliance about Jupiter and his message.

After Gob left, the Adversary contacted Neinheart and informed him about what they had learned. Neinheart was shocked to learn about the alliance of Ancient Gods opposing Darmoor and realized that their presence was a major variable, as there was no telling how they would affect the Alliance, even if they were Darmoor’s enemies. He then resolved to investigate the alliance of gods with Carlisle before noting that the Adversary ought to also consider making a deal with Gob to become allies, similar to his deal with the Primacy, as Gob’s knowledge and status as a reliable Ancient God would make him an indispensable ally. With access to the Primacy hideout, Neinheart told the Adversary that he would arrange for another meeting in the future before promising to contact them with new information soon.