PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 3: The Forgotten Hero

• Over the centuries, the forgotten hero remained trapped between dimensions in a state of non-existence. As Maple World and Grandis began to fuse, the hero - after hearing someone crying for help - was able to cross over to the moon of Vulpes on Grandis through a dimensional crack, where he saved a fox Anima girl named Moonbeam from a tiger monster which had killed her parents.

• Severely weakened, the hero collapsed as the Fox God appeared and drove off the monster before taking the hero to her domain above the clouds, where she spent many years attempting to stabilize his existence by pouring her own power into him, at the cost of her falling asleep for a long time. Nevertheless, the Fox God continued her attempts to save Shade, as she owed him a debt for protecting a fox Anima.

• The hero spent many years in a coma before he awoke to the sight of Moonbeam beneath the Fox Tree - the altar of the Fox God. Recognizing him as her savior from many years ago, Moonbeam brought him to Fox Point Village and gave him the new name of Shade. She then introduced him to the other Anima, who took him in as one of their own.

• After praying to the Fox God, Shade was blessed with the power of the spirits. Over the months, Shade continued mastering his new powers and gaining acceptance from the other Anima. Moonbeam - who had grown up with her grandfather after the death of her parents - grew attached to Shade and gave him her guardian spirit after Shade was nearly killed by the tiger monster which had attacked her many years ago.

• Though he had hoped to find a way to return back to his friends on Maple World, Shade gradually came to see the village as his new home. Soon after, however, a traveling villager named Tumbleweed - Moonbeam’s uncle - returned back to town and revealed to Shade that the Interdimensional Portal in Pantheon could take one to Maple World.

• Moonbeam was distraught to know that Shade was leaving, though Shade promised to return once he saw that his friends were safe after the fight against the Black Mage. Together, they carved a mark of friendship on the Fox Tree before Shade traveled to Maple World through the Interdimensional Portal.

• There, he met with Athena Pierce and learned that centuries had passed since the fight against the Black Mage. He also learned that though the other Heroes were awakening from the curse, Freud had passed away long ago, as Afrien had taken the curse in his place. However, he was most surprised to find that Athena didn’t recognize him, and that she only had knowledge about five Heroes who had sealed the Black Mage away.

• After some time, Shade was called back to Henesys by Athena Pierce, as Mercedes was visiting that day. On his way there, he overheard Mercedes reminding Athena that there were only five Heroes, causing him to run away in shock at the realization that he had been forgotten. In order to verify his theory, Shade opened a time capsule that the Heroes had made centuries ago, where he found himself erased in the photograph that they had all taken together.

• Realizing that he really had been erased in Maple World after sacrificing his existence, Shade decided to return back to Vulpes. There, however, he was shocked and saddened to learn that the Anima had forgotten him as well. Shade was then summoned by the Fox God, who demanded to know why a human had the power of her fox spirits, believing that he had stolen them.

• After hearing Shade’s story, the Fox God realized that his account lined up, as she realized that her missing chunk of power must have been used to stabilize Shade’s existence. Realizing that he would be forgotten whenever he crossed dimensions, the Fox God - accepting Shade as an honorary fox - used her power to completely stabilize Shade’s existence, thereby erasing his curse to be forgotten.

• Despite now having the freedom to make new memories with his friends, Shade resolved to commit himself to stopping the Black Mage first, believing that befriending Moonbeam would only result in them having to say goodbye once again while he was away in Maple World.

• As Shade continued training, he received a nightmare from the Black Mage, who revealed that the only reason why Shade still existed was because the Black Mage - as a Transcendent - was able to remember him, which was his only anchor to existence. Because of this, Shade realized that the Black Mage was his only tether to life, and that the defeat of the Black Mage would mean that Shade would cease to exist as well. Nevertheless, Shade put aside his personal feelings and placed his trust in the Fox God’s power stabilizing his existence, vowing that he would do everything he could to stop the Black Mage, even if it meant that he would disappear as a result. Because of this, Shade sought out Empress Cygnus and decided to join the Alliance.