PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 18: The Knight and the Prince

Centuries ago, Adelaide had been banished into the Void by Veronica, where its magic slowly carved her soul into a hundred and eight pieces. Over time, she felt her memories slip away, bit by bit, and she feared that soon, she would vanish completely. On the moon of Ristonia, a young man named Jerome was being chased by the Count’s guards. As he found himself surrounded, Jerome denounced the guards’ honor, claiming that their only allegiance was to the highest bidder. Just as the guards advanced on him, he made a desperate wish for help to the knight statue at the fountain square.

In the darkness of the Void, his voice rang out and a golden light shined through, shattering Adelaide’s chains and freeing her from the Void. She appeared before Jerome, who marveled that she was just like the knights from the old stories. When he asked her to save him, Adelaide claimed that she didn’t know him, as he wasn’t in the few memories that she had left. Just as the guards were about to attack, however, Adelaide heard a voice from the knight statue proclaim that her calling was to protect the crown and urged her to pull forth her blade. She then recalled her ability to wield swords from the Aether, after which she defeated the guards before escaping with Jerome.

As they hid, Adelaide heard the guards refer to Jerome as a petty thief, yelling out that it would be better for him to turn himself in and pay for his sins. When Adelaide confronted him, Jerome stammered that she hadn’t heard his side of the story yet. He added that he couldn’t afford to get caught and told her that she would also get arrested with him if they surrendered. She conceded that the guards would consider her to be his accomplice, and that it wouldn’t do to get caught while her memories were in a haze. Jerome told her to split up once he created a diversion and asked her to meet him at the fountain on the bell’s fifth toll.

After they escaped, Adelaide hid in a deserted plaza and recalled that the knight statue at the fountain had a voice which seemed to know her, just as she felt old power flowing into her. As she wanted answers immediately, Adelaide decided to go after Jerome instead of waiting for the designated time. She found him attempting to break into a building when he suddenly lost his footing.

As he began falling, Adelaide shot a rope attached to an aether blade onto the building, allowing Jerome to grab onto it as he fell. She then watched him climb into the building through the window and quickly leave. Jerome was surprised to see her and defended his actions by explaining that he was returning a stolen item to its rightful owner. Suddenly, they heard a voice from the building marveling at the return of their family heirloom. Jerome explained that the family heirloom had been stolen by corrupt nobles.

He then asked if Adelaide would serve as his knight in order to help him return the rule of justice to Ristonia. Adelaide told him that she didn’t have time to get involved in other people’s business, as she needed to discover who she was and why she had ended up in Ristonia. Jerome offered to help her find her memories, explaining that she could help him drive out the corrupt nobles while she traveled around the city to look for clues about her past.

He told her that it had been nearly a decade since the nobles had filled the power vacuum after the king’s death, with the royal family having collapsed soon after. While the nobles lived in opulence, they exploited the citizens by not only raising taxes, but also by slashing wages and protections for laborers.

However, Jerome explained that it had been the legendary knights who had legitimized the king’s claim to power, as he was just a man without their backing. Though Adelaide protested at his insistence that she would serve him, Jerome took her lack of denial as agreement. They disguised themselves in robes and began to retreat to his base.

On the way, Adelaide began to explain what was left of her memories. Jerome was surprised at how little they had to go on, but he promised that he would ask his friends to look into it, as they were masters of investigation. Adelaide then agreed to help him, but only until she regained her memories. Jerome asked how she could be so cold, as she had the power to save an entire kingdom.

He then remembered that he had meant to give her something and bestowed a knight’s token, a necklace which he explained was a family heirloom, and told her that she could sell it for a handsome price if she decided that she couldn’t trust him. He then realized that he had never asked for her name. When Adelaide told him her name, Jerome replied that it was too long to shout out in the middle of an emergency, and so he decided to call her Adele against her protests. He also told her that since his name was long as well, she could call him Jerome for short.

At the fountain, he swore that he would use her power for the purpose of saving Ristonia. Adele then decided to play along until she got her bearings. After swearing their oath, Jerome welcomed her to Ristonia, Grandis’ capital of art and culture. On the way back to his hideout, they found the way blocked by back alley cats.

After defeating them, they arrived at the hideout of the Uprising, a revolution that Jerome had created in order to overthrow the corrupt nobles. There, one of the revolutionaries told Jerome that someone had been tearing down their fliers that denounced the nobles. Jerome told them not to worry, as they now had the support of a legendary knight. Adele was less than impressed by their small rag-tag militia, but she decided to entertain Jerome nevertheless.

Jerome explained that his goal was to become the king of Ristonia and restore the kingdom to its former glory. He aimed to do so by eliminating the greedy nobles who plagued the people, Count Cedric in particular. He told Adele that before the royal family had collapsed, Cedric had been low-ranking royalty who had quickly risen to become the most powerful of the nobles in the absence of the royal family. As he was telling his story, Adele saw a flash of light and began to warn him of a possible attack. Jerome looked up to see a small creature floating about and laughed, explaining that the creature was named Boo, and that he had the power to transform into different kinds of objects. He then raised a toast for Adele joining their ranks.

(A/N: One thing that I find strange about Ristonia is that everyone here seems to be human. Given how unique the life forms seem to be on Grandis, it’s a bit strange that everyone on Ristonia is so human-like, especially when it’s been emphasized how everyone from Grandis finds the people on Maple World to be unlike anything that they’ve seen before.

At the same time, we’ve seen one possible instance of an Anima in Maple World - Rondo from the Explorer storyline. Since Maple World and Grandis used to be the same world before the Overseers separated them, it’s possible that several humans might have been cut off from their homeland, and vice versa for the Anima, when the dimensional barrier had been created, leading them to evolve and establish their own separate cultures over time. Similarly, it’s also possible that some of the human-like people on Grandis might be Anima hiding their animal features in order to blend in with the crowd and avoid detection by the High Flora.)

As the Uprising celebrated, Count Cedric marveled at his own beauty from within his residence. His manservant, Simon, was less than impressed by his master’s soliloquy, reminding him that there was much to be done. Cedric told Simon that he trusted him to take care of those trivial matters on his own. Simon explained that he had taken care of them by staying up all night, but that this particular matter was something that only Cedric himself could address.

He gave Cedric a document and asked for his signature, to which Cedric made it known how sick and tired he was of giving signatures. Simon added that he had managed to find three of the rare paintings that Cedric had asked for, but told him that the rest would be difficult to track down. Suddenly, the Count’s guards arrived and reported that they had encountered a suspicious individual who had the power to wield floating blades. Cedric immediately recognized the description as being that of a legendary knight and asked Simon to investigate the matter for him.

The next day, Jerome found that Adele had been standing all night at the fountain square. She then saw two men beginning to play the bass and violin and decided to investigate, believing that they were wielding weapons. Jerome laughed at the fact that she had never seen an instrument before and told her that she would have the chance to get used to modern life by helping him with his missions, explaining that the musicians could help them get information about Count Cedric.

At Adele’s confusion, Jerome told her that it was said that if one wanted to hear about the latest gossip, they only needed to listen to the music on the streets. Adele watched as Jerome went to speak with the musicians for a few moments before returning. He told her that the musicians had lost their motivation because they hadn’t been getting any tips, likely because the people walking the streets had been taxed dry, and so Adele defeated Town Square Pot monsters in order to collect Ristonian Silvers, which she used to pay the musicians.

(A/N: Something that I found weird in Hoyoung’s storyline is how everyone seems to use mesos as currency in Cheong-woon. I like that Ristonia has its own form of currency, although it’s weird that the High Flora never standardized the money on Grandis, especially given the fact that them being fascist means that they would have a heavy emphasis on nationalism.)

After tipping the musicians, they played a song that revealed Count Cedric’s obsession with the royal arts festival. Jerome told Adele that the festival was an event where artwork from all across Grandis was exhibited, with the highlight of the festival being the artwork presented by the Ristonia royal family. Jerome wondered why Cedric was so obsessed with the festival while his kingdom collapsed around him, speculating that there could be some ulterior motive beyond just showing off.

(A/N: Something cool that you can uncover through Ristonia’s musicians is by talking to a musician named Emile. He offers to let you try his piano and you can make different sequences of three notes, which you can choose between ‘Do’, ‘Re’, and ‘Mi’. He then sings different songs based on the sequences that you play. These songs are very similar to the foreshadowings of Grandis that you can learn from Willow in Cheong-woon, as all of them are Easter eggs that allude to future content in the game. However, whereas only Hoyoung characters can unlock Willow’s foreshadowings, any class can play the songs in Ristonia.

Playing Do-Re-Do has him sing a song called “A Sword for One”:

“I will become a sword for my lord.
Even if thorny paths await me
I’ll gladly move forward.
For one person and one person only,
I will become a sword for my lord.”

This song is likely about Adele herself.

Do-Re-Re plays a song called “The Mysterious Tower”:

“Explorers who dream of riches and treasure
Are drawn to mysterious places.
They’d do well to remember
There is no reward without risk!
You there, be careful!
Oh no, you’re already eaten!
You’ll never escape.
You might lose your life.
But oh, just think of the gold!
Step aside!
I’ll be the first to the treasure!”

It’s possible that this song refers to Karote, the Unending Tower.

Re-Re-Mi plays a song called “The Silent Sea”:

“There’s a sea to the south
Of which the sailors whisper.
Some whisper with fear
But I feel naught but wonder.
The sea reaches for me
And everything disappears.
How deep is this sea?
I cannot say.
Does it continue forever?
I want to see! I always wonder!
What secrets does the sea hold?
And where has it taken the sailors it’s claimed?”

It’s speculated that the song either refers to the forgotten sea that bridges Maple World and Grandis after their fusion, or an entirely new area of Grandis that might be similar to Aqua Road.

Mi-Do-Mi plays a song called “Wait, Bunny, Wait”:

“I saw a bunny in the moonlight.
Hoppity-hop!
Let’s follow.
And before we know it, the world all around us
Transforms to an alien landscape.
I’m watching you, bunny!
His tail is charming.
But don’t be fooled!
See! His leg is flying at you!
Even if I cannot go back, I don’t mind.
Hoppity-hop!
Please, just once
Tell me about your world.
Is it full of moonlight?
Take me with you. Hurry!”

No one knows yet what this song refers to, although it’s possible that it might have something to do with Cosim, a member of the Angler family who seemingly turned against them. Cosim wears a bunny ear headband and his name is KMS is Lepus, which is the Latin word for ‘hare’. Our first meeting with Cosim was in Detective Rave’s Case Notes, in which he wears a hazmat spacesuit with galaxy patterns inside the helmet, which might relate to the alien landscape.

The final sequence, Mi-Re-Do, plays a song called “An Unreachable Love Song”:

“When I was young, my mother told me
Stories of the man with the silver hair.
A gallant knight, with sword of white,
Whom I had never met before.
But to his legendary tale,
I lost my very heart.
His righteous chivalry
Held endless charm.
Yet we can never meet.
He and I, we’re parallel.
This love can never be.”

Once again, we have no idea what this could refer to, although it’s possible that it might be a character that we’ll meet in the future, or perhaps even a new class. I also wonder whether it has any relationship to the princess in one of Willow’s foreshadowings who locked herself in her grand castle.)

After learning all that they could from the musicians, Jerome decided to look through the newspapers. As he struggled to explain newspapers to Adele, she allowed him to continue, even though she knew what they were, as she found his flustered gesticulations entertaining. Jerome noticed her laughing and asked her what she was laughing at, to which Adele lied and told him that she had a tickle in her throat. Though Jerome didn’t believe her, he told her that whatever the reason, it was nice to hear her laugh.

(A/N: Adele and Jerome are one of my favorite romances in the game, along with Phantom and Aria, Ark and Albaire, Tana and Jean, and Lara and Gri. I have it in my head that Jerome is probably around the equivalent of 19 in human years, while Adele is probably the equivalent of 20-21. There are a lot of parallels between them and Tana and Jean. Jean would read stories to Tana about a knight and a princess, with Jean being the knight and Tana the princess. This is actually reversed for Jerome and Adele, as Adele is the knight, while Jean is later revealed to be a prince.)

After Adele collected the Ristonian Dispatch from the Monstrous News Machines, Jerome was disappointed to see that it was filled with unflinchingly positive propaganda for the Count. (A/N: I like the implication here that people have to fight the news machine monsters every time they want a newspaper.) However, Jerome noticed that there was an advertisement about an old painting, and though it didn’t reveal the author’s identity, it had a peculiar description of the painting. Jerome noted that it only described the back side of the painting, meaning that the person who had placed the advertisement didn’t know what the front looked like.

He also realized that the address given for inquiries was Cedric’s old residence, which he speculated was to ensure that the general public couldn’t trace the advertisement back to him. Jerome found it suspicious that someone in Cedric’s position should feel the need to cover up something as mundane as buying a painting, and so he decided to visit some acquaintances whom he believed might know more about the painting. As he wanted to go alone, he asked Boo to show Adele around the city in the meantime.

Boo signaled Adele to follow him by dashing away. As she chased after him, several of the residents noticed that a hooded figure, who was really Count Cedric in disguise, was tearing down Jerome’s fliers that criticized him. The residents confronted Cedric and asked if he was one of the Count’s bootlickers, and Cedric used the experience to reaffirm his belief that the reason why he was hated was because the people of Ristonia were jealous of his beauty. (A/N: This man has officially lost the plot. Simon needs a raise.)

Suddenly, Adele arrived and found the residents accosting Cedric, who was still in disguise. Unwilling to get caught up in another chase like last time, she decided to scare off the men with a few flashy strokes of her blades. Cedric instantly recognized Adele as the legendary knight from his guards’ report.

After the men had been scared off, Adele left and ignored Cedric’s requests for her name. Cedric then interpreted what had happened to mean that his legendary knight had finally appeared in his moment of distress. Just then, Simon arrived and chastised Cedric for leaving the house and needlessly tearing down Jerome’s fliers, thus putting himself in danger. As Cedric was escorted back home, he swore to prevent Adele from leaving him again.

Back at the hideout, Adele returned with Boo, where Jerome introduced her to his colleagues, Brook and Laddie. He told her that they were experts in acquiring information, and so he had asked them to look into her past. Based on the information that she had provided about her memories, they concluded that her memories could only be about the Flora Civil War, which had happened centuries ago.

While they continued to look through old manuscripts about the war, they also learned about the painting that Cedric was looking for. They explained that the painting was being stored in the basement of an antiques store, and that they had also found a way inside. However, they told Adele that she and Jerome would need to investigate the painting that very evening, as it was scheduled for sale the next morning.

Jerome told Adele that he knew that some of their actions might not sit right with her, but he assured her that it was all for saving their kingdom, as he could never forgive himself for not doing everything in his power to save Ristonia. He then asked if she would still be willing to break into the shop with him, to which Adele accepted.

That night, they broke into the basement and found the painting that Cedric was after, which appeared as though it had been ripped by hand from a larger work. Jerome suspected that Cedric intended to reunite it with the rest of the work, which was likely why his advertisement didn’t mention anything on the front of the painting, as he may not have even known what was on it.

Jerome realized that they wouldn’t be able to learn any more until the painting was reassembled, and so he placed a tracking device on the back of the canvas. As Jerome moved to put the painting back in its frame, he sneezed from the dust and fell backwards, causing a sword to fall down. Adele found the sword to be oddly familiar and recognized it as a practice sword.

She was then flooded with a memory of her youth, in which she recalled sparring with a girl. (A/N: This was her and Veronica fighting at their swordsmanship school from when they were young.) As Adele reached out to help the girl up, their sword instructor chastised her for showing empathy towards her opponent.

As the girl got up with tears in her eyes, she told Adele not to be a show-off, venom dripping from her words. Adele then heard Jerome trying to wake her up. He asked her if she was alright, as she was clutching the training sword tightly. After Adele told Jerome about the memory that she had remembered, Jerome suggested that they return back to the hideout, as they had learned all they could.

A few days later, a hooded Jerome met a hooded Adele in front of the fountain, where he told her that he hadn’t had any luck browsing the antique shop or the royal archives for any objects that might help Adele regain her memory. Despite their lack of fortune, Adele could still feel that there was energy somewhere in Ristonia that matched that of the training sword, and so she was certain that it was hidden somewhere nearby. Jerome then realized that they hadn’t yet checked Cedric’s residence and believed that a relic of the Flora Civil War might be in his extravagant collection.

They returned to the hideout, where Brook and Laddie greeted them and reported that they had finished their investigation. They explained that the tracking device which Jerome had placed on the painting seemed to be indicating that it was in Cedric’s residence. Laddie added that all the advertisements for the paintings had disappeared from the local papers, likely meaning that Cedric had found all the pieces that he was after.

Laddie then told them that Cedric’s residence had once been an outbuilding of the royal palace, where the king used to store his cherished artworks, sculptures, and other baubles. It was also rumored that the king had constructed a secret treasure vault somewhere inside the outbuilding. Regarding infiltrating the residence, Brook told them that a known secret passage located on the west side of the square was said to lead to the residence, though no one had ever been able to get it open.

Based on their intelligence, Jerome formulated a plan of infiltration. He told Adele that they would enter through the secret passageway, as there was no other way to get in without raising an alarm with the tight security. Though Brook was hesitant, as the passageway had never been opened before, Jerome was adamant, claiming that it would ensure that the Count would never expect it. He told them that he, Adele, and Boo would infiltrate the residence, while Brook and Laddie would have a special assignment.

Jerome, Boo, and Adele then headed over to a manhole near the Western Square, where they struggled in vain to open it. They soon noticed an inscription written on the cover: “The knights pledge to their liege their final breath, only at that last gasp is their watch ended. Only thence are they carried beyond by the waters of dusk.” Jerome quickly realized that it was a riddle referring to the fountain with the knights’ statue, but he realized that they had missed their chance, as it had already turned on and off earlier.

However, Adele thought that it was unlikely that the passage would only open at a specific time and noticed that below the inscription was a raised illustration of the female knight from the fountain, with her spear looking as though it could be rotated. Adele turned the spear towards the direction of dusk, causing the manhole to open. (A/N: I refuse to believe that not a single person could have figured out something this simple until Adele came along.)

The trio then climbed down the passageway and soon found another passage covered in moss. Adele climbed up alone and threw down a rope for Jerome. They continued on to find a space filled with Torchlighter monsters. They ducked into another passageway in order to avoid the monsters and soon reached an abandoned corridor, where Jerome noted that they were directly below Cedric’s residence. He suspected that the secret passageways had been built for the royal family and their servants long ago and suspected that the entrance to the outbuilding had to be nearby.

After some searching, they came across three doors covered in brambles. Adele thought about cutting the brambles with her swords, but feared that the debris may hit Jerome, and so she gathered embers from the Torchlighter monsters in the previous passageway and used them to burn down the brambles. Jerome tried the middle door first and found that it was locked, and that it had two keyholes.

They then entered the door on the left, where they found several old chests. Inside the chests were bats that Adele cut down, after which they discovered the first key. They then entered the door on the right, where they discovered more chests. As Jerome and Adele split up to look for clues, Adele opened a chest and discovered an old glove, the same kind worn by knights of the royal family.

Upon touching it, she was consumed by a memory of her hunting down and executing a former Knight of the Einherjar, whom she had accused of abusing his station as a knight and dishonoring the God-King. As Adele had put her blade to the traitor’s throat, the knight had seen Veronica nearby and had pleaded with her for mercy, claiming that they were friends.

However, Veronica had merely told him that the decision wasn’t up to her, but rather, it was the platoon leader’s duty to mete out judgement. With no hesitation, emotion, or thought of mercy, Adele had swiftly brought down her sword and killed the traitor. Veronica had noted that Adele had coldly passed judgement without a second thought, but Adele had told her that she had merely fulfilled her duty as a knight, with no thought of vengeance.

Meanwhile, Jerome found the key and came over to Adele, who was standing frozen in thought. She was shocked by the memory and the realization that she had carried out an order to kill someone. Though she knew that she had been carrying out justice, she still felt a strange sense of guilt about telling Jerome what she had seen, and so she refrained from mentioning it.

Jerome told her that he had found the key and asked her if she was alright, but Adele dismissed his concerns and told him that even if she wasn’t, she wouldn’t allow it to get in the way of her mission. They then returned to the corridor and used the two keys to open the middle door, which led to a treasure room filled with gold, jewels, and even the king’s crown.

Suddenly, the ground rumbled as the door sealed itself shut. Jerome noticed that a nearby hatch was the only way out, but realized that it was locked. After searching the treasure room, he picked up the crown and read the inscription on it: “Those who would seek the crown must learn to sacrifice the few for the many. Art thou worthy of the throne?” He told Adele that based on what he had read about the royal family, the hatch was a revolving door designed to let a single person through and never open again.

Adele thought that since Boo could transform into an object, Jerome could slip outside with Boo, leaving her to use her full power in order to tear down the door. Jerome told Adele that if he wanted to become the king, he would need to sacrifice for the greater good. However, he refused to go along with the choice laid out before him, claiming that a king led, not followed. He then placed several jewels in the hatch, keeping it stuck halfway, allowing the trio to escape together. Adele was impressed and began considering that Jerome was indeed a worthy heir to the crown.

After going through the hatch, they found themselves inside the Count’s residence. Because of the high security, Jerome instructed Boo to sneak past the servants by taking the form of random objects along the way in order to get to the other side of the house and cause a distraction. With Boo’s aid, they were able to make it to the Count’s study, where they hid behind the curtains and lay in wait. There, they overheard Simon telling Cedric that based on the restored painting, a key was needed to awaken the Ancient God. (A/N: Most of the newer classes and storylines created after the Black Mage arc seem to involve awakening the Ancient Gods. Most likely, this is a hint towards Darmoor’s larger plans beyond just remaking all life.)

Cedric mused that there wasn’t much time left until the arts festival, but he hoped that it would give them an opportunity, as he believed that there would likely be a High Flora officer in attendance. He instructed Simon to continue searching for the key in the meantime. Simon asked if his plan was wise, as according to the painting’s interpretation, meddling with the power of the Ancient Gods would bring about a great calamity in Ristonia, the kind that would destroy the entire kingdom.

Cedric dismissed his concerns, claiming that he was only handing the key to the High Flora, and whether they chose to awaken the Ancient God was none of his business. He vowed that he would do whatever it took to secure his standing, as he could never survive living as a peasant. Adele wondered who the Ancient God could be and why they were awakening them if it meant Ristonia’s doom. She also wondered whom they intended to turn the key over to. (A/N: I mentioned that they wanted to give the key to the High Flora, but they don’t specifically namedrop them in the conversation, which is why Adele wonders this.)

Suddenly, Boo transformed back into his usual form, unable to hold his disguise any longer. Simon and Cedric immediately discovered them and called for security. Jerome gave Brook the emergency signal and moments later, flares were sent up from a nearby building. Adele immediately grabbed Jerome and jumped out the window to the opposite rooftop. Jerome, flustered at being carried bridal-style by Adele, told her to put him down. At his insistence, Adele put him down, but ordered him to stay behind her at all times. Adele then fought her way past the guards, escorting Jerome safely to a faraway rooftop. Suddenly, she felt faint and passed out, as though she had returned back to the Void.

Some time later, she awoke on a boat with Jerome, who explained that he had snuck past the guards while carrying her and sailed away. Adele was dazed, wondering if her time in Ristonia had been an illusion, and whether she was still trapped in the Void. Jerome asked Adele what she was thinking and told her that she sometimes seemed as though she were a thousand miles away, as though he and everything else weren’t real. However, he insisted that he was real and told her that though he knew that it was hard for her to have awoken centuries after her time, he would still be there for her and added that she was always free to make a home in Ristonia.

He then laughed and asked if he was being too sentimental, though he assured her that though she carried a large weight on her shoulders, she was not alone. His words caused Adele to smile for the first time since they had met, and Jerome told her that he hoped that she would have more to smile about in the future. (A/N: Get yourself someone who looks at you the way that Adele and Jerome look at each other.)

A few days later, Brook and Laddie returned to the hideout and told Jerome that they had been unable to find the key. However, they did find a strange article in the newspaper about the arts festival, in which Cedric had revealed in an interview that he had discovered a work that would reveal shocking secrets from the kingdom’s past. Knowing that Cedric planned to sell the key, Jerome vowed to stop him. Brook and Laddie told them that they had managed to obtain a pair of invitations to the festival and explained that it was a masquerade ball.

While they prepared to infiltrate the event, Cedric marveled at the thought of the legendary knight being in his home to Simon. He concluded that Adele was being forced to aid Jerome, whom he called a ruffian. Simon, however, told Cedric that he had personally investigated Jerome and discovered that he was the last prince of Ristonia. Cedric was taken aback, as he believed that there was no one left with blood ties to the throne. Realizing that Jerome would likely try to steal his crown, Cedric told Simon to hasten his efforts in finding the key.

On the day of the arts festival, Jerome, Boo, and Adele made their way to Cedric’s residence. Adele was feeling distracted by her earlier vision of the Void, terrified at the thought of her reality being stripped away at any time. However, she forced herself to focus, telling herself that after their mission, her duty as a knight would end, and she and Jerome would go their separate ways. Just then, Boo flew away on his own. Jerome explained that Boo usually did whatever he wanted and told Adele that he needed to meet up with Brook and Laddie in order to ensure that the preparations were complete. He handed Adele a mask and told her to enjoy herself in the meantime.

Adele made her way into Cedric’s residence and examined the art pieces. She encountered a knight’s token and read that it was identical to the pendants presented to the knights who had defended the previous God-King centuries ago, modeled after the Einherjar, the gate to the royal palace. (A/N: In Norse mythology, the einherjar are the warriors who’ve died and gone to Valhalla, where they prepare for Ragnarok, the end of the world.)

Suddenly, Adele was consumed by one of her previous memories. She recalled her knighting ceremony, in which the God-King had presented a token to each of the knights, and Adele noted that he appeared to be a strong-willed but benevolent ruler. The God-King had then told them that above all else, he entrusted them with the protection of the Einherjar. Adele also recalled thinking how, though she and the other knights had sworn to give their lives to the God-King, their oath would be broken on the field of battle. Adele noted that the plaque read that the man in her memory was the previous God-King and wondered if that meant that he had passed away.

She then realized that the masquerade was about to start and went to wait for Jerome in the ballroom. Soon after, a masked Jerome approached her and asked for a dance, explaining that they needed to blend in. Though Adele told him that she didn’t dance, Jerome laughed that he would teach her and pulled her to the dance floor. Seeing Jerome dressed up made Adele admit to herself that he was rather dashing, and that it was hard to believe that he was the same naive boy whom she had been following around.

(A/N: For male Adeles, Jerome won’t insist on dancing after Adele replies that he doesn’t dance, instead settling for making small talk in order to try and blend in. I will never forgive Nexon for not allowing male Adeles to dance with Jerome, especially when male Adeles will still check Jerome out and call him dashing anyways.)

As they danced, Jerome told Adele that he had been meaning to tell her something about his family. Just then, Adele was pulled away by a masked Veronica. Though Adele was unable to remember her, Veronica clearly made it known that she remembered Adele, mocking her for her memory troubles from her imprisonment in the Void. Adele demanded to know who she was, but Veronica told her that it wouldn’t be fun to simply give away the answer.

Adele threatened her, claiming that she could strike her down in an instant, but Veronica merely mocked Adele for always thinking with her sword, asking if she really planned to attack her in front of a crowd. She told Adele that there was no point in fighting with her in her weakened state, and that the next time they met, she wanted Adele to have recovered her full strength. With that, she vanished into the crowd.

(A/N: Veronica dances very sensually with Adele in this scene and it really makes me believe that she has romantic feelings for her, especially given how aggressive she gets when it comes to Adele. Adele is probably clueless and wonders why Veronica behaves so spitefully towards her, unaware of the fact that Veronica is just a salty lesbian.)

Just then, Cedric announced that the exhibit presentation would begin momentarily. Jerome told Adele that when the lights went out, they needed to grab the key and escape. Brook and Laddie cut the lights and Jerome rushed to the stage in order to grab the key. However, he realized that behind the curtain wasn’t a key, but a painting of his father, the last king of Ristonia.

Worried about the lack of signal, Adele decided to pull Jerome out. Suddenly, the Count’s guards surrounded the two and put metal shackles on their wrists. After Cedric told the guards to take them away, the lights came back on and Cedric revealed the painting, explaining that it depicted the folly of the late royal family, which he claimed had driven the kingdom to financial ruin.

Back in the Count’s room, the guards tied up Jerome and Adele before leaving. Adele asked Jerome why he hadn’t told her about his true identity, to which Jerome explained that it would have complicated matters, and that it wasn’t a title that he was proud of either. He apologized for dragging her into his mess and told her to escape when the first opportunity presented itself, even if it meant leaving him behind. Just then, Cedric and Simon arrived. Cedric told Adele that he was freeing her from Jerome’s clutches, but Adele told him that she would never serve as his knight. Irritated, Cedric had Simon take Jerome away.

Meanwhile, Boo snuck past the guards and arrived to free Adele by turning himself into a key. Adele then broke through the window and climbed out from the Count’s residence. Adele followed Boo on the trail to Jerome when Boo suddenly stopped at the fountain. Adele then heard a voice coming from the knight statue, telling her to rekindle the flames of her oath. (A/N: I have strong suspicions that the voice belongs to the Ancient God that they’re trying to revive in Ristonia.)

Adele was then consumed by yet another memory, one of a fierce battle between the Knights of the Einherjar, with half defending the gate and half attempting to break through. As the defenders faltered before the enemy’s might, Adele recalled herself denouncing the enemy for betraying all that the knights stood for. Upon regaining consciousness, Adele felt power flooding into her, granting her new strength. She wondered whether the memory meant that she had failed to protect the God-King and vowed not to fail Jerome in the same way. As the glow of the statue faded, a strand of light slipped from her closed palm and charted a winding course to the north.

Meanwhile at the old keep, Cedric was attempting to obtain the key to awakening the Ancient God. Realizing that it could only be activated by one with direct royal lineage, he forced Jerome to open the grate that hid the key. Back in the town, Adele met up with Brook, Laddie, and the rest of the Uprising. They told Adele that the Count had taken Jerome to the old keep and Adele immediately rushed to free him. Along with Boo, she fought her way up the tower past the guards. As Cedric approached Jerome to execute him, Jerome silently pleaded for Adele to rescue him, just as he had first wished at the fountain.

Sure enough, Adele reached the belltower, where she declared that she had come to fulfill her oath to her liege, Jerome, the last prince and rightful heir of Ristonia. Cedric dragged Jerome to the top of the spire, leaving Simon to deal with Adele. After a surprisingly longer battle than expected, Adele managed to defeat Simon and rushed after Cedric. On the ground, the Uprising succeeded in defeating Cedric’s guards.

Just as Adele advanced on Cedric, she felt the Void pulling at her once again, causing her to collapse. Cedric was impressed by Simon for having weakened a legendary knight and told her that once he delivered the key to the High Flora, his throne would be safe at last. He then threw Jerome over the edge of the spire and walked away. With the last of her strength, Adele jumped after Jerome and grabbed onto him, barely floating in midair with her burnt wings.

(A/N: One thing that I really don’t like about the Flora classes is that all of them have lost their wings, except for Illium. I know that it’s probably to make him feel unique, but it’s getting to feel really contrived for Nexon to keep making excuses about why literally every playable Flora class other than Illium can’t use the one feature that they’re known for, especially because Flora wings are so nice to look at. I feel the same way about Cadena and Kain as well.

One of the best parts of shifting the story focus to Grandis is that we can explore unique non-human races. Making non-human classes change their features to look human just for the sake of simpler character designs, or whatever the reason is, makes it feel like we’re losing out on one of the main selling points of Grandis instead of just keeping the focus on Maple World, especially since there are still so many unexplored story threads left to cover there. I would absolutely kill for some Flora wings as Cash Shop capes with customizable colors.)

Jerome told Adele that even though he had told her to save herself, he was glad that she had come back for him. Suddenly, fireworks began to burst in midair. Jerome laughed at Adele, who thought that they were under attack, and explained what they were. Looking at Jerome’s smile, Adele realized that she never used to smile before she had met him, and she felt that being with him gave her hope that even someone like herself was worthy of happiness. (A/N: If I die, I want it written on my grave that it was because of how cute these two are.)

A few days later, Cedric crawled his way towards the fountain square, where High Flora soldiers awaited him. Cedric lamented his fall from power after having squandered all of his fortune on the arts festival and hoped that with the key, he would be able to clear his massive debts and return to the throne. At the sight of Veronica approaching, Cedric marveled at her beauty, believing that it rivalled his own. Unimpressed, Veronica demanded that he hand over the key to her immediately.

Cedric opened the box containing the key, but to his shock, it was actually Boo, who had taken the form of the key. As Boo flew away, Cedric pleaded to be given a few more days to set things right, but Veronica ordered her soldiers to take Cedric away. Just then, Simon approached and told Veronica that she could do with Cedric as she saw fit, as he was unable to protect him any longer. Veronica then tasked Simon with recovering the key, telling him not to fail as Cedric had. (A/N: Simon 100% deserved this promotion after all he had to deal with from Cedric.)

Some time later, Adele and Jerome arrived at the fountain square, where they found a newly-built monument. Jerome explained that it was called “The Heroes of the People”, funded by the people of Ristonia after hearing how the Uprising had stood up to the Count. Adele asked what had happened to the real key, to which Jerome explained that he had pickpocketed Cedric while he had been talking. He told her that he planned to take the key far away from Ristonia in order to keep it out of the wrong hands, adding that they could say their goodbyes after the Uprising’s celebration.

Back at the hideout, Jerome’s comrades reported that they had successfully redistributed the riches of the nobles who had deserted town. Brook and Laddie asked Jerome to take them with him, but Jerome told them that they needed to stay behind and lead the Uprising in his absence. He then asked them to give Adele the results of their investigation. The documents which they had discovered detailed the races of Grandis, as well as information on the Transcendents. It also listed that Gerand Darmoor was currently the reigning God-King of the High Flora. Adele realized that he must have been the successor of the old God-King whom she had once served, but she couldn’t recall having ever heard of him.

(A/N: This part is interesting because it doesn’t make sense that Adele has never heard of Darmoor when he was the Prince of the High Flora, although it’s likely that her missing memories play a major role in why she doesn’t know him. What’s also interesting is that she doesn’t recognize his family name either, assuming that she remembers the former God-King’s name, as well as assuming that surnames are passed down in Flora culture the same way as they are in human culture, meaning that she should have recognized the connection between the two that way.

This means that either surnames aren’t passed down in Flora culture or Darmoor is a chosen surname, maybe something that he gave himself after ascending the throne. There’s also the possibility that she just hasn’t regained her memories of Darmoor or the God-King at this point, but I’m really hoping that it isn’t the case because it feels way too contrived that every class who’s ever met Darmoor in the game, such as Ark and Adele, has conveniently lost their memories of him in order to keep them just as in the dark about him as all the other classes.

Also, this isn’t strictly related, but something interesting to note is that every record in the game has continued to refer to Darmoor as the Prince of the High Flora throughout the Flora Civil War, even though he killed his father centuries before its end. As it’s too consistent to be a continuity error, it’s likely that Darmoor wasn’t officially crowned as the new God-King until the end of the Flora Civil War.)

Reading about the Flora Civil War, Adele wondered if the battles that she had witnessed in her memories had been part of the war. (A/N: It’s actually the battle that took place right before the old God-King was killed. You could technically consider it to be a part of the Flora Civil War if you consider it to be the first battle, rather than the battle that incited the war.) She also read about the Interdimensional Portals, details about Maple World and the Black Mage, and rumors of children with pointy ears and wings having recently been sighted in Pantheon.

She also read about the Knights of the Einherjar, who were said to have protected the seat of the God-King, though the practice had ended with the reign of the last God-King. It also mentioned that the Knights had vanished when most of them had been killed in the same insurrection that had resulted in the death of the God-King.

Adele hoped to learn more about her past by looking into the fates of the Knights of the Einherjar. She was able to recall that she had once been a knight, and that she had fought in the Flora Civil War before being sealed away. (A/N: Again, she’s only technically correct about this if you consider the murder of the God-King to be part of the Flora Civil War, rather than simply its catalyst.) 

After absorbing the information that she had read, Adele told Jerome that she planned to head to Maple World in order to seek more information about her past. Jerome was sad that they wouldn’t see more of each other, but he told her that he was going on his mission alone because his time with he had taught him that he needed to learn how to fend for himself if he hoped to ascend the throne. He also told her that Brook and Laddie had connections both within and beyond Ristonia that would help her in her search for her lost memories. He asked her to keep the knight’s token that he had given her, telling her that he would ask her to serve as his knight when he was ready to be king.

After saying their goodbyes, Adele headed to the town square in order to seek Torbil, who could transport her to Savage Terminal, which was her stop on the way to Pantheon. Keeping in mind that Brook and Laddie had warned her that Pantheon was hostile towards the Flora, she arrived outside the Protective Shield, where Nova soldiers immediately surrounded her. Cartalion, Beldar, and Fenelle arrived to meet her and demanded to know her purpose. Adele told them that she had come to use the Interdimensional Portal, but Cartalion and Beldar believed that she had an ulterior motive.

Fenelle then requested to speak with Adele alone and escorted her to the Great Temple. There, she asked Adele once again why she had come to Pantheon. Adele explained that there was something in the other dimension that she needed. To her surprise, Fenelle asked if she was searching for her past and recited a prophecy made several days ago, “A knight will emerge from the dark, and with the light as their compass, make their way to the sanctuary of the dragon.” Adele admitted that she had been locked away in the Void for countless years until she had woken up recently in Ristonia, explaining the broad strokes of her adventures there.

Fenelle apologized for further delaying her journey and asked to see if Adele’s heart was filled with good intention. Fenelle sensed that Adele had a noble heart, perhaps relentless in the face of injustice, but one that would never harm the innocent. She then gave Adele permission to enter the Interdimensional Portal, instructing her to meet with Athena Pierce.

Before she left, Adele asked if anyone else from Grandis had already traveled through the portal. Fenelle cryptically replied that she would discover the answer on her own in due time. After arriving in Maple World, Adele headed to Henesys and met with Athena Pierce, who encouraged her to help the people around her while adventuring. (A/N: As always, she gives the four basic theme dungeon requests.)

Some time later, Adele received a letter from Fenelle, who wrote that while the Nova had been investigating Adele, they had also discovered an old item in their possession which was connected to the prior God-King. She also wrote that she had asked Angelic Buster to deliver the item to her. Adele went to the Heliseum Hideout in Pantheon, where she met Angelic Buster.

After introducing herself, Angelic Buster warned that though she was unsure whether Adele used to work for Gerand Darmoor, she would need to choose a side after recovering her memories and recommended that she pick the Nova over Darmoor. She also told Adele that her people had been brutally massacred by Darmoor, and that anyone who served him was her enemy, adding that she hoped that Fenelle wasn’t wrong about Adele. With that, she delivered the item and left. Adele examined the item, a helmet of the Knights of the Einherjar, which triggered a memory. She recalled the night of their knighthood ceremony, in which their captain had explained their responsibilities to protect the Einherjar.

As Adele continued to grow stronger, she soon felt the voice from the knight statue at the fountain square calling out to her. The image of the fountain filled her mind, with the voice commanding her to answer the call. She was flooded with a memory of the last battle between the Knights of the Einherjar, in which Adele defended the Einherjar against an unknown enemy. (A/N: This enemy is Veronica.) Her enemy proclaimed that Adele had been sentenced to death for the crime of defying the God-King, just as Adele called her enemy a traitor. After the memory faded into her mind, new power flooded into Adele, though she wondered whether the memory meant that she had been the one who had betrayed the God-King.

(A/N: Adele’s memories are a bit confusing as you play the storyline, especially since they don’t come back in chronological order. What happens here is that Gerand Darmoor got a faction of the Knights on his side to kill his father and Adele led the rest of the Knights to defend the old God-King. Veronica called her a traitor against the God-King because she considered Darmoor to be the new God-King, whom Adele is betraying by standing against him, which is why both we and Adele get confused about whether she’s betraying the God-King or not.)