PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 10: The Magician of Light

(A/N: The first part of Luminous’ storyline depends on the choice you make at the beginning of the story to choose either the light or dark path. Originally, GMS only gave the option to take the dark path, and so personally I consider the dark path to be the canon option, especially since it adds more levity to Luminous’ struggle to resist the darkness. However, I’ll cover both the light and dark storylines in this section. The events of both paths are loosely the same, barring Luminous’ personality. Given that both paths converge at his 2nd job advancement anyways, each path’s canonicity is largely based on which one you choose to believe.)

In Ellinia, Luminous had spent many happy years with Lania and Penny. One day, Lania sent Luminous to the market in order to get fresh supplies. Luminous had lately been suffering from headaches, and while Lania walked him outside, he felt his chest tightening as dark power built up inside him. Just as he yelled for Lania to stay back, black chains shot up from the ground around him. Luminous then passed out for a while, and after he awoke, he found Lania’s house in ruins and Lania lying motionless on the ground as the forest burned around them. Luminous was anguished to feel the Black Mage’s power inside him and wondered what could be done.

Light Path:
Luminous decided to resist the power of the darkness and saved Lania. Over the next several months, Luminous rebuilt Lania’s home and returned everything back to normal. After finishing repairs, he told Lania that he was going on a journey to find a way to remove the darkness inside of him before he hurt her again. He then decided to recall the power of light, which he hadn’t used since the Black Mage’s curse had weakened him. He tested his rudimentary light magic on the Bubblings, after which he headed into town in order to learn more about the changed world, as well as to find a way to contact Aurora.

He then spoke with Arwen the Fairy and asked if she knew where Mercedes or Elluel was. Arwen had never heard of Elluel, but recognized Mercedes’ name as that of one the five Heroes who had been cursed into eternal slumber. Luminous asked whether she had seen any elves, as Elluel was close to Ellinia. Arwen told him that she had never heard of elves either and insisted that there were no other towns in the forest besides Ellinia. Finally, Luminous asked her whether she had ever heard of Aurora, which Arwen denied, though she told him that Grendel the Really Old likely knew about Aurora, as he was extremely knowledgeable. 

(A/N: Originally, I expected Mercedes’ story to take place before Luminous’, but in Mercedes’ storyline, Arwen tells her that she had read that the elves had disappeared hundreds of years ago. Given that this contradicts what she tells Luminous, I’m assuming that she was ignorant of elves when Luminous asked her, and so she read up on them by the time Mercedes showed up. It does seem weird that she knows that Mercedes is one of the Heroes at this point, but doesn’t recognize her later on. Mercedes never does introduce herself by name to Arwen, however, and so she likely just doesn’t recognize Mercedes by appearance.)

Luminous went to the Magic Library, where he met Grendel’s student, Lolo. (A/N: I thought it would’ve been pretty neat to see Lolo be part of the Magician’s Association in FriendStory or Kinesis’ storyline, but tragically Nexon forgot about him.) Lolo told Luminous that Grendel had stepped out, and that he didn’t know when he would be back. However, he told Luminous that he could take a message.

Luminous asked whether he had ever heard of Aurora, to which Lolo said that the name sounded familiar. Lolo explained that Grendel had made him read every book in the Magic Library when he had first started, and that he had seen the word ‘Aurora’ next to a strange emblem, which Luminous realized was likely Aurora’s symbol. Lolo told him that he had seen it on an ancient scroll, but that he would need time to find it.

While he searched, Lolo asked Luminous to help him with his chores. He first asked Luminous to find his cleaning supplies, which had been stolen by the Royal Fairies. After Luminous recovered them, Lolo told him that he had found the scroll. Upon reading it, Luminous realized that he had never seen such a scroll before, speculating that it had likely been used to select members of Aurora.

However, the scroll mentioned that it was possible for one to reach Aurora’s sanctum of Harmony, even without mastery over light magic. Luminous told Lolo that he was indebted to him for finding the scroll, and so Lolo shamelessly asked him for another favor, which was to extract Polishing Sap from the eyeballs of Evil Eyes. (A/N: Another reason why the dark path is superior - no one can make you do gross things like this when you’re unhinged and homicidal.)

After Luminous returned, he found that Grendel had also arrived. Luminous asked Grendel whether he had any knowledge of Aurora, but Grendel informed him that the organization had died out centuries ago. However, he promised to help Luminous find a way to reach Harmony in exchange for helping the people of Ellinia. Lolo first told Luminous to help Anne, Dr. Betty’s daughter, as she was often lonely due to her mother’s focus on her research. Anne told Luminous that Curse Eyes had taken her stuffed bears and asked Luminous to get them back.

After finding them, Anne told him that Shane seemed unwell and suggested that Luminous check up on him. Shane told Luminous that Cold Eyes had ruined his garden and stolen the seeds of his rare herbs. After Luminous recovered the seeds, Shane told Luminous to check up on Betty to see if she needed any help with her research. Betty asked him to bring Surgeon Eye tails for her research. After he brought them back, she thanked him for his help, as she now had time to spend with her daughter and mentioned that Grendel had been looking for him.

In the Magic Library, Grendel gave him a moth-eaten scroll and explained that it was related to Aurora. Upon reading the scroll, Luminous heard the voice of the Second Master of Aurora, who told him that the path to Harmony was open to those who could solve the Four Paradoxes: Cold Flame, Hot Chill, Destructive Creation, and Eyes that See Darkness. Grendel agreed to help Luminous solve the paradoxes and gave him a Vampiric Lantern, which could collect light from monsters.

He first sent Luminous to hunt Flaming Mixed Golems for the first paradox, as their cores were cool to the touch but capable of starting fires. Next, he hunted Icy Mixed Golems for the second paradox, whose cores did the exact opposite. After that, he hunted Axe Stumps, who had axes integrated into their bodies. The axes were created as part of the Axe Stumps, even as the axes destroyed trees. Finally, Luminous hunted Evil Eyes, whose eyes were accustomed to dark caves.

After solving the paradoxes, Luminous thanked Grendel and asked if there was a secluded place where he could conduct the ritual. Grendel suggested that he go to the Golem Temple, where Luminous was able to successfully open the path to Harmony. There, he met the spirit of his old friend, Vieren, who was glad to see Luminous after centuries.

Vieren explained that after Luminous had left to fight the Black Mage, he had learned as much as he could from their master, though he hadn’t been able learn everything. Luminous reassured Vieren that he had done as much as he could and asked whether their master had died peacefully. Vieren told him that the master had died peacefully in the same valley where they had buried Luminous’ old friend, Lucia.

(A/N: Their master is separate from the Second Master of Aurora, as Luminous doesn’t recognize the Second Master in a future quest. The Second Master of Aurora is implied to be Mars, who was first identified by his name in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum. Although it’s not at all clear in the GMS dialogue, the KMS text makes it clear that the Vieren in the White Mage chapter is the father of the Vieren in Luminous’ storyline.

Luminous is slightly older than the younger Vieren, which can be seen through the honorifics that they use in Korean. After the Black Mage killed Lucia, Luminous left to go fight him, while Vieren remained alone and continued studying until he passed away from old age, which is why he looks older and bearded as a ghost.) 

Dark Path:
Luminous decided to embrace the Black Mage’s power and left Lania to die, claiming that he was now a creature of the darkness. (A/N: This line alone makes Luminous the edgiest amongst every other class in the game.) He wondered whether this was how the Black Mage saw the world, with everything else beneath him. After testing his new powers on the Bubblings, he realized that dark magic was much easier than light magic. He then decided to visit town in order to learn about how the world had changed.

There, he met Arwen the Fairy and demanded that she tell him about the Black Mage. A frightened Arwen stammered that she only knew that the Black Mage had been sealed away centuries ago by the Heroes. Luminous expressed disbelief at the possibility that centuries had passed and told her to reveal what she knew of Aurora, to which she told him that she didn’t know anything and asked him to leave.

(A/N: It makes no sense that Luminous would be surprised that centuries had passed when that’s literally the first thing that Lania told him when they met. He even seems aware of this in his light path. Since we know that he’s been going in and out of town to buy groceries, there’s no way that he wouldn’t have realized that a giant town now exists in a forest which, as far as he was aware, should have been completely unpopulated.)

When Luminous refused to leave, Arwen threatened to scream, but Luminous used his magic to freeze her in place. Terrified, Arwen agreed to answer any questions he had. Luminous asked if she knew anyone who was well-versed in magic, and so she told him to seek out Grendel in the Magic Library. There, he encountered Lolo, who told him that Grendel had stepped out, and that he didn’t know when he would return. Lolo offered to take a message, but Luminous decided to ransack the library himself for answers.

When Lolo tried to stop him, Luminous threatened him by asking what he intended to do, making Lolo freeze in terror. After searching the library, Luminous expressed his annoyance that he couldn’t find anything about Aurora. Lolo offered to find it for him, which Luminous accepted, telling Lolo that he would vent his anger out on the nearby monsters while Lolo searched.

(A/N: Luminous isn’t fully evil in the early parts of his dark path. He exhibits some split personality behavior in which he feels remorseful and apologizes for his actions, but as the story goes on, his darkness takes over and he becomes fully immersed in it.)

Soon after, Luminous returned and Lolo gave him a moth-eaten scroll with Aurora’s symbol. After reading the scroll, he realized that it was a test used for new members of Aurora. To his annoyance, he realized that the scroll was incomplete and ordered Lolo to find the rest. However, Lolo stammered that he had already found everything that he could and asked Luminous to leave. Furious, Luminous used his powers on Lolo and banished him to a netherworld. (A/N: Take that Lolo, that’s what you get for making us go on dumb fetch quests in the light path.)

Furious that he couldn’t find the other half of the scroll, Luminous decided to vent more of his anger out on the local monsters before returning to the library, where he found that Grendel had returned. Grendel was able to sense a dark aura emanating from Luminous, who realized that Grendel had knowledge of dark magic and demanded that Grendel teach everything he knew about the darkness.

(A/N: Grendel’s knowledge of dark magic is a reference to his accidental creation of Zombie Lupins. Grendel even wonders in this storyline whether having to deal with Luminous is punishment for his own dabbling in dark magic during his youth.)

Grendel refused and instead offered to help Luminous find information on Aurora in exchange for Luminous killing the monsters terrorizing Ellinia. After destroying the Curse Eyes, Cold Eyes, and Surgeon Eyes in the forest, Luminous returned to the library, where Grendel gave Luminous the rest of the scroll. Upon reading it, he heard the voice of the Second Master of Aurora, who told him that the path to Harmony was open to those who could solve the Four Paradoxes: Cold Flame, Hot Chill, Destructive Creation, and Eyes that See Darkness.

Grendel agreed to help Luminous solve the paradoxes and gave him a Vampiric Lantern, which could collect light from monsters. He first sent Luminous to hunt Flaming Mixed Golems for the first paradox, as their cores were cool to the touch but capable of starting fires. Next, he hunted Icy Mixed Golems for the second paradox, whose cores did the exact opposite. After that, he hunted Axe Stumps, who had axes integrated into their bodies. The axes were created as part of the Axe Stumps, even as the axes destroyed trees. Finally, Luminous hunted Evil Eyes, whose eyes were accustomed to dark caves.

After returning, Luminous demanded that Grendel tell him of a place where he could conduct the ritual in peace. Grendel suggested that he go to the Golem Temple, but demanded that Luminous return Lolo. After bringing Lolo back, Luminous went to the Golem Temple and successfully opened the path to Harmony. There, he met the spirit of his old mentor, Vieren, and told him that he had embraced the darkness. Vieren was bemused at the thought of Luminous, the Magician of Light and the hero who sealed the Black Mage, becoming a dark magician himself. He asked if Luminous had come to Harmony in order to learn dark magic, claiming that they had many books on the matter.

Luminous told Vieren to disappear, but Vieren warned him that he was much stronger than the last time they had seen each other. As the two prepared to duel, Luminous heard the distant voice of Lania telling Luminous to stop, claiming that she had been waiting for him since even before she had forgotten. (A/N: Even though the dialogue box says that Lania is speaking to him, it’s actually the voice of Lucia, Luminous’ childhood friend who reincarnated into Lania.)

Though confused by both the voice and its words, Luminous felt the darkness welling up inside him again. Just like before, he yelled for Lania to stay back, right before passing out. When he awoke, Luminous felt that he had a bit more control over himself and told Vieren what had happened.  

Paths Converge Here:
Luminous told Vieren about the darkness inside of him, to which Vieren replied that his research indicated that light and darkness were both two sides of the same coin. Luminous was adamant that the two powers were opposite, but Vieren suggested that since Luminous had both powers, he could learn to control the darkness, rather than remove it.

(A/N: It’s funny to think that Luminous is so opposed to the idea of light and darkness working together if you consider what the Black Mage’s end goal is. It’s also interesting that he has both the powers of light and darkness, which is precisely what the Black Mage wanted, and yet it’s never brought up during Esfera or Tenebris besides a throwaway line or two.)

Vieren then used his powers to resonate with the light in order to temper the darkness inside Luminous, allowing him to gain control over both the light and the darkness. He then gave Luminous an Aurora Prism, which would allow him to return to Harmony whenever he wished. He also warned Luminous that the darkness could still overtake him at any point and suggested that Luminous try making the darkness his own, reminding him once again that light and darkness were merely two sides of the same coin. He wondered whether they might even be able to fulfill their master’s dying wish of collecting the Auguries, whose combined strength would allow one the master the darkness. Vieren explained that there were five Auguries, and that he knew where they all were.

(A/N: Luminous, like many other classes, has his storyline intersect with the theme dungeons from levels 30-60. Given that it’s not canonically possible for every character to complete them, I’m working on the assumption that each character only does what they came to do, rather than complete the theme dungeon fully.)

Luminous then began collecting the Auguries, finding the first one in the hands of the Mole King at the Ellinel Fairy Academy. Next, he found the second Augury at Gold Beach in the hands of Captain Darkgoo. To find the whereabouts of the third Augury, Vieren sent Luminous to Kerning City. There, he met with JM From tha Streetz, who offered to reveal its location in exchange for eliminating Stirges in the Kerning City subway. After Luminous completed the task, JM told him to speak with the Dark Lord, who had been entrusted with the Augury by Aurora long ago.

The Dark Lord gave Luminous the Augury and revealed that it was not he himself who had been entrusted with it, but a previous Dark Lord, who had prophesied that it would one day be reclaimed. Luminous then returned to Harmony and told Vieren that it seemed as though their quest for the Auguries had been planned long ago. Vieren replied that when the Auguries had first been made, it was entirely possible that their quest in the present day had been foreseen.

Luminous then traveled to Riena Strait, where he obtained the fourth Augury. Vieren then told him that the final Augury had been entrusted to a brave warrior, who had passed it down as a family heirloom. To find the descendent of that warrior, Luminous went to Sleepywood, where he met a warrior-in-training named Ilji.

After learning that Luminous had come for the Augury, Ilji sent him to his brother, Manji, in Perion. There, Manji told Luminous that their family not only had the Augury, but a prophecy alongside it that foretold that one would eventually arrive to claim it. To see if Luminous was truly the one prophesied, Manji asked him to defeat the Fire Boars and Iron Boars as a test. After having proven himself, Luminous took the Augury and returned to Vieren.

With the five Auguries, Vieren prepared to inject their power into Luminous in order to melt away the hold of the darkness, though he warned Luminous that it was ultimately up to him to conquer his own darkness, as the Auguries would only do so much. He told Luminous to focus on the saying “The light shines brightest in the deepest dark”, and after a painful ordeal, Luminous felt a new sensation within himself, as though the light and darkness had merged into one. (A/N: Luminous doesn’t have a prequest for his 3rd job advancement, but collecting the Auguries is canonically how he gets to 3rd job.)

Having conquered the darkness, Luminous felt that he was ready to face Lania once again. Though he believed that he had no right to see her after having caused her so much pain, Luminous still wished to protect her from harm. Upon arriving near their home, Luminous was shocked to find the Black Mage’s servants in the area. (A/N: These are actually Arkarium’s snake minions.)

He rushed home to reunite with Lania, who was overjoyed to see him, though she was upset that he had been gone for so long. Luminous then promised never to leave her side again. However, he did ask whether she felt as though she was being watched, but Lania told him that she hadn’t felt anything out of the ordinary. Luminous was relieved, as it meant that the Black Mage’s servants hadn’t found her yet, but he also realized that it wasn’t safe and told Lania that he needed to find a way to protect her.

He returned to Harmony and told Vieren about his encounter with the Black Mage’s servants. Vieren suspected that if the Black Mage’s minions were resurfacing, the Black Mage himself may not be too far behind. Luminous decided that he would hunt down the Black Mage, but he first needed to ensure Lania’s safety. Vieren suggested setting up a Sentrobo, one of Aurora’s old sentry robots, at Lania’s house.

(A/N: The White Mage chapter in the Grand Athenaeum would’ve been the perfect place to see them. Sadly, they’ve only ever been seen in Luminous’ storyline, the Explorer storyline, the Heroes of Maple blockbuster, as well as being mentioned in Shade’s storyline.) 

Though there were no Sentrobos left in Harmony, Vieren was confident that he could build one, provided that Luminous obtained the necessary parts. While he prepared the energy crystal, Vieren told Luminous to collect Wooden Boards, Slates, and Skeledog bones from the Excavation Site. With the materials Luminous brought, Vieren was able to create a Sentrobo, R2-B2.

Vieren then told Luminous that their next mission was to gather information in order to find out what the Black Mage was planning. He recommended that Luminous seek out the agents of Omega Sector, a secret organization that researched extraterrestrial threats to Maple World. Luminous traveled to the Excavation Site, where he met with Agent M.

Though Agent M was initially cautious of Luminous, he nevertheless agreed to consider Luminous’ proposal if he were to help him. First, he asked Luminous to defeat Skeleton Soldiers and bring their ribs as proof. Next, he asked Luminous to defeat Skeleton Officers and bring back their pelvic bones. Finally, he had Luminous defeat Skeleton Commanders and bring back the skulls of the horses they rode. After completing these tasks, Agent M told him that his boss had approved giving Luminous access to their information network. They also agreed to dispatch an agent named Agent O near Lania’s home for easy access, who would remain disguised as a merchant in order to remain inconspicuous. 

Even with Agent O keeping watch on the house, however, Luminous still felt uneasy about Lania’s safety. Vieren suggested making a Light Barrier, much like the one that protected Harmony. He told Luminous that the crystal they needed for the barrier was in Sleepywood, though it would be a problem down the line as to how they would refine it. Still, he asked Luminous to go speak with The Rememberer, who told Luminous to go to the Cursed Temple and speak with the Insignificant Being.

The Insignificant Being told Luminous that the necessary materials could be found inside the temple, but he was afraid that they may have been corrupted by the evil presence of the monsters inside, and so he asked Luminous to bring Tauromacis Blood for a purification spell. Next, he asked Luminous to bring crystal fragments from the Taurospears, as finding a perfect crystal would be too difficult. After Luminous brought the materials, the Insignificant Being purified the crystals for him.

Luminous returned with the crystals to Vieren, who told him that he would need to craft the fragments into a Lambent Crystal. He suggested that Luminous go to the town of Ardentmill, where he could find someone to craft them. In Ardentmill, Luminous spoke to Elder Grant, who directed him to the master craftsman, Intaglio. Intaglio was able to craft the Lambent Crystal, which Luminous brought to Vieren.

Vieren then used the crystal to create a Barrier Stone and told Luminous to set it up around Lania’s home, even offering to come with him, as the power of the Barrier Stone would allow him to leave the confines of Harmony. Luminous set up the barrier and returned to Lania’s home, where Lania asked Luminous about Agent O and the Sentrobo. Luminous promised her that they were there for her safety, as well as Vieren, who had decided to move in and look after her.

Vieren then used the crystal to create a Barrier Stone and told Luminous to set it up around Lania’s home, even offering to come with him, as the power of the Barrier Stone would allow him to leave the confines of Harmony. Luminous set up the barrier and returned to Lania’s home, where Lania asked Luminous about Agent O and the Sentrobo. Luminous promised her that they were there for her safety, as well as Vieren, who had decided to move in and look after her.

Soon after, Agent N informed Luminous that the Time Control Room had broken down in Ludibrium, which led to a time in Victoria Island shortly after the Black Mage’s sealing. He believed that it warranted investigation, and so Luminous decided to go to Helios Tower. Luminous went to investigate the crack in time in the Time Control Room, emerging centuries into the past in Ellin Forest.

He made his way into Altaire Camp and felt dark energy lingering inside the forest, which he suspected had something to do with the Black Mage. Luminous made his way into the Forest of Spirits, where he found that he unable to sense the darkness anymore. He then encountered Guwaru’s Vestiges, and after defeating them, he proceeded further into the forest until he met an uncorrupted Guwaru.

Surprised, he asked Guwaru how he was still alive, as he had believed that Magnus had killed him during the final battle. Guwaru explained that he could not be killed, as he was a part of the world itself. Luminous asked him where the Black Mage was, but Guwaru merely replied that he neither knew nor cared.

When Luminous asked Guwaru whether he was still a Commander, Guwaru explained that when Magnus had destroyed his body, it had severed the Black Mage’s hold on his mind, meaning that he was no longer loyal to the Black Mage. He told Luminous that in many ways, he was the same Guwaru whom Luminous had encountered on the battlefield, but in many ways, he was not. He then added that he sensed the Black Mage within Luminous, who explained that he had absorbed a trace of the Black Mage’s darkness.

Guwaru noted that the light and darkness within Luminous were resonating, which was something that he had never seen before in all his existence. As Luminous felt too similar to the Black Mage, Guwaru asked if they were related. Luminous admitted that he had darkness within him, but he claimed that he surely couldn’t be as similar to the Black Mage as Guwaru claimed. Guwaru told him to believe what he wanted and asked Luminous to leave him, as he needed to continue his work.

Some time later, Vieren told Luminous that he had encountered an interesting phrase in one of the books in the Aurora library: “The ultimate light is the slumbering gold.” Vieren believed that the riddle referred to the Grand Augury of legend and suspected that it was hidden in the Golden Temple.

(A/N: As far as I know, this is the first reference to the ultimate light in the game, as the Grand Athenaeum, which shows the White Mage’s origins, came out much later after Luminous did. It’s interesting that it refers to the Grand Augury, also known as the Grand Crystal, which doesn’t really seem to have any significance to the actual ultimate light that the White Mage sought. I’m a bit disappointed that the Auguries had no significance in the overall story aside from helping Luminous stabilize his darkness.)

Luminous obtained the Grand Augury from Ravana inside the Golden Temple, and from the crystal came the voice of the Second Light Master, who recognized Luminous and called him the Starchild. When Luminous asked what the term meant, the Second Light Master explained the story behind the birth of the Black Mage and how Luminous had been born from the light cast out by the Black Mage, which had shot up into the heavens and landed back down, which was why the mages of Aurora had called Luminous the Starchild.

Luminous realized that Guwaru was correct in believing that he and the Black Mage were related, quickly becoming dejected by the revelation. However, the master told him that Luminous was everything good about the Black Mage in physical form, meaning that they were nothing alike. He then explained that he had an uncomfortable truth to share and asked for Luminous’ forgiveness in advance. He told Luminous that his close friend, Lucia, had been raised as the false Starchild so that the Black Mage would kill her in Luminous’ place. Luminous was shocked by the news, but the master promised that he had ensured that Lucia had been able to reincarnate and live a new, safer life.

With that, he disappeared and left Luminous with his conflicted feelings. Luminous went to see Vieren and told him that he blamed himself for the deaths of Lucia and the mages of Aurora. However, Vieren told him that it was no one but the Black Mage’s fault, causing Luminous to snap at him that he was the discarded remnant of the Black Mage, making them one and the same. As Lania consoled him, she was intrigued to hear the name Lucia, as it seemed very familiar to her. Even after Luminous left, she continued pondering over the name and why it seemed so familiar. (A/N: In case you couldn’t tell, Lania is the reincarnation of Lucia.)