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Table of Contents
PART I: BEFORE THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE
PART I: BEFORE THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
The Ancient War:
In the beginning, the Primordial God made 365 creations - the sun, the moon, the stones, the trees, the wind, the rivers, the seas, and countless others - each adhering to 365 laws that governed the universe. From these 365 creations that made up the world, powerful beings were brought into existence that embodied these natural laws. Eventually, one such being, Noctis - unparalleled in her raw power and mastery over illusions - came to rule over all others, creating her sanctuary in the city of Tallahart. She, along with those beneath her, were revered by mortals as gods, and ages later, they would be known as the Ancient Gods.
These Ancient Gods were unpredictable and uncontrollable, each with their own independent aims and goals, causing them to come into conflict with each other. Their incredible power and disregard for the natural order created an age of immense chaos that led to devastation and destruction in the mortal world. In an attempt to end this chaos, several mortals began researching to find a way to fight back against the Ancient Gods.
Their research led them to investigate previously forbidden studies about the Abyss, the source of all knowledge in the universe, in which creatures known as Specters dwelled. The researchers hoped to fuse a host body with countless Specter souls, which would trick the holy relics into believing that the host was actually filled with the support of many mortal souls. However, the ritual that transported a subject into the Abyss resulted in a Specter immediately taking control of their body, erasing their memories, consciousness, identity, personality, and soul as the cost of having seen the infinite knowledge in the Abyss. As a result, the Specters born from these experiments were horrifying beasts that despised humanity.
After years of failure, the inhumane experiments finally succeeded by utilizing hosts who had the ability to resist being possessed and taken over by Specters, allowing them to retain their bodies and minds, while also being filled with countless Specter souls from the Abyss. The culmination of this research resulted in the creation of a special type of Specter, which could successfully trick the holy relics into recognizing them as worthy wielders, as the relics would sense the countless souls inside the host and mistakenly interpret it as the host being filled with the faith of many mortal souls that viewed them as the champion of their god. As a result, mortals gained the power to defy the Ancient Gods and face them in combat.
However, even in spite of these creations, the Ancient Gods continued to rule ignobly until the Primordial God, unable to abide such chaos, created three beings known as the Overseers in order to restore balance to the universe. To defeat the Ancient Gods, the Overseers created a powerful relic known as the World Heart. Imbued with immense divine power, the World Heart had the ability to absorb the power of higher beings.
On the planet Grandis, twelve wise and courageous Anima sages became known as the elders, famed for their strong sense of duty and their desire to help the world by sharing their wisdom and knowledge. Their excellent character and convictions drew the attention of the Overseers, who gave them a direct mission to use the World Heart in order to create beings who could stop the chaos of the Ancient Gods. Revering the Overseers as saviors who would restore order to their chaotic world, the elders came to regard the Overseers as the will of the world itself.
The elders were given much by the Overseers, including a long lifespan and researchers to aid them in their experiments to create the powerful beings that would defeat the gods. The elders created a large floating laboratory called Odium, where they began investigating how to create mortals that could stand up to the gods. Using the World Heart as a template, the elders created relics known as the Godspheres.
As these man-made Godspheres were weaker than the World Heart, they did not possess the power to drain the energy of higher beings, nor did they share the conditions required to awaken its power. Instead, the Godspheres had their own unique conditions - namely that they would only awaken in response to the collective determination of the people, such that their immense power could never be monopolized by a single individual.
(A/N: In the original KMS text, the Godsphere is known as the “spear of god”. It’s later explained in both the Cernium and Shangri-La storylines that Freud had extracted the residual power of the World Heart, which had permeated deep into the continent, and had created his own Godspheres, which he had named “Seal Stones”, as he had imbued them with the power of time in order to both seal the Black Mage and to undo the damage that the Black Mage had inflicted upon the continent.)
Knowing that those who feared the power of the Godspheres, as well as those who coveted it, may attempt to attack Odium, the elders gathered four of the strongest Anima in Grandis: Ara the Blue Dragon, Shuli the Vermillion Bird, Baekyeon the White Tiger, and Gaon the Black Tortoise. These four Anima became known as the Four Symbols and severed their ties to their old lives in order to protect the elders and their research.
Gaon, in particular, had suffered under the rule of the Ancient Gods, with his fellow black tortoise Anima being wiped out in the carnage. As the last survivor of his race, Gaon wandered the world in order to fight the gods until arriving at Carcion, the Cradle of Life, heavily wounded. There, he was rescued by Keira, a water goddess who had protected Carcion and its snake and turtle Anima, who had fled the chaos of the Ancient Gods.
A staunch opponent of the gods’ disregard for mortals, Keira healed Gaon and allowed him to recuperate in Carcion. Gaon slowly changed his stance on the gods and came to become a close friend and protector of Keira. During this time, an Ancient God named Brihini - an enormous sea serpent capable of creating devastating whirlpools - attacked Carcion, enraged that Keira refused to oppose the Overseers. Though Gaon and Keira managed to drive Brihini away, many Anima were killed and injured in the battle. To protect them, Keira infused her divine blessings into the waters of Carcion, which healed the Anima and strengthened their abilities.
After Gaon was chosen by the Overseers to protect the elders, Keira - upon seeing how conflicted he was at the realization that he would be helping the Overseers seal her away - chose to help him by making the decision to seal herself away first, declaring that she would do her part to quell the primordial chaos. Before falling into dormancy, Keira gave Gaon a jewel infused with her powers, which was embedded into her spear. However, by the time that Gaon arrived at Odium, the divine power within the jewel had already faded away with Keira’s slumber.
With Gaon and the other Symbols arriving to protect them in Odium, the elders began conducting experiments to fuse mortals with the Godspheres in order to give them the power to match the gods. The elders created mechanical Guardians to defend the laboratory, as well as to identify suitable test subjects. Worthy candidates were known as Vessels, who would then be experimented upon in order to be fused with the Godspheres.
As the elders conducted their experiments, they began using a combination of magic and cybernetics to enhance their Vessels and make them stronger, as well as to forcibly make them compatible with the Godspheres. Their early experiments resulted in a number of failed test subjects, many of which were sealed within the laboratory.
Over time, the elders began perfecting their research and were soon able to successfully unite the Godspheres with their Vessels, giving rise to the first Adversaries. Imbued with the power to challenge the gods, the Adversaries began the conflict that would one day be known as the Ancient War. This war began with the Adversaries’ attack upon the Ancient Gods of Tallahart, the seat of power for the supreme god Noctis. However, Noctis’ immense strength allowed her to effortlessly defeat the Adversaries who came to face her, leading her to believe that none could harm her or her twin sister, Rue.
Nevertheless, the other gods of Tallahart began to fear the Overseers, as the creation of the Adversaries directly challenged their faith in their immortality. As stronger and stronger Adversaries were sent forth from Odium to attack Tallahart, the other gods betrayed Noctis in an effort to steal her immense power. By kidnapping her sister, the gods forced Noctis into an agreement to surrender her power in exchange for her sister’s life, though the gods nevertheless stripped Rue of her power and banished her from Tallahart. Though the gods of Tallahart claimed Noctis’ power, they were unable to handle that power, resulting in Tallahart’s complete destruction and the gods being sealed away by their Adversaries.
With their experiments succeeding with great results, the elders began mass-producing more Adversaries in order to subdue the gods and end their chaos. However, the one critical flaw of the elders’ research was that due to the nature of the brutal experimentation, their Adversaries lost everything that made them human - their memories, their emotions, their free will, and their sense of self - thereby reducing them into empty shells devoid of anything except their single-minded obsession to fulfill their assigned purpose as Adversaries of the gods.
This lack of humanity was called contamination by the elders, who were shocked and disgusted with themselves for having forcibly taken away the humanity and free will of so many heroes of the world. Nevertheless, as they had been given a direct mission by the Overseers to end the rampage of the wild and unaccountable gods, the elders continued with their research, despite knowing that they were committing grave atrocities and compromising all the core values that they held sacred.
(A/N: It’s suggested that the reason why the Adversaries need to be stripped of their egos is because the nature of the Godspheres is such that they only respond to the will of the people. Because of this, any Vessel that seeks to be fused with a Godsphere needs to perfectly embody that will, and nothing else. As a result, the elders attempted to erase any trace of individuality within their test subjects, which would turn them into empty shells that only have the desire to fulfill their purpose by defeating the gods, carrying out the single greatest wish of the people.
Within the scope of the larger story, the player gets turned into an Adversary at the end of Black Heaven, as the Alliance uses the last Seal Stone in existence in order to save the player’s life. As a result, the Seal Stone recognizes that the player is filled with the wishes of countless souls, and since the Seal Stones operate on a similar principle as the holy relics, it organically fuses with the player, rather than artificially through experimentation, and turns them into an Adversary. As the player naturally embodies the will of the people, they don’t need their ego to be erased in order to fuse with the Seal Stone, and so they become the only known Adversary capable of retaining their humanity.)
Soon after, the elders also realized another side-effect of their Adversaries - one which had been directly created by the Overseers themselves. The Adversaries’ power to destroy higher beings made them a great danger to the world, for while they were working to end the chaos of the gods, allowing such powerful and dangerous weapons to remain in the world was a grave risk, as their mere existence had the potential to usher in a new age of chaos, equal to that of the Ancient Gods. For this reason, it had been ordained that the fate of every Adversary - from the moment that they awakened - was to die soon after fulfilling their purpose. As a result, their Adversaries - after defeating the gods - began falling one by one.
Because of this, the elders continued requiring candidates for their experiments in order to give rise to more Adversaries. One test subject underwent the brutal experiments, though he was ultimately deemed a defective Vessel. The test subject was thrown out by the Guardians and sent plummeting from the sky, with his body - which had been replaced by metal - causing him to sink to the bottom of the sea. There, however, he encountered a giant anglerfish, whose light helped him begin the process of creating a large tower in order to escape the ocean. Because of the experiments, the test subject’s body would not tire, and so he spent centuries laboring to escape the bottom of the ocean and reach the surface.
Though most Adversaries had been created in Odium, there was one known instance of an Adversary being created outside the laboratory - the First Explorer of the planet Maple World, whose deeds would be told generations later as the Legend of the Maple Tree, the favorite resting spot of the First Explorer. Though the First Explorer was an orphan, he had never felt alone, as Sugar, the avatar of the Goddess of Maple World, had always been with him. As Sugar genuinely cared for the First Explorer, she was constantly consumed by a sense of guilt, as she had been tasked by the Overseers in guiding him through his destiny, which would ultimately lead to his tragic death - the same fate shared by all Adversaries.
Meanwhile, the war continued progressing as the elders had hoped, with the gods falling one by one to the Adversaries’ power. Eventually, only one god remained, and the elders continued their experiments to create an Adversary to confront the last god standing. Though test subjects were typically brought in from outside Odium, there were several Vessels that existed within the ranks of the researchers. In particular, there was one researcher named Kaling, who was deemed a suitable candidate for experimentation, despite the research team’s reservations about whether she would be compatible with the Godsphere.
A researcher named Aroa warned Kaling that the experiments would be incredibly painful, and that she may face unending pain or even death as a result, as well as the possibility of her humanity being stripped away from her. Despite Aroa’s warnings, Kaling - who was considered the most kind-hearted researcher amongst them - gladly agreed to undergo the experiments, despite knowing the risks, as she had a strong desire for peace and had full faith that the experiments would bring about that peace. However, though Kaling underwent the brutal experiments, she was ultimately deemed a defective Vessel.
While Kaling’s ego was unable to be fully erased, she was nevertheless affected to a certain degree by the contamination, which began stripping away her humanity and compassion, leaving her obsessed with fulfilling her purpose to defeat the Ancient Gods. Aroa, who had previously warned Kaling about the nature of the experiments, discovered that Kaling had created four mechanical monsters imbibed with energy.
Kaling explained that while the researchers had Vessels and Godspheres, they lacked the power to fill the Vessels in order to make them stronger. She revealed that while her four machines were small, they could amass great power by consuming other small monsters, which could then give rise to an extremely powerful Adversary.
Despite Aroa and the other researchers recognizing the signs of contamination in Kaling, they turned a blind eye to her experiments, refusing to believe that the contamination could affect even the best of them. Over time, however, the elders and the researchers began realizing that the contamination was beginning to spread to them from their Vessels, slowly eroding away their humanity. Hoping to stop the contamination, an elder named Weio proposed that they create an object known as a mysticant, which could cleanse them of their contamination and wash away their grave sins.
Several elders refused, claiming that they should view their lack of humanity as punishment from the Overseers for their abhorrent crimes. However, some of the elders agreed with Weio and began experimenting alongside her to create an object to stave off their contamination. Their efforts resulted in the creation of the bell mysticant, whose ring would be able to cleanse their sins and their contamination. However, as the bell would only ring in the hands of someone with an exceptionally pure heart, Weio - a sheep Anima - left the bell with a sheep Anima village, entrusting them to find someone who could make the bell ring.
By the end of the war, the contamination completely took hold of Kaling, erasing her morality and causing her to fall to evil. After she released her four monsters - Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie - into the world, her creations began consuming fiends and terrorizing the entirety of Grandis with their impunity. Aroa soon confronted Kaling and ordered her to terminate her research immediately, claiming that it was a complete failure.
Aroa explained to Kaling that her monsters had become known as the Four Perils, and that they were causing great harm upon the people of Grandis. However, Kaling retorted that Grandis was already embroiled in war and chaos, even without her creations. She then claimed that once the Four Perils consumed enough monsters, she would combine them and create an extremely powerful Adversary who could defeat the last god and win the war.
Before Kaling’s experiment could finish, however, the last god was defeated in a climactic battle, in which their blade carved a great scar across the land upon which the holy city of Cernium would one day be built. Having been felled by their Adversaries, the Ancient Gods’ bodies were sealed away across the world, laying dormant for ages as they recovered from the injuries sustained in battle.
At the end of the war, the elders realized that they could no longer turn a blind eye to Kaling’s madness and had her seized from Odium. Zigang, the leader of the elders and Kaling’s mentor, confronted her and declared that she had created monsters, and that she was no longer his disciple. Turning his back on her, he ordered another defective Vessel named Tai Yu to handle Kaling and her Four Perils. Tai Yu successfully sealed Kaling away, trapping her under the hardest and heaviest rock in Odium, which Tai Yu bound in place with golden chains and countless sealing talismans, after which he began hunting down the Four Perils.
After the war ended, the elders realized that their contamination had spread critically, which threatened to completely erode their humanity. They also realized that though the war had ended, their research to create beings strong enough to destroy a god had the potential to give birth to a new age of chaos. For this reason, the elders, in accordance with the will of the world, decided that they would clear away their research and sequester themselves from the world in order to prevent both the contamination and the secrets of the Overseers from leaking out.
With no Godspheres left in Odium, the elders took the World Heart - the original template made by the Overseers - and forcibly fused it with Hundun, the strongest of the Four Perils. As the World Heart’s power was so strong that even they could not handle it, the elders hoped to deplete its power in order to ensure that no one would be able to misuse it. After fusing it with Hundun, the elders used him as the power source of Odium. Meanwhile, Tai Yu sealed away the other three Perils, though the elders kept the truth about Hundun secret from both Tai Yu and the researchers.
The researchers, using some of Kaling’s old research, created the Constables - sentient robots made in the researchers’ own image, with their Anima features replaced with metal equivalents. The Constables were then tasked with maintaining the laboratory in the researchers’ absence. Additionally, the elders left Guardian Kalos, the strongest of their mechanical Guardians, to serve as the laboratory’s sentinel. With Hundun and the World Heart powering such a vast and complex mechanical system, the elders hoped to slowly deplete the World Heart’s power over the span of many ages.
With all the Adversaries meeting their demise as a result of their preordained fate, the divine power of the Godspheres - originally stemming from the World Heart - permeated deep into the land. The power of the First Explorer, who had met his fate after fulfilling his mission, was imbued into the leaves of the Maple Tree, his favorite resting spot, where it lay dormant, awaiting the one who would inherit his will.
The elders then locked all remnants of their research - including the monstrous creatures born from their failed experiments - inside the laboratory, tasking their Constables and Guardians with safeguarding Odium. With all traces of their research cleared away, the elders used their power to create the treasures of the study - composed of an inkwell, ink, brush, and paper - which they used to create Shangri-La, also known as the realm of the sages, where they planned to imprison themselves.
(A/N: The treasures of the study are the Korean “munbangsawoo”, also known as the “four friends” - the four basic Korean calligraphic tools.)
Shangri-La - a realm made completely out of magic - was created in the image of a beautiful painting and structured with four inner realms that corresponded to the four seasons. The outermost barrier was Spring, which led deeper into Summer, Autumn, Winter, and finally to the innermost pavilion where the elders lived. Shangri-La was created to be closed to outsiders, with only a true sage being allowed to enter and leave, either physically through a special hanging scroll, or by astral projection through their dreams.
In order to prevent outsiders from forcing their way into Shangri-La, the Four Symbols who protected the elders were tasked with guarding each of the inner realms and their barriers. Ara the Blue Dragon protected Spring, Shuli the Vermillion Bird protected Summer, Baekyeon the White Tiger protected Autumn, and Gaon the Black Tortoise protected Winter. Each of the Four Symbols had their life forces tied to special scrolls that served as gateways in and out of their respective realms, with the treasures of the study separated and stored away in each of the four seasons, respectively.
With the natural balance of the four seasons, the elders hoped that the contamination spreading to themselves and the researchers would be halted. After imprisoning themselves inside Shangri-La, the elders spent the ages filled with guilt and remorse for the atrocities that they had committed during the war. Because of the contamination, the elders and the researchers also began having their humanity stripped away, slowly eroding their ability to feel. Nevertheless, the spiritual balance of Shangri-La countered the contamination and prevented it from worsening.
Filled with unending regret, the elders branded themselves as the Sinners and waited ages for the one who would ring the bell and wash away their sins to appear. Despite their guilt and their contamination, the elders maintained their strong sense of duty and morality for which the Overseers had chosen them. Seeing it as their continued responsibility to quell the chaos of the world, just as the Overseers had tasked them with, the elders sent Tai Yu and several other sages to the outside world in order to correct all that had gone awry.
Meanwhile, the defective Vessel who had been thrown off Odium into the sea had completed building his tower to escape the ocean after centuries. Upon reaching the surface and seeing the rising sun, he believed that he had never been a failure, but rather, the elders had deemed him one because they were afraid that they had created an Adversary even more powerful than they were.
The test subject, whose humanity had partially been stripped away by the experiments, similar to Kaling, was left obsessed with becoming an Adversary, despite the fact that he was incompatible with the Godsphere. With his free will and morality taken away, the test subject single-mindedly continued building his tower for ages in an attempt to reach Odium and prove that he was capable of fulfilling his mission. Upon reaching Odium, however, Guardian Kalos detected that he was a defective Vessel. Declaring that the test subject was unworthy to enter Odium, Kalos destroyed the tower and reduced it to rubble in an instant.
The test subject once again fell back to the bottom of the sea, where he realized that if he could not reach Odium himself, then he would need to use a true Vessel in order to clear the path for him. The test subject continued rebuilding the tower repeatedly and began stealing the Guardians protecting Odium each time before Kalos destroyed it. He then enchanted the tower and turned it into a magical artifact, in which he created statues that contained his memories.
Potential Vessels that came in contact with the statues would be transported to a subspace containing the reprogrammed Guardians, which would attack the Vessel in order to determine whether they would be deemed worthy by Kalos. The test subject then enchanted the tower so that it would rebuild itself each time that it was destroyed. Though it naturally took a lifetime to complete, the presence of a Vessel would accelerate its completion to the span of less than a day. Because of this, the tower became known as Karote, the Unending Tower.
Following the end of the Ancient War, the Overseers, to restore order back to the universe, ordained that only three worlds - Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum - should exist. These three worlds, which had once been connected as one, were separated into different dimensions and governed by the three laws of light, life, and time.
(A/N: The identity of the third world besides Maple World and Grandis has gone through an extremely complicated history in regard to whether this world is Tynerum or Friends World (also known as Earth). Tynerum was first revealed as the demon homeland in the Crimsonheart Castle theme dungeon, which stated that Tynerum was a separate world from Maple World.
Despite this, overseas content - for a time - had Tynerum exist as part of the continent of Dawnveil in Maple World, just south of Leafre, until Dawnveil as a concept was removed. However, as Dawnveil was overseas-exclusive and not from KMS, it was never considered canon to begin with. The problem is that the introduction of Friends World created a significant degree of confusion, though not at its initial release.
The Tenebris storyline, which was released well after both Tynerum and Friends World were established, revealed that there are three worlds that exist in the game’s universe. Maple World and Grandis were always confirmed, but the story made it extremely ambiguous in regard to whether the third world was Tynerum of Friends World.
The evidence for Friends World being the third world was that the White Mage of Friends World is actively merging Maple World and Friends World and planned for Kinesis to face the Black Mage in Tenebris as a potential Adversary, which suggested that he might have been a Transcendent of Friends World. The Arcane River is also said to be a convergence of the three worlds, and Friends World fusing with Maple World, just as Grandis did, fits with that description.
In contrast, the evidence for Tynerum being the third world was that the original Heroes of Maple blockbuster revealed that Tynerum had at least one Transcendent, whose powers the pure-blood demons had once attempted to steal, suggesting that Tynerum has its own set of Transcendents, making it the third world. In that same blockbuster, however, Friends World was said to have been the same world as Maple World before a higher power split them apart, which lines up with the Overseers splitting apart the three worlds into separate dimensions.
The 5th job advancement made things even more confusing because it released the Goddesses of Grandis and Tynerum alongside the Goddess of Maple World. Kinesis doesn’t have a Goddess for his Maple Warrior-equivalent skill, as his is just called “President’s Orders”, which features a reskinned version of the Goddess of Tynerum. However, he and the Demon classes share the Otherworld Goddess 5th job skill, adding another layer of ambiguity about the whole thing.
The Heroes of Maple blockbuster was revamped in the Dreamer update, which finally gave conclusive answer to this long-standing mystery. It confirmed that Tynerum is indeed the third world that the Overseers separated, while Friends World is a parallel world that exists in the same dimension as Maple World. In this way, Tynerum is set to take the center stage of the main story after the Grandis arc, while still keeping the door open for Friends World content to play a supporting role in the story.)
To enforce the three laws, and to ensure that the Ancient Gods would never rise again, the Overseers created three Transcendents for each of the three worlds. The power of the Transcendents suppressed the Ancient Gods, who were to remain forever sealed away in their unnatural slumber. Despite this, however, one Ancient God - the Divine Bird, Shinsoo, was tasked with protecting a particular bloodline on Maple World, which had grown intertwined with the Transcendents, such that a descendent of that bloodline would one day awaken to become a replacement Transcendent should the need arise.
(A/N: Shinsoo was revealed to be an Ancient God during the Arteria storyline. It’s currently unexplained why Shinsoo wasn’t forced into dormancy, although the lore about this has gone through some changes in recent years. When Heroes of Maple was first released, it was revealed that only one Ancient God - Abraxas the Watchful God - was permitted to remain awake during the age of the Transcendents, and that Abraxas’ job was to watch over the graves of the primal forces which had come before.
Because of this, Shinsoo being an Ancient God created a significant plot hole, as none of the gods except Abraxas are supposed to be awake. With the Heroes of Maple revamp in the Dreamer update, the lore about Abraxas being permitted to remain awake was removed, and Abraxas was said to be sealed away with the other gods. However, a trace of Abraxas’ power still remains active, which is still a bit contradictory with the information that we’ve been given.
Despite the fact that the absence of some gods, such as Mitra the Sun God, caused their followers to lose their powers completely, there seem to be more and more cases than not which suggest that the power of the Ancient Gods still persists to some degree, such as Keira’s divine blessings dwelling in the waters of Carcion, the power of Malice stemming from the Ancient God Satiras, which lives in Kain and Luska, and the power of the unnamed Ancient Gods of the Nova that dwell within the Nova relic, the Outrigger, as well as Angelic Buster’s bracelet.
I think that the direction of the story that we’re going towards with the Ancient Gods is that the gods themselves remain dormant, although small traces of their power can still manifest weakly in the age of the Transcendents. Obviously, this limitation goes away after Maple World and Grandis fuse, which causes the gods to start waking up after the Black Mage’s plan succeeds and causes Maple World to lose all its Transcendents. However, it’s something to keep in mind in storylines set before continental Grandis.)
During the Ancient War, Shinsoo had taken pity on the people of Maple World, who had been suffering immensely from the chaos of the Ancient Gods. Shinsoo took it upon herself to protect humanity from the carnage with her immense power. After the end of the war, Shinsoo - who had been tasked with watching over the birth of the new Transcendent - used her power to create the floating island of Ereve, which became a seat of power for members of that bloodline, with each of their descendants ruling as the Empress of Maple World after accepting Shinsoo’s divine power.
Shinsoo also created the Piyos, a race of bird-like creatures, who would carry out her will to aid the Empress. To defend the Empress, Shinsoo bestowed a portion of her power to a guardian known as the Knight of Light, who used the power of light inside their Soul Shield to serve as the Empress’ protector, with the Knight of Light’s title and power being passed down across generations to worthy inheritors chosen by the Soul Shield.
In the absence of the Ancient Gods, a brief time of peace began as the people began rebuilding and creating new kingdoms. However, chaos soon reigned once more as these different kingdoms waged war on one another. Amongst those who had been protected by Shinsoo, a small number chose to stay at her side in Ereve, where they learned from her teachings.
Having expended most of her power on protecting humanity, as well as creating Ereve and the Piyos, Shinsoo had considerably weakened in the aftermath of the war. In her stead, her followers chose to carry out her will and protect the weak. Shinsoo gave them her blessings and named them the Noblesse. Though they were bound by ideology, rather than bloodline, the Noblesse fought bravely to defend humanity. The Noblesse also built a large mansion on Ereve, in which they and those who joined their ranks resided, though they spent much of their time away from Ereve in order to fight in the many wars that took place across the ages.
In both the age of the gods and the age of the Transcendents, the Goddesses of the three worlds existed, quietly watching their realms over the eons. In the darkness of the beginning, the Goddesses had once used the Erdas, the building blocks of reality, to sculpt a soul. Throughout the ages, the Goddesses occasionally bestowed that same power to manipulate the Erdas upon those whom they deemed worthy so that those champions could protect their worlds. After the fall of the Ancient Gods, with the Overseers using the Transcendents to maintain order, the shape of destiny became fixed and wholly predictable, thus restoring order to the universe.
(A/N: When the 5th job advancement was released, the Memory Keeper stated that the Goddesses used the Erdas to sculpt the three worlds after the fall of the Ancient Gods, and that they had taught certain humans, elves, demons, and dragons how to manipulate Erdas as well. However, this was changed during the Destiny update, as it now states that the Goddesses used the Erdas in the darkness of the beginning to sculpt a soul, although I have no idea what that means. Most likely, it’ll get picked up as a plot thread in the future.
They also changed the wording to not specify the races that were given the power to reshape Erda, likely since we also have the Flora and Anima classes now. The reason for these dialogue changes is likely because the story of the Goddesses creating the three worlds contradicts every other storyline in the game, which state that the Overseers merely separated the three preexisting worlds into their own dimensions. Worlds like Grandis were said to have existed during the time of the Ancient Gods, meaning that it’s impossible for them to have been created by the Goddesses after the fall of the Ancient Gods.
Regarding the Goddesses, it’s highly unlikely that they’re Ancient Gods, since they’re not supposed to be active while the Transcendents are around. The Goddess of Maple World was referred to as the Spirit of Maple World in the original Explorer storyline, and so we could say that the Goddesses of the worlds are more like the spirit manifestations of their realms, rather than actual deities.
My personal interpretation is that the Goddesses are the interfaces through which the Overseers communicate with the people, just like how they use the Transcendents to enforce their will, as it’s been suggested that they can’t directly interact with the universe themselves. As the Goddesses teach the Adversary how to manipulate Erda in their 5th job advancement, and since it’s said that they’ve taught the skill to other heroes in different eras, it’s possible that their job is to explain the will of the Overseers, who are often described as the will of the world itself, and to guide significant people towards their destiny.
The introduction of the Ancient Gods created some contradictions with established beings like the Goddesses of the three worlds, the Goddess Rhinne, and the race of beings known as Goddesses, such as Minerva and Lakelis, whom you encounter in the Orbis and Kerning City PQs. Rhinne is the Transcendent of Time, but her influence and power in Maple World likely caused the people to worship her as a Goddess.
The Goddess race, while relevant to some party quests, honestly never comes up in the actual plot, and so we can just ignore them. There’s also another deity in Maple World whom the people worship as just ‘The Goddess’, although there’s some evidence to suggest that she’s Minerva of the Goddess race. Her statue in Orbis grants the Hero’s Echo skill for Explorers, and the monster Eliza in Orbis Park is known as the Goddess’ pet.
Another deity is Sino, the Fox God of Grandis, who’s been heavily hinted at being an Ancient God over the years. We also have the Slime God from Ramuramu mandated that all Slimes be as cute as possible, for which the Slime God created the Guardian Angel Slimes in order to judge the cutest Slime. Just from the sound of it, the Slime God and its Guardian Angel Slimes seem similar to the Fox God and her Sky and Cloud Guardians, which makes me believe that the Slime God might be an Ancient God as well, although that could change as the story unfolds.
The only Ancient Gods that we know of at this time are Abraxas the Watchful God, the Divine Bird Shinsoo, Satiras the Devil Dragon, Mitra the Sun God, Tynos the God of Calamity, Archelon from Hotel Arcus, Keira the Water Goddess, Brihini the Sea Serpent, Gob the Hand of God who made Archelon’s robot body, Noctis the Goddess of Illusion, Prague and Edmire and the other unnamed lesser gods of Tallahart, the unnamed god whose tree was used to carve Pathfinder’s relic, and the unnamed dormant god in Ristonia. We were also shown an otter-like Ancient God named Enki during the Identisk Island event, although the canonicity of this storyline is unknown.)
The World of Grandis:
Grandis was one of the three worlds created by the Overseers, separated from Maple World by a dimensional barrier. Grandis was a much different place from Maple World, with one year on Grandis being equal to ten years on Maple World. Because of the countless wars over the eons, Grandis was also known as the Graveyard of Warriors. Unlike the sole planet of Maple World, Grandis was a planetary system composed of the planet Grandis and thirteen moons, of which seven are currently known: Cheong-woon, Narin, Ristonia, Savage Terminal, Verdel, Vulpes, and an unnamed moon that hosts the cities of Heliseum and Pantheon.
(A/N: Heliseum and Pantheon were originally two different moons in earlier maps, but Nexon changed this with the NEO update. I’m a fan of this change, as it doesn’t make sense for them to be separate. There was also once an event called the Eluna Express, where it was said that Eluna was also in the Grandis system. As this was a non-KMS event area, it’s unlikely that Eluna is canonically a moon of Grandis.)
Grandis was home to many species, but the three largest were the Flora, the Nova, and the Anima. In the time of the Ancient Gods, a cult called the Black Nova worshiped one of the Ancient Gods of the Nova called Satiras the Devil Dragon, who had fallen to evil in his quest for power. Through Satiras, the Black Nova gained the power of Malice, allowing them to conquer all of Grandis. In order to keep the other Nova, the remaining dragon gods created a holy relic called the Outrigger. This relic contained the will of the Ancient Gods of the Nova, such that it could only be used for the protection of the Nova.
After the Transcendents were created, the Ancient Gods were cast down, including Satiras. Without Satiras to protect them, the Black Nova were hunted down to near extinction. The surviving cultists eventually made a decision that resulted in their horns, wings, and tails being lost to both them and their descendants, thereby ensuring that they would be not be identified as Black Nova, after which they fled to a remote part of Grandis and founded a hidden village for their people.
(A/N: Although it would make more sense that the Black Nova would have just cut off their features, it’s implied by the dialogue that it was the Black Nova ancestors who did something to permanently prevent their Nova features from manifesting in their future descendants.)
The Celestials were a race of demigods who followed the Sun God, Mitra, after he descended from the heavens. Proclaiming himself as the “god of gods”, Mitra began a war against Tynos, the Ancient God of disaster. After a long battle, Mitra and the Celestials defeated Tynos and his descendants, after which Mitra split Tynos into three pieces, sealing each of those three pieces deep beneath High Mountain, Tynos’ seat of power.
Following the battle, Mitra and his Celestials claimed High Mountain for themselves, where the Celestials built and settled into a city atop the three seals of Tynos. Mitra would later be defeated in battle by his Adversary, with the Celestials moving his body to a temple somewhere on Grandis. After the fall of the Ancient Gods, the Celestials lost their powers and remained trapped on Grandis, settling in High Mountain and founding an order of Templars, who guarded Azor - the holy sword of Mitra.
Meanwhile, various faiths gathered at the scar of the earth, the site of the final battle against the gods, which had been carved with the blade of the divine. Amongst those who had gathered, the strongest was a priest named Masra, a worshiper of Mitra. Masra used his strength to overpower the priests of all other religions and founded the holy city of Cernium as a temple dedicated to Mitra, founding the Order of Mitra in the process.
Many people gathered together in Cernium, including the followers of the Sun God and those who merely wished to flock towards Masra and his power. In the process of establishing governance over these various factions, a great war was waged that resulted in the establishment of Cernium as its own nation with its own laws. Masra then became the first king of Cernium, serving also as the first High Priest, and began the tradition of members of the royal family carving the pattern of the Sun God upon their foreheads, which reflected their dedication to serving Mitra.
Despite Cernium being established as a nation, the large number of believers who worshiped the Sun God soon began to fragment into different sects, each creating different practices of worship. Of these sects, one began worshiping Mitra as Spisa, based on the sun’s position at sunset, believing that Spisa brought flaming passion. Those who followed Spisa became known as the Flame Priests, who chose to honor their god with loud explosions using gunpowder, meant to mimic their flame powers that were lost to them after Mitra’s disappearance.
Another sect worshiped Mitra as Nerota, claiming that she brought hope at dawn and dusk. The followers of Nerota - the Dawn Priests - believed that their god’s spirit lived inside everyone, for which they would gather together in order to pray to each other, even using a mirror to pray to their own reflection if they were alone. They also believed that Nerota only appeared to those with a tranquil heart in the form of a dark blue deer, with the sun rising between its antlers if one stared long enough without blinking, for which they trained themselves not to blink in order to show their devotion.
As a result of these internal divisions, Cernium was engulfed in civil war as these various sects attempted to gain control over the city. At one point, the Order of Nerota was able to gain footing in the city, resulting in them creating a temple dedicated to their god. In the end, however, Masra and the Order of Mitra became the dominant power in Cernium, thus ending the civil war. Though many hoped for peace to return, external enemies began invading the holy city, which had grown weak from the infighting.
With the land that Cernium was built upon - the scar of the earth - being a holy site for many gods, not simply Mitra, those who hoped for the return of their respective gods continued to gather in Cernium. As the outside threat continued besieging the city, Masra chose to step down as High Priest and appointed a new High Priest to rule in his place, after which he continued ruling solely as the king. By separating out religious and state duties, Masra was able to focus on the war effort.
However, the war continued endlessly, and many citizens began turning against Masra and his ineffectual leadership. Even after Masra was succeeded by other kings, the infighting continued for centuries. Over time, the various sects of Mitra began to lose sight of their origins and came to believe that their gods, Spisa and Nerota, were entirely separate gods from Mitra. As a result, the Orders of Spisa and Nerota were viewed as heretics by the Order of Mitra, which continued attempting to push out the followers of all religions except their own.
Meanwhile, after the creation of the Transcendents, a minor race known as the Executors went in search of the domain of the gods, though many on Grandis mocked them for their ambitions. Eventually, the Executors arrived at the Radiant Temple, where the Overseers took away their names and forms in exchange for new bodies of light and darkness, after which they were tasked with serving the Transcendent of Light.
(A/N: It’s unknown whether the Radiant Temple was once the domain of an Ancient God. The Temple of Time was said to have once been a domain of the old gods who existed before Rhinne. Unfortunately, there seems to be some overlap with the term ‘God’ in the game, like I mentioned earlier. Rhinne is called a Goddess, but she clearly can’t be an Ancient God, since she’s also a Transcendent.
The lore about the old gods in the Temple of Time, which was revealed in Zero’s storyline, actually predates the introduction of the Ancient Gods in the Heroes of Maple blockbuster. It’s possible that the old gods in Zero’s storyline were always meant to be Ancient Gods, but it’s also just as likely that it was a coincidence. You can even visit the sanctum of those gods, known as the Dusk Temple, through the Gate of the Past, where you can find their statues in the area where you fight Pink Bean.)
After the fall of the Black Nova, the most powerful race became the Flora - magic users with brilliant red wings and mastery over the mytocrystals that they used to cast their magic. Through their wings, they channeled the flow of mana into the mytocrystals embedded on the back of their hands, allowing them to cast powerful spells. The Flora were a caste-based society, with the God-King on top, followed by the Gods, the Priests, and the powerless commoners on the bottom.
The last God-King of the Flora had once been a kind man, protected by the Knights of the Einherjar. Several years into his reign, however, he inexplicably underwent a dramatic change of personality. Many of his subjects, including the knights, were alarmed by his madness, unsure of its cause. Unbeknownst to them, however, the God-King’s insanity was brought about by an illness instilled into him by his son, Prince Gerand Darmoor, who hoped to break the balance of life on Grandis in order to awaken as the new Transcendent of Life.
(A/N: As a disclaimer, it’s not explicitly confirmed that Darmoor was responsible for his father’s madness, but it’s like 99% suggested to the point that you can safely assume it to be canon unless they ever retcon it.)
In his belligerence, the God-King attempted to incite a war against the other races of Grandis. A faction of Flora opposed the God-King’s mandate and asked that he strive for peace with the other races. However, when it was revealed that the faction had plans to share their power with the commoners, they were accused of treason. They had their wings and magic stripped, and they were then exiled. They became known as the Verdant Flora, while the ruling faction became known as the High Flora. (A/N: In non-GMS translations, they’re called the High Lef and the Wooden Lef.)
Within the Knights of the Einherjar, there was similar growing dissent. One of the God-King’s most loyal knights, Adelaide, struggled with her loyalty to the God-King and her own morality in waging an unjust war against the other races of Grandis. When she declared that she could not follow him into battle, the God-King ordered her arrest and threw her into prison. (A/N: Adelaide is Adele’s full name. Her liege, Jerome, calls her Adele for short after they start working together in Ristonia in the present day.)
In exile, the Verdant Flora struggled to create their own society without their powers. Eventually, the God of the Verdant Flora discovered a way to combine technology with their residual crystal magic, allowing them to regain much of their old power through mechanical blue wings. (A/N: The word God here refers to his caste rank, not him being an actual god.)
Their God, who would later be known as the Ancient Master, also created a powerful artifact called the Elder Crystal, upon which he imprinted his consciousness and his power. Through unknown means, he was also able to create a pocket dimension in Maple World, which would later be known as the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, through which he could speak with one who had fused with him through the Elder Crystal.
(A/N: Nexon has an obsession with using the same word to describe different things. Despite the pocket dimension being called the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, the God of the Verdant Flora isn’t actually an Ancient God. His caste rank is ‘God’, and he later became known as an ‘ancient God’ because he existed centuries before the present day. The lack of capitalization in ‘ancient’ is important for the distinction, but since the entirety of the phrase ‘Sanctuary of the Ancient God’ is a proper noun, everything got capitalized when most of it wouldn’t have otherwise.)
Sefirot’s Gardener:
(A/N: Sefirot’s Gardener is the first Grandis installment in the Grand Athenaeum, and it’s told from the perspective of Asha, the namesake gardener of the story. Unlike many other Grand Athenaeum adaptations, our character is physically changed to look like Asha, and we also have a small new subset of attack and movement skills to match.)
Around the time of the Flora schism, Sefirot - the sanctum of Grandis’ Transcendent of Life - was attacked by an unknown enemy, resulting in the deaths of countless guardians who fell while protecting the sanctum. Following this battle, the spirits of the fallen began haunting the sanctum, with the Priests of Life holding memorial services to put them to rest.
(A/N: In the Jewish Kabbalah, the Sefirot are the ten nodes on the Tree of Life, which represent encompassing aspects of existence, the divine, and humanity. Sefirot has a lot of parallels to Root Abyss, which was technically a sort of sanctuary for Alicia before Damien created the four Seal Guardians to keep her from leaving.
Root Abyss and Sefirot both have a large garden and bleak surroundings, with four unique regions in each direction. Whereas Sefirot alludes to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, Root Abyss exists deep beneath the actual Tree of Life in Maple World - the World Tree, which is based on the World Tree of Norse mythology. Even some of the mob designs are slightly reminiscent of each other, such as the Root Abyss imps and the Sefirot spirits, both of which wield scythes.)
Furthermore, the Transcendent of Life seemingly disappeared from Sefirot, with their altar remaining locked and inaccessible. However, a stone tablet was left behind at the altar, which contained an encrypted message about how to summon the Transcendent of Life, to which the Priests of Life continued tending to the garden in Sefirot in the hope of bringing back the Transcendent to the sanctum, believing that keeping the garden alive and verdant would allow for the Transcendent’s return.
Because of the schism that tore apart the High Flora and Verdant Flora, the balance of life on Grandis was broken, causing Gerand Darmoor to awaken as the new Transcendent of Life, with the former Transcendent of Life and their priests disappearing from the sanctum, though it remained unknown how or why the Transcendent had disappeared. Nevertheless, Darmoor kept his awakening secret from the rest of his people, leaving the people of Grandis unaware that the former Transcendent of Life had disappeared from Sefirot, for which they continued visiting the sanctum in the hope of having the Transcendent grant their wishes.
As the God-King’s madness grew worse, he slowly began transforming into a twisted monster, rendering him incapable of speaking or even recognizing his people. In desperation, several Knights of the Einherjar began investigating the source of his insanity, which led them to realize that his affliction came from an illness. The knights began to secretly investigate a cure for his madness, but after finding no solution, they came to believe that the only way to save their king was through the blessing of the Transcendent of Life, for which they planned a secret expedition to Sefirot.
(A/N: The lore about Sefirot and the Transcendent of Life comes from Episode 7 of the Grand Athenaeum, Sefirot’s Gardener, which I’ll cover after this author note. This storyline gave a lot more clarity to Darmoor’s character and motivations, and it also retconned a few things, most of which I’ll mention later on.
The biggest change, however, is that Darmoor was already the Transcendent of Life at the start of the schism between the High Flora and Verdant Flora. Pretty much every storyline before this one stated that Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life during the final battle in the Flora Civil War at Aboris, which is when the balance of life was broken on Grandis.
However, this storyline reveals that Darmoor was already the Transcendent of Life at that point in time, which essentially makes it so that his ‘awakening’ at Aboris was a fake-out to make people think that he wasn’t a Transcendent throughout the course of the civil war. This does lead to a bit of confusion because it was highly suggested that Darmoor manipulated events to incite the war so that the balance of life would be broken on Grandis, but it turns out that the initial schism is what broke the balance early on, despite it being a bloodless conflict.
The idea of Transcendents awakening in response to the balance of their domain being destroyed has been around since the Transcendents themselves were first introduced in Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storylines. Disregarding the slight confusion introduced in this storyline, Darmoor’s awakening as the Transcendent of Life has always been depicted as being in response to the blatant disrespect for life from the carnage of war.
Similarly, the White Mage awakened as the Transcendent of Light as the light of the world faded away due to the destruction caused by the selfishness and greed that plagued Maple World. The idea that someone preceded the White Mage has never been addressed in the game before, and so most people formed their headcanons from the lore about Transcendents in Angelic Buster’s storyline, although this information has been removed from her story after her revamp.
That dialogue originally revealed two main things - that some Transcendents are made immortal, while some are born mortal and reincarnate, as well as the fact that Transcendents only awaken in response to an imbalance of their domain. Because of this, my working assumption had been that the position of mortal-born Transcendents can just go on remaining unfilled for centuries until the imbalance of their domain causes them to awaken and attain immortality, which would mean that the White Mage had no predecessor while the balance was kept.
However, the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline confirms that someone did precede Darmoor, which makes it likely that the writers are finally going to start addressing that elephant in the room, and possibly even add some more lore about the White Mage and the history of Maple World’s Transcendent of Light as a side effect of fleshing out the mechanics of mortal-born Transcendents. With the removal of Transcendent lore from Angelic Buster’s story, it seems that the writers are set to have a blank canvas for the new lore that they choose to create.
On a side note, Zero’s awakening was a weird case because Alpha and Beta were trapped in Mirror World for a long time, and they were unable to fully succeed Rhinne until Mirror World was destroyed. Immediately upon awakening, however, they used their power to recreate Mirror World, which severely weakened their full potential for as long as they keep maintaining it.
Along with the fact that they’re frequently described as “divided and weakened”, it’s heavily suggested that Alpha and Beta don’t constitute as proper Transcendents, which explains things like why Maple World is described as being bereft of Transcendents after the Black Mage’s death, as well as things like why Alpha and Beta never seemed to meet or hear the Overseers like Aeona, Tana, the White Mage, and possibly Darmoor did.
Despite the fact that they don’t awaken traditionally like the other Transcendents we’ve seen, given how unstable the balance of time is in Maple World between the temporal collapse happening in Ludibrium, the Dimensional Schism created by Arkarium, and the Interdimensional Portal, it’s very apparent that a Transcendent of Time’s awakening was long overdue, and that it would’ve happened a lot sooner if the Black Mage hadn’t trapped Rhinne and Zero in Mirror World.
Moving on, though, the stuff below here covers the events of Sefirot’s Gardener, which is told from the perspective of Asha, the namesake gardener of the story. I want to add a disclaimer that many names and terms mentioned in this storyline have been localized by satsu, who did a complete translation of the transcript for this story. These names are subject to change once the GMS localization comes out, and so you might find that the names which I’ve used here are different from other sources that you might’ve seen.)
In Sefirot, two peddler women arrived and encountered Asha the gardener tending to the flowers in the garden. One of the peddlers confronted Asha and demanded to know why the door to the altar wouldn’t open, adding that Asha herself had claimed earlier that they could meet the Transcendent of Life there.
Asha patiently told the woman that her words were merely what had been written in the records, reminding the woman that she had already mentioned that the Transcendent of Life hadn’t appeared in the sanctum for some time. The other peddler asked Asha where they could find the Transcendent, to which Asha replied that she didn’t know.
The first woman then chided Asha, demanding to know how the presiding priest of the sanctum didn’t know where their own god resided. Just as Asha began explaining that she was only the gardener, the woman angrily slapped Asha across the face with her walking stick before asking whether Asha had any idea how difficult of a journey it had been to reach the sanctum, adding that she hadn’t come all the way just to speak with the gardener.
She claimed that it had taken her three months to reach Sefirot, and that her daughter was dying as they spoke, adding that it would be Asha’s fault if her daughter were to die before the Transcendent of Life could grant her wish. Despite wincing from the blow, Asha stood her ground and reminded the woman that she was the one who had ignored her words about the Transcendent not being in the sanctum.
She added that the woman couldn’t save her daughter by taking her anger out on her, and she asked her not to desecrate the sanctum with her violent actions. She then told the woman to go back home, adding that she could still spend her daughter’s last moments together that way. Furious, the woman raised her walking stick to hit Asha again, but just as she did, she took a step back and accidentally stepped on the flowers in the garden.
Suddenly, Asha’s tone turned serious as she sternly ordered the woman not to touch the flowers. Surprised, the woman asked Asha why she was making such a fuss over such measly plants, but just as she continued stepping on them, Asha loudly warned her once again not to harm the flowers. Confused, but still angry, the woman asked Asha what was wrong with her, as she had been quiet and meek just a moment ago, adding that the flowers were worthless.
Asha retorted that they were no ordinary flowers, as the priests had told her that if the flowers were able to grow beautifully, the Transcendent of Life would return. Suddenly, four hooded High Flora – Prince Gerand Darmoor, the God-King of the High Flora, and two Knights of the Einherjar, Edvar and Yuel – arrived and overheard Asha’s words, causing them to realize that the Transcendent of Life wasn’t in Sefirot.
Upon seeing the visitors, the two peddlers recognized them as Flora and decided to leave immediately out of fear. Asha watched the two women leave, noting to herself that the Flora certainly had a fearsome presence to make the peddlers leave right away. She then told the High Flora that just as they had overheard, the Transcendent of Life was indeed not in Sefirot, adding that they could check for themselves at the altar. However, she noted that the altar was closed, and that they would not be able to open it.
Nevertheless, the High Flora decided to check the altar just to confirm, though Darmoor remained behind. Just as Asha wondered to herself why Darmoor hadn’t followed the others, Darmoor told Asha that he wanted to ask her something, noting that the flowers were quite beautiful. Asha asked Darmoor not to touch the flowers without her permission, explaining that the plants in the sanctum were fragile and could easily wilt.
She also told him that it would be best if he gave up on meeting the Transcendent, reminding him once again that she was merely the gardener, and that she had no information about the Transcendent or their whereabouts. Upon hearing her words, however, Darmoor noted that it was all the better that he was speaking with the gardener, revealing that what he was interested in wasn’t the Transcendent, but the garden itself.
He noted that the garden was beautifully tended and asked Asha whether she took care of it all on her own. When Asha told him that she was indeed the sole caretaker, Darmoor noted that Asha was quite incredible. Asha replied that the garden was once in an even grander state when the priests had tended to the sanctum, with the entire place being full of life and breathtakingly beautiful.
She then asked Darmoor who he was, as most visitors were so preoccupied with the altar that they paid no attention to the garden. She explained that it was her first time seeing someone take an interest in it, to which Darmoor pulled back his hood and told her that his name was Aaron.
(A/N: When we met Darmoor in-person for the first time in the Cernium storyline, Darmoor disguised himself as a High Flora turncoat and used the alias of Aaron to hide his identity. The Sefirot’s Gardener storyline confirms that he’s been using this fake name for a long time now. For the sake of consistency with the storyline, I’ll switch over to referring to Darmoor as Aaron for as long as he’s still in disguise.)
Aaron then asked Asha what her name was, to which Asha merely told him that he could just call her the gardener, as he likely wouldn’t be staying long without the Transcendent anyways. However, Aaron revealed that his goal wasn’t to meet the Transcendent, though he remained coy when Asha asked him what he really wanted.
Aaron asked Asha whether she was waiting for the Transcendent as well, and whether that was the reason why she tended to the garden so tirelessly. Asha told him that it wasn’t the reason why she stayed, explaining that she wasn’t even a priest, and that she had never met the Transcendent before, despite having lived in Sefirot all her life. Aaron told Asha that unlike himself, his companions strongly wished to meet the Transcendent, and that he wished to check on whether they had managed to summon them. Promising to speak with her again, Aaron set off towards the altar where the Transcendent was said to reside.
Meanwhile, Edvar, Yuel, and the God-King arrived at the altar, where Edvar expressed his relief at finally arriving. He noted that it hadn’t been an easy journey, thanks to the barrier surrounding the sanctum. He then wondered whether it would truly be possible to cure the God-King’s madness, which was so severe that even the greatest minds could find no solution.
Yuel replied that they had no other choice, as the God-King’s violent tendencies had become so strong that he couldn’t even recognize them anymore. She noted that the only possible solution left was to use the power of a Transcendent. Edvar replied that he felt uneasy about leaving the palace empty at such a moment, to which Yuel asked him whether he felt uneasy because of the Verdant Flora. She explained that she doubted that they would invade the capital in their absence, adding that she had even heard of a rising divide within their ranks.
However, Edvar told her that the Verdant Flora weren’t the problem, pointing out the state of the Knights of the Einherjar. He noted that with just a single word of dissent from Adelaide, all of her comrades had also refused to follow the God-King into battle. He added that with their most prominent knight imprisoned, the advancement of their forces had been delayed indefinitely, which had made a complete mess of their plans.
Yuel pointed out that, to be exact, it had been the God-King who had ordered her imprisonment, adding that they all had been shocked by his sudden change, including herself. She noted that his plan to recklessly expand their military and subjugate all of Grandis was too far-fetched of a strategy, and that the God-King would never have ordered such a thing if he were in his right mind.
Edvar noted that it was the toll that the God-King’s madness had taken upon him. However, he added that turning one’s back upon their master simply because of his change was the height of disloyalty, especially for a Knight of the Einherjar. Yuel replied that it was only recently that they had discovered that his condition was an illness, adding that the other knights would see reason and return to his side after he was cured.
Edvar noted that the other knights had better return, or else they would have another mess on their hands. He added that while the God-King’s stand-in held the fort down, they would cure the God-King by meeting the Transcendent of Life. He and Yuel then attempted to open the door to the altar, which remained firmly shut.
Unsure of how they could open it, Edvar suggested speaking with Asha, believing that they could force the information out of her if she was concealing it. Just then, Aaron arrived in order to check on their progress. Immediately upon his arrival, however, the door to the altar began glowing brightly and swung open. (A/N: This was meant to be foreshadowing in the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline that Darmoor was already the Transcendent of Life at this point in time.)
Though the knights were surprised, they nevertheless proceeded inside and arrived at the altar. There, they found that the altar was completely deserted, just as Asha had said. Refusing to return home empty-handed, the knights began to search the altar. Aaron then pointed out a stone tablet in the corner of the altar, with strange drawings carved into it.
Edvar recognized the tablet as a cipher, explaining that solving them typically led to treasures or powerful spells, though in this case, he believed that it would allow them to summon the Transcendent of Life. Upon examining the tablet, he noted that it seemed to represent Sefirot, which meant that they would need to investigate the sanctum to find the answer.
Yuel pointed out that it would be dangerous to be away from the capital for so long, which meant that they needed to solve it as soon as possible. As it could take quite a long time to solve it by themselves, Edvar suggested that they enlist Asha’s help, as she would be very familiar with all the hidden parts of the sanctum.
Back in the garden, the knights showed Asha the stone tablet which they had found inside the altar. Asha was shocked to know that they had managed to open the door, though Edvar told her that the important part was that the tablet had the power to summon the Transcendent. Though Asha was hesitant to believe it, she noted that the knights seemed to be special if they had been able to open the door to the altar. She then agreed to help and asked them what she should do. Aaron told her that he had a great interest in ancient documents, and that he had a sizable knowledge about ciphers, which he believed would be useful on their mission.
(A/N: This is another reference to the Cernium storyline, in which Darmoor – disguised as Aaron – spent years meticulously deciphering and organizing the ancient texts in the Cernium Royal Library, many of which contained information about the Ancient Gods.)
Noting that it wouldn’t be particularly dangerous, Aaron suggested that they split up. After Edvar and Yuel headed off to investigate, Aaron asked Asha whether she was ready to go. Asha noted that she was surprised, as Aaron seemed to be of higher status than the knights, which meant that he could have simply left the task to his subordinates.
Aaron explained that he was a very curious person, and that he wished to solve the cipher himself. He also added that what he was more interested in than the solution was the process of solving it. He then noted that Asha seemed to be quite interesting as well, as she was able to speak plainly with him, even after knowing of his higher status, which made him wonder what gave her such courage.
Asha explained that it wasn’t courage, but rather, she believed that everyone – even the Flora or those with high statuses – had equal existences as living things. She added that it was meaningless for her to bother with who was ‘higher’ or ‘lower’, though she noted that her opinions might bother a Flora like himself.
To her surprise, however, Aaron told her that he actually agreed with her, as status had no meaning to him, with even a king being nothing special at all. At Asha’s confusion, Aaron merely suggested that they begin to head out in order to solve the cipher. Asha then told him that she had brought a map of the sanctum, explaining that Sefirot consisted of the garden at the center, as well as a forest surrounding it on all sides.
Aaron asked her whether there was anything near the garden which might have something to do with the tablet, to which Asha replied that she couldn’t think of anything, adding that since the garden was under her care, she would have noticed if there was something. Aaron noted that it meant that there was a high chance that the sanctum outskirts was where they’d find answers.
Asha explained that the outskirts were practically in ruins, as no one had tended to them in a long time. She added that there were also monsters there, though there were also a few barrier stones which had been created not so long ago. Upon hearing that there were monsters, Aaron offered to go himself if it was too dangerous for her, though Asha told him that she would be able to handle the monsters herself.
Asha then led Aaron to the northern outskirts of Sefirot, which Aaron noted was a bleak and desolate place. He then noticed an owl-shaped statue, which Asha explained was one of the four barrier stones that kept the barrier around Sefirot in place. She added that according to the priests, the barrier stones were the reason why Sefirot was hard to detect from the outside.
Upon examining the barrier stone, Aaron found a slot that appeared to be the same size as the stone tablet. After placing the tablet in the slot, writing appeared on the stone statue: “Come to me with cold warmth”. Asha was confused by what ‘cold warmth’ meant, to which Aaron explained that it seemed to be a metaphor for something.
Suddenly, Orange Lantern Nightghosts appeared and surrounded them both. After escaping to a safe place, Aaron asked whether the spirits always appeared in the area, noting how fascinating it was that there were monsters in the Transcendent’s sanctum. Asha explained that the spirits weren’t always monsters, but rather, they were the souls of those who had died protecting the sanctum from outsiders.
She explained that when the priests were still around, they had kept the spirits at bay by holding memorial ceremonies for them, though without the priests to conduct the rituals, the spirits wandered around freely. However, she added that she had never seen so many appear at once, as it was usually just one or two of them.
Aaron noted that it seemed as if they had made a pledge to appear at a certain time, which he supposed was a response to the tablet. Realizing that the spirits themselves were a clue, Asha explained that the eastern outskirts housed spirits carrying orange lamps, while the spirits in the western outskirts held blue lamps. She then told Aaron that the ‘cold warmth’ could refer to the Blue Lantern Nightghosts.
Praising Asha for her excellent deduction, Aaron suggested that they gather the blue flames from the lanterns. After they gathered the flames, Asha noted that the lamps were essentially the cores of the spirits, which contained the emotion that they had felt most strongly when they had been alive. She explained that those who had died protecting the sanctum with fear had that fear turned into blue flames, while rage had become the orange flames.
Aaron observed that the blue flames were not hot to the touch, which lined up with the description of ‘cold warmth’. Asha then placed the flames before the barrier stone statue, causing a portion of the tablet to light up with color. Aaron realized that they would soon be able to find the answer if they continued filling up the tablet.
Asha noted that though it may be a coincidence, the carving of the Blue Lantern Nightghost was on the east side of the tablet, which may be helpful to keep in mind. Just then, the statue turned itself towards the west as the words on the tablet changed to say: “You who solved the first riddle, I shall guide you down the next path.” Asha then suggested that they head to the western outskirts, where she placed the stone tablet in the slot within the barrier stone statue.
Upon doing so, the words on the tablet changed to say: “Come to me with the augury hidden in earth warmed by the sunlight. That earth rests beneath your feet.” Aaron and Asha together realized that both ‘earth warmed by sunlight’ and ‘that earth rests beneath your feet’ referred to the south, and so they decided to head to the southern outskirts.
There, Asha found several hidden amulets, which she brought back to Aaron, who noted that thought the tablet had described them as a hidden treasure, the amulets didn’t appear to be anything special. Asha explained that the amulets had been created for those who had died protecting the sanctum in the hopes that such a tragedy would never happen again.
Aaron noted that there seemed to have been a large number of casualties, to which Asha explained it was said that it was the very reason why Sefirot had been hidden behind a barrier. Aaron then wondered why, of all the possible ciphers, the ones who had created it had chosen on this one. Nevertheless, he suggested that they continue solving it.
Asha placed the amulets at the foot of the barrier stone statue, causing another part of the tablet to immediately change color, while the statue turned itself north. Asha noted that the colored portion was the picture of the amulets on the west side of the tablet, while the words on the tablet had changed to say: “You who solved the second riddle, I shall guide you to the next path.”
After arriving at the northern outskirts, Aaron noticed several Hollow Scarecrows and wondered whether they had anything to do with those who had died protecting the sanctum. Asha explained that the scarecrows were guardians who had protected the sanctum from the outside. After the priests had disappeared, the scarecrows – upon losing the thing which they had been made to protect – had been turned into ordinary monsters.
Asha then placed the tablet into the barrier stone statue, causing the words on the tablet to change into: “Come to me with the screams of one who has stood on empty ground.” Asha realized that the words likely referred to carrying the sound of screams in their memories, which meant that they would need to defeat the Hollow Scarecrows and hear their screams.
After defeating the monsters, the scarecrow drawing on the tablet began glowing, while the statue remained facing south. Though Asha realized that they needed to head to the southern outskirts, she remained in place, deep in thought. When Aaron asked her what she was thinking about, Asha explained that she had been thinking about how he had been wondering why the ones who had created the tablet had chosen such a cipher.
She explained that after thinking about the actions which they had to do – gazing upon the emotions of the spirits, taking care of the amulets made to comfort them, and laying the guardians to rest after their purpose had been lost – she had realized that they were all actions that reflected upon those who had sacrificed their lives for the sanctum. She explained that the ones who had created the cipher had wished for the Transcendent of Life to remember those who had been sacrificed.
Her words caused Aaron to note that everything had been done in service to those who had been sacrificed, adding that her theory indeed seemed to be the case. He also noted that the Transcendent of Life must know how selfish the living could be, and how living things would drag others down in order to protect their own worthless lives.
However, he believed that those who had died for the sanctum must not have made a true sacrifice, as they had left malicious spirits behind when they had departed the world. He noted that it was difficult for one to lay down their life for something without regret, such that no part of them would remain after they were gone. He added that only a handful of people would be capable of making such a choice.
After a pause, he apologized for rambling and asked Asha to place the tablet into the statue. Upon doing so, the words on the statue changed to say: “You already know this answer. Carry out that which you know must be done, and return to me.” Realizing that the orange flames were the last uncollected things left, Asha and Aaron traveled to the northern outskirts, where they collected the orange flames and brought them before the barrier stone statue.
Immediately, the final picture in the tablet was colored, though nothing else happened afterwards. Aaron was surprised, as he had expected something to happen after solving the cipher. Just then, the words on the tablet changed once again into, “This is not the end. Rely on your own strength to find the last key.” Aaron realized that there must be a fifth riddle to solve, and upon seeing that the statue had turned towards the garden, Asha realized that the final key had to be there, though she noted that there was no barrier stone statue in the garden.
Nevertheless, the pair decided to return to the garden, where Aaron noted that Asha had once mentioned that there had once been Priests of Life in Sefirot in the past. Asha explained that there were once many priests who had taken care of the sanctum, which had been much more beautiful back in those days as a result, with the garden being much larger and more spacious as well.
When Aaron asked how she alone remained, Asha told him that the priests had all suddenly disappeared one day, as though they had never existed at all. Aaron asked whether the priests had died, to which Asha explained that the priests were spirits which had been created from the Transcendent of Life’s power, which meant that they weren’t beings who could die like ordinary life forms.
She added that in the past, she had thought that the Transcendent of Life may have disappeared as well if the priests created by them had vanished. However, she also noted that she had never seen the Transcendent of Life, even when the priest had been around, and so she couldn’t be sure. She explained that she had been left with no choice but to take care of the sanctum alone, and because of the impossibility of having to do it alone, she had been forced to make the garden smaller so that she could take care of it by herself.
Aaron admitted that the remaining part of the garden seemed quite wonderful, and that it even seemed more beautiful because of its downsizing. Asha agreed, adding that she had done a bit of pruning, explaining that in order to raise a plant properly, one couldn’t just treat it with kindness, as they needed to be able to ruthlessly cut away the useless parts, leaving only what was most important if the plants were to grow beautiful and strong. She explained that if one let the useless parts remain as they were, it could hinder the plant’s growth, or even kill it.
Aaron quietly pondered her words, thinking about what she had said about leaving only the things which had value, adding that her thoughts lined up with his. He explained that pruning was an important job to undertake, not only in the garden, but elsewhere as well. He then noted that the sun was about to set, and he suggested that they finish up for today.
The pair then returned and met with Yuel and Edvar, who asked them where they had been. Yuel explained that they had discovered another barrier stone statue near the altar, and that they believed that it may be helpful in solving the cipher. Asha immediately realized what they were referring to and explained that it likely had nothing to do with the cipher.
After arriving at the altar, Aaron read the inscription on the statue, which said “The beings on the outskirts have turned their heads in the right direction, and the gate to the outside has opened. The path below the gate shall lead you down the mountain.” Asha explained that the statue was an emergency exit, which could lead them down the mountain. Yuel apologized that the statue had nothing to do with the cipher, though Aaron told her not to be sorry, as it may be useful to have an emergency exit. He then suggested that they turn in for the night, believing that they may have better luck tomorrow.
Soon after, Asha returned to the garden, as she hadn’t been able to water the flowers because she had been busy solving the cipher. As she began watering the flowers, the God-King silently entered the garden, leaking black smoke from his robes. From the gap within his robes, he began draining the mana from the flowers into himself, much to Asha’s shock.
As he did, his robes began tearing, revealing a monstrous head glowing with red and black energy, as well as dark tendrils peeking out from the foot of his robes. Asha immediately attempted to stop the God-King, though none of her attacks had any effect. Defeated, Asha collapsed on the floor as the God-King growled mindlessly. As he began approaching her, Asha expressed her relief that she had been able to get him to attack her and leave the flowers alone. Suddenly, Aaron arrived at the scene and used his powers to seal the God-King away.
(A/N: The seal which Aaron uses has the same symbol as the Transcendent of Life symbol on Zero’s 5th job skill called Transcendent, which is another hint that Darmoor is already the Transcendent of Life at this point. The seal which he uses is also extremely similar in aesthetic to the Seal of Time that the Heroes used to seal the Black Mage away.
The God-King’s appearance is highly reminiscent of Specters, and given the importance of Specters in the continental Grandis storyline, it’s very likely that Darmoor may have infected his father with a Specter soul. Given that Specters are creatures which abhor humanity, it’s possible that the Specter’s influence led to the God-King’s desire to begin a war against Grandis, eventually consuming him and taking over his body.)
Just then, Yuel and Edvar rushed to the scene, where they were shocked to find the God-King being sealed away by Aaron, whom they called the prince. As Asha lost consciousness, she managed to overhear Yuel referring to the monster as the God-King and Aaron as their prince. After she passed out, Edvar expressed his surprise that the God-King had managed to escape, as he was supposed to be inside the annex. Yuel realized that he must have managed to escape while they had all been preoccupied.
Edvar then noticed Asha passed out and realized that she had seen the God-King in his monstrous state, which meant that they had no choice but to kill her. However, Yuel pointed out that they still needed Asha to solve the cipher, to which Edvar decided that they would keep her locked up in the annex until she finished helping them, after which they would kill her, just like all the others who had witnessed the God-King’s true madness.
Yuel then began carrying Asha to the annex, though Aaron remained in place and began observing the area. He noted that the God-King had become extremely sensitive to mana as a result of his madness, which made him wonder why he would come to the garden when there should be no traces of mana in a sanctum bereft of its Transcendent.
Though Edvar speculated that it was because the God-King was not in his right mind, Aaron began observing the garden and noticed the wilted flowerbed nearby. He noted that the flowerbed was right where the God-King had been standing, and since it was highly unlikely that Asha would have let a single flower wilt under her care, he concluded that the flowers – along with all the other plants in the garden – were imbued with nearly imperceptible mana.
Edvar realized that the plants being imbued with mana would be quite troublesome for them, as they needed to stay in the sanctum until they could solve the cipher, yet they were surrounded by things that would agitate the God-King. He pointed out that if the God-King were to absorb any more mana, his madness would only grow worse. Aaron suggested that they focus on isolating the God-King by raising another anti-mana barrier around the annex where the God-King was being kept.
Meanwhile, Asha awoke in the annex and found herself trapped in a cage. Aaron greeted her and told her that he was glad that she was unharmed. Asha immediately asked him whether the flowers and the garden were alright, to which Aaron told her that though a few flowers had wilted, the rest were still unharmed.
When Asha expressed her relief, Aaron noted that it was curious that the first thing that she thought about upon awakening was the safety of the garden, as well as the fact that she had confronted a monster far beyond her own strength, which led him to believe that she considered the garden’s safety far more important than her own.
Asha replied that thought it sounded strange, the garden was more precious to her than anything. She explained that she was an orphan from the countless wars that plagued Grandis, and that she had always considered herself to be just another worthless war orphan. She told Aaron that the priests of Sefirot had found her starving on the streets, and that they had named her and taught her how to survive. Following this, she had chosen to follow the priests and help them wherever they could, even though they hadn’t asked her to do so.
She explained that the priests had told her that if the garden grew beautifully, the Transcendent of Life would return to the sanctum, which was why both she and they had put all their effort into tending the garden, eventually leading to her becoming Sefirot’s gardener. Eventually, however, the priests had all vanished mysteriously, and with them being her entire world, she had been left completely alone.
Nevertheless, she had continued doing what she had promised to do, as there was nothing else which she could do. Hanging onto the priests’ words, she had continued tending to the garden in the hope that when the Transcendent of Life returned to the garden, the priests – who had been created from the Transcendent’s power – may return as well, which would mean that her miserable life would finally have some meaning.
After hearing her story, Aaron asked her whether she would continue to protect the garden, even if it led to her own death. Asha immediately told him that she would, without hesitation, to which Aaron paused for a moment before warning her that her life was in danger. Asha asked whether it was because she had learned about Aaron and the monster’s identities as the prince and the God-King, which Aaron confirmed.
He explained that he and his comrades had come to Sefirot in order to return the deformed God-King back to his old self by borrowing the power of the Transcendent of Life, and that neither the Gods of the High Flora nor the Knights of the Einherjar knew the truth. He added that no one could know the truth, and that those who did must be killed immediately.
When Asha noted that they still needed her to solve the cipher, Aaron revealed that he had already solved the final part himself. He noted the riddle – “This is not the end. Find the final key with your own strength” – as well as the statue pointing towards the garden, and the priests’ words about the Transcendent of Life only returning if the garden is well tended for, had made him realize that the statue was pointing towards the plants in the garden, whose mana was the key to solve the cipher.
He then showed her the tablet, which had absorbed the mana of the flowers, and pointed out a new glowing sentence upon it: “Only the beautiful sacrifice of a noble life will draw his attention.” Asha told Aaron that she had no idea that the flowers were the answer, despite having tended to the garden for her entire life.
She realized that the flowers in the garden had been prepared for the sake of those who got sacrificed, and she was relieved to know that there had been a purpose in her tending to the garden. However, she then realized that with the cipher solved, Aaron had no use for her, and she asked whether he planned to kill her.
To her surprise, however, Aaron revealed that he had no wish to kill her, as she was quite an interesting person to him. He suggested that she escape the sanctum while she could, forget everything that she had seen, and start a new life, adding that she should be able to escape unnoticed with her knowledge of the sanctum. He then unlocked Asha’s shackles and told her to run away once the chaos outside would die down, bidding her farewell.
After freeing Asha, Aaron traveled to the entrance to the altar, where he met with Edvar and Yuel, who had just finished setting up the barrier for the God-King. Aaron then revealed that he had finished solving the cipher and showed them the words upon the stone tablet. He explained that the ‘beautiful sacrifice of a noble life’ had to refer to the sacrifice of a Flora – a superior race – and that, in particular, it had to refer to the sacrifice of a Flora knight.
He noted that they couldn’t return empty-handed, nor could they hide the God-King’s madness forever, adding that it must have been discovered that both Edvar and Yuel had disappeared from the capital. He then told them that they needed to decide between them which of them should be sacrificed for the sake of the God-King.
Immediately, Edvar and Yuel opened their wings and began to duel with their swords. As they locked blades, Edvar noted that Yuel – as one who had gained the God-King’s favor at such a young age – would be perfect for the role of a ‘noble sacrifice’, though Yuel immediately retorted that Edvar would be a better fit, as he had been born into an old, noble family which had served the God-King faithfully for countless years.
However, Edvar claimed that he hadn’t earned any of it, as he had simply been born into that life. He also noted that a noble knight would never point their blade towards their junior like he was doing, adding that even a Transcendent wouldn’t accept his life as a sacrifice. Dropping the pretense, Yuel admitted honestly that she had young siblings at home who would starve to death if she were to be killed, to which Edvar also replied that he had a wife and children who would die without him.
Suddenly, the two stopped fighting as they heard the sound of intruders outside the sanctum. Aaron ordered them to lay down their swords for now while they investigated the intruders, as it wouldn’t do for them to find the God-King. Outside the sanctuary, the knights discovered that several Verdant Flora had gathered at the outskirts.
Though they were surprised to find that the Verdant Flora had found their way to the sanctuary, Yuel noted that they were few and unarmed. Nevertheless, Edvar suggested that they keep their guards up. The knights confronted the Verdant Flora, who were astonished that the High Flora knights really were there as they had been told. They assured the knights that they had no desire to fight, as they had come to see the God-King.
A surprised Edvar whispered to Yuel, wondering how the Verdant Flora could have known that they would be at the sanctum, and whether there had been an intel leak somewhere. Yuel whispered back that they ought to go along with what the Verdant Flora were saying for now, after which she demanded to know why they sought the God-King.
One of the Verdant Flora explained that they had come to realize that their decision to split into different races was a mistake, and that they sought to return to the High Flora in order to follow their ways once again. Yuel and Edvar began whispering amongst themselves once again, realizing that the Verdant Flora were only groveling to regain their magic, adding that it was quite a sorry sight.
However, Edvar noted that the Verdant Flora’s arrival came at an opportune moment for them, causing Yuel to realize that he meant that the ‘noble sacrifice’ didn’t have to refer to a Flora knight, as any Flora ought to be sufficiently noble. Edvar then asked the Verdant Flora whether they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the God-King, which they immediately agreed to.
(A/N: Something I find interesting is that the Verdant Flora, despite being looked down on for their lack of magic and treason, are still considered to have enough worth to constitute as a superior life form, showing that the High Flora still consider the Verdant Flora to be Flora, despite their social schism.)
Satisfied, Edvar unsheathed his sword and declared that he would make good on their claim by taking their lives. Yuel followed suit, with both of them opening their wings and cutting down one of the Verdant Flora, while the others began running away in fright. As they began retreating, the Verdant Flora came to believe that the information about the God-King being at Sefirot must have been false information meant to lead them into a trap, as there was no way that the God-King would come to such a desolate place.
Suddenly, however, they stopped as Aaron and the God-King appeared before them. Aaron then told them that the God-King whom they were seeking was standing right before them. Upon sensing the Verdant Flora’s mana, the God-King immediately began to drain their power, resulting in their deaths. Aaron then disappeared, leaving the God-King to go on a rampage alone.
Soon after, Edvar and Yuel arrived to the sight of the God-King finishing off the Verdant Flora. Yuel realized that the God-King must have escaped while the barrier had been weakened during their battle and began rushing to stop him. However, Edvar stopped her and told her to think carefully, noting that there was nothing that they could do to stop the God-King from absorbing the mana from the Verdant Flora. He then asked whether she could truly call a mindless monster who couldn’t even tell friend from foe, or even recognize his loyal knights, a king.
Though Yuel was enraged by Edvar’s treasonous statement, Edvar told her to think, pointing out that even if they brought the God-King back to the garden, they still needed a sacrifice to cure his madness. He asked Yuel whether she would really sacrifice her own life for someone like him, adding that he himself had no desire to do so.
He explained that he intended to run away, noting that they had hidden their identities before leaving the capital, which meant that they wouldn’t be exposed, even if an investigation were made. He told Yuel that they simply needed to set fire to the sanctum and erase any evidence of their presence, which would mean that the Verdant Flora would be blamed for turning the God-King into a monster. He added that he wouldn’t make her escape with him, though he declared that he was leaving, as he would just get killed by the God-King if he were to stay.
After Edvar fled the scene, Yuel approached the God-King and attempted to get him to recognize her in order to calm him down. However, the God-King merely growled and unleashed his power, causing Yuel to realize that he had gotten even more powerful after absorbing the Verdant Flora’s mana.
Meanwhile, in the garden, Edvar noted to himself how foolish Yuel was, as she could have escaped with him when she had the chance. Nevertheless, he decided that he would burn down the garden to erase any evidence of his presence. He also resolved to kill Asha before he left, as well as Darmoor if he could.
Just as he began to set fire to the garden, however, Asha – who had escaped from her prison – discovered what Edvar was doing and attempted to stop him. However, Edvar merely struck Asha hard and caused her to fall to the ground. Though he wondered how Asha had managed to escape, he decided that it didn’t matter, as she had simply saved him the effort of searching for her.
He then opened his wings and prepared to unleash a flame spell to burn down the garden. Though injured from Edvar’s blow, Asha begged him not to destroy the garden, as Sefirot was the sanctum for the Transcendent of Life. However, Edvar noted that there was no Transcendent in the sanctum, which made it completely meaningless.
He then added how preposterous it was that the Transcendent of Life should demand a life to be sacrifice, believing that the entire place should just disappear. Though Asha begged him not to, Edvar used his magic to set the garden on fire, reducing all the plants to ashes. Asha then passed out, with Edvar leaving her to die in the fire.
Elsewhere, Yuel saw the flames overtake the garden and realized that Edvar had set fire to the sanctum. To her shock, the God-King began to absorb the mana carried by the air from the burning flowers, causing him to transform into an even more monstrous form. Upon seeing him grow even more powerful, Yuel decided that she refused to be killed, as she had to live for the sake of her siblings back home.
Drawing her sword, she prepared to strike down the God-King, who unleashed a wave of dark energy that mortally wounded her. As she collapsed, her thoughts turned towards the God-King she remembered, begging him to spare her and entreating him to remember her again. However, the vision of the God-King in her mind was burned away, leaving her to stare at the monster which had once been her liege.
As the God-King towered over her, Yuel realized how foolish it was of her to think that a monster could recognize her, noting to herself that she should have run away when she had the chance. Nevertheless, she once again begged the God-King to spare her life, claiming that she couldn’t die in such a place, though the God-King, incapable of reason, simply finished her off.
Meanwhile, Edvar attempted to flee the sanctum, but found that the exit – and the entire sanctum – had been blocked off. However, he then recalled that there was an emergency exit near the altar and rushed to find it. There, he was shocked to find that the door to the altar was ajar, and that there was strange light pouring from it, causing him to wonder whether the Transcendent of Life had been summoned from to the sacrifice of a noble life.
He then entered the altar, where he was surprised to find that there was no one inside, and that the light had also vanished. He wondered whether there truly was no Transcendent of Life after all, though he noted that even if the Transcendent were to appear, it would be impossible to restore the God-King to his former state.
Suddenly, he turned to find Darmoor emerging from the shadows. He expressed his surprise that the prince had managed to survive, to which Darmoor asked him whether he was disappointed, since Edvar had wanted him dead. Edvar began stammering that he could never wish for such a thing, and that he was relieved to find the prince safe. He then asked Darmoor where he had been, to which Darmoor explained that he had been confirming something.
At Edvar’s confusion, Darmoor told him that he had been confirming what determined a noble life, as he had been curious to see whether there were any lives noble enough to be considered special by the Transcendent of Life. However, he revealed that in the end, there were no noble lives, as everyone – Edvar, Yuel, and the Verdant Flora – had valued their own lives over everything else when it had mattered most, with none of them having the necessary resolve to truly sacrifice their entire lives for something.
A confused Edvar noted that it was natural for a living being to value their own life, to which Darmoor replied that though that was true, that was not the kind of being that he wanted. With his eyes glowing orange, he disdainfully noted that none of them had the right the summon the Transcendent of Life. At his words, Edvar slowly realized the truth and asked Darmoor whether he was the Transcendent of Life. He then asked when Darmoor had become the Transcendent in the first place.
Darmoor revealed that when the balance of life was broken, the Transcendent of Life would appear. He explained that he had already become the Transcendent of Life by the time that the war had started, though he then clarified that it was actually when the war had begun. Edvar realized that the war had begun because of the God-King’s madness, which made him wonder whether Darmoor had inflicted the illness upon his father.
(A/N: The ‘war’ that Darmoor refers to is pretty ambiguous at this point in time. Like I mentioned earlier, Darmoor already being the Transcendent of Life before the God-King’s madness was revealed in this storyline, as all prior storylines stated that he had awakened as a Transcendent during the final battle of the Flora Civil War.
However, the problem is that there’s no war involving the Flora that took place at this point in time. The Flora Civil War started after the Verdant Flora were framed for the murder of the God-King, and the High Flora war of genocide began shortly after the God-King’s murder, as this storyline even confirms that Adele’s imprisonment delayed that war of conquest.
My current working headcanon is that this ‘war’ is basically the schism that took place between the High Flora and Verdant Flora, in which the God-King stripped the Verdant Flora of their magic and exiled them, which may have led to some sort of cold war between the two, as evidenced from Edvar’s belief that the Verdant Flora may attack the capital, which eventually did escalate into open warfare following the God-King’s murder.)
Darmoor noted that he had hoped to see something different upon becoming the Transcendent of Life, though he was ultimately wrong. He revealed that the arrogant High Flora, and the Verdant Flora who claimed to be different, were all ultimately the same. He then unleashed his Transcendent powers in a golden glow, fatally wounding Edvar. As Edvar begged to be spared, Darmoor replied that most lives had no value, and that Edvar’s life was amongst them. He then sardonically thanked Edvar for his hard work and wished him pleasant dreams before finishing him off.
The next morning, as the sun arose, a mortally wounded Asha awoke to the sight of the garden in ruins. Asha was shocked to see her life’s work - which she considered to be her entire worth - had been reduced to ashes, noting that she had no purpose without the garden. Refusing to let it disappear, she recalled the words upon the stone tablet about how the beautiful sacrifice of a noble life could draw the Transcendent’s attention. Though she believed that her life was worth little, she noted that the Transcendent of Life was a benevolent god who treasured all life, which gave her hope that they would restore the garden.
She then forced herself to crawl to the empty altar, where she was distraught to find that the Transcendent of Life still hadn’t returned in the end. In her last moments, she prayed to the Transcendent – whom she called the only god that she knew – and begged them to restore the sanctuary in exchange for her miserable life. As Asha passed away, she heard Darmoor’s voice distantly calling her name.
In the ruins of Sefirot, Darmoor strode through the garden with his magnificent golden wings spread open. As he walked through the garden, his mere presence caused the burned plants all throughout the garden to spring back to life. Declaring that he had finally found it, Darmoor entered the altar and used his Transcendent powers to bring Asha back to life. As Asha awoke, she opened her eyes to find Darmoor standing over her, holding his hand out to her. As she reached out to take his hand, Asha asked him why he had saved her, to which Darmoor told her that it was because she was the sole life in his sanctum with value.
(A/N: It’s very possible that Asha might be one of Darmoor’s Apostles. However, I personally believe that Asha is much more important to Darmoor than any of his Apostles. Based on the way that he holds disdain for many of his Apostles like Kaling and Limbo, I like to think that the fact that Asha is held in much higher regard then them means that she holds some higher position.
It’s revealed in the Shangri-La storyline that Darmoor is searching for an Adversary, and I feel like Asha is the candidate which he has in mind. Darmoor’s philosophy about pruning life and the idea of noble lives willing to cast their own lives aside for the sake of selflessness is almost the antithesis of the message of the Black Mage arc of the main story.
In the Arcane River storyline, the Adversary’s character arc revolves around their constant need to sacrifice themselves for the sake of other people, and this idea culminates in their choice in Limina. When the critical moment comes, the Adversary is told by Orchid that they need to channel their desire to end their own life for the sake of killing the Black Mage, but they ultimately fail to do so because the Seal Stone only responds to the strongest wish of the people, which is their desire for everyone - including the Adversary - to live.
It’s only when the player rejects their mindset that they have to kill themselves for the sake of everyone else and choose to live that the Seal Stone finally activates, allowing them to defeat the Black Mage. The message of the story is that our lives matter just as much as the people we care about, and that we shouldn’t minimize our own worth for the happiness of other people.
In a way, the Adversary is essentially everything that Darmoor despises. In his view, the Adversary was likely at their best when they were willing to end their life to stop the Black Mage, and their shift in mindset to prioritize their survival along with the world’s survival is seen as a betrayal to their original, ideal self.
You can even go as far as to say that the Adversary embodies the wishes of flawed, selfish people, and that in his perfect world, the Seal Stone would have responded to the Adversary’s desire to sacrifice themselves, as the life forms that he would have preserved all would have agreed that they should sacrifice their lives for the sake of protecting each other. I have a larger theory that his intention is for Asha to become an Adversary in order to destroy the Overseers, which I covered in the Shangri-La section.)
Flora Civil War:
With his madness getting worse, the God-King planned to execute Adelaide for her treason and begin his genocide of all the other races on Grandis. Deeply disturbed by what they were being asked to do, many within the Knights of the Einherjar began to rally behind Adelaide’s words of dissent and pledged their loyalty to Darmoor, hoping that together, they could stop the God-King’s senseless war before it could start.
Acting on Darmoor’s orders, Adelaide’s former sister-in-arms, Veronica, had her men free Adelaide from prison so that she could aid them in overthrowing the God-King. However, Adelaide - despite refusing to follow the God-King into battle - refused to turn against her liege and rushed to stop the traitorous knights from harming the God-King.
Elsewhere, Veronica led the revolt against the God-King and broke down the Einherjar, the palace gate, while Adelaide and those loyal to the God-King attempted to stop Veronica and her knights. (A/N: In Norse mythology, the einherjar are the warriors who died and went to Valhalla, where they prepare for the final battle during Ragnarok.)
Eventually, however, Adelaide’s knights were defeated and killed by Veronica’s faction, leaving Adelaide as the only survivor, with her magical conduits being burned out from the sheer amount of magic which she had channeled during the battle. For her alleged treason against Darmoor, Veronica banished Adelaide into a pocket dimension called the Void.
Meanwhile, the Verdant Flora came to learn that Darmoor planned to begin his father’s war against the other races of Grandis. As the coup to overthrow the God-King raged on, the Verdant Flora rushed to the High Flora capital, only to find Darmoor standing over his father’s body. Darmoor immediately called for the guards, claiming that the Verdant Flora had murdered the God-King.
(A/N: The Grandis webcomic shows that the murdered God-King was just a normal High Flora, even though we know that the God-King was a monster by now. It’s mentioned in the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline that the God-King had a body double, and so it’s very possible that it was the double who was murdered, while the real God-King might still be alive somewhere.)
With the Verdant Flora being framed for the God-King’s murder, the High Flora immediately retaliated and attempted to wipe out the Verdant Flora, thus sparking the Flora Civil War. The bloody conflict lasted for hundreds of years, with great casualties on both sides. As the civil war raged on, Darmoor assumed command of the High Flora and began his father’s war of genocide against the other races.
(A/N: There’s a lot of ambiguity in regard to this part of the timeline, as it seems that Veronica continued to loyally support Darmoor after helping him overthrow the God-King, even though Darmoor ended up inciting the war that her faction was working to stop. It’s strongly suggested that Veronica only sided with Darmoor to stay on the winning side, but there’s not much information at this point about what the other Knights of the Einherjar did after Darmoor ended up doing the very thing that they were trying to avert.)
Throughout the war, Darmoor made grand speeches to young High Flora in order to draft them into battle, calling their fight a ‘War for Peace’. One of them was a young man named Ark, who was inspired by Darmoor’s speech and enlisted in military school. There, he met another boy named Albaire, and the two became inseparable. They made a promise to always protect each other, and after graduation, they were both promoted to Second Lieutenants and sent to Verdel as part of the High Flora’s campaign in the Western Front, where only elite troops went.
(A/N: It’s well documented how Ark exhibits Gay Panic™ whenever Albaire is so much as mentioned. Symptoms include excessive joy, nervous laughter, dreaming about Albaire every chance he gets, and blushing as they gaze deeply into each other’s eyes:)
Ark and Albaire graduate military school
Under the leadership of Brigadier General Limbo, Ark and Albaire fought against the native species on Verdel. However, Ark soon grew disillusioned with the war, realizing that the so-called War for Peace was nothing more than a massacre. While eavesdropping on a private meeting, he was horrified to see that Limbo had the power to transform into a Specter.
(A/N: Given how many Specters we see in the game, you can imagine how many countless people Darmoor has sacrificed to build his army. It remains unknown how some Specters like Limbo have kept their original form and memories while retaining the ability to change into a Specter at will. It’s possible that they possess a special soul just like Ark, which prevents the Specter from taking over the host fully.)
Ark discovered that Limbo had learned of the enemy’s plan to launch a surprise attack on the High Flora base. Before he could warn the enemy that the Flora were ready for them, Ark was caught by Limbo. As Ark had revealed himself to be a traitor, Limbo decided to conduct a ritual that would transform him into a Specter.
However, Albaire found out about the ritual, and though he disagreed with Ark’s betrayal, he did everything that he could to stop the ritual because of the promise that they had both made to protect each other. With the ritual interrupted, Ark’s transformation into a Specter was disrupted, resulting in a large vortex forming that nearly obliterated the moon’s entire surface. As a result, the High Flora evacuated and abandoned their plans for the Western Front, leaving Ark to remain unconscious for many years.
(A/N: There’s an implication that Ark was unconscious for centuries because of a quest that he has in Savage Terminal, which states that hundreds of years have passed since the Flora Civil War. However, this is contradicted by the Nova storyline, in which Kaiser mentions that the High Flora had won the war just a few decades before the present day. Most likely, Nexon forgot the plot point that they had introduced with time passing slower on Grandis. Even so, it’s strange to think Ark was just lying unconscious in the desert for decades, if not centuries. It’s possible that the Specter inside him kept him alive, though we can’t say for sure.)
During the war, Darmoor encountered Magnus, an exiled Nova and the former comrade of Kaiser, the legendary hero of the Nova who reincarnated throughout the ages. Conceited as he was, even Magnus felt the immense aura of death radiating from Darmoor, who revealed himself as the Transcendent of Life, and experienced true fear for the first time. He swore allegiance to Darmoor in exchange for gaining the power to become the strongest warrior in Grandis.
In the final stretch of the war, Darmoor ordered Magnus to sack the Nova capital of Heliseum. To prepare for the invasion of Heliseum, Magnus devised a strategy to corrupt two of the three Guardians of Heliseum. Magnus began sending spies to back the research of Treglow, a genius Nova scientist who specialized in chemistry. Magnus’ spies began passing on rare materials and books procured by the High Flora in order to win Treglow’s trust, and then sent him a cursed reagent that caused him to lose his mind and side with Magnus.
At the same time, Magnus learned that the second Guardian, a renowned painter named Victor, had fallen into grief after the death of his fiancée. Magnus anonymously sent Victor a canvas said to bring anything drawn upon it to life. Victor began obsessively painting his true love upon the canvas, which would only create dolls in her image. Over time, Victor’s soul was pulled into the canvas until Victor - unable to bear his pain any longer - killed himself, leaving his trapped soul within the canvas to paint minions for Magnus’ army.
With two of the three Guardians corrupted, Magnus took the Specter army and sacked the Nova capital of Heliseum. During the battle, every member of the Nova royal family was killed except for the princess, who was rescued by the general of the Nova army. As she had been wounded from Magnus’ meteor attacks, which had broken one of her horns, the general brought her to Gen, the Savage Terminal branch leader of the Shadowdealers, a trade organization that specialized in black market merchandise. As Gen had owed the General a favor, he took the princess in and treated her injuries with a special medicine, but the side effects of such a strong medicine put her into a coma for many decades.
Meanwhile, the conflict between the High Flora and Verdant Flora reached its peak in a final battle at the Verdant Flora capital of Aboris, causing massive death on an immensely large scale. During this battle, Darmoor finally revealed that he had awakened as the new Transcendent of Life after hiding his abilities for centuries. Because of his deception, it was mistakenly believed by the rest of Grandis that the bloody battle of Aboris had broken the balance of life on Grandis, which had resulted in Darmoor’s awakening.
With his powers, Darmoor obliterated nearly every living being on the battlefield. He then approached the wounded God of the Verdant Flora, who had managed to survive Darmoor’s attack, and sealed him inside the mytocrystal on the back of his hand. The surviving High Flora then successfully sacked Aboris, ending the war with the capture of the Verdant Flora capital and the near-total destruction of its people.
In the sanctuary city of Pantheon, Kaiser and the Nova knights received word about the fall of Aboris and Darmoor’s awakening as the Transcendent of Life. With the Verdant Flora all but extinct, and the Anima in hiding, Kaiser realized that only the Nova remained to oppose the High Flora. Believing that Darmoor would quickly target Heliseum, Kaiser rushed to the capital in order to defend it.
There, he encountered Magnus at the city outskirts, where he learned that Heliseum had already fallen with Aboris. Believing that his old friend had returned from exile to help the Nova reclaim the capital, Kaiser let his guard down, allowing Magnus to cut him with his poisoned blade. Though he was dying by the moment, Kaiser attempted to buy time for the survivors of Heliseum to escape to the sanctuary city of Pantheon.
He engaged Magnus and the Specter army alone in a fierce battle, and though Kaiser managed to cut off one of Magnus’ horns and left a scar on his eye, he knew that he would soon succumb to the poison. Realizing that there was only one way to stop Magnus, Kaiser sacrificed his life in a fiery explosion that wiped out the Specter army and severely injured Magnus, who was only able to survive through the power that he had received from Darmoor. Magnus fled the scene, but not before he stole Kaiser’s legendary sword, Kaiserium.
Through Kaiser’s sacrifice, Beldar of the Heliseum Council was able to lead the survivors of Heliseum to Pantheon. As the Nova were unable to bring their holy relic - a large, blue stone called the Outrigger, which had been given to them by the Ancient Gods of the Nova - the priests instead extracted as much power as they could from it and divided its power into four sacred stones, which were scattered across Pantheon and used to create a Protective Shield around the city, making it impossible for Magnus and the Specter army to enter.
Following the end of the Flora Civil War, Darmoor invaded the Chronica Sanctuary and attempted to convince Chronica, the Transcendent of Time, to join him. When they were unable to come to a resolution, Darmoor stole Chronica’s powers. However, the use of the stolen powers of a Transcendent came with consequences. Not only was Darmoor severely weakened, but several Interdimensional Portals that led to other worlds appeared throughout Grandis, and it was said that Darmoor himself used a portal to travel to Maple World.
(A/N: There’s a continuity error introduced in Esfera when the Black Mage’ stole Tana’s Transcendent powers. Rather than him being weakened, he grew strong enough to be considered a god. While this is most likely an oversight on Nexon’s part, I wonder it can be explained by saying that a Transcendent only gets weakened if they steal the powers of a Transcendent of another domain.
Stealing Tana’s powers also didn’t result in any additional Interdimensional Portals being formed, but this could be because several already existed, or because the three worlds were already converging into the Arcane River, meaning that all the worlds shared a single dimension, and so there was no way that a warp in spacetime could bridge two worlds.
For a time, it was also a possibility that dimensional instability is only caused by stealing the powers of a Transcendent of Time specifically, which was what Kaiser’s storyline suggests. However, this has been retconned because all future mentions of the topic in other storylines suggest that it can happen upon taking any Transcendent’s power.)
Even though the High Flora forces had been crippled at the end of the Flora Civil War, Darmoor nevertheless turned his focus on his war of genocide, which had been waged simultaneously with the battle against the Verdant Flora. Darmoor ordered his exhausted army to push forward and moved the High Flora capital to the former Verdant Flora capital of Aboris, where he ruled from the new God-King Temple at the Aboris Royal Palace alongside his twelve Apostles, of whom six are known:
Havoc, a pure-blood demon from Tynerum who arrived in Grandis through unknown means and came into Darmoor’s service as his First Apostle of Lightning.
Limbo, the partial Specter who had managed the High Flora campaign on the Western Front as Brigadier General
Kaling, a defective Vessel of Odium who had created the Four Perils in the era of the Ancient Gods. Kaling had been sealed away by the great sage Tai Yu, but over the ages, Kaling’s seal slowly degraded. Eventually, she was rescued by the private investigators of Cheong-woon, who rescued her and took her in. Hoping to use them to find the Four Perils and complete her research, Kaling chose to stay with them and slowly began to grow fond of them until they were all killed when the seal on Qiongqi was broken.
In the wake of her grief, glimmers of Kaling’s long-lost humanity that her contamination had erased began resurfacing. At that moment, however, Darmoor approached her and claimed that he needed her and her research. Hearing that someone believed that her research wasn’t a failure was all that Kaling needed to hear, and the contamination began taking her over further as Darmoor continued feeding into her obsession to fulfill her purpose by completing her Four Perils experiment and create an immensely powerful Adversary, thereby proving the elders wrong. Under Darmoor, Kaling became an Apostle and began hunting down the Four Perils using the private investigators of Cheong-woon.
(A/N: Although I’ve listed Kaling as an Apostle here, she chronologically only becomes one a little bit before the start of Hoyoung’s storyline, which begins with Tai Yu leaving the Hermitage in order to investigate the seals on Qiongqi and Taowu breaking. The end of the Flora Civil War takes place several decades before the start of the present-day story on Grandis (taking into account that several decades on Grandis is the equivalent of several centuries on Maple World), which means that Kaling is recruited a few decades after the events of this section.)
Ypsilon, a God of the High Flora who ruled the city of Erimos on continental Grandis as its lord. Ypsilon possessed the power to extract abstract concepts - from magic and life force, to loyalty and memories.
Reina, a God of the High Flora who ruled as the lord of a snowy territory on continental Grandis, using powerful ice magic against her enemies. Though Reina was once a Priest of the High Flora, she faced the previous lord in a Syaman - an honor duel reserved for Priests and Gods. Though Syamans between Priests were meant for entertainment and bragging, a Syaman between a Priest and a God allowed for a Priest to replace their opponent as a God. As a Priest challenging a God - a person of higher caste rank - was considered a valiant act, a God was obligated to accept the challenge accordingly. By defeating the former lord in a Syaman, Reina took their place as a God and the lord of their territory.
(A/N: The Arteria storyline reveals that Reina had only recently become a God by challenging the former lord of her territory. The chronology of this is left pretty ambiguous, but I’d hesitantly place Reina becoming a lord sometime after Khali’s class storyline based on the context clues that we learn about the lord of the snowy region there. Since there’s almost no way that a Priest could’ve become an Apostle, it’s also possible that Reina’s predecessor was a former Apostle of Darmoor, and that Reina took their position as both Apostle and lord through her Syaman. Because of this, it’s likely that - just like Kaling - Reina became an Apostle several decades after the events of this section.)
Baldrix, a Knight of the Einherjar who had once served the former God-King. Despite his immense magical power, Baldrix had held loyalty only for Prince Darmoor, enough so that he had refused the position of Captain under the former God-King’s command, demonstrating his sole devotion to the prince. After helping Darmoor overthrow his father, Baldrix became an Apostle and ascended to become the new Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar, serving as Darmoor’s close confidante for his true aims and goals.
Ruling from the capital city of Aboris, stolen from the Verdant Flora, the High Flora held six territories in continental Grandis, including Erimos, which were led by Gods, who served as regional lords. Additionally, the High Flora began spreading their influence across Grandis and began creating colonies by driving out and purging the native races of those regions.
To defend their cities, the Zealous - the royal guards - were established to serve the lords and people of their respective regions. Meanwhile, the Central Army pooled together soldiers from all six regions in order to conquer more land. To increase the Central Army’s numbers, Darmoor hired tens of thousands of mercenaries as common low-ranking soldiers, while the High Flora served as their officers.
After conquering Heliseum, Magnus returned to Darmoor to receive treatment for his injuries, though his lifespan was nevertheless shortened by Kaiser’s attack. Darmoor then ordered Magnus to travel to Maple World in order to find a way to extend his lifespan back to normal, as well as to learn more about the other world.
Meanwhile, the surviving Verdant Flora retreated from Aboris. Agate, the disciple of the God of the Verdant Flora, took the Elder Crystal and led the survivors into a pocket dimension called Sanctuary. There, the Verdant Flora lived in secrecy for many decades. Agate became the Headmistress of the Crystal Academy, where she would oversee the training of future generations of Verdant Flora, hoping that one of them would grow up to become the hero that would save their people.
Around this time, the defective Vessel who had created Karote founded the Angler Company, a national-level arms dealer organization that used the technology stolen from Odium in order to create powerful weapons that would be sold to the warmongers of Grandis, including the High Flora. He named the company and created its logo in the image of the anglerfish, whose light had helped him escape the bottom of the sea. The Company founder then gave himself the surname “Angler” and also created four cyborg children - Cosim, Senya, Nicky, and Laha Angler - to carry out his will and to prepare to one day invade Odium once a Vessel would open the path. The Company founder attempted to create an imitation Godsphere, placing a failed copy into his first creation, Cosim, and ultimately creating a perfected heart for himself.
Aeona and Tana:
(A/N: These events chronologically begin after the fall of the Ancient Gods and likely finish sometime after Darmoor awakens as a Transcendent.)
In the Radiant Temple on Grandis, two girls came into existence and stood before the Executors of Light and Darkness to be judged. (A/N: The Radiant Temple has also been called the Temple of Light.) One girl was able to hear a beautiful yet cold voice, that of the Overseers. This girl became known as Aeona, the Transcendent of Light. The other became known as Tana, a reserve for the Transcendent.
Over time, Tana grew curious about her powers of light and her sister’s powers of darkness. In her research, she discovered that light and darkness were merely analogies for the true power of the Transcendent of Light, that of creation and destruction, and learned that an awakened Transcendent could only wield one, while the other power was held by the reserve.
(A/N: It’s unknown who the reserve for the Black Mage is. The most likely candidate is Luminous, who was created from the discarded light of the White Mage, which fits the mandate that the reserve holds the other power that the awakened Transcendent doesn’t, i.e. Luminous wields light magic because the Black Mage awakened with the power of dark magic.
Another candidate is the White Mage of Friends World, which is a parallel world to Maple World that exists in the same dimension, meaning that it’s possible that Transcendents or their reserves could potentially exist in either. Given that the White Mage of Friends World has been trying to fuse Friends World and Maple World, which resulted in the creation of the Arcane River alongside the Black Mage’s attempts to fuse Maple World and Grandis, it’s possible that the White Mage was given the power of light, which he used to help the Black Mage with his plans.)
Over time, Aeona slowly appeared to lose her sanity and used her powers to destroy seven races in Grandis, though it was believed that she may have destroyed even more, as she had left no traces of her actions for a precise count to be established. When Tana learned about what Aeona had done, she confronted her sister, who told Tana that she hadn’t been able to help herself, and that she had only been doing her job.
Believing that her sister had become insane, Tana fought Aeona and managed to kill her, upon which she felt the power of the Transcendent of Light flooding into her. The Executors realized that they had been wrong in their proclamation that Aeona held darkness, while Tana held light. They then proclaimed that Tana was darkness and Aeona was light, heralding Tana as Aeona, the Transcendent of Light. Tana suddenly began to hear the voice of the Overseers and realized that she was now shackled to their will. However, she refused to be enslaved and vowed to live freely, even if it would destroy her.
After leaving the Radiant Temple, Tana eventually left Grandis itself and soon found a way to cross dimensions into Maple World. Her travels brought her to the kingdom of Kritias, where she arrived at the capital of Trueffet. While walking in the town square, a young orphan named Jean snuck up in order to pickpocket her.
Just then, a large anti-magic stone being hoisted by a rope fell down and exploded. Tana pushed Jean out of the way, but she and everyone else in range were vaporized. To everyone’s shock, however, Tana rematerialized out of thin air. She was then arrested and thrown into prison, where the mages of Trueffet experimented on her in order to find the source of her immortality so that they could bestow it upon their ruler, King Hekaton.
(A/N: The Executors’ naming system confused everyone who played through Esfera. To clarify, Aeona and Tana aren’t really names so much as titles. Aeona is the title for the Transcendent of Light, while Tana is the title for the reserve. Originally, the Executors claimed that Aeona was darkness and Tana was light because the one who held darkness had heard the voice of the Overseers.
After Aeona’s death, the Executors proclaimed that the one who held light was the new Transcendent, and so they swapped the names for the two girls. While Tana continued using her original name, her official name is still Aeona, which many characters like Neinheart and Orchid continue to use after the events of Esfera, despite the Adversary continuing to call her Tana.
Regarding the old Aeona, I feel really bad for her. She seemed fairly cold and distant, but she was never particularly hurtful towards Tana. She came across more as bitter and jaded because her entire existence was just her being forced to wipe out entire races by the Overseers against her will. It seemed like she was actually trying to protect Tana from the truth when she destroyed the book about Transcendents and kept her at a distance with snide comments. Even at the end, I don’t think that she was able to properly explain that her actions were being done against her will, making Tana believe that she had simply gone insane.
The concept of the Transcendent of Light and their reserve was added in the Esfera storyline, but a lot of the details are still pretty nebulous. We don’t know what happens when the reserve dies or awakens as the new Transcendent of Light, such as in the case when Tana awakened after her sister’s death. Since it was emphasized how the two powers need to be shared, I wonder whether a new reserve would be chosen to wield the other power.
Additionally, I find it interesting that Tana was able to kill a Transcendent. The Ancient Gods and the Transcendents are said to be a class of higher beings, and that mortals are unable to harm them. The Overseers had also created laws that governed Transcendent powers, which made it so that a Transcendent is unable to kill another Transcendent, including themselves.
However, the fact that Tana is neither mortal nor a Transcendent means that she’s in a unique position to be able to kill other Transcendents. If it’s true that Luminous is the reserve for the Black Mage, it might imply that Transcendents who were mortal before awakening have reserves who are also mortal, which would explain why Luminous wouldn’t be able to directly kill the Black Mage.
Regarding Tana’s awakening as Aeona’s replacement, it’s unknown whether the reserve for the Black Mage would awaken as the new Transcendent of Light after his death, but given that there’s no mention that Luminous or anyone else suddenly becomes a Transcendent, it either means that we don’t know the identity of the reserve, Maple World is completely bereft of a Transcendent of Light, or the fusing of Maple World and Grandis means that Tana’s existence satisfies the requirement of a Transcendent of Light, and so there’s no need for the reserve to awaken. It does pose an interesting question about what the fates of the other Transcendents are since Alpha/Beta and Chronica share the title of the Transcendent of Time, as well as Alicia and Darmoor sharing the title of the Transcendent of Life, but that’s beyond the scope of this author note.)
After leaving the Radiant Temple, Tana eventually left Grandis itself and soon found a way to cross dimensions into Maple World. Her travels brought her to the kingdom of Kritias, where she arrived at the capital of Trueffet. While walking in the town square, a young orphan named Jean snuck up in order to pickpocket her.
Just then, a large anti-magic stone being hoisted by a rope fell down and exploded. Tana pushed Jean out of the way, but she and everyone else in range were vaporized. To everyone’s shock, however, Tana rematerialized out of thin air. She was then arrested and thrown into prison, where the mages of Trueffet experimented on her in order to find the source of her immortality so that they could bestow it upon their ruler, King Hekaton.
After her capture, the mages of Kritias began experimenting on Tana, now known only as Subject No. 618, in an effort to learn the secret of her immortality. During their research, the mages discovered that memories were tied to the body, rather than the soul, as Tana kept losing more and more of her memories each time that she regenerated the injuries that the researchers inflicted upon her, leaving her with only the faint memory of wanting something.
After a year, the mages grew frustrated that their experiments had yielded no results. They began wondering whether there were any clues in Tana’s memories, though they regretted that any chance of learning them was now lost, as Tana couldn’t even remember her own name anymore. Believing that they had no other choice, the researchers decided that they would attempt to force Tana beyond her regenerative capacity.
The mages inflicted a fatal wound upon Tana, who unexpectedly went berserk and unleashed a massive flash of light, just as she had when the anti-magic stone had fallen on her, causing six of their best researchers to vanish into thin air. In the aftermath, she calmly spoke aloud that she remembered her name, Tana. Because of the inhumanity and incomprehensibility of their experiments, the High Priest, who had been summoned from the Temple of Time, resigned, saying, “This is neither magic nor science. It is beyond human; it is of the gods. We have overstepped our bounds.”
In his place, the new High Priest, Arkarium, was ordered to continue conducting the experiments. As a boy, Arkarium had demonstrated great devotion to the Goddess of Time, Rhinne, allowing him to rise through the ranks to become her most trusted priest. Along with Arkarium, a young man named Shey, who had left Kritias after Tana’s capture in order to become a Priest of Time, returned back to his home in order to assist Arkarium.
After arriving in the dungeons, Shey was shocked at how inhumanely the mages of Kritias treated Tana, viewing her as nothing more than an inanimate object with no emotions, desires, or memories of her own, despite the fact that she was in immense pain. Upon speaking with Tana, Shey learned that the only thing that she could remember was her name and the faint memory of there being something that she had wanted.
Over time, Shey helped Arkarium and the other researchers attempt to transfer Tana’s regenerative capacity to others. Though Arkarium made great strides in the experiment, Tana continued rejecting the transfer of her power to the test subjects, causing their bodies to disintegrate while their souls were left behind. Their souls would desperately attempt to create new bodies for themselves, which resulted in them transforming into monsters.
Meanwhile, Jean - Shey’s childhood friend and the pickpocket whom Tana had saved - discovered where Tana had been imprisoned and broke into the dungeons in order to see her. Though Tana’s memories and emotions had been erased, Jean would nevertheless bring food and read stories to her every night in order to keep her company.
From afar, Shey secretly watched his friend fall in love with Tana, noting that Jean - an orphan whose greatest fear was to be forgotten - had likely felt great compassion for Tana, who had been imprisoned and forgotten in the dungeons. Though it remained unclear whether Tana was being positively affected by Jean’s visits, Shey did notice that during the experiments, Tana would occasionally look up at the ceiling, as if waiting for Jean to climb down and visit her.
As the experiments continued, King Hekaton began to grow impatient and ordered Arkarium to succeed in his experiments by the next day, which would be the day of his Ascendancy ritual. As the experiment for that day concluded, Tana overheard the researchers claiming that regardless of the outcome of the Ascendency ritual, Tana would die one way or another.
That night, Jean came to see Tana, who attempted to push him away so that he wouldn’t miss her when she disappeared. Though she claimed that she had grown tired of his visits and the book that he would read to her, Jean quickly saw through the lie. As the realization that she was about to die set in, Tana’s mental state began deteriorating, causing her powers to spiral out of control. Repeating the mages’ words that she wasn’t human, Tana began screaming in excruciating pain and begged for it to stop.
As Jean attempted to calm her down, Tana recalled that alongside her name, she also had a faint memory of wanting something. As the memory came back to her, Tana realized that what she had wanted more than anything else before she had lost her memories was to die. Upon realizing this, however, Tana immediately grew terrified at the thought, as she realized that she didn’t want to die anymore.
As her mental state continued deteriorating from fear and pain, Jean hugged Tana tightly, promising that he would always keep her safe. Though Tana was afraid of hurting him, Jean’s refusal to leave her side helped her regain control of her powers. Unbeknownst to them, however, Arkarium had secretly watched the entire exchange, causing him to realize that Jean was the key to ensuring the success of the transfer ritual.
The next night, Jean obtained an anti-magic necklace as a present for Tana, which was part of his plan to break her out. With Shey’s help, Jean broke into the dungeon where Tana was being held. Before he could free her, however, Arkarium used his magic to possess Shey, forcing him to call the guards. King Hekaton, whom Arkarium had asked to wait outside, then arrived and ordered his guards to kill Jean in front of Tana.
Just as Arkarium had anticipated, the shock of Jean’s death eradicated Tana’s willpower in rejecting the power transfer, allowing Hekaton’s Ascendency ritual to begin successfully. However, Tana crushed the anti-magic stone in the necklace that Jean had given her, causing the unstable magic to disrupt the Ascendency. Though Hekaton successfully gained the immortality that he sought, the disruption to the ritual caused him to be transfigured into a monster. (A/N: What’s funny is that if Hekaton had successfully taken Tana’s powers, he likely would’ve become Grandis’ new Transcendent of Light. As it is, Hekaton and the other failed experiments contain a trace of the Transcendents’ power.)
In his final moments, Hekaton experienced a brief glimmer of humanity and ordered the evacuation of his people from the castle into town. Hekaton then fused with the castle of Trueffet and transformed into a large golem, while the soldiers who were caught in the blast lost their bodies, causing their souls to create grotesques forms to inhabit. The castle of Trueffet then rose up into the sky, where it hung upside down. Meanwhile, the disrupted ritual forced Tana into a state of endless pain as her sanity began to erode, trapped in an endless cycle of decomposition and rematerialization.
(A/N: At this point, the Black Mage - after stealing the power of time from Rhinne - uses her Transcendent powers to travel back into the past and invade Kritias, thereby ensuring that all records of Tana are destroyed. He then seals Kritias away in a pocket dimension where time stands still in order to save Tana from endless suffering, as well as to keep her secure until the time comes to take her power for the Genesis Ritual.)
The World of Tynerum:
Tynerum was one of the three worlds created by the Overseers, separated from Maple World and Grandis by a dimensional barrier. Tynerum was home to the demons, a race of proud and ambitious warriors with dark wings. Under the harsh and unforgiving rule of the demons, Tynerum quickly became a world where the strong ruled on top, while the weak were broken.
At the echelon of demon society were the pure-bloods, who used their overwhelming power to subjugate the weaker pure-bloods and half-bloods beneath them as slaves. Amidst the half-bloods, the stronger were those who had inherited demonic blood and wings, while the weaker were those who had been born without wings, leaving them to be detested by the other demons as powerless.
The pure-bloods’ unending thirst for power was such that they even attempted to steal the power of their world’s Transcendents. For thousands of years, the pure-bloods conducted brutal experiments in order to obtain the Transcendents’ power. One such experiment was the Sword of Destruction, a powerful blade which contained the Spirit of Vengeance - the combined souls of countless half-blood demons who had been sacrificed for millennia in an attempt to replicate the powers of a Transcendent.
Without a strong leader to rule them, the demons’ ambitions and greed resulted in a great and terrible war as they attempted to seize control of Tynerum. Centuries ago, a fortress known as Crimsonheart Castle was taken over by the Twisted Masters, who stole the legendary weapons of the castle’s greatest heroes in order to obtain their power. In the process, the heroes of Crimsonheart Castle were corrupted into monsters, while the legendary magician, Ridley, was turned to stone.
(A/N: There’s a lot of confusion about the difference between Tynerum and Masteria because of the changes between KMS and GMS. In KMS, Masteria is the name for what Tynerum is in GMS. However, Masteria is a totally different area in GMS, which actually refers to an island that sank centuries ago and recently resurfaced. GMS Masteria actually predates the existence of Tynerum and KMS took the name ‘Masteria’, which they used to refer to the demon homeland. Tynerum was the name that GMS gave to the demon homeland because the name ‘Masteria’ was already in use.
When Tynerum was first introduced in KMS, it was heavily inspired by GMS Masteria, even going as far as to use many of the terms and assets from the Masteria storyline. The Twisted Masters, for example, were servants to the Archdemon Naricain - the antagonist of the Masteria storyline. Crimsonheart Castle was also based on Crimsonwood Keep from GMS. The castle is actually called Crimsonwood Keep in KMS, but GMS changed its name to be Crimsonheart Castle in order to differentiate it from the Crimsonwood Keep in Masteria that existed first.
Since Crimsonheart Castle’s initial release, both Tynerum and GMS Masteria have gone through a significant change in story and aesthetics. The Masteria Through Time blockbuster in GMS significantly changed the original Masteria storyline and revamped a lot of character designs for both NPCs and monsters (and as an aside, the revamped version of Masteria is easily one of the worst stories I’ve ever seen in my entire life.)
Meanwhile, the Heroes of Maple blockbuster created a notable shift in the aesthetics of both the demons and Tynerum, creating the lore that we know about the pure-bloods and half-bloods, and even changing the demons’ appearance to have more purple skin than pale skin, as well as creating more lore about the experiments to take the power of the Transcendents.
With the Heroes of Maple revamp in the Dreamer update, Tynerum has received a lot more contextualizing information in order to have it fit better into the current lore, such as the confirmation that it’s the third world made by the Overseers, rather than Friends World. Because of this, it’s very likely that Crimsonheart Castle will receive a revamp to finally remove the GMS Masteria influence and have it exist as its own thing, even if they’re still likely going to continue plagiarizing the name ‘Masteria’.)
After the fall of Crimsonheart Castle, the last remnants of law and order began breaking down as the great war continued for hundreds of years, with the pure-bloods continuing to sacrifice weaker demons in order to gain the power of a Transcendent. Around this time, a portal was created that led to Maple World, with a similar portal opening in the south of Maple World that led to Tynerum. Though it was unknown how this portal opened, it was theorized that Tynerum bordering on the verge of extinction had resulted in its appearance. With the portal’s appearance, many demons began to migrate to Maple World, while some humans from Maple World crossed over to Tynerum.
(A/N: Tynerum existing ‘south of Maple World’ has been a thing since the original Heroes of Maple blockbuster, although this created some confusion with the possibility of Tynerum being its own dimension. GMS and several other overseas regions created the continent of Dawnveil, which contained Tynerum, the Commerci Republic, and Arboren (the home of Beast Tamer). Dawnveil was a continent connected to Ossyria, similar to how Europe and Asia are different continents, despite being the same landmass.
However, Dawnveil was always overseas-exclusive, meaning that it was never actually canon. Dawnveil was later removed from the game, and after the Heroes of Maple revamp, the lore about the portal to Tynerum existing in the south of Maple World was created in order to have the story make more sense in regard to how Tynerum can be its own dimension and still be accessible through Maple World.)
As the Transcendent experiments continued, one pure-blood demon spoke out against them, warning that they would only lead to devastation and ruin. Though he attempted to put a stop to the experiments, he was ultimately killed in the process, leaving behind his human wife and their two half-blood children - the Demon and Damien. Just as the Demon’s father had predicted, the countless failed experiments resulted in Tynerum being turned into a desolate wasteland, where not even a single blade of grass could grow.
After his father’s death, the Demon protected his mother and Damien from the demons who sought to inflict harm upon them. While the Demon had taken after his father - inheriting demonic blood and wings - Damien had taken heavily after his human mother, meaning that he had no demon power or wings, despite his father’s demon blood running through his veins. He was blind in his left eye and he had a sickly disposition, resulting in the pure-blood demons of Tynerum tormenting him frequently.
On one such occasion, the Demon witnessed the pure-bloods attacking Damien and threatening to attack his mother next, claiming that they would put her in her place for daring to live in Tynerum as a human. The Demon’s fury caused his powers to awaken, which he used to destroy the pure-bloods attacking his brother.
Realizing that Tynerum was no longer safe, the Demon took his mother and Damien to Maple World, where they settled in southern Leafre. Over the years, Damien grew to idolize his brother and wished to become as strong as him. Some time after moving to Leafre, the Demon learned that Damien wanted to see the snow, and so he took his family to El Nath, where he bought Damien a red scarf, which the young boy excitedly decided to wear for the rest of his life.
Sharenian Knights:
(A/N: This section covers the majority of the events of the Sharenian Knights chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, with the exception of certain portions that take place in the present day. A lot of the detail about Sharenian actually came from pre-Big Bang lore. Based on what we know from it, the kingdom had been around for centuries in Ossyria, and their territory encompassed not just Ellin Forest, but much of the area around it. Nearly all of this territory eventually splits from Ossyria and becomes Victoria Island. The Golem Temple in Henesys was built by the Sharenian and the Stone Golems were created to guard the area. The Ant Tunnels deep underground were also carved out by their people as proving grounds.
The original lore stated that King Sharen III was obsessed with the Rubian, a gem said to grant eternal life, and summoned the devil Ergoth Dunamis to safeguard it. However, Ergoth coveted the power of the Rubian for himself and betrayed Sharen III, causing the kingdom to fall to ruin and turning the area into the dry wasteland that we know today as Perion. Most of this stays consistent with the new changes added from the Grand Athenaeum, with the exception of the Rubian instead having the power to heal any sickness and revive the dead (though the Rubian doesn’t actually have any real powers), as well as the Black Mage somehow being involved with the fall of Sharenian.
Essentially, what happens is that the knights are stuck in a time-loop for centuries after Sharenian falls and the Black Mage takes advantage of this. However, we don’t know at what point the Black Mage got involved, and so I’m placing this section at the earliest point in Maple World’s history, as we can assume that the time-loop begins much earlier than the birth of the White Mage.)
In the era of the Transcendents, many different species and civilizations began to thrive on Maple World. On the largest continent of Ossyria was the kingdom of Sharenian, one of the oldest civilizations in Maple World. Sharenian was built amidst lush vegetation and its knights were famous throughout Maple World for hunting devils.
(A/N: The Sharenian Knights storyline states that they hunted demons, but as this would lead to confusion with the demon race from Tynerum, I’ll be referring to them as devils, which seems to be another established way to refer to them from older storylines that covered the events of Sharenian.)
Sharenian was ruled by King Sharen III, with his bastard son, Prince Sharen IV, next in line to succeed him. King Sharen suffered from madness and soon came to suspect that his son was trying to overthrow him. He summoned Guard Captain Kellad, the prince’s teacher in combat, and ordered him to kill Prince Sharen, but Kellad refused and attempted to convince the king to see reason. Furious, King Sharen branded Kellad a traitor and attempted to have him executed. However, Prince Sharen was able to convince his father to merely have Kellad dismissed from the court.
Though Kellad’s life was saved, he was demoted to Commander and was ordered to lead the Sharenian Defense Unit, a squad of knights who had been rejected from becoming official Sharenian Knights. The Sharenian Defense Unit was then forced to go on menial missions, rather than hunting devils. They were frequently sent on missions to hunt small moles that were pestering the local farmers, causing them to be known as the Mole Slayers. (A/N: It’s said that devils are apparently distant ancestors of moles. I guess that it puts a new perspective on the Mole King from Ellinel Fairy Academy.)
One day, Commander Kellad was leading his unit, composed of Hardin, Ain, Ryan, Quieg, and Ed, on a mission to hunt moles when a Sharenian Knight arrived and cryptically told Kellad that someone from the palace was waiting for him. As he returned to the palace, Kellad recalled how he used to instruct the prince in the art of battle, and how they would often gaze out upon the kingdom at sunset to take in its beauty, though it had often scared Kellad, since he knew that all things of beauty would one day fade, including Sharenian itself.
Just then, he reached the kingdom outskirts and encountered the prince, who greeted his old teacher and told him that he still recalled Kellad’s words about fading beauty. Kellad told him that he was surprised that Sharen had come to see him against the wishes of his father, to which the prince told him that he was only an apprentice coming to see his master. When Kellad asked if there was trouble at the palace, Prince Sharen told him that his father had lost his mind, as he had grown obsessed with the Rubian, a gem said to cure any ailment and even revive the dead.
The prince told Kellad that the king had spent years scouring the country for it while researching dark sorceries to help him in his quest. Recently, the king had even gone so far as to summon a devil to the castle. Kellad told Sharen that the king wouldn’t succeed, to which the prince agreed, though he added that he couldn’t stand by and watch his father’s descent into madness.
He then revealed that he was planning to usurp his father’s throne in order to stop Sharenian from falling to ruin. He promised to come see Kellad again after he succeeded and hoped that Kellad would agree to serve as his knight when the time came. After Kellad returned back, his squad told him that they had seen him speaking with the prince and agreed to help them avert the great peril that Sharenian faced, though Kellad reassured them that nothing would happen.
A few days later, Prince Sharen successfully executed his coup against his father, who shouted that he knew that the prince had been plotting against him. In his madness, he ordered Guard Captain Kellad to appear at his side, forgetting that he had dismissed Kellad from his court. The prince ordered his knights to arrest his father and find the Rubian. The king declared that he wouldn’t allow Prince Sharen to steal the throne or the Rubian and summoned the devil Ergoth Dunamis to protect him. However, Ergoth coveted the power of the Rubian for himself and turned on the king.
Meanwhile, the Sharenian Defense Unit watched the battle in the palace from a distance, frustrated that they were forced to remain on standby. Just then, their squadmate, Quieg, arrived from the palace and reported that all members of the armed forces had been ordered to assemble at the palace, as the king had been killed.
Upon arriving at the palace, they were shocked to find the guards dead, with one fleeing knight warning them to get far away. He told them that King Sharen had summoned a devil, which had resulted resulting in the death of the king, and possibly the prince as well, who had gone missing. Kellad’s knights agreed that they needed to find Prince Sharen, though Kellad feared that he would be leading his knights to their deaths for nothing if the prince had already been killed.
As Kellad’s mind began spinning, his knights reassured him that they were up to the task. His resolve bolstered, Kellad ordered his knights to split up in order to search for the prince. The knights fought through the devils that had invaded the palace and attempted to rescue any survivors. As Quieg fought methodically, Ed jokingly asked if he was an Arcane Construct, an automaton that the palace sorcerers had been rumored to have built. (A/N: This is basically confirmed later on, which explains why Quieg eventually becomes Rampant Cyborg CQ57, one of the Elite Bosses.)
Quieg ignored the question and asked Kellad whether their priority was to kill the devil or save the prince. Kellad told him that it was neither and reminded his knights that their mission as Sharenian Knights was to protect the people of the kingdom. They then entered the throne room, where they found Ergoth sitting on the throne, with a mortally wounded Prince Sharen collapsed on the ground. Kellad and the knights engaged Ergoth in battle, but nearly all of them were killed. Kellad held a dying Sharen in his arms, who begged Kellad to uphold his promise to protect Sharenian before giving him the Rubian. Ergoth then cursed the knights into reliving the fall of Sharenian for all eternity, forcing them to uphold their pledge to guard the kingdom forever.
To everyone’s surprise, the entire squad was revived and sent back in time to when they had first entered the palace. Kellad reminded them that their mission was still to protect the people of Sharenian by killing Ergoth before he cursed them again. They once again split up and fought past the devil invaders. Kellad, recalling Ergoth’s curse and Sharen’s dying wish, began to believe that defending the kingdom forever was all that he wanted. They entered the throne room once again and managed to defeat Ergoth, though they were unable to save Prince Sharen, who once again begged Kellad to uphold his promise before giving him the Rubian and dying.
Ergoth then cursed the knights once again, forcing them back in time. Kellad and his knights made a slew of attempts and tried many strategies to defeat Ergoth. However, they soon came to realize several things. First, they had to accept that Prince Sharen was beyond saving, no matter how quickly they arrived. Second, defeating Ergoth even before he cursed them wouldn’t break the time loop. Finally, the longer it took them to reach Ergoth, the stronger he became.
They eventually found the body of King Sharen and learned Ergoth’s name from the book that he had been clutching. Ain also learned that Ergoth’s true body was in the Otherworld, and that the Ergoth whom they were facing was a duplicate formed in their world, with the original body in the Otherworld transferring its strength to the duplicate in somewhere between twelve and twenty-four hours, which was how he grew stronger the longer it took the knights to reach him.
(A/N: The Heroes of Maple revamp created a differentiation between parallel worlds and dimensions, explaining that Friends World was a parallel world that mirrored Maple World, though both existed in the same dimension. In-universe, it’s theorized that there are many such parallel worlds, and so it’s possible that the Otherworld is one of them. However, it was also explained that there exist barriers between parallel worlds that make it impossible to travel between them, which makes it difficult to reconcile how Ergoth could have created a duplicate of himself across these boundaries.)
Hardin asked why their fatigue hadn’t been reset at the beginning of the time loop, to which Ain explained that their physical fatigue was reset, but their mental fatigue still remained. The knights then continued through the time loop, each time defeating Ergoth and watching the prince die before going back to the beginning.
On the twenty-second day, Kellad asked Ain how far such a curse would extend, given that a devil of such power as Ergoth had cast it. He clarified his meaning and asked if the devil was turning back time for the whole world or only for them. Ain told him that it was impossible to turn back time for the whole world, no matter how powerful Ergoth was, as it would violate all the known laws of metaphysics. She suspected that Ergoth had created a bubble just for Sharenian and noted that the halo which had appeared around the sun indicated that two adjacent regions of spacetime had fallen out of sync.
Ryan suggested that they simply leave, but Ain told them that Ergoth’s curse kept them trapped in Sharenian, and that Ergoth would continue growing stronger if they left him alone. Ed and Hardin then suggested that someone from the outside world could enter, or that Ergoth’s strength might eventually fail. Ain then wondered whether they were instead merely trapped in an illusion that made it appear as though they were in a time loop. Hardin told them that they shouldn’t doubt their own eyes, as otherwise, they wouldn’t trust anything, including each other.
The knights continued fighting Ergoth over and over again, and though Kellad reassured them that nothing lasted forever, including the time loop, he and his knights felt more uncertain than reassured. As they continued fighting, some of the knights began feeling uneasy about how many times they had to watch the people of the palace die, all the while being unable to save them even once. The countless waves of devils kept them from resting, adding to their mental fatigue, with the exception of Quieg.
As they grew more frustrated, the knights began fighting amongst themselves. Soon after, Hardin heard someone screaming, though no one else heard anything. Quieg suspected that they were suffering from sleep deprivation, which was causing hallucinations. One by one, all the knights, including Kellad, fell prey to those hallucinations. Kellad then recalled the memory of when he had stopped King Sharen from killing the prince. His memories of the incident were then warped into the prince asking Kellad why he had abandoned him.
Over a thousand days later, the knights had grown sick of fighting and asked if they could try leaving the kingdom. Kellad refused, claiming that they needed to uphold their oath, though Ryan asked if Kellad expected them to just keep fighting forever. As the knights argued amongst themselves, Kellad noticed that they had grown more aggressive in their fighting styles. Kellad himself was being plagued by nightmares of the prince accusing him of valuing his pride and honor over saving him.
Eventually, Hardin accidentally wounded Ed, causing Ain to yell at him that the wounds that they inflicted upon each other wouldn’t get healed by the time loop. However, Kellad then reminded her that Ed had been wounded several cycles ago. He explained that they had tried to let Ed leave Sharenian on his own, but an invisible barrier had kept him stuck in the palace, after which he had been slowly losing his health over the next several cycles. The knights then continued through the time-loop, but after several cycles, Ed stopped moving and finally passed away after a dozen more cycles.
With his death, the other knights began to falter and slowly began losing their sanity. Nevertheless, Kellad persisted, desperately clinging onto the promise that he had made to Prince Sharen. After defeating Ergoth once again, Kellad admonished Hardin for his sloppy swordskills. Hardin then began to hear Ed’s voice screaming, though Ryan kept insisting that Ed was fine. Upon remembering that Ed had died, Ain wondered if it had been her fault, though Hardin realized that the blame fell on him.
Suddenly, Ed appeared out of nowhere and told them that Ryan’s loose arrow had killed him. Kellad was shocked that everyone was experiencing a shared hallucination, just as Ed told them that they could still save him, pointing out the Rubian in Kellad’s hand, which Prince Sharen had given to him once again before dying.
Ain begged Kellad to use the Rubian to save Ed, but Hardin argued that they should use it to save a little girl whom he had watched die from the devil attack. Ryan then suggested that they revive King Sharen, as he was the one who had summoned Ergoth, meaning that he might know how to banish him. Kellad told them that they couldn’t use the Rubian on anyone, causing Ain to accuse him of wanting to save the prince, whom she claimed he loved more than his own friends.
The knights then began to turn on their Commander, believing that Kellad had forced them to stay in the time loop, not to protect the kingdom, but to save the prince. Soon, even Quieg began to waver, unable to recall what his mission was. With no other choice, Kellad told Quieg that his mission was to eliminate his former comrades. Quieg then began to fight the other knights, resulting in everyone being fatally injured and the Rubian shattering before their eyes. Kellad revealed that the Rubian was a fake, merely an ordinary gemstone.
With his dying breath, Ryan asked about Kellad’s mission, as he still believed that Kellad had promised Prince Sharen to return him back to life. Kellad then revealed that his promise had always been to protect Sharenian, and as part of his pledge, Kellad had been asked to destroy the Rubian somewhere all could see in order to prevent another mad king from rising to covet its power. Upon the death of Kellad’s knights, Ergoth’s curse was broken. (A/N: Click the link if you want to jump to the section where Kellad’s story chronologically picks up again.)
The White Mage:
(A/N: This section covers the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, as well as information revealed about the White Mage’s backstory in the Black Mage: Origin webcomic.)
Over 800 years ago, a child was born on the continent that would one day be known as Edelstein. (A/N: This information came straight from the Big Bang patch notes. While a lot of the information from the Big Bang has been retconned, such as the Black Wings successfully reviving the Black Mage, this piece of information isn’t directly contradicted by anything, and so I’ve decided to treat it as canon.) This boy was eventually found in a snowstorm in El Nath by a group of mages, who brought him to the Mage Tower. Although the boy could not remember anything from before he had been rescued, including his name or his home, the mages sensed a powerful aura emanating from him, and so they took the boy in and decided to teach him magic.
Over the years, it soon became clear that his magical power was so unparalleled that his talent quickly exceeded that of even the wisest among them. On the day that he came of age, the mage council summoned him in order to bestow his official title upon him. To their shock, however, the boy performed the forbidden art of light magic before them. His masters strongly admonished him for his actions, reminding him that light and dark magic stemmed from the same root, which was the reason why both were forbidden. However, the boy responded by simply asking them if they would let their fear prevent understanding.
That night, the shaken elders met in secret and peered into the future, in which they discovered that if the boy were to continue his pursuit of ultimate light, he would bring about the end of Maple World. Horrified, they resolved to kill him before their prophecy came to pass. (A/N: This loosely sounds like it came from The Last Jedi.)
Upon storming his quarters, however, they found the room empty. The boy then revealed himself on the roof and asked if they had come to teach him one final lesson. The mages used their most powerful spells, but none of them did even the slightest damage to him besides a small cut on his cheek. Realizing that his masters really had come to kill him, he decided that he wouldn’t hold back either. He showed them his mastery of light magic, which he used to slay them all. As he disappeared into the snowstorm, the boy told them that he had hoped to study light magic in the Mage Tower, lamenting that their actions had made it impossible.
Years later, he became a wandering mage who traveled the world for over a decade, saving people from the powerful monsters around them. Because of his platinum hair, he became known as the White Mage. During his travels, he observed that there existed great corruption and instability in Maple World, with countless civil wars, monster attacks, and criminals who took advantage of the helpless amidst the chaos, all of which broke the balance of light. He took it upon himself to find a solution, believing that light magic held the answer to saving the world. At one point, he built an underground laboratory in the Nihal Desert, where he conducted experiments on the nature of light and dark magic. His research built the foundation for alchemy, and his contemporaries founded a town called Magatia, built atop the White Mage’s laboratory.
One day, he had a moment of epiphany, declaring that “the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness”. With those words, he vanished into the Forest of Peace, a land where no daylight could pierce through. Along with a handful of followers, he founded the society of Aurora to study the nature of light magic.
At one point in his research, the White Mage encountered twin Spirits of Darkness. In exchange for helping him understand the darkness, he granted them human bodies and gave them the names Orchid and Lotus. Taking on a physical form was a taboo for spirits, as doing so would result in them losing their natural immortality and invulnerability. Because of this, Lotus had a bad feeling about the arrangement, though he agreed to accept it after seeing how happy it made his sister.
(A/N: This is where the events of the Grand Athenaeum storyline begin.)
Some years after the founding of Aurora, powerful creatures of darkness known as Omens began to appear around the world, resulting in the monsters of Maple World transforming into undead creatures upon death. During this time, a wandering mercenary was hired by the infamous mogul of Ariant, Hatsar, to protect the transportation of his cargo. (A/N: The mercenary’s gender depends on the player character, as we’re playing as them in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum.)
The mercenary was a lone wanderer who trusted no one except their weapons. Due to the nature of their profession, they frequently placed their life on the line simply to eat and survive, having outlived many of their friends during their career. Over the years, they had learned to not fear death, as war, famine, plagues, and disasters made it certain that the world was falling apart around them, while the rich lined their pockets with comfort as they watched it happen, with Hatsar being the worst of them.
After the mercenary helped escort the transportation of the cargo, Hatsar’s servant informed them that Hatsar had another request of them. The mercenary went to speak with Hatsar, who told them that there were two things that he could smell: danger and money. He noted that the mercenary reeked of danger, but not of money. However, the mercenary interrupted and asked him to get straight to the point, which amused Hatsar.
Hatsar told the mercenary that he wanted them to find someone, and that it was a personal request, not one that he was making to the mercenary office. He asked the mercenary whether they had ever heard of the White Mage, to which they replied that they hadn’t. Hatsar explained that the White Mage was a magician who had been praised as the greatest of his generation.
He told the mercenary that despite the White Mage’s youth, his magical talents were so great that no teacher could help him. The sadness and loneliness that had overcome him when he had found himself alone at the top had been too immense. His strong desire to know more and to reach higher had led him to realize that the magic known to the world had been far too small for his ambitions.
For more than a decade, the White Mage had wandered the world alone, writing books, helping others, and leaving behind many stories. Because of his platinum white hair, people had begun to call him the White Mage. One day, he had said, as though he had reached enlightenment: “The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness.” Having left the world with those words, the White Mage had disappeared without a trace.
Hatsar explained that in-between the stories and suppositions of busybodies, the White Mage’s existence was slowly being forgotten. However, as he was Maple World’s greatest magician of light, Hatsar believed that only the White Mage could eliminate the undead monsters disrupting his business. The mercenary asked Hatsar whether he believed that the White Mage would agree to work for him, to which Hatsar replied that the White Mage would inevitably demand a hefty fee, as there was no one in the world who wasn’t tempted by wealth.
He then offered the mercenary a lifetime’s worth of money for finding the White Mage. The mercenary agreed, though they added that they would only accept what they had earned. They thought to themselves that money didn’t matter to them, as they were genuinely intrigued by the White Mage. They began wondering whether the White Mage was as sick and tired of life as they were, whether he had felt the same emptiness inside themselves, and whether he had found an answer to it all.
Three months later, the mercenary followed leads on the White Mage’s location to Ellin Forest, where he had last been seen. Hoping that there was some evidence of where he had gone since, they decided to seek out the Fairy Queen Ephenia in order to see whether she knew anything. Ephenia was immediately hostile towards the mercenary upon seeing that they were a human. Believing that they were a common peddler, she told them that she had no interest in their inferior human wares, adding that they had nothing that she wanted.
The mercenary told her about the dark monsters, to which she replied that they were hardly as vile as humans, who stole and kidnapped relentlessly. When the mercenary told her about their mission to find the White Mage, however, Ephenia’s face immediately softened upon hearing his name. She explained that the White Mage was the only good human whom she had ever met, adding that she used to like watching him study magic. She told the mercenary that the White Mage was an idealist, and that his passion was incomparable, for which she was certain that he would make the world a better place.
However, she told them that she couldn’t simply tell them where he was, as she didn’t even know who they were and whether they were trustworthy. She demanded them to prove that they were a good person by eliminating the legion of grave robbers who were defiling the resting places of the fairies. After the mercenary eliminated the Hidden Grave Robbers and Grave Robber’s Dogs, they returned back to Ephenia, who was mildly surprised that they had indeed kept their word, noting that the mercenary seemed to have similar eyes to the White Mage.
She then told the mercenary that there were humans who hunted fairies like merchandise and ordered them to drive the poachers out of Ellin Forest. She noted that it was human nature to steal and exploit, and while they had steered clear of her, they had nevertheless taken many of her people, with their goal being to kidnap and sell her, sardonically asking the mercenary how much money they thought she was worth.
On their way to find the poachers, the mercenary encountered a little girl holding a hunting rifle. Unsure of whether the girl was a poacher or not, they told her to return home, adding that it wasn’t safe in the forest. Upon seeing her expression, however, the mercenary immediately realized that she had no home. They noted to themselves that it wasn’t surprising, as it was just how the world was. Feeling pity for her, the mercenary told her to stop harassing fairies, adding that they would let it slide just once. The girl protested that she wasn’t trying to catch fairies, but before she could explain herself, the mercenary walked away.
After eliminating the Evil Poachers and Poacher’s Hawks, the mercenary returned back to Ephenia, who noted that their efforts ought to stop the poachers for a time, adding that pacifism was quite overrated. In exchange for their help, she agreed to tell them where the White Mage had gone. She reminded them of the White Mage’s last words before he had exiled himself - that the ultimate light could only be found in the ultimate darkness - for which he had gone to the Forest of Peace, the darkest depths of Ellin Forest where no daylight reached, leaving it in near-eternal night, where he studied magic.
She then asked the mercenary to give him her greetings if they found him, as well as to remind him to return when his study of light magic ended, for which she would wait for as long as she could. As the mercenary left Ellin Forest, they grew more and more curious, as Ephenia was clearly infatuated with the White Mage. They began wondering what quality the White Mage possessed that could captivate even a queen. They noted that Ephenia had believed that the White Mage would make the world a better place, for which they were determined to learn the truth for themselves.
On their way to the Forest of Peace, the mercenary encountered the girl again, who was confronting a horde of Omens. They immediately yelled at her to run away, but upon seeing that she hadn’t moved, they realized that she must be scared stiff and decided to help. They defeated the Omens and checked on the terrified girl, who stammered that she hadn’t been able to pull the trigger. She explained that she had been trying to avenge the deaths of her parents, though she had been too scared to act when the moment had come.
The mercenary took the girl back to their camp and learned that her name was Arin, and that the Omens had killed her family. They noted to themselves that in areas where Omens had attacked, undead monsters, similar to the ones that plagued Hatsar’s business, would tend to appear soon after. After learning about the mercenary’s mission, Arin wondered whether the White Mage had an answer to how the monsters could be stopped. The mercenary replied that they weren’t sure, though they supposed that it was all the more reason to find him.
Arin noted that the mercenary didn’t seem to know much, despite being an adult, though she decided that they were still strong, if nothing else. She asked the mercenary to teach her how to fight, as she wanted to be strong like them, though the mercenary simply told her to go to sleep. The next morning, the mercenary set off on their own, though Arin quickly caught up and told them that she wanted to come with them. The mercenary told her that it was too dangerous for someone like her and warned her not to follow them.
However, Arin refused and pointed out that it would be more dangerous for them to leave her by herself. She then began hurrying off and called after them to hurry up. As they set off together, the mercenary began wondering whether the White Mage would really have the answers that they sought. Though they knew that nothing was certain, they supposed that they would only get their answers in the Forest of Peace.
Three months later, the mercenary and Arin arrived in the Forest of Peace, where they soon got lost in the near-eternal darkness. The mercenary instructed Arin to stay where she was while they began exploring the depths of the forest to find their bearings. After searching for a while, however, the mercenary realized that they had no idea where they were, meaning that they would need to go back to the beginning of the forest and start again.
Just then, they heard a gunshot and realized that Arin was in danger. After fighting through the dark monsters, they reached Arin, who was being surrounded by several Omens. Though the mercenary told her to get back, Arin was determined this time to get her revenge. Just as the mercenary realized that they wouldn’t get to her in time, the White Mage appeared and used his light magic to vaporize the Omens. (A/N: The spell that the White Mage uses is Luminous’ Ray of Redemption skill, except he casts it a dozen times at once.)
The mercenary immediately recognized the White Mage by his long, white hair, his deep eyes, and his trustworthy voice. They told the White Mage about everything that had happened, as well as everything that they had seen. The White Mage nodded quietly, seemingly engrossed in the mercenary’s words, though the mercenary supposed that it was likely a habit of his.
He noted that between the poachers and grave robbers in Ellin Forest, it seemed that human greed had reached a new level. The mercenary explained that Ephenia was completely disgusted by humans, though she had seemed quite fond of him. The White Mage told the mercenary that he had made a promise to Ephenia, and that he was still working to keep that promise.
He then turned to Arin and asked the mercenary who she was. The mercenary explained that she had lost her family to the Omens, to which the White Mage noted that it was his first time learning the name of those dark creatures, adding that he heard little of the wider world in his isolation. The mercenary then asked the White Mage what such a renowned magician was doing alone in the forest.
The White Mage explained that he studied light, to which the mercenary grew uncharacteristically angry and replied that it wasn’t what they had meant. They were surprised to find that they were losing their temper, as the White Mage hadn’t done anything wrong. Nevertheless, they heatedly retorted that they themselves were a simple mercenary who fought people for money. However, they pointed out that the White Mage had the kind of power that could change the world to make it a better place, and yet he remained in isolation and did nothing but study.
In response to his words, the White Mage smiled faintly, as though he had read the mercenary’s mind and had understood all their frustrations. He replied that though there were many things that he wanted to say, he wanted to first explain that he wasn’t working alone. He then led the mercenary and Arin to the Aurora Great Temple, where he introduced them to Mars, Aurora’s lead researcher, whom he asked to prepare a place for their guests to stay. Though Mars protested that the pair were outsiders, the White Mage insisted that they were harmless, and that they should be permitted to stay.
After the White Mage left, Mars introduced himself to the mercenary as the top magician of Aurora. He then warned them not to touch anything, as their research on light magic was too important to be disturbed. He also prohibited them from going into the White Mage’s laboratory, after which he instructed them to go to the guest room, where Arin was already resting.
In the guest room, Arin excitedly noted that she had never thought that such a large building could exist in the middle of a forest. The mercenary then admonished her for her reckless behavior with the Omens earlier, to which Arin noted their concern, though she added that she would do whatever it took to rid the world of Omens. However, the mercenary replied that there was no point in her risking her life for monsters that were too strong for her, though Arin retorted that they couldn’t lecture her when they threw themselves into danger all the time.
She then wondered why there were so many Omens in the Forest of Peace to begin with, speculating that it might be because of the near-eternal darkness. She then took out several Omen Pieces from her pocket, explaining that she had been collecting them over their journey. She asked the mercenary to give the pieces to the White Mage, as he might be able to use the fragments to figure out the identity of the Omens and how to destroy them.
The mercenary headed to the White Mage’s laboratory, which they found to be empty. They decided to ask Mars where the White Mage was, but Mars merely scolded them for trying to disturb the White Mage. However, he then apologized for his rudeness and told them that the White Mage was on the temple roof. On the roof, the mercenary found the White Mage gazing up at the auroras in the night sky. After the mercenary handed the Omen Pieces to him, the White Mage noted that Arin had been quite clever to collect them and promised to put them to good use.
He explained that they didn’t know why the Omens were appearing, though he reassured the mercenary that the Omens would disappear once he finished his studies on the ultimate light. As he spoke, the mercenary noted that the White Mage’s eyes seemed to wander elsewhere. They began to wonder what it was that the White Mage sought, with his back turned against the world’s wealth and honor.
The White Mage then asked the mercenary what it was that they placed their faith in. He elaborated by asking to what power the mercenary would reach towards in the final moments when everything else fell away - whether it was the gods, wealth, or something else. He then explained that what he was studying was something beyond simply power - he revealed that he sought to find an infinite knowledge that existed just beyond their comprehension: a knowledge that could complete and evolve humanity into perfect beings by replicating the Divine City into their world.
(A/N: The Divine City is a reference to the City of God, a pivotal book on Christian philosophy. I went into a very in-depth explanation about the City of God and how it relates to the White Mage’s goals in the Labyrinth of Suffering section, which you can check out here, but the main idea is that the City of God is a conceptual city, not a literal one. You can view it as a state of mind that eschews superficial, earthly pleasures in favor of the wisdom and knowledge of God. The White Mage wants to bring the City of God to humanity in order to complete them with that wisdom, which will rid the world of corruption and evil when people choose to give up their selfishness in favor of a complete existence that embraces peace and kindness.)
The mercenary began pondering the White Mage’s words and tried imagining what it would feel like to be complete, though they found that it was quite difficult to imagine. Nevertheless, they noted that if humans could reach such a stage, they would be able to create a world without sorrow or pain. The White Mage explained that he was a man of towering ambitions, and that he would never stop or tire until he learned what existed beyond that light.
Over the next three months, the mercenary often had short conversations with the White Mage, though they always felt that talking to him, even for a short time, felt like a long journey. During that time, the mercenary decided to stay at the Aurora Great Temple and help the White Mage and the mages of Aurora with their research on light magic.
Soon after, Arin told the mercenary that Vieren was looking for them. She jokingly asked whether they were now one of the White Mage’s minions, adding that there was something about the White Mage, who always used large, complex words and remained sequestered inside his laboratory, that she couldn’t trust, noting that he seemed creepy to her.
The mercenary sought out Vieren, who introduced himself as the lowest-ranking magician of Aurora, though he joked that there was nowhere to go but up. As the researchers needed substances related to light, he asked the mercenary to collect Faint Glowing Substances from the Neon Bats in the forest. After the mercenary brought back the materials, they noted that they hadn’t seen the White Mage in a while. Vieren explained that the White Mage was quite busy with his work, and that only Mars was permitted to enter his laboratory.
Vieren then sent them to help Mars, who asked them to collect Glassium from the monsters inside several crystals in the back of the temple. After the mercenary collected the Glassium, they brought it back to Mars, who told them Arin had come by earlier. He explained that she seemed to hate Omens more than anything, and that she would constantly ask him when they were planning to destroy them. He admitted that he had lost his temper with her earlier, and as he felt guilty about it, he handed them some candy and asked them to give it to her as an apology.
Back in their room, however, the mercenary found a letter from Arin on the bed. In the letter, Arin explained that she had spoken to Mars, who had told her that the Omens weren’t important to Aurora, which was focused on a ‘grander, more important truth’. However, she explained that the only ‘truth’ that she knew was that the Omens needed to be destroyed, as she could still see her parents each time that she closed her eyes. As Aurora wasn’t planning to handle the Omens, Arin had decided to destroy the Omens herself, for which she had decided to stop them on her own, adding that she was grateful to the mercenary for everything that they had done for her.
The mercenary immediately rushed off to the forest in order to find Arin. After fighting through the dark monsters and the Omens, they encountered a wounded Arin, who weakly told them to flee, as it was too dangerous. The mercenary reassured her that they had taken care of all the Omens, but Arin replied that she had seen another Omen, much larger than any other Omen that they had ever encountered. She then warned them to stay away from ‘there’, though she soon fell unconscious before she could explain any further.
The mercenary brought Arin back to their room, where they discovered that she had a high fever. They continued watching her sleep, waiting for her to wake up. As they watched over her, they began pondering on what she had told them in the forest. Suddenly, they reached an epiphany after putting the pieces together.
They realized that the White Mage had begun his research with Aurora several years ago, right when the Omens had first begun appearing. The White Mage had also locked himself away in his laboratory one month ago, during which time the Omens had begun to multiply. They then recalled that the White Mage had described himself as a man of towering ambitions, causing them to wonder if the Omens were what he had meant by finding the ultimate light in the ultimate darkness.
As the mercenary’s blood chilled at the thought, they reminded themselves that they shouldn’t jump to conclusions. They noted that if their suspicions were correct, it meant that they needed to stop the White Mage’s research immediately. However, they first needed to ensure that they were absolutely correct, and so they decided to speak with Mars, as he was the only one who had access to the White Mage’s laboratory.
In the lobby, Mars apologized to the mercenary for what had happened to Arin, as he hadn’t intended for her to run away on her own. However, when the mercenary asked him about entering the White Mage’s laboratory, Mars refused and explained that the White Mage was in the final stages of his research, and that he couldn’t allow the mercenary to interrupt at such a critical point.
The mercenary then shared their suspicions and explained that the White Mage needed to be stopped. As Omens were the shadows of the White Mage’s research, it meant that his research being stopped would prevent the situation from getting any worse. However, Vieren protested that the mercenary’s words were impossible. The mercenary asked Mars to deny it, to which Mars grudgingly admitted that he had already known the truth for some time.
He explained that they had always known that the Omens were some kind of side-effect of the White Mage’s work, and that his suspicions had been confirmed when Arin had given them the Omen Pieces. A shocked Vieren stared at Mars in disbelief, while the mercenary asked Mars whether the White Mage had also known the truth about the Omens, and whether he had continued his research, even while knowing that the side-effects of that research were causing many people to suffer.
Mars explained that it was an inevitable sacrifice, claiming that the stronger the light, the darker the shadows. He told the mercenary that the White Mage’s plan had been to offer their corrupt world to build a better one, which was why he had thrown himself into his research, as it was nearly complete. He then added that in spite of everything, he still wanted to keep believing in the White Mage and his ideals.
The furious mercenary demanded to know whether Mars could tell Arin that the deaths of her parents were an ‘inevitable sacrifice’ and ordered him to open the door to the White Mage’s laboratory, adding that they would force it open themselves if he refused. Mars then prepared himself to stop the mercenary, while Vieren desperately attempted to stop them. Suddenly, however, they all heard the White Mage’s warped voice speak aloud in shock at what he had discovered.
The White Mage, having completed his research, had stepped into the divine realm, beyond the horizon of awareness, where he reached for the ultimate light. His heart grew filled with indescribable joy at the prospect of moving forward, at last, to a completed world free of irrationalities and evil. Just then, however, the will of the world - the Overseers themselves - held the White Mage back, constricting him with the shapeless, abstract force of order. This conceptual essence of balance, rules, and principles wrapped themselves around him like an unbreakable chain, colder and heavier than any metal in existence.
Through his forbidden research, the White Mage learned the secret of the world - a truth that was never meant to be known by mortals - that the Overseers controlled the world through the Transcendents, and that their sole function was to enforce order, not to help humanity. Upon realizing this truth, the White Mage grew furious at the Overseers and demanded to know why, in spite of their omnipotence, they allowed such stagnation and refused to change. He angrily asked them whether they intended to leave the world incomplete for all eternity, leaving humanity to suffer with no end.
Refusing to accept the destiny of the world, the White Mage chose to reject the Overseers and claimed that even by binding him, they would not stop him from moving forward, no matter the cost. He vowed to break free from their chains that kept the world from changing and moving on to a better existence. He declared that he would do anything it took to liberate the world from their indolence, even if he had to seal himself away, erase the world, or become darkness itself. (A/N: The Black Mage’s signature weapon of chains is meant to symbolize how he weaponizes the Overseers’ own chains of law in order to break free of them in the process.)
Believing that there was no way to change humanity’s destiny as a mortal when the Overseers had stripped them of their ability to change themselves, the White Mage chose to accept the power of the divine by seizing the ultimate darkness. In the Aurora Great Temple, the mercenary and the mages of Aurora heard the White Mage speak aloud, wondering whether he had succeeded or failed. He declared that he had journey into the forbidden, and that he alone had reached the ultimate light.
However, he claimed that at the end of his research, he had seen that there was no ultimate light - not because he had been unable to attain it, but because it had never existed to begin with, for as long as there was light, there would always be darkness. However, he then declared that an ultimate darkness existed, and that it was the sole conclusion of his research.
As a shocked Mars asked the White Mage what he meant, the mercenary ordered Mars to force open the door. Inside the laboratory, the mercenary and the mages of Aurora were shocked to discover the White Mage immersed in dark magic, his eyes glowing crimson red. Immediately, they all realized the truth - that the White Mage was no longer human.
As Vieren attempted to check on the White Mage’s condition, Mars immediately yelled at everyone to get out. The mercenary called out to the White Mage to stop, telling him that there was still time. However, the White Mage ominously declared that it was too late, just as he accepted the power of the gods. Embracing the ultimate darkness - the power to destroy - the White Mage awakened as the Transcendent of Light. With his awakening as the dark Transcendent of Light, a powerful substance known as the Abyss Crystal was created. Imbued with absolute darkness, the Abyss Crystal held the power to devour everything.
(A/N: The lore about the Abyss Crystal was created in the Heroes of Maple revamp. In the original blockbuster, the Abyss Crystal was known as the Transcendence Stone, which had the power to control or destroy a Transcendent. However, there was no explanation given about its origins, other than the fact that it had existed since the creation of the world. With the revamp, the name and origins of the Transcendence Stone were changed, although its properties largely remain the same, with the only change being that the crystal is implied to have the ability to take the power of any divine being, including the Ancient Gods.)
The resulting explosion from his awakening destroyed the Aurora Great Temple, killing many of the researchers and critically wounding many others. The mercenary, having lost consciousness, soon awakened to the sound of falling rain, which made them realize that they were still alive. As they walked through the ruins of the temple, they encountered several of the mages who had attempted to evacuate from the White Mage’s laboratory.
They first spoke with a wounded Mars and asked him what had happened to the White Mage. Mars weakly explained that the White Mage had been consumed by power during his research on the ultimate light. He noted that the power of light was far too grand, and that they were fools for thinking that they could even comprehend it, much less control it.
He explained that he had known that the White Mage had been dabbling in the forbidden for some time, and that he had nevertheless wanted to believe in him. He told the mercenary that he had wondered about the future that the White Mage had been creating for them, and the truth that he could show them beyond the light. Though he wished that he had time for regrets, he asked the mercenary to stop the White Mage, adding that it might not be too late.
As the mercenary headed towards the exit, they encountered Vieren, who weakly noted that he couldn’t see anything anymore. Recognizing the mercenary’s voice, he noted that he had once told them how no one knew what lay ahead of them, adding that he had never thought that the White Mage would be the one to snuff out his light. As Vieren passed away, his last words were an apology to his wife, Kate, and their child for leaving them behind.
(A/N: While it wasn’t too clear in the GMS localization, the KMS text makes it clear that the Vieren in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum is actually the father of Vieren, the person who trained alongside Luminous, whose ghost we encounter during Luminous’ class storyline. The reference to Vieren talking about his child is supposed to tie into this.)
The mercenary then exited the ruined temple and walked past the bodies of the Aurora mages in the forest, furious at the White Mage for having tricked so many people who had followed him and trusted him. As they wondered whether his words had all been lies, they fought through Traces of Darkness that had been created in the wake of the White Mage’s awakening. Proceeding deeper into the forest, they also fought past a horde of Omens and a Master Omen - the large Omen that Arin had warned them about earlier.
In the heart of the forest, the mercenary encountered a crystal of pure light, which glowed with an unprecedented level of purity that washed away all pain and fear just by looking at it. The mercenary wondered whether the light was a trace of the White Mage and realized that he had even cut out all the light that had resided within him. They also noticed that the crystal’s light was fading away, as though they were witnessing the death of the White Mage and all his goodness.
(A/N: This light will eventually become Luminous. The reason why the White Mage cast out his light is because an awakened Transcendent of Light can’t hold both light and darkness. As the White Mage chose to awaken with the power of darkness, he had to expel the power of light within himself. Although it’s not explicitly confirmed, it’s strongly suggested that Luminous is the reserve to the Black Mage, similar to how Tana held the power of light as a reserve to Aeona.)
As the mercenary proceeded further, they began feeling terror at the thought of what they were about to encounter. They noted to themselves that they wanted to run away from it all, though they knew that they couldn’t afford to leave, as it was their only chance to stop the White Mage before he could do any more damage.
The mercenary then yelled out for the White Mage to show himself. The White Mage appeared before them in a dark cloak that hid everything except the flames from his crimson eyes. The mercenary stood frozen, realizing that they had known from the beginning that his power was impossible to stand against. They began wondering why they, in spite of knowing what it would cost them, had chosen to follow him, though they then realized that it was because they had wanted to see it on their own.
They addressed the monster standing before them as the White Mage, though they realized that after seeing what he now was, they couldn’t call him that anymore. They then rechristened him as the Black Mage, who told the mercenary that they had been raised in shackles, and that their world could not free itself from the fate that the gods had given it.
He then offered to give the mercenary strength if they wished it, calling it the power to free themselves from their chains to create a new world. However, the mercenary laughed darkly and told the Black Mage that he had lost his mind, explaining that the one whom they had followed was a magician who could save the world, not a monster like him who sought to destroy it.
They then raised their sword and declared that it seemed that they were the only one who could stop him, vowing that they would carve a wound onto him that he would never be able to forget. After remaining silent for a moment, the Black Mage called the mercenary foolish and declared that if they wished to perish with the world, then so be it. He then unleashed his powers of darkness and fatally wounded the mercenary before retreating.
(A/N: This scene between the mercenary and the Black Mage was an expansion created in the Black Mage: Origin webcomic. The original scene in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum just had the mercenary declare that they’d leave their mark on the Black Mage, who just silently attacks the mercenary without saying anything.
Personally, I really like the expanded scene in the webcomic because you can see that the Black Mage really did regret that the mercenary chose not to join him, as the two of them had grown pretty close and he’d hoped that the mercenary, of all people, might understand the situation that he was in. The scene does a great job of showing the crushing isolation of the Black Mage being the only person who understands just how broken their world is because of the Overseers, while all the people around him, even his close relations, just see him as someone who’s gone insane.)
As the mercenary lay dying, they recalled a conversation with Arin from many months ago, from when the two of them had been wandering in the forest. The mercenary had asked Arin how long she planned to follow them. Arin had ignored their question and had noted that, in a sense, they were like her family. She had noted that a family was always there for oneself, and that they kept one’s memory alive. She had added that it was sad to not have someone like that, and so she had proposed that they could be a family for each other, but upon seeing the mercenary’s silence, she had claimed that she had merely been joking, adding that she hadn’t expected much from them anyways.
Feeling their vision growing darker, the mercenary realized that it was truly the end for them. Looking back on their life, they noted that they could have died anywhere, at anytime, to be lost to history. Though they chose to meet their end with a smile, they knew that there was one task still unfinished - for the Black Mage to be stopped.
Just then, Arin rushed to the dying mercenary, who faintly heard her voice, even as their vision dimmed, and was pleased that she was still alive. Arin sobbed as she reminded the mercenary how they had told her to treasure her life, not to throw it away by fighting someone too powerful, and tearfully demanded to know why they hadn’t taken their own advice. Though the mercenary tried to speak, they found that their voice would no longer come, and that they could hardly hear Arin anymore, either. As they passed away, the last thing that they noted was that the rain had stopped falling.
The Seven Commanders:
Believing that the Overseers had left the world broken beyond repair, the Black Mage intended to destroy the world and recreate it. Knowing that the Overseers could only shape the universe by using the Transcendents as their proxies, the Black Mage sought to remove their influence from the world that he would create by destroying the Transcendents. In this way, he intended for life to restart from scratch, resulting in a perfect society created by complete beings, as the Overseers would never have had any influence in its development.
Though he was standing against a primal power, his sole advantage was that the Overseers, in creating a fixed universe, made it so that all possible futures could be calculated based on known variables. While some mortals possessed the ability to see fragments of the future, the Black Mage was able to take advantage of the fixed variables in the universe in order to divine all the countless futures based on those fundamental laws. In this way, he could manipulate events to ensure that his plans succeeded.
Because of the laws governing the universe, Transcendents were incapable of destroying each other or themselves. To circumvent this, the Black Mage amassed an army of monsters and gathered seven Commanders to lead them:
The Spirits of Darkness, Orchid and Lotus, became his twin Wing Masters, to whom he also granted the power to manipulate gravity.
The King of Spirits, Guwaru, was considered to be the Great Spirit amongst his kind. As the Black Mage’s power as the dark Transcendent of Light grew stronger, the powers of Alicia and Rhinne - the Transcendent of Life and Transcendent of Time - grew weaker, shifting the balance of the world. Because of this Guwaru, who was tied to the world itself, grew corrupted and came to serve the Black Mage against his own will.
(A/N: Before the Milestone update, it was said that Guwaru joined the Black Mage after his anger at the humans who disrespected spirits and nature was exploited.)
The Red Witch of Azwan, Hilla, was the most beautiful and powerful Shamaness of Azwan. As she continued aging, she feared losing her beauty and power. When the Black Mage came to recruit her, she betrayed her kingdom in exchange for eternal beauty and the power to resurrect the dead.
The Nova warrior from the world of Grandis, Magnus, arrived in Maple World from the Interdimensional Portal on Grandis. In exchange for becoming a Commander, the Black Mage gave him greater power.
The High Priest of the Goddess Rhinne, Arkarium, was once the most devout of the Goddess’ priests until he had a vision of the future in which the Black Mage would reign victorious. Choosing to serve the winning side, he swore his loyalty to the Black Mage.
The Lion King of El Nath, Von Leon, was a wise man who ruled El Nath benevolently alongside his beloved wife, Ifia. As El Nath was perpetually covered in snow, the kingdom was comparatively poor, though its people were happy. When stories of the Black Mage’s destruction began to spread, the Anti-Black Mage Coalition was formed. The coalition approached Von Leon and requested that he join, but Von Leon refused to involve himself, as he didn’t want to create a target on his kingdom, believing that the Black Mage would leave them alone since the kingdom had little to offer. After being corrupted and driven to insanity by the Black Mage’s forces, the coalition mindlessly stormed Von Leon’s castle, resulting in Ifia’s death. In despair, Von Leon sold his soul to the Black Mage in exchange for the power to exact revenge on those who destroyed his kingdom and his true love.
(A/N: It’s heavily implied that Hilla is the one who corrupted the coalition, as the Milestone update emphasizes her ability to use illusion magic, and the Winter Bard storyline shows Hilla being the one who recruits Von Leon as a Commander.)
The Demon, having realized that the Black Mage was planning to destroy Maple World, swore his loyalty in exchange for having the Black Mage promise to ensure the safety of his family. He soon ascended in power and became the Black Mage’s most loyal and powerful Commander.
With his Commanders gathered, the Black Mage gained the forces needed to battle the other Transcendents. However, the biggest problem that remained was how he would be able to destroy himself. In all possible futures, there was no situation in which he, as a Transcendent, could be killed. He knew that he needed to create a being who could change fate, and so he decided to create an Adversary.
Just as in eons past during the Ancient War, a mortal who bonded with a Godsphere would gain a power greater than that of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents alike. Though he knew that he could create an Adversary, he also knew that they would be the most unpredictable variable in his plan, as the Adversary needed to be pushed to their very limits in order to gain the determination needed to activate the power of the Godsphere. In order to force the Adversary into awakening that power at the critical moment, the Black Mage planned to subliminally influence their decisions.
(A/N: This was done through things like having Lucid manipulate the Gate to the Future in order to show the Alliance that they would ultimately lose. Because of this, the Alliance became all the more determined to find a way to change the future.)
As the Godspheres operated on the collective determination of the masses, he made it a priority to push the world into resisting the idea of a fixed future, as their strong desire would be channeled through the Godsphere as the Adversary championed their strongest wish. Simultaneously, he promised his Commanders a place in his new world order, though he secretly intended to have them eliminated before they realized that he intended to destroy everything. In this way, he would force the people into rallying against him, while also keeping his Commanders in line.
To carry out the Genesis Ritual, the Black Mage needed the powers of creation and destruction, along with a high volume of pure Erdas. To obtain creation and to aggregate a high concentration of Erdas, he needed to create a convergence of the three worlds, which would allow him to not only siphon the Erdas generated from the collision, but also steal the powers of creation from another Transcendent of Light.
As a world without active Transcendents automatically sought out another world to merge with in order to maintain its balance of Transcendents, the Black Mage planned to seal the other Transcendents of Maple World, as well as himself. He began a war of conquest with his Commanders and planned to use them to fight against the other Transcendents, while simultaneously drawing out the very heroes who would seal him.
(A/N: Before the reorganization of Kao’s timeline, the Black Mage’s motivations were significantly different. The original interpretation for his plan was that his only goal was to eliminate the Transcendents, and that the whole idea of destroying and recreating the world was just a pretense to unite the world against him.
The Maple World of his time was described as being filled with selfish, squabbling factions that only cared about themselves, and so by threatening to end the world itself, the Black Mage hoped to become such a looming danger that all these different factions would have no choice but to look past their own personal interests and unite together if they wanted to survive, which would allow for the creation of an Adversary who embodied the will of the people.
Simultaneously, he used the Genesis plan to buy his Commanders’ loyalty by promising them a place in his new world order, although he intended to eliminate the worst of the Commanders so that they wouldn’t threaten humanity once his plan succeeded. From what was presented in the original Limina dialogue, the Black Mage never actually planned to create a new world, as his goal was only the elimination of Maple World’s Transcendents, as well as to reshape society into being led by brave and selfless leaders like the Adversary, Cygnus, Athena Pierce, and many others.
His desire to destroy the Overseers’ hold on the universe wasn’t because they had done anything to harm the world, but because they refused to help repair it. The Black Mage’s belief was that those who hold power are morally obligated to use it in order to help others, and so he decided that by principle, the Overseers didn’t deserve to have such power and call themselves gods when they wouldn’t do anything with that authority, which is why he wanted to eliminate the Transcendents and remove the Overseers’ ability to influence the universe, rather than simply changing society.
Removing the Overseers’ influence wouldn’t actually change anything at all, since they refuse to do anything with all that power, and so the only purpose in destroying the Transcendents was to stubbornly uphold his personal ideals of making it so that indolent and lethargic beings like the Overseers are symbolically stripped of all their authority, while simultaneously placing humanity in a position to replace them as people capable of ruling themselves with justice, rather than the selfish monarchs of his time who enforced institutionalized, fixed oppression because of their greed.
The update that introduced the revamp to Kao’s timeline, which also made several dialogue changes in Limina, significantly changed the Black Mage’s motivations. It explained that the Black Mage had indeed intended to create a new world alongside his plan to destroy the Transcendents, as he believed that humanity was beyond salvation because the moral decay of the world caused by the Overseers creating a fixed destiny ran so deep that it was something that couldn’t be repaired without starting over from scratch.
Because of this, he intended for the Adversary to kill him, and he planned to simultaneously enact the Genesis Ritual at that very moment, which he believed would birth a new, perfect world, as the new life forms that would evolve into sentient beings would be able to live free from the Overseers’ influence, allowing them to develop a society without suffering or evil.
With this understanding, the Black Mage’s plan successfully resulted in the player becoming an Adversary. However, as a result of Tana’s influence, which the Black Mage hadn’t fully accounted for, the Adversary failed to awaken the Seal Stone, resulting in the Black Mage surviving in the new world, meaning that his existence would still allow the Overseers to exert their influence. In order to correct the variables that he hadn’t accounted for, the Black Mage sent the player back in time in order to help their past self course-correct the shape of events. The player who went back in time became known as Kao, a Temple Keeper who lost their memory.
After Kao failed to kill him, the Black Mage began reevaluating his plan and started ruminating about his actions, Kao, and the world itself. While taking another look at the world, he began realizing that people of the present were much braver and more selfless than the people of his own time, as they were able to put aside their differences and fight to protect what they loved. Because of this, he began realizing that in the pursuit of his perfect world, he had lost sight of the value of life and how meaningful it was.
In the current timeline, Kao helps the Adversary fix their mistakes and successfully awaken the Seal Stone, resulting in the Black Mage’s death. Though his original plan was to enact the Genesis Ritual upon his death, after the Adversary chooses to selflessly save Tana’s life, whereas Kao tried to kill her, the Black Mage - who had already begun doubting his plan after seeing that the world has changed for the better - decides that the Adversary is a truly good person who would risk everything to keep everyone safe, and so he comes to believe that someone like the Adversary, who’s leading a world of equally selfless beings, will create a world more perfect than anything than he could create with the power of the gods.
This ultimately results in the Adversary changing the destiny of the world, as their instinctual act of selflessness changes the Black Mage’s mind and results in him choosing to die without enacting the Genesis Ritual, thus leaving the people of Maple World to fix their flawed world and make it into something better, and with the Transcendents of Maple World removed, the Overseers will have no influence to hinder them from doing so.
Personally, I really don’t like the new change that they made with the Black Mage’s motivations. It fundamentally misunderstands his hatred of the Overseers by mistakenly interpreting it as him resenting them for placing the world on a fixed path for annihilation, even though this makes no sense when the Overseers have repeatedly been mentioned as having done absolutely nothing, either good or bad, to Maple World.
Even if he were to create a new world, the people in that world are just as likely to create inequality as they did in Maple World because at the end of the day, it was human beings who ruined their own world through their free will and their choice to be selfish. And if he truly believed that humans were irreparably broken, then there’s no way that he could’ve ever believed that the entire world would ever be able to unite against him for the sake of the greater good, which is the entire crux of his plan to create an Adversary in order to defeat him.
Even though I really like the idea of the Adversary being a champion that represents the best of humanity, with a simple act of kindness being the thing that topples the convictions of a god, I hate the idea of the Black Mage turning into an idiot who overlooks all these basic facts, especially in light of how effective his plan was in the old version, and it honestly feels like the new version started out with the conclusion and worked backwards to fit everything into that one idea, even when it doesn’t make any sense with what’s been previously established.)
The Winter Bard:
In El Nath, a mercenary named Ryude was telling his second-in-command, Hazelle, that he would often ask the people of his village if they liked the snow. Many dismissed him and some even grew angry, as the snows of El Nath were responsible for the cold and hunger. Though many believed that the snow was punishment, Ryude believed snow to be love, beautiful and pure.
Just as he asked Hazelle whether he liked the snow, a soldier arrived and reported that their forces were in position. Ryude then ordered them to signal for attack. In the distance, Ryude saw a tower standing and asked Hazelle what it was. Hazelle told him that it was a warning beacon created by the Dragon Master Freud in order to warn the people if the end of the world was upon them. Ryude scoffed that the end of the world was always imminent and asked what the Dragon Master was doing while everything was falling apart.
After the battle, Hazelle reported that the shelter had been destroyed and asked, with the harshest winter in ages approaching, where the refugees should be sent. Ryude recalled how, as a child, he had believed that the never-ending war would one day end. As a mercenary, he fought for a king whom he had never seen, and it had been years until he had seen the truth.
Just then, a small child approached them and offered to sell a harp for small change. Ryude bought the harp and told Hazelle that he had always wanted to be a bard. Hazelle asked if they should go to the neighboring country, where a civil war was brewing. Ryude then made the spontaneous decision to stop being a mercenary and told Hazelle to lead the others in his place.
Five years later, Ryude had become a traveling bard. One day, he encountered a girl being attacked by a Thorny Bear and began playing his harp to calm it down. He told her that it had a cub nearby, and that they grew aggressive when protecting their young. Ryude was surprised to see that the girl had made it so far into the snowfield without proper winter gear, clad only in a dress.
The girl suddenly sneezed, startling Ryude and causing one of the strings on his harp to break. The lulled Thorny Bear suddenly grew aggressive again and began to attack the girl. Ryude jumped down from his perch and hit the bear with his harp, causing it to run off. The girl then snapped that it had taken her three days to find the bear and asked why he would make it run away. Ryude told her that he had saved her life and, noticing that her lips were blue, took her back to his camp, promising to help her capture another one later.
At the camp, Hazelle told Ryude that they had run out of firewood, and so Ryude decided to visit a nearby Volcano Bug nest to find more. After returning, Hazelle told him that Mylar had returned while he had been out. Mylar amusedly told Ryude that he had heard that Ryude had broken his harp yet again, asking what the point of his sword was. He then had Ryude collect Pine Resin from Large Beetles in order to get the materials needed to fix the harp.
While Mylar got to work, the camp enjoyed a meal of snow rabbits with the girl, who thanked them. After hearing them call Ryude ‘boss’, she asked if they were soldiers. Mylar clarified that they were retired mercenaries. Though there used to be more of them, the rest of their company had gone home, leaving only the three of them to travel around. Mylar asked the girl what she was doing all the way out in the snowfield, to which she explained that she was collecting unique animals for the Ark in anticipation of the end of the world.
Though Hazelle thought that the girl was out of her mind, Mylar explained how there were rumors that someone called the Black Mage had joined the fight. The girl silently noted to herself that the Black Mage had finally revealed himself. Ryude sat up at the mention of the Black Mage and asked who he was. Hazelle explained that amidst all the chaos, many people were turning to dark magic, to which Ryude simply told him not to pay mind to rumors. Mylar then told him that they needed to stock up on food before war broke out. Ryude noted that they were near the Lion King’s Castle when the girl reminded him about his promise.
The next day, Ryude went with the girl to capture a Thorny Bear cub. Mylar told him that the Lion King’s Castle was near the Thorny Bear den and asked him to check it out while they were in the area. After finding a cub for the girl, Ryude felt that something was wrong and headed closer to the Lion King’s Castle, just as the girl called after him that the Thorny Bear cub was too small to adjust well to captivity.
In the distance, Ryude was surprised to see that the castle was in flames, and as the Lion King was a beacon of courage to the men of El Nath, to see such a man’s castle aflame had shaken him. The mercenaries and the girl rushed to the castle and found that all the soldiers were missing. Ryude suspected that the castle had been attacked, but saw that there were no intruders in sight. The girl warned them not to go inside, as they might not come out alive. However, Ryude told her that his music was inspired by life and asked what kind of bard he would be if he never tested his bravery.
As the mercenaries debated amongst themselves, the girl decided to leave by herself in order to continue finding animals for her Ark. Hazelle decided to follow her and Ryude told him to send up a signal if anything went wrong. Ryude and Mylar then went inside the castle and found strange monsters around. Mylar suspected that dark magic was at work and suggested that they leave. Just then, Ryude heard someone scream and asked Mylar to use his magic to find them.
While Mylar prepared to cast his locator spell, Ryude thinned out the Crockies to help him concentrate. After Mylar cast the spell, Ryude followed it to find a dazed soldier telling Ryude to keep away in fright. Ryude cleared out the Bearwolves to help calm the soldier’s nerves, after which the soldier began muttering about the Lion King and the evil Shamaness before passing away. Ryude returned to Mylar and suggested that they leave, but Mylar then told him that he had detected two more survivors in the inner castle.
Ryude fought past the monsters alone and entered the castle, where he found Hilla speaking with Von Leon. Hilla asked Von Leon how his revenge had been, to which Von Leon replied that it had been too easy and wondered whether the Black Mage was really that strong. Hilla replied that the Black Mage was more powerful than he could imagine. At the mention of the Black Mage, Ryude immediately recognized that the pair were the perpetrators of all the destruction.
Though his instincts told him to run, he continued deeper into the castle. Hilla told Von Leon that with his revenge mission completed, all Commanders were to commence with a coordinated attack on Ereve, which would easily fall before a surprise attack of such a magnitude. (A/N: I believe that this is the same event that leads to the death of Empress Aria.) Von Leon then told Ryude to show himself, upon which he said that he remembered Ryude’s face while drawing his blade. As Ryude attempted to retreat, Hilla blocked his escape. With no choice, Ryude engaged Von Leon in a duel.
As they fought, Ryude wondered what had happened to the once great Lion King and weighted his options between fighting Von Leon and breaking past Hilla. As he continued thinking, Von Leon revealed that he was the one who had destroyed the cities of El Nath in retribution for the people of El Nath killing his beloved wife.
(A/N: Originally, GMS erroneously had Von Leon claim that the Cygnus Knights had killed Ifia, which doesn’t make sense, as the Cygnus Knights were created centuries later. Later on, GMS corrected this to say that the Alliance killed Ifia, which is technically correct, as the Anti-Black Mage Alliance was responsible for the attack. However, this alliance is separate from the present-day Maple Alliance. I called them a coalition on this site, rather than an alliance, in order to distinguish the two.)
Ryude told Von Leon that he would never be forgiven after all his heinous acts, but Von Leon replied that he didn’t seek forgiveness, claiming that it would be hypocritical of him to do so. He then pointed out that Ryude wasn’t blameless either, as he had killed countless men during his mercenary days. He asked Ryude whether he thought that he would reach salvation for his sins. Hilla then told Von Leon to hurry up, to which Von Leon asked Ryude what his name was, as he wished to remember him. However, Ryude replied that he didn’t like his name and asked Von Leon to finish him.
(A/N: The GMS localization for this storyline had Ryude say that he won’t give Von Leon the satisfaction of knowing. One of the major themes of this storyline is forgiveness. Throughout this story, we’re never told Ryude’s name, as most people simply refer to him as ‘mercenary’. The KMS and MSEA scripts leaned into this idea with Ryude disassociating himself from his name and identity because he feels guilt for what he’s done.)
As Von Leon moved for the final blow, the girl suddenly appeared and told Ryude that she had warned him not to go inside. Hilla was shocked to see the girl, whom she recognized as Alicia, the World Tree and the Transcendent of Life, as she believed that Alicia didn’t interfere with mortal affairs. (A/N: The Transcendents of Maple World typically removed themselves from the affairs of the world, unlike the Transcendents of Grandis, who actively shaped their realm, such as how Aeona destroyed over seven races of Grandis.) Alicia told her that unlike most times, she had need of Ryude and teleported them both away.
Safely away from the Lion King’s Castle, Ryude stood dazed in shock at the thought of the world actually ending. Alicia told him that the Black Mage was a Transcendent, just as she was, and that his quest for ultimate darkness would mean the end of all life in Maple World. Ryude then passed out and had a dream that he was walking in an endless snowfield, where those who had fallen in battle rose one by one in penance for his crimes, telling him to look upon the horrors that he had wrought.
Ryude awoke to find that Mylar had carried him back to Hazelle, who had gathered the survivors of the Lion King’s assault. Alicia then told Ryude that she had saved him because he still needed to keep his promise to help her find full-grown animals, not cubs like the Thorny Bear. At the thought of cubs, Ryude felt sick to his stomach as he recalled the child who had sold him his harp, wondering what fate had befallen upon the boy. Suddenly, monsters found their encampment and Ryude took up his sword to fight them off while the refugees escaped.
The other mercenaries caught up with him, where they found him staring at the corpse of that same child who had sold him his harp. Ryude decided that he had to warn the world that the end was approaching, hoping that some hero would answer the call. He ordered Hazelle and Mylar to rally anyone who could fight, intent on going to the Dragon Master’s Tower. As they traveled, Alicia explained to Ryude that the Black Mage was the Transcendent of Light, and that she was the Transcendent of Life. Though titles like Transcendent and Dragon Master were foreign to him, Ryude decided to ignore all those distractions and focus on his journey ahead.
Several days later, Ryude and the mercenaries arrived at the tower and asked Mylar how long it would take to send the beacon up. Mylar explained that five magicians were required to light it, and so it would take fifteen days for him to do it alone. However, he believed that the enemy would immediately take notice and arrive in far greater numbers than before. Ryude asked the soldiers, whom they had recruited from the refugees, if they would take orders from a mercenary, but the soldiers reassured him that they were beyond rank and would eagerly follow Ryude, whom they considered both a legend and hero.
Hazelle then told Ryude that Alicia had gone to search for animals. Ryude hoped that she would take care, as she had spent all her power in creating the Ark. He decided to go supervise her and collect rations for the soldiers while he was out. He helped one of the soldiers collect Mountain Turtle Eggs, after which the soldier thanked Ryude for saving his life many years ago. He asked why Ryude had disappeared after that final battle, to which Ryude explained that he couldn’t bear the war and death any longer.
He then found Alicia attempting to herd a Curly Cow and Ryude found sap from Insectivore Slimes to help lead it. He then gave Alicia a list of all nearby animals and their habits in order to aid her in her quest. Alicia was impressed that there were humans who actually kept their promises. Ryude reminded her that it was the very reason why she had saved him, to which Alicia agreed, adding that that she couldn’t just ignore him and let him die. She began explaining that she was the mother of all life, not the creator of all life, though she quickly trailed off before she could say anything more.
(A/N: This last line was omitted in the GMS localization, but it was meant to be a hint towards the Primordial God and the Overseers, who made and remade the universe and everything in it. The Winter Bard storyline was released in the Nova update, which also released Morass. This line was likely intended to allude towards the existence of beings even higher than Transcendents, which ultimately culminated in Esfera and Tenebris.)
Ryude asked Alicia why she didn’t take care of humans when she had such a warm heart, but Alicia retorted that she would never help humans, as they only harmed other living things, to which Ryude noted that she was a cold-hearted mother. As he turned to leave, Alicia asked if he was really going to fight the Black Mage’s army. Ryude told her that he had to try, to which Alicia replied that even if humans were to avoid the end of the world, they would still continue waging their terrible wars forever. She then told Ryude that humans would one day end their own world by killing each other repeatedly.
She explained that though humans were also precious and poor little children to her, she could never unconditionally love children who abandoned their own home. Ryude replied that she was right, but he then pointed out that it was in the nature of children to wander and go astray. He told Alicia that though it may take some time, humans would one day find a new home and settle down, and so he asked Alicia not to hate them too much.
When Alicia went quiet at his words, Ryude thought to himself that though he had no way to know what she was thinking, he hoped that she was feeling a bit of relief and some small level of sympathy towards humanity, as they were ultimately just lost children trying to find their way, in need of a mother who could guide them.
(A/N: GMS actually made Alicia a lot more sympathetic in their localization. When Ryude asks Alicia why she doesn’t help humans, she tells him that it’s because if she were to spend all her time helping humans, she wouldn’t have time to help any other living things. Personally, I much prefer the original KMS dialogue because it’s meant to parallel the Black Mage and how he caused great harm to humans as a result of distancing himself from humanity and believing that they were beyond salvation.
For Alicia, she saw the constant war and violence that plagued humanity, but instead of doing something about it, she chose to make an idiotic blanket statement that every single human being is the same, and that they don’t deserve to be saved. As a result, she willingly turned her gaze away from all the children and other innocent lives who were dying by the thousands, intervening to save Ryude only because she wanted to selfishly cash in on the favor that he owed her before he died.
The Black Mage was the same way, believing that the world was beyond salvation and deciding that the only possible solution was to destroy everything and start over from scratch. And just like the Black Mage wanting to create a perfect world with completed beings, Alicia also decided to create the Tower of Oz and save only the few chosen lives who she believed deserved to survive the end of the world.
But by the end of the story, Alicia changes her mind and realizes that Ryude was right about humans not being beyond salvation, which she comes to believe when Ryude selflessly sacrifices his life to light the beacon. This idea is also echoed with the Black Mage, who ultimately realizes that humanity isn’t beyond repair when the Adversary makes the selfless choice to save Tana, which results in him choosing not to remake the world.)
Back at the tower, Hazelle reported that they were short on rations, weapons, arrows, and people. Ryude suggested destroying the bridge in order to buy time, but Hazelle told him that in any case, they couldn’t last a week and recommended that they retreat and plan for the future. Just then, snow began to fall, and Ryude took it as a good sign.
Several days later, the snowfall had turned into a storm. Some distance away from the tower, Hilla believed that the storm was the wrath of the gods, but Von Leon told her that the gods hadn’t realized that snow wouldn’t stop them. Hilla asked why they hadn’t taken the gate, to which Von Leon replied that the mercenaries were adept at fighting in the snow and had managed to use the ice against them. He then ordered his forces to wear them down as Hilla decided to leave, unwilling to weather the cold.
Over the next several days, the mercenary and the other soldiers fought bravely as Mylar began to light the beacon. Mylar reported that it would activate around midnight the next day, though the Lion King’s main force was expected to arrive that same day. Alicia later found Ryude quietly crying at the top of the tower, where he told her that he feared that the next day’s battle would require great sacrifice. He asked Alicia if the Ark was ready, to which she replied that she only had one monster left, adding that she had also saved a spot for him on the Ark. She told him that all humans knew was war, but Ryude countered that they knew hope as well. Alicia told him not to die and promised to come back to see him one day.
As she headed off, Ryude asked her to pass his harp along to someone who would appreciate it. She asked him why, as she thought that he had wanted to be a bard. Ryude told her that he had finished his song, and that was enough for him. At her insistence, he played his song for her and the Thorny Bear cub. Meanwhile, Hilla used her powers to revive the fallen soldiers in order to learn the weak point in Ryude’s defense. After several soldiers refused to reveal anything, she finally encountered one soldier who told her that Ryude planned to destroy the bridge.
As nightfall approached, Hazelle asked Ryude what he had meant about snow being love many years ago. He told Hazelle that he had once realized that they had covered the world in ash and destruction, but the snow covered all the ugliness and sadness in the world to make it anew, as though the gods had forgiven for them for what they had done to their creation.
Soon after, the enemy’s main force arrived in large numbers and began to overwhelm Ryude’s soldiers, who had all been spread thin. Ryude checked on Mylar, who told him that Alicia had passed on a message to him. She said that as a Transcendent and the mother of all life, she forgave Ryude for all his sins and asked him to stop blaming himself. Mylar then told him that she had shared with him what little power remained to her, allowing him to complete the spell faster. Ryude rushed to the bridge in order to hold their position, giving Hazelle enough time to set off explosives on the mountainside.
Hilla was impressed by Ryude’s bravery, wondering if he was even human, but was surprised at the abrupt change of plans, as she had learned from the dead soldiers that they were planning to blow up the bridge. As Von Leon sent out his forces, Hazelle’s explosion created an avalanche to block the enemy. Over the next hour, all the soldiers fought to their last breath as Mylar succeeded in lightning the beacon. As Ryude lay dying, Von Leon approached him and congratulated Ryude for his victory, asking for his name and telling him that he had fought well.
(A/N: Ryude finally giving his name to Von Leon at the end of the storyline comes after Alicia forgives him and asks him to forgive himself. His last stand at the tower is meant to be his redemption for all his sins, with him reclaiming his identity as Ryude being meant to show that he’s finally forgiven himself.)
Meanwhile, Alicia succeeded in gathering up all the creatures she wanted on the Ark, which she then steered to the Tower of Oz, a place where all the surviving creatures could live in captivity safe from the Black Mage.
The Six Heroes:
Thanks to Ryude’s heroic sacrifice, the Dragon Master’s beacon was lit for all of Maple World to see. Many people gathered at the site of the battle in response, and among them were six heroes who would unite against the Black Mage.
Freud the Dragon Master was a prodigy, having exceptional mastery over magic despite his young age. He held a deep love for living creatures, especially dragons, and believed that in a perfect world, humans would be able to govern themselves and live peacefully with the other creatures of Maple World. His research into dragons would lead him to meet Afrien, the King of the Onyx Dragons.
The Onyx Dragons were the most powerful species of dragons, but their souls remained incomplete until they bonded with another whose soul resonated on the same frequency. Realizing that they both shared a kindred spirit, Freud and Afrien created the first Spirit Pact, a contract that allowed them to gain immense power such that they could perform great feats of magic that they would not have been able to do alone.
(A/N: Evan’s storyline implies that many people went on to make Spirit Pacts with Onyx Dragons, although there’s no other mention of this outside of his conversation with Afrien.)
After their contract was complete, Afrien gifted Freud a dazzling pendant called the Sylph Pendant. Although it was purely decorative, it was a symbol of their sacred bond. When the Black Mage heard of the might of the Onyx Dragons, he approached Afrien and offered to form a Spirit Pact with him instead, hoping to take the power of the Onyx Dragons for himself.
Sensing the Black Mage’s evil soul, Afrien refused and turned him away. In retaliation, the Black Mage declared war on the Onyx Dragons and ordered his Commanders to wipe them out. Nevertheless, the Onyx Dragons fought back with their great power, and though many were killed in the war, their race gained a legendary reputation for their strength, with even the Commanders acknowledging their prowess.
(A/N: Evan’s lore comes from an earlier time in the game when the Black Mage was a generic evil villain rather than a fallen savior. As such, it seems fairly out-of-character for him to have coveted the Spirit Pact’s power when we know in retrospect that he was aiming to steal Tana and Rhinne’s Transcendent powers. You could argue that he did this in order to force Freud to join the fight, but I feel like Freud would’ve fought the Black Mage even if the Onyx Dragons hadn’t been wiped out.)
Aran was a powerful warrior who possessed a polearm with a spirit, Maha, which she obtained from a legendary blacksmith in Mu Lung. As weapons with spirits were extremely rare, and even rarer still was it to be deemed worthy to wield one, it spoke immensely of Aran’s strength as a legendary warrior. Having grown up with a stoic grandfather, Aran developed a quiet, serious personality and a strong desire to protect others after learning to wield the polearm at his side. Aran also rode a powerful Silver Wolf named Ryko into battle.
(A/N: For context, the only other people to wield weapons with spirits are Alpha and Beta wielding Lazuli and Lapis, and Damien commanding the Spirit of Vengeance. Given that both of these beings were Transcendents, at least at some point, it stands to show what kind of league she was in.
Her growing up with her grandfather and her stoic personality is mentioned in a book called Secret Story, which Nexon published with all kinds of little details. Some more of her backstory has also been expanded upon in a behind-the-scenes book released during her revamp in the Milestone update, although I don’t yet have much info besides a few tidbits released in a promotional video for it.
The information about Ryko comes from her mount quest, during which Aran raises a Silver Wolf and names it Ryko. At level 200, Maha reveals that she had another Silver Wolf in the past, which she had also named Ryko. I wish that we got to see Ryko in past flashbacks, but they apparently forgot that they wrote him into the story.)
Luminous, the Magician of Light, was the last remnant of light cast out by the Black Mage upon his awakening as a Transcendent. Though that light had been destined to slowly fade away, the surviving members of Aurora used the power of light to reincarnate that fragment of light some time in the future, causing it to manifest as a young boy that the mages of Aurora called Luminous, also known as the Starchild. As Luminous was created from the light of the Black Mage, the mages of Aurora believed that Luminous was destined to be the Black Mage’s adversary.
Luminous was raised by the surviving members of Aurora, including the son of the late Vieren, who was also named Vieren after his father. To prevent the Black Mage from finding them, the mages of Aurora moved their headquarters to a pocket dimension called Harmony. Even in spite of their countermeasures, however, the mages knew that the Black Mage would one day come for Luminous.
In order to protect him, they raised a girl named Lucia, who was also strong in light magic, as the false Starchild. Luminous grew up as best friends with Lucia, unaware that she had been raised as a lamb for slaughter. When the Black Mage came to destroy the last of his light, Luminous managed to escape and Lucia remained behind to be killed in his place in order to make the Black Mage believe that the threat of the Starchild had been dealt with.
(A/N: Luminous’ storyline has many references to Star Wars. His friend, Vieren, is known as Beer-Wan in other translations, which is an obvious reference to Obi-Wan, and even manifests as a guiding spirit like how Obi-Wan aids Luke as a Force spirit. Luminous’ struggle against the darkness is similar to the temptation of the dark side of the Force. He also creates a Sentrobo guard called R2-B2, which is obviously a reference to R2-D2. Luminous being created through the power of light is also similar to how Anakin Skywalker was conceived by the will of the Force, causing him to be born with no father.
Regarding the storyline with Lucia, the White Mage tells Luminous at the end of Tenebris that he deliberately didn’t destroy the last of his light when he awakened as a Transcendent because he knew that Luminous would become the Adversary. Given that the Adversary can be any class, we can technically disregard that last part, but it does confirm that the Black Mage had no intention of destroying Luminous, which contradicts the storyline with Lucia in which he attacks Harmony, although you can argue that he did this in order to give Luminous a reason to fight the Black Mage, similar to the reason why he destroyed the Onyx Dragons. However, much like with Freud, I feel like Luminous would’ve considered it his duty to fight the darkness as a mage of Aurora anyways.
The mages of Aurora believing Luminous to be the Black Mage’s adversary is a line that was written before the concept of an Adversary existed in canon, causing many people back in the day to speculate that Luminous would be the one to defeat the Black Mage in the future.)
Mercedes was the Ruler of the Elves and considered it her solemn duty to fight the Black Mage in order to protect her people. In the kingdom of Elluel, two young elves named Lucid and Athena Pierce both idolized Mercedes and spent much of their time trying to impress her with their skills. Lucid was often jealous of Athena, as her prowess in archery exceeded that of Lucid’s. Lucid soon realized that she had the ability to manipulate dreams and created a music box as a gift for Mercedes, which was capable of producing sweet dreams for its listener. However, she became upset when Mercedes decided to share the music box with the kingdom, as she wanted it to be something she could share with Mercedes alone.
When Mercedes learned of the Black Mage’s threat to Maple World, she decided to join the other Heroes in order to protect her people. Both Lucid and Athena insisted on coming with her, but Mercedes refused to take two young girls into battle. The night that Mercedes was set to leave Elluel, Lucid decided to follow her and convince Mercedes to bring her along, but soon realized that not only did Athena have the same idea, but she had reached Mercedes first. To her horror, Mercedes agreed to take Athena with her and entrusted her with the Mistelteinn, the sacred bow of the elves, whose power would protect Athena from harm. Burning with jealousy that Athena had formed the close relationship with Mercedes that she yearned for, Lucid ran away from Elluel and used her powers of dream manipulation to make all the elves forget that she ever existed.
(A/N: There’s some pretty heavy subtext that Lucid had romantic feelings for Mercedes, although you could technically argue that Lucid merely idolized her. My take is that Lucid definitely has a deep desire to be needed by powerful beings, such as Mercedes, the Ruler of the Elves, or the Black Mage, the Transcendent of Light. Given how easily attachment can lead to attraction, I can definitely see how she could have developed feelings for both Mercedes and the Black Mage.)
Phantom was a master thief, infamous for stealing the treasures of the aristocracy. Born a street urchin in Ariant, he was taken under the wing of Raven, a famous thief who taught the boy everything he knew. After Raven was killed while defusing a bomb, Phantom carried on his legacy by stealing from the nobility he resented as a child.
As stories of his exploits grew, Empress Aria, the ruler of Maple World, became intrigued by Phantom and wished to meet him, though she knew that he would never come to Ereve, as the kingdom had nothing worth stealing. In order to lure him out, she spread rumors of a gem called Skaia, which was said to glow in the hands of someone of the Empress’ bloodline. Just as she had planned, Phantom arrived to steal the gem, though he was accidentally caught in a magic trap. Hoping that he would listen to the problems she faced as the Empress, Aria freed him from the trap and helped him escape from the guards.
Phantom soon visited her again, but instead of stealing Skaia, he tried to convince her to give it to him, though Aria refused. This quickly became a game for them every night, where he would come to visit her under the pretense of stealing her treasure. Over time, they slowly fell in love and spent long nights speaking and enjoying each other’s company. Phantom was intrigued by Aria’s idealism and her pursuit of equality, which was so different from that of the other nobles he had encountered.
One night, Aria told Phantom that the Black Mage had requested to send an envoy to Ereve in order to negotiate an end to the war. However, the conference was a trap, and Aria was killed by Lotus. Phantom rushed to Ereve upon hearing the news, but he found that he was too late to prevent her death. A wounded Shinsoo entrusted Skaia to Phantom and asked him to safeguard it, unaware that it was merely a common gem with no magical properties. Hellbent on revenge, Phantom approached Freud and requested to join the other Heroes.
A sixth hero, whose name was lost to time, was Freud’s best friend. Having grown up as a war orphan without a name, this hero became a wandering mercenary - developing the fighting style of a pirate - and survived countless trials in the wake of endless death around him, leaving him without purpose or desire. When he first met Freud, he told Freud that he had nothing to live for, to which Freud told him that he had nothing to die for either. This motivated the hero to keep living, and so he dedicated his life to the one who had saved him. Freud even gave the hero a name, which he cherished deeply. (A/N: This isn’t his current name, Shade. He apparently has another name, which Freud gives him, likely a nickname, but we neither know that nor his birth name, if he even had one.) With no family, no clan, and no attachments, the hero had no ties but to the comrades who stood alongside him.
War Against the Black Mage:
With the destruction of the Anti-Black Mage Coalition at the hands of Von Leon, the people of Maple World were quick to place their hopes in the Heroes as stories spread of their successful exploits. Though they were the most well-known group of freedom fighters, there were still other factions that participated in the war against the Black Mage.
Destonen was a great pioneer of Maple World, having sailed in search of new continents before the rise of the Black Mage. During his adventures, he met a half-elf named Yuris, who was traveling on her self-made airship. The two soon fell in love and had a son named Tess. Destonen and Yuris eventually joined the fight against the Black Mage. Around this time, the Black Mage devastated the continent of Ossyria, causing a chunk of it to break off from the mainland and float away, eventually becoming known as Victoria Island.
(A/N: Before the Destiny update, Destonen was said to be the first pirate who was rumored to have fought with his bare hands. The original lore on Destonen stated that he had a battle with the Black Mage after Victoria Island broke off from Ossyria. I swear that I remember reading that Destonen’s battle with the Black Mage was the very reason why Victoria Island broke off from Ossyria, but for the life of me I can’t find a single source to corroborate it.)
In Ereve, Empress Aria had created a secret organization called the Silent Crusade, which had been made to unite the people of Maple World. After the Empress’ death, the Silent Crusade had vowed revenge against the Black Mage and his forces, working in the shadows for centuries in order to collect information on the Black Mage, as well as to defeat powerful monsters that threatened Maple World.
(A/N: In the original Silent Crusade storyline, it was initially stated that the organization had been created by the Cygnus Knights generations ago, but as the Cygnus Knights themselves didn’t exist back then, the wording was later changed to say that the former Empress had created them. This detail was preserved in the revamp, with the addition of a few minor details, such as Aria’s purpose in creating the Silent Crusade.)
On the Heroes’ front, Freud served as their strategist and attempted to find the best way to defeat the Black Mage. Though he hoped that the Heroes would be able to defeat the Black Mage, he created two contingency plans in case the worst happened. For both cases, Freud drew upon the power of the World Heart, knowing that its power exceeded that of both the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents.
After the Ancient War, the divine power of the World Heart contained within the Godspheres had permeated deep into the lands of the three worlds. Just as the elders of Grandis had used the World Heart as a template to create the Godspheres, Freud extracted the World Heart’s residual power from the continent and created his own version modeled off the Godspheres. As they had been created to seal away the Black Mage with the power of time, Freud chose to name them Seal Stones.
During his research on the properties of the Seal Stones, Freud discovered three main features needed to awaken their power: firstly, a focal point for where its power must be channeled, ranging anywhere from a person to a continent; secondly, the combined will of five individuals to give the intent for its power; finally, a strong desire to abandon destruction and seek peace. He also learned that the Seal Stones required the desperate wish of many in order to use - in other words, they would not grant the wish of an individual. Once it demonstrated a power greater than cause and effect, the Seal Stone would be destroyed.
(A/N: The conditions to create and use Seal Stones was revealed in the magician storyline for the original RED Explorer story. While this has been retconned out of existence with the revamped Explorer storyline, there are hints in the new story that this lore still holds, and so I’ll be keeping it in.)
Freud’s first contingency plan was to use the Seal Stones and combine them with a sealing spell that could bind the Black Mage to eternity in the event that the Heroes were unable to defeat him. His second contingency was to prepare for the situation that his sealing spell failed. By distributing Seal Stones to the people of Maple World, he hoped that the damage done to their lands could be undone. To this end, Freud and the other Heroes distributed at least seven Seal Stones, one for each of the regions of Orbis, El Nath, Mu Lung, Ludibrium, Ereve, Ellin Forest, and Victoria Island.
(A/N: In the original Explorer storyline, it was shown that there was also a Seal Stone of Nihal Desert, although all references to it have been removed in the new storyline. I won’t list it here, but it’s entirely possible that it could have existed. Currently, it remains unknown why Ellin Forest has a separate Seal Stone from Victoria Island, as Ellin Forest is literally a part of the island. In Aran’s storyline, the Black Wings travel into the past to steal the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, but the Seal Stone of Victoria Island still remains safe.
Before the revamp of the Ellin Forest storyline, time travel mechanics were undefined, and so I made a theory to explain how this could be true based on the principle that the game doesn’t operate on a causal loop, which is that going back in time and changing the past is what shapes the events of the present that were always meant to be, just like how Harry goes back in time with the Time-Turner and saves himself from the Dementors.
Assuming that we’re not operating on a causal loop, the Black Wings go back in time in Timeline A and steal the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest. This creates a divergent Timeline B where the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest is lost, but they instead return back to Timeline A, where Aran is in possession of Timeline A’s Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, which we rename the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. The Black Wings bringing back Timeline B’s Seal Stone of Ellin Forest allows for two of the same Seal Stones to exist in Timeline A, while Timeline B is bereft of its Seal Stone of Ellin Forest.
With the introduction of the Ellin Forest storyline revamp, time-travel mechanics were established and it was confirmed that the game operates on causal loop mechanics. In fact, causal loops were even stated to be one of the fundamental laws of time established by the Overseers in order to ensure that time remains fixed and unchanged. As a result, my theory can no longer stand. However, Nexon has stated that they plan to revisit many old storylines and revamp them in order to fit together better. Since they’ve retouched Aran’s Ellin Forest Seal Stone quest, it seems that they’re aware of the Ellin Forest Seal Stone problem, and it’s entirely possible that they might address it in the future.)
Before the death of Empress Aria, Freud had entrusted the Seal Stone of Ereve to Shinsoo, the divine beast of Ereve. During Lotus and Orchid’s attack on Ereve, a large majority of the Noblesse, as well as the Knight of Light, lost their lives while attempting to defend his Empress. The Knight of Light was a title that referred to the guardian of the current Empress. There had been many Knights of Light since the dawn of Ereve’s history, each wielding the power of light through the Soul Shield.
With the death of Aria’s Knight of Light, he was succeeded by his disciple. Having grown weak without an Empress to claim her power, Shinsoo decided to entrust the Seal Stone of Ereve to the new Knight of Light, who placed it within the Soul Shield in order to ensure that none but an awakened Knight of Light could retrieve it. Shinsoo also gave a new name to the Seal Stone: Shinsoo’s Teardrop, in memory of Aria’s death.
(A/N: Mihile’s post-Ignition story revamp revealed that Freud had created and distributed the Seal Stones before Aria’s death, which was also before Phantom joined the Heroes. It always seemed like a logical inference that he created the Seal Stones after all the Heroes had joined, but it looks like he was already out saving the world on his own, although it’s possible that he made the Seal Stones when all the Heroes except Phantom had joined.)
During the war, Alicia decided to back the Heroes with her powers as a Transcendent. Though she originally did not interfere in human affairs, Ryude’s bravery moved Alicia into actively take a stand against the Black Mage. (A/N: We don’t know what Alicia did specifically to help the Heroes, but it’s said that she was instrumental in sealing the Black Mage away.)
The Seal of Time:
In the last days of the war, the Black Mage and his Commanders prepared to siege the Temple of Time. As the sole restriction on the Transcendent of Time was that they could alter the fate of anyone but themselves, Rhinne knew that she couldn’t stop the Black Mage from taking her power. However, she attempted to create a new future by creating the Child of the Goddess through her teardrops, who she hoped would succeed her as the Transcendent of Time in the distant future. Rhinne handpicked loyal priests to take the child to safety and watch over it in a different dimension that she created with with her time magic, thereby masking the power of time within her child from the Black Mage.
Soon after, the Black Mage arrived with his Commanders and attacked the Temple of Time. During the battle, the Demon confronted a wounded Temple Keeper and told her that she was the last one left. Claiming that the Black Mage would seal her Goddess away, he asked her to surrender rather than throw her life away in vain. The Temple Keeper refused and foretold that the Demon would soon find himself in the same situation as her, to have his loved ones killed just as a means for someone else to fulfill their goals.
Undeterred by her words, the Demon struck her down before proceeding to confront Rhinne. Arkarium then blinded Rhinne, while the Demon stunned her in place, allowing the Black Mage to steal her Transcendent powers by using the Abyss Crystal, which had been formed with the power of darkness after his awakening as the dark Transcendent of Light. Using its ability to steal the power of divine beings, the Black Mage took the power of time from Rhinne and used it to seal her in ice within the Temple of Time.
(A/N: For a long time, there were two conflicting versions of the sealing of Rhinne. The Silent Crusade storyline shows that Rhinne was frozen in ice within the Temple of Time, much like the Heroes. However, Zero’s storyline shows that Rhinne was trapped in Mirror World. The Silent Crusade revamp revealed that Rhinne remained frozen within the temple until the Black Mage broke free from his seal, after which he recruited Will as a Commander and gave him ownership over Rhinne and her successor. With the power of time, Will recreated the dimension where Rhinne had hidden her child into Mirror World and split the child into two halves.)
As the Abyss Crystal would need to recharge for many years before it could be reused, the Black Mage decided to hide it in a secure location where no one could find it. With his new powers over time, the Black Mage opened a portal to a subspace that existed between Maple World and a parallel world called Friends World, which loosely mirrored the people and events of Maple World.
Though both Maple World and Friends World existed within the same dimension, a dimensional barrier separated the two worlds that made it impossible to travel between them. For this reason, the Black Mage stored the Abyss Crystal in the subspace between them, thereby ensuring that no one would be able to take the crystal before the time was right.
(A/N: The lore about the Abyss Crystal and the existence of Friends World as a parallel world in the dimension of Maple World came from the Heroes of Maple revamp. The Abyss Crystal was originally called the Transcendence Stone, and the Black Mage initially had no relationship to it, as he just took Rhinne’s powers directly, with the Transcendence Stone’s origins remaining shrouded in mystery. The Transcendence Stone was always said to have existed in Friends World, which was originally a separate dimension altogether, rather than a parallel world within the same dimension as Maple World.)
Soon after, the Black Mage sensed Tana’s existence in Kritias and recognized that she was a Transcendent of Light with the power of creation. In order to prevent her from escaping, he used Rhinne’s powers to travel back in time to Kritias of the past, moments after Hekaton’s Ascendency failed. He then ordered his forces to invade Kritias, ensuring that any trace of Tana’s existence would be erased in the siege, and finally sealed Kritias away into a pocket dimension, where time would stand still for its citizens until the time came for the Genesis Ritual.
However, using the stolen powers of another Transcendent caused the Black Mage to weaken. Furthermore, it caused an Interdimensional Portal to appear in Maple World. After conquering the Temple of Time, the Black Mage decided to set into motion the fateful events that would cause him to be sealed. He praised the Demon’s contributions in the battle while deliberately ignoring Arkarium’s efforts, knowing that it would make Arkarium jealous of his rival. While the Demon rested after the battle, the Black Mage ordered the other Commanders to destroy the rest of Ossyria.
Arkarium went to the southern region of Leafre, where he attacked the Demon’s family and killed his mother. This caused Damien’s latent demon powers to awaken, resulting in the destruction of their home. Impressed by his power, Arkarium convinced Damien to join him by claiming that it was Damien’s awakening that had resulted in his mother’s fatal wounds. He presented an illusion of Damien’s mother preserved in time and explained that only a Transcendent had the power to revive the dead. However, he also said that the Black Mage would have full control over the new Transcendent of Time after Rhinne and suggested that they could turn back time to revive his mother, but only if Damien swore his loyalty to the Black Mage.
With Damien as his underling, Arkarium hoped to use him as insurance against the Demon. When the Demon awoke after the battle, he heard the news of the attack on Leafre during a meeting and rushed to his home, only to discover that it was in flames. Furious that the Black Mage had broken his promise to leave his family alone, the Demon stormed into the Temple of Time. After running into his servant, a pure-blood demon named Mastema, he ordered her to deliver a letter to the Heroes that outlined his betrayal, as well as logistics of the troop deployment in the Temple of Time.
The Demon then headed to the Black Mage’s throne room, but was stopped by Arkarium outside the door. When Arkarium refused to step aside, the Demon began fighting against him. Before they could unleash their full power, the Black Mage opened the doors to allow the Demon entry, after which Arkarium left to go hunt down the Heroes. The Demon engaged in a fierce battle with the Black Mage and managed to destroy his protective barrier, but he was ultimately no match for his former master.
Meanwhile, Arkarium arrived to see Mastema delivering the letter to the Heroes. Arkarium attacked Mastema, who was gravely wounded, forcing her to take on the form of a cat in order to survive. Using the information from the Demon’s letter, the Heroes began formulating their strategy to invade the Temple of Time. However, Aran was soon wounded while protecting the survivors of the Commanders’ attack on Ossyria, leaving the remaining Heroes to plan their attack on the Temple of Time without her.
With the Black Mage’s enormous army of dark creatures quickly closing in on their location, the Heroes decided to evacuate the refugees to Victoria Island before facing the Black Mage. While Freud and Mercedes oversaw the evacuation, Phantom, Luminous, and the pirate hero pushed ahead to first deal with the Commanders.
Soon after, Aran awoke and found Freud and Mercedes finalizing the details of their plan. After hearing about the situation, Aran decided that she would stay behind and hold off the Black Mage’s army on her own, despite Freud and Mercedes’ protest that it would be nearly impossible for her to do so on her own. Nevertheless, Aran insisted that she would be able to handle it and promised to catch up to the others once the refugees had evacuated.
The Heroes then met with Athena Pierce and informed her about the plan, though a worried Athena noted that Aran was already injured. After Freud reassured Athena, he turned to Aran and told her that he had initially planned to send Aran to safety aboard the refugee ship, knowing how stubborn she was, though he told her that he trusted her to handle things on her own. Mercedes then asked Aran to keep Athena and the others safe before Freud teleported them to the Temple of Time.
Aran then single-handedly held off the Black Mage’s army, allowing Athena and the others to escape. After seeing that Aran had no intention of fleeing with them, Athena asked her to keep Mercedes and the other Heroes safe. Aran then rushed to the Temple of Time, where she began covering the other Heroes by holding the line, while Freud and Mercedes began facing the Black Mage.
Elsewhere, Phantom, Luminous, and the pirate hero began facing off against the Commanders, with Phantom breaking off in order to go after Lotus and Orchid. He engaged in a fierce battle against the twin Wing Masters and savagely attacked Lotus, putting him into a coma. As Phantom disappeared, Orchid vowed to revive Lotus and took his body away from the Temple of Time.
Meanwhile, Luminous and the pirate hero headed towards the Black Mage’s throne room when they were stopped by Guwaru. Just as they were about to fight, Magnus appeared from behind and stabbed Guwaru, absorbing the spirit magic inside of him in order to permanently lengthen his lifespan, which had been cut short by Kaiser’s attack. Declaring that he was done with Maple World, Magnus left and used the newly created Interdimensional Portal in order to return to Grandis.
The pair then entered the throne room, where they saw Afrien and Mercedes unconscious, and Freud heavily injured. Freud told them that the Black Mage’s power far exceeded their own, and that they could not hope to defeat him. Instead, he hoped to use the remaining Seal Stones in order to seal the Black Mage away by having them absorb the stolen Transcendent powers, thus creating a powerful Seal of Time, though he added that it was merely a theory, as the Seal Stones had never been used in such a way before.
He used a spell to freeze time, allowing Luminous to place the seals around the Black Mage. However, Freud then informed them that there was one more component needed to activate the seal: the time of one living person. After a heated argument, the pirate hero chose to become the sacrifice. His time was absorbed into the Seal Stones, causing all traces of him to vanish from memories, photographs, and any other object that proved that he once existed. However, as Freud had created the spell, he remained aware that some person must have been sacrificed in order to activate the seal, though all knowledge about the pirate hero, such as his name and appearance, had been erased from his mind.
Freud then told Luminous that in order to create the seal, they needed to force the Black Mage into drawing out his full power so that he would have no choice but to resort to using the Transcendent of Time’s power. After placing the spell on the Seal Stones, Freud undid the time freeze, and Luminous engaged in a fierce duel with the Black Mage. Luminous used the full extent of his light magic to counter the Black Mage’s dark magic, forcing the Black Mage to use the power of time. Immediately, the Seal Stones absorbed the stolen power and activated the Seal of Time.
(A/N: This is likely why the Black Mage chose to absorb Rhinne’s power in the first place, as he knew that doing so would result in him being sealed away, as well as ensuring that Freud would recreate the Seal Stones, which would one day give rise to an Adversary.)
As the Seal of Time began activating, the Black Mage attempted to shatter the seal. To prevent this from happening, Luminous charged forward to stop him. However, the physical contact between the Black Mage and the last remnant of his light resulted in a power transfer, and Luminous inadvertently absorbed a trace of the Transcendent’s dark power, turning one of his eyes crimson red. With the Black Mage sealed behind the Gate of the Present, the Heroes were summarily expelled from the Temple of Time and cast down from the sky into the burning land of Leafre. With the power of time sealed away with the Black Mage, the Interdimensional Portal in Maple World also disappeared.
PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
The Long Peace:
Before he was sealed, the Black Mage cast a final curse upon the Heroes, which slowly began freezing them in ice. Centuries in the future, after the Black Mage’s seal was already broken, Arkarium used his time magic to open a crack in time, allowing him to travel back to the moment after the Black Mage’s seal was created, hoping to kill the Heroes and the Demon while they were weakened from the battle.
Though Arkarium was able to find the Heroes collapsed across Leafre, he was unable to find the Demon, whom he particularly wanted to get his revenge on. Because of this, Arkarium hoped to go back even further in time to kill the Demon before he betrayed the Black Mage, thereby making it so that the Demon wouldn’t be able to weaken the Black Mage’s defensive barrier, which would cause the Heroes to fail and be killed easily.
However, Arkarium found the he was unable to go back any further, as Freud had used his own time magic to create a powerful Barrier of Time that would make it impossible to travel back in time any further than the moment the Black Mage’s seal was made, thus preventing any of the Commanders from stopping the Black Mage from being sealed.
Though Freud’s time magic was extremely powerful, his limitations as a mortal meant that the power of a Transcendent of Time could break through the barrier that he had created. As Rhinne and her child were already in the custody of Will - a future Commander recruited by the Black Mage centuries later, tasked with imprisoning the Transcendent of Time - Arkarium hoped to take Rhinne’s powers long before she would be given over to Will in his present day.
In order to the remainder of Rhinne’s Transcendent powers that the Black Mage hadn’t taken, Arkarium planned to break the seal on the Black Mage to reach the area where she had been sealed away, knowing that the Heroes were in no position to stop him. Soon after Arkarium traveled back in time, however, several agents of the Silent Crusade pursued him in order to prevent him from achieving his goals.
Amidst the ruins of Leafre, one Crusader began heading towards the Temple of Time when they ran into an unconscious Aran. The spirit of the polearm, Maha, explained that he was planning to transport Aran to the island of Rien in order to slow down the Black Mage’s curse. However, he told the Crusader that he was too weak to do so, as he had been damaged during the battle. After the Crusader helped repair Maha, the spirit used the last of his power to take his master to Rien.
As Aran had been gravely wounded in the battle, Maha suspected that she had not been able to shield her mind alongside her body, which would impair her memory. Because of this, Maha cast a spell to create a special mirror in Rien that could reflect one’s past, though only one with no darkness in their heart would be able to use it. After Aran was brought to Rien, the effects of her curse froze the entire island.
The Crusader then encountered Afrien, along with an unconscious Freud and Mercedes. Afrien was able to recognize that the Crusader had come from the future and explained that the Black Mage’s curse on the Heroes had also affected the Onyx Dragons, whom he had cursed after they had refused to side with him. As a result of the curse, the Onyx Dragons were destined to slowly die out and go extinct.
Afrien explained that he had taken Freud’s share of the curse in his place through the power of their Spirit Pact. He also told the Crusader that his child had been shielded from the curse within its egg, though the egg had been lost deep in the forest during the battle. The Crusader successfully returned the egg back to Afrien, who then asked for a final favor. He explained that Mercedes had been gravely injured, though she could survive with the Crusader’s help. With the Crusader’s consent, Afrien extracted a portion of their life force and created a crystal, which the Crusader then used to bring Mercedes back from the brink of death.
After helping Mercedes, the Crusader traveled to the Temple of Time, where the spirit of Rhinne asked them to stop Arkarium from breaking the Seal of Time. The Crusader proceeded through the Gate of the Present and found a clone of Arkarium conducting a magical ritual in order to destroy the seal. They successfully defeated Arkarium and forced to retreat before he could finish his task.
(A/N: This all happens during the Silent Crusade storyline when you travel back in time to stop Arkarium from breaking the seal on the Black Mage. This is also an instance of a causal loop, as the Crusader’s actions that shaped the past were what allowed for the future in which they exist to happen.)
Nevertheless, however, the Black Mage’s seal was weakened, with one of the Seal Stones cracking. As a result, the pirate hero momentarily flickered into existence, where he briefly appeared in the Black Mage’s throne room and saw both the Black Mage sealed away and the cracked Seal Stone before fading back out of existence into a space between dimensions, where he remained unconscious for centuries while the seal still held.
After the Crusader returned back to their own time, Mercedes awoke and spoke with Afrien, who warned that the Black Mage’s curse would affect her kingdom, as the destiny of the elves was tied to that of their ruler.
(A/N: This plot point was expanded on in the revamped Ellin Forest questline, eleven years later. It asserted that the destiny of any fairy ruler, regardless of their race, was tied to that of their subjects. In the game, there are three races of fairies: elves, sylphs, and nymphs. Sylphs are the fairies that you see in Ellinia, while nymphs are the long-winged fairies you see in Orbis, such as Kriel the Fairy.)
Mercedes rushed back to Elluel, where she found that her subjects were freezing in ice one by one. Before she succumbed to the Black Mage’s curse herself, Mercedes closed the borders of the kingdom to prevent the curse from spreading outside Elluel.
Meanwhile, Phantom attempted to flee the Temple of Time, though he, his staff, and the Lumiere itself were all frozen and crashed somewhere near the Rien Archipelago. Luminous, who used the last of his strength to keep the Black Mage from breaking the seal, was frozen within the Temple of Time. The Demon was severely injured from his battle with the Black Mage, and so he sealed himself away inside a protective egg in order to recover.
Soon after, Freud awoke and created the Barrier of Time to prevent time from flowing back any further than the moment the Black Mage’s seal was made. He then took Afrien to an isolated island near Rien. Having taken the curse in Freud’s place, Afrien slowly began to freeze over the years until the ice around him formed an enormous cave.
Over time, animals began to settle on the island and Afrien was forced to remain still so that he wouldn’t disturb the ecosystem developing around him. The island, far out of the way of normal sailors, would only be encountered by voyagers who had been thrown off course from storms. The few people who would encounter the island named it Turtle Island. When he was unable to move any longer, Afrien entrusted his egg to Freud, who hid it somewhere safe for the next Dragon Master to find.
Elsewhere, the divine beast of Ereve, Shinsoo, guided the way for Athena Pierce and the survivors of Leafre toward the southern plains of Victoria Island after the Heroes had left to confront the Black Mage. (A/N: The southern plains of Victoria Island are roughly where Henesys is. I wonder if Athena was hoping to take them to Elluel but just didn’t know where exactly it was since the whole area split from Ossyria.)
However, dragons attacked the airship and the refugees crashed in the middle of Ellin Forest instead. Cut off from the outside world, the refugees set up Altaire Camp and began the task of colonizing the dangerous forest. In spite of the many challenges that they faced, the refugees were able to push back the various monsters that attacked their camp and established a community. Among the refugees were Yuris and Tess, the wife and son of the great pirate Destonen. Yuris was pregnant with their second child, whom she decided to name Kyrin.
Soon after, the Fairy Queen Ephenia grew corrupted after her hatred for the humans who disrespected fairies was stoked by a mysterious black-robed man named Kirston, a follower of the Black Mage. Convinced by Kirston to follow the Black Mage and his ideals, Ephenia sought the destruction of all humans. Together, they conspired to kill the people of Altaire Camp by poisoning Ellin Forest with a toxin that contained the Black Mage’s power.
As a fairy ruler’s destiny was tied to that of their subjects, the fairies in the forest were also corrupted through their ties to the fallen Ephenia. Around this time, a mysterious traveler who claimed to have come from the future arrived in Altaire Camp. The traveler helped the refugees in their exploration of Victoria Island and managed to kill Ephenia, thus lifting the corruption in the forest.
(A/N: The lore of Ellin Forest was actually quite different before the game’s time-travel mechanics were established in the revamped storyline. In the original lore, Altaire Camp was helped by Kao, a mysterious stranger who disappeared soon after arriving on Victoria Island. Later on, Kao reappears and seemingly has no knowledge of their time in Ellin Forest. Kao is actually the player character from the future who fought the Black Mage in the Arcane River and lost. Hoping to change this future, Kao attempted to go back in time and warn their past self. This is where the Kao plotline gets messy because Kao is referenced in three places: Ellin Forest, the Temple of Time, and the original Explorer storyline.
What most people theorized was that Kao overshot and landed in Ellin Forest, where they lost their memories and became a refugee before they likely regained their memories. While attempting to go back to their own time, Kao likely lost their memories again and somehow ended up in the Temple of Time, where they became the amnesiac Temple Keeper that we know. Kao’s actions in Ellin Forest were what caused Tess in Ellin Forest to remember them, which is why Tess called the Explorer by the name “Kao” in the original Explorer storyline. Kao’s story was eventually reorganized and those references in Ellin Forest and the Explorer storyline were removed, with a precise timeline being established about Kao’s actions in the Arcane River and how they ended up going back in time through the Gate of the Past.)
Even though Altaire Camp was saved, Yuris succumbed to the poison and died shortly after giving birth to Kyrin. Meanwhile, Destonen found Kirston’s tent while exploring Victoria Island and found several research notes indicating that Kirston had grown enamored by the mystery of the Black Mage’s ideals and planned to revive him, believing that there was a chance that his sealing was not intentional.
He also learned that Kirston had uncovered a prophecy regarding the First Explorer, and that he was concerned that the power of the Adversary imbibed within the maple leaves would be an obstacle to the Black Mage’s revival. Suddenly, Kirston returned to the tent and cursed Destonen’s bloodline with a spell that would persist until the Black Mage’s death, which created a curse mark on Destonen’s face.
Destonen returned back to Altaire Camp and managed to explain what had happened to Athena Pierce and Tess before he passed away. Tess soon discovered that the blood curse had passed on to him and an infant Kyrin, with half of Destonen’s curse mark appearing on his neck and the other half manifesting on Kyrin’s hand. He also learned that the curse worsened the closer their proximity was. In order to save both their lives, Tess decided to leave Kyrin with Athena Pierce and went on a quest to find a way to break the curse.
(A/N: Destonen’s storyline diverges from his original lore here. What originally happened was that Destonen remains convinced that the Black Mage will return and leaves on a journey to find traces of him, never to return.)
During the war, Alicia had been severely damaged by the Black Mage after he had attempted to take her Transcendent powers, which had caused the World Tree to wither away. During the evacuation of Leafre, Athena Pierce secretly brought her along with the refugees. After they crashed on Victoria Island, Alicia helped the refugees set up Altaire Camp.
Soon after, she decided to keep her promise to see Ryude one last time and visited the Dragon Master’s Tower along with the Thorny Bear cub that Ryude had given her, which had grown up since then. She found Ryude’s frozen corpse still kneeling in place and told him that because of his sacrifice, brave heroes had gathered at the sight of the beacon and united together, eventually managing to seal the Black Mage.
She also told him that she herself had helped the Heroes after being moved by his bravery, though she dismissed it as merely an act of a mother protecting her children. Finally, she explained that his friend, Hazelle, had manually activated the explosives to trigger the avalanche that had held back Von Leon’s forces, which had resulted in his fiery death, and that Mylar had spent his life force in order to accelerate the beacon spell.
She gave a final farewell to Ryude and used her powers to scatter his body before setting the Thorny Bear free, telling it to live freely in the world that Ryude had given his life to save. She then brought his sword to the Tower of Oz in his memory, after which she returned to Victoria Island, where she created Root Abyss deep beneath the World Tree, hoping to seal herself away amidst the strong life energy in Sleepywood in order to recover from the Black Mage’s attack.
Meanwhile, with his old friends cursed in frozen slumber, Freud struggled to find his place in a world that was slowly evolving without him. Determined not to let his friends’ sacrifices be forgotten, he spent his time traveling the world, saving people from monsters and spreading the word of the Heroes who had stopped the Black Mage. One day, however, Freud witnessed a man rushing forward to defend his village alone, rather than running away. This made him realize that what the people needed were heroes of today, not memories of heroes past.
He decided to create a ring called the Sylph Ring, imbibing it with some of his powers and the memories of his friends. He passed it on to the hero whom he had seen defending his home in the hope that its power would serve as a faithful companion to him as Afrien did to Freud, and to ensure that the legacy of the Heroes would remain in Maple World.
However, Freud soon faced another problem. With the extinction of the Onyx Dragons, humans began hunting lesser dragon species in the hopes of claiming their powers, no matter how fractional compared to that of the Onyx Dragons. In an effort to help the persecuted dragons, Freud imbibed some of his power into the Sylph Pendant, which Afrien had given to him after forming their Spirit Pact. He gave the pendant to the dragons, hoping that it would protect them. However, when the dragons began to use the power of the Sylph Pendant to attack the humans, Freud sealed its power away until a worthy person could claim it.
Over time, Freud soon came to realize that despite the Black Mage’s sealing, darkness still lingered throughout Maple World. Though he continued to fight evil wherever he could, Freud ultimately concluded that peace could never truly return until the balance of the world was restored. For this purpose, Freud decided to seek out Alicia in Sleepywood, hoping that she could help him spread life energy throughout Maple World in order to revitalize the land.
In Sleepywood, Freud began searching for Alicia and soon encountered a barrier which she had constructed to keep out intruders. As he attempted to find a way to slip past the barrier, Alicia detected Freud’s presence and allowed him entry. Alicia noted her impressment with Freud, who had been able to detect her presence past the barrier. Freud replied that her energy was something that couldn’t be hidden easily, adding that he had been surprised to hear that she had slipped out of Altaire Camp.
He explained that he had feared that she had fallen into a trap like Rhinne had, to which Alicia replied that she had left because she believed that it would be better not to get involved with mortals anymore. She then began to say that there was one human who she wouldn’t have minded being around, though she quickly trailed off. Freud told Alicia that though he understood her feelings, he reminded her that the world needed her.
Alicia agreed and noted that she could still hear the voices of the countless lives who had lost their lives during the Black Mage’s war, adding that new life didn’t sprout overnight, either. She explained that in order to speed up the process, she would need to recover her strength as quickly as possible, which was why she had settled amidst Sleepywood’s powerful life energy at the center of Maple World.
Freud replied that he had surmised as much, and that he had also seen that she had little time left. His astute deduction surprised Alicia, who told him that there may never be a mage like him born again. She then told him that he was right and explained that in order to recover her powers, she would need to seal herself away in a deep slumber, though she had no idea when she would wake up. She noted that it could take a hundred years, or a thousand, and that the world itself may have fallen apart before she would awaken.
Freud told her that the world was already unstable, ever since the Heroes had sealed the Black Mage away, though he then wondered whether it had actually been when the Black Mage had attacked the Temple of Time and stolen Rhinne’s powers, or perhaps even before that. However, he explained that regardless, Maple World had fallen out of balance, which was why he had sought her out.
After a pause, Alicia admitted that in the past, she would have simply pretended not to notice, adding that perhaps she was simply unqualified to be a Transcendent. Nevertheless, Alicia agreed to help him and told him to find Abraxas, the Ruins of Memory, explaining that he would find his answer there. Freud thanked Alicia for her help, to which she told him to do everything he could, as she didn’t want to see any more lives stolen away. Freud reassured her that he would, as he and the other Heroes had already risked everything to keep Maple World safe.
Freud then told her that he would leave her to rest, adding that she would be safe as long as he remained the only person who knew her location. Just as her turned to leave, Alicia stopped him and asked him whether she could ask him one more favor. She explained that there was no guarantee that she would recover her powers in time, for which she asked him to find someone qualified to come see her when the moment would come.
However, Freud smiled and told her that there would be no need to find anyone, as he was certain that his friends would come see her, adding that no matter what, there would be a new hope in the future. Freud then took his leave, leaving Alicia to wonder whether he was referring to the six Heroes before silently thinking to herself that she hoped that they would return to save the world.
Following his conversation with Alicia, Freud traveled deep into the Nihal Desert and found the Sanctum of Abraxas, where he discovered that Abraxas was an Ancient God whose consciousness embodied the ruins themselves. Though Abraxas had been sealed away ages ago, a small trace of their power nevertheless manifested in the ruins, which actively observed and recorded the complete history of Maple World, accessible through a transference of knowledge from the magic infused within ancient tablets.
By studying the records left behind in the ruins, Freud was able to learn about the creation of the Abyss Crystal, as well as the fact that the Black Mage had hidden it away in a subspace between Maple World and Friends World. Realizing that the Black Mage would one day reclaim the Abyss Crystal and take Alicia’s powers, thereby destroying the balance of the world completely, Freud began making preparations to stop him.
As the subspace barrier prevented him from crossing worlds, Freud decided to make preparations to help the Heroes stop the Black Mage in the distant future. Freud cast an encryption spell upon the ruins in order to hide the history of the Abyss Crystal from all but his successor - the future Dragon Master.
After discovering that Abraxas’ true form was a massive airship, Freud hid Abraxas away so that the Heroes could use the Ancient God to travel to Friends World, leaving behind a copy of his consciousness to tell the Heroes everything that they would need. With Abraxas secured, Freud returned to Turtle Island and applied the same recording technique within the ruins of Abraxas, infusing his memories of the ruins into Afrien’s mark of the Spirit Pact, entrusting Afrien with passing on those memories to his successor.
With hope secured for the future, Freud continued working to secure a lasting peace in the wake of the Black Mage’s destruction until his death. Over time, the people of Maple World gradually began to rebuild their homes and develop new civilizations after the near extinction of their world. Though the threat of the Black Mage had passed, monsters still hounded the survivors. Because the Demon had served as a Commander, the people of Leafre developed a hatred for the demon race. They drove out the weak, peaceful demons who had left Tynerum in search of a better life, including Damien, and forced them to return to their homeland, where the pure-bloods subjected them to a brutal life of slavery.
(A/N: The Heroes of Maple blockbuster reveals that Damien was also forced to return to Tynerum. However, this might contradict the Damien webcomic commissioned by Nexon, which confirms that Arkarium recruited Damien immediately after Damien’s family home was destroyed. It’s possible that Arkarium sent Damien to Tynerum in order to grow stronger and to raise his demon army.)
On Maple Island, the First Explorer from eons ago had become a legend, inspiring many others to follow in his footsteps and become Explorers as well. The people built the towns of Amherst and Southperry centered around the Maple Tree which the First Explorer loved dearly, and it was there that the brave and adventurous would begin their journeys to become Explorers of Maple World.
Over the next few decades, the refugees who once struggled to maintain Altaire Camp began to expand their territory by driving away the surrounding monsters. A time of growth began, with all of Victoria Island slowly becoming settled. A powerful thief named Lohd, who had been one of the pioneers of Altaire Camp, helped found Kerning City and became the first Dark Lord.
Athena, having been entrusted with the Mistelteinn, was immune to the curse that had frozen the elves. (A/N: I wonder if the Mistelteinn is a relic of an Ancient God since it has the power to withstand a Transcendent’s curse.) However, with Elluel’s borders closed, she could not return to her kingdom. Eventually, she helped found the city of Henesys and became a prominent figure in the community. Crawls with Balrog, an infant refugee from a warrior tribe, would grow up to help found Perion, a barren land at the ruins of Sharenian, becoming its first chief and gaining the name Dances with Balrog. (A/N: It’s not explicitly confirmed that Crawls with Balrog is Dances with Balrog, but it’s heavily implied enough that I consider it to be canon.)
Over time, Ellin Forest gradually developed into Ellinia, a town populated by the Sylphs - one of the three species of fairies. (A/N: I’ve mentioned it before, but the other two races of fairies are the Nymphs of Orbis and the Elves of Elluel.) The Sylphs were distrustful of human beings, although the efforts of a magician called Grendel helped improve fairy-human relations.
In his youth, Grendel had experimented with dark magic while attempting to bring a straw doll to life. When he had accidentally cursed the doll instead, he dumped it in the forest. However, the Lupins who lived in the forest had come in contact with the doll, transforming them into Zombie Lupins. Grendel deeply regretted dabbling in dark magic and swore never to use it again. Over the years, he became extremely powerful and wise. As a wizard, he was capable of extending his lifespan far beyond the capacity of normal humans, although he could not prevent the effects of aging. This earned him the moniker Grendel the Really Old.
With Empress Aria having passed away with no children, the bloodline of the Empress had been severed. Though her niece was next in the line of succession, she had fled Ereve after the Black Mage’s attack and faded into obscurity. Without an Empress to claim the power of Shinsoo, Ereve grew weaker in both power and influence. (A/N: We see in Phantom’s storyline and Cygnus’ origin story that there was a Senate of Ereve. Most likely, they continued to pass laws in the Empress’ absence while keeping it hidden from the rest of Maple World that there was no ruling Empress.)
Even in spite of the Empress’ absence, however, the Knight of Light continued guarding the Seal Stone of Ereve, with their title and the Soul Shield passing down over generations. Gradually, an unprecedented peace began in Maple World, lasting for several centuries as civilizations began to rebuild and evolve. The powerful monsters throughout the world were hunted down, and as a result, the monster population grew significantly weaker.
The Shadow War:
Around 300 years ago, a mysterious war broke out in Maple World. Though nearly all details about its origins and history remained shrouded in mystery, it was rumored that Lotus, whose spirit was capable of leaving his comatose body and possessing others, may have been the cause. A tome called the Book of Ancient, filled with powerful forbidden spells, was used as a weapon during the course of the war.
The Noblesse who had sworn to uphold Shinsoo’s legacy fought alongside several others, such as Athena Pierce, in order to bring an end to the conflict. However, many Noblesse fell in battle during the war, bringing about their extinction. Over the next few centuries, few people would remember that such a war had even occurred.
Though the Noblesse had gone extinct, their ideals would be passed down over generations through their descendants, thus keeping a spark of their memory alive. A powerful wizard in El Nath, Alcaster, had been born shortly before the start of the war, making him one of the few in the present day who had personally lived through the conflict.
(A/N: The amount of lore that exists on this topic is microscopic. In fact, really the only information about this war 300 years ago is that it exists. The information about the Book of Ancient comes from the El Nath town quests, which have us go on a mission to help Alcaster seal the Book of Ancient. The original version of this quest should be familiar to people who played pre-Big Bang, as it involved a lot of back-and-forth travel across Maple World in order to gain access to Alcaster’s special shop that had objects like Magic Rocks and Holy Water.
That questline revealed that the Book of Ancient contained forbidden spells created by a person named Elmina, and that the war was when the four Wisemen of Victoria Island met - Athena Pierce, Dances with Balrog, Grendel the Really Old, and the Dark Lord. The lore about Elmina and the Wisemen was removed in the current iteration of the quest, which was shortened considerably, leaving only the lore about the Book of Ancient being used in the war.
From what I gather, mentions of this war have been around since the game was created. It’s possible that it was originally meant to be the war against the Black Mage, but Phantom’s storyline makes it clear that the battle against the Black Mage took place centuries before this one. He speculates that maybe Lotus had a hand in causing it, but then tells himself that he shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Additionally, although it’s not strictly canon, the MSEA localization for MONAD mentions that Skuas Fortress, which is the setting for Act 3, was an impregnable fortress instrumental in stopping the war 300 years ago. This reference, made in 2018, was the most recent mention of the war from 300 years ago until the Ignition update in 2022, which created the lore about the Noblesse and revealed that they had participated in the 300-year-old war, which had also resulted in their extinction.)
The Age of Monsters:
Though the mysterious war had ended, true peace never returned. Across Maple World, great monsters began to appear across the lands.
A war between the dragons of Leafre took place between the last two of the three Great Kings, Nine-Spirit and Horntail. (A/N: The third was Afrien.) To undermine Nine-Spirit’s rule, Horntail stole his egg and sealed the good king away. However, Horntail was gravely injured in the battle and retreated to the Cave of Life in order to recover, planning to one day use the egg to expand his rule beyond Leafre. Under his influence, all the lesser dragons were corrupted and became evil, while the Halflingers who served the dragons cowered in fear.
Deep in the mines of El Nath, there was a spirit named Zakum who was sealed in a tree. A mining town that once existed nearby eventually discovered this tree. At the time, Zakum was a peaceful spirit who had no enemies, but the greed of the miners corrupted it. As the corruption ran deeper, Zakum grew smarter and soon gained the power to control the town's populace. It forced them to build an enormous statue in tribute, after which it possessed the statue and eventually killed everyone in the town. Around the mine, all the trees in the forest began to wither under Zakum’s dark influence, which also caused the zombies of the dead townspeople to appear, who began to roam the Forest of Dead Trees.
Long ago, the King of Ludibrium had made a deal with the Goddess Rhinne to stop time in his kingdom, allowing his people to remain youthful forever. However, when time was attempted to be restarted for unknown reasons, cracks began appearing across spacetime, from which strange monsters appeared from another dimension. Among them was the evil Papulatus, whose influence turned the toys of Ludibrium into monsters. With the Dimensional Schism widening, more and more monsters began wreaking havoc across the kingdom.
A powerful being named Lord Balrog was an evil creature who threatened to destroy Maple World. According to legend, Balrog had been sealed away by the heroic warrior Tristan, though Balrog had sworn to one day return and rule Maple World. Tristan, Mu Young, the 7th Dark Lord Sung, and his apprentice Jin, had discovered that a mysterious threat had been destroying records of key events in Maple World, and so they had taken it upon themselves to stop it. Under the guise of hunting Balrog, the four tracked down the threat below the Cursed Temple.
Knowing that it had the power of possession, they shielded their minds to keep the enemy from possessing them. What they hadn’t anticipated was that Sung’s adopted daughter and Jin’s lover, Syl, had secretly followed them. Their target, who was the spirit of Lotus, took over Syl’s body and attacked them. Unwilling to strike her down, both Sung and Tristan allowed themselves to be killed by Syl before Jin wrested her sword out of her hands. After Lotus released her, she was horrified to see the bodies of her father and Tristan, as well as a bloody sword in Jin’s hands.
With no memory of her time being possessed, she concluded that Jin had killed Tristan and her father, and so she swore revenge against him. Jin became the 8th Dark Lord and Syl took to the shadows, adopting the title of Lady Syl and founding a rogue group of thieves called the Dual Blades, whose purpose was to overthrow the Dark Lord and seize control of Kerning City.
(A/N: A lot of the Balrog lore involving Tristan, Manji, and Mu Young is intertwined with the Dual Blade storyline. The original Dual Blade storyline has Sung going alone to fight Balrog while Tristan and Manji, not Mu Young, are occupied. Balrog transforms Sung into a monster and Jin has no choice but to kill his master. Syl believes that Jin had killed her father in order to take his place and forms the Dual Blades in revenge. Tristan and Manji then go on to seal Balrog, but Tristan dies and passes his sword on to Manji. The revamp for the Dual Blades came out in the same patch that Phantom was introduced, whose storyline involves Lotus possessing people and destroying historical records.
Likely, the overhaul on the Dual Blade storyline was meant to tie into the stuff with Lotus, but it also introduces a multitude of plot holes. If hunting Balrog was just a pretense for Tristan and the others, then there’s no explanation about how he gets sealed. Mu Young claims to be Tristan’s apprentice, even though Manji is Tristan’s apprentice and Mu Young is Manji’s. Mu Young claims that he wants to reseal Balrog to follow in his master Tristan’s footsteps, but as Mu Young was part of the expedition instead of Manji in the new storyline, he should have known that fighting Balrog was just a cover story. Since Manji was not part of the expedition, Tristan couldn’t have passed his sword onto Manji either. Ultimately, the changes to the Dual Blade storyline do more harm than good, as I feel that the Lotus tie-in really isn’t worth all these continuity issues.)
Kirston, the dark magician who helped Ephenia poison Altaire Camp, began researching relics of the Ancient Gods. In the ruins of Partem, he discovered a relic of an Ancient God and attempted to reproduce its power. As the relic had been created in the time before the Transcendents, he attempted to turn back time on the relic in order to reveal its full potential. However, the Barrier of Time created by Freud prevented time from going back any further than the moment the Black Mage’s seal was created, and the resulting failure placed a curse on the relic.
Empress in Training:
(A/N: This section covers the Empress in Training chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, as well as some background stuff set before it that establishes the formation of the Black Wings.)
Over the centuries, Orchid spent all her time trying to find a way to revive her comatose brother. Eventually, she came across Gelimer, a scientist who specialized in medicine and biotechnology. Many years before he met Orchid, Gelimer had planned to conduct experiments in order to create the ultimate being, for which he had kidnapped several children in Edelstein in order to use them as test subjects. Of these children, one had been stolen while coming home from playing with his friends, Claudine, Elex, Belle, and Brighton. This child was turned into an android named Xenon, after which he was conditioned and trained alongside another girl who had been turned into an android named Beryl.
When Orchid approached Gelimer, he was amazed at the perfect body that Lotus had been given by the White Mage. Though he promised that he would revive her brother, Gelimer secretly plotted to keep Lotus for himself and turn him into the ultimate android. Orchid then founded the Black Wings to carry out her plans and recruited members by claiming that she was planning to resurrect the Black Mage, who would grant them all their wishes.
In order to obtain a rich source of energy for Gelimer’s experiments, the Black Wings planned to take over the energy-rich city of Edelstein. Baroq the Master of Disguise transformed himself into the Council President in order to cripple the city’s government. The Black Wings then sent their forces in to swiftly conquer the city and take control of the rue mines. They held the city hostage by threatening to destroy their Power Plant, which would wipe out the entire town. Next, they forced the citizens into hard labor and installed patrol robots and watchmen to monitor for any dissent. They kidnapped the old Council President’s daughter, Gabrielle, and kept her as a hostage in the Verne Mine. Finally, they installed a puppet ruler named Anthony as the Council President, who cracked down on police activity and airport functions in the city.
With complete access to an enormous source of energy, Gelimer moved on to the next phase in his plan. He began experiments to create an augmented clone of Lotus’ body by making copies of his genetic code and splicing it with that of other creatures, magically enhancing the bodies with alchemy. However, while he conducted his genetic experiments publicly in the Verne Mine, they were merely for show, as he secretly funneled Black Wings resources into his own private research, creating a secret facility from which he conducted his android experiments away from Orchid’s prying eyes.
Gelimer also convinced Orchid to approve his Black Heaven project - a massive airship with which he would rain down bombs containing mind-controlling Rextoxin gas. By turning Lotus into an android, Gelimer intended to have him be the center of a hive-mind comprised of every human being in Maple World, thereby evolving humanity to the next stage by erasing the concept of emotion.
Over the centuries, the Black Mage’s seal began to weaken as a result of the cracked Seal Stone. Though this meant that the Black Mage would soon return, it also meant that the curse on the Heroes would weaken. The first hero to awaken from the ice was Luminous, who had been sealed alongside the Black Mage during the final battle. After escaping the Temple of Time, Luminous managed to arrive in the forests of Ellinia before passing out. After regaining consciousness, he was greeted by a young girl named Lania and her talking cat Penny.
When he asked her to take him to Elluel, Lania was confused, as she believed that Elluel was a fairy tale, along with the Black Mage. After learning that centuries had passed since the sealing of the Black Mage, Luminous realized that the world was at peace and decided to settle down. He accepted Lania’s offer to come live with her, and the two spent many happy years together.
(A/N: I really love Luminous and Lania’s father-daughter relationship, we don’t get to see too many of those in the game.)
With the Black Mage’s seal weakening, the pirate hero who had sacrificed his existence centuries ago awoke in a space between dimensions, where he saw a light emanating from a dimensional crack. Hearing someone crying out for help, the hero crossed between dimensions and appeared in Grandis, where he saw a tiger monster attacking a fox Anima girl named Moonbeam, whose parents had already been killed by the creature.
Though severely weakened, Shade attempted to save Moonbeam by standing between her and the tiger. As he collapsed from the tiger’s attacks, the guardian of the fox Anima, the Fox God, appeared and defeated the tiger before bringing the hero back to her domain above the clouds. With the hero having risked his life to protect a fox Anima, the Fox God vowed to protect him, in turn. Realizing that the hero’s existence was unstable and fading, the Fox God began to pour her power into him in order to stabilize his existence over the years, though at the cost of weakening her and forcing her into slumber for a long time.
On Rien, a small clan who still remembered the legend of the Heroes held faith that the lost hero, Aran, who remained frozen on the island, would one day awaken. Over the centuries, the Rien Clan continued passing down the prophecy of the Heroes’ return, though many slowly began to lose faith. One by one, the clan began to leave Rien until only two siblings, Lilin and Neinheart von Rubistein, remained.
Eventually, even Neinheart lost faith in the prophecy and decided that he would rather take fate into his own hands by finding the lost descendent of Empress Aria, who could then become the next ruler of Maple World. However, Lilin and Neinheart got into an argument over his decision, and when Lilin refused to abandon Rien and her faith in Aran’s return, Neinheart left her behind.
(A/N: This is where the Empress in Training chapter officially begins.)
After a long and difficult search, Neinheart succeeded in finding the descendent of Aria’s niece, a young girl named Cygnus. He brought her before the Senate of Ereve, hoping that they would recognize her as the heir to Ereve. Cygnus explained that though she was unsure whether she was part of the Empress’ bloodline, her departed mother had told her that their ancestors had come from Ereve.
Despite Cygnus’ uncertain tone and bearing, the Senators immediately knew the truth about her ancestry, as the natural elegance of an Empress could not be hidden. The elders then gave Neinheart one year to prepare her for her responsibilities as Empress, after which they would give their decision. In order to help prepare Cygnus for her evaluation, Neinheart summoned a wandering warrior who owed Neinheart a life debt. (A/N: This is the protagonist of the Empress in Training chapter of the Grand Athenaeum that you play as.)
Though the warrior was reluctant to help, upon seeing how young and innocent Cygnus was, they believed that they had no choice but to stay. During the spring, Neinheart focused on teaching Cygnus about the common sense and knowledge needed to become Empress, for which he sent the warrior to meet a dragon named Nix in Minar Forest. In exchange for eliminating some of the monsters in the forest, Nix gave the warrior a book that had been handed down since Empress Aria’s time, as well as a monocle for Neinheart, jokingly claiming that as a fellow bookworm, Neinheart would need it.
With the book, Neinheart began teaching Cygnus about the principle of ruling, not dominating, which came from exerting a ruler’s absolute authority only when all their subjects consented. Over the months, the warrior watched Cygnus grow in insight, occasionally even surpassing the elders with her wisdom. Nevertheless, the warrior couldn’t help but note that Cygnus was still quite young.
In the summer, Neinheart decided to focus in improving Cygnus’ charm and elegance. He sent the warrior to Kimu, who decided to make her a new dress. He explained that Ereve had always used special materials for the Empress’ dress, as simple fabric and dye couldn’t express her mystical and graceful nature. In order to collect the materials, the warrior traveled to Aqua Road and collected white, green, and black pearls, which Kimu used to make a magnificent new dress for Cygnus.
Though Cygnus continued learning and growing, she unexpectedly fell ill in the autumn. Neinheart sent the warrior to meet with Kiridu, who instructed them to obtain medicine from Mr. Do in Mu Lung. Mr. Do was surprised that an envoy of Ereve was searching for children’s medicine, as there were no children in Ereve. The warrior managed to change the subject and convinced Mr. Do to help. After the warrior obtained Glowing Antlers and Bellflower Roots, Mr. Do made the medicine, which the warrior brought back to Ereve.
Upon taking the medicine, Cygnus immediately felt better, to which Neinheart told her that they would spend the rest of the season on her recovery, as taking care of herself was also a crucial skill as an Empress. Cygnus then confessed that she was having doubts on her ability to become Empress, noting that if the Empress’ bloodline hadn’t been cut short, she would be living a normal life, though everything had changed when Neinheart had found her.
Though she knew that it was something that she had to face, she wondered whether someone as weak as her could take on Maple World’s destiny, as even thinking about it made her feel helpless. She then apologized for pulling the warrior and Neinheart down when everyone was working so hard for her, as she knew that she didn’t have a choice on the matter when she was the last of her bloodline.
However, Neinheart replied that she didn’t have to become Empress if she didn’t want to. He explained that he was speaking from his heart when he said that he believed that everyone had the right to choose their own destiny. He told Cygnus that in his hometown of Rien, a prophecy had been handed down to their clan about a hero returning to fight against the Black Mage. However, the prophecy had never come true, and many of the Rien Clan had left one by one, leaving only himself and his sister.
He recalled how Lilin had believed that he was simply running away like everyone else, though Neinheart had insisted that he was merely finding another way, as he had strongly believed that he could trace the Empress’ descendants through research. Though he had asked her to come with him, Lilin had refused, claiming that she didn’t need him, as she would wait for the true hero, Aran. After Neinheart had left, she had shouted that she would never call him brother again.
Neinheart told Cygnus that though he had left Rien and Lilin behind, he didn’t regret it at all, as he had chosen her, not the hero. He explained that everyone needed to make their own destiny, as no one could force the other, even by putting a grand reason like ‘saving the world’ on it. He claimed that he had rejected the prophecy and had chosen another path, and that if Cygnus chose not to be Empress, he would simply find another path, as he sought the end of the Black Mage, which was his choice, and no one else’s. He then left Cygnus to ponder his words.
Over the next few months, the warrior noted that Cygnus was often sick, and that it always took her a long time to recover. Meanwhile, in Edelstein, Black Wings henchmen reported to Orchid that an envoy of Ereve had sought out children’s medicine. In the winter, Neinheart noted that the final season was upon them before Cygnus’ evaluation.
He told the warrior that he wished them to find the Flower of Fate, which was often a knight’s token of loyalty to his lady in romantic stories, as he believed that it would empower Cygnus with strong will. The warrior obtained the flower in the mountains of El Nath and presented it to Cygnus, who was touched by the gesture.
At the end of the year, Cygnus was brought before the elders, who questioned her about her lessons. They asked Cygnus whether she was ready to shoulder the burdens of being the Empress, warning her that not only would her health deteriorate while absorbing the power of Shinsoo, but that there would also be many assassination attempts on her life, not to mention the constant struggle of having the entire world depend on her leadership.
Before Cygnus could respond, word arrived that the Black Wings had invaded Ereve, as the kingdom's borders were weak without an Empress to use Shinsoo's power. Cygnus resolved to take on the responsibility of being the Empress and accepted Shinsoo's power, declaring that it was a choice that only she could make. With her leadership, the wandering warrior and the army of Ereve successfully repelled the Black Wings' invasion and Cygnus was crowned the next Empress of Maple World.
(A/N: Given that Shinsoo is an Ancient God who remains awake in the age of the Transcendents, it’s possible that the reason why Shinsoo needs an Empress to accept her power is because the power of the Transcendents is suppressing her, meaning that she needs to give that power to a vessel in order to use. Shinsoo’s power being the power of a god is likely also why the Empress struggles with absorbing such immense power until her body becomes strong enough to handle it fully.)
With word of her victory spreading, Maple World grew aware that a new Empress had been crowned, and that she had successfully demonstrated her strength by defending Ereve in crisis. With their debt repaid, the warrior took their leave and returned back to a life of adventure. Meanwhile, Cygnus hoped to grow their forces in order to defend Maple World against the Black Wings and the Black Mage’s return.
The Knights of Cygnus:
(A/N: As of Ignition, Mihile’s storyline has been completely revamped and has no traces of the original plot. You can find the original storyline in the pre-Destiny page. In short, the original story is that he had grown up as the nameless assistant to Mr. Limbert, an abusive shopkeeper. Eventually, he was discovered by Cygnus and Neinheart, who told him that he was the son of Chromile, the Knight of Light. Cygnus then gave him the name ‘Mihile’, meaning ‘Born of Light’.
During his training, he learned that as an infant, he and his mother had been kidnapped by several unnamed assailants, who had forced Chromile to choose between saving Mihile or his wife. Chromile had chosen to save Mihile at his wife’s insistence, resulting in her death. Chromile had fallen into depression and had left Mihile behind with Limbert before going to Sleepywood, never to be seen again.
I was a bit disappointed that this revamp didn’t answer the question of Chromile’s fate, nor did it keep the backstory of how Mihile got his name or what its meaning was. However, the revamped story does tell a complete story and surprisingly has no canon inconsistencies, which is a lot more than what I had expected, and so I’m okay with what we got.)
After having struggled to repel the Black Wings’ invasion, Cygnus realized that Ereve lacked the military strength needed to protect Maple World. To remedy this, her first act as Empress was to create the Cygnus Knights, an order of knights that would defend the people of Maple World from the Black Wings and other threats. As they slowly began to raise their forces, Neinheart told Cygnus that according to historical records, there existed a Guardian Stone known as Shinsoo’s Teardrop, whose power had once protected Ereve. (A/N: Shinsoo’s Teardrop is another name for the Seal Stone of Ereve.)
He believed that obtaining the jewel would help strengthen her legitimacy as Empress. However, he noted that its whereabouts were unknown, as its guardian, the Knight of Light, had been missing for many years. Neinheart explained that the Knight of Light reportedly held some connection to Shinsoo’s power, and that tracking down the Knight would allow them to recover the jewel in the process.
Meanwhile, on a remote farm somewhere in Maple World, a young boy named Mihile was reading about the Knight of Light, the only one who had the power to wield the Soul Shield. It was said that only when the Knight of Light awakened their true power could they bring out the Soul Shield’s light. According to legend, the Soul Shield contained a mysterious jewel called Shinsoo’s Teardrop, which held the collective will of its land’s people, and which was capable of granting any wish.
As he read about the Soul Shield, Mihile reminded himself that he needed to become the Knight of Light and obtain the jewel in order to bring his brother back to life, which would heal the hurt in his father’s heart. He looked up at the Soul Shield hanging from the wall of his room and recalled how his father had told him that it had faintly lit up the first time that Mihile had touched it.
Though his father had faith that he would awaken as the Knight of Light, Mihile wondered why the Soul Shield had not responded to him since, and he wondered whether he had not been training hard enough. However, he reminded himself not to be impatient, as he was sure that he would achieve his goal one day, recalling how his father would say that effort would never betray him.
Ready to begin his daily training, he pulled out his sword from his trunk when he accidentally dropped an old photograph of his father and his older brother, who had died before Mihile had even been born. Though he had never met his brother before, Mihile missed him all the same and hoped to one day extract the jewel and use its power to wish his brother back to life. Mihile then went downstairs and greeted his father, Atan. (A/N: This isn’t his real father, but Mihile doesn’t know that he’s adopted.)
Atan was pleased that Mihile had gotten up early for his training, though he warned his son not to push himself too hard. Before training, Atan reminded Mihile of the Three Sacred Rules: first, to recognize the truth and stand by it; second, to respect and defend those weaker than them; finally, to take special care to protect loved ones above all.
Atan then sent Mihile to train on the Field Mice and Wild Pigs before sending him to face the Glutinous Rice Sparrows, warning him to be careful of the Stray Dogs. At the outskirts of the Rice Sparrow territory, Mihile noticed a Stray Dog in the area and decided to keep away, instead choosing to finish his training and return back home. When he told Atan about the Stray Dog, his father recommended that he stay indoors for the time being. Soon after, however, Mihile noticed that the photograph of his brother had fallen out of his pocket while training. Against his father's warning, Mihile went outside to search for it.
At the Rice Sparrow hunting grounds, he successfully found the photograph, but quickly realized that there were no sparrows around. Suddenly, a Stray Dog that was wandering nearby charged in to attack. With no other options, Mihile faced the dog and defeated it. He noted that despite how terrifying the Stray Dogs seemed, he had been able to defeat one with relative ease, making him wonder whether he had gotten stronger. He then headed back home and ran into his father. After Mihile explained what had happened, Atan forbade him from training outdoors for a while, as the Stray Dogs were becoming increasingly more commonplace and he was worried for Mihile’s safety.
Mihile was dejected, as his training had been suspended many times in the past because of the Stray Dogs. However, he noted that he had been able to face them this time, and so he wondered whether he could grow even stronger by training against them. He appealed to his father, reminding him how it had always been their dream for him to activate the Soul Shield and revive his older brother.
He explained that he needed to face stronger enemies if he had any hope of unlocking his true power. However, Atan replied that Mihile had been fortunate enough to have only faced one Stray Dog, as he would have been in deep trouble if he had faced a pack, as the Wild Dogs so often hunted in. Mihile protested that he could handle their numbers, but Atan told him that packs were much bigger than he thought, added that he didn't want to lose another child.
Atan then asked Mihile why he wanted to become a Knight of Light. Mihile began to reply that he wanted to bring back his older brother for his father’s sake, but he then shook his head and instead replied that he wanted to do it in order to make his family happy again. Atan then asked whether Mihile thought that he would be happy if his son were to get in danger.
Mihile grudgingly acknowledged his father’s point, to which Atan told him that though he understood Mihile’s feelings, he requested that Mihile listen to him. Mihile returned back to his room, where he told himself that his father was right, despite the fact that he felt as though his father’s worry was holding him back.
The next day, Atan told Mihile that he would be away from home for a while. Mihile recalled how his father would often be away from home on secret business. When he asked whether he could know more, Atan laughed that he still couldn't say, though he reassured Mihile that it was all for his sake. However, he added that he had something to say before he left, explaining that he wanted to reveal the truth about how Mihile's brother had died. He explained that he had initially claimed that Mihile’s brother had died in a farming accident shortly after taking the photograph that Mihile carried. However, he revealed that the truth was that his son had been killed by a monster that was similar to the wild Stray Dogs.
Atan explained that he had been teaching his son how to wield a sword, despite his young age. When he had heard his son’s screams, he had rushed to the scene, only to find both his son and the wild dog dead. He added that it was maddeningly frustrating that despite all his strength, he had been able to do nothing for his son.
He then told Mihile that he was the most precious thing that Atan had, perhaps even more precious than getting his son back, and that the reason why he kept Mihile from leaving the house was because he was afraid of losing his child. He added that he would always put Mihile first, as he would never place his younger son in danger just to revive his older one. He then reminded Mihile to stay safe at home while he went on his mission.
Several days later, Mihile went out to train, keeping his father's words in mind about not straying too far. While training on the Field Mice, he heard a girl cry out for help. He rushed to where the cries were coming from and found Cygnus surrounded by a pack of Stray Dogs. The dogs heard him approaching and immediately turned to face him.
After he defeated the entire pack, he went to check on the girl. Noticing that her leg was injured, he offered to take her back to his house for first-aid. As the two came in contact, however, the Soul Shield immediately lit up. Suddenly, Neinheart rushed to the scene and asked Cygnus whether she was okay. Mihile was surprised to hear that Neinheart was calling her an Empress, as he didn't expect the ruler of Maple World to be a little girl around his age.
(A/N: I always assumed that Cygnus was around 7-8 and Mihile was around 13-14 when they first met, but this might mean that either Cygnus is older than I thought or Mihile is younger.)
Cygnus reassured Neinheart that she was alright, after which he thanked Mihile for his timely intervention. Cygnus then told Neinheart that she believed that Mihile was the Knight of Light whom they had been searching for, as she had felt the power of light emanating from him when they had made contact, which she noted was the same energy as Shinsoo. Neinheart then formally introduced Cygnus and himself, and Mihile did the same.
(A/N: Neinheart is a lot more cordial with Mihile in the revamp compared to the original one, in which he frequently treats Mihile like a moron out of a sense of elitism, which is dumb because Neinheart is a self-made man and he should likely value that quality in others as well.)
Mihile then asked what they were doing in such a remote area, far from any towns. Neinheart replied by asking whether Mihile had ever heard of the Knight of Light and judged from the boy’s reaction that he had. He revealed that they were searching for the Knight of Light, the protector of the Empress, as the Knight of Light had been absent for quite some time. Mihile was surprised, as his father had never mentioned that the Knight of Light defended the Empress.
Neinheart then asked Mihile to come with them to Ereve, where he would explain more details and begin Mihile’s training to awaken the Knight of Light's power. Mihile was conflicted and asked for some time to make a decision. Cygnus told him that she could feel the power of light within him and hoped that they could unlock it together, though she added that she would respect his choice either way.
Mihile realized that following Cygnus would lead him closer to awakening the Soul Shield, but he also recalled how his father had told him to stay home. Nevertheless, he was sure that Cygnus held the key to awakening his power and told himself that if his father had known that envoys of Ereve had come, then he certainly would have given his permission. He decided to write a letter to his father explaining where he had gone, after which he followed Neinheart and Cygnus to Ereve.
As Mihile stared in awe at the new sights before him, Neinheart told him not to stare at the Piyos, explaining that it was impolite. He then explained that the Piyos were the native race of Ereve. Mihile and the Piyos exchanged greetings, after which Neinheart told them that Mihile was the Knight of Light, and that he would be training to awaken his powers.
A Piyo elder took a close look at him and noticed that he seemed very familiar. She then asked Mihile whether his father was Chromile. Mihile replied that his father's name wasn't Chromile, to which the elder explained that Chromile had been the last Knight of Light, and that he had a single son who would have been Mihile's age by now. Neinheart pointed out that the Knight of Light was not a hereditary title, to which the elder apologized for her mistake and wished Mihile well on his mission.
The three then made their way to Shinsoo, whom Neinheart explained had been the protector of Ereve since the time of the first Empress, with her power being manifested through all the Empresses of old. He then told Mihile that protecting Ereve was their current goal by forming the Cygnus Knights, as historically, the Knight of Light had been the only guard for the Empress, with the title passing down over generations. Mihile was unsettled by how much his father hadn't told him and he began to wonder why, as all he had been told was that the Knight of Light was the only one capable of extracting the jewel within the Soul Shield, not that they were sworn to defend the Empress.
Neinheart then went on to explain that the Knight of Light had a second, secret mission, which was to protect Shinsoo's Teardrop, a gem said to have great power. Though the exact nature of the power was unknown, Neinheart explained that it was undoubtable that the gemstone had great influence in protecting Ereve.
He added that even before Cygnus had become Empress, generations of Knights of Light had continued protecting the gem over the centuries. He then told Mihile that despite him having the power of light, he had not yet awakened, and he would likely not do so by training alone, as the Knight of Light’s power manifested while serving the Empress. Mihile agreed and proceeded to undergo the same test that all Cygnus Knights applicants went through, which was to collect a Knight Emblem from the monsters in the First Drill Hall, after which he became an official Cygnus Knight.
Mihile then began to gather his thoughts, realizing that the Knight of Light's purpose was to guard the Empress, not to wield great power as his father had told him, with even the jewel within the Soul Shield functioning as a guardian power for Ereve, not for granting wishes. He then wondered whether he would be able to both protect Cygnus and make his father’s wish come true, though he decided that for now, he would keep on training so that he could fulfill his father’s dream.
Neinheart soon decided to tell Mihile about the last Knight of Light, Chromile. He explained that Chromile's name had appeared the most during his research into the Knight of Light, as he had been an example of a perfect knight and a role model to others. However, a mysterious assailant had killed him, along with his wife and son, because of a grudge that they had carried against Chromile. Neinheart then showed Mihile a photo of Chromile and his family, which Mihile found vaguely familiar, recognizing that he looked just like Chromile.
Elsewhere, Atan returned back home and was shocked to find Mihile's letter. Upon reading it, he was outraged to learn that Mihile had left for Ereve. Soon after, Neinheart told Mihile that one of Empress Aria's keepsakes had gotten lost in Perion while being transported, and so he sent Mihile to recover it. (A/N: There’s a good chance that this keepsake is Aria’s diary, which Cygnus eventually gives to Phantom. This quest also happened to carried over from Mihile’s original storyline.)
After he recovered it from the Stumps, he brought it to 10 Boogies, who introduced herself as a new informant. She thanked Mihile for recovering it, as she was too afraid of the monsters to do it herself. Mihile reassured her that bravery didn’t mean not being scared, but rather, it meant knowing that something was scary and doing it anyways. 10 Boogies thanked him for his insight, after which Mihile began heading back to Ereve.
Meanwhile, a hooded Atan stormed Ereve and fought through the Cygnus Knights, claiming that he had come to take back something that belonged to him. Soon after, Mihile returned to Ereve and learned from Kidan that an assailant was after the Empress. He rushed to the Empress' Resting Spot, where he found a lone Neinheart standing between the assailant and Cygnus.
The assailant asked what they were trying to do by taking Mihile, and whether they were planning to use the jewel within the Soul Shield to make a wish for Ereve to return its former glory. Cygnus was surprised that Atan believed that Shinsoo’s Teardrop was capable of granting wishes and assured him that they had no such designs, as all she wanted was to awaken the Knight of Light, whose duty was to protect the Empress, Ereve, and Maple World. However, Atan merely pointed his blade at her and demanded to know where Mihile was. (A/N: What exactly is Shinsoo doing here besides sleeping? This is the real reason why Aria died.)
As Atan swung his blade, Mihile rushed between them and raised the Soul Shield, which gleamed with a brilliant light. It deflected Atan's sword, throwing off his hood and revealing his face, though the Soul Shield broke in the process. (A/N: This feels weird because there's a broken Soul Shield NPC on the ground, but we still have our secondary weapon Soul Shield equipped.)
Mihile was shocked to see his father, but Atan merely smiled warmly and congratulated Mihile for awakening his power. He then told Mihile to use his new power and extract Shinsoo's Teardrop from within the Soul Shield so that he could wish upon it to revive his brother. However, Mihile angrily confronted him about all the people he had hurt during his siege on Ereve.
An irritated Atan asked Mihile how he could care about the lives of strangers over his own brother. Reminding Mihile about the reason why he had become a Knight of Light in the first place, Atan asked him to extract the jewel, claiming that he was very proud of him. When Mihile hesitated, however, Atan expressed his disappointment in Mihile, claiming that he had always trusted Mihile to see their mission through before wondering what the people of Ereve had done to him.
As Cygnus and Neinheart urged Mihile not to hand the jewel over, Atan reminded him about the Three Sacred Rules and asked which of them was the most important, to which Mihile grudgingly replied that it was to protect loved ones above all. Neinheart interrupted and reminded Mihile that Shinsoo's Teardrop was meant to protect Ereve, not to just give away to anyone, but an angry Atan stopped him and explained that he wasn’t merely ‘anyone’, adding that Mihile considered him more important than anyone else.
He then told Mihile that Neinheart and Cygnus were trying to break their family apart and urged him to protect his loved ones above all else. Realizing that his father was right, Mihile reluctantly extracted Shinsoo’s Teardrop from within the Soul Shield. As Neinheart attempted to stop him, Atan slashed him with his sword, causing Neinheart to collapse in pain.
Cygnus begged Mihile to reconsider, to which Mihile suddenly recalled the Second Sacred Rule, which was to always defend the weak. He pointed out that Atan had attacked the Cygnus Knights, Neinheart, and even the Empress, despite them all being weaker than him, and asked him how he could justify it.
Atan replied that their weakness was merely a plot for sympathy, explaining that they wanted to brainwash Mihile into using his power for their own gain. He then reminded Mihile of the First Sacred Rule, to recognize and stand by the truth, causing Mihile to realize that the Empress’ claim that the Knight of Light’s duty was to protect her seemed too convenient for it not to be a lie. Believing that his father was right, Mihile handed over Shinsoo’s Teardrop to Atan, despite his sense of uneasiness. Atan then prayed to the Goddess to revive his only son, but when the jewel refused to heed his wish, he grew angry and demanded to know why all his pain and efforts weren’t enough.
(A/N: Atan prays to the Holy Goddess of Light, which might be another way to refer to the Goddess of Maple World. It could also be an entirely separate deity from local folklore that Atan believes in. The reason why his wish isn’t granted is because the Seal Stones can only grant the wish of a population, not an individual.)
As Atan collapsed in disbelief, Mihile rushed over to check on his father. However, Atan furiously told Mihile to get out of his sight, and to never call him ‘father’ again, claiming that only one boy ever had the right to call him ‘father’, and that it wasn’t the son of a worthless knight. Upon seeing Mihile’s confusion, Atan laughed that he had raised a loyal and foolish child, and that it had been worth taking Mihile into the remote mountains to bring up.
Suddenly, the wounded Piyo elder arrived and recognized the unhooded Atan as the student whom Chromile had expelled, adding that Chromile had been right to do so. However, Atan challenged her claim before turning to Mihile and revealing the truth. He explained that he had been searching for a long time in order to find a way to revive his only son.
Eventually, he had discovered the existence of Shinsoo's Teardrop and its power to grant any wish. As only the Knight of Light had the ability to extract it, he had gone in search of Chromile. After having become Chromile's student, Atan had tried his hardest as a low-born to become a candidate for the next Knight of Light, but Chromile had never once considered him.
Eventually, he had attempted to steal the Soul Shield when Chromile had discovered him. Atan had asked Chromile why he had never once allowed him to even hold the Soul Shield when so many others had been permitted in order to see if it reacted to them. Chromile had then told him to consider the difference between him and the others.
When Atan had remained silent, Chromile had told him that he ought to have known the answer by then, but the fact that he still hadn’t meant that he never would. He had then ordered Atan to lay down his sword and return home, adding that both he and everyone else had known about Atan’s obsession with the Soul Shield from the start.
Chromile had then told Atan that there was no light to be found in that obsession, neither in the shield nor Atan’s heart, but only darkness. He had added that there was a better path for Atan elsewhere before expelling him. However, Atan had begged Chromile to at least let him use Shinsoo's Teardrop first, as his only wish had been to bring back his son who had died at a young age. Though Chromile had sympathized, he had explained that he could not grant Atan's request, as Shinsoo's Teardrop could not and should not be used for the wish of a single individual.
(A/N: Atan likely interpreted this in a “it shouldn’t be used selfishly” sort of way, rather than it literally meaning that it fundamentally is incapable of granting an individual’s wish.)
Infuriated, Atan had formulated a plan to steal the Soul Shield while Chromile had gone away on a trip with his family. One night, he had broken into the house where they were staying when he had come across an infant Mihile sleeping in his cradle. While searching the room, however, Chromile's wife, Rikella, had entered and turned on the light. (A/N: GMS localized her NPC’s name as Rikella, but they call her Ricella in the dialogue.)
Atan had drawn his sword and ordered her to give him the Soul Shield in exchange for Mihile's safety. Rikella had reluctantly handed over the shield, but when it had come into the proximity of Mihile, a great flash of light had emanated from it. Furious, Atan had struck down Rikella, just as Chromile had rushed into the room. Atan had then told Chromile that he had found it surprising that Chromile had a son, and yet he still had not been able to empathize with Atan’s situation.
He had then threatened to kill Mihile unless Chromile extracted Shinsoo's Teardrop. Chromile had attempted to reason with Atan, asking whether his son would thank him for bringing him to life at the cost of having taking someone else’s. He had added that though he had stopped Atan from becoming a knight, Atan himself had chosen not to be a man that his son would have been proud to call ‘father’. He had then told Atan that even if he were to obtain Shinsoo's Teardrop, Atan’s wish would never come true.
Atan and Chromile had then begun to fight, which had resulted in a scar on Atan's right eye. However, he had noticed that Chromile had briefly paused when Mihile had begun crying, giving him the opening needed to fatally wound Chromile. In his last moments, Chromile had dragged himself painfully across the floor in order to check on Mihile before passing away.
Atan had then taken the Soul Shield, but knowing that he could not take the jewel himself, he had decided to take Mihile and raise him in the hope that he would one day become the next Knight of Light, making up a story about his son being Mihile's older brother in order to motivate him to use the gemstone. He had burned the scene of the accident in order to cover up all traces of Chromile and had released trained hunting dogs around the countryside in order to keep Mihile from leaving.
Having told his story, a defeated Atan told Mihile that he had wasted decades of his life and had spilled gallons of blood over a useless rock. The Piyo elder called Atan a monster, but Neinheart replied that Atan was even lower than that, having murdered an innocent family and kidnapped their child. However, Atan replied that the blame lay not with him, but the one who had made up the story of Shinsoo’s Teardrop being able to grant wishes. (A/N: Quality gaslighting.) Atan looked around and noticed Kidan, calling him a poor head of security whose entire force couldn’t even stop one person, and Neinheart, whom he called a bookworm who could barely lift a book. However, he claimed that the blame lay with none but Cygnus.
Though he acknowledged that she herself had not started the story, he nevertheless believed that she should have known, and that it was time to harvest the seeds that her ancestors had sown. He then added that if she believed it to be unfair, then she could blame her ancestors when she met them in the afterlife.
Before he could strike, however, Mihile rushed in front of Cygnus and parried Atan’s blow. He asked Aran whether the story was true, to which Atan pointed out the First Sacred Rule to always recognize the truth. He then mockingly claimed that his story had been a lie, and that Mihile really was his dear son. Upon seeing Mihile’s face, Atan laughed and called him a weakling, pointing out how Mihile would believe anything when shown any affection at all.
Atan then ordered Mihile to leave his sight, but Mihile refused and fought back against him. As their battle continued, Atan was surprised to find that Mihile was glowing with light, despite the Soul Shield being broken. Mihile slowly drove Atan back to the edge of a cliff, which he suddenly fell off. To his shock, however, Mihile grabbed his hand to stop him from falling.
A confused Atan demanded to know why Mihile had saved him, even after killing his family and lying to him, to which Mihile called him ‘father’, claiming that Atan was the only family that he had. He explained that though he would never trust him or even look at him again, he would never let Atan die in front of him.
Atan was overwhelmed by the fact that the child whom he had never considered a son would still save him. He then wondered whether Chromile had been right all those years ago about him being an unworthy father. Filled with remorse, he let go of Mihile's hand and allowed himself to plummet to his death, hoping that he could be with his son at last.
As Cygnus and Neinheart rushed to the scene, Mihile lamented that with Atan’s death, he no longer had a family or a home anymore. He turned to Cygnus and noted the irony that the man who had always told him to recognize the truth had kept it from him for so long. He told Cygnus that he had no idea what the truth was anymore, claiming that he wasn’t even a proper knight anymore, but just a fool with a broken shield.
However, Cygnus told him that he had always been a true Knight of Light, claiming that even when he hadn’t known true from false, he had still known right from wrong. She added that he had stood between her and a killer’s sword, and he had even tried to save Atan, despite knowing all that he had done. She explained that he had the heart of a great protector, and that she, Ereve, and Maple World needed people like him.
Regarding the shield, Cygnus asked him whether he could feel its light. A confused Mihile looked at the broken Soul Shield, from which emerged the golden spirit of Chromile. Chromile explained that when Atan had attacked their family, he had poured all of his power to save Mihile into the shield, with his spirit being a manifestation of that power, which explained why the Soul Shield glowed despite being broken. He told Mihile that he had grown up well, even without his parents guiding him. He added that he had been worried that Mihile would grow up with a heavy burden, but having seen what Mihile could do, he could now rest in peace.
However, Mihile replied that the rules and values that he had been taught had all been to make him the pawn of a lying murderer. Filled with doubt, he asked how he could know whether anything was true anymore. Chromile replied that it was natural to feel that he had lost his way, but he explained that Mihile already knew what he needed to protect.
He then told Mihile to stand by the Empress, all that she represented, and all the people whom she cared for. He added that if Mihile hadn’t had the heart to do so, then the Soul Shield would never have shone for him. However, the fact that it had meant that Mihile was worthy to be the Knight of Light. He told Mihile that the Empress and the people believed in him, and that Chromile believed that Mihile would soon believe in himself too.
Chromile then told Mihile that their time was growing short. He told Mihile not to be sad, as he and Rikella would always be watching over him. He added that he was glad to have gotten the chance to meet him, even for a brief time, and told Mihile that he loved him. (A/N: I took 20 points of emotional damage.)
He then faded away, telling Mihile to always stay at Cygnus’ side, and to protect Maple World in his place. After Chromile faded away, Mihile expressed his doubt to Cygnus about whether he could be trusted to protect her when so many had been hurt on his watch. However, Cygnus told him that she trusted him because everyone who was safe was safe because of him. She acknowledged that no words could take away his pain, and that she had his leave to resign his post if he wished to do so.
After considering her words, Mihile noted that despite his doubt, the Soul Shield had signified him as the Knight of Light. Cygnus agreed, though she added that the Soul Shield was merely a shield, and that it couldn’t make his decision for him. She explained that destiny was merely a recommendation, and that much like him, she had chosen to stay as Empress, despite having been given the choice to walk away. She then told Mihile that she was speaking not as the Empress, but as Cygnus, when she asked him to stay at her side.
Mihile asked Cygnus whether she believed that he was good enough to stay, and whether he was strong enough to protect others. Cygnus replied that despite the truth about Atan shattering his world, he had still chosen to stand and fight, adding that he walked in the light, which had lit a fire within him. After reflecting, Mihile decided that he would stay and serve as the Knight of Light.
Soon after, Ereve began recovering from Atan’s attack and Mihile came to visit Cygnus at the Empress’ Resting Spot. There, he vowed that he would be the shield between the world and harm. He then gave Shinsoo’s Teardrop to her, explaining that she ought to be its keeper, as it had belonged to Ereve from the start. After promising to keep it safe, Cygnus named Mihile the head of her personal guard. As a show of gratitude, she presented Mihile with a new Soul Shield, which had been created by Shinsoo and blessed by Cygnus herself.
(A/N: While I like the idea of Mihile’s revamped storyline, I’ve noticed that it takes far too many story beats from the movie Tangled not to feel plagiarized. Just like Atan, Mother Gothel kidnapped Rapunzel from her family and took her to a remote corner of the world, where she raised Rapunzel as her daughter in order to gain access to her special powers. Rapunzel’s hair is magical and has healing powers, while Mihile is the only one who can awaken the Soul Shield. Funnily enough, Mihile also has golden hair, although his doesn’t have any special powers.
There’s a bit of a role reversal in Tangled and Mihile’s class story where Rapunzel, the princess, is led away from her home by the ‘knight’ Flynn Rider, although Flynn is actually just a thief. In Mihile’s storyline, Mihile is the knight who’s led away by Empress Cygnus, the ‘princess’. At the end of both stories, the villains - Atan and Mother Gothel - are both killed when they fall off a large height.
Despite all the same story beats, I think the writers did a good job capturing the scope of Mihile’s trauma from the truth about Atan and his real family. Still, I really liked the idea of Chromile falling into depression and exiling himself from the original story and I’m a bit sad that we’ll never know what really happened to him. Getting back to the story, though, Mihile’s knighting ceremony is his 2nd job advancement. This next part is his 3rd job advancement. Cygnus and Neinheart have their regular NPCs and illustrations instead of their younger selves, which roughly gives an idea of how much time might have passed.)
Mihile soon began traveling Maple World in order to grow stronger. Some time later, Cygnus called him back to Ereve, as she wanted to introduce him to his new peers. Back in Ereve, Cygnus greeted him and explained that the royal court had been making efforts to expand the Cygnus Knights, which had finally begun to bear fruit.
She then began to introduce his new peers, noting that they were all stronger together than alone, adding that she hoped that they would become good friends. Oz, Irena, Eckhart, and Hawkeye then appeared and introduced themselves as members of the Blaze Wizards, Wind Archers, Night Walkers, and Thunder Breakers, respectively.
Cygnus then gave them all her first order, which was for them to spend time and grow acquainted. Neinheart and Cygnus then took their leave so that the five Knights could talk freely. After they all introduced each other, they turned back to Neinheart, who had been watching them intently from a distance. Neinheart then explained that they had been summoned not only to get to know each other, but also because the Cygnus Knights had received reports of anomalies in Sleepywood.
He told the Knights that the Drakes and their subspecies had gone feral, with the cave creatures having expanded their territory all the way to the swamp. As the Victoria Guard could barely hold the monsters back, Neinheart feared that other parts of Victoria Island would be in danger, and so he ordered the five Knights to take care of the five subspecies of Drakes.
In Sleepywood, the Knights were shocked to find the Drakes rampaging around the town. Hawkeye noted that the Drakes rarely emerged from their caves, which meant that they were either hungry or there was some problem with their territory. He also speculated that someone may have lured the Drakes into town on purpose. Eckhart immediately teleported over and began fighting the Drakes on the flat grounds of the town. The rest of the Knights then began evacuating the townspeople, after which they decided to split up and take care of the five Drake subspecies.
Hawkeye suspected that Eckhart was taking care of the Dark Drakes in the caves. He explained that contrary to their names, Dark Drakes used electricity, which made them less than ideal for him to fight. Mihile then ordered Oz to protect the townspeople from the Copper Drakes before tasking Hawkeye and Irena to eliminate the Ice Drakes and Red Drakes, respectively. With everyone given their assignment, Mihile headed into the caves and took care of the frenzied Drakes. On his way out, however, he discovered a strange scale that emitted a purple gas. Believing that it was a clue, he decided to take it with him.
Back in town, he rendezvoused with Oz, Hawkeye, and Irena, who all reported that the monsters in the caves were coming back to their senses. Irena wondered why the Drakes would act up when they weren't particularly intelligent creatures, to which Mihile explained that he had found a potential clue. As they prepared to head back to Ereve, Oz wondered where Eckhart was, when the Night Walker suddenly revealed himself from the shadows. Back in Ereve, the five Knights reported their success to Neinheart and noted their concerns about the Drakes’ abnormal behavior. Neinheart suspected that the Drakes’ behavior was related to a related incident in Henesys, in which the Golems had started behaving erratically too.
Mihile then presented the strange scale to Neinheart and explained that it seemed to have poison powder. Neinheart grew thoughtful and noted that it warranted its own investigation before congratulating the Knights on their successful mission. Cygnus then called Mihile and thanked him for resolving the issue with the Drake attack. She added that he would be doing many more missions with his new peers, reminding him that they were stronger when they worked together. Mihile swore to meet her expectations, after which Cygnus made him an Official Knight of Light.
Meanwhile, two Black Wings henchmen reported to Admiral Martini in the Verne Mine and confirmed that they had completed their tests on Henesys' Golems and Sleepywood's Drakes. (A/N: Martini is the antagonist of the Riena Strait storyline. I actually expected him to have been recruited by Gelimer much later in the story, but I guess it technically doesn’t contradict anything.)
Based on their tests, they reported that their hallucinogen worked on both marine and terrestrial life. Martini expressed his relief and noted that it had been difficult to obtain the hallucinogen back in the military, adding that he never would have thought that he would need so much of it. He then ordered the henchmen to proceed as planned, as the Black Wings needed to take care of their enemies swiftly before they became a threat.
(A/N: This next part is his 4th job advancement.)
Mihile soon received an emergency telegram from Neinheart, who ordered all knights to return to Ereve immediately. Mihile rushed to Ereve and met with Neinheart and the other senior Knights. Neinheart explained that several Cygnus Knights had inexplicably begun to turn on each other, as though they had been bewitched.
Hawkeye noted that it seemed as though someone wanted to cause a division amongst them, causing Eckhart to wonder whether the perpetrators were spies. Neinheart told them that he believed otherwise, adding that Shinsoo was doing what she could to keep the rest of the knights pacified. Mihile then asked him where Cygnus was, to which Neinheart regrettably replied that he had lost sight of her. He then tasked the Knights with defeating the wayward knights and rescuing the Empress.
While the other Knights defeated the ensorcelled knights of their respective divisions, Mihile fought through the bewitched Dawn Warriors. One Dawn Warrior came to his senses after being defeated and wondered what he was doing, as the last thing he remembered was Black Wings soldiers attacking him. Realizing that he had been bewitched, he pointed Mihile towards the Empress' direction and warned that more Knights would be there.
Mihile rushed towards the Empress, where he found a Dawn Warrior poised to attack. He parried the Dawn Warrior's blade with his shield and knocked back a second Dawn Warrior who had raised his sword. Mihile then escorted Cygnus back to the others, who were relieved to see her safe. Neinheart noted that the same thing which had happened to the Drakes had happened to the Knights, concluding that the same person had been responsible for both. He added that only the Black Wings would attack them so brazenly, but nevertheless, he expressed his relief that the crisis was over.
With the situation resolved, Neinheart and Cygnus announced that they were planning to name the five Chief Knights that would lead each division of the Cygnus Knights. Cygnus then appointed each knight and blessed them with the power of an elemental spirit:
Oz was appointed Chief Knight of Fire and led the Blaze Wizards with the power of Ignis.
Irena was appointed Chief Knight of Wind and led the Wind Archers with the power of Ventus.
Eckhart was appointed Chief Knight of Darkness and led the Night Walkers with the power of Umbra.
Hawkeye was appointed Chief Knight of Lightning and led the Thunder Breakers with the power of Fulgar.
Before she appointed Mihile, Cygnus explained that she wanted to confirm something. She noted that he knew his duties as the Knight of Light well, and that he exemplified the light itself. She then asked him to use that light not only to protect, but to inspire, as the Chief Knight of the Dawn Warriors.
She explained that the Dawn Warriors channeled the power of their souls into pure light. Though Mihile used the power of light himself, she noted that the light of the Dawn Warriors was different. Whereas Mihile’s light represented purity of heart, the light of the Dawn Warriors was the light of the cosmos. She added that he and the Dawn Warriors could share their knowledge and training with each other if he chose to accept the position.
Though Mihile wondered whether he could handle the responsibility of protecting the Empress and leading an entire unit of Cygnus Knights, he ultimately decided to accept the position if it was Cygnus’ will.
(A/N: Both Mihile and Dawn Warriors have gone through a few iterations regarding the source of their power. Initially, Mihile and Dawn Warriors both used the same skills and derived their power from Sol, the spirit of light. When Mihile was released as a class, some of his skills overlapped with those of Dawn Warriors, and though most of them were different, it was clear that both of their powers stemmed from the same source. In fact, during Mihile’s original tutorial, you could even see Sol briefly appear over his head.
After the Cygnus Awakens revamp, Dawn Warriors got a new sun and moon aesthetic, although it was still said that their power came from Sol. With the Ignition revamp, however, the sun and moon aesthetic for Dawn Warriors was expanded to just be the cosmos itself. Dawn Warriors are still bonded to some sort of light spirit, although the game has removed all mentions of its name being Sol. Instead of being golden, this light spirit is now more orange and appears in this magical circle that’s half blue and half orange, which is meant to correspond to the sun and moon aesthetic.
In contrast, Mihile’s powers are now heavily tied to the Empress, rather than an elemental spirit, and they’ve made a clear distinction between the Knight of Light and Dawn Warriors. I’m guessing the reason why they did this is because when they initially released Mihile, they had likely planned to release the other Chief Knights, although the poor reception led them to revamp the Cygnus Knights instead. With Mihile existing in this weird spot as the only released Chief Knight, I’m guessing they doubled down on his uniqueness by making his existence as Knight of Light separate from not only the Dawn Warriors, but the other Chief Knights as well.)
Soon after his appointment as Chief Knight, Mihile began reflecting on his time serving the Empress and decided that he wanted to thank her for all her faith and guidance. He collected rare Peridot gems that the Rashes of Minar Forest hoarded and brought them to Cygnus, who graciously accepted them and vowed to continue supporting him.
(A/N: Completing this quest gives Mihile the “Empress’ Prayer” and “Empress’ Shout” skills. These next several quests are for enhancing Mihile’s “Noble Mind” skill, which also reveals the backstories of the other Chief Knights.)
As Mihile continued training, Irena met with him and suggested that they walk in order to break the monotony. The two headed into a remote forest in Leafre, which Irena revealed had been where she had grown up with the Halflingers as a forester. She then decided to tell Mihile about how she had joined the Cygnus Knights and explained that she had one day come across a boy defending a girl from a Rash. Upon learning that the two were heading to Ariant, Irena had agreed to escort them to the Leafre station.
Irena told Mihile that Queen Areda of Ariant’s greed was legendary, and that she had levied harsh taxes and punishments upon her citizens. Because of this, the children’s father had sent them to the forest for safety, though he had been forced to remain behind. Because of this, Irena had decided to accompany them all the way to Ariant, where they had reunited with their father. Irena had been shocked to find that the father’s arm had been severed in a mining accident, as Areda had been forcing the townspeople to mine for jewels.
After their father had expressed their regret in sending his children away, Irena had done what she could to help them. Nevertheless, she had been filled with sadness that she couldn’t help the rest of Ariant, and so she had decided to leave Leafre and travel the world, where she had been disappointed to find great suffering all across Maple World. Hoping to make a difference, Irena had joined the Cygnus Knights. (A/N: Sadly, the situation in Ariant still hasn’t been resolved, even after Tenebris, as the writers have seemingly forgotten all about it.)
Irena then told Mihile that Oz was looking for him in Ereve, and so Mihile returned to find that Oz was sharing another birthday cake with everyone. Mihile was surprised that she had received yet another cake, to which Oz explained that she had a large family, all of whom had been magicians. During her magic lessons, Oz had been revealed to be a prodigy, and so she had been recommended to join the Cygnus Knights. Despite being far from home, Oz kept in touch with her family, who fully supported her dreams. She then wondered whether Eckhart wanted cake, causing Mihile to wonder whether Eckhart had ever even had cake before.
Oz then asked Mihile for a favor to drop a letter from Hawkeye to a house in Lith Harbor. After delivering the letter, Mihile turned to leave when a steward named Edmunds called after him, mistaking him for the young master. After learning that Mihile wasn’t who he thought, Edmunds apologized and explained that the young master of their home had left several years ago and hadn’t written since, though the seal on Hawkeye’s letter had given him hope.
As Mihile began to head back, he ran into Hawkeye, who nervously asked him why he was in the area. Upon learning that Oz had asked Mihile to send the letter, Hawkeye reluctantly decided to reveal the truth. He explained that the house was his family home, and that he had grown up rich and pampered. Early on, he had discovered how artificial his life was, with fake smiles and niceties all around.
With no friends, he had grown to love the ocean, though his family had only seen it as a path to riches for their shipping business. Unable to handle his life, he had run away and had become a Cygnus Knight in order to give freedom to those who had none. Hawkeye explained that after becoming a Chief Knight, he had written to his family in order to let them know where he had been, and that he had asked Oz to deliver it for him, though he hadn’t expected her to dump it on Mihile. He then asked Mihile to keep it to himself, as he feared that Neinheart would involve his family in the Cygnus Knights if he were to know about their affluence.
Hawkeye then asked Mihile to speak with Eckhart, who seemed quite out of place with the others. After Mihile agreed, Hawkeye told him to go to El Nath, where Eckhart spent a lot of his time. Mihile tracked Eckhart to a remote part of El Nath, where Eckhart reluctantly agreed to share his story, as it was his remembrance day. He explained that he had grown up without family or friends, and that he would steal in order to survive. One day, he had encountered his savior - a woman with beautiful, long hair who ran her own outlaw band that stole from the rich and gave to the poor.
Eckhart explained that the woman had taught him everything he knew, and that she had given him a purpose beyond surviving. Though they had happily continued stealing, the rich had grown angry that their money was being stolen for the poor, and they had soon discovered the outlaws’ headquarters. Eckhart, who had been out on a mission, had returned to find their base being attacked by assailants. There, he had encountered his teacher, who had ordered him to run and save himself. Though Eckhart had refused, she had told him to carry out their legacy and save those who suffered in the darkness.
After giving him her mask, his teacher had explained that he could understand others’ pain because of how he had suffered himself. She had then teleported him away, leaving herself alone and surrounded by enemies. Eckhart explained that he had looked for her many times, though he had never been successful, adding that he hoped that she was merely good at hiding. After spending a lot of time thinking, he had decided to join the Cygnus Knights. Having shared his story, Eckhart teleported away.
(A/N: Although Mihile’s storyline doesn’t reveal the name of Eckhart’s teacher, his backstory was actually first hinted at a long time ago in an obscure Insight quest. If your Insight is at least level 20, you can speak to Hawkeye in Ereve and complete a quest called “Hawk’s Eyes”, in which Hawkeye demonstrates his own insight by sharing what he knows about Eckhart through watching him. He explains that Eckhart’s teacher was named Lana, and that she was also his first love. The details of this quest line up perfectly with the backstory that we see in Mihile’s storyline, and so we can pretty much just assume that Lana is her actual name.)
The Black Witch:
(A/N: This section covers the Black Witch chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, as well as some background stuff set before it that establishes the formation of the Resistance. The Black Witch storyline is actually an adaptation of the 4th job advancement for the original Cygnus Knight storyline, back when the class was first released. With the Cygnus Knight storyline being completely overhauled in the Cygnus Awakens update, the parts involving the Black Witch were added back into canon with the Grand Athenaeum, with the slight alteration that it now ties into the feud between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights.)
In Edelstein, a Resistance was forming against the Black Wings. Many townspeople mobilized to fight the Black Wings in secrecy while masquerading as ordinary citizens with ordinary jobs. The leader of the Resistance was Headmaster Ferdi, whose public guise was the headmaster of the local school. After losing their childhood friend, Claudine, Elex, Belle, and Brighton became key figures in the Resistance and were later joined by another man named Checky. Masquerading as a doctor, a kindergarten teacher, a police officer, a street sweeper, and the town mascot respectively, they secretly recruited and trained citizens to become soldiers who could serve as support, spies, and assassins in the fight against the Black Wings.
Elex trained Blasters, powerful warriors who used Arm Cannons; Belle trained Wild Hunters, bowmen who rode on wild Jaguars; Brighton trained Battle Mages, unconventional magicians who used their staffs to attack enemies at close range; and Checky trained Mechanics who attacked from powerful mecha-suits. Claudine did not lead any branch of the Resistance, as it was the Resistance’s policy not to train thieves, and instead served as the head of operations while Headmaster Ferdi managed the Resistance’s special training program.
(A/N: Even after all these years, I’m still hoping for a thief Resistance class. Xenon is great but he still doesn’t count in that way. Below is where the Black Witch chapter officially begins.)
With the formation of the Resistance, yet another major power had appeared at the precipice of the looming conflict ahead. Over time, the Resistance grew in numbers and soon decided that it was time to take back their city. They reached out to the Cygnus Knights, proposing a joint operation to remove the Black Wings from power. However, the Cygnus Knights soon learned that the Black Wings were once again plotting to assassinate the Empress. A veteran knight named Dunamis was sent to infiltrate the Black Wings’ base in Edelstein, where he discovered the mastermind of the plot: a high-ranking officer of the Black Wings named Eleanor the Black Witch.
Although he couldn’t finish her off, Dunamis took a black scale from her that she was carrying and returned to Ereve. Unsatisfied with his failure to capture her, Dunamis went back to Edelstein against Neinheart’s counsel in order to defeat the Black Witch. However, Eleanor lured him into a trap and captured him. To rescue Dunamis, Neinheart dispatched a second Knight.
(A/N: This Knight is technically supposed to be the protagonist of the original Cygnus Knight storyline, rather than the Cygnus Knight that we play as in the current version of the story. We just happen to be roleplaying as that Knight through the Grand Athenaeum.)
Sneaking past the defenses, the Knight made their way into the mine. There, they met a ghost named Big Daddy, who offered to help locate Dunamis in exchange for recovering a photo of his daughter from the Ore Munchers. After finding the photo, Big Daddy led the Knight to Gelimer’s secret prison. There, the Knight met a researcher named Allen, who agreed to help free Dunamis, as he himself had been kidnapped and forced to work for Gelimer. After taking androids apart for their parts, the Knight brought the necessary components for Allen to unlock the prison cell.
Dunamis thanked the Knight for rescuing him, explaining that he had almost captured Eleanor when she had trapped him. He was confused about why she had gone easy on him the first time, even allowing him to bring back the black scale to Ereve. They decided to investigate and went deeper into the mine before entering Eleanor’s room. Inside, they found her secret plans and were horrified to learn that the black scale was part of a spell that she was planning to cast. They fought their way out of the mine and returned to Ereve.
Upon arriving, they were shocked to find that the entirety of Ereve had lost its color. At the Empress’ Resting Spot, they found Cygnus, Neinheart, Shinsoo, and all the Chief Knights turned to stone. Eleanor then appeared and explained that Shinsoo’s power prevented any curse from befalling Ereve, but a resident of Ereve could inadvertently bring it inside the borders, which was why she had allowed Dunamis to take the black scale with him. The Knight then defeated Eleanor, causing her to retreat and break the spell.
Though the Black Witch had been defeated, they realized that Eleanor’s true plan had been to prevent the Cygnus Knights from aiding the Resistance. As a result, the Resistance had gone into battle expecting reinforcements that never arrived. The failed attack resulted in heavy casualties, and the Resistance was forced underground once again. Believing that the Cygnus Knights had betrayed them by going back on their word, the Resistance vowed that they would take back their city alone, and this event sparked heavy animosity between the two.
(A/N: For the longest time, the feud between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights was one of the stupidest plot points in the game. I didn’t know what the Resistance expected the Cygnus Knights to do when the whole island was petrified, and I thought that it was dumb that the Cygnus Knights took the accusation of them betraying the Resistance without any argument. As of the Ignition update, the revamped Cygnus Knight storyline reveals that the Black Wings had been cutting off communication between both sides, making it so that the Resistance thought that the Cygnus Knights had abandoned them without explanation, while the Cygnus Knights thought that the Resistance just hated them.
This new piece of lore made me change my mind on it a little, but it doesn’t change the fact that the writers drag this feud out throughout the course of the Black Mage arc painfully and unnecessarily. Even when it seemed like they would have buried the hatchet after Black Heaven, they still managed to force it into the story one last time during Limina. Fortunately, it seems like they’re done with it now, and I’m really hoping that it doesn’t pop up again during the Darmoor arc.)
Special Explorers:
(A/N: This section covers the storylines of the three Special Explorers - Cannoneer, Dual Blade, and Pathfinder. While Cannoneer and Dual Blade follow the Explorer storyline in addition their own unique storyline, Pathfinder exclusively follows her own unique story, as she’s already established as a seasoned Explorer at the start of her storyline. I decided to cover Cannoneer and Dual Blade’s stories here instead of with the main Explorer storyline for the sake of simplicity, as it’s easier to group them all together into one section.
While regular Explorers have had their class illustrations inconsistently portray their genders over the years, Cannoneer, Dual Blade, and Pathfinder have consistently been portrayed the same way, just like named classes. Because of this, I’m working with the assumption that Cannoneer and Dual Blade are male, while Pathfinder is female.)
On Maple Island, new Explorers trained to become strong enough to travel to Victoria Island. There, they would choose a branch of combat. Dances with Balrog taught warriors in Perion, Grendel the Really Old taught magicians in Ellinia, Athena Pierce taught bowmen in Henesys, and the Dark Lord taught thieves in Kerning City.
One day, the people of Victoria Island saw a giant submarine appear, from which an adult Kyrin emerged. During her voyages, she had amassed her own crew and a ship called the Nautilus. Having learned about the Black Wings and their goal to resurrect the Black Mage, Kyrin realized that she needed to warn the world and sailed back home to Victoria Island. Resolving to help the Explorers’ Guild prepare for the threat of the Black Mage, Kyrin decided to teach Explorers the way of the pirate.
(A/N: In the original lore for Destonen, a young Kyrin overhears Athena and the other leaders talking about how Destonen never returned from his journey to find traces of the Black Mage. Believing that it was her destiny to follow in his footsteps, Kyrin runs away from home and spends many years at sea until she becomes a captain, obtaining her own crew and the Nautilus, after which she hears the rumors about the Black Wings and reunites with her foster mother, Athena Pierce, and then resolves to become a pirate instructor.)
One Explorer-hopeful was on his way from Maple Island to Victoria Island when his ship was attacked by a Crimson Balrog. The Explorer crashed on Coco Island, where he was saved by a monkey.
(A/N: In the original Cannoneer storyline, you’re actually on your way to Maple Island in order to get started on your journey, but this created a continuity error because Cannoneers share the main Explorer storyline and one of the quests has us recall our time on Maple Island, which obviously never happened because we never reach our destination.
This has been corrected as of the Destiny update, which actually has us follow the same Explorer tutorial as regular Explorers. We start out on Maple Island with the same intro as main Explorers, but the main difference is that the Sangri-La gets filled up, and so instead of boarding with Sugar, Tess, Olive, and Rondo, we have to board a second ship that then crashes on Coco Island. Interestingly, the name of the map while you’re on the ship is incorrectly labeled with its old name of “Towards Maple Island”.)
The Explorer then met a man named Cutter, who introduced himself as the master engineer who had designed the Nautilus. He explained that Kyrin had given him a secret project to create a powerful weapon that would make the pirates stronger. He had built a large cannon weapon out at sea, but his ship had crashed against the rocks and he had been swept away to Coco Island.
With the Explorer’s help, they were able to use the large cannon to blast themselves off the island. They made it aboard the Nautilus, where Kyrin allowed the Explorer to use the superweapon in order to become the Cannoneer. The monkey who had saved the Cannoneer also followed him back to Victoria Island, where it became his companion.
(A/N: From here on out, the Cannoneer’s storyline continues playing out the same way as the Explorer storyline, which I’ll cover in a later section.
The next portion here is for Dual Blades. As of the Destiny update, Dual Blades start out on Maple Island and follow the tutorial all the way up to the point that they land on Victoria Island, whereas their old tutorial began in the Secret Garden, the headquarters of the Dual Blades. After the events on Maple Island, Dual Blades go through their initiation quests.
Following initiation, they complete all of the main Explorer storyline until second job, after which they then do the main Dual Blade storyline, which is covered in the next paragraph. There are several continuity errors that show up in the Dual Blade storyline, which I’ve covered in an earlier section. I hoped that these would have been addressed in Destiny since Cannoneer’s issue was fixed, but it seems like Nexon is never gonna touch this again.)
Another Explorer hoping to become a thief was recruited by a man named Ryden, who instead convinced the Explorer to follow Lady Syl, rather than the Dark Lord. Ryden brought the Explorer before Lady Syl, who told them about her feud with the Dark Lord. She explained that the title of ‘Dark Lord’ was handed down from generation to generation, each serving to guide the thieves through the darkness. As the daughter of the former Dark Lord, she had watched her father lead both the Dual Blades and the other thieves.
She explained that her father, Sung, was a Dual Blade, and that he would have likely picked another Dual Blade as his successor. Because of this, his apprentice, Jin, had murdered him and had stolen his position as Dark Lord, with the rest of the Dual Blades going into hiding after the incident. She told the Explorer that she hoped to get her vengeance by building up the Dual Blades’ strength and driving Jin out of Kerning City.
However, as Jin was quite popular with the citizens of Kerning City, she feared that the people would defend him if the Dual Blades were to attack. As harming innocents was something that she wanted to avoid, Lady Syl told the Explorer that she needed a spy to infiltrate Kerning City and serve under the Dark Lord in order to undermine him. After the Explorer accepted her mission, Syl sent them to train under Ryden.
(A/N: From here on out, the Cannoneer’s storyline continues playing out the same way as the Explorer storyline, which I’ll cover in a later section.
The next portion here is for Dual Blades. As of the Destiny update, Dual Blades start out on Maple Island and follow the tutorial all the way up to the point that they land on Victoria Island, whereas their old tutorial began in the Secret Garden, the headquarters of the Dual Blades. After the events on Maple Island, Dual Blades go through their initiation quests.
Following initiation, they complete all of the main Explorer storyline until second job, after which they then do the main Dual Blade storyline, which is covered in the next paragraph. There are several continuity errors that show up in the Dual Blade storyline, which I’ve covered in an earlier section. I hoped that these would have been addressed in Destiny since Cannoneer’s issue was fixed, but it seems like Nexon is never gonna touch this again.)
Another Explorer hoping to become a thief was recruited by a man named Ryden, who instead convinced the Explorer to follow Lady Syl, rather than the Dark Lord. Ryden brought the Explorer before Lady Syl, who told them about her feud with the Dark Lord. She explained that the title of ‘Dark Lord’ was handed down from generation to generation, each serving to guide the thieves through the darkness. As the daughter of the former Dark Lord, she had watched her father lead both the Dual Blades and the other thieves.
She explained that her father, Sung, was a Dual Blade, and that he would have likely picked another Dual Blade as his successor. Because of this, his apprentice, Jin, had murdered him and had stolen his position as Dark Lord, with the rest of the Dual Blades going into hiding after the incident. She told the Explorer that she hoped to get her vengeance by building up the Dual Blades’ strength and driving Jin out of Kerning City.
However, as Jin was quite popular with the citizens of Kerning City, she feared that the people would defend him if the Dual Blades were to attack. As harming innocents was something that she wanted to avoid, Lady Syl told the Explorer that she needed a spy to infiltrate Kerning City and serve under the Dark Lord in order to undermine him. After the Explorer accepted her mission, Syl sent them to train under Ryden.
Ryden first ordered them to hone their observational skills by having them distinguish a toy playhouse that was slightly different from the others. Next, he had them practice their stealth by making it through an obstacle course. Then, he had them defeat a Training Mano in order to sharpen their combat skills. Finally, he had them take a test of loyalty by drinking a poison and seeing Lady Syl for the antidote. However, upon visiting Lady Syl, they were informed that Ryden had merely given them apple juice, though she emphasized that the point was that they should never think of betraying her.
After passing the initiation trials, the Explorer became a Dual Blade under Lady Syl’s tutelage. As they had not yet learned any Dual Blade techniques, Syl believed that they were in the perfect position to serve under the Dark Lord as a new thief. Ryden then tasked the Dual Blade with learning more about the Dark Lord by interrogating his closest associates of Kerning City: Nella, JM from tha Streetz, and Don Giovanni.
The Dual Blade first spoke with Nella, who asked them to defeat the Stirges attacking the Pharmacy. After helping her, they learned that she viewed the Dark Lord as kind and trustworthy. Next, they spoke with JM, who asked them to obtain a Thin Jr. Necki Skin. The Dual Blade obtained one from Taeha, the Dual Blade merchant, and brought it back to JM. They then questioned him and learned that the Dark Lord obtained a delivery package once a week from out of town.
Finally, the Dual Blade visited Don Giovanni at the hair salon Giovanni asked the Dual Blade to obtain a Toy Plane for his son, Icarus, who dreamed of flying. The Dual Blade obtained the toy from Taeha and brought it to Giovanni, who thanked them for their help. Upon being questioned about the Dark Lord, Giovanni explained that he occasionally ran into the Dark Lord walking by himself in the Swamp Region.
After reporting back to Ryden, the Dual Blade was instructed to wait until he finished investigating the leads. Meanwhile, Lady Syl noted their talent and called them to learn the art of dual-wielding. She first tasked them with obtaining a Mirror of Insight from within one marble amongst many, which indicated that they were worthy of learning the way of the Dual Blade. After they were initiated into the ranks of the Dual Blades, Ryden contacted them and suggested that they train around Victoria Island and grow stronger.
(A/N: This is where the main Explorer questline takes place. After reaching level 30 and undergoing your 2nd job advancement, the rest of the Dual Blade storyline continues.)
Soon after, the Dual Blade was contacted by Yun, Lady Syl’s sister, who asked them to speak to Lady Syl on her behalf. She explained that Syl lately seemed to be in a bad mood quite often, and as Syl seemed to trust them, she hoped that speaking to her would cheer her up, as Yun believed that Syl would feel worse if she knew that her sister was worried for her.
Just as Yun had hoped, Syl was pleased to see the Dual Blade and explained that her father used to tell her stories from the past whenever she felt depressed. She told them that thinking about her father made her feel better, though her memories of him had lately been slipping away. She confessed that she had even lost the memory of the day that he had passed, noting that it was strange, as she couldn’t remember the details, even though she remembered the events. She wondered whether it was because of the trauma of losing him, or of Jin’s betrayal.
She explained that she did remember that the morning of that day, her father, his best friend - Tristan - and Jin had gone to Sleepywood in order to face Balrog. Though she had wanted to accompany them, her father had forbidden it, though she had secretly followed them anyways. As she hadn’t been able to enter the cave, she had chosen to eavesdrop outside, though the very next thing that she remembered was coming out of a haze and seeing Jin holding a blood-stained sword, with her father and Tristan dead.
She told the Dual Blade that she would never forget Jin’s look of shock, adding that he likely must have killed Sung and Tristan while they had been weakened from facing Balrog. She noted that she thought of that moment every single day, and that she even dreamed about it, though she hoped that her flowers would help calm her dreams.
(A/N: She actually says “these flowers”, as though you had given them to her. This dialogue was actually copied from the original Dual Blade storyline from before the Justice/Renegades update, which did have us bring her flowers, although in the new dialogue, Yun never gives us any to bring to Syl.)
She then asked them to leave her in peace, adding that Ryden had a new mission for them. Ryden told the Dual Blade that the Dark Lord had been stealing their information, for which Ryden planned to strike back. He told them that he would lure the Dark Lord out of his headquarters, the Jazz Bar, while they searched the premises for clues. In the Jazz Bar, the Dual Blade found a hidden room and obtained the Dark Lord’s diary, which they brought back to Ryden.
After reading the diary, Ryden told them that the Dark Lord had mentioned the owner of the bookstore, Jeppi, whom the Dark Lord had banished some time ago. Believing that Jeppi had learned the truth about the Dark Lord’s treachery, Ryden hoped to find him. As they had no leads on his location, Ryden asked them to speak with Mr. Pickall, whose store had been next to Jeppi’s.
Mr. Pickall told the Dual Blade that Jeppi had moved to Ellinia, where he lived inside the Giant Tree. The Dual Blade traveled to Ellinia and met with Jeppi, whom they intended to rescue. However, Jeppi explained that it was all a misunderstanding, as the Dark Lord hadn’t banished him, but rather, he had sent him away for protection from an unknown threat.
He revealed that from the shadows, someone had been twisting the history of Maple World, and that Sung had been hunting them down alongside Jin. He explained that he had helped them with his knowledge of history books by telling them about any inconsistencies, adding that Maple World’s history had been deeply distorted.
He told the Dual Blade that with the help of several citizens of Sleepywood, including Tristan, Sung had intended to lure out the threat and destroy it. However, the enemy had been aware of their plan and had tricked them, resulting in the deaths of both Sung and Tristan. Upon seeing how dangerous the situation was, Jin had helped hide Jeppi somewhere safe while he continued the fight alone.
The Dual Blade then reported back what they had learned to Ryden, who was immediately dubious. In order to validate the story, he sent the Dual Blade to meet Tristan’s apprentice in Sleepywood. At the bottom of the Cursed Temple, the Dual Blade encountered the spirit of Tristan, who explained that it hadn’t been Jin’s fault, as all of them had underestimated their enemy, who had the ability to possess others.
He revealed that the enemy had possessed Syl, who had been eavesdropping on them from outside. As they hadn’t warned her about the enemy’s powers, she hadn’t been able to shield her mind, causing her to grow possessed. With a cold smile on her face, she had slaughtered him and Sung, as neither of them had been willing to hurt Syl.
Tristan believed that the enemy had left Jin alive to teach the world a lesson, and that it had left Syl alive as a reminder of their weakness. Following the tragedy, Jin had been forced to continue his pursuit of the enemy in secret, while Syl had been left to believe in a lie. As proof of his claim, he asked them to obtain his keepsake from Mu Young.
Mu Young instructed the Dual Blade to obtain the keepsake in storage, where the Dual Blade encountered several Black Wings henchmen. After defeating them, they returned back to Mu Young, who noted that the storage room had already been looted of its valuables years ago. He then asked them to keep the keepsake – his master’s diary.
The Dual Blade returned back to Ryden and told him what Tristan had explained. They also gave him Tristan’s diary, which confirmed Jeppi’s story. He noted that the truth would devastate Lady Syl, as the thought of vengeance was the only thing that kept her going. He instructed them to say nothing for the moment until he found the best way to share the truth with her. He then asked them to accompany him to visit Jin and speak to him personally.
In the Jazz Bar, Ryden confronted Jin and demanded to know why he had kept the truth from Syl, even while knowing that she was planning to kill him. He asked Jin whether he had intended to tell her the truth at the last possible moment when she would come to fight him, adding that he would make her look like a fool by doing so.
The Dark Lord was hesitant upon hearing Ryden’s words, though he asked whether Syl would have benefited by knowing the truth that her father had only died because she had been taken hostage. He explained that though Syl was now strong, she had once been overwhelmed by the pain of losing her father, adding that he had hoped to avoid making her feel worse by telling her the truth. Ryden retorted that nevertheless, the Dark Lord had no right to keep the truth from her.
The Dark Lord apologized, noting that he should have told her sooner. However, he added that he had only wanted to keep her from feeling any more pain than she already had. Ryden noted that though Syl needed to be told the truth, he feared that it would make her nightmares even worse. He then asked the Dual Blade to deliver his report to her, believing that it would be better coming from them. Just as Ryden had suspected, Lady Syl’s face grew pale as she read the report. Nevertheless, she thanked the Dual Blade for their work and asked them to leave her to collect her thoughts.
(A/N: The next part here is the Dual Blade’s intermediate 2nd job advancement at level 45.)
Some time later, Lady Syl contacted the Dual Blade and asked them to return to the Secret Garden, where she promoted them to Blade Specialist. She noted that it seemed ironic that they had grown stronger, even when she had initially doubted them, while she had grown strangely smaller. She explained that her father used to tell her that Dual Blades used two weapons so that they were better equipped to protect others, though she quickly realized that she was rambling.
(A/N: This last part is the final portion of the Dual Blade storyline, which takes place at level 60, right before your job advancement.)
Soon after, Lady Syl told the Dual Blade that she had decide to unite the thieves and the Dual Blades, believing that they would be stronger as one group. However, she admitted to them in private that the decision had been quite difficult, as she had grappled with the revelation that her worst enemy was actually the one who had saved her, which had wounded her pride greatly.
She explained that all her plans, schemes, and emotions had been based on a lie, for which she couldn’t forgive Jin, who had made a fool of her. However, she added that she knew that she couldn’t let her feelings sway her, as she needed to do what was best for her people. Before they could move forward, however, she told them that she couldn’t abide knowing that Jin had kept the truth from her because he had believed her to be weak. She then asked them to defeat the Dark Lord in order to prove the Dual Blades’ strength, which would satisfy her need for revenge.
The Dual Blade confronted the Dark Lord and told them about Lady Syl’s decision. Jin noted in satisfaction that Syl had matured for her to look past her anger and unite together. He then invited them to face him and summoned a weaker clone of himself. After the Dual Blade defeated the clone, the Dark Lord admitted that the Dual Blades and Syl were stronger, after which officially welcomed the Dual Blades back into the fold of thieves.
(A/N: Following this quest, Dual Blades complete their 3rd job advancement, which is the same as the regular Explorer one. There are a couple small things that I didn’t mention about the Dual Blade story which I’ll just dump here. Lady Syl’s father, Sung, was a Dual Blade, and it seems that Dual Blades have always existed alongside thieves in the new storyline, rather than Lady Syl inventing the branch like in the original story.
While the Dual Blades and the thieves merge together in the new storyline, the old storyline actually shows that the Dual Blades remained a separate faction and their organization joined the Alliance separately from the Explorers. In fact, the number of Dual Blades in the old storyline far surpassed the combined number of Explorers on Victoria Island, which gave them greater bargaining power than other factions.
Rather than wanting to merge with the thieves like in the new storyline, the original Dual Blade lore has Lady Syl request that the Dual Blades be given their own town at the end of the war with the Black Mage, which was a demand that she could make because of the sheer number of Dual Blades in her faction. I think that this would’ve been really cool to implement post-Tenebris, with a separate hometown for Dual Blades being made near Kerning City, similar to how Toolen City and Savage Terminal exist close to each other.
This last part is Pathfinder’s storyline. Although Pathfinder doesn’t get her name until level 30, I’ll be referring to her as Pathfinder throughout her 1st job storyline for the sake of consistency, as calling her an Explorer or a bowman seems too generic.)
Yet another Explorer, a bowman, was one of Athena Pierce’s greatest students. With an unquenchable thirst for adventure, she spent her time exploring ancient ruins and finding rare artifacts, likening herself to be a Pathfinder who paved her own way through the unknown. During one such adventure, she found a hidden passageway in the Perion mountains that led to a secret research lab. Upon searching the laboratory, she discovered ancient manuscripts and artifacts that dated back to an era that preceded even what most people would consider antiquity.
The Pathfinder also found a drawing of an ancient ruin, which gave her a thrilling sense of danger that made her want to learn more. Several days later, the Pathfinder traveled to the ruins of Partem, where she searched the last of the three keys that she needed to offer to the Altar of Trial, having found one in the research lab and another during her explorations of the ruins. After exploring the ruins, she found the last key inside a chest, which also contained arrows and potions, which she believed to be useless.
However, she discovered an inscription in ancient writing, which she deciphered as: “A temperamental dancer/best viewed with distant gaze/in crimson does it pirouette/in black its footfall stays.” After translating the rest, she deduced that she needed to obtain an offering from whatever was guarding the ruins and place it in front of the pillar that correctly answered the riddle.
She then defeated the Ruins Guardians and obtained the offerings. Upon finding three pillars inscribed with a cloud, fire, and the moon, respectively, she deduced that the riddle was referring to fire and placed the offerings on the correct pillar, allowing her to obtain the final key. She then proceeded deeper towards the altar, where she used the keys to uncover a compass-like relic. Immediately, however, the relic unleashed dark energies that placed a curse on the Pathfinder.
Severely hurt, the Pathfinder barely made it back to her base camp, where she winced in pain, feeling as though her innards were on fire. She then recalled how Athena Pierce had warned her about rushing into danger merely to satisfy curiosity. After teetering between life and death, the Pathfinder barely managed to pull through, after which she began traveling in order to learn more about the relic and its ancient curse.
She also discovered that a weapon that she had found in the ruins, which was in the shape of a double-bladed dagger, was actually a mystical ancient bow, whose power she was able to draw out from the relic’s influence. On her hand was also a curse mark, and while it had grown smaller, it would not disappear. Instead, it seemed to be slowly eating away at her life force, which further motivated her to find a way to remove it.
Several days after the incident, the Pathfinder returned back to Partem in order to find clues about the relic and its curse. Using the ancient bow, the Pathfinder began investigating the ruins and soon encountered a creature stuck in the ground. Using seed oil obtained from the Pudgy Flowers, the Pathfinder freed the creature, who introduced himself as Mascarpo.
The Pathfinder asked Mascarpo about the ruins, to which he explained that the ruins had once been held in high regard in ages past, and that it had even been treated as a place of worship because of a power inside that could heal the injured. As time passed, however, people had stopped entering the ruins, after which, an ominous energy had begun seeping from it, causing them to stay away.
Regarding the relic, Mascarpo explained that the people of his village occasionally found long-buried parts of the ruins, though most of the Karuppa kept their distance from it, with the exception of one villager who liked to collect things from the ruins. He told the Pathfinder that the Karuppa were faint-hearted, and so they kept to themselves and seldom had contact with the outside world, with the exception of Explorers who passed through from time to time.
Though the Pathfinder believed that it would be a waste to investigate the village when the Karuppa stayed away from the ruins, Mascarpo invited her to visit them, adding that they were in the midst of a festival in honor of the legendary Karuppa Wunderlixir, which was said to purify the body and bless the drinker with abundant health and longevity.
Upon hearing about the tonic, the Pathfinder agreed to accompany him back to his village, as she hoped that it could erase her curse and help her learn more about its origins. In the village, the Karuppa were intimated by the Pathfinder’s arrival until Mascarpo vouched for her. He told the Pathfinder that the Karuppa were particularly timid because of the loud noise that had come from the ruins several days ago, adding that the noises were the main reason why the Karuppa stayed away.
After introducing herself to the chief, Gooda, the Pathfinder was asked to help the Karuppa with preparing the festivities. She met with a girl named Brie, who had been tasked with obtaining the ingredients for the Wunderlixir. Brie was amazed by the Pathfinder’s courage, wishing that she had that same courage herself. Nevertheless, she cheerfully asked the Pathfinder to obtain Pudgy Flower Stems and Toxiblossom Leaves.
The Pathfinder noted to herself that the ingredients didn’t seem miraculous and wondered whether it was really possible to make a legendary medical tonic from them, though she conceded that the power might be in the steps of the recipe itself. She asked Brie how the ingredients were used, to which Brie explained that they used the stone mortar and pestle in the forest outside town, which had been handed to each chief across generations to grind up the ingredients for the tonic.
Hoping that the mortar and pestle were secretly artifacts, the Pathfinder hurried to inspect them. After the Karuppa prepared the Wunderlixir, Chief Gooda offered the first sip to the Pathfinder, whom he regarded as a special guest. As the Pathfinder prepared to drink the Wunderlixir, she felt the ominous energy within her begin to surge, which she realized felt quite similar to the first time that she had come in contact with the relic.
Just then, the terrible rumbling noise from the ruins began coming out of the Pathfinder, which immediately scared the Karuppa. The Pathfinder noted that she still felt the curse’s presence, which seemed to be causing the strange reaction. She realized that the relic likely had a connection to the Karuppa village.
Meanwhile, Gooda ordered the Karuppa to retreat back to the village and take shelter, leaving only himself and Mascarpo. A furious Gooda confronted the Pathfinder and demanded to know why her body was making the same haunting noise that they heard from the ruins. Realizing that the Wunderlixir had triggered the reaction, the Pathfinder noted that she had lost her goodwill with the Karuppa as a result.
Nevertheless, she decided to question them while she could and showed them the relic before asking what it was. Immediately, the Karuppas’ faces turned pale upon seeing it. Mascarpo asked the Pathfinder how she had come to possess such a terrible thing and ordered her to leave immediately, regretting that he had believed her to be a good person.
Gooda added that not only had she defiled their sacred festival with the cursed relic, but she had also brought the foul noise that had long struck fear into the hearts of the Karuppa. Having brought such an evil object into their midst, Gooda withdrew his hospitality and ordered her to leave at once and never return.
After Gooda and Mascarpo left, the Pathfinder found Brie watching her from a tree. She explained that the Karuppa were terrified of the ominous noise coming from the ruins, for which they held their holy festivals, but even as the noises continued growing louder, no one had ever ventured inside the ruins to find its source. She confessed that though she was afraid too, she couldn’t let things go on as they had, as she believed that their situation would soon turn from frightening to dangerous.
As the Pathfinder seemed brave and strong, Brie asked whether she could accompany the Pathfinder during her investigation about the relic. She admitted that she wasn’t much help in combat, though she could bring the Pathfinder anything from in or around the village, as well as introduce her to Gorgonz, a strange Karuppa who observed the ruins and collected strange items.
(A/N: In case you couldn’t tell by now, all the Karuppa NPCs are named after cheese. For instance, Brie is named after brie cheese, while Gorgonz is named after gorgonzola. Mascarpo is named after mascarpone and Gooda is named after gouda.)
The Pathfinder reluctantly agreed to take Brie along, but only until the investigation was over, claiming that she normally worked alone. Happy to hear the Pathfinder’s response, Brie took the Pathfinder to Gorgonz. The Pathfinder showed the relic to Gorgonz, whose face also grew pale upon seeing it. He explained that he himself knew little about the ruins, as he merely observed them from the outside. However, he told her that he had something that could help if the Pathfinder was searching for something inside them.
He explained that he had a compass that could point one in the direction of something that they wished to find, provided that they place an object connected to what they were searching for near it. He led them to the compass, which had been broken into pieces because of the vibrations from the loud noises inside the ruins. Before repairing the compass, he asked the Pathfinder to collect Pottery Shard antiques from the Hoppin’ Sprouts, as he hadn’t been able to find any antiques since the compass had broken.
After the Pathfinder collected the pieces, Gorgonz asked her to obtain Censer Ashes from the Chargin’ Sprouts in order to help him calm his mind with the aroma. The Pathfinder and Brie then went in search of the three missing compass pieces. After the Pathfinder cleared out the Log-a-Rhythmic Bugs and Sparkinstone Bugs, Brie was able to find the first two pieces. The pair then continued searching the forest until reaching Wawa Falls, where the Pathfinder found the last piece at the bottom of the falls.
Brie wondered aloud whether it would be possible to stop the waterfall, inspiring the Pathfinder to trigger an explosion to break the rocks. After collecting Extra Dry Firewood and Smoky Flint from the Log-a-Rhythmic Bugs and Sparkinstone Bugs, Brie created a large explosion that broke the flow of water, allowing them to obtain the final compass piece. The Pathfinder admitted to herself that she wouldn’t have been able to get the last piece alone, and so she begrudgingly told Brie that she had done a good job, which made Brie feel proud of herself.
The Pathfinder and Brie brought the pieces back to Gorgonz, who began working on repairs. He explained that the compass only worked in sunlight, and that he would have it fixed by noon. As the Pathfinder waited, she realized that it had been some time since she had last rested, as it had been difficult for her to rest since getting cursed. She felt the curse sigil slowly draining her life force, causing the curse to grow stronger each day.
She wondered what Athena Pierce would have said to her now, noting that for all her confidence in embarking on adventure, she now felt more lost than ever. Just then, Brie noticed the Pathfinder’s sad expression and came over to check on her. She explained that the Pathfinder’s face had made her remember her own depressing day not too long ago, adding that it had felt as though there was a mountain of weight pressing down on her.
Just then, however, she caught herself and told the Pathfinder that she wasn’t trying to say that the both of them were the same, as the Pathfinder was brave and smart, while she was timid and weak. She explained that she had been trying to say that everyone had times when they felt down, and that she liked to picture pretty flowers, which could withstand all sorts of hardships, in order to motivate herself to make it through as well. She then gave a blue flower to the Pathfinder in order to cheer her up. (A/N: Brie is literally the most wholesome person in this game and she deserves the world.)
Just then, Gorgonz interrupted and told them that he had finished fixing the compass. With the light of noon about to hit the compass, the Pathfinder took out the relic and placed it on the pedestal. The compass then emitted a blue light that pointed towards a forest near the ruins, which the Pathfinder realized she had visited before. Brie realized that investigating the forest might also help them find out the cause of the noises. The Pathfinder warned that she wouldn’t let Brie come if she would slow them down, to which Brie promised that she wouldn’t, as she wanted to save her village.
The pair then proceeded deeper into the forest, where the noises began to grow louder. There, they discovered a passageway into the main complex of the ruins, which was filled with countless paths. The Pathfinder realized that she hadn’t noticed the labyrinthine structure during her first visit because the altar key had directly shown her the way the relic.
As she began wondering whether she should return to the relic chamber or check somewhere else, Brie began hearing a faint vibration noise, which the Pathfinder also heard upon focusing. She realized that finding its source might help them, but as it was too faint for her, the Pathfinder realized that Brie might be able to help with her keen hearing. Though Brie was afraid, she agreed to lead the Pathfinder through the ruins.
Along the way, they encountered stone sentries guarding the ruins. In order to clear out a path, the Pathfinder defeated the Ruins Guardians and Ruins Sentinels, allowing them to reach a mysterious black pool of water. Brie explained that the source of the noise was below the water, though it was too murky to see beneath.
The Pathfinder then noticed an ancient inscription on a pillar: “Whosoever seeks to find the way must first pass through the Deathly Abyss. Only a light bright enough to ward off death shall illuminate the path.” The Pathfinder realized that many ancient cultures believed that light had a symbolic power to subdue or overcome death, though she wondered whether the riddle meant that she literally needed to light up the water.
She then realized that the Ruins Sentinels had luminous plants growing on their heads, which she believed would help them light the way down. After collecting Glowpods and dropping them into the pool, the Pathfinder and Brie dove into the waters and began swimming down. As they made their way deeper however, strange creatures of encroaching darkness began attacking them, which the Pathfinder defeated as they reached the bottom.
Brie then spotted a passageway at the bottom, just as the Glowpods began dimming. Realizing that the light would fade away soon, the Pathfinder shot an arrow through the Glowpods, leaving motes of light in its wake. The pair then quickly followed the dim path of light to the doorway at the bottom of the pool.
Arriving in the Soul Chamber, Brie confirmed that they had reached the source of the noise. The Pathfinder then noticed something shining brightly upon a raised dais in the middle of the chamber. The strange glowing Soul spoke to the Pathfinder, recognizing her as the one who had walked the hidden path and had shown herself to be qualified to be the bearer of the power.
The Soul felt the Pathfinder’s heart drawn by confusion and driven by quiet desperation, explaining that it had the answers that she sought. The Pathfinder asked about the relic, to which the Soul explained that long ago, the ancient Karuppa who had resided in Partem had fashioned a sacred icon from the wood of a divine tree, which they had once worshiped. The Pathfinder recognized the item from the carvings on the wall as her relic.
The Soul explained that the relic had once been an object of benevolence, capable of healing the injured and guiding the lost. However, as time had passed, the order of the world had been established and the power of the relic had gradually begun to wane. Gradually, those who knew of the relic’s existence had passed on, and with fewer and fewer people remembering the ancient ways, the relic had come to be regarded as merely a legend.
(A/N: The order of the world is a reference to the Overseers reorganizing the universe through sealing away the Ancient Gods and creating the Transcendents to maintain the three laws of life, light, and time. The power of the relic belongs to that of an Ancient God, which faded away after the gods were sealed away at the end of the Ancient War.)
Centuries ago, however, a man clad in black robes had come to the ruins and had used cursed magic upon the relic. After his ritual, he had returned the relic back to its resting place and departed. Since then, the relic had been corrupted by impure energies. The Soul explained that the relic retained both its original nature and its corrupted state, and that the Pathfinder had likely felt both powers inside her.
It explained that the corrupted power had already become one with relic, meaning that it could no longer be erased. However, it told the Pathfinder that the curse could be suppressed if she could become the true inheritor of the relic. As some tools recognized worthy owners, the relic would respond to her mastery and allow her to draw out its hidden powers. It instructed her to explore and grow stronger, promising that the relic would guide her when the time was right.
The Soul then sent them back outside the ruins, where Brie noted that it seemed that she and the Pathfinder had heard different things simultaneously from the Soul. She told the Pathfinder that she was glad that they had gotten their answers, as going through the perilous journey once was more than enough for her.
She explained that the Soul had told her that the loud noises scaring the villagers would soon cease, as they had been meant to scare away the Karuppa and protect them from being exposed to the evil energies inside the ruins. As the Pathfinder had removed the corruptive power inside the ruins by taking the relic, there was no longer any need to scare the Karuppa away.
Just then, the relic began glowing brightly and surged with energy, allowing it to regain some of the strength that it had once possessed in ages past. Brie then noted that as they had gotten their answers, it was time for them to part ways, as she had promised not to be clingy. She told the Pathfinder that she prayed for her safety wherever her travels took her. Though she admitted that she wasn’t the bravest, she thanked the Pathfinder for allowing her to come on their adventure, adding that the Pathfinder was more than welcome to return back and visit.
After they said their goodbyes, the Pathfinder decided to set off on a new journey to dampen the curse on her. She also noted to herself that the story about the black-robed man concerned her, with the Soul remaining quiet ever since it had imbued the relic with power. She wondered whether mastering the relic’s power would allow its voice to talk to her again.
Brie then returned back to the village and told the other Karuppa about her journey, though none of them believed her. Just then, the Pathfinder, having had a gut feeling, unexpectedly decided to return back to the village, where she arrived in time to overhear the villagers’ skepticism about Brie’s story. Though she noted that it wasn’t like her to get involved in other people’s business, the Pathfinder told herself that she would feel guilty if she were to simply leave Brie high and dry.
She then gave Brie a small blue flower, just like the one that Brie had given her. As Brie clutched the flower tightly in her hands and dabbed the tears from her eyes, the Pathfinder saw Brie glimmering with renewed determination. The Pathfinder then decided to stop by the Bowman Instructional School and visit Athena Pierce.
Athena was impressed to hear about the Pathfinder’s quick thinking, which had helped her survive her trials. She noted that the Pathfinder’s instincts had been sharp when she had been a student, and that she had matured considerably since then as well. Wishing her well on the path that she was meant to walk, Athena promised to offer guidance whenever she could.
(A/N: This next part is Pathfinder’s 3rd job advancement.)
After honing her skills through training, the Pathfinder’s relic began glowing, as though it were trying to lead her somewhere. She followed the relic’s light to the southern ridge of Perion, where she discovered a strange glowing fragment of rock that looked just like the one from which the Soul had spoken to her in the ruins.
From the rock fragment, an incredible surge of energy was absorbed into the relic, which surpassed even what she had felt when she had first come in contact with it in the ruins. As the relic filled with power, the Pathfinder experienced a vision of the dark-robed man in the research lab rejoicing upon finding the three keys to the ancient altar, believing that he would be able to reproduce the ancient power. He also added that he now also had proof that the power had existed “here” as well.
The Pathfinder wondered whether the man was the one who had set up the research lab that she had stumbled upon, which had led her to the ruins in the first place. Believing that it might hold other clues, the Pathfinder returned to the lab, though she was unable to find any further clues. However, she was nevertheless satisfied to know that the man had been searching for the “ancient power”, and that his words about it existing “here as well” suggested that he might have even come from another dimension entirely. She then discovered a compiled copy of his research study entitled, “Maple World and the Ancient Power”, with the author’s name listed as Kirston.
(A/N: Kirston has surprisingly been coming back into story focus after over a decade of being ignored. Pathfinder’s storyline was released in the update following Tenebris, which began shifting the story focus to Grandis and the Ancient Gods. Given Kirston’s interest in the power of the gods and the hint about him being from another dimension, it’s possible that the writers are intending to retcon him as a native of Grandis.
Since Grandis has a long history at the forefront of the conflict with the Ancient Gods, it’s possible that Kirston’s surprise that the gods existed “here”, referring to Maple World, might be because the gods had considerably little presence here compared to Grandis. I’m interested in seeing where they go with Kirston in the future, since his last chronological appearance was during the Gate to the Past storyline with Pink Bean.
This next part is Pathfinder’s 4th job advancement.)
Having unlocked more of the relic’s power, the Pathfinder felt the curse on herself weakening. She then continued training until she began feeling the relic glowing and leading her somewhere. She followed its light to the Deep Sea of Aqua Road, where she encountered yet another rock fragment that looked like the ones in Partem and Perion. Immediately, the relic began draining ancient power from the fragment, causing the corrupted power to react strongly to the infusion.
She then had another vision of Kirston, who noted that the power of the relic was blocked, just as he had anticipated. He concluded that the amount of power that he had reproduced was the full extent possible for the time being. Following the vision, the Pathfinder noticed that the curse sigil on her hand had completely disappeared, making her wonder whether it had been the relic’s final trial. However, she was left with more questions, such as what the “ancient power” was, and what he had meant by something being “blocked”.
Believing that the ruins might hold a clue to some answers, the Pathfinder returned back to the Soul Chamber, where the Soul recognized that the relic’s power was now fully unfettered, for which it welcomed her as its rightful owner. To answer her questions, the Soul explained that Kirston had intended to reproduce the relic’s innate power through a dark rite. As the relic had been made before order had laid its foundations in the world, time itself needed to be turned back to return it to its full power.
The Pathfinder pointed out that Kirston had mentioned that something was blocked, to which the Soul explained that Kirston had been unable to fully restore the relic’s power, as the Seal of Time had impeded him. However, it warned the Pathfinder that nothing was impossible forever, for while Kirston may have failed, another could appear and attempt to reproduce the relic’s ancient power, and that it was equally likely that their intentions may be good or evil.
(A/N: The Seal of Time refers to the barrier that Freud created in order to make it impossible for anyone to travel back in time any further than the moment that the Black Mage’s seal was created.)
It added that it hoped that if one did succeed in restoring that power, they would use it to protect the world. Until then, it entrusted the Pathfinder with the relic and its safekeeping before teleporting her back outside the ruins. The Pathfinder noted to herself that Kirston seemed tenacious, and that he likely hadn’t given up on reproducing the ancient power.
She realized that she had always been driven merely by satisfying her curiosity, roaming from place to place, just to see what she could find. She laughed that she had never expected to find herself getting attached, realizing that her world had become bigger than just herself. She then vowed to use the relic’s power to defend everything that she cared about, and to shine a light on the right path in a world filled with darkness.
Puppeteer Francis:
(A/N: This section - and the next - covers the class storylines for Aran and Evan, as both their stories are intertwined, similar to Kaiser and Angelic Buster. Aran’s story received a revamp in the Milestone update, which cleaned up a lot of the wonky early-history lore contradictions, which I think was an overall success, even though there were a couple of timeline issues that came up as a result..)
In Edelstein, Gelimer required additional sources of power for his experiments. To supply him with what he needed, Orchid ordered Francis the Puppeteer, the Black Wings’ lowest-ranking officer, to use his puppets to seize control of Victoria Island in order to find the Seal Stones, which she believed had enough power to revive Lotus. Orchid then told her followers that finding and destroying all the Seal Stones would allow the Black Mage to return. Francis used his puppets to manipulate the behavior of monsters, such as Horny Mushrooms, Orange Mushrooms, Ghost Stumps, and many others.
On Rien, Aran awoke from the ice to the sight of a girl named Lilin, who was thrilled to have finally found the lost hero. Aran quickly realized that she had no memories, which Lilin suspected was the result of the Black Mage’s curse. She explained that the Black Mage was an evil Transcendent who had attacked Maple World hundreds of years ago until Aran and the other Heroes had stopped him, though she added that the Heroes had all been cursed by the Black Mage and frozen in ice. Lilin admitted that she had no idea why Aran had woken up in Rien, though she noted that the curse had changed the island’s climate.
(A/N: In the Silent Crusade storyline, it’s stated that Maha planned to bring Aran to Rien because he hoped that the island’s cold climate would slow down the curse, which created a continuity error with Aran’s class story. After Aran’s story revamp in the Milestone update, it was once again emphasized that the curse froze over Rien, and so I’m gonna assume that’s the canon explanation. To make sense of it, I’m headcanoning that Rien was already naturally cold, although Aran’s curse turned it completely frozen permanently.)
She then introduced herself to Aran and explained that she was a member of the Rien Clan, which had awaited the lost hero’s return for centuries. With Aran still unable to remember anything, Lilin escorted the hero to town and introduced her to the native penguins of Rien along the way. The penguins were awestruck to meet Aran and presented her with gifts to help her grow stronger after learning that her memories and strength had been taken by the curse.
In town, Aran began feeling a strange sensation that something was calling to her as Lilin began telling her more about her past. She explained that after the Heroes and the Black Mage had disappeared, their legend had faded into obscurity, though the Rien Clan had passed down the stories and a prophecy of the Heroes’ return, with Lilin being the last member of her clan who still believed in it. She added that now that Aran had finally returned, just as she had believed, it meant that the Heroes would finally stop the Black Mage once and for all, as rumors of his return were spreading across Maple World.
Having explained more about Aran’s past, Lilin asked the hero whether she felt anything different. Aran explained that she had felt someone calling to her, to which Lilin wondered whether it was related to the large polearm in the middle of town. She explained that the polearm had been at the center of the island for centuries, and that the Rien Clan had settled around the polearm after learning that it had once belonged to one of the Heroes. Because Aran had awakened on Rien, Lilin suspected that Aran was the polearm hero and explained that the polearm hero was named ‘Aran’.
After learning her name, Aran decided to train and recover some of her skills by fighting the native monsters on Rien. Though she felt a sense of familiarity while swinging her polearm, Aran was unable to recall more of her memories. Because of this, Lilin suggested that she touch the giant polearm at the center of town, believing that the weapon would recognize its owner if the stories were true.
Upon touching the polearm, the spirit of Maha appeared before her, relieved to know that she could finally hear his voice. However, Maha was shocked to find that Aran had lost her memories and strength, which he realized was because of the Black Mage’s curse. In order to help her return to her old self, Maha used his power to awaken some of Aran’s dormant abilities and told her to keep training, as only regaining her strength would allow her to recover all of her missing memories.
Maha then gave Aran a new polearm to wield, causing Aran to wonder whether it meant that he wasn’t coming with her. Maha laughed that she was in no fit condition to be wielding him, though he then then added that she ought to hurry to regain her power, as something had happened to him as well, just like how she had lost her strength.
(A/N: This is later explained in Aran’s 4th job advancement, which reveals that darkness has been growing in Maha after years of isolation.)
After speaking with Maha, Aran began to regain some of her confidence that she was indeed the polearm hero Aran, for which she resolved to regain her strength as fast as she could by training. She then spoke with Lilin, who was pleased to hear that Aran had regained some of her old strength. Though she noted that the road ahead would be difficult, she added that it was one that Aran had already walked before.
She then told Aran that the only way to return to her old self was by training hard and diligently, which could only be done by leaving Rien and exploring Maple World. She explained that there was an information broker named Mr. Truth, better known as Tru, who could help her get stronger, and suggested that Aran meet with him in Lith Harbor.
Meanwhile, on a farm in Henesys, a young boy named Evan had a dream in which he met a large Onyx Dragon, who told him that he had been destined to become a Dragon Master. Upon awakening, Evan saw that the symbol on the dragon’s forehead had been imprinted on the back of his hand. After completing some chores around the farm, Evan was sent by his father to find a lost piglet.
As he approached it, he accidentally fell down a large covered hole in the ground and found himself in a forest exactly like the one from his dream. Instead of finding a dragon, however, he found an egg. Taking the egg, Evan climbed out of the hole and took the piglet back to his father. He then obtained an incubator from his brother Utah and placed the egg inside it. Soon after, the egg hatched and a baby dragon emerged from it. The dragon introduced himself as Mir and explained that their souls were now bound together by the Spirit Pact.
With Mir’s help, Evan learned that he was able to use magic, allowing him to quickly complete his other chores. After feeding Mir, Evan was sent by his father into town to deliver a letter to Chief Stan. Stan read the letter, which explained that there was a shortage of pig meat. Offering to help, Evan was sent by Stan to hunt Orange Mushroom caps.
Mir believed that helping people had to be the Dragon Master’s calling and urged Evan to find other people in trouble. Evan went to Rina’s house and met with Rina, who needed Blue Mushroom caps for a Blue Mushroom Porridge that she wanted to make for her sick friend, Maya. However, she warned Evan not to go near the monsters, as they were much more dangerous than Orange Mushrooms. At Mir’s insistence, however, Evan went anyways and brought the caps for Rina to make the porridge.
Meanwhile, Aran arrived at Lith Harbor and went to to Tru’s shop, where she gave him a letter of introduction from Lilin. After reading the letter, Tru was amazed by Aran’s return and explained that he was also part of the Rien Clan, although he had left long ago after losing faith in the Heroes’ return. He told Aran that Lilin had stubbornly refused to leave Rien, even when her brother had left, though he added that Lilin’s faith had now been rewarded, for which he promised to help Aran in any way that he could.
To help her get stronger, Tru suggested that she work as an informant for him, as it would help her get stronger and learn more about Maple World. He explained that there were all sorts of rumors circulating, such as a descendant of the Empress’ bloodline – long thought to have been ended – appearing and forming an order of knights, as well as some concerns that the Black Mage may soon be coming back.
Tru then sent Aran on her first mission, which was to investigate the recent behavior of Orange Mushrooms in Henesys. There, Aran spoke to a mushroom researcher named Scarrs, who asked her to defeat Cynical Orange Mushrooms for him. After defeating them, Aran returned and brought him an Orange Mushroom puppet, which she had found inside one of the monsters.
Scarrs hypothesized that the puppets were responsible for the strange behavior of the monsters. In order to confirm his theory, he asked Aran to defeat Crying Blue Mushrooms and check if they had puppets inside them as well. Aran brought back a puppet from inside the monsters, with which Scarrs determined that the puppets produced a noise on a frequency that only monsters could hear. He then promised that he would research more on the nature of the puppets.
Soon after, Chief Stan contacted Evan and explained that he needed help with something, but he first wanted to test Evan’s strength before he entrusted him with the mission. He then asked Evan to bring back a puppet from the Crying Blue Mushrooms. After proving himself, Stan asked Evan to investigate the Golem Temple, as the Golems had become increasingly restless. At the Golem Temple, Evan found a mysterious building with a puppet hanging from it. He reported his discovery to Stan, who noted that the town could handle weaker monsters such as Pigs or Mushrooms, but Golems would be extremely dangerous.
Some time later, Stan contacted Evan and told him that Camila, Utah’s girlfriend, had been kidnapped by the Golems while she had been out picking strawberries. Evan rushed to the temple and quickly defeated the Enraged Golem who had taken her. After bringing Camila back to town, Stan expressed his gratitude.
Wondering about the cause of the Golems’ behavior, Stan asked Evan to speak with Camila about anything strange that she might have noticed. Camila told him that she had seen Enraged Golems coming out of the same mysterious building that Evan had discovered. Stan then asked Evan to go into the building and eliminate the Enraged Golems to see if they had any clues. After doing so, Evan brought back a Golem puppet, confirming Stan’s suspicions. As a final favor, Stan asked Evan to warn the other towns of Victoria Island. He asked Evan to go see Bruce, an archeologist who had been sent to study the Golems’ behavior, in order to have him explain the details to the other towns.
Bruce told Evan that he couldn’t possibly go to every town on Victoria Island, and instead suggested that Evan ask Luke, a member of the Victoria Guard, as he could spread the word more easily. Bruce also suggested that it would be helpful if Evan brought evidence, and so Evan found a Golem puppet and took it to Luke. Though Luke was doubtful that a puppet could cause something so major, he nevertheless accepted Bruce’s word as a professional and agreed to warn the other towns.
At Luke’s request, Evan traveled to Perion to warn Ayan, a resident of the town, about the monsters. Ayan then asked Evan to accept a position with the Victoria Guard and help around the town. After consulting with Mir, he accepted the position and was made into an honorary guard, as he was too young to be an official one. For his first mission, Evan was asked to find an Explorer who had gone missing in northern Perion. He found the missing Explorer, Christopher, who was severely dehydrated. Evan brought him Cold Stump Sap in order to help quench his thirst.
He then reported back to Ayan, who asked him to update the warning signs around Perion to ensure they were up to date with correct information. After fixing the signs, Evan learned from Ayan that Smirking Ghost Stumps had been discovered, just as Evan had warned, and asked him to see if they had a puppet in them as well. Evan successfully returned with a puppet and, realizing the magnitude of the situation, Ayan decided to call in official Victoria Guard members to defend the town. Though Evan was no longer needed, she told him that because of his actions, he had grown more famous. She also told him that others around Victoria Island would benefit from his help as well.
Meanwhile, Aran returned back to Tru after helping Scarrs and reported her findings to him. Tru was pleased by her discovery and noted that he would be able to sell the information for a decent price. He then explained that while she had been investigating the puppets, someone had been kidnapped by Golems in Henesys, with a puppet being responsible for the Golems’ violent behavior. He then sent Aran to Henesys and asked her to learn more from Camila.
Camila explained that she was the one who had been kidnapped by the Golem, to which Aran asked her whether she had seen anyone suspicious near the Golem Temple. Camila replied that there were always Explorers around the temple, though there hadn’t been anyone suspicious at the time. Aran then asked if she had seen anyone who could have been putting the puppets inside the monsters around town. Camila suddenly remembered that a strange boy had recently arrived holding a puppet, which had also been around the time that strange activities had begun occurring in Henesys.
Realizing that this boy was the cause of the puppet activity, Aran warned Chief Stan about him. Stan realized that they needed to prepare themselves, and so he asked Aran to help them by thinning out the Golems before the strange boy arrived. After Aran cleared out the monsters, she returned to Chief Stan, who thanked her and explained that she had acted just in time, as the strange boy had been sighted near the Golem Temple.
As she wondered what the boy could be up to, Aran heard a mysterious voice in her head, which she immediately realized belonged to the boy responsible for the puppets. The boy teleported Aran to his cave, where he introduced himself as Francis the Puppeteer from the Black Wings. He told Aran that she had annoyed him by getting rid of his puppets and threatened her with the wrath of the Black Mage if she didn’t stay out of his way.
Aran then returned back to Tru’s shop and explained what had happened. Tru explained that he had heard of the Black Wings and told her that he had thought that they were merely a hoax. He began to grow concerned that the Black Mage truly was on the verge of resurrection and resolved to look into the Black Wings. He then told Aran to inform Lilin about this latest development, adding that the return of the Heroes, the followers of the Black Mage, and the prophecy were all connected. Given how much Lilin had researched and believed in the Heroes, Tru told Aran that Lilin had a right to know as much as anyone, especially since she might be able to help them with her knowledge.
Aran returned to Rien and explained the situation to Lilin, who noted that the rise of the Black Wings seemed to confirm that the Black Mage was still alive. When Aran asked Lilin if she was afraid, she replied that she had no fears, as she was certain that Aran would defeat the Black Mage. She reassured Aran that it was clear that her strength was returning since coming out of the ice, and that there was no way that Aran had endured so much suffering only to lose to the Black Mage.
Lilin then told Aran to return back to Tru, who asked her to investigate the strange monster activity in Perion, citing the similarities with the events in Henesys. At his request, Aran met with 10 Boogies, a Cygnus Knights informant, who told her that a puppet was the likely cause for the strange behavior in the Smirking Ghost Stumps. She showed Aran a monitor that could detect puppet activity, which confirmed that there was a puppet in the area.
She explained that if a puppet were inside a monster, the puppet energy on the monitor would have been moving, but the monitor indicated that the puppet energy was still. 10 Boogies suspected that the puppet was hidden in the area and asked Aran to investigate. Aran then discovered several puppets hidden beneath piles of old relics.
With this information, 10 Boogies concluded that firstly, aberrant monster behavior always stemmed from a puppet; secondly, the puppets didn’t have to be inside the monsters, merely in the area; finally, the Puppeteer had the power to control all of Victoria Island, not just a specific town. With her investigation complete, 10 Boogies asked Aran to deliver her research report to Neinheart, as she was unable to leave her post.
In Ereve, Neinheart was surprised to see Aran arriving with 10 Boogies’ report, wondering why a stranger had come in her place. Though he thanked Aran for delivering the report, he politely asked her to leave, as Ereve was closed to anyone who was not seeking to become a Cygnus Knight. Aran asked Neinheart who the Cygnus Knights were, to which he bemusedly asked whether she had really done a favor for 10 Boogies without even knowing who the Knights were. He then explained that the Knights had been formed by Empress Cygnus before asking her to leave him to his work.
After speaking with Neinheart, Aran recalled a vague memory of Ereve and a sense that she had been there before, as well as a realization that there had been an Empress before Cygnus. Nevertheless, she decided to return to Tru and reported what had happened in Perion. Tru then told Aran that the Puppeteer had been sighted in Ellinia, for which he asked her to speak with Rowen the Fairy, who was the one who had seen him.
Rowen told Aran that she had seen a robed boy earlier, and that she believed him to be the Puppeteer because the monsters of Ellinia had become much more violent shortly after his appearance. She explained that she had followed the boy to the northern forests, where she had found his secret hideout, which had been decorated with puppets. As she hadn’t been able to properly hear the password to the hideout, she suggested that Aran visit Fanzy, a magical cat who lived near the Great Tree, who might have overheard it.
Fanzy offered to give Aran the password in exchange for Evil Eye tails, after which he told her that the password was “******* is a genius Puppeteer!”, explaining that he hadn’t caught the first word, though he added that it sounded like a name. Aran deduced that the missing word was ‘Francis’ and used the password to enter the cave. There, she confronted Francis, who was shocked that Aran had managed to infiltrate his hideout. Aran demanded to know why Francis was controlling the monsters of Victoria Island, though Francis refused to tell her and began to attack.
Aran proceeded to soundly defeat Francis, though the Puppeteer nevertheless managed to escape. Aran then took a document from his cave and brought it to Tru. He realized that the document was written in code and told Aran to bring it to Lilin, who was a master codebreaker since her youth, as many of the legends about the Heroes had been written in code that she had meticulously deciphered.
Aran brought the document to Lilin, who solved the code and learned that Francis’ mission was to recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, and that he had been using his puppets to control the monsters of Victoria Island in order to find it. The report also showed that due to unforeseen complications from external forces, the mission had been delayed and Francis had requested reinforcements. Lilin noted that the report had been written by Francis to his superior, and that he had been extremely obsequious in his wording, causing her to wonder who Francis was reporting to.
Though Lilin was unsure what the Seal Stone was, she told Aran that since it seemed to be something that the Black Wings were searching desperately for, she believed that it had to be closely related to the Black Mage. Knowing that Aran was likely the external complication that Francis was referring to, Lilin advised Aran to exercise caution. Aran confidently replied that she would be able to handle the Black Wings, to which Lilin replied that though Aran was talking like a hero again, she still had a long way to go, for which she ordered Aran to start training again.
Around this time, Phantom awoke from the ice and began to reacquaint himself with the centuries of history that he had missed by helping his intelligence network aboard the Lumiere collect information. He was then hired by Tru, who asked him to help recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. Although Phantom told Tru that the Seal Stone was useless while the Black Mage was sealed, he nevertheless helped Tru obtain the Seal Stone.
Aran was then contacted by the voice of Tru in her head, who asked her to come see him at his shop, though Aran noted that Tru’s manner of speaking was uncharacteristic of him. She arrived at his shop and found him tied unconscious to a chair, with Francis and a second Tru awaiting her. Francis thanked the second Tru, who revealed himself to be a shapeshifted Baroq. After Baroq left, Francis told Aran that the reason she had beaten him last time was because he had just come back from a battle with the Cygnus Knights, promising that he would be a much stronger foe this time around.
(A/N: This is likely a reference to the Cygnus Knights storyline from before the Cygnus Awakens revamp, which took place around the same time as Aran and Evan’s storylines. The current Cygnus Knights storyline makes allusions to the original version, namely that Francis had once tried to use his puppets to take over Victoria Island and was stopped by the Cygnus Knights. We can assume that Francis is referring to one of the battles that the old Cygnus Knight storyline has you do.)
Despite his boasting, Aran was once again able to defeat him with ease, forcing Francis to retreat. She then freed Tru, who thanked her for saving him. He was surprised that Francis would have gone so far, though he waved away Aran’s apology and explained that she had come at the optimal time. Aran was confused by what he meant, and so Tru explained that Francis’ drastic measures meant that the document which she had obtained from his cave was real, which confirmed that the Black Wings’ goal was to recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island.
He then presented the Seal Stone to a surprised Aran, revealing that he had already managed to acquire it. He explained that one of his business partners had been one step faster than us, and that their employer had managed to steal the Seal Stone first and deliver it to him, though the Black Wings had attacked his shop before he had gotten the chance to tell her and Lilin. Aran noted that his business partner’s employer was quite impressive, to which Tru replied that it was rumored that he was a great thief, causing Aran to suddenly recall Phantom’s name.
As the Seal Stone wasn’t safe with him, Tru asked Aran to bring it to Lilin for safekeeping, as Rien was home only to the Rien Clan, with many spells having been placed on it to keep it inaccessible to foreigners. He then told Aran that he would no longer assign her missions, as she had already made too big of a reputation for herself with the Black Wings to covertly gather information.
He added that she had gained enough experience about Maple World to gather information for herself, and that she should focus on regaining her strength while he sent another informant to investigate Francis’ hideout. He then told her that he would keep investigating the Black Wings, and that he would contact her immediately if she learned more about the Seal Stone. Aran then brought the Seal Stone of Victoria Island to Lilin, who promised to keep it safe on Rien.
Soon after, Maha called to Aran through their mental link and told her that he could feel that she had grown much stronger. He called her back to Rien, where he asked her whether she had regained any more of her memories. Aran replied that she could only remember his name and a memory of fighting in a great battle, as well as the fact that she had fought beside her comrades.
Maha explained that the reason why she had lost her memory was because she had been greatly weakened when the Black Mage had cursed her, and while she had instinctively protected herself against the physical shock, she had been unable to defend against the mental shock. Because of this, Maha believed that the fastest way for her to regain her strength was by regaining her memories. He explained that he had suspected that Aran wouldn’t be the same after waking up from the curse, which was why he had made provisions long ago by bringing her to Rien, as the Black Mage’s influence there was considerably weaker, making it the perfect place for him to cast a protective spell on.
He revealed that he had used his magic to create a special place on Rien where she could regain her memories, though he couldn’t remember exactly where it was after hundreds of years. Aran then met with Lillin, who explained that her clan had discovered an ice cave long ago, where they had discovered a special mirror which could reflect moments from one’s past. Lilin realized that Maha must have created it for Aran in order to regain her memories and asked her to visit the Mirror Cave.
Using the mirror, Aran witnessed a memory of her past self in Mu Lung, where she had met with the greatest blacksmith in Maple World. There, she watched as her past self requested the blacksmith for his greatest weapon, though the blacksmith refused, claiming that the weapon was so sharp that it could even hurt its owner. He also added that the weapon was inhabited by a spirit, which very few people could handle.
Upon seeing Aran’s insistence that such a weapon would be perfect for her, the blacksmith asked her why she wanted to wield it. Aran explained that she wished to use it to protect others, not to harm them. The blacksmith decided to test her and tasked her with defeating the master of the nearby mountain. Believing that she might regain more of her memories by retaking the test, the Aran of the present traveled to the mountain and defeated its master, King Centipede. She then returned to the blacksmith’s shop and watched the blacksmith express his amazement at her past self’s prowess.
He then presented Maha to Aran, who watched in surprise as the spirit of Maha emerged and surveyed Aran with little impressment. Maha demanded to know how Aran planned to satisfy him as his owner, to which Aran promised to make him the most famous weapon in Maple World. Seeing that Aran was serious, Maha reluctantly relented to becoming her weapon. Back in the present, Aran returned to Maha and told him that she remembered her promise that she would defeat the Black Mage and make him famous. Having recalled more of her past, Maha awakened more of her power and asked her to use it to continue growing stronger.
Around the same time, Mir went through a metamorphosis and grew larger as Evan became stronger. Realizing that he knew very little about dragons, Evan decided to research more about Mir’s species. They went to Henesys to find Jay, Chief Stan’s son, and asked him if he had any books on dragons. Jay told him that he did, though he only allowed Evan read it at the house, as he had been meaning to read it himself. Evan read that Mir’s species was part of a category called Special Dragons, but details about Special Dragons were in the next volume of the book. Jay suggested that they visit the Magic Library in Ellinia in order to find the next volume. There, Grendel told them that the book had already been checked out.
After a long search, Evan finally tracked down the owner and obtained the book. He then discovered that Mir was a type of Special Dragon called an Onyx Dragon, whose souls were completed after forming Spirit Pacts with humans who possessed a soul of the same frequency. However, he also discovered that Onyx Dragons were said to be extinct. Refusing to believe that he was the last of his kind, Mir insisted that they do more research. Evan asked Grendel about Onyx Dragons, who told them that his friend, Chief Tatamo of Leafre, was a Halflinger, a race of dragon experts, and promised to ask him more about Onyx Dragons.
Hunt for the Seal Stones:
In Ellinia, Grendel summoned Evan and Mir to the Magic Library, where he explained that Chief Tatamo had gotten back to him and confirmed that he had information on the Onyx Dragons. However, he noted that Tatamo hardly talked about the Onyx Dragons, even to him, as though there was something about the topic that Tatamo felt guilty about.
When Evan asked if there was any way to convince Tatamo to share what he knew, Grendel told him that Tatamo might help if Evan were to give him an Onyx Dragon scale. Evan asked Mir for a scale, but Mir refused and told him that it would create a bald spot on his hide. After Evan persuaded him with shrimp and fish from Gold Beach, Mir reluctantly allowed Evan to pluck a scale. Evan brought the scale to Grendel, who told them that he would let them know what Tatamo said.
Soon after, Evan and Mir were contacted by Grendel, who told them that Tatamo was very curious about how Evan had managed to obtain an Onyx Dragon’s scale and wanted to meet him. Grendel offered to teleport them to Leafre, though he warned them not to roam outside the town, as the monsters in Leafre were far stronger than they could handle.
At the Halflinger village, Tatamo was both amazed and relieved that an Onyx Dragon still lived, and a young one at that. When Evan asked how the Onyx Dragons had gone extinct, Tatamo merely told him that a dark force had wiped them out centuries ago, though he claimed that he had no idea why. He offered to let Mir stay in Leafre, where he would be cared for by the Halflingers, but Evan and Mir both refused and told him that they belonged at each other’s side. Tatamo laughed and said that he understood, adding that Mir’s existence made him all the more determined to find another Onyx Dragon. After leaving Leafre, Mir told Evan that he felt sad thinking that he was the last of his species. However, he reassured Evan that he still had hope that other Onyx Dragons still existed.
Soon after returning to Victoria Island, Evan and Mir were contacted by Sabitrama, a shaman from Sleepywood. Sabitrama had heard stories about Evan’s heroic actions around Victoria Island and wanted to request the young Dragon Master’s help. He explained that someone had stolen his bag of herbs, which he used to make medicine, and suspected that the culprit was a thief from Kerning City. Evan went to Kerning City to investigate, where he ran into Alex, Chief Stan’s runaway son. Alex asked Evan about the latest news from Henesys ever since he had run away in exchange for a tip to seek out JM From tha Streetz, who knew everything in Kerning City.
JM demanded a fee of Stirge Wings for information, after which he told Evan that it was unlikely that anyone from the city had taken the herbs, as potions were much more convenient in modern day. Because of this, JM suspected that the thief had taken the herbs in order to use them rather than to sell them. He told them to speak with Nella, whose keen sense of smell might help them find the herbs.
Evan explained the situation to Nella, who was offended by Sabitrama’s belief that the thieves of Kerning City were criminals, explaining that the thieves of Kerning City merely adopted a particular aesthetic, and that they had no interest in taking other people’s livelihoods. She swore to Evan that the thief wasn’t from Kerning City and resolved to find them herself in order to restore Kerning City’s honor.
Some time later, Nella contacted Evan and told him that she had sent her men to gather information on the thief, and that one of them had found a clue in Sleepywood. However, he had been attacked by Wraiths on the way back to Kerning City and had lost his report. Evan and Mir recovered the report in the Kerning City subway and brought it to Nella. She explained that the report was written in a secret code that only thieves used. After translating it, she learned that the thief had gone to a cave at the end of the forest in Ellinia.
Inside the cave, they found a lone puppet, who explained that his master had been injured while fighting his enemies. Since the puppet had no money to buy potions, he had stolen the bag of herbs in order to heal his master. As his master’s wounds still hadn’t fully healed, he begged them to bring him some potions in order to help his master.
After bringing him the potions, the puppet thanked them and returned the bag of herbs. Evan returned them to Sabitrama and told him how Nella had aided him in recovering the herbs. Sabitrama felt ashamed for his prejudice against Kerning City and asked Evan to apologize to Nella on his behalf. After Evan passed on Sabitrama’s message, Nella was pleased that Kerning City’s honor had been restored.
Soon after, the puppet contacted Evan and told him that he needed bandages to treat his master’s wounds. Evan and Mir hunted Jr. Wraiths in the Kerning City subway and brought them to the puppet to use as bandages. The puppet was overjoyed and asked if they would be willing to join his master's secret organization.
Though the puppet didn’t know what the name of the organization was, he assured Evan that its members performed good deeds throughout Maple World. Evan believed that as a Dragon Master, he should join such an organization and accepted the puppet’s offer. The puppet told Evan that he would speak to his master and try to pull some strings in order to recommend him.
Some time later, the puppet contacted Evan and told him that his master had agreed to let Evan join, provided that he pass the entry test, which was to eliminate Ligators in the Swamp Region, as they were disrupting his master’s construction of a new base. (A/N: I don’t think that Francis ever has a base in the Swamp Region, this might be a dropped plot point.) After passing the entry test, Evan was told that there was yet another condition to join, which was to collect Croco skins. After Evan brought him the skins, the puppet told Evan to expect to hear from him soon.
Sure enough, the puppet soon told Evan that he had been accepted as a temporary member of the organization, though he added that Evan might soon be promoted to an official member after some time. He told Evan and Mir to go to the sixteenth floor of Orbis Tower, where they would find the details of their first mission behind a secret brick. He told Evan that upon becoming an official member, he would be able to meet directly with other members and choose which missions he wanted to accept.
The puppet then transported them to Orbis Tower, where Evan found a badge for the secret organization, as well as instructions to collect Rapid Growth Accelerants from the Muddy Swamp Monsters in Kerning City. Evan was also told to keep the instructions and the Accelerants behind the secret brick. After completing the mission, Mir wondered what the Accelerants would be used for, to which Evan suggested that they might be used to make crops grow faster.
Soon after, Tru contacted Aran and told her that he had expanded his intelligence network outside Victoria Island, allowing him to learn that something had happened in Orbis, which possibly involved the Black Wings. In Orbis, Aran spoke with a half-Nymph named Lisa, who told her that she had been unable to sleep last night because of a thumping noise that kept all the fairies in Orbis awake. After investigating the source, Lisa had learned that there were Giant Nependeaths growing in the Neglected Strolling Path. As Nependeaths didn’t grow so abnormally large, she asked Aran to investigate the source of what was causing such a drastic growth.
After defeating the Giant Nependeaths, Aran found bottles of Rapid Growth Accelerants. She brought them to Lisa, who told her that Orbis had been slowly sinking from the sky year by year, explaining that the heavier the mass on Orbis, the faster they would sink. She then asked Aran to consult with a seer named Spiruna about whether Orbis was going to sink because of the Giant Nependeaths. Though she normally hated strangers, Spiruna was shocked upon sensing that a great fate hung over Aran, which was to overcome a terrible curse that had persisted for countless centuries.
She explained that her fortune telling had allowed her to see that the Giant Nependeaths were being used to access the Sealed Garden. Though she didn’t know much about the Sealed Garden, Spiruna told Aran that the Seal Stone of Orbis had been kept there long ago at the request of a magician named Freud, whose name felt strangely familiar to Aran.
(A/N: Originally, this dialogue stated that the Goddess had ordered the Seal Garden off-limits. During the Heroes of Maple revamp, this dialogue was changed to the Empress ordering it off-limits, and was finally changed to its current version in the Milestone revamp.)
Spiruna explained that the only way to get to the Sealed Garden was to make the Nependeaths in the Neglected Strolling Path grow large enough to reach the vines growing down from the Sealed Garden and asked Aran to stop the people trying to steal the Seal Stone, though she admitted that she had no idea what the Seal Stone was, with very few even remembering its existence.
In the Sealed Garden, Aran encountered Dargoth the Giant of the Black Wings. Dargoth realized that Aran was the one who had defeated Francis and laughed that he would take the Seal Stone and defeat Aran all at once, thereby beating Francis. Though Aran was able to defeat Dargoth, a dark power suddenly froze her in a gravity sphere, with a portal opening for Hiver to emerge and claim the Seal Stone. Hiver realized that Aran was the one who had defeated Dargoth and Francis, just as Orchid appeared from another portal, recognizing Aran as the polearm hero.
Orchid was amused to learn that Aran had lost her memories and strength due to the Black Mage’s curse, laughing that it was ridiculous that she was still trying to be a hero in spite of it. Hiver then presented the Seal Stone to Orchid, who noted that he and the others had been so useless that she had been forced to come herself in order to ensure their success. Though she declared that she didn’t have time to play with Aran, she vowed that she would get rid of her the next time they met before retreating with Hiver through the portals and disappearing.
After Orchid disappeared, Aran was released from the gravity sphere, leaving her to wonder who Orchid was and how they knew each other. Frustrated, she returned to Tru and told him what had happened in Orbis. Tru reassured Aran that it hadn’t been her fault, as the Black Wings had been prepared, especially with their leader having special powers as well. He then suggested that she report to Lilin back in Rien.
Just like Tru, Lilin told Aran not to feel bad, as they had managed to learn that there were multiple Seal Stones. She also noted that the Black Wings had been planning the operation for a long time, meaning that it was all the more impressive that Aran had managed to save the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. She then told Aran to keep focusing on getting stronger, promising that she and Tru would keep the Seal Stone of Victoria Island safe in the meantime.
Meanwhile, Evan and Mir were anonymously contacted by Hiver, who told them that he was the one who had given them their first mission. Evan asked Hiver whether he was the owner of the puppet, to which Hiver told them that its owner was Francis, whom he outranked. He also congratulated Evan and told him that the Rapid Growth Accelerant had been a big help to their organization, adding that even though Evan was not yet an official member, he had gone up in the ranks enough to be ready for his next mission.
He told Evan to go to the Forest of the Dead in El Nath, where he was to defeat the Decaying Coolie Zombies and take their Decaying Zombie Molars, after which he was to take the molars and go to the Chief’s Residence basement and exchange them with a goblin named Shammos. Though Evan and Mir had a bad feeling, they nevertheless completed their mission and gave the teeth to Shammos, who gave them a black key in return.
Hiver then told Evan to put the key inside a small stump on the outskirts of town, explaining that another member of the organization would come pick it up. Mir was excited about having completed yet another mission and asked Evan if he felt as though they had done something good for the people of Maple World.
Though he was confused about the purpose of the mission, Evan agreed that defeating the zombies must mean that they had done some good. Mir then wondered why the organization was so clandestine, as no one would know about their good deeds if the organization was secret. Evan supposed that it wouldn’t be humble of them to brag about their good deeds.
Soon after, Mir experienced another metamorphosis and grew even larger as Evan’s magical mastery increased. Some time later, Grendel contacted Evan and asked how his research on Onyx Dragons was going. He had heard a rumor about someone on Victoria Island riding a dragon and wondered if Evan might be able to ride Mir. Mir told him that it was possible, but that Evan would need a saddle, as well as lessons on how to ride a dragon. Evan asked Grendel where the dragon rider could be found and learned that they were in Perion.
There, they met the dragon rider FangBlade, who told them that he could teach Evan how to ride a dragon if he were to find a mount. (A/N: This quest is really cool, as you can talk to the FangBlade NPC to get the mount skill. To my understanding, other regions have turned their first player who reached level 200 into an NPC as well.) FangBlade suggested that they try checking Ereve, as many of the people there rode birds.
In Ereve, Neinheart demanded that Evan state his name, job, and purpose, as Ereve was a restricted area. Evan was confused, as he had seen many people entering and leaving Ereve. Neinheart explained that they were Cygnus Knights and ordered Evan to leave immediately. Evan persistently asked how Ereve made their mounts, but Neinheart once again asked Evan for his name, job, and purpose.
Evan introduced himself as a Dragon Master, which intrigued Neinheart enough that he resolved to look into what a Dragon Master was. He then told Evan that they outsourced production of saddles to Kenta in the Aquarium. With that, Neinheart insisted that they leave at once. They then went to speak with Kenta, who was intrigued by Mir. After taking his measurements, Kenta asked for Freezer Leather, a Seruf Pearl, and a service fee. After providing the items, Kenta made a saddle for Mir. They returned to Perion, where FangBlade taught Evan how to ride Mir.
Meanwhile, as Aran continued to train, Tru reached out to her and explained that he had gotten reports of Black Wings activity in Mu Lung. He then asked her to investigate Mr. Do, who had been in contact with one of the Black Wings. Mr. Do told Aran that a member of the Black Wings had given him a Hanging Scroll to pass on to Mu Gong, the master of Mu Lung Dojo.
However, he revealed that he had accidentally boiled the scroll while making medicine, and that the contents of the scroll had been lost. He then asked Aran to visit Jin Jin, the best painter in Mu Lung, in order to see if he could restore it. Jin Jin had Aran gather ingredients to create a Special Ink, which he then used to restore the Hanging Scroll.
Aran read the scroll and found out that it was a warning from the Shadow Knight that he was going to steal the Seal Stone of Mu Lung. She showed the scroll to Mr. Do, who realized that the Shadow Knight had written it as a challenge to Mu Gong and asked Aran to warn him. Though one would have to normally fight to the top floor of the dojo in order to reach Mu Gong, Mr. Do told her that Mu Gong’s apprentice, So Gong, could be bribed into showing her the back route to Mu Gong. In order to help Aran, Mr. Do bribed So Gong, allowing her to use to secret path to Mu Gong.
At the top of the dojo, Aran gave the Hanging Scroll to Mu Gong, who grew worried that the Shadow Knight would steal the Seal Stone. He told Aran that the Seal Stone was a valuable item guarded by the warriors of Mu Lung for centuries. When Aran asked for more details on the Seal Stone, Mu Gong tested her to see if she was worthy of receiving the knowledge.
Aran successfully fought Mu Gong’s shadow and Mu Gong immediately recognized her fighting style, which he said had been used centuries ago and was rumored to have even been used by one of the Heroes. Because of this, he mistook Aran to be a disciple of the Heroes, but nevertheless told her the location of the Seal Stone, as well as the password to enter. Though he knew that the Shadow Knight’s challenge had been meant for him, he felt that it would be better for the hero’s successor to face him.
Aran then entered the Sealed Temple, where the Shadow Knight was waiting. Just like Mu Gong, he mistook her for the hero’s successor rather than one of the Heroes herself. Aran was able to defeat the Shadow Knight, but just like in Orbis, a portal opened for Hiver to appear from the shadows. Aran quickly dodged an incoming gravity attack, allowing Hiver to take the Seal Stone of Mu Lung.
Aran demanded to know where his leader was, to which Hiver replied that his master was busy, and that he had no intention of wasting time fighting her either. Though Aran attempted to stop him, Hiver fell back into the portal and disappeared. Frustrated, she returned to Mu Gong to report her failure. To Aran’s surprise, Mu Gong revealed that the Heroes had entrusted the Seal Stone with the chief of Mu Lung, who had constructed the Sealed Temple in order to safeguard it. He then told Aran that the loss of the Seal Stone may not have been significant, as he had believed that the reason the Sealed Temple was so heavily protected was because it was the legacy of the Heroes, adding that he didn’t know the purpose of the Seal Stone.
(A/N: I love how despite the whole purpose of the Seal Stones was to be used for the people to protect their lands, not a single one of them knows what they are or how to use them. I suppose they don’t need to since the Black Mage is sealed away, but what if he returned or a similar threat arose and the other Heroes weren’t around to explain how they worked? I would’ve thought that at least someone would’ve written down instructions on how they work for future generations.)
Aran was intrigued to learn that the Heroes had entrusted the Seal Stones, causing her to wonder whether Freud, whom Spiruna had mentioned, was one of her comrades as well. She then returned to Tru and told him about the events in Mu Lung. Tru reassured Aran that she was growing stronger, and that she would stop the Black Wings next time. He then told her to speak with Lilin about what she had learned in Mu Lung.
Lilin was excited to learn that the Heroes had left behind the Seal Stones and told Aran that the information made up for losing the Seal Stone of Mu Lung. Aran was confused by how she had reached that conclusion, to which Lilin explained that by piecing together information on the Heroes, she could predict which places were likely to have the Seal Stones before the Black Wings found out. As always, she told Aran to focus on training while she researched the Heroes and Tru looked into the Black Wings.
Just then, Maha reached out to Aran and asked her whether by ‘Seal Stone’, she was referring to a little gemstone, adding that he remembered the Heroes distributing them. Surprised, Aran asked Maha why he hadn’t told her before, to which he told her that their mental link wasn’t strong enough for him to speak to her at a moment’s notice. He revealed that the Heroes had hidden several Seal Stones across Maple World, though he couldn’t remember where they were after so many centuries.
As Aran had no memories about the Seal Stones, Maha suggested that she try searching for the other Heroes in order to ask them where the Seal Stones were, adding that Freud was the most knowledgeable of the Heroes, having formed a Spirit Pact with an Onyx Dragon. He pointed out that since Aran had been freed from the ice, the other Heroes would likely also be in the same boat. Aran asked Maha whether they would have also lost their memories, to which he replied that though he couldn’t be sure about that, they would undoubtedly have lost their strength.
Aran decided that she would first search for Freud, but with no information on him other than his name, she met with Tru in order to learn more about him. After searching through his records, however, Tru was unable to find any information about Freud. He explained that since Freud had formed a Spirit Pact with an Onyx Dragon, there was no way that he would have missed Freud if he had returned to Maple World. However, he added that there was another magician in Maple World who appeared similar to Freud, for which he asked Aran whether it could be Freud using an alias.
Despite having little memory about Freud, Aran instinctively knew that it wasn’t like Freud to use an alias, causing her to conclude that his lookalike wasn’t really him. Tru then suggested that the other Heroes may not have woken up yet, promising to let her know if he heard anything. Aran then left, wondering whether she would ever regain her memories.
Maha then reached out to her through their link and reassured her that she was remembering more and more, pointing out that she had come a long way from not even being able to remember her own name. He noted that the fact that she was missing Freud, without even knowing him, was proof that her memories were still dormant in her head.
Aran thanked Maha, who then asked whether she was planning to continue her search for Freud. However, Aran told him that she had decided that the quickest way of finding him was to regain her memories by becoming stronger. She added that since they were friends, she had a feeling that she and the other Heroes would be reunited again someday. Maha accepted her decision and told her to grow stronger quickly, adding that he had waited for hundreds of years already.
Meanwhile, Grendel contacted Evan and told him that a new book had arrived in the Magic Library, which held a clue on the Onyx Dragons. When Evan arrived, Grendel showed him the book and explained that it was a voyage log written by John from Lith Harbor, which detailed his encounter with a dragon that had black scales and four golden horns while he had been marooned on an island covered in ice. Evan and Mir went to Lith Harbor in order to speak with John, who gave them a map to the island and told them to ask Teo to ferry them.
Teo told them that the route to the island was especially perilous, and that he didn’t have the skills to take them. However, he mentioned that Olaf, an experienced sailor, would be able to help them and suggested that they buy him a drink in order to persuade him. Evan bought Olaf his favorite drink - a Tropical Fruit Punch - which successfully persuaded Olaf to take them, though he added that, due to the harsh conditions on the voyage, he would need a stronger ship. He asked Evan to bring Wooden Boards and Slates from the monsters at the Excavation Site in Perion in order to fortify the ship, after which he told Evan that he would reach out once it was ready.
After Olaf finished fortifying the ship. Evan and Mir climbed aboard and, after a long voyage, they finally arrived on the island. (A/N: I’m not joking when I say that it was a long voyage. I think that it’s the only voyage left in the game that hasn’t been reduced by revamps to less than a minute. Each trip one-way takes 15 minutes, meaning that the round trip is half an hour, making Evan’s storyline one of the most tedious to finish.)
Mir was amazed at how quiet the island was, as the only noise came from the gently crashing waves. Directly in front of them was a large cave, inside which they found a large magical ice wall that separated them from what appeared to be a large Onyx Dragon. As they didn’t want to accidentally hurt the dragon, Evan decided to leave the ice wall alone and resolved to return after thinking of another way to get inside.
Soon after, Tru contacted Aran and asked her whether she had ever heard of Ludibrium. He explained that it was a land full of toys, which had been frozen in time so that the toys would always be needed by the children who didn’t grow up there. However, he revealed that one of the two clocktowers that managed the flow of time in Ludibrium had broken down, causing a portal to appear that led centuries in the past. He explained that Lilin had analyzed reports of the time period, which had caused her to conclude that it was a time when the Heroes had still been active.
Hoping to find clues about the Seal Stones and her own past, Aran entered the crack in time at the Time Control Room of Ludibrium and emerged in Ellin Forest. Proceeding deeper into the forest, she arrived at Altaire Camp and met Loha, who assumed that she was a lost refugee and sent her to Athena Pierce. At the Camp Conference Room, Aran met with Athena and began to explain who she was, but Athena remained unconvinced of her identity, as Aran looked different and she was unable to remember Athena.
Aran began explaining everything that had happened to her since awakening from the ice, and though Athena found it unbelievable, she could not deny that Aran’s eyes and her manner of speaking suggested that she was telling the truth. Choosing to believe her, Athena introduced herself and told Aran about how the refugees of Leafre had crash-landed on Victoria Island and established Altaire Camp while searching for fertile lands in order to relocate to. She then asked Aran why she looked different, causing them both to realize that coming through the crack in time had likely changed her appearance.
(A/N: This is later explained in the Ellin Forest theme dungeon as one of the laws of time established by the Overseers in order to ensure that the past can’t be changed.)
Athena then asked Aran whether she had come in search of her lost memories, but when Aran explained that she was looking for Seal Stones, Athena told her that she had been given a Seal Stone by the Heroes, which she was keeping locked in the library. After obtaining the storage key from Loha, Aran entered the library and encountered Hiver, who revealed that he had been tailing her the entire time.
Before she could stop him, Hiver disappeared with the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, hoping to keep it as a reserve, as it was a Seal Stone which couldn’t be obtained in their current time period. Aran then returned dejectedly to Athena Pierce, who apologized for not having better secured the Seal Stone, though Aran reassured her that it wasn’t her fault.
Athena then recalled that Aran of the past had written a letter, in which she had mentioned something about the Seal Stones. Suspecting that Aran had forgotten to send it before fighting the Black Mage, Athena attempted to give it to Aran of the present, though the letter merely fell through Aran’s hands. Athena found it strange, as Aran had been able to take the storage key from Loha without any problems. Aran replied that though she couldn’t be sure of why, the fact that they were from separate time periods made her believe that she could no longer interact with the past.
(A/N: Most likely, the reason for this is that objects can’t be taken outside of their proper time period. The Seal Stones are a likely exception, as they’re holy relics of the Overseers and contain divine power that allows one to defy the natural laws of the world.)
However, Athena suggested that since she was an elf, and thus had a long lifespan, she could keep the letter and instructed Aran to find her in the present day. After returning to her own time, Aran told Tru what had happened in Ellin Forest and asked him who Athena Pierce was. She was surprised to learn that Athena was one of the most famous people in Maple World, both as the instructor for bowmen and as an influential leader of Victoria Island. Aran then went to the Bowman Instructional School, where she found that Hiver had already gotten there first after eavesdropping on her conversation with Athena in Ellin Forest.
Athena, who had been knocked onto the floor, weakly told Aran to stop Hiver, who had already read the letter. Hiver laughed that he had already gotten what he needed, though he decided that Aran had become enough of a threat that he needed to eliminate her. However, Aran managed to defeat him and forced him to retreat. After Hiver was driven away, Athena gave Aran the letter that she had kept for hundreds of years. She then told Aran that though she wanted to talk more, she needed to strengthen the town’s defenses, as well as to let Mercedes know that Aran was alive, causing Aran to vaguely recall that Mercedes was one of the Heroes.
(A/N: This line is currently a plot hole, as it doesn’t fit no matter which order Aran and Mercedes’ storylines are set. In Mercedes’ story, Athena tells her that Aran is back during their very first meeting, which doesn’t make sense with Aran’s story, since the wording of her statement suggests that she already knows that Mercedes is back. This means that she’d just be telling Mercedes a second time. On the other hand, Athena resolving to tell Mercedes about Aran’s return doesn’t make sense if Aran’s story is set first because Athena shouldn’t even know that Mercedes is back. I’m hoping that future story revamps end up resolving the issues with this dialogue.)
Aran then took the letter to Tru, who found that it was completely unreadable. He realized that it was written in code, and that since Hiver had already read it, the Black Wings likely already knew the contents of the letter. Tru told Aran that Lilin would be able to decipher it, and so Aran went to Rien and showed the letter to her. Lilin realized that the code was extremely complicated, with several layers of encryption.
After deciphering the letter, Lilin learned that it had been written by Aran to the former Empress, and that the letter simply said to take care of the Seal Stone of Ereve. As the Black Wings had read the letter, Lilin realized that they likely knew of the Seal Stone’s existence, and so she asked Aran to warn the people of Ereve and told her to bring the letter as proof.
Aran went to Ereve and met with Neinheart, who recognized her from when she had brought 10 Boogies’ report on the Puppeteer. He was surprised to know that Aran knew about the Seal Stone of Ereve, also known as Shinsoo’s Teardrop. Nevertheless, he told Aran to leave, as not only was Ereve closed to foreigners, but he also didn’t trust that Aran wasn’t one of the Black Wings herself.
Meanwhile, Evan was contacted by Hiver, who began explaining his third mission. Evan interrupted him and asked to learn more about the organization, as he knew nothing about it, despite being a member. Hiver told Evan to come to the Frog House in Ludibrium, where he introduced himself by name and revealed that he was a top leader of the Black Wings. He explained that the Black Wings did many things to help Maple World, but that their primary goal was to bring back the ‘great' Black Mage.
Though he couldn’t elaborate too much, he told Evan that the Black Wings had been created to revive the Black Mage, and that his return would be the greatest thing that could happen to Maple World. With that, he gave Evan his third mission, which was to capture the ghosts of Secret Master Soul Teddies. While collecting them, Mir asked Evan if he had felt that something was off, as rumors stated that the Black Wings were the same organization hated by the people of Edelstein. Mir felt that he wasn’t sure whether they were on the right side or not. After returning to Hiver, Evan began to voice his concerns, but Hiver quickly dismissed him and said that he needed to focus on preparing the ghosts that Evan had collected.
Soon after, Hiver contacted Evan and told him that his preparations were complete. He gave Evan and Mir a pouch containing the spirits that they had captured and told them to use a special portal that he had created, which would take them to the Sky Terrace. There, Evan was to climb up a ladder and release the Master Soul Teddy spirits in order to chase everyone away. Evan and Mir followed his instructions and released the spirits, causing the guard who was patrolling the area to run away in fear.
Evan was confused about why he had been told to do this, and after returning back to Frog House, he attempted to question Hiver. However, Hiver interrupted him once again and promised to answer his questions after the mission was complete. He told Evan that thanks to his actions, a member of the Black Wings had been able to break through the first layer of security at the Sky Terrace. He then asked Evan to go further inside and defeat a monster called the Door Block. Evan and Mir returned to the Sky Terrace and encountered the Door Block, who called them thieves and denounced their audacity in trying to steal the Seal Stone of Ludibrium.
After defeating the Door Block, they returned to Hiver, who thanked them for their work and told them to get some rest, promising to contact them with their next mission soon. He then disappeared without having answered any of Evan’s questions. Evan and Mir agreed that there was something strange about the Black Wings, as things weren’t adding up about the missions that they had been completing.
Soon after, Hiver contacted them with their fourth mission, which was to obtain a map from Captain Hwang in Herb Town. He told them to ask the captain for a map of Turtle Island, as he would know what they meant. In Herb Town, Captain Hwang agreed to give them the map in exchange for defeating the pirates who had been harassing the people of Herb Town.
After Evan and Mir eliminated the pirates, the captain gave them the map, but warned them that the journey to the island was perilous and recommended that they don’t go. Evan then contacted Hiver to report their success. Hiver was impressed and teleported them to Frog House, where he told them that he had a fifth mission ready.
With the map, Hiver modified the special portal that had taken them to the Sky Terrace and explained that they could use the portal to get to Turtle Island. He then gave Evan a Gruesome Bone that reeked of dark energy and told him to place it on an altar inside the cave that they would find, after which they were to leave immediately, no matter what else they found. He explained that an evil being had placed a spell on the island that prevented the Black Wings from entering, which was why he needed Evan’s help. Evan reluctantly agreed and took the portal to Turtle Island.
Upon arriving, he and Mir immediately realized that Turtle Island was the same island that they had sailed to with Olaf. They entered the cave and placed the bone upon the altar, causing its dark energies to melt the ice wall between them and the Onyx Dragon. Hiver was pleased and told them to head outside, where a boat was waiting for them. Evan attempted to tell Hiver about the Onyx Dragon, but Hiver told him to ignore it and escape before the dragon awoke.
As they left the cave, Mir became increasingly frantic and told Evan that something was terribly wrong about the whole situation. Evan agreed with Mir and they decided to return to the cave, where they found Hiver and several Black Wings henchmen attempting to kill the dragon. Evan and Mir quickly defeated the henchmen and knocked back Hiver, who was impressed by their strength. He decided to retreat, but warned that they would be enemies once their paths crossed again.
The sleeping dragon then awoke and telepathically spoke to Evan, introducing himself as Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons. Evan asked him why the Onyx Dragons had gone extinct and why Afrien was trapped inside the ice cave. Afrien told Evan the story of how he and Freud had formed the Spirit Pact, and how the Black Mage had destroyed the Onyx Dragons.
To elaborate, he showed Evan a memory of himself speaking with Freud shortly before they had stormed the Temple of Time. Evan witnessed how Afrien had asked Freud to take care of his egg if he were to fall in battle, and how, in turn, Freud had Afrien promise that he would do everything in his power to survive, as well as promising not to sacrifice himself on Freud’s behalf.
Evan then realized that Mir was Afrien’s child, though Afrien asked Evan not to tell Mir, explaining that he was as good as dead, and that the knowledge would only bring Mir pain. He told Evan that when the Black Mage had cast his curse on the Heroes, he had taken the curse in Freud’s place. He explained that the ice around his body had nearly melted, but that his body had become one with the island. Because of this, the animals who lived there would die if he were to move. Freud had cast a spell on the island to prevent anyone affiliated with the Black Mage from entering, and made it so that only a Dragon Master could awaken Afrien.
Evan asked how Hiver knew all this, to which Afrien said that it wasn’t important. (A/N: I mean, I think it’s kinda important…) He then added that the important thing was that Hiver had used Evan. He explained that since Hiver couldn’t enter the island himself, he had manipulated Evan into breaking the spell and awakening Afrien. He then told Evan that his only wish was that Evan and Mir stop the Black Wings. As Mir hadn’t seen Afrien’s memories, he asked Evan to tell him what he had learned. Evan kept his promise not to tell Mir about his ancestry and instead explained that the Black Mage, far from being the force of good that Hiver had promised, was the one responsible for wiping out the Onyx Dragons.
Realizing that they had been manipulated, Evan and Mir decided to visit each of the places they had completed missions in in order to see what consequences their actions had wrought. In Orbis, they learned from Lisa that the Rapid Growth Accelerant had caused much harm due to the Giant Nependeaths it created, and that only the actions of a passing traveler had resolved the situation.
Next, they went to the Chief’s Residence in El Nath, where they spoke with the Magician Instructor Robeira. Evan asked if they had done good work by hunting the zombies, to which she responded that they had indeed. She told them that if it hadn’t been for the zombies, El Nath could have developed further such that they would have the resources to find a way to get rid of them. However, she warned them to take care of any zombie teeth that they recovered, as the teeth contained a dark corruptive energy. She told them that the corruption had taken hold of Shammos, who continued to perform misdeeds in spite of wanting to atone for his wrongdoings.
When Evan asked what Shammos had done wrong, Robeira explained that Shammos had been caught with a copy of the key to the basement of the Chief’s Residence. Although she had taken it away, she believed that he had likely made more copies and explained that there was an old treasure stored in the basement, which needed to be protected at all costs. (A/N: This is likely an allusion to the Seal Stone of El Nath, although this contradicts Phantom’s storyline, which reveals that the Seal Stone is located in the research lab of Alcaster’s master in Orbis Tower.)
In Ludibrium, they spoke with a guard named Marcel, who told them that the Door Block had guarded an important treasure. Although no one knew what the treasure was, its theft had been a major incident in Ludibrium. After realizing just how badly their actions had inflicted misfortune on the people of Maple World, Evan and Mir were furious and decided to confront Hiver at Frog House in order to get revenge. There, Hiver told them that while they had been useful for a time, they had become nothing more than hindrances. Evan and Mir unleashed their full power, which overwhelmed Hiver enough that he retreated. Knowing that he had probably returned to the Black Wings base in Edelstein, Evan and Mir decided to follow him there.
Meanwhile, the Black Wings conducted an operation to try to steal the Seal Stone of Ereve. Baroq used his powers to disguise himself and infiltrate the island, but thanks to Aran’s timely warning, Neinheart was prepared and mobilized the Cygnus Knights, who forced Baroq to retreat. (A/N: The events in which the Cygnus Knights stopped Baroq took place in the original Cygnus Knight storyline during their 3rd job advancement.)
Soon after, Lilin - at Neinheart’s request - contacted Aran and told her that the Knights wanted to thank her personally for warning them about the Black Wings’ plot. In Ereve, Neinheart thanked Aran and explained that her warning had allowed the Cygnus Knights to stop the Black Wings from taking Shinsoo’s Teardrop. He explained that he had initially mistrusted Aran because of her strange aura, and because the letter had been so realistic that he had suspicions about her. However, after thoroughly investigating her, he explained that there was no need to doubt her, adding that he could now understand, to some extent, the feelings of ‘that child’ who had waited for her, though he quickly dismissed his words as him merely talking to himself.
Some time later, Aran was summoned to Rien by a penguin named Pucci, who explained that while taking care of his huskies, he had realized that one of them was actually a wolf. As wolves weren’t native to Rien, he wondered where it might have come from. Though he didn’t know much about wolves, he felt that it would be cruel to abandon it, and so he had resolved to raise the wolf until it could take care of itself. In order to find out more about raising wolves, he asked Aran to go to Snowy Whale Island in Aqua Road in order to visit Nanuke, who was experienced in raising wolves.
Nanuke told Aran that she had raised wolves before and offered to make a Wolf Pup Formula in order to help it grow stronger. For the formula, she asked Aran to bring Seahorse Tails and Wolf Cub Vitamins from Kenta in the Aquarium. Aran brought the ingredients to Nanuke, who made the formula for her. She took it to Rien and fed the wolf, who instantly grew attached to her. Pucci told her that he had named the wolf Werewolf, and that Aran would soon be able to ride it.
Some time later, Aran encountered Scadur in El Nath, who was impressed to see Werewolf, as he hadn’t seen anyone with a wolf in ages. He told her that he could teach her to ride the wolf and explained that she would need a Wolf Saddle. He offered to make her one in exchange for bringing Jr. Yeti Skins for the raw materials. With the skins, Scadur made her the saddle and taught her how to ride Werewolf.
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.
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.)
Ruler of the Elves:
In Elluel, Mercedes awoke from the ice and excitedly left her quarters, hoping to see her subjects alive and well. To her shock, however, all the elves were still frozen in slumber. Furthermore, Mercedes realized that nearly all of her old strength had faded away because of the curse. She suspected that her awakening was due to the Seal of Time degrading, meaning that she needed to regain her strength as soon as possible before the Black Mage broke free from the seal. She returned to Elf School in order to master the basics, humiliated that she could barely handle the Puppetrees when she used to train against Yetis and Wyverns with ease.
After becoming stronger, she decided to venture outside the kingdom borders. Though she dreaded facing the powerful Slimes outside, she quickly discovered that they were much weaker than they had been since before the curse, making her wonder exactly how much time had passed. Upon arriving in Ellinia, she was perplexed to see the town, as her understanding was that there were no settlements in the Ellin Forest that she remembered. Furthermore, there was no way that such a large town could have been built in just a few years. She decided to speak with the town residents and recognized that many of them were Sylphs, a younger race of fairies.
She first spoke with Wing the Fairy, who dismissed her as a human. Offended, she told him that she was an elf, but Wing was confused and told her that the elves were a race of fairies that had disappeared centuries ago. When Mercedes was taken aback by the revelation, he told her to confirm it by asking Arwen the Fairy. Arwen agreed with Wing and told Mercedes that all the records stated that the elves had vanished hundreds of years ago, though no one knew why or how. As the color drained from Mercedes’ face, Arwen grew worried and suggested that she visit Rowen the Fairy, who was adept at healing magic. Mercedes went to see Rowen and asked her about the elves once more to be sure, finally accepting the truth after Rowen confirmed what Wing and Arwen had said.
To help calm Mercedes’ nerves, Rowen told her to drink a cup of Clear Tree Sap from the Talking Tree. While Mercedes drank the sap, the Talking Tree asked what was wrong with her. Mercedes told him that just yesterday, everyone knew her name, but nobody knew who she was anymore. The tree unhelpfully told Mercedes that her own pride in her accomplishments didn’t automatically make her important, and that there was nothing wrong with being a nobody.
As her existential dread set in, Mercedes weakly told him that she had lost her powers and couldn’t fight anymore, but the tree told her that there was nothing wrong with not fighting either. When she replied that she had no friends left, the tree grew impatient and snapped at her to make new ones, telling her that she should forget about her problems and live as a normal person. (A/N: The tree really said “Stop trauma dumping on me.”)
Crass as he was, Mercedes knew that he had a point and wondered whether she ought to heed his advice and settle down. However, she recalled her people still cursed in eternal slumber and vowed that even though she had lost her powers and friends, she would never give up. In order to regain her strength and find new allies, she asked the tree whether he knew of any jobs that she could undertake. The tree told her that Bruce at the Golem Temple was looking for someone to do errands for him. Though she was miffed at the thought of being a sovereign-turned-errand girl, she nevertheless decided to seek him out.
At the Golem Temple, Bruce hired Mercedes and asked her to first find a package that the Golems had stolen from him. After Mercedes returned it to him, Bruce realized that the package had been torn open, and that one of the items, a Dejected Green Mushroom puppet, had gone missing. He explained that many monsters around Victoria Island had grown more violent due to such puppets, which exuded noises on a frequency that only monsters could hear, and asked her to recover it from the Golems. After Mercedes returned the puppet to Bruce, he realized that the Golems hadn’t exhibited any strange behavior while the puppet was in their possession, which helped him conclude that the frequency of the puppet seemed to only affect Green Mushrooms. He thanked Mercedes for her help in his research and told her that he would continue investigating the puppets.
Some time later, Bruce reached out and explained that he had told his mentor about her, and that his mentor wanted to meet her. Mercedes went to Perion and met with Bruce’s mentor, Winston, who immediately noticed that she had a peculiar accent and strange ears. He then asked her to collect leaves from Dark Stumps, as he wanted to compare the leaves to a fossil which he had found.
After Mercedes brought him the leaves, Winston compared them against the fossil, but realized that it would be difficult to prove that the species of the fossilized monster was mobile like the Dark Stumps. He wished that there was a record of monsters to compare against, but explained that the warriors of Perion cared little about keeping such records. He told her that there was a place in Ossyria rumored to have a warp in spacetime, which allowed one to travel into the past, though he dismissed it as a myth.
Mercedes remembered that she had ordered the creation of a Monster Picture Book during her reign and believed that it was still in Elluel. As all the monsters had evolved since the book had been made, she decided that it was useless to her and instead gave it to Winston, who was thrilled to see how detailed it was. He thanked her profusely, explaining that it would change the very course of his research. Before she left, he asked her for a final favor, which was to deliver a vial of Arcon’s Blood to Manji.
After delivering the blood, Mercedes was contacted by Bruce, who told her that his colleague, Dr. Betty, had heard good things about her from himself and Winston, and that she wanted to meet Mercedes as well. In Ellinia, Betty asked her to collect Evil Eye cell samples for her research. Mercedes recalled how the Evil Eyes had been disgusting cave-dwellers in her time. Betty was confused by her words, but then recalled how Evil Eyes used to live in caves centuries ago, though they had migrated to the forest over time. After collecting the Evil Eye samples, Betty asked her to collect Curse Eye samples. Though Mercedes had never heard of Curse Eyes before, she nevertheless collected the samples for Betty.
Betty thanked her and began musing aloud whether Evil Eyes or Curse Eyes were older. Mercedes explained that Evil Eyes had to be older, as Curse Eyes hadn’t existed centuries ago. She told Betty that Evil Eyes would only leave their caves when food was scarce, and that it had been her responsibility as sovereign to drive them away from Elluel, adding that the Evil Eyes back then were much stronger than they were in the present day.
Betty then had an epiphany that the Evil Eyes who had first ventured outside their caves likely fed on the forest plants, causing their skin to turn green until they eventually evolved into Curse Eyes. To confirm her hypothesis, Betty asked Mercedes to bring plant cell samples, after which she told Mercedes that she would contact her if she ever needed more help. (A/N: Thankfully she never does. Mercedes was probably glad to know that she didn’t have to spend the rest of her life being a royal intern.)
Mercedes then heard the voice of Philius, the Elder of Magic, in her mind. She rushed back to Elluel and found that Philius had been freed from the ice. After reuniting, Mercedes told him about her adventures in Maple World, as well as the fact that centuries had passed. Philius was puzzled about why the Black Mage’s curse hadn’t lifted on all the elves once Mercedes had awoken. Just then, Danika and Astilda, the Elders of War and Life, awoke and greeted Mercedes.
Philius suggested that with all the elders awake, they could perform the Rite of Snow, a powerful cleansing ritual, which he hoped would be enough to break the Black Mage’s curse. When the ritual failed, Philius concluded that it was because the curse was tied to Mercedes, whose growing strength had allowed the most powerful elves to awaken. He believed that her return to full power would lift the curse on the rest of the elves. However, he also realized that Mercedes’ awakening meant that the seal on the Black Mage was weakening, if not already broken.
As Philius began to lose hope, Mercedes insisted that they had not yet lost and told him that they just needed to make new allies in order to gain strength. Philius then remembered that Mercedes had entrusted the Mistelteinn to Athena Pierce, who had evacuated from Leafre before the battle against the Black Mage. He believed that the Mistelteinn’s power may have shielded Athena from the curse, and that she may have survived the war if she had managed to escape Leafre. Mercedes agreed, but with no leads on where Athena could be, she decided to visit Betty and ask if she knew of Athena. To her surprise, Betty explained that Athena was extremely famous in Maple World, and that she could be found at the Bowman Instructional School in Henesys.
Mercedes went to see Athena, who couldn’t believe her eyes upon seeing her queen. After a heartfelt reunion, Athena told Mercedes how she had crashed in Victoria Island with the other refugees and built Altaire Camp. She explained that after the situation had stabilized, she had tried entering Elluel many times, but always found the path blocked at the border. Mercedes told her that she had closed the border in order to prevent the curse from spreading and had never gotten the chance to warn her.
Athena then asked about everything that had happened during the final battle, and so Mercedes explained how the Heroes had sealed the Black Mage, how his curse on Mercedes had extended to the other elves, and how she was currently trying to awaken them. In turn, she asked Athena about everything that had happened over the past centuries. Athena told Mercedes about how Victoria Island had been completely settled, that Cygnus had become the new Empress, that the Black Wings were trying to revive the Black Mage, and that Von Leon had returned.
(A/N: The Milestone update has changed the chronology of when many theme dungeons and storylines take place, including the Lion King’s Castle, which is now set after the Alliance’s formation. Because of this, Athena mentioning that Von Leon has returned is now non-canon, and I’m expected the line to be removed whenever Mercedes gets revamped.)
She also told Mercedes that she had been in contact with Aran, which surprised Mercedes, as humans didn’t have long lifespans. Athena explained that Aran had also been frozen for centuries, and that she was traveling around Maple World trying to recover her lost memories. She then asked if they could return to Elluel, as she longed to return to her homeland. (A/N: Athena lets it slip that Danika is her sister in this conversation.)
As they began heading outside, Athena remembered that she had forgotten something and asked Mercedes to wait outside for her. While Mercedes was waiting, Francis approached her and, after confirming that she was indeed Mercedes, began to attack her. Mercedes forced him to retreat, just as Athena came out. She brought Mercedes back inside and explained that based on the symbol that Francis was wearing, he was likely a member of the Black Wings. She told Mercedes that she had always suspected that the Black Wings were watching her, but Francis’ attack had confirmed her suspicions. She wondered if the Black Wings had made their move because she had been trying to take out the Mistelteinn.
The fact that she still had the Mistelteinn after so long surprised Mercedes, but Athena explained that even though she knew that Mercedes had ordered her to safeguard it in order to keep her off the battlefield, she had nevertheless taken the order from her sovereign seriously. Mercedes then wondered why the Black Wings had attacked her and not Athena, to which Athena explained that the Black Wings had a Master of Disguise, whom she believed had been planning to impersonate Mercedes in order to take the Mistelteinn from her.
(A/N: Given how important the Mistelteinn seems to be in Mercedes’ story, it’s strange that it never really plays a major role in the overall lore. The game never specifies what kind of treasure it is, but a book called Secret Story, which has lots of cool extra details about the Heroes and Commanders, explains that it’s a sacred bow imbibed with the power of the elves. We don’t really know why the Black Wings were trying to steal it, but I’d wager that they thought that it could be used as a power source. With the amount of Ancient God tie-ins they’re adding into the game, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mistelteinn becomes a holy relic of the Ancient God of the elves, similar to the Outrigger being the relic of the Ancient Gods of the Nova.)
Athena then realized that the Black Wings may have been listening in on their conversation, meaning that they knew about the existence of Elluel. They immediately rushed over, where they found Black Wings henchmen invading the kingdom. While Athena and Philius drove them out of the town, Mercedes eliminated all the enemies at the border. After forcing them to retreat, Philius told Mercedes that they still didn’t know enough about the outside world to form conclusions about the reason behind the attack. He added that since Athena had other responsibilities outside of Elluel, they couldn’t rely on her to guide them forever.
Athena then returned from eliminating the stragglers and reported that the Black Wings had successfully been driven off, with no injuries on their side. However, she told Mercedes that the elders were too weak from the ice to hold back a larger invasion in their current state. Mercedes told Athena to keep holding onto the Mistelteinn, as Elluel was no longer a safe place to keep it. She briefly considered standing guard at the border, but Athena insisted that Mercedes needed to train in order to regain her full strength and free the elves. She suggested that the Cygnus Knights could offer their aid to Elluel if Mercedes approached them. Mercedes agreed to visit Cygnus in Ereve and Athena told her that she would write a letter to Cygnus so that she knew to expect Mercedes.
Sure enough, Neinheart greeted Mercedes as royalty and led her to the Empress. Cygnus told Mercedes that it was an honor to meet one of the legendary Heroes. She explained that she had been trying her best to help Maple World, but her inexperience and the fact that the Cygnus Knights were still new made her unsure about how well she was doing. However, she readily agreed to send a detachment of knights to guard Elluel and hoped that Mercedes would share her wisdom and guidance as an experienced ruler in exchange. When Mercedes agreed, Cygnus told her that she was glad to have Mercedes’ support, as there were few royals with whom she could speak.
(A/N: Taking into consideration that the other two known monarchs in Maple World are the self-obsessed Queen Areda of Ariant and the childish King of Ludibrium, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Cygnus has no one around her that she can talk to about how to rule.)
After their meeting, Neinheart told Mercedes that he could only spare a few knights, but assured her that they would be sufficient. Mercedes asked Neinheart whether Cygnus would be alright, as the young girl was shouldering a huge burden. Neinheart promised that Cygnus was wise beyond her years, despite her youth, and that he, Shinsoo, and the Cygnus Knights were doing everything in their power to support her. Still, Mercedes felt uneasy in her mind about the Black Wings and the return of the Black Mage, wondering whether Cygnus, a frail little girl, would have the strength to lead the people in the event of a full-scale war. Nevertheless, she returned to Henesys and told Athena Pierce about the successful negotiations.
Athena noticed that Mercedes looked unwell and asked whether she was alright. Mercedes confided her doubts about Cygnus, to which Athena told her that Mercedes herself had taught her that a good ruler would go to any lengths to save their people, which was precisely the kind of ruler that Cygnus was, adding that Cygnus reminded her of Mercedes in a way. Mercedes then returned to Elluel, where she met the three knights whom Neinheart had dispatched.
One of the knights, Vel, reported that all was well in the kingdom. He added that though there wasn’t much to do, he had seen Danika training and was amazed at her fighting prowess, as though she had lifetimes of experience, and asked Mercedes how old Danika was. Mercedes herself had forgotten how old Danika was, but knew that she was older than Athena Pierce at the time that the elves had been frozen. Mercedes went to ask Danika her age, to which Danika answered that she was 240 years old, not counting the time she had spent in the ice. Mercedes reported Danika’s age to Vel, who was taken aback, especially when Mercedes joked that Danika was practically a baby.
(A/N: I’ve always wondered whether elves and Flora have a similar aging process, especially since they look almost identical. Illium is 153 at the start of his storyline and he’s probably a high-schooler in human terms. Danika is 240 years old and serves as the Elder of War, despite her young age. I wonder whether elves and Flora age at around a tenth of a human’s aging process, making Illium around 15 and Danika around 24.)
After spending more time training, Mercedes felt that she was strong enough to start using some of her more advanced skills, though she was unable to recall them. She remembered that when she had first become the Ruler of the Elves, she had undertaken three trials from the Great Spirit of the elves. For her third trial, she recalled how she had to beat the Rage Dragon, and how the dragon had almost eliminated her instead. She wondered whether she would have to pass the trials again in order to prove herself worthy to the Great Spirit.
At the King’s Seat, Mercedes played a song called ‘The Sovereign's Appeal’ on the large harp upon the throne, allowing her to summon the Great Spirit. The Great Spirit greeted Mercedes, who began voicing her doubts about her ability to lead and suggested that a new ruler should lead the elves. The Great Spirit reassured Mercedes that she had done what was best for the elves, as refraining from battling the Black Mage wouldn’t have guaranteed their safety either way. Her spirits lifted, Mercedes then asked whether she would need to pass the trials in order to regain her power, but the Great Spirit told Mercedes that she had already proven herself worthy of Elven Grace when she had first become queen, and so she restored more of Mercedes’ power at no cost.
With her new skills, Mercedes continued training earnestly until she was called back to Elluel by Astilda, who told Mercedes that Elluel’s water supply had been poisoned. Though she and the other elders had been trying to purify as much water as they could, they simply couldn’t work fast enough, and so Astilda asked Mercedes to check the fountainhead. She apologized for having summoned Mercedes from her training in order to do so, but explained that Philius was researching the curse, Danika was training for battle, and she herself was simply too old.
At the fountainhead, Mercedes found Black Wings henchmen poisoning the water and immediately eliminated them before returning to Astilda. Astilda told her that the Cygnus Knights were doing a good job of protecting the town, but even they couldn’t watch everything that happened around them. She doubted that the Black Wings would try poisoning the water again, but asked Mercedes to tell the Cygnus Knights to watch the fountainhead as well. She also added that it would take time for clean water to flow through Elluel, and so she asked if Mercedes could bring clean water if she were to encounter any during her travels, mentioning that the Cygnus Knights had said that there was a spring at the highest reaches of Ellinia from which clean water flowed. There, Mercedes found a small stump overflowing with water, which she brought back to Elluel.
Mercedes then continued her training until Philius called her back to Elluel once again, explaining that an old friend had returned. Upon arriving, Mercedes was pleasantly surprised to see her old friend Sylvidia, a snow-white unicorn. However, she noticed that Sylvidia was exhausted and asked if she was hurt. Sylvidia replied that she wasn’t hurt, but that it had been difficult to find food in Maple World over the past centuries without the help of the elves. Mercedes prepared a special unicorn meal for Sylvidia, who was grateful for Mercedes’ kindness. However, she explained that she still felt hurt that Mercedes had gone without her to fight the Black Mage and hoped that they could finally be together again. Mercedes tried to convince Sylvidia to wait a bit longer until the Black Mage was defeated for good, but Sylvidia protested that she would stay at Mercedes’ side no matter what.
Some time later, Mercedes received a letter from the Shadow Knight, who had challenged her to a duel in Sleepywood. Furious at the Shadow Knight’s audacity in challenging the Ruler of the Elves, Mercedes went to Sleepywood, intent on putting him in his place. There, the Shadow Knight greeted her and explained that he wanted to test his strength against her, as the legends stated that Mercedes was a master of the Dual Bowguns. Mercedes wondered whether the Shadow Knight was affiliated with the Black Wings, but regardless, she swore to win for the honor of the elves and proceeded to defeat him.
(A/N: There’s a mistake with this quest, as it states that you have to defeat Mu Young instead of Nameless, which is what the Shadow Knight is referred to in other quests. This has led some people to speculate that the Shadow Knight is Mu Young, which is an understandable conclusion, as Lotus possessed Mu Young to fight Phantom in his storyline, giving Mu Young a tie to the Black Wings. However, the death animation for the Shadow Knight shows that he’s really just two pandas stacked on top of each other wearing a robe and a wig.)
After the Shadow Knight retreated, Mercedes went to ask Athena Pierce who he was. Athena was unfamiliar with such a person and asked what he had been wearing. Mercedes described how he had worn a bamboo hat and a cloth that covered his face, explaining that his clothes looked like they were from Mu Lung. She added that his speech was old, but not from centuries ago, and that he also wore a black robe with a wing symbol on his clothes.
Based on her description, Athena concluded that he was likely part of the Black Wings and told Mercedes that she must have scared them. She explained that the Black Wings had agents all over Maple World and asked Mercedes to stay safe in Elluel while she herself hunted them down. Mercedes warned Athena that she was overstepping her bounds to suggest that the Ruler of the Elves hide while her people were in danger. Realizing that she couldn’t persuade Mercedes, Athena told her to visit Manji in Perion, as he might know something about the Shadow Knight. When Mercedes described the Shadow Knight to Manji, he told her that he had seen such a man training by fighting Wild Boars some time ago.
In the Wild Boar lands, Mercedes discovered a Tongue Twister Scroll and brought it back to Athena Pierce. After reading the scroll, Athena learned that the Shadow Knight did indeed belong to the Black Wings, but that he had disobeyed their orders and fought Mercedes alone, rather than lead her into an ambush. However, Athena was more worried about the one who had written the letter, as the wording of the letter made it seem as though the person not only knew Mercedes personally, but held a grudge against her. Undeterred, Mercedes continued training and soon regained even more of her old power from the Great Spirit.
Soon after, she received a letter from Athena Pierce, who wrote that she had heard of someone who had the power to break the curse on the elves, and that he would be waiting for her in Sleepywood. Mercedes thought it was strange that Athena had written a letter instead of contacting her directly and noted that the wording of the letter was overly obsequious. Nevertheless, she went to Sleepywood and met a hooded man named Audish, who told her about the Flame of Revival, which was said to able to break any curse. (A/N: It’s not explicitly mentioned in this quest, but Audish is actually Hiver in disguise.) However, he told Mercedes that he needed to test her strength and asked her to defeat Copper Drakes. After proving herself, Audish told her to go into the Humid Swamp in Sleepywood, where she would find the flame. Mercedes went into the swamp and instead encountered Dargoth the Giant, who told her that there was no Flame of Revival.
Realizing that she had been tricked, Mercedes defeated Dargoth and rushed back to Athena Pierce to warn her that the Black Wings were sending fake letters in her name. After Mercedes explained how she had been ambushed, Athena wondered whether there was an information leak, as the only people who knew about Mercedes’ goal to revive the elves were Athena, the elders, and the Cygnus Knights. Athena told Mercedes that she would personally speak with the Cygnus Knights and ensure that they were careful with what information they divulged to others. She also suggested that they agree to only speak directly instead of sending letters so that they wouldn’t fall for any other Black Wings schemes.
Some time later, Mercedes was contacted by Lalich, one of the Cygnus Knights dispatched to Elluel. He asked Mercedes whether the child she had taken from Elluel a few days ago had woken up from the curse. In confusion, Mercedes told him that she had never taken anyone from the town, which in turn confused Lalich, who told her that he had seen her take the child, and that she had told him that she had wanted to see if she could break the curse on him. Though he trusted that Mercedes knew what she was doing, he explained that he just wanted to know if the child was alright.
Suddenly, he realized that the Black Wings had a Master of Disguise and feared that he may have been tricked. He asked Mercedes to return to Elluel right away, where he apologized to her for failing in his duties. However, Mercedes told him to save his apologies for the child and vowed to get him back. Soon after, she received a letter that instructed her to go the Verne Mine in Edelstein and speak with Le Tierre the Secretary if she ever wanted to see the child again. Mercedes noted that the letter was signed by “someone who remembered Mercedes”.
When she got to the mine, she immediately threatened Le Tierre to return the child. Le Tierre was unfazed and simply told Mercedes to check the room to the left. Upon entering, she found that the Black Wings had set up an ambush for her, but she easily defeated them all and rescued the child. However, she realized that it was a human child, not an elf, and confronted Le Tierre once again. Le Tierre laughed and said that it was hard to keep track of every child they had kidnapped, but when Mercedes threatened her, Le Tierre said that ‘she’ would get mad if Mercedes kept her waiting, and so she instructed Mercedes go into the Power Plant room on the right and enter the door at the end.
Following her directions, Mercedes found herself in Orchid’s room, where the Wing Master was waiting for her. Orchid mocked Mercedes for her one-track mind, claiming that once Mercedes focused on something, she was unable to notice anything else. At first, Mercedes couldn’t believe her eyes, but after realizing that it was indeed Orchid, she asked how the Wing Master could still be alive, to which Orchid merely said that she could ask the same of Mercedes. (A/N: I guess that she didn’t expect that Orchid and Lotus had survived Phantom’s beatdown.)
Orchid explained that ever since she had heard that Mercedes had been freed from the Black Mage’s curse, she had wanted to meet her. Mercedes then realized that Orchid was the leader of the Black Wings, which explained why the Black Wings seemed to know so much about her. She asked Orchid what the point of reviving the Black Mage was, to which Orchid began to hint at something that the Black Mage was planning, even in spite of being sealed away, but stopped herself mid-sentence and joked that she had almost given away a secret. The two then engaged in a battle, which Mercedes was barely able to win, causing Orchid to retreat.
Though Mercedes was exhausted from the fight, she was aware that Orchid hadn’t even been at full strength without Lotus by her side, fearing what could have happened if Orchid hadn’t been weakened. She then found the elf child in Orchid’s room and escaped with him and the human child. She returned the human child to Claudine in Edelstein, believing that Claudine was merely a doctor, and returned back to Elluel with the elf child. Mercedes and the elders were amazed that the child, Moonie, had been freed from the curse by Orchid. As yet another Commander had resurfaced, the elders decided to tighten security and asked Mercedes to let Athena Pierce know what had happened, hoping that she could advise them about what to do next.
Before she headed out, Mercedes spoke with Moonie to see whether he had recovered from his ordeal. Moonie told her that he couldn’t help but feel sad that he was the only child in Elluel. With his family and friends still frozen, and with the elders too busy to play with him, he felt especially lonely. Mercedes offered to play with him, but Moonie told her that he couldn’t ask her to do that, as she needed to get stronger in order to free the others. Though she could do little else to help him, Mercedes played the music box in the middle of town for him, which helped lift his spirits. (A/N: Though she doesn’t remember, that music box is the same one that Lucid had made for her, which has the power to give sweet dreams to anyone who listens to its music.)
She then met with Athena Pierce and told her about her encounter with Orchid and explained that she was worried about the possibility of the Black Mage returning. Having faced him once, she knew all too well about the terrible power he possessed and told Athena that the Heroes had been lucky not only to have sealed him, but to have escaped with their lives. She feared that there was no guarantee that she could defeat him a second time, especially when she had grown weaker while he was managing to break through the Seal of Time. She confided to Athena that she was terrified of the Black Mage, but Athena told Mercedes that she wasn’t alone, as the Explorers, the Cygnus Knights, the Resistance, and the returned Heroes all stood with her.
Soon after, Neinheart reached out the Mercedes and apologized on behalf of the Cygnus Knights for having allowed Moonie to be kidnapped. Some time later, Mercedes went to Edelstein to check on the human child, Cutie, and asked Claudine if there was any way that she could help. Claudine told her that she had already done enough to help them, but at Mercedes’ insistence, she asked Mercedes to collect Nependeath Seeds in order to create a nutrition pill for Cutie. After Mercedes brought her the seeds, Claudine thanked her and noted that both Mercedes’ strength and her hatred of the Black Wings made her wonder whether their paths would cross again.
The Noblesse:
(A/N: You’ll see that I refer to the protagonist of the storyline as a ‘traveler’ for the first part of the section before they join the Cygnus Knights. I originally called them an adventurer, but since that’s too similar to Explorers, this was the best way that I could refer to a class-agnostic protagonist, and you’ll find that I use the same term frequently throughout this site for non-class specific storylines.)
In Ereve, a young traveler came to participate in the Cygnus Knight entrance exam. While exploring the island, they came across a large mansion with training grounds, and though it appeared old, the traveler noticed that someone had been taking care of it. Just then, a Piyo elder arrived and greeted them.
(A/N: The Piyo elder has the same sprite as the one from Mihile’s storyline, but it’s a bit confusing about whether they’re meant to be the same person or not. The elder from Mihile’s storyline was voiced by a woman, but the one in the Cygnus Knight storyline refers to himself as a man. It’s possible that they were meant to be the same and GMS mistranslated it, but just to be safe, I’ll be assuming that these are two separate people.)
When the traveler asked whether the house belonged to him, the elder explained that he was merely its caretaker, and that those who had lived in it had left Ereve long ago. He then asked the traveler whether they were familiar with the Noblesse, to which the traveler replied that they had been looking for the Noblesse’s old lodgings.
The elder was surprised, as he had believed that the Noblesse had faded from human memory. He asked the traveler what they knew about the Noblesse, to which the traveler explained that they only knew that their ancestors had left a message saying to never forget the way of the Noblesse, as well as how the Noblesse had stayed in Ereve long ago.
The elder explained that the story of the Noblesse had been handed down through generations of Piyos, revealing that the Noblesse had been ordinary humans that held extraordinary faith. He told the traveler that Maple World’s early history had been steeped in war and chaos, with generations suffering an endless cycle of violence. Feeling pity for humanity, Shinsoo had used her power to protect them, and after the war, many began rebuilding their homes. However, a small number had stayed and learned from her teachings before journeying out in the name of self-sacrifice. In accordance with her will, they had chosen to protect the weak and stand against evil, and had soon come to be called the Noblesse.
The traveler asked where the Noblesse had gone, to which the elder explained that they had gone extinct, with many falling in the wars and the rest fading into obscurity. However, he revealed that one of his ancestors had dreamed that the Noblesse would return one day. Though he conceded that it may simply be a dream, he noted that they now had Empress Cygnus, whose ascension had restored a long-lost bloodline.
He then added that even the traveler’s arrival was auspicious, as they knew the Noblesse name and had come in search of them. The surprised traveler asked whether they could be a Noblesse, explaining that though they had come to Ereve in order to become a knight, the Noblesse sounded similar. The elder explained that Noblesse was neither a title nor a bloodline, adding that to his understanding, the Noblesse had never referred to themselves as such, as they had earned that title from the people for their good deeds.
(A/N: This line is a bit strange because a future quest reveals that Shinsoo was the one who had given them the name ‘Noblesse’. This opening scene in the storyline was actually modified from how it initially appeared in the KMS test server. In the original version of the scene, the entire premise about the Noblesse is different. The original concept for the Noblesse was that they were a clan tied by blood, rather than ideology. We’re actually a Noblesse who lives in the mansion and we’re training for the knighthood exam when the Piyo elder finds us. The elder’s story about Shinsoo is omitted because of the changes in the Noblesse’s origin. Instead, he tells us that lots of Noblesse have joined the Cygnus Knights and we hope that we’ll be able to honor our clan by becoming selected as a Cygnus Knight.)
The traveler, realizing that they were a descendent of the Noblesse, vowed to do their best in order to honor their ancestors. They told the elder that they wanted to protect people, which was why they wanted to be a Cygnus Knight. The elder replied that if they truly had that desire, then they would find what they sought. Realizing that the Initiate Trials were about to begin, the elder directed the Noblesse to be on their way. Before they left, the elder gave them a book about the Noblesse, which also contained information about what it meant to be a knight.
(A/N: This book is just the beginner’s guide that new characters get about basic controls, job advancements, etc. There’s a small section that gives a bit more backstory about the Noblesse, which explains that after the age of chaos ended with the fall of the Ancient Gods, a brief time of peace began as humanity rebuilt and created new kingdoms. Eventually, that peace was destroyed when these kingdoms waged war on each other. As many innocents began dying in the conflicts, the Noblesse carried out Shinsoo’s will and intervened to save as many as possible, for which the people began to call them the Noblesse.
The lore about the Noblesse is a new change introduced in the Ignition revamp, as the origins of the Noblesse had never been previously explained. Before Ignition, I had just assumed that ‘Noblesse’ was a fancy title that all the applicants who came from around Maple World got as an incentive to join. The Noblesse mansion in Ereve is also new, as I don’t think that there were ever any buildings seen on the island before, which is strange to consider since that implies that Cygnus and the others just sleep outside.
A future quest also reveals that the Noblesse had gone extinct during the mysterious war from 300 years ago, which made me really excited because I never thought that they’d ever reference it again. The last mention of the war was in 2018 during the MSEA localization for MONAD, but MONAD isn’t a canon story, as it was created as an overseas exclusive blockbuster. Additionally, the line in MSEA about the 300-year-old war actually doesn’t exist in GMS, which is the original source for MONAD. This means that the last actual canon mention about the war was back in 2011 during Phantom’s storyline.)
The Noblesse then attended the Knight’s Orientation, where a ceremony was being held to welcome those who wished to join the ranks of the Cygnus Knights. At the ceremony, Mihile greeted the prospective candidates and informed them that though he wished that all the candidates could join their ranks, not everyone would make the cut. He explained that the Cygnus Knights had been created to be the shield and spear of the Empress, to protect her and to fight against the Black Mage. He then noticed the Noblesse’s determined look and asked what drove them. He was pleased to hear their response that they wanted to protect others. He then told them not to reveal their name, adding that he would learn it if they passed the trials, when their name would follow the word ‘Sir’ upon knighthood.
(A/N: In the test server, Mihile told the Noblesse that upon becoming a Cygnus Knight, they would no longer be a noble or be part of a clan, to which the Noblesse told him that they’ve come to be a Knight, not a nobleperson, which was the answer that had originally pleased Mihile. I’m guessing that the reason why they changed this lore was because if you think about it, if all the Noblesse become Cygnus Knights by following their sense of duty, they would all have to sever their ties to their clan and their fancy mansion, which means that pretty soon, the Noblesse clan would go extinct. Most likely, the writers changed the Noblesse lore after realizing the accidental implication of what it means for the Noblesse to forfeit their titles.)
After the welcoming ceremony, the Noblesse underwent several examinations that tested their physical strength and knowledge. During the exam, the Noblesse wandered over to a pavilion, where they encountered Empress Cygnus. Unaware of her true identity, the Noblesse mistook her as another examiner and the two began to make small talk.
Cygnus noted that they had shown many knightly qualities during the exam, such as strength, knowledge, and perseverance. However, she added that a knight needed more than that. Upon seeing the Noblesse’s confusion, she asked them what differentiated a knight from a simple brawler. The Noblesse answered that a knight was someone who knew how to sacrifice for the weak, and though Cygnus acknowledged that it was important, she explained that a knight also needed to know when to make that sacrifice.
She then added that though they were all weak alone, they were stronger when they came together. She noted that the Noblesse still had a ways to go, though when the Noblesse asked whether it meant that they had failed, she laughed and explained that she simply meant that she was looking forward to seeing them grow with time.
Cygnus decided to name them a Knight-in-Training, but just as the Noblesse wondered how an examiner could knight them, Neinheart arrived urgently and reported that Baroq the Master of Disguise had infiltrated Ereve and stolen an important treasure. The Noblesse offered to help, and though Neinheart noted that they were not a trained knight, he nevertheless allowed them to join the search party, though he warned them not to engage Baroq.
The Noblesse soon encountered Mihile during their search and quickly deduced from his behavior that he was Baroq in disguise. After defeating him, they recovered the missing treasure and brought it to Neinheart. Neinheart congratulated the Noblesse for passing the mock training, explaining that it had been the final part of the examination. He added that the exercise had been based on an actual situation, in which Baroq truly had invaded Ereve and attempted to steal Shinsoo’s Teardrop.
(A/N: This is another name for the Seal Stone of Ereve. The name “Shinsoo’s Teardrop” has been around since Aran’s storyline, but we finally got a backstory to its nickname during Mihile’s level 200 quest. It reveals that during Orchid and Lotus’ attack on Ereve, both Aria and her Knight of Light had been killed in battle. Without an Empress to channel her power, Shinsoo grew weak and believed that she was unable to protect the Seal Stone anymore. She then bestowed it upon the Knight of Light’s successor, who placed it within his Soul Shield and began the tradition of the Knight of Light serving as the guardian of the gemstone. Shinsoo then renamed the Seal Stone as “Shinsoo’s Teardrop” in memory of Empress Aria’s death.)
The Noblesse expressed their surprise that they had been able to defeat the mock Baroq, to which Neinheart clarified that they would surely have been killed if they had been facing the real one. He emphasized that their decision to face Baroq alone despite being told not to engage in combat directly impacted their fellow knights and the Empress, which was why it was important that they remember that they didn't have to do everything by themselves.
He then sent them to meet with Cygnus, who would determine whether or not they had passed. Cygnus formally introduced herself after their brief meeting in the pavilion, and the Noblesse apologized for their behavior during the mock exam. Though Cygnus noted that Neinheart had been right to ask them to retreat in the mock training, the Noblesse had also demonstrated a knightly quality in marching towards their destiny with conviction. Because of this, Cygnus decided to formally recognize the Noblesse as a Cygnus Knight.
The Noblesse, now a Cygnus Knight, met with the five Chief Knights and chose their path. After learning new skills, they returned to Neinheart, who explained that the Cygnus Knights were investigating the Black Wings, and so he assigned them their first mission, which was to go to Victoria Island and investigate the actions of Francis the Puppeteer. He instructed them to seek out an informant named Roca, who would tell them more about the Black Wings.
In Henesys, they met with Roca, who began telling them about their mission. He explained that the Cygnus Knights had been formed to face the Black Mage, who had been sealed away by the Heroes centuries ago. Despite being sealed away, the Black Mage’s influence had spread to his followers, among which were the Black Wings, a militant cult that sought to revive him. He then asked them to follow a lead on reports of unusual monster activity on Suspicious Hill, where Roca believed that Francis was controlling the monsters with his puppets.
The Knight discovered several puppets in the Cynical Orange Mushrooms and brought them to Roca, who then asked them to investigate strange behavior in the Horny Mushrooms, which had gotten more aggressive. The Knight obtained puppets inside the Berserk Horny Mushrooms and brought them back to Roca, explaining that the Horny Mushrooms were even more aggressive than the Orange Mushrooms. Roca realized that the Puppeteer was indeed active again, though he wondered what he could be after.
Roca then asked the Knight to speak with Pia, who told them that no one would believe her testimony that Berserk Horny Mushrooms were near the Pet Park. The Knight went to investigate and discovered several large puppet dolls hanging from large pieces of rope. They also discovered a horde of Berserk Horny Mushrooms in the area. After defeating them, they reported back to Roca, who realized that Francis had likely intended for the monsters to raid Henesys. He decided to request for backup from Ereve and sent the Knight to work with 10 Boogies in Perion.
In Perion, 10 Boogies showed the Knight her Puppeteer Detector and explained that Oz had helped her create it. She told them that the detector was capable of picking up a trace of the magic that Francis used to control monsters. She told them that it had recently started picking up a large amount of activity near Perion and asked the Knight to investigate.
The Knight investigated the source of the signal and defeated the Berserk Ghost Stumps in the area. After they returned back, 10 Boogies checked the detector again and was shocked to find that there was a huge signal nearby, despite there not being a high number of monsters. She suspected that it might be Francis himself and emphasized that they needed to check as soon as possible before he left. Though she also realized that it may be a trap, she also knew that there wasn't enough time to request backup from Ereve, and so the Knight agreed to go in alone.
The Knight began to investigate and discovered a cave, inside which they discovered Francis creating puppets and complaining aloud that there was no way that he could invade every town in Victoria Island and gather enough energy for the Black Wings, noting that it had taken quite some time to conquer Edelstein to begin with. The Knight crept closer to hear better, but Francis immediately heard them and ordered the Knight to reveal themselves.
Having been discovered, the Knight fought and defeated Francis, who managed to retreat. The Knight noted that Francis had likely not been at full-strength, as he had been busy making more puppets. They returned back to 10 Boogies and told her about Francis' plan to invade Victoria Island with the monster army, as well as his goal to collect more energy. 10 Boogies was curious about why he had been sent to gather energy, but the Knight apologized and explained that they had been discovered before learning the answer. Nevertheless, she thanked them for their help as a Knight-in-Training and asked them to deliver her report to Neinheart in Ereve.
Neinheart was pleased that they had been able to defeat Francis with ease, informing them that Francis was the lowest-ranking Black Wings officer, and that the others would be much more difficult to defeat, as each of them had bizarre and powerful abilities. The Knight asked him why the Black Wings were trying to resurrect the Black Mage, to which Neinheart told them that the Black Wings believed that the Black Mage would allow them to rule the world, though Neinheart dismissed them as fools who were wasting their talents.
Nevertheless, he warned the Knight not to underestimate the Black Wings’ power, explaining that they had taken over the land of Edelstein. He told the Knight that Edelstein had once been prosperous in the mining industry before the Black Wings had taken over. As the Cygnus Knights were unsure about the Black Wings' motives, he told the Knight that he was sending them in to investigate. The Knight was eager to have been assigned the mission, as they hoped that their actions would make a difference to the people of Edelstein. However, Neinheart told them that he needed to explain something important before they were dispatched.
He told the Knight that there was a Resistance against the Black Wings, but that they were not allied with the Cygnus Knights. When the Knight asked why that was, Neinheart told them that they would learn the answer themselves on the mission. He also emphasized that they should expect no support from both the Resistance and the citizens of Edelstein. With that, he sent them to rendezvous with 10 Boogies in the outskirts of the town.
As they were about to board the airship, their Chief Knight arrived and asked whether it was true that they had defeated the Puppeteer. The Knight dismissed their actions as merely luck, and though their Chief Knight was pleased by their humbleness, they warned the Knight to remain vigilant, as darkness grew stronger even as they did. They then wished the Knight good luck on their mission, explaining that they had a mission of their own to complete.
(A/N: The Cygnus Knight revamp made an effort to actually give a personality to the Knight as being enthusiastic and humble to a fault. Prior to the Ignition revamp, the Knight was perhaps the most boring character out of all the three self-insert classes and had all the personality of a dead squirrel. Here, the Knight has some semblance of a character arc with learning to lean on other people and helping wherever they can, while the old Knight went through the story as though they were being paid even less than the minimum-wage writers who had drafted them into existence.)
In Edelstein, the Knight met with 10 Boogies, who was relieved to see a fellow Cygnus Knight. She told them that some of the local children had covered her in bugs while she had been asleep and had stolen her belongings. She asked the Knight to get them back, warning them not to reveal that they were a Cygnus Knight while doing so. While obtaining the items, the Knight was shocked to hear just how much animosity the townspeople held for the Cygnus Knights.
The children who had stolen 10 Boogies’ belongings led the Knight to a remote part of town and began to ask them about why they were helping a Cygnus Knight like 10 Boogies get her items back. The Knight told them that it was only right to help those in trouble. The children believed the Knight's explanation and agreed to give back the stolen items. When the Knight asked why they hated the Cygnus Knights, however, the children told them that everyone knew how the Cygnus Knights had betrayed the people of Edelstein. They then showed a flyer which contained misinformation, such as how Cygnus and her Knights were hollow shells, painted up in declarations of virtue. On the flyer, the Knight noticed a black symbol and decided to ask 10 Boogies about it.
(A/N: The Black Wings flyer has been added in the revamp. I like this change because it adds more weight to the Black Wings being an authoritarian government that manipulates the young people of their society. I’ve always said that the Black Wings should have been portrayed as more competent like Hiver and Eleanor, rather than being jokes like Baroq or Francis. Luckily, it seems like they’re going in a much more serious direction in the Grandis story with the way that they don’t shy away from showing the horrors of fascism under the rule of the High Flora.)
10 Boogies was relieved to get her belongings back and warned the Knight not to underestimate the hatred for the Cygnus Knights in Edelstein. She explained the story behind why the Resistance hated the Cygnus Knights and why even the citizens of Edelstein viewed them as traitors. The Knight then showed her the flyer denouncing Cygnus and asked about the symbol. 10 Boogies explained that it was the symbol of the Black Wings and suspected that they must have released such propaganda in order to further deepen Edelstein's hatred of the Cygnus Knights, to the point that the Resistance had stopped responding to all of the Cygnus Knights’ communication.
Nevertheless, she told them that their role as informants was to work with the citizens of Edelstein in spite of their hostility in order to learn the true goals of the Black Wings. She then explained that the Knight’s Chief Knight had reached out to her and asked her to supervise the Knight's training while on their mission, and so she had them defeat the Water Thief Monsters nearby.
After the Knight finished training, 10 Boogies asked them to speak with the townspeople in order to gather information, telling them to be careful not to let the citizens know that they were a Cygnus Knight. In town, the Knight spoke with Checky, Brighton, Elex, and Belle, all of whom immediately recognized them as a Cygnus Knight and rebuffed them. They then spoke with Claudine, who told them that one of the children who had stolen 10 Boogies’ belongings was her sister, Ulrika, who had told her that the Knight had claimed not to be a Cygnus Knight. When Claudine asked whether that was true, the Knight decided to be honest and revealed themselves as a Cygnus Knight, claiming that they just wanted to help the people of the town.
Annoyed, Claudine took them to a back alley in order to speak more freely. Claudine told them that the Knights didn’t understand Edelstein’s circumstances, and that lies and secrets only led to unnecessary complications while staying vigilant around the Black Wings. She then asked why the Cygnus Knights had come to Edelstein, to which they told her that they had come to gather information on the strange activities in Victoria Island. Claudine told them that they were free to do so, but warned them to give up on befriending the people of Edelstein.
The Knight asked to get in contact with the Resistance, but Claudine merely scoffed and asked how they planned on allying with the Resistance when they couldn't even get the townspeople on their side. She added that for the sake of security, none of the citizens even knew about the identities of Resistance members. She also added that there was nothing to say to those who broke their word without even giving a proper justification as to why. The Knight replied that there must be some misunderstanding, as the Resistance had been ignoring all of Ereve's attempts at communication. However, Claudine retorted that it was the Cygnus Knights who had cut off communication.
(A/N: I‘ve complained a lot about the Resistance-Cygnus Knight feud in the past, but this revamp changed my mind on it a little. It’s later revealed that the Black Wings cut off all communication between the two, which retroactively makes the conflict a little more understandable since the Resistance now knows nothing about Eleanor’s attack, rather than them knowing and not caring.)
She then told the Knight that they were wasting their time and warned them to go back to Ereve. As the Knight walked away, Claudine called the Resistance headquarters and told them that she had acquired their target. However, she also added that she had something that she wanted to confirm. (A/N: The scene fades to black here, but Claudine is likely trying to see whether the Knight was telling the truth about the Cygnus Knights sending letters.)
Though they had been told to leave, the Knight refused to give up and continued trying to find an ally in Edelstein. They soon ran into Ulrika, who told them that she knew what they were after and claimed to be a member of the Resistance, adding that her youth lent credibility to her story, as it was easier to avoid the suspicion of the Black Wings in order to help the Resistance on secret missions. (A/N: Ulrika actually has no idea that Claudine is in the Resistance because Claudine wants her to stay as uninvolved as possible for her safety.)
She offered to take them to the Resistance base in exchange for Black Plastic Bags from Dust Boxes and Streetlight Bulbs from Streetlight monsters, which she claimed to be for stocking their supplies. However, after the Knight collected them, Ulrika told them that the materials were actually for her homework. She then gave the Knight directions and went on ahead.
As the Knight followed Ulrika’s directions, she and her friends prepared to ambush the Knight by setting bugs on them, just as they had done with 10 Boogies. Upon hearing footsteps, they jumped out to launch their surprise attack, but realized that Black Wings henchmen had appeared instead. The henchmen realized that the children were pretending to be Resistance members and decided to kidnap them for Gelimer to use as test subjects.
Just then, the Knight arrived and found the henchmen advancing on the children. The Knight quickly defeated the henchmen, just as Checky rushed to the scene. Checky was grateful to the Knight, but told them that it still wouldn't change their image in the eyes of the townspeople. Nevertheless, he gave the Knight a note and told them to read it somewhere in private.
The Knight opened the note and read instructions for them to wait for a call at an abandoned phone booth in Edelstein Park. As soon as the Knight finished reading, the words on the note vanished. Soon after they entered the booth, the phone began to ring and they picked it up to hear the modulated voice of Claudine, making the Knight unable to decipher who was on the other end.
Claudine asked them what they wanted, to which the Knight explained that the Black Wings were active on Victoria Island, and that they wanted to know why. When Claudine asked if they expected the Resistance to share that information with the Cygnus Knights, the Knight pointed out that they had a common enemy. Claudine replied that she had no intention of allying with them, but as they had saved the children, she would share the information in order to make them even.
She explained that the Black Wings were directing all of Edelstein’s energy towards a single spot, which had been causing rolling blackouts in the city. The blackouts were affecting the city’s power plants, fish factory, lighting system, and even their water supply. She believed that the Black Wings were gathering large quantities of energy in order to fuel their top-secret experiment. She explained that the Resistance didn’t know what the experiment was, but they did know that the Black Wings were stealing Seal Stones from Maple World, and she believed that the two were likely related.
The Knight confirmed the Resistance's suspicions about the experiment by telling her what Francis had said in Perion. They also told her that the Black Wings were using children as test subjects, which they had learned while saving Ulrika and the others from the Black Wings henchmen. Claudine noted that they seemed to know a lot about it, but told them that she had shared enough and ordered them to leave Edelstein as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Brighton reported to Claudine that the Black Wings might have cut off communications. He noted that the Black Wings had a presence all across Maple World, and that it would be easy for them to cut communication lines or intercept letters in areas that they physically controlled. Claudine thanked him for the information, though she added that their primary focus was still to protect Edelstein.
The Knight returned to 10 Boogies and told her everything that they had learned from the Resistance. 10 Boogies noted that even though they now knew that Francis had been gathering energy for the experiment, they still needed to know what kind of experiment was being conducted. She asked the Knight to collect Memory Chips from the Patrol Robot S monsters in order to analyze their data, as well as Rue Batteries from Safety First monsters in order to power the analysis machine.
With the materials, they began processing the chips and found surveillance of Francis in Edelstein. 10 Boogies noted that he seemed to be using a side path to enter the mine, rather than the main entrance, and wondered why a Black Wings officer wouldn’t simply use the most direct route. She asked the Knight to investigate the side entrance, though she warned that it would be dangerous. Nevertheless, the Knight accepted and infiltrated the mine through the side entrance, where they found themselves in Francis’ room.
The Knight hid behind a large crystal in order to eavesdrop on Francis and Baroq. Francis was complaining to Baroq that the Cygnus Knights had foiled his plans once again and wondered why they always seemed out to get him. Baroq pointed out that the Cygnus Knights weren’t the only ones who targeted Francis, which he earnestly agreed to. He expressed his annoyance at everyone focusing on him, and how a new ‘hero’ seemed to appear all the time in order to mess up his plans, adding that all he wanted was to be recognized by ‘her’.
(A/N: Although this was translated as ‘him’ in both the old and new Cygnus Knight storyline, it should actually be ‘her’, referring to Orchid, but since Korean doesn’t really have gendered pronouns, it may have been lost in translation.)
Baroq realized that Francis had come through the side entrance because he had failed his mission and warned that ‘the master’ wouldn’t be happy. Francis replied that it wasn’t that he was afraid of the master, but rather, he hated dealing with Gelimer. As the Knight overheard their conversation, they realized that they had never heard of Gelimer before.
Baroq told Francis that he didn’t care for Gelimer either and added that he had heard a rumor that Gelimer had angered the master. Francis asked what had happened, to which Baroq explained that Gelimer had fallen behind his timetable once again, thus delaying the ‘resurrection’. Though it had been Gelimer’s fault, Baroq added that he had been blamed as well, as the master had said that they wouldn’t have gotten off-track if Baroq had managed to obtain the Seal Stone of Ereve.
After hearing their conversation, the Knight began wondering about what the Seal Stone of Ereve had to do with the 'resurrection', as well as whose resurrection it was. As the Knight moved closer to hear, they accidentally caused a disturbance, alerting Francis and Baroq to their presence. With no choice, the Knight stepped out and faced the two Black Wings officers.
Though they managed to defeat the pair, the Knight realized that both the officers were extremely powerful. The Knight asked them who Gelimer was and what the Black Wings were plotting, but Baroq merely laughed and asked if the Knight had really thought that he had used the full extent of his powers. Just then, a garrison of Black Wings henchmen appeared and surrounded the Knight, with Baroq revealing that he had been going easy on them in order to buy time.
As the Black Wings advanced on the Knight, the leaders of the Resistance arrived and quickly extracted the Knight from the cave. After reaching safety, the Knight told the Resistance what they had overheard from the Black Wings. The Resistance was pleased with the information, as it not only confirmed that Gelimer’s experiments were related to resurrection, but that there was a schism within the Black Wings as well. However, they were less pleased by how the Knight had obtained that information, admonishing them for their reckless behavior, as the Black Wings would retaliate by cracking down on the citizens of Edelstein.
Though Claudine agreed with the others, she also noted that the Knight had obtained valuable information. As the other Resistance leaders headed back to base, Claudine stayed behind to let the Knight know that she had merely owed them personally a favor, not the Cygnus Knights, and that they were now even.
Before she left, she also told them that she had learned that the Black Wings were the ones who had been blocking communication between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights. However, she added that she had only investigated in order to correct the facts, and that the Resistance had no intention of reconciliating with the Cygnus Knights. She then told them to report back to Ereve that the Cygnus Knights would never earn their trust.
Dejected, the Knight returned to 10 Boogies and told her what had happened in the mine. 10 Boogies was amazed by the Knight’s bravery, noting that they had made contact with the Resistance and learned new information, all while not even being a full-fledged knight yet. She then sent them back to Ereve in order to give Neinheart their full report.
When the Knight told Neinheart of how the Resistance had reacted to the Cygnus Knights, he explained that part of a Cygnus Knight’s job was to learn how to deal with animosity, adding that part of what it meant to serve their land meant facing and accepting its people’s anger and resentment. The Knight protested that it hadn’t even been their fault, as the Black Wings had hindered them and blocked off communications.
Neinheart told them that the day would come when the Resistance would come to see the truth about the Cygnus Knights, though he added that the Knights would need to learn to accept the Resistance’s anger until then., especially because it had been the Cygnus Knights' fault for not having foreseen the Black Wings' sabotage in advance. He then told them that they should not be afraid of being criticized, as a flower could not bloom without dirt. The Knight noted how philosophical it sounded, to which Neinheart laughed that he and Mihile would spend long nights discussing philosophy, while Hawkeye merely called it hogwash. He then asked the Knight to deliver their report to the Empress.
After the Knight told Cygnus about what had happened on Victoria Island and Edelstein, Cygnus noted that they had gone through a lot in such a short amount of time and thanked them for their efforts. The Knight dismissed themselves as merely a Knight-in-Training, but Cygnus told them that they were doing well, and that no one could be perfect. She explained that she herself was not old enough to fully accept Shinsoo’s power, while in contrast, their enemies were getting stronger, with the Black Wings' experiments for the resurrection boding ill.
She added that their fight against the Black Wings was just the beginning, as they would be facing a greater darkness soon, for which it was imperative that the Cygnus Knights reconcile with the Resistance. She then told them to keep growing and asked them to seek out their Chief Knight. Their Chief Knight told them that they were impressed by how much they had accomplished, especially given that they were only a Knight-in-Training. They then suggested that the Knight take the Official Knighthood exam.
Once the Knight accepted, the Chief Knight asked them to go to the Second Drill Hall and defeat a clone of a Jr. Balrog, which was significantly weaker than the real one, though challenging nevertheless. The Knight defeated the clone and brought back a Proof of Knighthood, after which their Chief Knight promoted them to Official Knight.
The Knight then set out to train in Victoria Island in order to hone their skills. Some time later, Neinheart contacted them and explained that it was unusual that someone who had been an Official Knight for so long would still be walking on their own feet. He wrote them a letter of introduction and told them to show it to Kiridu in the Hatchery, who would teach them to ride monsters.
At the Hatchery, Kiridu scoffed that Neinheart didn’t need to write a letter, as it was obvious that anyone who was coming to see him had to be from Ereve. He explained that the Knights rode Mimianas of the Mimi race, all of whom were native to the island. He urged them to consider their Mimiana as both a friend and a comrade, rather than just a mode of transportation, explaining that creating such a bond was the very reason why the Cygnus Knights grew their Mimianas themselves.
He gave them a Mimiana egg and told them that it would develop by sharing their experiences with it. Soon after, Mimiana hatched and the Knight brought it to Kiridu. He told them that Mimiana’s bones were too weak to handle a saddle, and so he told them to seek out Kenta in the Aquarium in order to obtain his Special Supplements. After paying a hefty fee, the Knight brought the supplements to Kiridu, who fed them to Mimiana and taught the Knight how to ride it, giving them a Saddle as well. (A/N: Kenta is the king of capitalism. I’m convinced that his research is just a front to avoid paying taxes.)
The Knight then continued training diligently until they were contacted once again by Neinheart, who noted that they seemed to have made a name for themselves during their travels. He called them back to Ereve, where he asked whether they would be willing to try becoming an Advanced Knight, explaining that he wanted someone as strong as them to be an example to other Cygnus Knights about how strong they could become. He also added that as their enemies were growing stronger, it was imperative that they grow stronger as well.
Neinheart sent the Knight to meet with their Chief Knight, who agreed that they had become stronger. However, they explained that while their Official Knighthood exam had tested their strength, their Advanced Knighthood exam would test their faith. They explained that a Knight's faith was revealed when facing inner darkness, and so they sent the Knight to the Third Drill Hall, where the Knight faced their inner darkness in the form of a dark shadow. They then reported back to their Chief Knight, who was pleased and sent them to meet the Empress. Cygnus was impressed by their growth and unlocked greater power within them before promoting them to Advanced Knight.
Soon after, Neinheart reached out to them again and noted that they had grown much stronger. He explained that he had an urgent secret mission that he normally would have only trusted a Chief Knight to undertake, but as all the Chief Knights were away on missions, he had decided to entrust it to the Knight on their Chief Knight's recommendation. He asked them to retrieve a special book from Wiz the Librarian at Helios Library, emphasizing that it was highly important.
(A/N: This questline was actually the original 3rd job advancement in the old storyline, although it was pretty straightforward and didn’t involve the Resistance at all like it does in this version. The book that we had to get in the original quest was the Book of Ancient, which was recovered in the El Nath town quests for Alcaster. The Book of Ancient was used in the war from 300 years ago, which is the same war that resulted in the extinction of the Noblesse.
In both the original and current iteration of this quest, it’s never explicitly stated that the book is the Book of Ancient. However, one of the quests in the old questline was literally just called “Book of Ancient”, which suggested that the book that we were collecting was the Book of Ancient. However, the names of all the quests in the current iteration of the questline have been renamed, and so there’s nothing to explicitly confirm that this book is still the Book of Ancient.)
At the library, however, Wiz told them that a group of unidentified people with strange devices and animals had demanded him to give them the book shortly before the Knight had arrived. He explained that the book was ancient and had recently been found on an old bookshelf in Helios Library. As it had been written in a strange language, he had no idea what the contents of the book were, although he added that the Cygnus Knights had asked to retrieve it upon learning that the Black Wings were trying to take it.
The Knight chased after the group and caught up with them near Ludibrium Station. They were surprised to find that the group was comprised of the Resistance leaders. The Knight asked them to hand the book over, but Claudine refused to give it up, claiming that the Cygnus Knights would only hide the book away, rather than use it against the Black Wings. However, the Knight refused to give up, explaining that it was their mission to bring the book back to Ereve.
As tensions grew higher, Black Wings henchmen suddenly arrived to seize the book. The group switched focus to fighting the Black Wings henchmen. During the battle, Claudine was injured, and just as more enemies closed in, the Knight’s Chief Knight and a legion of Cygnus Knights arrived to reinforce them.
As the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights began squabbling over the book, Claudine unexpectedly ordered the others to retreat and gave the book to the Knight, claiming that it would be safer in Ereve than in Edelstein, which the Black Wings had made their base. She added that she now knew that the Knight was powerful and admitted that the Resistance wouldn’t have been able to protect the book without their help. She told the Knight that as the Resistance still didn’t trust them, they would be keeping watch from afar.
The Chief Knight then asked the Knight to deliver the book to Neinheart, who congratulated them on their successful mission. He thanked them for recovering the book, explaining that it was extremely important and could never fall into the hands of the Black Mage or his followers. The Knight asked what was written in the book, as Wiz had mentioned that it was in a strange language.
Neinheart told them that all he knew that it was a research journal on ancient powers. He explained that long ago, the Ancient Gods had ruled Maple World with their own laws. (A/N: For some reason, GMS forgot to include this line giving background about the Ancient Gods, and so Neinheart instead just jumps into the next sentence, in which he references “those gods” without having initially mentioned them in the first place.) Though it was unknown who had written the book, nor how or why it had been written, it was clear that it had been written about powers that no longer existed in Maple World, meaning that it had to have been written countless ages ago. He explained that seemingly by chance, the book had resurfaced in Helios Library, as though someone had put a bookmark into that moment.
(A/N: My theory is that the book was written by Kirston, who had been researching the Ancient Gods in Partem, as well as the prophecy about the First Explorer during the time of Ellin Forest. Since we have no idea how old he really is, it’s entirely possible that he could’ve been alive during the era of the Ancient Gods.
Although there’s nothing that explicitly confirms that this book is the Book of Ancient, it’s possible that this could still be true. The El Nath town quests reveal that the Book of Ancient contains forbidden magic, which was used as a weapon during the war from 300 years ago. The very first version of the Book of Ancient quest, before the questline was condensed, stated that the book was written by someone named Elmina, who also had a special ring used to unlock the book. If they do plan to make this the Book of Ancient, it’s possible that we might actually get to see Elmina, who was only mentioned in the questline once or twice.)
He explained that he had sent the Cygnus Knights to obtain the book, not because they sought the ancient power for themselves, but because they wanted to keep it out of the Black Wings’ hands. He also added that their relationship with the Resistance was less than ideal, and so he hoped to arrange a place to talk with them as soon as possible.
Neinheart then sent the Knight to speak with Cygnus, who asked them about their experience with the Resistance during the mission. The Knight confessed that they and the Resistance hadn’t been able to get past their differences, though Cygnus remained optimistic that reconciliation was possible. She also reminded the Knight that they were not alone and wished them well on their journey to grow stronger.
Guardians of the Nova:
(A/N: Angelic Buster’s storyline was revamped significantly in the KMS Fall 2023 update, which also resulted in a few slight modification to Kaiser’s storyline, as well as a revamp to the Heliseum storyline. The Angelic Buster revamp had a pretty notable controversy in regard to the feminist movement in Korea, in which certain people came to believe that some animators had included anti-men symbols in their content, which was further exacerbated by the Angelic Buster story revamp removing a lot of the alarmingly misogynistic and pedophilic overtones to the original writing. Personally, I think the whole thing is stupid and baseless, but even putting that aside, I think that as far as the story revamp goes, I think it’s one of the best changes ever made.
Eskalade, the dragon spirit who gives Angelic Buster her powers, is is a much more caring, older brother-type mentor to her in the revamp, rather than the abomination that he was before. The original Angelic Buster storyline had vastly different characterization for nearly all the characters in the story. Eskalade – and many of the other male characters – were the stereotypical ‘pervy sages’ who made ridiculously out of pocket statements about Tear’s appearance and personality, which frequently crossed the border of sexual harassment.
If you want an example of just how terrible some of these things went, one of the first quests that Eskalade put Angelic Buster through in the original story was to collect a substance that would make her voice more melodic, which was described as ‘thick, sticky goop going down her throat’. The entire story was a disgusting display of misogyny and sexualizing minors, and I’m so thankful that the revamp removed all of this.
Even putting all that aside, Angelic Buster’s characterization has become much more of a focus in the revamp, which puts a bigger emphasis on her coming into her own and overcoming her limitations, rather than her backstory being a backdrop for her magical girl hijinks. This is one of the few class story revamps which I feel like Nexon did a great job on – but then again, the bar was so low that there was nowhere else to go but up.)
Many decades after the fall of Heliseum, the Nova continued living in Pantheon, whose borders were safeguarded by the Protective Shield generated by the four sacred stones. Two children named Kyle and Velderoth became friends with a girl named Tear, who had been shunned by the Nova for having been born without magic or a tail. Together, they became the Heliseum Force and trained every day in order to become strong enough to take back their capital.
Velderoth and Kyle soon became knights, bringing them one step closer to realizing their dream. One day, both Kyle and Tear sensed that something was wrong at the East Sanctum while training. There, the three encountered strange priests whom they had never seen before standing over the unconscious guardian of the East Sanctum. Velderoth decided get reinforcements and told Kyle and Tear to keep an eye on the priests, though he warned them not to play hero.
While overhearing the priests, Tear quickly realized that they were planning to steal the sacred stone of the East Sanctum and weaken the Protective Shield. Before the priests could take the stone, Tear charged ahead and grabbed it first. Upon touching it, the stone transformed into a glowing bracelet on her wrist, after which Tear immediately fell unconscious.
As the priests advanced on Tear, Kyle suddenly felt a fiery power within himself and awakened as Kaiser. Kyle launched a devastating attack upon the priests in his Kaiser form before falling unconscious himself. As the remaining priests retreated, Velderoth returned with reinforcements, all of whom witnessed Kyle’s awakening and took the two children back to Pantheon.
Tear woke up in the infirmary first and spoke with Cartalion the knight, Kylan the priest, and Fenelle the High Priestess. Tear learned that Kyle had awakened as the next Kaiser, as well as the fact that the sacred stone of the East Sanctum had attached itself onto her arm. Upon learning that it was stuck to her, Tear realized that the Protective Shield had been permanently weakened because of her actions.
Though the others attempted to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault, as the Nefarious Priests would have stolen the stone anyways if she hadn’t intervened, Tear was upset by the news and began crying before running off. Fenelle went after Tear and attempted to console her by pointing out that the fact that the sacred stone had reacted to her, when not even the priests had been able to awaken it, meant that she had to be special. Nevertheless, Tear noted that it still didn’t change the fact that she had weakened the Protective Shield, adding that she was useless as ever before running off to the Heliseum Force hideout.
Soon after, Kyle woke up in the infirmary and learned from Fenelle and Cartalion that he had awakened as the next Kaiser. As such, he had a grand destiny to live up to as the Guardian of the Nova. Kaiser then asked where Tear had gone, to which they explained that Tear had run off after learning that she had been cursed by the sacred stone. As Kylan had gone after her, Kaiser decided to let him handle it and instead began asking Fenelle about his new role.
Fenelle told him that the destiny of Kaiser depended on the time that he was born into. Given the dire situation that the Nova found themselves in, she warned Kaiser that his destiny was sure to be one of the most burdensome of all. As Gerand Darmoor had conquered nearly all of Grandis, the Nova were the only ones left who could hope to fight against him. Though Darmoor was the Transcendent of Life, Fenelle hoped that a strong alliance of warriors backed by the powers of other Transcendents could help win the war, adding that it was his duty as Kaiser to see it through.
She explained that the previous Kaiser had sacrificed himself to defeat Magnus and his army, and that Kaiserium, the legendary sword of Kaiser, had also disappeared with the previous Kaiser. Regarding the history of Grandis, Fenelle told him about the Flora Civil War and how Gerand Darmoor had awakened as the Transcendent of Life after seeing the Verdant Flora’s disregard for life, though she noted that it remained unclear how precisely his awakening had transpired.
(A/N: Illium’s storyline expands on this plot point and reveals that the Nova erroneously believed that the Verdant Flora had incited the Flora Civil War by killing Darmoor’s father, the former God-King, as revenge for the High Flora tearing out their wings and exiling them. In all honesty, the writers probably decided to create a new backstory for Darmoor and used the Nova being misinformed as an in-universe way to retcon the old story, although it’s likely that they’ll end up taking some aspects of this original backstory and incorporating it into Darmoor’s true goals.
Before the Angelic Buster revamp, Fenelle originally told Kaiser that Darmoor had once been a fierce opponent of the Flora Civil War, and that he had awakened as the Transcendent of Life after growing insane from the massive carnage of the war, because of which, he had vowed to destroy and remake life into perfect beings. To an extent, this remains true in the current version of the story, but the dialogue was most likely changed because Darmoor’s goal to create a perfect paradise for worthy life forms is supposed to be a secret, and so it wouldn’t make sense for Fenelle to know about this, or to tell Kaiser.)
After speaking with Fenelle, Kaiser decided to test his new powers and spent some time training. He then decided to check up on Tear and went to ask Velderoth if he knew where she was. After learning that she was likely at the hideout, he went to see her and asked how she was doing. Though Tear appeared happy, Kaiser could clearly tell that she had been crying. He learned that she was feeling guilty about having weakened the Protective Shield, though she told him not to worry about it, as she didn’t want to ruin anything else.
Though Tear felt reassured by Kaiser’s concern, she noted to herself that she couldn’t keep relying on him to fix her messes, for which she decided to return to the East Sanctum in order to see whether returning the sacred stone to its original location would release it from her arm. While searching the sanctum, Tear began to hear a voice speaking to her from within the bracelet. After following the voice’s directions and concentrating, Tear was able to see the spirit of a small dragon, who noted that her proximity to the sanctum meant that she could finally see him.
The dragon introduced himself as Eskalade to a surprised Tear, who asked him whether he was the god within the sacred stone. Eskalade replied that she could consider him to be something like that before asking whether she knew how the sacred stones had been created. Tear noted that according to her history classes, when Magnus had attacked Heliseum, the Nova had been unable to transport their holy relic, and so they had instead transferred its power into the four sacred stones, which had been taken out of Heliseum in its place.
Eskalade explained that when the relic’s power had been transferred into the stones, his spirit had been transferred into one of the stones as well. When Tear asked him whether that meant he really was a god, Eskalade explained that he was more like a spirit than anything else, as he had been trapped inside the stone for so long that he had forgotten many of his memories and had lost much of his power.
(A/N: Before the revamp, Eskalade - originally with the full name Eskalade Lorang - was said to be an ancient Nova, which were more dragon-like than the present-day Nova. Kain’s storyline created a continuity error with this, as the Black Nova cult from the time of the Ancient Gods appeared identical to the humanoid Nova of the present, which doesn’t line up what was established in Angelic Buster’s storyline. With that detail removed in the revamp, it’s easier to accept that the Nova are just distant descendants of dragons without a timeline for when they evolved into people.
The revamp also changed up the lore about the Nova relics, as there was originally no concept of the sacred stones. The blue cube things powering the Protective Shield were already the relics, rather than being stones that contain the power of one singular relic. It’s kept a bit ambiguous, but it’s pretty likely that Eskalade has been retconned into being an Ancient God, rather than an ancient Nova, and the Nova relic in Heliseum is likely actually his.)
Eskalade then told Tear that he was fortunate to have met someone who could actually talk to him, adding that the reason why the sacred stone had attached itself to her was because of his will. When Tear lamented that it was because of her that the sacred stone had been lost to the Nova, Eskalade reassured her that it wasn’t her fault. Upon seeing that Tear still felt guilty, he offered her the chance to make up for it by becoming just as helpful as the missing sacred stone.
He explained that while trapped in the stone, the only thing that he could do with his powers was to use them for the Protective Shield, though he would now be able to pass them onto her so that she could help the Nova retake Heliseum. However, he added that there was one condition to inheriting his powers, which was that only one with great standing and reputation could claim them. He told Tear that before he had become a spirit, he had wanted to become famed and known throughout the land by many people, which he speculated was the reason why one needed to have such a reputation in order to channel his powers.
(A/N: The Cernium storyline reveals that the holy relics of the Ancient Gods only awaken for someone who has the faith and support of that god’s followers, such as how Seren was the Chosen One of Mitra because Mitra’s followers believed Seren to be the worthiest of carrying out Mitra’s will. Given the implication that Eskalade is an Ancient God, it stands to reason that his powers can only be inherited by someone with the greatest reputation amongst the Nova. As Eskalade’s memories are fuzzy, it’s likely that he mistakenly believes that this activation condition stems from his desire to be well-known, rather than it being because of his status as a god.)
However, Tear replied that she couldn’t be a warrior of great power, as she had been born with no magic. This surprised Eskalade, who had been sure that Tear’s ability to communicate with him meant that she had been a warrior with great magical abilities. A crestfallen Tear realized that without the ability to inherit Eskalade’s powers, she would need to once again rely on Kyle and Velderoth to help her remove the bracelet. Though Eskalade was concerned about how Tear was feeling, Tear left the East Sanctum, causing Eskalade’s spirit to vanish before he could protest.
Elsewhere, Kaiser decided to cheer Tear up by collecting sparkling rocks, which she used to love when they were kids. After collecting a sparking rock from the Limestone Tokkas, he suddenly realized that he should instead give her flowers, as he believed that she would like them better. He collected some from the Alert Grobblers and returned to the Heliseum Hideout, where Tear soon arrived.
Kaiser presented a flower to Tear and apologized to her for earlier, explaining that he hadn’t meant to make her feel as though he had been taking responsibility for her mistakes. He added that since it had also been his idea to go to the East Sanctum, he felt as though it really had been his fault for what had happened to the sacred stone. Tear told Kaiser that it hadn’t been his fault, to which he smiled and told her that in that case, it wasn’t her fault, either. He then gave the flower to Tear and explained that he had been happy to find the flower, as he knew that she liked pretty things.
Just then, Velderoth angrily cut in and demanded to know whether Tear was truly comforted by Kyle’s words, pointing out that their situations were completely different, with Kyle awakening as the great guardian Kaiser, and Tear being cursed by the sacred stone. He noted that despite them both having made the same mistake, Kaiser had been rewarded, while she had been stuck with a big problem, adding that even everyone else had lost the sacred stone because of her.
Kaiser sharply scolded Velderoth, though Velderoth merely ignored him and told Tear not to be deceived by Kaiser’s empty words. Tear replied that though she felt guilty about causing the sacred stone to disappear, Kaiser hadn’t been deceiving her, as he was simply being a good friend. She then decided to head out, explaining that enough had already happened for one day.
After Tear left, Velderoth suggested that they have a hunting match. He and Kaiser competed to collect Laloong Tails, which Kaiser easily managed to win with his new powers. Having been beaten by Kyle for the first time, Velderoth’s pride was hurt and he sarcastically claimed that he should have known better than to challenge the great and powerful Kaiser before storming off.
Unsure of what Velderoth’s problem was, Kaiser decided that he ought to help the Nova and went to see Kylan at the Great Temple. Kylan asked him to collect Alert Grobbler Stalk in order to restock his medical supplies. After collecting them, Kaiser went to see Cartalion, who asked him to defeat Kaloong monsters in order to help control their numbers.
Meanwhile, Eskalade’s spirit appeared before Tear and noticed that she was crying. Though he attempted to reassure her that it wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t inherit his powers, Tear told him that she was planning to find a way to return the bracelet back into its original state so that he could find someone else to become his hero. However, Eskalade replied that such a thing wasn’t possible, as she had been chosen because she was special.
He then pointed out that she simply needed to become stronger in order to take responsibility for what she had done, to which Tear replied that she had no wish to become a Nova hero or obtain great power like Kaiser, as she simply wanted the strength to do her part. She explained that she didn’t want to rely on Kaiser or Velderoth anymore, and she wanted to become a helpful member of the Nova for Fenelle, who loved her like a granddaughter.
Suddenly, Eskalade had an idea and noted that being a warrior wasn’t the only way of becoming famous. Using his powers, he transformed Tear into a pretty pink superhero called Angelic Buster. He explained that becoming an idol would give her fame just as much as becoming a warrior would, and that she could use her singing voice to attract a following. When Angelic Buster asked him how he knew about idols, Eskalade explained that he had found out about them while his spirit had been wandering outside the sacred stone.
Though Angelic Buster was reluctant to dress up in such an outfit, she nevertheless agreed in order to become strong enough to protect the Nova. Dubbing her the idol of the battlefield, Eskalade had Angelic Buster go into town and begin singing to attract a crowd. As she began singing, Angelic Buster slowly started to grow more confident as she put herself out to the crowd, causing several passing Nova to start cheering for her.
After the crowd dispersed, Eskalade proudly noted that she had managed to gain ten followers with her spontaneous performance, which allowed him to pass on a portion of his power onto her. Having grown empowered by her experience, Angelic Buster resolved to grow her fame and increase her powers. She then decided to find Kaiser and Velderoth in order to tell them about her new powers.
However, Eskalade stopped her and asked whether she was really planning to tell them. Angelic Buster replied that it would be fine to tell just two people, to which Eskalade told her that though he wouldn’t stop her, he noted that if she were to become famous and fight on the battlefield, she might worry her friends. Angelic Buster realized that he was right, as the reason why she had wanted to become stronger was so that she wouldn’t be a burden on her friends, for which she resolved to keep her identity secret. Eskalade instead suggested that she tell Fenelle instead, recalling that the two were quite close.
In the Great Temple, Angelic Buster met with Fenelle, who immediately realized that she was Tear because of her energy. After Angelic Buster explained everything had happened, Fenelle noted that she was indeed special after all. However, Fenelle asked that Angelic Buster keep her identity secret, fearing that others may target the remaining sacred stones if word got out that they were capable of passing on power. She then asked Angelic Buster what she wanted to do with her powers, to which Angelic Buster replied that she wanted to help the people of Pantheon.
Fenelle told Angelic Buster to wait while she found something that she could help with. Just then, Eskalade spoke to her and pointed out that simply helping the townspeople wouldn’t increase her powers, as the Nova of Pantheon were too small of a population, meaning that she would need to eventually go abroad.
Just then, Fenelle returned and told Angelic Buster that she had nothing that she needed help with. Instead, she gave Angelic Buster a letter of introduction and asked her to speak with Cartalion. Though Cartalion trusted Fenelle’s word, he was hesitant about sending Angelic Buster outside the town, as it would be quite dangerous. Nevertheless, at her insistence, he reluctantly asked her to collect Sleepy Grobbler Stalks for Selene.
Angelic Buster brought the ingredients to Selene, who thanked her and explained that there was a food shortage in Pantheon, as someone was stealing from the food storage. At Selene’s request, Angelic Buster returned back to Cartalion and informed him about Selene’s suspicions. Cartalion noted that they didn’t have the forces to guard the food storage, which made Selene’s report more concerning.
In order to help Cartalion, Angelic Buster offered to keep watch at the food storage, where she discovered several priests. Eskalade immediately noted that their energy seemed to be similar to those who had attempted to steal the sacred stone. Believing that Angelic Buster posed no threat, the Nefarious Priests attempted to eliminate her, though she quickly defeated them before returning to Cartalion.
As Tear began to head back to town, Kaiser returned from his mission to defeat the Kaloong monsters and spoke with Cartalion, who asked him whether he had ever heard of Angelic Buster and explained that she was a new superheroine helping the Nova. He then apologized for going off-topic and told Kaiser that with his new position, he ought to set his sights higher than simply doing trivial chores and told him to ask Fenelle for more serious work. Fenelle immediately realized that Cartalion wanted her to ask Kaiser to lead the knights. However, she told Kyle that Kaiser was never an all-powerful being immediately after awakening.
She explained that she had known three Kaisers in her lifetime, and that all of them had started out as Kyle had, adding that both he and Tear were fast approaching their destinies. When Kaiser asked what she meant by Tear’s destiny, Fenelle explained that Tear had gone to seek her fortune, and that she had seemed inspired. She told him that whereas Kaiser sought to fulfill the people’s expectations, Tear sought to prove herself in her own way, though she added that neither was the true path for either of them.
After speaking with Fenelle, Kaiser sensed something strange and went to investigate. Meanwhile, Angelic Buster returned to Cartalion and informed him about the Nefarious Priests. Though Cartalion chided her for recklessly putting herself into danger, he asked her whether she was unharmed before explaining that he couldn’t leave the priests to her now that he knew that they weren’t simply petty thieves.
Believing that Cartalion didn’t trust her yet, Angelic Buster decided to take care of the remaining priests on her own. Though Eskalade protested and told her that Cartalion could handle it, he nevertheless gave into Angelic Buster’s insistence and used his powers to track down the Nefarious Priests’ energy signature, which led her to their hideout.
There, Angelic Buster overheard the Nefarious Priests and learned that they were stealing from the food storage so that the Nova knights would redirect their forces to reinforce security there, which would allow the priests to steal the less-guarded sacred stones. Realizing that an attack on one of the sanctums was imminent, Angelic Buster rushed back to warn Cartalion. Realizing that the sacred stones were in danger, Cartalion asked her to warn Anor in the North Sanctum about a possible attack.
Meanwhile, Kaiser encountered a group of Nefarious Priests who were planning to eliminate him. Kaiser began fighting them off and forced them to retreat. Though he chased after them, the priests managed to escape. He then told Cartalion about what had happened, to which Cartalion noted that Angelic Buster had reported seeing the Nefarious Priests as well. Believing that they were mobilizing to attack the other Sanctums, Cartaliona asked Kaiser to check on Christina in the South Sanctum. Meanwhile, at the North Sanctum, Angelic Buster warned Anor, who excitedly told her that he was a fan of hers. Reassuring her that the sacred stone was safe with him, Anor asked her to reinforce Christina, whom he claimed was weaker than him.
Realizing that Kaiser was at the South Sanctum, Angelic Buster began rushing off to help him, though she gave Anor her autograph before she left. Meanwhile, at the South Sanctum, Kaiser warned Christina to be on guard for a possible attack. Christina explained that she was useless at fighting and asked him to defeat the Amethyst Tokkas, which were attacking passing travelers. After he returned, Christina told him that she would be alright and asked him to check on the West Sanctum, claiming that Ismail was in need of his strength.
Just as Kaiser was about to leave, he felt a dark energy near the outskirts of the South Sanctum and went to investigate. There, he encountered a horde of Nefarious Priests who had come to steal the South Sanctum’s sacred stone. After he defeated them all, Christina thanked him and sent him back to Pantheon in order to let Cartalion know. Just then, Angelic Buster arrived and learned from Christina that Kaiser had fought a wave of enemies, and that he had gone to warn Cartalion.
Angelic Buster realized that if Kaiser had already returned back to Pantheon, the West Sanctum might be in danger. As Angelic Buster headed off, Cartalion told Kaiser in Pantheon that he needed to reinforce the West Sanctum. At the West Sanctum, Angelic Buster arrived to find that the Nefarious Priests had defeated Ismail and taken the sacred stone.
(A/N: In the original Kaiser and Angelic Buster storyline, Ismail was said to have been been extremely weak – comparable to Tear without her powers – and when the West Sanctum was attacked in the original story, Ismail was said to be missing entirely, with the implication being that he had been kidnapped. Because of how we’re only ever told about Ismail and we never see him, as well as the fact that his story intersects like Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s do, I had a crack theory for a long time that Ismail was gonna be the Nova magician class. Unfortunately, the fact that Ismail’s kidnapping was removed from the game makes it unlikely that he’ll get a spotlight as the next class, which makes me sad.)
Upon learning that Magnus would soon come to take the stone, Angelic Buster attempted to stop the priests, though she was quickly defeated. She was then rescued by Kaiser, who began wondering who the unconscious girl was, just as he began sensing a familiar magic emanating from her. Just then, Cartalion arrived to check on Kaiser and noted that the unconscious girl was Angelic Buster. Realizing that she was the same person whom Cartalion had been talking about earlier, Kaiser reported that she had been attacked by the Nefarious Priests, who had taken the sacred stone.
Realizing that they had a crisis on their hands, the pair brought Angelic Buster back to Pantheon before meeting to discuss the situation. With the shield weakened, Cartalion asked Kaiser to let Fenelle know that two of the four sacred stones were missing. Hoping to recover the missing stone himself first, Kaiser began following the dark aura of the Nefarious Priests and began attacking them, though he was unable to get the location of the sacred stone out of them.With no further leads, Kaiser returned to Cartalion, who was surprised to hear that he had gone off on his own and warned him to consider the situation before going rogue. He then asked Kaiser to inform Fenelle before returning to him, claiming that he had a lead on the Nefarious Priests.
After learning about the situation, Fenelle consulted with the other priests before telling Kaiser that they had determined that it would be impossible to maintain the Protective Shield with only half the sacred stones, and that once it failed, Darmoor’s army would be able to invade Pantheon. She explained that even if they were able to reclaim the sacred stone, it would take time for it to recharge the Protective Shield, and as such, she told him that reclaiming the stone as soon as possible was paramount.
Kaiser returned to Cartalion, who directed him to the Nefarious Priests’ base that Angelic Buster had found earlier. Kaiser rushed over and fought through their defenses, though he was unable to find any trace of the sacred stone. Nevertheless, he overheard a Nefarious Priest speaking with a hologram of Magnus, who was pleased with the loss of two sacred stones and prepared to invade Pantheon. After defeating the Nefarious Priests, Kaiser brought back a letter outlining Magnus’ invasion to Cartalion. In order to prepare for Magnus’ attack, Cartalion asked Kaiser to check the eastern border to scout for enemy activity, as it was the closest point to Heliseum.
As Kaiser fought the invading Specters at the border, Angelic Buster awoke in the infirmary and immediately rushed to Cartalion in order to warn him that Magnus was coming personally to claim the sacred stone. Realizing that the Protective Shield couldn’t hold with just two of the four sacred stones, Angelic Buster offered to find the stolen stone, though Cartalion informed her that they had no idea where it could be, as it wasn’t in the enemy base which she had discovered. Though Angelic Buster lamented that she had been too weak to protect the stone, Eskalade reminded her that she needed to focus and told her to use her connection to the sacred stones in order to locate the missing stone by traveling to the West Sanctum.
Angelic Buster told Eskalade that she didn’t have that kind of power, to which Eskalade told her that she did, as it had been through that same connection that she could speak with him. By concentrating, Angelic Buster was able to sense that several priests had taken the sacred stone away from the base, as they had been suspicious that Angelic Buster would lead the Nova there.
After overhearing them, she learned that the priests were mistakenly suspecting an information leak from their own ranks, as they believed that there was no other way that the Nova could have learned about their plans so soon. While one of the priests left to check on progress in the south, Angelic Buster took her chance and defeated the other priest, reclaiming the western sacred stone in the process.
As Angelic Buster headed back to Pantheon, Kaiser returned from the eastern border and reported his skirmish with the Specter army to Cartalion, who was shocked that Magnus had launched his attack so soon. He asked Kaiser to buy them some time to get their defenses ready, and so Kaiser returned to the battlefront and engaged the Specter army. Meanwhile, Angelic Buster returned with the sacred stone and gave it back to Cartalion, who was relieved and told Angelic Buster that she had saved them all. He explained that Kaiser had noted that only a small attack force had been sent to Pantheon, which meant that the Protective Shield would hold until it could be recharged.
However, Eskalade was dubious and suspected that the small number of enemies was a feign to draw their attention away from Magnus’ true plan. Recalling how one of the priests had left to check on the southern border, Eskalade asked Angelic Buster to check the area. While Angelic Buster headed there, Cartalion redirected Kaiser and the knights to confront Magnus’ main army at the east, which he asked Kaiser to hold off until the Protective Shield was fully recharged.
After a fierce struggle, Kaiser managed to repel the army, even before the Protective Shield came back up. Cartalion was surprised at how weak Magnus’ army was, but he was nevertheless pleased that the attack was finally over. Just then, Angelic Buster arrived at the southern border and discovered that the Nefarious Priests were preparing a summoning ritual on the western border. Angelic Buster immediately returned back to Pantheon and let Cartalion know what was happening. Cartalion sent Kaiser to stop the summoning ritual and asked Angelic Buster to remain on standby in case he needed to send her to reinforce Kaiser.
After Kaiser successfully stopped the ritual, Cartalion thanked him profusely and asked him to check with Fenelle on the status of the Protective Shield. Fenelle asked Kaiser to buy them time to power up the shield by reinforcing the other knights in the south. Though Kaiser fought to his limit, he was ultimately overwhelmed by the Specters. Just as he faltered, the Protective Shield was finally restored, immediately vaporizing all Specters inside Pantheon.
After the battle was over, Kaiser realized that the Protective Shield was a powerful weapon against the Specters and formulated a plan to lure the entire Specter army inside the borders, where they would then reactivate the Protective Shield and wipe out all of Magnus’ forces at once. He proposed his plan to Fenelle and Kylan, who supported his idea, despite knowing the risks that it posed. Kylan gave Kaiser the Magic Amplifier device used to activate the shield and asked him to bring it to Cartalion.
(A/N: The Magic Amplifier isn’t used exclusively for powering the shield. True to its name, it just amplifies sources of magic in order to enhance their power. Kylan also mentions that the device is powered by the magic from the pebbles in Pantheon.)
Nevertheless, Cartalion remained hesitant, as he didn’t trust the priests to handle the sacred stone, though he was placated when Angelic Buster volunteered to help. Cartalion then gave a document outlining Kaiser’s plan to her in order to pass on to Beldar, the leader of the Heliseum Council. Though Beldar was mistrustful of Angelic Buster and believed Kaiser’s plan to be foolhardy, he nevertheless gave his reluctant approval.
After the plan was approved, Cartalion told Kaiser that Captain Piston would take the Amplifier and drop it near the enemy’s summoning ritual square in order to bait them into using the Amplifier to power their summoning ritual, which would bring the entire army to Pantheon, at which point they would reactivate the Protective Shield and wipe them all out at once. He also revealed that Angelic Buster had volunteered to reactivate the shield, and that she was the one who had convinced Beldar to approve the plan.
With everyone in position, Angelic Buster removed the western sacred stone and weakened the Protective Shield, allowing the Specters to invade. With Kaiser - accompanied by Velderoth at Cartalion’s suggestion - holding the line, the Specters were lured into the border of Pantheon, after which Velderoth fired a flare, signaling to Angelic Buster to put back the sacred stone. With the Protective Shield restored, the Specter army was wiped out entirely.
However, Angelic Buster grew worried when Kaiser and Velderoth still didn’t return to the sanctum and decided to see what was delaying them. There, she discovered that Magnus himself had appeared at the border, though she noted that Magnus would be weakened with the Protective Shield enabled. Magnus laughed disdainfully and noted that Kaiser was quite weak compared to his predecessor, adding that even the Nova themselves had grown weak over the years.
Though the three of them attempted to attack Magnus in his weakened state, they were shocked to discover that Magnus was much stronger than them. WIth Kaiser knocked out and Velderoth and Angelic Buster both blown away by Magnus’ powerful attack and separated from each other, Cartalion arrived and immediately summoned reinforcements to capture Magnus. However, Magnus told Cartalion that he wasn’t in the mood for another fight and quickly retreated.
Back in Pantheon, Kaiser was shaken by Magnus’ immense power, as well as his possession of a corrupted Kaiserium, causing him to wonder how they could ever hope to take back Heliseum after witnessing Magnus’ power. Soon after, Angelic Buster awoke at the outskirts of Pantheon and rushed back to town, where she warned Cartalion that Magnus had arrived. Cartalion told her that they had managed to repel Magnus, and that the others were safe as well. He thanked Angelic Buster for her role in the operation, noting that the Nova were all grateful to her for her help in protecting them.
Angelic Buster then spoke with Eskalade and noted that Kaiser had managed to withstand Magnus’ attack, unlike herself, to which Eskalade pointed out that he was Kaiser, adding that she still had a lot more growing to do. He then laughed and admitted that she had already grown quite a bit. Angelic Buster then noted that she was worried about Velderoth and decided to meet with him at the Heliseum Hideout.
At the hideout, Angelic Buster shed her disguise and met with Velderoth as Tear. Though she attempted to console him, Velderoth’s hurt pride caused him to lash out at her, claiming that he had no desire to be comforted by someone without magic who had never even been in a battle before. He noted that even the new idol of the battlefield had fought in the battle, while Tear had been nowhere in sight. He then glumly noted that both he and Angelic Buster were nothing more than sidekicks compared to Kaiser.
Though Tear was dismayed to hear Velderoth’s angry words, she kept silent about her identity, hoping that she might be able to reveal the truth after he had calmed down. Just then, Kaiser arrived and found Tear attempting to comfort Velderoth. Upon seeing Kaiser, Velderoth began mocking him for losing to Magnus, claiming that Kyle wasn’t a hero like the Nova believed.
He also added that Kyle had only beaten him in their hunting match because of his new powers, and that Kyle had always been weaker than him before awakening. He bitterly wondered why Kyle had been chosen as the next Kaiser, believing that it should have been himself instead because of his superior strength, adding that Kyle had been handed out free power that he didn’t deserve.
As Kaiser began to retort, Tear told him to leave Velderoth alone. Believing that Kaiser was dismayed because of his failure, Tear attempted to console him as well, though she was surprised to find him in good spirits. Kaiser explained that though he had lost, he was considering it to be a stepping stone in order to become stronger and defeat Magnus eventually in the future. He then noticed a wound on Tear from Magnus, to which she attempted to explain it away by her tripping.
As the two began to joke around together, Velderoth became even more furious at their casual attitude and decided that he was leaving the Heliseum Protector Vanguard, claiming that it had been a worthless group in the end. Believing that he had no future in Pantheon, he stormed off and left the city in search of power, declaring that he would become stronger than Kaiser someday.
After Tear and Kaiser left to process what had happened, Tear spoke with Eskalade, who asked her whether she regretted accepting his power. However, Tear told him that she regretted nothing, as she had been happy to see everyone’s smiling faces after protecting them. However, she added that she wasn’t yet satisfied, as she wanted to become even stronger in order to protect more people after spending all her life being the one protected. Eskalade then bestowed more of his power upon Angelic Buster, whose reputation had grown considerably since the attack on Pantheon.
Some time later, Beldar summoned Kaiser and told him that the Heliseum Council had approved of the plan to advance on Tyrant’s Castle. He explained that it would be Kaiser’s responsibility to gather allies for the invasion because while Magnus might be a conquerable foe, Darmoor was certainly not. He then told Kaiser that the Council had ordered him and Angelic Buster to travel through the Interdimensional Portal in the Great Temple in order to find allies in the unknown world. Kaiser went to see Fenelle, who told him that she would answer any questions that he had about the Interdimensional Portal.
When Kaiser asked where the Interdimensional Portal had come from, Fenelle explained that it had been formed when Darmoor had stolen Chronica’s powers, which had caused a tear in the fabric of spacetime. Though the Nova had determined that it led to another world, Fenelle explained that they had treated the portal with extreme caution, as they had enough to manage with Darmoor and Magnus, and did not wish to make an enemy of those who lay beyond the portal.
Kaiser then asked her to tell him about Darmoor and Chronica, and so Fenelle explained that Darmoor was originally the prince of the High Flora, and that he had been enraged by the Verdant Flora’s disregard for life during the long war, causing him to eventually awaken as the Transcendent of Life and use his powers to wipe out the Verdant Flora, after which he had begun to wage war against all of Grandis and remake life as he saw fit.
Fenelle also explained that Chronica was the Transcendent of Time, though little was known about them. She told Kaiser that Darmoor had confronted Chronica at their sanctuary and had insisted that they help Darmoor. However, when Chronica had refused, Darmoor had sealed them away and stolen their powers. (A/N: In GMS, Chronica is referred to with both male and female pronouns in the very same conversation. I’m going to continue referring to Chronica with gender-neutral pronouns until we meet them.) Fenelle added that alongside Darmoor and Chronica, Aeona was the Transcendent of Light, although no one in Grandis knew about her other than the fact that she existed.
Kaiser asked her to explain who the Transcendents were, and so Fenelle told him that the Transcendents were representatives of the three Overseers, the beings who had created the world. She explained that not all Transcendents were the same, as some were created immortal, whereas others were mortal and reincarnated.
(A/N: The concept of mortal-born Transcendents reincarnating seems to have been retconned in the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline of the Grand Athenaeum, which reveals that Darmoor’s predecessor existed while Darmoor himself was alive. It seems like the writers are revamping the lore about mortal-born Transcendents, which means that these parts of the story may soon get revamped.)
After having answered Kaiser’s questions, Fenelle asked Kaiser to meet with Cartalion, who told Kaiser that the hopes of the Nova rested upon him to find a Transcendent in the unknown world, and to convince them to aid the Nova. He also asked Kaiser to bring back unique materials from the other world in order to aid Kylan with his research. Kaiser then entered the Interdimensional Portal and arrived in Maple World.
(A/N: Kaiser’s questline has Cartalion tell him that Angelic Buster has already crossed over at this point, but Angelic Buster’s revamped questline has Beldar tell her that Kaiser has already crossed over at that point. Since Angelic Buster’s revamped story is newer, I’m using the order presented in her questline and omitting the detail about her already being gone from Kaiser’s story.)
Meanwhile, Angelic Buster was called to Pantheon by Beldar, who admitted that her role in the crisis had earned his respect for her. After thanking her for her help, he explained that he was hoping to recruit her to travel through the Interdimensional Portal. He revealed that the portal had been created when Gerand Darmoor had stolen Chronica’s powers, which had warped spacetime.
He explained that the Nova had been unsure of where it led, and so they had sealed it as a precaution, though Magnus’ latest attack had led the Council to agree to open the portal in order to find allies in the new world that it led to. Angelic Buster asked why the Council had agreed to open it, to which Beldar explained that the Council had approved a plan to retake Tyrant’s Castle in Heliseum with Magnus’ army in shambles. Angelic Buster agreed to help the Nova and used the Interdimensional Portal to cross to Maple World.
(A/N: Angelic Buster’s original questline had a much more in-depth conversation with Beldar about the Transcendents, the Overseers, and the Primordial God. Her story was really the only place where the Primordial God was ever mentioned, which also makes a mention that the Primordial God created the Overseers to maintain balance. The Primordial God is still mentioned indirectly in the Cygnus Knight storyline, which has Shinsoo state that the Overseers are the “agents of God”, although that’s really the only place that still makes a mention of them.
The other parts of Beldar’s conversation just had mentions about how a Transcendent stealing another Transcendent’s powers would cause weakness as a safeguard installed by the Overseers, but that detail was mentioned in Ark’s story. The only other detail that kind of got omitted now is the fact that there are three Overseers – an Overseer of Light, Life, and Time – but you can infer that from the unofficial “rule of three”, where there are three worlds, three laws, and three Transcendents per world, which would logically mean that there are three Overseers as well.)
After crossing over into Maple World, Angelic Buster grew excited upon seeing her new surroundings. However, Eskalade reminded her that she was on a mission and noted that she still had a long way to go before finding allies, as she would need to grow strong enough to help them as payment for them helping the Nova.
He then explained that she had come to Maple World, much to her surprise. He revealed that he had wandered around Maple World while roaming outside the sacred stone, and that he had grown familiarized with it, as it was where he had first learned about idols in the first place. He then pointed that he had even told her before that she may one day need to travel to a brand new world in order to gain more fame, adding that she would be able to gain more power and a name for herself, which would help her make allies. After speaking with Pilot Irvin at the Six Path Crossway, Angelic Buster met with Athena Pierce in Henesys, where Athena gave her suggestions to help others.
(A/N: This has become a pretty standard conversation for most Grandis classes, in which Athena tells you about the four theme dungeons that you complete between levels 30-60. Just like the other classes, I’ll be treating these as non-canon in regards to completing them and only detailing the parts that are relevant to the storyline.)
Around the same time that Kaiser and Angelic Buster began exploring Maple World, the Interdimensional Portal on Maple World reappeared, as the weakening seal on the Black Mage had allowed the power of time to seep through, once again creating the warp in spacetime. As they investigated the new world, Kaiser and Angelic Buster also sent regular reports to Pantheon, informing them about the different cultures, people, and politics of Maple World.
(A/N: The fact that both portals become active almost simultaneously is a coincidence that can’t really be explained other than plot reasons. We know that Kaiser and Angelic Buster sent regular reports to Pantheon because of Xenon’s storyline, but we don’t know what they specifically wrote about, and so I just filled in some conjecture about what I would assume that they would say.)
As Angelic Buster began growing more famous throughout Maple World, her reputation began increasing enough that Eskalade was able to transfer more of his power to her. However, he explained that he first needed to replenish his energy with Essence Stones. Though he had been able to find them on his own throughout Grandis, he noted that Maple World wasn’t familiar enough that he could search for them, and so he asked Angelic Buster to find one amongst the Wooden Mask monsters in the Excavation Site. After Angelic Buster obtained one, Eskalade consumed it and restored his strength, allowing him to awaken more of Angelic Buster’s powers.
(A/N: In Angelic Buster’s original storyline, Eskalade would periodically ask her to obtain Essence Stones from various monsters in Maple World throughout her storyline. By completing these quests, you would be able to receive your emblem. This requirement was removed in the revamp, and her 3rd job advancement is the only place where Essence Stones are mentioned now.)
As Kaiser trained in Maple World, he was approached by 10 Boogies, who introduced herself and noted that word about his activities had reached the Cygnus Knights, for which she invited him to the Henesys Game Park for a conversation. Kaiser wondered what such a powerful force in Maple World wanted with him, and so he agreed to meet them. There, he encountered several armed soldiers and began suspecting that he had been led into a trap.
Just then, Neinheart arrive with 10 Boogies and apologized for greeting him in such a manner before assuring Kaiser that they meant him no harm. He then told Kaiser that he had built quite a reputation in a short amount of time, and though the Cygnus Knights were grateful for all his help, they wanted to receive clarification about a certain matter, explaining that Kaiser resembled a dangerous enemy of theirs.
At Kaiser's confusion, Neinheart explained that the Cygnus Knights had been formed to fight the Black Mage, who had several Commanders that served him, including Magnus. A shocked Kaiser asked whether Magnus was also in Maple World, to which Neinheart noted that Kaiser's surprise led him to believe that he wasn't affiliated with Magnus. However, he asked Kaiser what he meant by 'too', as he made it seem like Magnus was not from their world.
In order to discuss the matter further, Neinheart asked Kaiser to come to Ereve and speak with the Empress. Believing that the Cygnus Knights could make powerful allies for the Nova, Kaiser agreed and traveled with them to Ereve, where he told Cygnus and the others about Grandis and the Nova. Cygnus noted that she had only ever heard rumors of another world, but never its name or any other details about it.
She explained that she had originally thought that Magnus was just another Commander, though she noted that him being from another world raised many questions, such as why he had come to Maple World centuries ago. Kaiser replied that though he didn't know Magnus' purpose, he could confirm that Gerand Darmoor had sent him there. Cygnus recognized Darmoor as the warmonger from the stories about Grandis and noted that he was said to have conquered much of Kaiser's world already.
Neinheart then added that what worried him even more was that they knew nothing about his world, though it seemed as though Magnus knew much about theirs. Realizing that they couldn't ignore the danger that he posed, Neinheart noted that the Cygnus Knights and the Nova had a common enemy in Magnus. He added that while it may be too early for an alliance, they could nevertheless establish a cordial relationship for the time being, such that each could help the other understand their world.
After Kaiser agreed, Neinheart wrote a letter and asked him to serve as liaison by delivering it to the Nova Council. Kaiser delivered the letter to Beldar, who believed that the Cygnus Knights' terms were reasonable. He noted that he hadn't expected Magnus to go to Maple World and wondered whether he may have treated the injuries that he had sustained at the hands of the former Kaiser there. After hearing Kaiser's opinion of the Knights, Beldar approved the union and appointed Kaiser as the Nova's official liaison with them.
Soon after, Angelic Buster encountered Kaiser at the Six Path Crossway. Kaiser was pleased to see her and noted that he had been hearing many stories about her in Maple World. Angelic Buster asked him how he was doing, to which he replied that he was doing the same as always. Angelic Buster noted that he seemed to gloss over himself as always, to which Kaiser laughed and noted that she seemed to know him well, as though they had known each other for a long time.
Angelic Buster laughed awkwardly before changing the subject and asking how his search for allies was going. She was surprised to learn that he had made contact with the Cygnus Knights, who were said to be the most powerful faction in Maple World. Kaiser revealed that the Knights had approached him first, and that they even had the same enemies as the Nova, with Magnus having once been a Commander of the Black Mage.
Angelic Buster noted that he had seemed to make allies quite easily, adding that she was slightly jealous of him, though Kaiser merely noted that he had simply gotten lucky. After a long pause, he apologized and explained that he had been thinking of a friend from Pantheon who would always call him special, even though he had never thought of himself in that way before.
In response, Angelic Buster pointed out that he was indeed special, as he always thought of others and sacrificed himself, which was something that many would never do. Kaiser smiled and thanked her, noting that she encouraged him just like Tear would. Upon hearing his words, Angelic Buster hesitantly began to tell him her identity, though she stopped herself and instead told him that it had been good to see him before the two parted ways.
As Kaiser continued traveling, he soon grew comfortable with Maple World, having realized that life there was similar to Grandis. Just then, he sensed an evil energy and followed it to Sleepywood. There, he met Ilji, the younger brother of Manji, and asked him if he knew where the evil energy was coming from. Ilji told him that it would likely be coming from the Cursed Temple, which Kaiser noted felt just like the Specters, though also different somehow. He asked Ilji if he needed help with anything, to which Ilji explained that he had come to train, though he added that he was afraid of the Drakes. He then asked Kaiser to hunt Copper Drakes and to tell him what their weakness was.
After hunting the Copper Drakes, Kaiser returned to Ilji and told him that they only attacked with a simple charge, and so watching them carefully and keeping them at bay was the best strategy. Next, Ilji asked him for help on finding the Drakes’ weakness. Kaiser fought the Drakes and told Ilji that they had the same attack pattern, and so they just needed to be taken out faster. Next, Ilji asked for help in fighting Red Drakes. Kaiser told him that they had a dangerous fire attack, and so Ilji would need to keep recovery items nearby.
Ilji then asked Kaiser to hunt Ice Drakes. Kaiser discovered that they had a long-range attack to watch out for. Finally, Ilji asked him to find the Dark Drakes’ weakness, and so Kaiser learned that Ilji would need to combine all the previous strategies into one in order to defeat them. Ilji thanked him for his help and promised to become a powerful warrior soon.
(A/N: This questline is an exact copy of the same set of quests which are part of the Sleepywood town storyline. I have no idea why these quests were copied over and incorporated into Kaiser’s storyline when there’s absolutely no narrative significance to them.)
After helping Ilji, Kaiser continued his journey into the Cursed Temple. At the entrance, he met a wounded man named Gwin, who told him that he had been injured by the monsters inside the temple. Kaiser then entered the temple and first defeated the Wild Kargos, then the Tauromacises, then the Taurospears, and finally a Jr. Balrog. From the Jr. Balrog, Kaiser found an Evil Essence that resembled Specter energy, and so he decided to ask Kylan to investigate it. Kylan noted that it was distinct from Specter energy and assured Kaiser that Darmoor had no hand in it.
(A/N: I’m almost certain that the writers had no idea where they were gonna go with Specter lore at the time that they were introduced in Kaiser’s storyline, but I found it interesting that Balrog and his minions have an energy signature similar to Specters. Balrog hasn’t been relevant for over a decade now, but if they really wanted to, they could totally integrate him back into the story by tying him into Specter lore somehow.)
Later during his travels, Kaiser learned that Pixies held mystical Cloud Pieces in Orbis and decided to bring one to Kylan, who merely deemed it mystical. Kaiser also heard rumors of lizards wearing scarves in the scorching heat of Ariant and decided to bring one of their scarves to Kylan, who was confused by why Kaiser had brought him a sweaty scarf with no apparent magical power.
(A/N: I thought that the Sleepywood quests were pointless, but these are even worse. Kaiser seriously needs a rework for his storyline because everything that takes place after he leaves Grandis has no lore significance, with the exception of one quest that takes place in the next section.
GMS also introduced a series of quests called the Nova Laboratory for Kaiser and Angelic Buster, which basically just has them collect samples from monsters around Maple World for Kylan and Fenelle. Since they don’t exist in KMS, they’re not technically canon, and so I won’t be covering them on this site. I was thinking about adding them to the new part of the lore site that I’m working on, which covers everything that hasn’t been covered here and in GMS-verse, but the Nova Laboratory quests are basically as pointless as these Kaiser quests, and so I really don’t see the benefit in breaking my back for them.)
Hero of Justice:
At the Shadowdealer headquarters in Savage Terminal, Cadena woke up screaming from a nightmare about Magnus’ attack on Heliseum and decided to go outside for some air. There, she found a group of Hoodlums loitering around and decided to entertain herself by stealing their money. The angry Hoodlums immediately picked a fight with Cadena, who easily defeated them and returned back to the hideout for an important meeting. Gen, the branch leader of Savage Terminal, reprimanded her for fighting without profit, which was one of the Shadowdealer rules. He made her review the rulebook, after which he quizzed her on the rules and maxims. Satisfied with her performance, he gave her medicine in order to treat her wounds from the fight.
As Cadena drank the medicine, the bitter taste reminded her of the day that she had awoken from her coma, many decades after Magnus had attacked Heliseum. That day, Gen had told her that the royal family had been killed, leaving her as the sole survivor. He had also told her that he had only saved her because he had owed a debt to the Nova General. With her awakening, his obligation had been fulfilled, and so he had told her that she would need to learn to fend for herself. Vowing never to be weak again, the princess had chosen to reinvent herself by taking on the new name of Cadena and wielding chains as her new weapon. (A/N: Fun fact: Cadena is the Spanish word for chain.)
Because her horns, wings, and tail had gotten in the way of her chains, she had decided to cut them off, letting the pain serve as a reminder that she would never be helpless again, after which she had decided to climb to the top of the Shadowdealers’ chain of command. (A/N: Cadena’s awakening from her coma is implied to have been fairly recent, possibly even a couple of months ago, as she’s not even 1st job yet and only just starts undertaking missions in the present day.)
After taking her medicine, she reported back to Gen, who taught her several new moves that would aid her on her first few missions. He then told her to go see the Papyrus Brothers, who would assign her first mission. The Papyrus Brothers acknowledged that Cadena was already one of the strongest people in the branch, but pointed out that she lacked real-world experience. Because of this, they told her that her first mission was to repair the hideout and ordered her to bring Cast Iron Plates from the nearby Hedgehogs.
After replacing the old plates, the Papyrus Brothers told her that the toxic air in Savage Terminal had likely caused the original iron to corrode. Believing that the Mutant Hedgehogs were releasing the toxic gas, they asked Cadena to defeat the monsters and bring back their nails. With the nails, the Papyrus Brothers were able to finish repairing the base, but as they were still concerned about the rising number of Mutant Hedgehogs, they asked her to thin their numbers, as well as to bring back their fur for analysis. Cadena brought the fur to Coney, a new member who was intellectual enough to serve as the Shadowdealers’ subject matter expert.
For her next mission, Cadena was tasked with collecting ingredients for dinner. Cadena first collected Nutria hind legs and then decided to take a break. While buying a snack at the Black Market, she was pickpocketed by an orphan named Anzu. Cadena chased him down and took back her money. As reparation, she decided that he would be her servant and forced him to collect the rest of the ingredients that she needed for dinner. The Papyrus Brothers congratulated her for completing all her missions and began preparing dinner. As they needed to finish their own missions, the brothers told her that Gen would soon contact her with her next orders.
Soon after, Gen radioed her and explained that he had gone off-world for a meeting at the Shadowdealer Headquarters. In the meantime, he asked her to collect overdue debts from some of their patrons. In his ledger, Cadena found that Gusto from the Black Market, Corbo at the Mountain of Trash, and Antuin from the Pawn Shop at Brigand’s Row still had unpaid debts. She also noticed that Antuin’s name had been emphasized in the ledger.
She first went to meet Gusto, who told her that someone from the Shadowdealers had already come to see him, though he paid her nevertheless, as he knew that Gen’s records were always reliable. Next, she met with Corbo, who told her that there were rumors circulating of people impersonating Shadowdealers in order to steal payments and asked her to warn Gen.
Finally, she went to see Antuin, who told her that he had no money to pay her. Frustrated, Cadena told him to give whatever money he had stored in his vault. Antuin explained that there was something valuable in the vault which he could use to pay off his debt, but added that he didn’t know the passcode to open it.
Cadena wondered whether Antuin’s excuses were the reason why Gen had emphasized his name in the ledger and radioed Coney to come over and open the vault. Though he was nervous to be in Cadena’s formidable presence, Coney stammered that the Shadowdealer Code prevented him from helping Cadena for free and offered to help her in exchange for her helping him with his own mission.
Cadena agreed and brought back Still Fluid from the Ooze Wastes, which Coney needed for an experiment that he was conducting on the Papyrus Brothers’ orders. After Cadena brought back the fluid, Coney told her that he had figured out the passcode, but that there was a strong adhesive keeping the safe shut. While he worked on melting the adhesive, he asked her to collect Unburning Flames from Flame Wastes for his experiment.
After Cadena returned, Coney told her that he had successfully removed the adhesive and asked her to pound open the door, as he was too weak to open it. Cadena broke open the vault door with ease and Coney told her that their deal had been concluded before leaving. Antuin then scraped together the money from inside the vault, which was coincidentally the exact amount as his debt to Gen.
Just as she was about to leave, Anzu, the orphan who had pickpocketed her, arrived and demanded to know why the safe was open, reminding Antuin, his grandfather, of his promise not to touch the safe, which had belonged to his late father. Swearing to never forgive his grandfather, Anzu ran off, leaving Antuin to apologize for Anzu’s behavior, explaining that it was likely due to losing his parents in an accident. Unable to shake her feeling of guilt, Cadena decided to repair the safe with Soft Scrap Iron from the Scrap Iron Wastes.
Just then, the Papyrus Brothers radioed her and explained that their trading partner, Corbo, had sent a distress signal, and with Gen off-world for an important meeting, they needed to deal with it immediately. After tracing Corbo’s signal, they determined that she was at the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club and asked Cadena to extract her.
At the club, Cadena rescued Corbo, who explained that she had been kidnapped by the same people whom she had told Cadena were pretending to be Shadowdealers, and that they were demanding her to pay them taxes. Cadena confronted one of the kidnappers, who merely laughed and told her that their boss, Mr. Hazard, was the owner of the club, and that he had also replaced Gen as the Savage Terminal branch leader, meaning that all Shadowdealers, including Cadena, now worked for him. Because of this, they explained that they also outranked Cadena, and so she was to follow their orders.
Cadena scoffed that there was no way that she would listen to them if she never listened to Gen to begin with. She then began fighting off hordes of Hazard’s lackeys herself until the Papyrus Brothers arrived to back her up. After seeing the enemy’s numbers, however, the brothers determined that it would be best to retreat. Before they could escape, Mr. Hazard himself arrived and released a toxic gas which immobilized the group. He reminded them that infighting between Shadowdealers was against the rules and explained that he and Gen had come to an understanding. He decided to overlook their infraction and told them that he would see them again, disappearing soon after.
The Papyrus Brothers recognized Hazard as the second-in-command to the leader of all the Shadowdealers, explaining that it was said that Hazard sowed chaos in his wake, and that the planets he visited all fell to ruin. (A/N: A lot of the older Grandis storylines refer to the other bodies in the solar system as planets, but the Cernium storyline has retconned them all to be moons.) The Papyrus Brothers arranged for Corbo to be escorted to safety and soon received a message from Gen, who had returned from the meeting.
Back at the hideout, Gen explained that Mr. Hazard had told them that Savage Terminal was under a threat of attack, and so he had successfully petitioned the Shadowdealer High Council that he be allowed to take over the branch in order to protect its members. Though he didn’t like the arrangement any more than they did, Gen emphasized that they all needed to cooperate with Hazard and his cronies until the situation deescalated. He also told Cadena that based on how things were going, there wasn’t much for her to gain by staying, and so he gave her permission to leave if she so desired.
However, Cadena refused and reminded Gen that she still had things to learn from him first. Gen was pleased by her loyalty and gave her a special mission to investigate Mr. Hazard, suspecting that there was a spy within their branch, as there was no other way that Hazard could have taken over so easily. He told her to come to the Back Alley late that night, where a fellow Shadowdealer would fill her in on the details. With that, he taught her the new skills that she had wanted to learn from him.
That night, Cadena went to the Back Alley, where she found a disguised Coney. Coney gave her a robe to conceal her appearance and told her that their objective was to infiltrate the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club. He explained that all the strange events were connected to the club, as Hazard had built his hideout there and had installed the emitters for the toxic gas which had immobilized them, adding that even the monsters in the area had been mutated to varying degrees based on their proximity to the club.
The pair arrived at the club entrance, where they pretended that they had come for advance registration for the Coliseum Arena, for which they had brought Wriggling Tails from the Specter Stray Dogs as payment. While the pair were investigating, the security guards noticed that they were poking around and decided to pick a fight with them.
After Cadena defeated the guards, Coney realized that there was something at the other side of the club and told Cadena to covertly infiltrate the area. She managed to sneak over to the other side, where she defeated the guards patrolling the interior. Coney discovered reagents, which he believed were connected to the Mutant Hedgehogs, whose toxic gas had been corroding the metal in their hideout.
While gathering the reagents, they came across a Popoh bird, which had been captured in order to be experimented on. Feeling bad for it, Cadena released it and allowed it to escape. She and Coney then grabbed as many reagents as they could before returning to the Back Alley, where Gen was waiting for them. When they explained that Mr. Hazard had been injecting the reagents into the local creatures, Gen told Coney to return to the hideout and analyze the reagents.
After Coney left, Gen told Cadena that he had looked through Hazard’s trade log and had determined that a suspicious trade would be taking place later that night. He asked her to spy on the trade in order to determine who the vendors were. Using a reagent that Gen had given her, Cadena transformed into one of Hazard’s cronies and told Hazard’s group that the order had been cancelled. Just as they were about to leave, a Lab Tech bot arrived to deliver the shipment.
(A/N: This robot belongs to the Angler Company, an arms dealer group with a fearsome reputation on Grandis. Senya and T-Boy are both members of the organization and children of the company’s founder. While the Angler Company has only been mentioned a few times in the game, the Karote storyline delves into the origins of the company and reveals that the company founder was a failed experiment created in Odium, a laboratory created by the elders from the realm of the sages, where the elders had conducted experiments to artificially create cyborg Adversaries. The realm of the sages is a mystical land where Hoyoung’s master, Tai Yu, comes from.)
The cronies quickly realized that Cadena was lying and moved to attack. She transformed back into herself and defeated the cronies, forcing them to retreat and allowing her to take the shipment from the bot, which had been broken in the fight. She discovered that the shipment was a document called Report X-9, but as the rest of it was written in strange letters, she decided to bring it to Gen.
At the Back Alley, Gen was unhappy that she had resorted to force, as it would mean that Mr. Hazard would soon learn about the altercation. Nevertheless, he took the report from her and called Coney to decipher the code that it was written in. Coney realized that it was double-coded and managed to break through the first layer of encryption. However, he was concerned about the second layer, which had a particular phrase constantly repeating.
After some time, he decrypted the phrase and learned that it referred to the reagent which he and Cadena had found at the club. He told Cadena that they needed to both decipher the code and figure out the mystery of the reagent at once, and so he asked her to help with the reagent while he continued decrypting. He then instructed her to bring Mutant Nutria blood samples, believing that it was the key to figuring out the reagent.
Using the samples that Cadena brought him, Coney was able to complete his investigation. He explained that Report X-9 was a blueprint for a bioweapon called the Heliogene Device. Based on the schematics, it appeared to be a bomb made from a type of bioenergy, and Coney realized that it was likely what the animal experiments had been for. Gen concluded that Hazard’s scheme was to sell dangerous weapons to the warmongers of the galaxy.
(A/N: This weapon was created to sell to the High Flora. One of the main plot points in the Grandis story is that the High Flora seem to be collecting large quantities of bioenergy from the moons of Grandis, such as how they drained the bioenergy out of Verdel in Ark’s storyline, or how Senya Angler attempted to destroy Savage Terminal in order to obtain the pure concentration of bioenergy that its destruction would leave behind.)
Coney told them that the good news was that they knew why Hazard had picked Savage Terminal, as according to Report X-9, the weapon parts needed were scattered all over Savage Terminal, with the report showing exactly where they could find each part, meaning that they had a chance to prevent the Heliogene Device from being built if they could get the parts first.
Cadena asked why they had to stop it in the first place, as she assumed that Hazard would leave after he finished building it, and so Coney explained that creating the Heliogene Device would destroy Savage Terminal., as when the device was detonated, it would release a powerful, poisonous gas, similar to the poison gas released by the reagent lifeforms, but on a much stronger level.
Gen realized that Mr. Hazard had been planning to destroy them all along, and that the competing Shadowdealer crew was just a ruse to cover the bigger operation. They decided to gather their team and invade Mr. Hazard’s hideout with full force while Cadena gathered the remaining weapon parts to use as proof of Hazard’s atrocities.
Coney told her that the weapon parts were located at the Shaded Dump Site, Stray Dog Alley, and the Pawnshop. Cadena obtained the first two easily and headed towards Brigand’s Row. At the Pawnshop, neither Antuin nor Anzu were there, and unlike the first two sites, she was unable to find the part easily. She began searching around the safe, where she found some sort of blueprint and a family photo.
(A/N: We never learn what’s so important in the safe, but I’m guessing that it’s probably the blueprint, which is never mentioned again. I have this theory that Anzu’s parents used to work for the Angler Company, as the blueprint might’ve been for a weapon that they were developing for the Company. Anzu’s parents were said to have died in an accident and the Angler Company’s headquarters were also said to have been destroyed in a large explosion, which forced the Company to operate in the shadows. In just a moment, it’ll be revealed that the last part of the weapon is a living person, for which Antuin and Anzu were kidnapped. Since Hazard is a major client of the Company, it might be that he knew about Anzu’s parents, which is why he kidnapped Antuin and Anzu specifically.)
In the garbage bin, she found a pile of half-written notes from Anzu, thanking Cadena for fixing the safe. On the floor, she found crack marks, indicating that there had been a fight. Still unable to find the part after searching, she decided to radio Coney. Before she could, however, Coney radioed her first and explained that he had discovered that the last piece of the weapon was actually a living person. He told her that the crew was preparing to invade Mr. Hazard’s hideout and asked if Antuin and Anzu were at the Pawnshop, as he was worried about the report mentioning their shop specifically. Cadena had a bad feeling and decided to return to the hideout, which she found empty.
Just then, the radio buzzed and she picked it up, expecting it to be Coney, but she was surprised to find that it was one of Hazard’s lackeys, who explained that they had captured Coney and the rest of the crew. He told her that the rest of her branch was going to be killed for betraying Hazard, but added that she could still survive if she brought them the weapon parts. Cadena immediately rushed to the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club.
As she prepared to fight her way through, Gen and the Papyrus Brothers arrived to back her up, having defeated their captors. Gen told her to sneak through the back in order to stop Hazard while they covered her. Just then, the Popoh bird which she had freed appeared and led her through a secret entrance to Hazard’s lair. (A/N: This bird is so adorable and yet so random. I wonder if it has some sort of backstory that’ll be revealed later.)
Cadena fought her way through the guards and rescued Coney, who was tied up at the entrance of Mr. Hazard’s lair. Coney thanked her for rescuing him and ran back to support the rest of the crew fighting Hazard’s cronies. Cadena thanked the Popoh bird and warned it to escape before the situation grew dangerous. She then entered Hazard’s lair, where she found Antuin and Anzu hooked up to the Heliogene Device. Antuin asked whether she had come to rescue them, but Cadena replied that her only objective was to take down Mr. Hazard.
Antuin begged her to at least save his grandson before Hazard’s cronies returned. He told Cadena that the machine drained one’s life force, but Anzu was just a boy who had many more years of living yet to do. Just then, Mr. Hazard arrived and demanded that Cadena hand over the rest of the parts. When Cadena refused, Hazard put on a gas mask and told her that he would simply take them by force. He then turned up the Life Force Conductor to drain Antuin and Anzu’s lifeforce faster and laughed that once the battery was fully charged, the weapon would be ready and he would be rich. He then suddenly grew much larger and began to fight Cadena.
(A/N: If you look closely during this fight, you’ll notice that he has Specter markings on his arms. Though it’s not explicitly confirmed, it’s highly likely that Mr. Hazard is a partial Specter, similar to Ark and Limbo, which explains why he was able to grow larger.)
After a vicious battle, Cadena was able to defeat him. She demanded that he leave Savage Terminal immediately, but Hazard merely scoffed at her thinking that he had been defeated. He then activated the toxic gas emitters to paralyze her, and as she fell, her emblem of the Nova royal family fell out of her pocket. Mr. Hazard was amused to learn that Cadena was a member of the Nova royal family and told her that the High Flora would love to hear the news that there was still a survivor.
He attempted to blackmail her by promising to keep the news to himself if she were to give him the weapon parts, but to his surprise, Cadena merely laughed and got up, explaining that he didn’t understand what he had just done. Rather than finding something to hold over her, he had ensured that she would go to any lengths to stop him from telling anyone her secret. She then damaged the Heliogene Device, causing a large explosion that freed Antuin and Anzu. Together, they escaped, with Cadena leaving Mr. Hazard for the Shadowdealer High Council to deal with.
In the aftermath of the battle, Hazard’s treachery was laid bare to the Council. Though no one knew what happened to him afterwards, his reign of terror over Savage Terminal was finally over. After the incident, some fled the moon in fear. However, Cadena knew that others would replace them in time. In Hazard’s absence, Gen had found himself at the top of a large and lucrative trade empire, although most of the money had gone into repairing the hideout and paying for his crew’s medical bills.
Meanwhile, the people of Savage Terminal had given Cadena the title “Hero of Justice“, much to her annoyance. Some time later, Cadena went to the Pawnshop on a mission to deliver a package to Antuin and Anzu. Anzu thanked her for rescuing him and asked her to teach him how to use chains once he had recovered, to which Cadena reminded him that he owed her for saving him, plus interest. Cadena then gave Antuin the package that she had been sent to deliver and returned back to the hideout.
There, Gen gave her the details of her next mission. He explained that Mr. Hazard had been dealing with many partners that the Shadowdealers didn’t approve of. The High Flora, in particular, were rumored to be some of his best customers, to whom he had given Vision Bomb tech. (A/N: Vision Bombs were revealed to be poison bombs in the Arteria storyline.) He told Cadena that she was to break into Hazard’s old office and get his papers to confirm the rumors of his clients. He then introduced a special new recruit with whom Cadena would be completing the mission, which turned out to be the Popoh bird.
After clearing out the remaining guards, she entered Hazard’s office and found a blank piece of purple paper hidden away. Upon examining it, she realized that the purple color was saturated over the words, making it difficult to remove. She radioed Coney, who suspected that the color had come from the poison gas and suggested using the Poison Remover that Hazard’s cronies were carrying. Using the remover, Cadena discovered that the page revealed the identities of Hazard’s secret trading partners, along with a log of when and where he had met them.
She returned to Gen, who was pleased by her success and told her that the Shadowdealer High Council was impressed by her actions, meaning that she ought to expect bigger and more dangerous missions in the future. He also told her that she would be taking over managing one of Mr. Hazard’s contacts and referred her to the Papyrus Brothers for more information. The Papyrus Brothers assigned her a trade in East Pantheon and gave her the shipment to deliver, instructing her to pick up the payment that she would find there.
On the day of the trade, she made her way to the trade site and found a large pouch of payment. Just as she placed the shipment on the ground, she began feeling as though she was being watched. Suddenly, the ground began to quake and dozens of Specters appeared. Cadena fought off droves of them, but there seemed to be no end.
Just then, Magnus appeared and asked her why she was attacking his minions when he had come to trade. Cadena immediately recognized him as the man from her nightmares, the same one who had destroyed her life decades ago. She immediately charged at him, but Magnus easily defeated her, knocking her unconscious.
Cadena woke up at the hideout, where she found Gen tending to her wounds. He explained that he had followed her after hearing about her trade at Pantheon. He berated her for acting foolishly and told her that it was only through luck that he had been able to get her out safely. However, he suspected that Magnus may have figured out her true identity and advised her to leave Grandis for some time, as it would be safer for her not to be around any potential spies in the hideout.
(A/N: They never resolved this plot point after making such a big deal about there being a spy in their ranks. It might be the topic of a future story point. I can’t tell if Cadena’s story was meant to have so many open plot threads or if her story was just poorly developed and the writers forgot to wrap it up.)
He also added that she had outgrown the Shadowdealers, and that training on her own was the best way for her to grow stronger, especially in a new world where she had no reason to hold back or fear getting noticed. Cadena was surprised by Gen’s words and told him that she needed time to think about it. After some reflection, she realized that Gen was right, as being defeated by Magnus so easily, even after she had made so much progress, had made her realize that she still had a long way to go.
She then felt a throbbing ache on her shoulder and wondered briefly whether Magnus had done it, though she quickly remembered that it was an old pain from her cutting her wings, horns, and tail off. The pain helped her remember the oath that she had made to herself to get stronger, with her self-inflicted injuries serving as a permanent reminder of her commitment.
After telling Gen that she would follow his advice, he directed her to the Great Temple at Pantheon, where she was to go through the Interdimensional Portal. He told her that the Heliseum branch of the Shadowdealers would be in touch soon in order to help her out. Soon after, a Shadowdealer named Romero radioed her and explained that he had made all the necessary arrangements for her passage to the Great Temple.
She traveled to Pantheon and entered the Great Temple, where she met Fenelle. Fenelle felt as though Cadena seemed familiar and asked if they had met before. Cadena remembered that the priests would sometimes visit the castle and wondered if Fenelle recognized her from then. However, Fenelle then said that she must have confused Cadena for someone else. She told Cadena that the Shadowdealers had vouched for her strength, but that she wished to test Cadena’s strength, since they didn’t know what dangers awaited them in the new world.
She then asked Cadena to see Beldar and Cartalion, who would each conduct a test of strength. (A/N: Every other Grandis class who wants to use the Interdimensional Portal is only required to have Fenelle gaze into their soul in order to determine their moral alignment and intentions.) After passing Beldar’s test to collect Onyx Stonegar Magic Stones and Cartalion’s test to defeat Gravi Stonegars, Cadena received permission to use the Interdimensional Portal.
Before Fenelle could show her how to use the portal, Cadena felt a sudden rush of homesickness and ran back to Savage Terminal to say goodbye to Gen. Though he made fun of Cadena for her sentimentality, Gen told her to take care while in the new world and explained that he would tell the other Shadowdealers that he had sent her on a special mission in order to cover up her absence. (A/N: It’s a bit sad that she didn’t say goodbye to Coney or Anzu, but I guess Gen is more like a father to her than anyone else.)
With that, she returned to the Great Temple, where Fenelle instructed her on how to use the portal. She also mentioned that Cadena could use the Interdimensional Portal in the Six Path Crossway to return. With that, Cadena began her journey in Maple World. During her travels, she honed much more of her power and eventually returned to Gen, who taught her the last of everything that he knew, after which he warned her that she would soon need to create new skills for herself if she wanted to become truly strong.
Wings of Brilliance:
On Grandis, in the pocket dimension of Sanctuary, a Verdant Flora boy named Illium was studying the history of the Flora with the help of his robot, Ex. Illium needed parts for his machines, but since the Verdant Flora were isolated in Sanctuary, his only hope was to use the Crystal Gate in order to enter the outside world, though he knew that attempting to leave Sanctuary was punishable by imprisonment. Illium briefly considered using a flash bomb to sneak past the guards around the Crystal Gate, but he ultimately decided against it.
However, Ex interpreted his words as a command and launched a flash bomb on the guards. Though he was startled by Ex’s unexpected actions, Illium used it as an opportunity to sneak past the blinded guards and made his way to the Crystal Gate. Just as the guards regained their sight, Illium entered the Crystal Gate and arrived in Savage Terminal. He was shocked to learn that the Verdant Flora were hiding in a scrapyard, but Ex pointed out that it was the ideal place for them to hide. Illium then began hunting Hedgehogs in order to obtain the parts that he needed.
Meanwhile, Agate, the headmistress of the Crystal Academy and the disciple of the God of the Verdant Flora, arrived in Savage Terminal and asked two of her fellow Verdant Flora, Darius and Curly, whether they had seen anything during their patrol. (A/N: I’ve mentioned this in an earlier section, but the word ‘God’ refers to his caste rank, not him being an actual god. The God of the Verdant Flora is also known as the Ancient Master, which you might see me use occasionally.)
Curly reported that he had overheard a conversation earlier about someone having sighted a High Flora in Savage Terminal. Agate grew concerned and asked if the rumor was true, but Curly believed that it was likely a Verdant Flora because their wings had been reported to be mechanical, making the others realize that someone had illegally left Sanctuary. Agate asked Darius to investigate and to ensure that their safety hadn’t been compromised.
Just then, one of the Crystal Gate guards contacted Agate and reported that a child had just left Sanctuary. After a brief investigation, they confirmed that the missing child was Illium. Agate told the others that she would find Illium and ordered them to wait for her in Sanctuary. She soon found Illium and Ex being attacked by a group of Hoodlums. Ex was worried that Illium’s vitals were critically low, but just then, a flash of light emanated from Illium that defeated all the Hoodlums and knocked out the exhausted boy.
Agate took Illium and Ex back to Sanctuary, where the boy woke up to Agate and the guards standing over him. Agate asked Illium how old he was, to which he responded that he was 153. She noted that the mytocrystal on the back of his hand was faint for his age, and that his wings lacked magical aura, meaning that the power that he had exhibited earlier had been much greater than he seemed capable of. Agate told him that leaving Sanctuary was forbidden and asked if he was prepared to accept the consequences.
When Illium apologized to her, she asked if he even knew who she was. Ex answered for him and explained that she was the Seeker of the Verdant Flora and the Headmistress of the Crystal Academy, and that accompanying her were Darius, the Guardian of the Verdant Flora, and Curly, the Engineer of the Verdant Flora. Agate was impressed by Illium’s engineering abilities and told him that because of his young age and his mechanical aptitude, she was willing to let him off with a warning. However, as punishment, he would begin courses at the Crystal Academy, much to the shock of both Illium and the guards.
Later on, Ex told Illium that it was hardly a punishment, as many dreamed of attending the prestigious Crystal Academy. Illium asked what had happened before he had been knocked out, to which Ex explained that Illium had had a magical overload, and that the resulting explosion had defeated the Hoodlums.
The next day, Illium and Ex met Agate outside the Crystal Academy. She gave them a tour of the facility and told Illium that while he didn’t seem to possess control over his mytocrystal, he still possessed power, however unstable. She explained that she had brought him to the Academy so that he could learn how to control his powers in a safe environment.
Illium then went to his first class, where he was surprised at how many students there were. Though he was afraid of social interaction, he decided to engage in class nonetheless. Professor Kalsat then began his lecture about the different types of mytocrystals. The first crystal he showed was grossular, a green crystal used to treat wounds and recover health. Next, he showed a red crystal called pyrope, which had explosive power, but was difficult to extract mana from.
Throughout the lecture, Illium tried to answer the professor’s questions, but he spoke very quietly in order to avoid attracting attention. When Kalsat asked about a third type of crystal, Ex grew frustrated by Illium’s reticence and loudly answered that it was obsidian, which was difficult to find and held dark magical energy, which one should be cautious of. Kalsat was impressed by Ex and told the class that for the rest of the lesson, they were to collect grossular shards from Green Grossular monsters. Having little magical power, Illium took much longer to collect the shards and became late to return to class.
For his next lesson, Illium went to magical combat training, led by Professor Andrada. The students took turns attacking a dummy, but when Illium’s turn came, he was only able to use a weak physical attack. Andrada instructed him to gather the mytocrystal energy inside his wings and transfer it to the mytocrystal on the back of his hand in order to launch a magical attack.
When he realized that Illium had no wings, he encouraged the boy to find other ways to use magic, even if they were unorthodox. Illium then used one of his mechanical javelins to attack the dummy, causing it to explode. The other students were awestruck by his attack and wondered how he had done it. Andrada was impressed and then instructed the class to eliminate practice robots in the combat training room. Though Illium was unable to meet his quota of robots to destroy, Andrada accepted his work nevertheless.
As Illium and Ex moved to their next class, Agate spoke to them telepathically and asked how classes were going, explaining that she could communicate with him through the lights. Knowing that he was struggling, she told him not to be discouraged and offered private tutoring lessons after school in order for him to be able to catch up with the rest of his class.
After Illium’s next lesson ended, two students named Dean and Sinaria approached Illium and introduced themselves. Dean was curious about Ex and why Illium had no wings, as well as why the mytocrystal on his hand didn’t glow. Illium was overwhelmed by Dean’s rapid-fire questions, which Sinaria interpreted to mean that Illium didn’t want to talk to them. As they left, Illium called out that he really was happy to have met them, adding that he had just been nervous. A girl named Carnelian then introduced herself and explained that Dean was generally overenthusiastic. With that, she left for her next class and Illium left for his.
Illium’s third class was on Gate Creation and taught by Professor Citrine. She explained that the mana that the Verdant Flora drew from mytocrystals was used for their spells, and that one application of it was the creation of Crystal Gates. She explained that Sanctuary existed within a Crystal Gate, and that it served as a virtual space created with magic, which was why the sky was perpetually dark and filled with crystalline shapes. Though the Crystal Gate was extremely useful in hiding themselves from the High Flora, she explained that construction of a gate was quite difficult.
For their first class exercise, Citrine asked them to get into pairs of two. Illium was quite flustered at having to interact with others, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to find a group. (A/N: I can relate to Illium on a spiritual level.) Just then, a boy named Morian approached Illium and suggested that they team up, since they were the only two without a group.
After everyone found their groups, Citrine told them to collect Amethyst Shards for their gates. Illium and Morian struggled to gather enough shards and eventually returned late to class, where Citrine told them that she expected further improvement in the future. After class ended, Ex guided Illium to the Headmistress’ office so that he could begin his lessons with Agate.
Outside the office, Illium overheard Darius asking Agate what she had been thinking by rewarding Illium for behavior that could have endangered all the Verdant Flora. He warned her that Illium’s actions could have resulted in their discovery, or worse, the loss of the Elder Crystal, and suggested that they strengthen security around it by stationing more guards. Agate assured him that the Elder Crystal was safe before greeting Illium, whom she had noticed standing outside. With that, she asked Darius to take his leave.
After he left, she asked Illium if he had overheard everything, which he sheepishly confirmed. Ex then explained that some of the students had behaved unfavorably towards Illium, but Agate reassured Illium that it would get better with time. She told him that he was special because he was the only one to have overcome his limitations so spectacularly, and she encouraged him to believe in himself and train hard.
For their lessons, she had Illium attack larger practice dummies with his javelin. After successfully defeating them, Agate told him that he would grow more powerful with practice. Illium asked if it would be possible for him to become as strong as her, to which she promised him that with his talents, he had the ability to surpass her. Over the next few months, Illium continued to practice under Agate’s tutelage, fondly considering his lessons with her to be the best time that he ever had at the Crystal Academy. With her help, Illium grew much stronger and honed his unique style of fighting in the absence of his wings. (A/N: As someone who used to tutor a lot in the past, Agate was a role model for the kind of teacher that I wanted to be.)
One day, Illium left Agate’s office and decided to head to the library for his studies. Just then, he heard somebody shouting for help. He entered the training room and found Dean being attacked by haywire training robots. After Illium and Ex rescued him, Dean thanked them and apologized for his behavior in the past. Illium accepted his apology and even helped Dean recover his belongings from the training robots. After Dean left, Ex told Illium that someone had tampered with the training robots and warned him that no one in the Crystal Academy was safe. Illium assured him that they would tell Agate during their lessons tomorrow.
The next day, Illium was studying history in Professor Lutil’s class. Sinaria summarized their last lesson on the Flora Civil War, in which Prince Gerand Darmoor had nearly wiped out the Verdant Flora and had banished their God. In exile, their God had helped the Verdant Flora recover their power by creating mechanical wings, which allowed them to draw mana and channel it through the mytocrystals on the back of their hands.
(A/N: Sinaria actually got this backwards. The Verdant Flora and their God were first banished for conspiring to share their power with the commoners. In exile, their God developed their mechanical wings and created the Elder Crystal. Eventually, they were framed for the murder of the God-King by Prince Darmoor, which was the catalyst for the Flora Civil War. The exact details of the Flora Civil War always seem to vary between sources, but I’m going off of the Ancient War webcomic that Nexon had officially commissioned before Illium was introduced in the game.)
Professor Lutil told the class that the God of the Verdant Flora was the hero of their race, and that the annual Festival of the Gods was intended to honor him and bring hope to their people. She reminded them that the festival would be held at the end of the semester, and that the Crystal Academy would be responsible for organizing a grand display of lights and magic.
As the end of the semester approached, the students were tasked with creating sculptures. Ex helped Illium construct his sculpture by directing him to gather Pyrope Shards. As Illium and Morian finished gathering their shards, they heard someone crying. They discovered Carnelian, who told them that Dean had transformed her crystals into candy. Illium and Morian gave her some of the crystals that they had gathered, which she was greatly appreciative of. After making up the difference, Illium and Morian returned to class, where Lutil reminded them to display their sculptures in the town square.
Next, they went to their Crystal Gate class, where Citrine explained that those who hadn’t finished their homework would need to stay after class. She then told everyone that after the lesson, they would be able to create a small Crystal Gate to hide in. She instructed them to gather Obsidian Shards, which were held in the classroom, since they were dangerous. After gathering their mytocrystals, the class succeeded in creating a small Crystal Gate that allowed everyone to enter. After class was over, Morian was required to stay behind since he hadn’t finished his homework.
Agate then contacted Illium and told him that their lesson would take place at the Sanctuary Entrance. At the entrance, Illium and Ex overheard some soldiers saying that there were rumors that Specters had managed to get through. However, their superiors had managed to stop the intruders and had moved the Crystal Gate as a precaution. As Illium began to look around for Agate, the guards asked him to help them extract mana from nearby mytocrystals. Illium harvested Sanctuary mytocrystals and brought them back to the guards.
Just then, Agate appeared and thanked the soldiers for their hard work. Illium asked her if they were in danger from the Specters, but Agate assured him that nothing would happen as long as they stayed vigilant. After their lesson, Illium began to head back to the school. Just then, Morian arrived and told him that he had just finished his private tutoring lesson with Professor Citrine. He asked Illium if he wanted to get food, but Illium told him that he wanted to start on his sculpture.
Illium and Ex went to the lab and got started on their sculpture using the Pyrope Shards that they had gathered in class. Illium was determined to do his statue justice, as the festival felt much more meaningful to him as of late. He told Ex that when he was younger, he would visit the Festival of the Gods every year and look at the mysterious lights. However, his time with Agate and the others had taught him to appreciate the lights as testaments to their efforts. After gathering more materials, he continued to work and soon created a mechanical statue.
Just then, Darius appeared and scoffed at Illium’s efforts, calling him a low-level engineer. He ordered Illium to throw away his project immediately, claiming that it was an affront to the Gods of the Flora. Ex attempted to console Illium by telling him that the Verdant Flora had regained their magic by combining mytocrystals and technology, and so in all likelihood, the Gods of the Flora would have been pleased by Illium’s unique creation. Illium thanked Ex and decided to continue enhancing his project with rarer metals.
After improving his statue further, he sensed a crystal glowing nearby. As he approached it, the light that it gave off in response to Illium’s presence significantly increased. Against Ex’s recommendations, he touched the Elder Crystal, causing a strong magical reaction. Just then, Agate appeared and chastised Illium for using Academy crystals without permission. After she left, Illium wondered why Agate had been unnecessarily harsh. Unbeknownst to him, Darius had been watching in secret.
Soon after, Illium finished the rest of his sculpture and was pleased by his final product. At the Festival of the Gods, everyone was unanimously impressed with Illium’s creation, which combined mytocrystals with technology flawlessly. After the festival was over, Illium was inspired to enhance his sculpture and transformed it into another robot named Machina.
(A/N: One of Illium’s fourth job skills combines Ex and Machina into a robot named Deus. The names of these three robots are a reference to the phrase “deus ex machina”, which literally means “god out of the machine”. The meaning of the term came from Ancient Greek theater, in which actors who were portraying gods would be lifted by machines and placed on stage, after which they would abruptly resolve the conflict in the play.
Although the phrase has come to refer to any sort of plot device that appears out of nowhere to fix the problem in a story, I believe that the writers had its literal translation in mind when they had made up those names, as Illium eventually fuses with the God of the Verdant Flora using the Elder Crystal, thus making him the “god out of the machine”, which also references his aptitude for engineering.)
Just then, Illium heard a disturbance and went outside to see what was going on. He was shocked to find that the tampered training robots from the other day were attacking the Crystal Academy. Outside, the Crystal Gate had opened to allow Specters to invade Sanctuary. Curly reassured the soldiers that if they defeated all the Specters, they wouldn’t be found out. However, Darius appeared and opened several more Crystal Gates. Curly asked Darius how he could have betrayed his people, to which Darius explained that he would rather destroy everything than see the future tainted by the abominations created by engineers such as Curly.
Agate and the other professors rushed to the school entrance, where Darius told Agate that all of it could have been avoided if she had only handed over the Elder Crystal to him without a fight. The other professors tried to tell Agate that it was too late to save Sanctuary, but Agate refused to give up hope. She ordered the students to take shelter from the Specters, just as Illium rushed outside to see the situation. He told Agate that he could help, but Agate told him that he could do more good by protecting his friends.
The students then rushed into the school and barricaded themselves inside, but Specters still managed to enter the halls. The students then watched in amazement as Illium single-handedly drove back the Specters with the help of Ex and Machina. They all wondered how Specters could have entered the school and briefly wondered whether the professors had been defeated. However, Illium refused to believe it, claiming that Agate was stronger than that.
Just then, a wounded Agate arrived and Ex noted that her magic was dangerously out of balance, likely from excessive energy expenditure. Against Illium’s protests that she needed healing, Agate opened a Crystal Gate for the students to escape through. All the students disappeared through the gate except for Illium, who continued to stay behind. He asked Agate if she was coming with them, but just then, Darius appeared with the Specter army. Illium jumped in front of Agate, promising to protect her. However, Darius began charging up an attack that Ex noted would be fatal to them, and so Agate pushed Illium aside and blocked the attack single-handedly. Darius was shocked that Agate still possessed such power in spite of her exhaustion and immediately retreated.
Severely drained, Agate collapsed on the floor, and with last bit of strength that she had left, she gave Illium the Elder Crystal, explaining that it was the relic of her master, the last God of the Verdant Flora, and that it was the last remaining key to unleashing his power. She told Illium that the door to the Sanctuary of the Ancient God awaited him in a different dimension and tasked him with finding it in order to awaken the Elder Crystal’s power. With her dying breath, she entrusted the fate of the Verdant Flora in Illium’s hands and reminded him that no matter what anyone else said, he was special.
Just then, a horde of Specters arrived and surrounded Illium. Ex detected an immensely powerful force radiating from the crystal and warned Illium that he was detecting a foreign consciousness within the relic. (A/N: The foreign consciousness is because the God of the Verdant Flora had imprinted his personality and powers into the Elder Crystal.)
Against Ex’s recommendation, Illium grasped the Elder Crystal in both hands, allowing its power to flow through him. Illium’s appearance and personality then fused with that of the God of the Verdant Flora, turning his dark hair, which normally covered his eyes, short and snow white, and from his back grew radiant blue wings. With his new powers, he easily destroyed the Specters around him and promised his fallen teacher that he would master the powers of the Elder Crystal in order to protect the Verdant Flora and defeat Darmoor.
He and Ex then rushed outside the Academy and found Morian and Sinaria trapped beneath rubble. After rescuing them, the trio fought their way past Specters until they met Dean and Carnelian. Illium explained what had happened with Agate and the Elder Crystal and told them that they needed to survive and carry out Agate’s final wish. They gathered the rest of the students and rushed to the main Crystal Gate. Morian noted that there was something off about the gate, but the students nevertheless jumped through it and arrived in Savage Terminal.
However, the Crystal Gate suddenly collapsed, cutting them off from Sanctuary. The students wondered whether they would ever be able to reach Sanctuary again, but Dean rallied them together and vowed that they would return to Sanctuary together as the Verdant Flora Youth Expedition. Illium was pleased that everyone had agreed to follow him and told them that, together, they would find the Sanctuary of the Ancient God.
(A/N: Although all the students in the Academy escape with us, most of the unnamed students kind of just disappear and the only people whom we ever see again are Morian, Dean, Sinaria, and Carnelian. I’m sure that everyone is canonically there with us, it’s just that they’re suffering from extra syndrome and have faded into the background because the developers don’t bother to include their NPCs anymore.)
As he was the only one who had been outside Sanctuary before, Illium led them around Savage Terminal. Just then, a group of Roving Hoodlums approached them and mistook them for High Flora, who had been recently sighted around Savage Terminal. The Hoodlums decided to rob the students, but Illium managed to defeat them all. He then demanded that they tell him everything that they knew about the other dimension. The terrified Hoodlums told him that the Nova would know more about it and begged him to let them go.
Illium then took his friends to Pantheon, where they marveled at the strange architecture. Just then, Beldar spotted them and, mistaking them for High Flora, ordered the knights to arrest the children. The students explained that they were Verdant Flora, but Cartalion retorted that the Verdant Flora had been wiped out by Darmoor during the Fall of Aboris. Beldar added that the Verdant Flora were said to have nursed a vicious hatred for the High Flora, which had caused Darmoor’s awakening as the Transcendent of Life and had brought destruction upon them all.
Illium and the students protested that those were merely rumors, and that the survivors of the Verdant Flora had been in hiding for ages. Ex also added that unsubstantiated rumors were a foolish means by which to judge others. Irritated, Beldar told them that Heliseum didn’t need the Verdant Flora’s interference to survive. Morian pointed out that since they were all victims of Darmoor, they should be united against him. Cartalion then told Beldar to calm down and asked what they were all doing in Pantheon. Illium told him that they were looking for the other dimension, and that they would leave Pantheon as soon as they could, to which Cartalion ordered them to leave before sundown.
Meanwhile, Kaiser had overheard the entire exchange and let Kylan know about what had happened. (A/N: As I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this section, Kaiser can’t have been in Pantheon at this time, since he’s supposed to be out exploring Maple World.) Kylan invited the students to the Great Temple and explained how Kaiser had mentioned that they were looking for information about the other dimension. He asked why they were looking for it, to which Illium responded that he was looking for an object that might be able to prevent Darmoor from causing further destruction. As their goals were united, Kylan told them that he would assist the students in going to the other dimension and asked them to bring him Gravi Stonegar Magic Stones.
After giving him the materials, Kylan began to tell them about the other dimension when Beldar and Cartalion arrived. Cartalion reminded them that they had been ordered to leave Pantheon immediately, but Kaiser then stepped in and explained that the students had offered to help him with his mission. He told them that with the Magic Stones, the Interdimensional Portal had become much easier to activate. Beldar was still suspicious of the students, but Kylan told him that he believed them to be trustworthy. He then explained to Illium and the others that they would find the other dimension beyond the portal and cautioned them to take care. With that, the students entered the portal and emerged in the Six Path Crossway in Maple World.
Upon arriving, they encountered Pilot Irvin, who asked them if they wanted to go to Gold Beach. Carnelian asked him if he could answer a few questions instead, but Irvin told them that he was busy and suggested that they ask Chief Stan in Henesys. The students went to see Chief Stan, who was amazed at their brilliant wings. They asked him if he had ever heard of the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, to which he explained that he had heard of the Temple of Rhinne, the Goddess of Time, in Leafre.
However, he added that Rhinne was a goddess of Maple World and doubted that she was also the God of the Verdant Flora whom they were looking for, though he hoped that they would be able to find him one day. Having reached a dead end, Illium suggested that they all split up to look for clues. As the Crystal Gate in Professor Citrine’s class that the students had all constructed together in class still remained, they decided to use the classroom as their hideout.
(A/N: At this point, there are several quests in Illium’s storyline that have you go through Gold Beach, then Kerning City at level 45, Riena Strait at level 50, Sleepywood at level 67, Ariant at level 85, the Lion King’s Castle at level 115, Leafre at level 120, and finally the Golden Temple at level 130 in order to find the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. They’re meant to trigger when you arrive in those areas, but I haven’t yet gotten around to looking for them. The quests are just small cutscenes with no lore impact, and so you’re not really missing anything at all here.)
Soon after, Carnelian reached out to Illium and told him that she had made a new friend who had seen something similar to the Crystal Gate. They traveled to the Relic Excavation Camp in Perion, where Carnelian introduced them to Shuang, an archeologist working at the camp. Sinaria wondered whether the Crystal Gate could really be found in such a dust pit, but Carnelian snapped at her to not insult Shuang’s work. Illium then told everyone to calm down and asked Shuang if she had seen anything like the Crystal Gate before.
Shuang led them deeper into the excavation area where she had last seen the gate, but she was surprised to find it missing. They decided to wait for a while to see if the gate would appear, but after waiting for some time, Shuang asked them to help her with her work until the gate appeared. She explained that progress on the excavation had been slowed because of the monster attacks and asked Illium to defeat Wooden Masks and Rocky Masks. After helping Shuang, Illium and the others returned back to where they had been waiting.
Soon enough, a Crystal Gate began to manifest before them. Dean stepped towards the gate, but it refused to open for him. However, it reacted to Illium and opened so that only he could enter. Illium then stepped into a white void filled with fog, where a large crystal glowed with power. From the void, he heard a voice telling him that he stood on hallowed ground, and that though he was weak and incomplete, the power of the Elder Crystal lay within him and with the Verdant Flora. With that, the power of the Ancient Master surged within Illium and pushed him outside the Sanctuary back into Maple World.
As the other students rushed to see if he was okay, Illium confirmed that he had indeed entered the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. Sinaria excitedly asked him how they could get there, to which Illium told her that it had concealed itself, preventing him from reentering without searching for it again, much to Sinaria’s annoyance. However, Carnelian pointed out that they had made progress. Illium thanked his friends for all their help in reaching the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, even if for a brief moment.
The Boy Who Became a Specter:
On the moon of Verdel, three nomads named Salvo, Zippy, and Ferret were searching for useful material buried in the sand. Suddenly, they came across an unconscious Ark lying in the desert and took him back to their refuge. Several days later, Ark awoke and found himself tied to a rock. He noticed that his Flora wings had been shorted out, and that his left arm was large and monstrous.
He noted that the camp was around twenty people in size and briefly considered breaking his bindings and making a run for it. However, he decided to try to reason with his captors first. Just then, Salvo arrived and discovered that Ark had woken up. He then announced to the whole camp that the ‘monster’ had awoken. Ark was surprised that they considered him a monster, and the caravan, in turn, was surprised that he could talk. However, they noted that his arm looked just like the other monsters who had attacked them previously.
Ark tried to convince them that he meant no harm and asked them to untie him. The nomads asked him to prove that he wasn’t a monster by explaining who he was and why his arm was like that. However, Ark had no memory of who he was, and so he couldn’t explain anything to them, other than the fact that the only memory that he possessed was of a nightmare in which a voice had called him ‘Ark’, which he assumed to be his name.
Zippy, the leader of the caravan, believed him and asked everyone else whether they thought that Ark should be released. However, some members of the caravan were still suspicious of Ark. As the nomads debated amongst themselves, Ark wondered whether he ought to follow his original plan and make a break for it.
Just then, an alarm began to sound as the ground started rumbling. Zippy warned the nomads that the monsters had returned and told everyone to prepare to defend the camp. Just then, a horde of Specters charged into the refuge. Zippy apologized to Ark for the misunderstanding and released him so that he could escape.
Ark and the other nomads managed to evacuate to the outskirts of the refuge, where Zippy reassured everyone that they could build another shelter. They asked Ark what he planned to do now that he was free and invited him to join them. Just then, they realized that one of the children was still missing. Ark decided that the people of the caravan were good, and since they didn’t consider him a monster anymore, he thought that it would be a good idea to travel with them until he regained more of his memories.
With the Specters closing in, Ark decided that he would find the missing child while the rest of the caravan escaped. He arrived at the camp and rescued the child, Mar. Just then, Specters appeared and surrounded the two. With his muscle memory from his time as a soldier, Ark managed to thin their numbers down. As he fought, he felt a dark power taking hold of his body. Unable to resist, he was torn between a desire to protect the innocent and a thirst for carnage. Nevertheless, he was successfully able to retrieve the child and brought it back to the caravan.
A few days later, the nomads were in the process of rebuilding their shelter. Ark, who had fallen unconscious after the battle, awoke in the camp, unable to recall anything that had happened after the strange power had overtaken him. Zippy then gave him a tour of the new shelter and thanked him for his help, offering to pay him back however he could. Ark asked him if there was a way off Verdel, but Zippy replied that he wasn’t sure. He told Ark that he and the others weren’t on Verdel by choice, explaining that they were nomads on a search for paradise until one day, when their ship had been pulled into Verdel by a strange vortex. (A/N: This vortex was the result of the failed ritual which had partially transformed Ark into a Specter.)
Upon waking up, they had found themselves trapped without their ship in the wastelands. Determined to survive, they had scavenged for parts and food in order to create their shelter. Zippy hoped that in time, they would be able to recover their ship and resume their search for paradise. He explained that Ferret was always looking for ways to track their ship’s signal.
Ark then told Zippy that he had decided to stay and help the nomads. Zippy apologetically told him that they hadn’t even found a way to pay him back for saving Mar, though he added that they did need the help. Ark laughed and told him that helping each other benefited them all. Zippy then asked him to help find medical supplies to treat the wounded and told him to collect Dried Tree Husks from the Desert Mushes south of camp.
After bringing Zippy the husks, Ark went to speak with Salvo about how he could help with gathering food. Salvo asked him to collect meat from the Ferocious Desert Mushes. After Ark helped collect the food, he spoke with Ferret and collected Crumbled Rocks from the Sand Tortoises in order to create armor and to rebuild the shelter. Ferret then asked him to put the extra material in storage.
As he finished putting the rocks in storage, he noticed Mar trying to sneak out of the shelter. He tried to tell Mar to stay in the shelter, but the boy simply laughed and ran away. Ark decided to follow him in order to make sure that he wouldn’t be in danger and chased him south of the shelter, when Mar stopped and asked him to collect Crushed Crystals from the Crystal Sand Tortoises for a secret project. After he collecting them, Mar led him to his secret hideout, where he showed Ark all the shiny objects that he had gathered. Next to the shiny objects, Ark discovered an enormous crystal hollowed-out and filled with technological parts installed inside. He immediately realized that he had seen the crystal before.
Suddenly, he was overtaken by one of his memories. He recalled the day when he and Albaire had been assigned to the Western Front after graduating from the academy, where they had stood before the same hollowed-out crystal, which he recalled was actually a spaceship. Ark had told Albaire about how they would be real soldiers once the mission was over, but Albaire had pointed out that they were already real soldiers, having pledged their lives for the peace of Grandis.
Just then, Brigadier General Limbo had told them that they were ready to move out. Ark and Albaire had begun talking amongst themselves about how Limbo had done much good and how they hoped that they could be like him one day, with Ark marveling at how they had already been assigned to such an important base. Snapping back to reality, Ark realized that Albaire was the one who had been in his nightmare. He returned to the crystal several times afterwards, but he was unable to recall anything more from his past. However, he was certain that there was a way to escape Verdel using the broken crystal, provided that they could repair it.
Soon after, Ark told Zippy that the crystal was linked to a transport, and that they could likely activate it by finding its broken pieces. Zippy was glad to hear the good news, as it would give hope to the caravan. Ark, Zippy, and Ferret went to the crystal, where Zippy showed Ferret the hollowed-out section of the crystal and explained that the ship would work if they could find the crystal energy shards that fit into it. Ferret tuned in to the crystal’s signal, allowing him to find complementary signals that would reveal the locations of the shards.
Zippy decided to form a recovery team composed of Digs, Grit, Ferret, Salvo, and Ark. Back at the refuge, Zippy told Ark that he would gather rations, weapons, and armor from the other caravanners and asked Ark to help Ferret and Salvo in the meantime. Ferret told Ark that it would be inevitable that they would get separated, and so he explained that he wanted to make a signal device so that they could find each other. He told Ark that he needed to make a new one for him, as well as to repair his own, and asked him to find Decent Crystals from the Crystal Hermit Crabs north of the refuge. After Ark collected them, he gave them to Ferret and then went to see Salvo, who asked Ark to find Exploding Eyeballs from Bomber Hermit Crabs in order to make demolitions.
Ark then went to check in with Zippy, who told him that Ferret had pinpointed the crystals’ locations. They decided to find the piece at the location closest to the refuge first in order to get an idea of what they were dealing with, and so Ark and Ferret went out beyond the refuge in order to find the shard. As they arrived at the location of the first shard, Ark noticed a tall structure in the distance and felt something nagging at the back of his mind, though he couldn’t recall what it was.
Just then, Ferret dug up the first shard and the pair brought it back to the refuge. With the first piece recovered, the recovery team made their way to the refuge border, where Zippy and the other nomads sent them off. Ferret planned out their trip and explained that they would first recover the second piece that was closest to them, after which they would grab the final piece before circling back around to the transport.
Soon after they began the expedition, they found themselves in a sandstorm, which interfered with Ferret’s signals. Ferret believed that the nearby Gale Foxes were causing the sandstorm and asked Ark to take care of them. After defeating the foxes, the group made their way further in, when they were stopped by an even bigger sandstorm caused by Ferocious Gale Foxes.
After fighting past the foxes, they pushed forward and soon found the signal coming directly below them. Salvo used his demolitions to reveal the second piece, but the strength of his bombs caused the ground to cave in. The team and the buried crystal fell into a large cavern system beneath the sand. Ark and Ferret found themselves separated from the rest of the group, but Ark revealed that he had managed to grab the second piece as they had been falling. They made their way deeper into the cavern in order to find the rest of the group and found themselves surrounded by Sand Helm monsters. As Ark hunted the monsters in order to clear the way, he felt a sense of familiarity about the creatures.
After moving forward, they reunited with Digs and Grit, who had found the exit directly above them. Before leaving, Ferret told them that they needed to first find Salvo and asked Ark to defeat the Sand Armor monsters blocking the way. They moved forward and found Salvo before heading towards the exit. However, Ferret noted that something was off about the signal.
Ark was suddenly consumed by a memory of the High Flora army striking down the native species of Verdel, whom Ark recognized as the Sand Helm and Sand Armor monsters. Ark recalled how he had grown disillusioned with the battle, realizing it was little more than a massacre. He then recalled Albaire feeling shocked when Ark had confided to him that he wanted to desert. Albaire had told Ark that nothing great came without sacrifice and had told him to get it together, reminding him that their actions were for the greater good.
Ark forced himself to return to reality and told his worried comrades that he was fine. As they left in search of the final piece, Ark felt his memory growing clearer and his old feelings rushing back, recalling all the atrocities that he had committed in the name of peace. The team then made their way back up and traveled to the third signal, where they found themselves at the remnants of a base, which Ark realized was the tall structure that he had spotted while searching for the first shard. Salvo used a controlled explosion to reveal the third crystal, just as Ark recalled that the structure was the same High Flora base which he had once been stationed at.
Surveying the ruins, he felt a sense of disillusionment at what the so-called ‘War for Peace’ truly looked like. Suddenly, he had a memory of himself spying on a meeting, in which Limbo had been told by a lieutenant of the enemy’s plan to attack their base that night. Limbo had told the lieutenant that he had done well to report it, adding that once their enemies invaded the base, he would enact the ritual to transform them all into Specters. He had then said that there was incredible knowledge contained in the Abyssal Source, revealing that he could transform into a Specter at will. Ark recalled how he had been shocked to see Limbo’s true form, and that he had resolved to warn the enemy that the High Flora were prepared for their attack.
Back in the present, a meeting was taking place at the Aboris Royal Palace between Gerand Darmoor and his Apostles. Limbo reported that everything was proceeding according to schedule. One of the Apostles admitted that they found the situation entertaining, as the vortex from the failed Specter ritual had finally dissipated, with their scouts reporting that there would be little resistance from Verdel’s current inhabitants. They noted that it was good news, considering that Limbo’s last attack on the moon had been a failure. Limbo told them that one of his colonels would soon arrive on Verdel in order to ensure that everything went smoothly.
Back on Verdel, Ark told the others that he had remembered that the spaceship near the refuge drew power, which was why the Specters had been drawn towards it, as they wanted more of the same power. He then realized that that the people of the caravan, who were in close proximity to the spaceship, were in danger. Salvo wondered whether they could outrun the Specters and power the spaceship for their escape, but Ark replied that it would take too long to get the power source running and instead suggested that they split up into two teams. While he, Salvo, and Digs set up a defense line, Ferret could take the crystals in order to start the ship. Ferret then began running towards the ship as Ark struggled to hold off the Specters.
As Ark continued fighting, he found himself losing control and transformed into his Specter form. He then heard a voice that told him that something important must be happening if Ark had finally realized that he needed the Specter’s power. Ark recognized the voice as that of the Specter inhabiting his body.
The Specter told Ark that he could trust it to take control. However, Ark resisted and told it that he could never trust it. The Specter asked if Ark wanted to save his friends and explained that he didn’t have much of a choice if he did, to which Ark resolved that he would use its power while retaining full control of himself. After learning to control the Specter power, he rushed to reinforce his friends.
Meanwhile, the defensive line was breaking down as Salvo and Digs were forced back by the arrival of High Flora soldiers. Ark fought through the Flora forces and saved his friends from Albaire, who had just arrived on the scene. Ark confronted Albaire, who revealed that he had been promoted to Colonel, and told him that the War for Peace was a lie. Albaire asked why it mattered, to which Ark replied that it mattered to the people of Verdel. Albaire told Ark that it was sad to see him like this, as he had hoped that Ark would have changed his mind after his first betrayal. He then ordered Ark to step aside, claiming that he hadn’t come for him.
When Ark refused to move, Albaire told him to reconsider siding with the ‘barbarians’ out of a misplaced sense of pity, telling him that he could still walk away if he didn’t interfere with his mission. Ark asked what mission Albaire was referring to, to which Albaire told him that it was the same mission that they had always had, which was to remake the galaxy in the image of the High Flora, adding that unlike Ark, he didn’t turn on what he believed in.
When Ark told him that he was committing a massacre, Albaire dismissed him and claimed that it wasn’t his problem if the other races refused to accept the superiority of the High Flora. Ark asked what had happened to their shared dream of bringing peace to Grandis and demanded to know how many innocents needed to die in the name of his mission.
The two then engaged in a fierce battle, but Ark noted that Albaire hadn’t even opened his wings at all throughout the fight, meaning that he was only using a small fraction of his power. Nevertheless, Albaire soundly defeated Ark, even after he transformed into his Specter state. As Albaire walked away, he told Ark to accept that he was weak, and that his grand ideals couldn’t save anyone, warning him once again not to get in the High Flora’s way again.
As Ark began to lose consciousness, he recalled a memory of when he and Albaire had graduated military school. Ark had told Albaire that they could finally bring peace to Grandis, though he had confided that he was afraid, and that he even had nightmares. Albaire had then told Ark that he had made a promise to protect those who mattered to him, which included Ark. He had then sworn to Ark that he would always be there to protect him, even if Ark was the worst soldier on the battlefield.
Ark had laughed that Albaire wouldn’t even make it to Colonel without his help, to which Albaire had said that it was a good thing that Ark would never abandon him. (A/N: Don’t mind me, that’s just the sound of a thousand knives stabbing me through the heart.) Though Ark had thought that Albaire had been joking at the time, he realized that Albaire truly had protected him, finally remembering how Albaire had interrupted the Specter ritual, despite how he couldn’t understand why Ark had betrayed him.
As Albaire walked away, Ark asked what had happened to him. Albaire replied that he wasn’t the one who had changed, to which Ark pointed out that the Albaire he remembered had wanted to protect people. Albaire merely shrugged and said that he supposed that the War for Peace was a lie, just as Ark himself had said. (A/N: I really want to believe that Albaire hasn’t given up on his dream, and that he’s working from the inside to destabilize the High Flora army. I feel like he’s keeping his promise to protect Ark by making him stay out of it in order to keep him safe.)
Ark was filled with regret, wondering whether things would have been different if he had just spoken to Albaire first before choosing to betray the High Flora. As Albaire disappeared in the sandstorm, Ark remembered their promise to always protect each other. (A/N: If Albaire is a gay disaster, then Ark is the house of cards that got blown away by said disaster.)
Back at the ship, Ferret had Zippy gather the caravan, explaining that he had lost contact with the recovery team. Ferret then activated the power source, just as Ark was discovered and brought back the ship. Suddenly, the life energy began draining out of Verdel’s surface. The caravan barely managed to take off, though they were successfully able to fly to Savage Terminal.
Some time after landing, Ark awoke and the others told him how they had barely managed to escape Verdel, as the moon’s entire life energy was being drawn out. Ark realized that the High Flora’s mission had been to extract even more power, causing him to wonder what purpose it served. The caravan then told him that they were happy to stay in Savage Terminal and asked Ark what he planned to do. Ark explained that he had a new mission, and that he had decided to gather more information before leaving.
However, he offered to help the caravan before he left. Zippy asked for a way to hide the power crystal, as it was drawing monsters towards them, and so Ark brought them scrap metal in order to disguise the crystal. He also brought Wiggling Tails from Mutant Nutrias at Salvo’s request in order to ensure that the caravan had enough rations. Ferret then boosted Ark’s communication device so that they could speak regardless of distance. They then said their goodbyes and Ark went his separate way.
(A/N: Since Ark is now a vagabond with the destruction of Verdel, he doesn’t have a return skill to his starter town. Instead, he gets a skill that allows him to use the communication device in order to speak with different caravan members, each of whom gives a different buff.)
Meanwhile at Aboris, another meeting was taking place. One of the Apostles asked if the plan for the Western Front had finally been completed, noting that there had been interference this time as well, with only minimal power to show for it. They added that the first time the ritual had been disrupted, it had destroyed the moon’s entire surface, and with the second failure being nearly as disastrous, they felt that it was time to cut their losses. However, Limbo was pleased to know that Ark was still alive after so long.
On Savage Terminal, Ark decided to head into the Black Market in order to find information about Grandis. There, he found Market Hoodlums attacking Coney. Ark intervened and fought off the Hoodlums. Coney then thanked him and asked how he could repay Ark back, citing the Shadowdealer code to always ensure that favors were repaid.
Ark asked about the High Flora’s activities, causing Coney to suddenly look down at his feet. He stammered that all he knew about the High Flora was that they had taken over most of Grandis. Ark realized that Coney was troubled by the topic, and so he decided to instead ask Coney about the status of the war, to which Coney explained that there hadn’t been a real war since Grandis had fallen to the High Flora centuries ago.
(A/N: This is almost certainly a continuity error, as Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storylines confirm that the Flora Civil War ended only decades ago on Grandis. Most likely, Nexon forgot that time moves slower in Grandis, and so they confused the decades that had passed on Grandis as the centuries that had passed in Maple World.)
Coney also told Ark about the Nova and their plan to retake Heliseum, for which they were recruiting people from Maple World. Just then, Cadena arrived and confronted Ark about attacking Coney. Coney clarified that Ark had actually saved him, but Cadena still looked at Ark suspiciously and took Coney back to their hideout.
Ark then decided to investigate the Interdimensional Portal and traveled to Pantheon, where he was surprised to see how peaceful it was, as he had been expecting an active battlefield. Suddenly, he felt his power being drained and collapsed on the ground. He was awoken by Kaiser, who was alarmed by Ark’s ears and arm.
He, along with Cartalion, Beldar, and Fenelle, took Ark to the edge of the Protective Shield, where they began to question him. Beldar noted that Ark had Flora ears, but no magic wings, and suspected that he was related to the last group of Flora children who had come to Pantheon recently. Cartalion pointed out that Ark’s arm was definitely Specter, noting that he had been weakened by the Protective Shield, which was intended to keep Specters out, and wondered whether Ark was in league with Magnus.
Kaiser countered that Ark would have known about the Protective Shield if that were true, which Fenelle agreed with. Ark then explained that he was a deserter of the High Flora army, and that he now fought against them. Though he explained his situation, Beldar still didn’t trust him, but Fenelle told them that Ark’s auratic vibration was tranquil, and that she sensed that he had a strong will to do good.
With Fenelle's approval, the group agreed to allow Ark to travel through the Interdimensional Portal and left Kaiser to escort him there. Along the way, Ark asked several questions about present-day Grandis. Kaiser began to explain how the power of the four Nova sacred stones created the Protective Shield around Pantheon that protected them from Magnus and the Specter army. He told Ark about how Magnus had betrayed the Nova and killed the former Kaiser before seizing Heliseum in the name of Darmoor.
He also told Ark about how Magnus had crossed dimensions to Maple World after being injured by the former Kaiser, after which he had sworn loyalty to Maple World’s corrupt Transcendent of Light in order to heal his injuries and attain greater power through both the Black Mage and by draining the life force out of Guwaru, the Great Spirit of Maple World. Regarding the Interdimensional Portal, Kaiser explained how several had been formed when Darmoor had stolen the powers of Chronica, and that it was said that he had even used one to travel to another world. He also explained that the Nova had recently begun exploring Maple World after reactivating the Interdimensional Portal in Pantheon.
Kaiser then led Ark to the Great Temple, where he traveled through the Interdimensional Portal and met with Chief Stan in Henesys, who directed him to see Athena Pierce. She welcomed him as a new traveler and suggested that he help people around Maple World during his travels, giving him a few requests to choose from. (A/N: These are just the theme dungeons from levels 30-60.)
Some time later, Ark felt the Specter’s power crawling through his body, causing him to lose consciousness. He awoke in the Abyss, where the Specter welcomed him back. Ark was surprised, as he had thought that the Specter had vanished after he had overpowered it in Verdel, but the Specter explained that it was a part of him, and so it would never go away. Ark asked what the Specter was, to which it began explaining about the Abyss, which was the source of all knowledge in the world. Though it was difficult to access, there were paths available to those determined to seek it out, claiming that Ark was one of those people.
Ark told the Specter that he couldn’t remember the Abyss, to which the Specter explained that Ark had been able to remember very little after waking up, as it was the price for gaining the knowledge of the Abyss. However, it told Ark that he was special, as he had been able to escape the Abyss, rather than having his body and soul taken, which would have completely transformed him into a Specter. Because the process had failed, the Specter explained that it shared Ark’s body, rather than fully consuming him.
It explained that a normal Specter never truly died, as it merely returned to the Abyss. However, because it shared Ark’s body, the Specter revealed that it would die as soon as Ark did. As Ark refused to give it control and continued throwing himself into dangerous situations, the Specter explained that it was in its own interest to keep him alive, revealing that it was the reason why it had brought him to the Abyss, as it intended to give him more power. After Ark regained consciousness in the real world, more of the memory of his failed transformation began to return, along with the cost of seeing what lay in the Abyss. He wondered if the Specter had called him a special case because Albaire had interrupted the ritual, though he had no way of knowing for sure.
(A/N: I wonder whether there’s any relationship between the Abyss and the divine plane that the White Mage visited just before he awakened as the Transcendent of Light. The White Mage’s goal was to find “infinite knowledge that would complete humanity”, which sounds exactly like what’s contained in the Abyss. Earlier in this section, Limbo was pleased to know that Ark was alive. This is because Ark is possibly the only living being who’s gazed into the Abyss and gained its knowledge while still retaining his mind and body.
We don’t know much about how partial Specters work, as Limbo, Ark, and possibly Mr. Hazard are the only three known beings who share a body with a Specter. However, it seems like the way that Ark was turned into a partial Specter is unique, and it’s heavily implied that the memories of whatever he’s learned in the Abyss still exist in his mind, with one of Ark’s 5th job skills even allowing him to access traces of those memories.
Most likely, Limbo is after Ark in order to extract those memories for himself. Specter lore seems to be the focus with the Grandis story lately, as it was revealed in the Cernium storyline that special types of Specters composed of host bodies filled with not just one, but countless Specter souls, have the power to trick the relics of Ancient Gods into awakening, allowing the host to use the relics in order to kill higher beings. I’m sure that we’ll learn a lot more about how Ark’s story ties into the greater lore in the near future.)
The Sage’s Apprentice:
In the Hermitage at the foot of Mount Songyu, located in Shangri-La - the realm of the sages - a white tiger Anima named Hoyoung was reading a book about the legendary sage, Tai Yu, who had sealed away the Four Perils, powerful fiends who had once threatened the peace of Grandis. (A/N: The Four Perils come from Chinese mythology. Their names are Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie. Taotie, in particular, is especially relevant to this storyline.)
Tai Yu’s origins were mysterious, with some saying that he was descended from the heavens, while others claimed that he was a monster himself due to his inhuman strength. It was said that he could blow away a whole legion of monsters with just one swing of his fan, and that he possessed many other powers, such as shapeshifting and creating clones of himself. Even in spite of his strength, however, Tai Yu was extremely humble and would only refer to himself as “a simple wanderer”.
After Hoyoung finished reading the last volume of the series on Tai Yu, he wondered what to do next, as he had gotten bored of reading and sleeping all day. (A/N: Must be nice having free time.) He also wondered where his Master had gone, as he should have returned long ago. His Master had been called away on urgent business and had left Hoyoung in charge of the Hermitage while he was gone. Before he had left, his Master had warned him to stay away from the other side of the mountain. (A/N: During the Shangri-La storyline, it’s explained that his Master was called away to investigate why the seals on Taowu and Qiongqi had recently broken.)
Hoyoung decided to go to the training grounds and finish the training exercises that he had been putting off. He collected Stiff Wooden Blocks from the Pine Nuts in the training grounds and carved the symbols for ‘Heaven’, ‘Earth’, and ‘Humanity’, which were meant to represent the sky, the land, and mankind. He recalled that the intent was to help him understand that he existed between the sky above and the land below. With this understanding, he attempted to cast magic, but he failed once again. Just as he began lamenting that he was still unable to use real magic, the ground suddenly began to quake and he heard a strange voice calling to him.
Hoyoung followed the voice, but he was unable to find its source. Suddenly, he realized that he had gone to the other side of the mountain, where his Master had forbidden him to go. However, the voice called to him again and he followed it to a Stone of Sealing. The voice inside the stone asked Hoyoung to free him in exchange for a wish. Hoyoung asked for the ability to use magic in exchange for the voice’s freedom. He found a warding talisman on the rock and realized that it would be simple to remove it, supposing that whoever had put it there must not have been too serious about keeping the voice trapped.
However, Hoyoung knew that the monster trapped inside the stone must be dangerous and he doubted that it could give him magic so easily, and so he decided to play a trick on it instead. Meanwhile, the monster planned to possess Hoyoung upon being freed, allowing him to cast magic as its puppet.
Hoyoung lifted the talisman just an inch in order to get the monster’s hopes up and then let it fall back into place again, laughing at the monster’s foolishness in thinking that he was a gullible child. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew off the talisman that Hoyoung had accidentally loosened, causing the Stone of Sealing to shatter. From the stone emerged Taotie, one of the Four Perils.
Hoyoung realized his mistake and formulated a plan to reseal Taotie. He laughed and told the monster that he couldn’t possibly believe that it was Taotie. He then asked Taotie to prove that he was truly one of the Four Perils by moving the mountain, claiming that the real Taotie could easily accomplish such a feat.
Taotie easily lifted the mountain, but Hoyoung continued to subject him to more tests. Eventually, Taotie tired himself out and Hoyoung took the chance to use one of the talismans that he had stolen from his Master’s desk to reseal him. However, Hoyoung accidentally sealed Taotie inside himself, but his weak magical mastery meant that he was unable to seal the fiends that Taotie had devoured, causing them to be unleashed upon Grandis.
Taotie, who had been reduced to a tiny creature, was furious that Hoyoung had released all the fiends that he had devoured over the ages. He then granted Hoyoung the power to use magic and explained that it was to help him track down and catch all the creatures whom he had let loose. With his newfound ability to use magic, Hoyoung read through some of his Master’s notes that contained basic spells.
Armed with new skills, Hoyoung decided to head into the outside world in order to find clues on the fiends. Hoyoung - unaware that his Hermitage existed in the realm of the sages - inadvertently left the bounds of Shangri-La and emerged into the moon of Cheong-woon. Based on the stories that he had read about Tai Yu, he decided to head into the tavern in order to hear rumors about any of the released fiends.
He overheard two patrons, Ironhide and Willow, talking about the resurgence in monster activity, and how the town’s private investigators were looking for answers. Ironhide mentioned that the private investigators were expensive, but that their efficiency had made them local heroes. Suddenly, Ironhide began choking on a fish bone, and after clearing his throat with a drink, he decided to order another.
Hoyoung noticed that the tavern seemed to be out of the particular drink that Ironhide had ordered and formulated a plan to impersonate a server. He obtained distilled spirits from Sikhye Crocks and brought them to the patrons so that they would continue their conversation. Ironhide then mentioned that the head monk of the temple on the outskirts of town had recently passed away, and that he had been replaced by a younger monk who was simply known as the Handsome Monk, as according to many women, and even a few men, he was easy on the eyes.
(A/N: This is Nexon winking at us and saying, “Look, the gays exist in the game, are you happy now? What, marriage? This is all you get, don’t ask us for anything ever again unless you’re willing to go MVP Red for it.”)
Though he was both handsome and kind, there were rumors that the Handsome Monk had sequestered himself in the temple, leading people to believe that he was praying for the safety of the town. Hoyoung wondered whether the Handsome Monk had been forced into seclusion because of the fiends that he had accidentally let loose into Grandis and decided that his next course of action would be to become a private investigator. Taotie grew annoyed by Hoyoung’s antics, claiming that he had yet to witness Hoyoung’s actions matching his bravado.
He explained that he had loosened the seal on Hoyoung’s magic enough for the energy to trickle out, but he added that he wouldn’t tamper with it any further, telling Hoyoung that he would need to do it himself from now on. (A/N: You learn this later in the story, but Hoyoung’s master was the one who had placed the seal on his magic in order to ensure that Hoyoung’s limitless potential wouldn’t grow out of control.)
Hoyoung then went to the Information Broker Bureau, where a woman named Kaling greeted them. Hoyoung saw that she had Anima features, a blue left eye, and a yellow right eye, with the right eye’s sclera colored black.
(A/N: The sclera is the white part of the eye. Kaling is also the creator of the Four Perils and an Apostle of Darmoor. Kaling’s color palette, mismatched eyes, and umbrella suggest that she was based on Neo from RWBY.)
Hoyoung greeted her by calling her a kid, which annoyed Kaling, who snapped that she was simply short, adding that if he was going to call her short, then he at least ought to pay her for it. After interviewing Hoyoung, Kaling concluded that he was a rookie and told him that she was only looking for qualified candidates. Hoyoung protested that he was capable of handling a case, to which Kaling replied that he could pay a fee of 100 million mesos in order to expedite his application.
(A/N: This is a small grievance but I wish that Grandis had its own separate currency from Maple World. While it would be impractical to implement in the game, it doesn’t make sense for them to have coincidentally named their currency ‘mesos’ and I doubt that they would’ve just adopted Maple World’s unit of currency after such a short amount of time.)
Hoyoung attempted to negotiate by asking her to assign him cases, with the commission being put towards the expedite fee, but Kaling denied him, explaining that it would be against the rules. Hoyoung then decided to trick her by telling her that he would need to turn her down and hoped that another legendary sage would help her. This intrigued Kaling, and Hoyoung followed up by taking out his Master’s fan. Kaling immediately recognized the fan as authentic and agreed to hire Hoyoung. When he asked why she had a sudden change of heart, Kaling explained that no ordinary sage could have gotten their hands on such a fan. However, she told him that she would still charge him the expedite fee and told him that he could pay it down on his own time.
For his first mission, Kaling assigned him to help another private investigator named Farasi. Farasi immediately recognized him as a fellow Anima and told him that since he had been living in the mountains, he likely didn’t know where the Anima stood in the world at large. She explained that the Anima usually lived in seclusion and hid their animal features when venturing abroad, adding that she herself was an Anima from the sea, and that she had carefully styled her hair to cover her Anima ears, though she admitted that she couldn’t hide her blue hair or skin. She told him that hiding his ears and tail may save him avoidable trouble, though she added that she couldn’t force him to listen. With his new magic, Hoyoung invented a spell that would allow him to make his Anima features disappear and reappear at will.
Farasi then tasked him with investigating the town, as she was busy and Hoyoung needed to get familiar with the area. She told him that there had been an increase in reports of jars being shattered and told Hoyoung to look into it, and though she wondered why it even warranted an investigation, she directed him to defeat the Broken Sikhye Crocks for clues. Hoyoung found broken jar pieces on the monsters and brought them to Farasi.
He told her that he had already examined them and had found animal feces on the pieces, and that judging by the breakage of the jars, the culprit was fairly large, but the feces were abnormally small in proportion. Farasi decided that they could rule out monster involvement, jotting it down in the case files, and decided to move on to the next one.
For his next assignment, Farasi gave him a case from a local farmer named Mr. Mark, who had reported that his fully-grown gourds were disappearing, with some even rolling away on their own. After investigating, Hoyoung returned with some of the gourds. He pointed out teeth marks that had likely come from an animal and explained that the gnaw patterns showed large incisors, likely belonging to rats. He theorized that the gourds moving around on their own were likely rats who had chewed their way inside.
Farasi wondered if the rats had also been the ones who had broken the jars. Hoyoung believed that it warranted further investigation, to which Farasi told him that she had run across something similar in one of her previous cases, though she couldn’t remember what it was. She then decided to take him out for lunch, though Hoyoung protested that she shouldn’t be hungry when he had been the one doing all the work.
Over the next several months, Hoyoung continued to work with Farasi on small-time cases. During one of their lunches, Farasi asked him why he had decided to become an investigator. Hoyoung told her that he had always aspired to become like the sages in his stories who traveled the world and helped people. Farasi replied that she had once felt the same way. Hoyoung asked her what had changed, but Farasi replied that she would tell him some other time. (A/N: Sadly, she never does.)
She then told him that she had good news for him and explained that he had been given a new case, one which was actually serious and necessitated real detective work. Hoyoung went to see Kaling, who told him that the case involved a theft and a mysterious disappearance, as shiny objects had lately begun to disappear from the temple near the town.
A few days ago, some of the temple’s trainees had gone missing as well, and Kaling explained that the client who had filed both requests suspected that the incidents were connected. Hoyoung asked Kaling if she thought that the cases were indeed connected, but Kaling told him that he would see when he met the client for himself. She told him that the client was a trainee who lived at the temple, and that he would be waiting at the temple entrance for him.
Hoyoung met the trainee at the temple and noticed that he was wearing a fancy necklace. Initially, he hadn’t thought that monks wore such extravagant jewelry, but seeing it helped him understand the link between the thefts and abductions. The trainee noticed that Hoyoung was eyeing his jewelry and showed its glistening surface, explaining that it was meant to reflect one’s face, which was the mirror of the soul.
He told Hoyoung that the pendants meant a great deal to the monks, and that he couldn’t imagine that anyone would have allowed theirs to be stolen, including the trainees who had been abducted. Hoyoung marveled at the responsibility that they carried, with Taotie pointing out that it must be a foreign word to Hoyoung. (A/N: I love all the little exchanges that these two have in this storyline.)
The trainee then began telling him the details of the case, explaining that a monster would appear when the temple was quiet, usually stealing something shiny before disappearing again. Those who had disappeared along with the monster were fellow trainees who had been standing watch at the time of the incidents. Hoyoung asked if there were any clues to help identify the monster, but the trainee explained that the only witnesses had been the abducted.
Undeterred, Hoyoung began his investigation at the site where the abductions had taken place. As they walked there, the trainee mentioned that soon after the abductions had started happening, the temple had begun having rat problems. Hoyoung then fought the Sewer Rats and discovered a black feather, a ring-handled wooden board, and a crumpled note that the rats were carrying, which he brought back to the trainee.
Hoyoung noted that based on the size of the feather, the monster had to be gigantic, possibly even large enough to carry off a trainee by itself. He then showed the wooden board to the trainee, who recognized that it matched the color and pattern of the door at the rear of the temple grounds. There, they found a large footprint, which Hoyoung noted to be bird-like.
The trainee realized that the rear gate led to the highest mountain in the area, meaning that the bird monster must have taken the missing trainees there. Hoyoung then opened the crumpled note, which said: “It was an animal… A beast! Flee while you can!” Hoyoung believed that the trainee who had written the note had known what was coming, and that they had tried to warn everyone else.
Just then, Taotie told him that he recognized the monster that they were facing and explained that the monster was a giant magpie, which was obsessed with hoarding all that glittered and shined. However, Taotie added that the magpie was afraid of bells, having once flown face-first into a large bell. Hoyoung realized that it explained why the magpie only came to the temple grounds when it was quiet. He then told the trainee what he had learned and asked him to show them the shrine’s largest bell, which helped Hoyoung formulate his plan to deal with the magpie.
(A/N: Much like how the Four Perils are based on Chinese mythology, there are lots of references to Korean folktales in Hoyoung’s storyline. The magpie monster and the bell are based on a story called “The Magpie that Repaid a Favor”. The gist of it is that a scholar saves some magpie chicks from a snake by killing it. That night, the wife of the snake transformed into a woman and tried to kill him in revenge.
The scholar claimed that he was just trying to save the chicks, and so the snake wife, who understood his feelings as a mother, gave him one chance to live if he could ring a bell at the top of the building by midnight. The scholar was unable to reach the bell, and just as the snake wife was about to kill him, the bell started ringing. The scholar then discovered that the mother of the magpie chicks had repaid the scholar’s kindness by smashing her fragile body against the metal bell in order to make it ring, though the effort ultimately killed her.)
He and Taotie climbed to the top of the mountain, where they encountered the magpie sitting in a nest full of shiny objects, along with one of the trainees. As the magpie flew to attack, Hoyoung unleashed a gust of wind from his fan that caused the shrine bell to ring, which weakened the magpie and caused it to return to its spirit form.
As the spirit rushed away, Hoyoung chased after it and accidentally fell off the mountain. As he plummeted to the ground, he tried to summon his Master’s Nimbus Cloud. Focusing on the heaven, earth, and humanity trigram, Hoyoung successfully summoned the Nimbus Cloud, allowing him to chase after the spirit through the air. Taotie successfully consumed the spirit and regained a portion of his power.
Over the next few months, Hoyoung continued to take on advanced cases involving the escaped fiends. As he grew more famous, Taotie also grew stronger by consuming the fiends. (A/N: I like how Hoyoung is completely unconcerned about when his master is coming back, despite the fact that it’s probably been nearly half a year. He’s like the freshman kid at college realizing that his parents aren’t around to supervise.) Hoyoung quickly became the talk of the town, with the Handsome Monk even coming out of seclusion after the recovery of the missing trainees.
Taotie told Hoyoung that all but one of the fiends in the area had been hunted down. However, the last fiend had an elusive presence that allowed it to hide from Taotie, a fact which frustrated him, as he had thought that he had recovered enough of his power to sense any monsters in the area. Meanwhile, Hoyoung went to meet Farasi for lunch as usual. Farasi told Hoyoung that she was planning to retire after her current job, as she wanted to think about her future plans. Hoyoung agreed with her, claiming that he also didn’t plan on staying an investigator forever.
After lunch, Hoyoung left for his new case, promising Farasi that they would have a proper goodbye later. He reported to Kaling, who told him that a Faceless Monster had appeared in town and instructed him to speak to Ironhide in the village. Ironhide told Hoyoung that the Faceless Monster had first appeared several months ago, back when people had only caught glimpses of it wandering around, as though it were lost.
Recently, however, it had started stealing from the town, which had caused the townspeople to grow concerned. Ironhide was worried that since the monster had stolen from his neighbor the day before, it would likely target his house next. Hoyoung decided to set a trap for the monster by collecting Gourd Vines from the Chunky Striped Gourd monsters. After having his magic clones set the trap, Hoyoung waited for the monster on the roof of Ironhide’s house.
Soon after, the Faceless Monster, which was really just a normal man without his face, got caught in Hoyoung’s trap. Though the monster managed to escape, it dropped some of the stolen items that it had been carrying. Hoyoung was surprised that the monster had seen through his trap, as he hadn’t been able to sense a strong spiritual aura from it. Just then, Taotie emerged and told Hoyoung that he could sense something.
Hoyoung asked if Taotie recognized the Faceless Monster as one of the fiends that he had consumed, but Taotie explained that it wasn’t the monster that he was sensing, but something in the bag that it had dropped. Hoyoung opened the bag and found stolen mojo dolls. (A/N: These basically look just like voodoo dolls, except they’re meant to ward off evil.)
Hoyoung recognized the dolls as the same ones that the Handsome Monk was making and having the trainees hand out to protect people from misfortune. Taotie suddenly realized that the dolls were hanging from every house, which was why he was sensing the energy no matter where they went in town. Hoyoung asked if he knew where the monster was hiding, but Taotie told him that they would likely learn everything that they needed once they found the one who had made the dolls.
Meanwhile, Farasi was finishing her last mission by investigating the temple. Suddenly, a trainee emerged and told her that the Handsome Monk would be delighted to have her for dinner. Back in town, Hoyoung began to grow suspicious about the Handsome Monk and decided to go to the temple. As they flew there on the Nimbus Cloud, Hoyoung wondered whether he would be allowed to see the Handsome Monk since he was an outsider. Furthermore, he suspected that the trainees would pose a problem if they were in on the conspiracy. Just then, he spotted one of the trainees getting down on all fours and eating off the ground while squeaking like a rat.
Hoyoung infiltrated the temple, where he discovered rats all around the area. He asked Taotie whether the last fiend was a rat, but Taotie explained that he wouldn’t eat a rodent monster, as such lowly cuisine was beneath him. (A/N: Yeah Hoyoung, don’t you know that Taotie only eats fiends with at least three Tangyoon stars?) Hoyoung then found a locked door, which he believed to be suspicious. Suddenly, he saw a rat scurrying across with a key, getting lost amidst the many other rats with keys. Unable to keep track of which rat had the right key, Hoyoung defeated them all and took all the keys that they were carrying, trying each one until he found the right key.
Inside, he found the trainees tied up and asked them what had happened. One of the trainees, the same one whom Hoyoung had encountered on his first mission, explained that the rats had captured them. He told Hoyoung that the trainees whom he had rescued from the magpie monster were rats who had shapeshifted themselves to look like the monks, and that the rats had locked them up in the storage room. He then explained that even though he had managed to evade the magpie, the rats had eventually gotten him too. Each of the trainees told him that when they had regained consciousness, they had found themselves tied up in the storage room. Furthermore, they had realized that their faces had been stolen as well.
However, the trainee added that it was more than just their faces - the mirrors of their souls - that had been stolen. He explained that the spiritual powers that they had honed through their training had also been stolen, preventing them from being able to fight back or escape. Hoyoung wondered why the Handsome Monk hadn’t done anything, as he was meant to be upstanding and powerful. The trainee then revealed that the Handsome Monk was the one controlling the rats, and so Hoyoung decided that he would make his way into the inner sanctum and confront the Handsome Monk.
As Hoyoung made his way deeper into the sanctum, he found another locked door blocking the way. Just like before, he hunted down the rats and collected their keys in order to find the right one. Arriving at the sanctum entrance, he found two rat trainees guarding the way. Hoyoung used his powers to shapeshift into a trainee in order to get past them. The trainees told him that he was late to the service that the Handsome Monk regularly conducted. Suddenly, one of them realized that if he were truly a rat, he would have known about the service.
Hoyoung managed to talk his way out of it, tricking the rats into letting him enter. Upon arriving, however, Hoyoung was dumbfounded to see that the service was nothing more than a disco club. Hoyoung then saw the Handsome Monk, whom Taotie explained was a Monster Rat who had stolen the face of the real Handsome Monk. However, unlike the regular rats, the Monster Rat had the ability to use magic. Taotie suspected that the Monster Rat had been siphoning chi from those who had hung his dolls on their houses.
Just then, the Monster Rat addressed his subjects and congratulated them on completing the first stage in their plan, which was to spread the life-siphoning dolls throughout the town. With their first objective achieved, he told them that it was time to move to the main phase of their mission. In three days, when the full moon would rise, the cursed power woven into the dolls would ensorcel the residents and turn them into his puppets. However, he explained that his ambitions surpassed Cheong-woon Valley, vowing that they would surge forth and cross over to the continents beyond the sea, allowing them to take over the world.
(A/N: I’m not sure whether he’s talking about taking over the whole moon of Cheong-woon or the entirety of Grandis. I would’ve liked to see Darmoor’s reaction when an army of rats would begin swarming Aboris.)
As the rats cheered for their master, the Monster Rat told them that he had brought a special guest and presented a captured Farasi. Hoyoung then revealed himself to the rats and ordered the Monster Rat to transform back into a spirit for Taotie to consume. The Monster Rat was confused, but it decided to eliminate Hoyoung anyways, as he had seen too much. As Hoyoung rushed to attack, the Monster Rat trapped Hoyoung inside a purple ball of magic and bounced him around the room. Realizing that he was no match for the Monster Rat, Hoyoung used the Ultimate Sage Skill: Thirty-Sixth Stratagem, which was to simply run away.
Back in town, Taotie grew annoyed and asked what Hoyoung’s plan was to deal with the Monster Rat. Hoyoung reassured him that he was formulating a plan, though he was really just planning to leave town in order to save himself. He rationalized that if the rats’ goal was to slowly leech the villagers’ life force, nothing bad would happen to them or Farasi right away, and that the other private investigators could deal with it instead. He told himself that he had never signed up to put his life on the line for the town when he had started, though his heart still felt heavy with guilt nevertheless. He went to order lunch, but he found that he had no appetite.
He then asked Taotie if he would be alright with hunting down the other fiends in the countryside and then coming back to Cheong-woon Valley later. Taotie told him that he didn’t mind the order in which he devoured the fiends, so long as he got them all, but he was surprised that Hoyoung cared about what he thought. Hoyoung then told Taotie to forget about it, after which he thought to himself that he knew that monster-hunting would eventually bring him face-to-face with genuine danger, but even in spite of that, he wasn’t sure of what to do. Taotie silently wondered whether Hoyoung was afraid of his foe, or whether it was fear of his own weakness.
Hoyoung then told Taotie that it was time to execute his plan. As he headed to the Information Broker Bureau in order to give an update on the Handsome Monk case, he encountered a group of thugs beating up a poor beggar. As he approached them to put a stop to it, Taotie grew annoyed at Hoyoung getting sidetracked. Hoyoung himself wondered why he always felt the need to leap into such situations, even when they didn’t concern him.
Nevertheless, he defeated the thugs and forced them to retreat. As the beggar had fallen into a stupor, Hoyoung went to get mineral water from the Jar of Stagnant Water monsters. As he gave the water to the beggar, he was shocked to see that it was actually the Faceless Monster, who thanked Hoyoung and called him a great sage.
The Faceless Monster began to explain what had happened to him. His troubles had begun months ago, several days before a day of ill omen when the earth had pitched and heaved, and the waters had surged. Against his master’s instructions, he had thrown his nail clippings out, as he had seen no harm in it. He explained that their town had a legend that the king of rats lurked in the shadows, waiting to eat nail clippings.
Once it had done so, the one who had thrown them out would lose their face and the Monster Rat would walk amongst the people, wearing the stolen face as his own. He revealed that he was the true Handsome Monk, but as he had lost his face and his powers, he had become a wanderer in a beggar’s guise.
Before becoming a beggar, however, he had hidden himself in the temple storeroom for several days after having lost his face, which was when he had recalled his master’s wisdom on the Monster Rat: should one make it regurgitate the nail clippings that it had eaten, one could reclaim their face. The Handsome Monk explained that he had confronted the Monster Rat, though it had become too strong for him to fight against. Realizing that it was because of the mojo dolls, the Handsome Monk had tried to get rid of them, which was when the townspeople had reported him to the Bureau as a thief.
(A/N: The story of the Monster Rat is also based on a Korean folktale called “The Rat Transformed into a Man.” While there are many variations of the story, the gist of it is that a rat eats the nail clippings of a man and transforms into him. It tricks everyone in his house into thinking that it’s the real master of the house, to the point that even the town’s magistrate rules that the real master is fake and expels him from the house. Eventually, the man receives some advice and returns back home with a cat, which transforms the rat into its real form and eats it.)
Just then, Taotie spoke to Hoyoung and explained that the Monster Rat posed little significance. Under ordinary circumstances, even if the Handsome Monk had lost most of his powers, he still would have been able to handle it on his own. The fact that he had lost meant that the Monster Rat was getting help from someone or something else.
Hoyoung asked if one of the fiends who had escaped from Taotie was fueling the Monster Rat with power. Taotie told Hoyoung about the Flea Monster, which could split into multiples of itself, draining other creatures’ life force and sharing the energy with its host. The Handsome Monk then asked if Hoyoung would help him defeat the Monster Rat, but Hoyoung told him that he still hadn’t decided whether he was willing to put his life on the line.
He then decided to play a game with the Handsome Monk in order to let fate decide his course of action. Hoyoung picked up a stone and shifted it around between his hands, telling the Handsome Monk to pick which hand held the stone. The Handsome Monk picked the left hand, which held nothing. Seeing the Handsome Monk’s disappointment, Hoyoung told him that they would play another round. After twenty-nine rounds, the Handsome Monk finally won. Hoyoung realized that he had let the Handsome Monk win because if he were to have simply left without looking back, his conscience would have been heavy forever.
After formulating their plan, Hoyoung and the Handsome Monk went their separate ways in order to take their positions. At the temple entrance, Hoyoung and Taotie found a thick purple miasma hanging in the air. Hoyoung forced his way into the temple and defeated the rats that attacked him. Inside the sanctum, he confronted the Monster Rat, who explained that once the full moon had fully risen, Hoyoung and everyone else in the town would fall under the thrall of the rats. Hoyoung and the Monster Rat then engaged in battle.
As the Monster Rat gained the upper hand, Hoyoung begged for mercy. The Monster Rat laughed and told him that it was too late for mercy, but as it launched its attack, Hoyoung revealed himself to be a clone, with his real self attacking from behind. He swiftly hit the Monster Rat’s back, forcing it to regurgitate the Handsome Monk’s nail clippings, which caused the Monster Rat to transform back into its true form.
(A/N: Hoyoung is basically Naruto with his Shadow Clone Jutsu and Goku with his Nimbus Cloud, although his personality definitely leans more on the side of Naruto, not to mention that Taotie being sealed inside him is just like how Kurama is sealed inside Naruto.)
Meanwhile in town, the investigators of the Bureau were fighting off the villagers who had transformed into rats, with the thick purple miasma covering the entirety of the town. Suddenly, the Handsome Monk appeared, and with his face and powers restored, he cast a spell to turn the rats back into people. On top of the Bureau roof, Kaling surveyed the battle and spoke to herself that it had been a bold move on Hoyoung’s part to hire every private investigator in the Bureau, though she hoped that he wouldn’t complain about the bill.
In the temple, the Monster Rat lamented that its handsome form had been taken away. Without its stolen powers, Hoyoung easily managed to defeat it. The Monster Rat claimed that it would one day succeed in conquering the world, but Hoyoung replied that even if it were to conquer the town, the moon, or even the whole Grandis system, none of it would bring it peace. As the Monster Rat rushed to attack, Hoyoung’s counterattack successfully pried the Flea Monster off the Monster Rat, transforming it back into a regular sewer rat. The Flea Monster then turned into a spirit, which Taotie immediately consumed.
A few days later, the town gradually fell back into quiet peace. Hoyoung, disguised as a trainee, was disappointed to overhear that the villagers believed that the Handsome Monk had solved everything himself. Taotie asked Hoyoung why he didn’t simply publish his own account of what had really happened. Hoyoung told him that it ultimately didn’t matter, as even Tai Yu would occasionally work behind the scenes. He laughed to himself, wondering if he had finally earned the chance to use Tai Yu’s catchphrase, “I am but a simple wanderer”.
He then told Taotie that he had been eavesdropping at the tavern in order to pick up more leads, but it seemed as though there were no more fiends in town. He realized that he would likely need to venture outside Cheong-woon Valley in order to find the other fiends, but he decided that he would first start learning new spells. Taotie pointed out that he would need to return to the Hermitage unless he planned on creating new spells himself. However, Hoyoung showed him a spellbook which he had stolen from his Master, which he then read through in order to learn more advanced spells.
(A/N: After you solve the case, you can visit Willow, one of the bar patrons and a wandering poet, who can impart Grandis’ foreshadowings. True to their name, the foreshadowings are Easter eggs that hint at characters whom we’ll meet in the future, and whom Willow has encountered in her journeys.
The first foreshadowing is called “An Anima I Encountered”:
“It’s generally understood that the Anima aren’t fond of fighting. But I did encounter a noble exception - an Anima performing as a gladiator in a coliseum. Their skill in taunting their opponent and making a fool of them showed that not only were they a skilled combatant, they actually enjoyed it. Of course, they were concealing their features, so I couldn’t tell which animal they took their lineage from. But there was no mistaking their wild movements. Only someone with the keen senses of an animal could pull off those kids of athletics.”
While we don’t know anything about this character yet, I’m hoping that we’ll be getting them as the Anima warrior class.
The second foreshadowing is called “The Princess’ Castle”:
“In my wanderings, I came to an ancient castle, complete with a grand garden that looked pretty as any painting. A princess lived there, attended by many servants. But the princess never sets foot outside her castle, preferring to remain within. Even I don’t know when the City Gates will open. Still, I enjoy walking around the castle grounds, whenever I find myself in the area.”
Someone on the lore server came up with the theory that this garden is actually Sefirot, the sanctum of Grandis’ Transcendent of Life. The Sefirot’s Gardener chapter in the Grand Athenaeum showed the backstory of a gardener named Asha, who tended to the garden alone after the Transcendent of Life and their priests disappeared.
During the events of the storyline, Asha is killed and Darmoor brings her back to life with his powers, as he believes that Asha’s willingness to sacrifice her life to protect the garden renders her a noble life which he believes is worth saving. The storyline fleshed out Darmoor’s motivations and suggests that he intends to purge the world of unworthy lives to keep only people like Asha.
The third foreshadowing is called “A Mechanical Body”:
“In certain places, technology has advanced far enough that people can replace parts of their bodies with synthetic parts. But the knowledge necessary to create such technology is considered a great secret, and very few people know how to do it. The rumors say there’s even someone who went as far as to replace their entire body with synthetic parts. Do you think that means they’d get a mechanical brain, too? How would they know they were still themselves?”
This one is strongly implied to be about the Angler family of the Angler Company. The Angler Company is a national-level arms dealer organization on Grandis that was seemingly destroyed in an explosion. The Karote storyline reveals that Senya, T-Boy, and Cosim are the cyborg children of the company founder, who himself was a cyborg created in Odium as an artificial Adversary, although he was deemed a failure by the elders from the realm of the sages and cast out of the laboratory.
The last foreshadowing is called “The Boy Who Didn’t Age”:
“One day, on my travels through Grandis, I got hopelessly lost in the forests near Pantheon. I had no idea where I was, and wondered if I might actually die out there… Thankfully, that didn’t happen, because a young boy - a magician - appeared and saved my life. He might’ve grumbled a bit, sure, but he did heal me. As soon as I had recovered, he used his magic to send me away. I never got to ask his name, and I don’t know that I could find that particular area of the forest again even if I tried.”
That boy is strongly implied to be Melange, an extremely powerful magician who was sent by Darmoor to infiltrate the Arcane River expedition and spy on the Adversary and the Alliance during the events of Esfera and Tenebris.)
Armed with new powers, Hoyoung decided to make a final round around town in order to pick up leads before heading out, which would give him a chance to say goodbye. He first went to the Information Broker Bureau in order to see Farasi, to whom he apologized for leaving her behind the first time that he had encountered the Monster Rat.
Farasi accepted his apology, explaining that it had been a clever plan to pretend to flee and return when the Monster Rat least expected it. Hoyoung admitted that he had fled for real, surprising Farasi, who realized that Hoyoung really had planned on leaving her behind. However, she quickly forgave him and explained that she had been rescued by the other investigators, whom she had heard had all been hired by Hoyoung, and so she told him that even if it had been indirectly, it was thanks to him that she had been saved.
Hoyoung then told her about his encounter with the real Handsome Monk and their plan to defeat the Monster Rat. He also told her that he was planning to leave town and then asked Farasi what her plan was once she stopped being an investigator. She told him that she was planning to go back to the sea, just as she had told him before, though she admitted that her dreams had fallen by the wayside long ago.
At Hoyoung’s sad face, she told him that just because a dream had fallen by the wayside, it didn’t mean that one couldn’t find it again. She explained that she was returning to the sea in order to pick up her old dreams, or to perhaps even find a new one. Hoyoung told her that he would miss their lunches together, but Farasi pointed out that he was leaving as well. Hoyoung realized that they were both packing up and moving on with their lives, but he hoped that they would meet again one day. He told her that even if they didn’t run into each other, they could leave letters with the tavern keeper in order to tell each other how they were doing.
(A/N: Kinesis really needs to introduce cell phones to this deprived world. It’s always strange to me that there aren’t better forms of communication in worlds that have magic. Granted, it seems like Maple World had a huge Industrial Revolution after the White Mage left the foundations of alchemy in Magatia, but it still seems like most of Maple World’s forms of communication are still by letter, even after they develop hologram technology.
Grandis seems to have hologram technology as well, with the concept of holograms in the game first being introduced in Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storyline, which makes me wonder whether Maple World got their hologram tech from the Nova. I feel like Grandis being more technologically advanced ought to mean that communication should be easier there, but at the same time, Grandis is under a dictatorship, and so communication might be pretty hard to do, especially in poorer regions. Plus, given that the Anima are meant to be in hiding, it makes sense why Farasi might try to stay under the radar and not carry technology that would let the High Flora track her down.)
After saying their goodbyes, Hoyoung went to see Kaling, though he was less than enthusiastic about the debt that he still owed her. Kaling calculated Hoyoung’s final bill to be a figure that nearly bowled him over. He realized that it was almost as much as he had to his name, but he knew that there was no way that he could talk his way out of it. After paying her with nearly everything that he had, Kaling confirmed that his account was clear. She then amusedly revealed that the private investigators would have taken action on their own, even if he hadn’t hired them.
At Hoyoung’s surprised face, Kaling laughed and explained that it was part of the private investigators’ code to defend the town in times of crisis. Hoyoung put up his bravado act and told her that it had been a preventative measure to ensure that all his bases had been covered. He then gave her the rest of his money and asked to buy whatever information about the outside world that he could with the amount that he had. Kaling then pulled out several scrolls and presented them to Hoyoung.
The first scroll was a guide to Grandis, which explained the three major races of Grandis: the Flora, the Anima, and the Nova, with the Flora being the most populous race. It also detailed the three Transcendents: Gerand Darmoor, Chronica, and Aeona. Finally, it detailed Chronica’s whereabouts to be in the Chronica Sanctuary, where Darmoor had imprisoned them and stolen their power, and also offered no information on Aeona’s status or whereabouts.
(A/N: I guess that they finally decided to use gender-neutral pronouns with Chronica starting with this storyline, since they probably don’t want to commit to it in case they change their minds. I’m always dubious when the game says that the Flora are the most populous race when the Cernium storyline reveals that the majority of the Flora army is composed of common mercenaries because there aren’t enough Flora to fight as soldiers.
At the same time, the Flora have been committing mass genocide of the other races, and so even though there aren’t that many Flora, there are probably even fewer members of the other races. The signature on this scroll shows that this information had been gathered by Young Swordsman K, Kaiser’s alias. I’m guessing that most likely, Kaiser and the other people who had given these scrolls had done so in exchange for other information from the Bureau.)
The second scroll detailed the history of the Flora, namely the Flora Civil War and the awakening of Gerand Darmoor as the Transcendent of Life. It also mentioned that around that time, the Anima had disappeared without a trace, with only the Nova in Pantheon fighting back against Darmoor’s forces. (A/N: This was gathered by Curious Girl AB, Angelic Buster’s alias. Hoyoung calls Darmoor a huge tool when he reads this scroll.)
The third scroll was information about the Interdimensional Portal, namely its creation and the fact that several existed in Grandis, with the most well-known being in Pantheon’s Great Temple, which connected to Maple World. (A/N: This was gathered by Anonymous Young Man A, Ark’s alias. Hoyoung speculates that his Master has gone to Maple World.)
The fourth and final scroll detailed Maple World, namely that one could get to Pantheon from Savage Terminal in order to access the Interdimensional Portal, and mentioned the rumors that the Black Mage might soon escape from his seal. (A/N: This was gathered by Brawler C, Cadena’s alias.)
Based on the scrolls, Hoyoung realized that he needed to first make it to Savage Terminal in order to reach the Interdimensional Portal. Kaling told him that Maple World was far away, but wished him luck on his journey, promising that she would see him again. As Hoyoung left to see the Handsome Monk, Kaling spoke to herself that once she had her eye on something, she never let it out of her sight, no matter where it went.
(A/N: Kaling is searching for the Four Perils, as she wants to combine their power accumulated from them consuming fiends for her research. In particular, she’s working at the Information Broker Bureau in order to locate Hundun, the most powerful of the Four Perils.)
At the Temple Entrance, Hoyoung greeted the Handsome Monk and jokingly asked if he was really a rat. The Handsome Monk stammered that he was exercising great caution in disposing of his nail clippings, but Hoyoung laughed and told him that he had only been teasing. He then explained that he wanted to say goodbye, and to thank him for all his help. The Handsome Monk replied that it was he who was in Hoyoung’s debt, and that he prayed for Hoyoung’s well-being on his path.
Hoyoung confessed that when his heart had been wavering, meeting the Handsome Monk had helped him realize that he already knew what he had wanted to do, deep down. He added that if he hadn’t met him on the road, he might not have had the courage to follow through on it. The Handsome Monk explained that it was in Hoyoung’s nature, as he had the spirit of a hero. After saying their farewells, he returned to the town. Taotie was annoyed that it had taken Hoyoung so long to finish his business, but Hoyoung then explained that they were heading to Maple World. When Taotie asked why Hoyoung thought that the escaped fiends would be there, Hoyoung jokingly replied that it was Taotie’s job to find them.
Hoyoung then found Sosori, who was capable of crossing great distances in the blink of an eye. With Sosori’s help, they crossed over to Savage Terminal, from which they took a portal to Pantheon. At the Great Temple, Hoyoung encountered Fenelle, who recognized Hoyoung as an Anima. She told him that they had seen an increase in the number of heroes who had come to the Interdimensional Portal for training, but Hoyoung was the first Anima who had ever visited them.
Hoyoung explained that even if another Anima had come through, they likely would have hidden their animal features, and so Fenelle might not have recognized an Anima if she saw one. He then asked her what he had to do in order to cross over to Maple World, to which Fenelle told him that she wanted to look into his soul in order to see if he aligned with good or evil.
She sensed that Hoyoung didn’t differentiate between good and evil in the methods that he used to accomplish his goals, though his will itself cherished that which was good. (A/N: I wonder if she also sensed Taotie sealed inside Hoyoung. Given that Taotie also goes through a moral transformation in this storyline, maybe she sensed that Taotie was also good at heart.) She then explained that Athena Pierce was the de-facto representative of Maple World’s Explorers and offered to let her know of his arrival in advance. After she contacted Athena Pierce, Fenelle activated the portal and allowed Hoyoung to pass through.
Hoyoung and Taotie were surprised by how quiet and peaceful Maple World seemed in comparison to Grandis. Hoyoung told Taotie to remain on the lookout for any of the fiends who had escaped. He then went to Henesys in order to meet Athena Pierce. At the Bowman Instructional School, Athena greeted Hoyoung and explained that starting out on his adventuring career required building relationships. She then suggested that Hoyoung help out some of the locals. Hoyoung noted that it seemed peaceful in Henesys, and that he was surprised that people needed help there.
Athena explained that even though Henesys was a quiet town, Maple World itself was a vast place, and that there was more trouble lurking out there beneath its idyllic exterior than Hoyoung would first suspect. She then gave Hoyoung several case files and told him that he could choose any of them to help out with. (A/N: These four cases are the four theme dungeons that you complete between levels 30-60. Just like the other classes, I’ll be treating these as non-canon in regards to completing them and only detailing the parts that are relevant to the storyline.)
Soon after, Taotie sensed a fiend at the Ellinel Fairy Academy. After forcing the fiend out of the Mole King, Taotie swallowed it. He explained that it was an Ant Monster, which used to dig tunnels deep in the earth and stir up trouble. He noted that it was interesting that it would possess a mole monster. Hoyoung asked if it meant that Taotie always ate troublemaker spirits, but Taotie explained that sometimes he devoured gentle spirits, or even spirits that Hoyoung might consider cute.
Soon after, Taotie sensed another fiend in the Swamp Region and directed Hoyoung there. Hoyoung was surprised to find a portal, which Taotie explained had been created by the fiend distorting the surrounding space, as it had gained much more of its old strength. Inside the space, they found the Crocodile Bird monster. After Taotie swallowed it, Hoyoung asked how many fiends Taotie had consumed. Taotie told him that he had consumed well over a thousand, meaning that Hoyoung had much more work to look forward to.
Some time later, Hoyoung felt that it was time to add new spells to his arsenal. Taotie suggested that he look at one of the spellbooks that he had stolen from his Master’s library. However, Hoyoung explained that the spellbook which he had used last time was the last volume that he had brought with him, meaning that he would need to use the Nimbus Cloud in order to return to the Hermitage.
They returned to Cheong-woon, where Hoyoung spent hours circling Mount Songyu. He wondered whether the Hermitage had sunk into the ground, or if his Master had returned and erased the old path. (A/N: You learn this later, but the Hermitage actually exists in the realm of the sages. Once you leave, the only way that you can re-enter is through invitation if you’re not a true sage.)
Hoyoung then had the idea of entering the Hermitage through his dreams and reading the spellbook that he needed. He then fell asleep, with all his memories of life at the Hermitage swirling in his head. As he dreamed, he felt the scenery of the Hermitage unfold around him. He felt that it was too vivid to be a dream, as though he really was at the Hermitage. After finding the spellbook, he read through it and awoke, recollecting all of the spells that he had read. Taotie then gave him a rare compliment for his unorthodox solution.
Some time after learning the new spells, Taotie found traces of another fiend in the Ant Tunnel Square in Sleepywood. They found the Talisman Monster possessing a Zombie Mushroom and Taotie explained that the fiend only appeared in dark places. Hoyoung then had the idea of lighting the cave in order to weaken it. After lighting candles around the area, Hoyoung was able to defeat the fiend, allowing Taotie to consume its spirit.
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.)
Chaser of Darkness:
(A/N: I swear this storyline was confusing as hell when I first did it. I replayed it a couple more times, but it wasn’t until I saw the MSEA translation that it finally began to make sense. This is definitely one of the weaker GMS translations out there.)
On Savage Terminal, in Toolen City, a Drakas Regulator Sergeant warned a group of Biter thugs to vacate from the public facilities that they were illegally occupying. Kudan, the leader of the Biters, refused to comply and ordered his goons to throw a party. Suddenly, the lights went out and Drakas agents arrived to wipe out the Biters. Kudan was the only one who managed to escape, but suddenly, Kain arrived to intercept him. After a skirmish, Kain returned to the other agents’ location. Just then, he was contacted by Luska, the boss of the Drakas. She congratulated him on his work and invited him to dinner.
One year later, Kain had a psychiatric appointment with Dr. Y. Dr. Y asked him to rate his condition on a scale from 1 to 10, to which Kain replied with an 8. When asked how he felt about his work, Kain answered that though he didn’t enjoy it, he didn’t hate it enough to quit, admitting that there were moments that he sometimes did enjoy.
Dr. Y then asked if Kain had any flashbacks from before he had begun his time with the Drakas. Reluctantly, Kain answered that he did. Just then, a signal beeped to summon Kain. Dr. Y told Kain that he didn’t want to keep him from his work, adding that vestigial memories were a common occurrence amongst members.
(A/N: The Drakas take away the memories of their members and force them to work in order to get them back. Drakas agents also get a choker placed on them that tracks their location in order to stop them from deserting. Despite it feeling like every class loses their memories, it’s really only Aran, Xenon, Kain, Ark, and Adele, unless you count everyone in the universe when it comes to Shade.)
After leaving, Kain met with the Regulator Sergeant, who told him that several criminals had escaped from detention and ordered him to recapture them. Outside, Kain met with a Regulator, who explained that he had been instructed to give Kain a Malice Stone. Kain crushed the Malice Stone in his hand, flooding him with familiar power, which he thought was strange, since it was his first time using one. The Regulator explained that Malice had three main characteristics: enhancing one’s physical traits, bonding them with darkness, and loading their weapons. With that, Kain subdued the Biters in the area, thus granting him 10 points by the company.
Just then, two Drakas agents, Illin and Vias, arrived to rendezvous with Kain. The Regulator then tasked him with stopping several of the fugitives who were heading for the rooftop. Illin and Vias told Kain that they would finish up on the ground so that he could go on ahead. On the rooftop, Kain was surprised to see two chameleon Anima children, Romina and Royce. At the sight of the siblings, he had a flashback of his younger self hugging an older girl on the beach. Kain then realized that he couldn’t bring himself to complete his mission. (A/N: The scene ends here because Kain loses his memory of what happens next, but he basically just hides them in his locker.)
The next day, Kain sat at the company bar, where the Regulator Sergeant asked him how his dinner with the boss had gone. Just then, Illin and Vias arrived and asked what kind of food he had. Kain explained that it had been a rare dish from out of town, though he didn’t remember how it tasted, as he couldn’t even recall taking a bite due to the awkward tension. He then realized that Luska hadn’t had any particular business to discuss with him and wondered why she had called him in the first place.
Just then, a group of new Drakas agents arrived and a Regulator explained to them that because they had defaulted on their debts, the company had extracted their memories as collateral until their contracts were fulfilled by serving as agents. A mission then came in for Kain, ordering him to subdue the new members as part of their initiation process, with a reward of 20 points.
After Kain defeated the new members, another member named Tirag arrived to goad Kain about why he worked so hard when he could settle into the company like himself. Kain told Tirag that he planned on leaving the Drakas, but Tirag mocked Kain’s belief that he could leave and pointed out that if the company was ruthless enough to steal its members’ memories in order to turn them into living weapons, then there was no way that they would ever let those weapons go.
After Tirag left, Kain went to pick up his gear from his locker, where he was surprised to see the two Chameleon Siblings hiding inside. Kain wondered how the girl was wearing his uniform when he was sure that he had been wearing it the day before. Just then, the Regulator Sergeant arrived to give him his next assignment. As they headed outside, Kain wondered whether he ought to report the siblings, but once again, he found that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Outside, he regrouped with the other agents and the Regulator Sergeant explained that their objective was to capture the two Anima children, adding that he had given them clearance to question the citizens. Kain was surprised by their mission, but Illin reminded him of the briefing earlier, which had explained how the children had vanished off the roof while Kain had been chasing them the night before.
Vias wondered why so many agents were being mobilized for the mission when the children were simple pickpockets, but the Regulator Sergeant explained that the siblings had allegedly stolen an important item from the base, and that the children had allowed themselves to be arrested in order to infiltrate the base in the first place.
Knowing that the siblings weren’t in the city, Kain pretended to interrogate the Biters by beating the information out of them. He then encountered a suspicious crow and decided to interrogate him. (A/N: The crow is the same species as Corbo and Detective Rave from Savage Terminal.) However, the crow revealed that he had a Malice Stone and crushed it, allowing him to escape. Kain then found a notebook that the crow had dropped, which contained detailed notes on Malice Stones. The notes indicated that Malice Stones were produced within the Drakas’ headquarters, and that Dr. Y had made a reference to the original.
Just then, an old woman named Amos arrived and told Kain that she would treat his injuries, calling it a gesture of thanks to the Drakas for protecting the town. Back at her shop, Amos told Kain that she knew that he was looking for the Chameleon Siblings. She explained that the siblings were thieves for hire, and that they occasionally worked with the Biters in exchange for food.
Amos asked Kain to go easy on them, as they were just hungry orphans. Just then, the Regulator Sergeant arrived and asked Kain why he had left his designated search zone. Thinking quickly, Kain showed him the notebook and explained that he was chasing a lead. The Sergeant then ordered Kain to return to headquarters.
When Kain returned, he found Tirag rummaging through his locker. Tirag chastised Kain for keeping perishable foods inside his locker, and when Kain looked inside and found a half-eaten dumpling, he realized that the Chameleon Siblings had likely been eating there before they had escaped. Tirag then told Kain that he wanted to go over something, explaining that mainland Grandis was in the middle of a war. He then insinuated that they may be able to seize control of the Drakas and use the Malice Stones to profit off the conflict. However, Kain cut him off and told him to stop running his mouth, making it clear that he was uninterested in Tirag’s plan to overthrow Luska.
Irritated, Tirag told Kain that the boss wanted to see him after he finished being treated. Kain then told Tirag that he had already turned in the notebook, in case that was what Tirag had been rummaging through his locker for. An angry Tirag told Kain that if he was planning to get on Luska’s good side in order to leave the company, it wouldn’t work, adding that there was a good chance that she could have taken their memories any number of times after their initial memory wipe, likening them to her personal puppet show.
After Tirag stormed off, Kain went to see Luska in her suite, where she interrogated him about the children, as he was the last one to have seen them on the rooftop the night before. Kain reported that he had handed them over to the other Drakas, which was likely when they had escaped. She asked if he knew what they had stolen, but Kain told her that he knew nothing about it. Regarding the notebook, Kain explained that he had chased a suspicious crow using Malice, but that he didn’t know what was in the notebook that the crow had dropped.
Just then, a Regulator arrived to report a new development. Luska dismissed Kain, but he stayed nevertheless in order to ask why she had invited him to dinner the other night. Luska told him that it hadn’t been for any particular reason, but after hesitating, she told him that she had happened to take an interest in his story. She then asked Kain if he still planned on going home after his contract ended, which Kain confirmed, explaining that he was looking for something. The boss simply told him that she hoped that he found the person in his memories.
Kain then went to his locker, where he found the Chameleon Siblings hiding once again. He asked them if he had been the one who had hidden them the night before, but suddenly, he had an epiphany about what Luska had said to him about finding the person in his memories. He realized that though he had told the Drakas about where his memories had taken place, he had never told anyone about the person in them. He began growing suspicious of Luska and wondered what else she knew about his memories. He also realized that the Drakas had likely taken his memories of the night before, which was why he couldn’t remember anything about it.
Kain then told the siblings that he knew that they had returned for a purpose and struck a deal with them. In exchange for them disabling security, he offered to help them with their mission. Romina asked why he needed their help, as Drakas agents already knew how to hide in the shadows. Kain showed them his choker and explained that it would trigger an alarm if he went into any restricted areas.
Just then, guard robots arrived in order to stop them. While the siblings worked on disabling the alarm system, Kain held off the guard robots. As they moved deeper into the facility, Kain asked what their target was. Romina explained that they were searching for the original Malice Stone, which the Drakas had copied in order to make all the others.
Kain then asked what they had stolen the night before, to which Romina explained that they had stolen a memory of someone eating food with a serious-looking woman. Kain realized that it was his own memory of his dinner with the boss. Romina explained that they had brought the memory to Kudan, who had rewarded them with food. They pressed on into Dr. Y’s room, where they found his research notes. Just then, Kain took the notes from them and ordered them to run from the arriving security force. He also told them to let Kudan know that he was willing to trade the research notes in exchange for his memory.
As Kain and the siblings escaped, Drakas agents stormed the laboratory. The Regulator Sergeant reported that all signs pointed to a Drakas agent being the culprit based on the number of robots taken out, but as the security system had been reformatted, it would be difficult to find the perpetrator. However, Tirag pointed out that if the culprit was amongst them, they would have been the last one to arrive, meaning that they merely needed to check the arrival time logs. He also added that the perpetrator was likely the same person who had leaked information on the Malice Stones, smirking knowingly at Kain. Just then, Luska arrived and explained that she had been the last to arrive, challenging anyone to accuse her of being the culprit.
One of the Regulators explained that a key card had disappeared from her room, and that they assumed that the culprit had used it to disable the security system. They then ordered everyone to remain still while they were searched, but the boss told him that there was no need and swung her sword at Guyu, one of Tirag’s accomplices. As Guyu fell, several Malice Stones fell from his pocket. Tirag was furious that Guyu had foolishly held onto the stones, as he had planned to implicate Kain as the information leaker as revenge for his refusing to join his rebellion. Kain immediately moved to ‘search’ Guyu and used the opportunity to plant the card key on him, which he then revealed to the others after he completed his ‘search’.
After the Regulators took Guyu away for interrogation, Tirag met with Illin and Vias, who had both agreed to join his uprising, and seethed how Kain had managed to get away once again. Vias told him that there was no time to worry about Kain, as they themselves were in danger of being eliminated. Vias added that the boss’s actions were likely a warning to deter them. Tirag then asked what had happened to the crow who had dropped the notebook, to which Vias assured him that they had taken care of him. (A/N: The implication here is that they had asked the crow to steal the notebook, but Kain’s interference had resulted in the notebook being dropped, which created a loose end for them.)
Illin protested that the boss was still likely to kill them, even without evidence, but Tirag then revealed that he had seen a choker around her neck when she had swung her sword at Guyu, meaning that she was a prisoner of the Drakas as much as they were. Back in her suite, Luska told the Regulator not to report the incident to upper management, even as the Regulator protested that there would no way to resolve the matter until Dr. Y returned a few days later to restore the security system. He told her that their priority should be to discard the experiment subject and move on to the next phase, but Luska merely ordered him to report that the project was proceeding smoothly.
Some time later, Kain arrived at Amos’ shop in order to ask her about the Chameleon Siblings’ whereabouts, as well as who Kudan was. Amos told him that the siblings worked for Kudan, who was building up a gang on the west side due to his grudge against the Drakas. Because the fog was so thick on the west side that it made breathing difficult, she told him that the only people who would live there were those who wanted to hide from the Drakas.
Kain then found the Chameleon Siblings outside Kudan’s hideout, as they weren’t being allowed to enter without the notes that Kain had taken from them. As they attempted to go inside, the guards refused to let a Drakas enter, and so Kain defeated the Biters in order to force his way inside. There, he found a large board with several notes and photos, including one of a large black dragon. Just then, Kudan arrived and recognized Kain as the one who had defeated him a year ago. Kain asked what the board was, to which Kudan explained that he had been researching Malice over the last year.
Kudan told Kain about the Ancient God, Satiras the Devil Dragon, whom a cult of Nova called the Black Nova had worshipped in exchange for the power of Malice. With their command over Malice, the Black Nova had once ruled all of Grandis through fear. However, after the fall of the Ancient Gods, the Black Nova had lost their protector, causing them to be hunted down by the other races of Grandis whom they had once enslaved. The cultists had then given up their horns, tails, and wings in order to prevent themselves as being identified as Black Nova.
Kudan explained that the power of Malice, once unique to the Black Nova, was now being distributed by the Drakas. Kain then asked what Kudan wanted, to which he explained that he wanted to become a dragon, metaphorically speaking, clarifying that he wanted to rule the city and command respect in the same way as the Black Nova and the Drakas. He then asked Kain for his payment, but he was irritated when Kain produced research notes, rather than the original Malice Stone. However, he asked if there was any information about how to extract memories, as he would need a means of controlling his men once he gained the power of Malice.
When Kain asked why he would want to use the same techniques as his enemies, Kudan mocked Kain by noting that he was proof that the methodology worked, claiming that it had taken away not only Kain’s memories, but even his anger. As Kain raised his weapon in clear anger, Kudan showed him the Memory Stone containing his memories and threatened to drop it if Kain didn’t behave.
Just as they prepared to swap the notes for the Memory Stone, a Drakas sting arrived to ambush them. Assuming that Kain had double-crossed him, Kudan kidnapped Royce and escaped. Romina begged Kain to save her brother, and so Kain reluctantly chased after Kudan by fighting past his guards.
However, he discovered that Kudan had already been defeated by the Drakas. The Regulator then confirmed that ‘the original’ was safe and reported that they would prepare the reset protocol upon return. Suddenly, Tirag arrived and shot the Regulator, causing him to drop the Memory Stone. As it shattered, the memory of Kain’s dinner with the boss flooded into everyone’s minds.
In the memory, Luska was explaining her trick to keeping order amongst the Drakas by making them believe that they would be able to fulfill their contract after a year or so before she would wipe their memories again. A Regulator pointed out that it was already the sixth cycle that she had put the agents through and asked how many times she intended on repeating it. The boss replied that she would continue until the research was done, but the Regulator told her that sooner or later, Kain or one of the others would learn what she had done to them.
Luska simply replied that she would wipe their memories again, claiming that they were better off with the Drakas than they would be anywhere else. Revealing that she had fabricated memories for all the Drakas agents, Luska explained that she had done them a favor by giving them a dream to look forward to, which was more than what most people got. At the dinner table, Dr. Y approached Kain to extract his memories into the Memory Stone, just as Luska wished him a happy birthday.
Back in the city, all the Drakas realized that the boss had not only lied about giving them back their memories, but she had also given them flashes of false memories in order to motivate them. Furious, Tirag rallied the rest of the Drakas agents into confronting the boss about her actions. Meanwhile, Romina told Kain that Royce had been severely injured in the Drakas sting and begged Kain to save his life. He took them to Amos, who managed to save Royce from dying.
After confirming that Royce would live, Kain set off to regain his memories, but he was stopped by Romina, who begged him to stay, believing that he would get hurt without any Malice Stones. Amos then revealed that after going through the research notes, she had realized that Kain didn’t need a Malice Stone because he himself was the original template that Kudan was searching for.
Kain then recalled how the Regulator had said that the original template was safe before being shot and realized that he had been referring to Kain. He also realized that it was likely the reason why the boss had protected him and fabricated his memories. Suddenly, he had a moment of clarity, with the memory that he had recalled of himself being hugged by an older girl on the beach transforming into her hugging him amidst a burning village surrounded by soldiers. Along with his memory, the original Malice within him awoke. As Kain rushed to go after the boss, he felt pure hatred within his chest, though unlike before, it felt measured and focused.
At the Drakas headquarters, the insurrectionists began taking control of the building. As the Regulator Sergeant called for reinforcements, Tirag told him to surrender and explained that they wanted to overthrow the boss and replace her. Suddenly, a screen flashed and showed that the insurrectionists had seized control of the operations room and placed bounties on both Kain and Luska. As Tirag began to lead Vias and Illin to the boss’s room, Illin refused and claimed that Tirag only cared about being on top. Tirag told her that she could leave, but that her choker would stay on her for the rest of her life.
After Illin left, Tirag told Vias to become the new leader, as he was satisfied with merely being the muscle. Soon after they left, Kain arrived at the lobby, where the Regulator Sergeant advised him to retreat before the Drakas learned that he was there. Just then, several Drakas arrived and attempted to capture him for his bounty. Kain defeated them all and asked where the boss was. The Sergeant told him that she was on the top floor, though he warned that both her forces and Tirag’s insurrectionists would be after him.
On his way up, he ran into Illin, who told him that she had quit because she had learned that Tirag was planning to continue holding onto their memories in order to hold them hostage. She told him that all she wanted was to recover her memories and remove her choker. She then showed him a Regulator’s key card and explained that she was too weak to make it to the Medical Office where her memories were, and so she proposed an alliance with Kain so that they could both get their memories back. After fighting their way through the hall, they discovered that the door to the office was already open. Illin recovered her memories, but Kain only found a note from the boss that said, “If you want your memories back, come to me.”
As Kain rushed to the top floor, the boss held off the insurrectionists and managed to defeat Vias as well. Tirag then approached Luska and asked why she was on the roof. After she told him that she was waiting for someone, Tirag realized that she was waiting for Kain and concluded that he was the original template. He told her that she had gone soft on Kain, as she had continued allowing him to break countless rules, even when she had killed many others for far less. Just then, reinforcements arrived to capture Luska, who easily defeated them and Tirag.
Kain then arrived on the rooftop and Luska led him into her suite. Though Kain fought as hard as he could, Luska easily managed to subdue him. However, she soon collapsed and Kain realized that not only had she been severely injured since the rooftop fight, but she had still managed to defeat both him and the insurrectionists in her weakened state.
As he took back his Memory Stone, Luska asked him what he would do once he got his memories, to which Kain told her that he would go after the girl in his memories. She warned him that his memories were horrifying, and that even he wouldn’t know how to deal with them. However, Kain replied that they were nevertheless still his to remember. As his memories flooded back, he recognized the girl as his sister and realized that the hairpin that she wore was the same one that the boss wore, meaning that Luska was actually his sister.
Horrified, he asked Luska why she had enslaved him and the other Drakas. She explained that it was the only way that they could have lived. Kain then recalled the memory of themselves in the burning village, surrounded by soldiers. In his memory, Luska had begged the soldiers that they would do anything in order to be spared, to which a man with long hair had given them two chokers.
(A/N: This man is actually Dr. Y, who’s strongly suggested to be an Apostle of Darmoor. Dr. Y led the High Flora army to attack their village and enslaved Luska and Kain into working for the Drakas, in order to gain the power of Malice inside the siblings. The reason why Kain doesn’t recognize Dr. Y is because he was unmasked when he raided their village and never takes his mask off in front of Kain.)
As Kain hugged his sister in the suite, she told him to live freely with her dying breath, having been fatally wounded in the battle against Tirag’s forces. As she slowly began passing away, both their chokers fell off. Kain then made his way back to Amos, where he told her that he planned on traveling the world in order to give context to his memories, which would hopefully help him regain the rest that were still foggy. He asked the Chameleon Siblings what they planned to do, to which they explained that they wanted to stay with Amos.
Amos added that with the money that Kain had given them, they wouldn’t need to steal again. He then began to ask one more request of Amos, but she anticipated his question and explained that she had already convinced the community council to lay Luska to rest. With that, Kain took a boat to leave Toolen City and headed towards the nearby refugee camp. (A/N: The main city of Savage Terminal is revealed to be a refugee camp created by people who left Toolen City.)
Meanwhile, back at the hideout, a Regulator and Dr. Y approached Luska, who was still barely alive. The Regulator asked Dr. Y whether he would be able to extract death, to which Dr. Y explained that while he could extract memories or Malice or anything else, extracting death itself would be too much for him. Instead, Dr. Y turned to Luska and extracted the damage which would have led to her death, allowing him to resurrect her.
(A/N: It gets later revealed in Khali’s storyline that the reason why Dr. Y can’t extract death itself is because he needs to absorb everything that he extracts into his own body before he can move it somewhere else, such as the memory and Malice Stones that he creates. If he were to extract death into himself, he would immediately die.)
Kain soon arrived at Savage Terminal and, following Amos’ instructions, he started searching for Coney. Soon after, he encountered a group of Market Hoodlums holding Coney hostage, as they had learned that Kain would be arriving after intercepting Amos’ letter to Coney. Kain managed to defeat all the Hoodlums, just as Cadena arrived to rescue Coney. Kain immediately felt a strange sense of kinship with Cadena when he saw her. (A/N: This is likely because they’re both Nova who have no Nova features.)
Cadena took him to the Shadowdealers’ hideout and introduced him to Gen, who recognized Kain as the master Drakas, clarifying that by ‘master’, he meant that Kain was the last of the Drakas, and though Gen wondered whether he ought to get involved in the matter, he explained that he had promised Amos that he would help Kain.
Kain told him that he was looking to travel, and so Gen recommended that he go to Pantheon and use the Interdimensional Portal in order to reach Maple World. He also recommended that Kain pick a new name in order to lay low. He also suggested that Kain try to change his speaking style in order to better hide his identity. (A/N: Gen suggests that we switch our name from Kain to our IGN, although future quests reveal that he’s really the only one who tries to get the name to stick, as virtually everyone else keeps calling us Kain.)
Kain then traveled to Pantheon, where the border guards halted him. Beldar and Cartalion greeted him and asked him for his purpose. Kain refrained from mentioning that he was a Black Nova, though he was intrigued to be in the homeland of his ancestors. He explained that he wanted to use the Interdimensional Portal, and so they escorted him to the Great Temple. Kain found himself to be socially awkward, as he was only used to dealing with assassins and criminals.
Just then, Fenelle approached him and, having felt the Malice inside him, recognized him as the descendant of the Black Nova and a disciple of the corrupted dragon. Kain asked if she was going to call the guards, but Fenelle explained that she had no reason to, as she had been waiting for him ever since an oracle had foretold his arrival. She told him that at first, she hadn’t been able to believe that there were any more Black Nova left after the purge. However, she reassured him that their clans’ blood feud had gone away with the Ancient Gods and told him that she believed that no one should have to pay for the actions of their ancestors. She then offered to answer any questions that he had.
When Kain asked about the Black Nova, she told him that she had only read one line in an ancient text that mentioned a Nova clan mesmerized by Satiras the Devil Dragon and his power of Malice, which described Malice as the ruthlessness to stop at nothing for one’s chosen goals. She supposed that Malice existed for a reason, as did all things.
In regard to Maple World, she told him that it was a land of adventure, where its people were fighting against their corrupted Transcendent of Light, the Black Mage. With no other questions, Kain made his way to Maple World and sought out Athena Pierce at Fenelle's recommendation, who suggested that he help others around Maple World. (A/N: Same deal as always, she tells you to complete the four theme dungeons from levels 30-60.)
Some time after Kain began his adventures in Maple World, he was contacted by Romina, who told him that Amos wanted to speak with him. Kain returned to Toolen City and visited Amos, who caught him up on the situation in the city. She explained that the community council had taken over security, and that there hadn’t been any major incidents because of them. She also told him that the council had sent people to recover Luska’s body, but that they had discovered that it was missing. Amos explained that she had looked into the matter personally and was able to corroborate their findings. Kain wondered whether the company’s upper management had managed to get her body first.
Amos then gave Kain a note that the council had found in the building. Kain opened the note and found that it was from Illin, who had written to Kain that she knew how to get back to his hometown and asked him to meet her on the rooftop of the Drakas headquarters. Kain went to meet Illin, who noticed that Kain’s choker had come off. She told him that she couldn’t remove hers, meaning that she couldn’t return to her hometown, even though she had fully regained her memories, as she feared that the company would send the Drakas to attack it. She then revealed to Kain that he had written her a note before he had initially lost his memories for the first time.
Kain read the note and found that his past self had written coordinates. Illin told him that she had looked up the coordinates and had discovered that it was some out-of-the-way place by the moons of Grandis, meaning that he would need a ship to fly there. Illin told him that in exchange for the coordinates, she wanted an introduction to the Shadowdealers, whom she hoped could help remove her choker.
Kain agreed to put in a good word for her and suggested that she find something valuable to sell them. She assured him that she had a plethora of information for sale. After leaving, Kain felt a sense of relief that he could go back to his home. However, he recalled the memory of his sister pleading for their lives and suddenly, fierce anger, infinite hatred, and murderous intent flooded his body, causing the Malice within him to strengthen.
(A/N: Kain has one of the weakest class stories in my opinion. The most interesting part about his story isn’t even him, it’s Dr. Y and his power to extract abstract concepts like memories or death. Kain is marketed as an edgy hitman and they tell us frequently in the dialogue about how much anger and hatred he feels, but there’s never any moment when we actually get to see that for ourselves. What gets pushed across instead is that he’s emotionally numb and has a soft spot for kids, making his edgy aesthetic just for show. It’s like they forgot that “show, not tell” is one of the most basic rules of good storytelling.
For me, Kain has less of a personality than Explorers, Cygnus Knights, and Resistance classes, which is ironic when they’re the ones who are supposed to be the generic classes. Luska was more of a compelling protagonist for me because of her struggle in keeping Kain safe while also being enslaved by Dr. Y, not to mention that her character design and fighting style in the animated video showing her fight with Kain was really cool and one of my favorite animated cutscenes in the game.)
Innocent Earthseer:
On Narin, a young sheep Anima girl named Lara was walking through the plains when she was stopped by three thugs named Tough-Looking Hyuk, Cheeky Myung, and Licky-lips Yeol, who demanded that she hand over her valuables. (A/N: These names made me viscerally uncomfortable, especially the last one.) She willingly handed over her few coins and a rice ball, making the thugs feel uncomfortable about taking such a pittance from a young girl. However, they noticed a golden bell that she was carrying and told her to give it up. Lara told them that she couldn’t hand it over, as she was on a journey to make the bell ring.
She explained that her village was said to have a purpose that needed to be fulfilled. Some time ago, she had been led by land spirits, whom she called the Mountain Kids, to a building in their village, where she had encountered the bell, along with an inscription that said: “One bright day, this bell will ring… to wash away the Sinners’ wrongs.”
When the elders had discovered that the bell shined for Lara, they had told her that long ago, they had once held trials to find the one with whom the bell would resonate, though they had given up after no one had been able to activate it. However, as the bell shined for Lara, they believed that she was the one who had been prophesized to make the bell ring again and fulfill the village’s purpose.
Meanwhile in Narin Village, a wolf Anima named Gri was stopped by the Magistrate’s guards, who reminded him of his outstanding fees. Suddenly, a Mountain Kid appeared near Gri, who used its presence to warn the guards to back off unless they wanted it to attack, though he knew that the land spirit was harmless. After the guards ran off, Gri noticed that the land spirit was following him, and he was reminded of the last time that he had seen the land spirits with his brother, Gru, when he was younger. (A/N: I really wish that they picked a different name for his brother, I can’t help but picture Gru from Despicable Me whenever they mention him.)
Gri then made his way to the outskirts of town, where he found the three thugs confronting Lara. Seizing the opportunity, he decided to con her into giving up her money by saving her from the thugs. However, the thugs realized what Gri was trying to do, and as they argued over who would get the money, the land spirit appeared before Lara, creating a strange glow that she recognized as being similar to the bell’s warmth. The glow then flooded her with a new understanding of the spirits. As the thugs advanced on Gri, Lara used her new command over the spirits in order to stop the fight.
After the thugs retreated, Lara thanked Gri, who told her that it was just one Anima looking out for another. Lara decided that they were now friends and introduced herself to him. Gri reluctantly reciprocated, wondering to himself when the last time he had ever given his name out was, as most of Narin Village only knew him as ‘street wolf’. Lara asked Gri if he could show her around town, to which Gri agreed, hoping to lower her guard so that he could swindle her.
In town, Lara and Gri encountered a girl named Rami, whose kite had gotten stuck in a tree. To Gri’s annoyance, Lara decided to help Rami and went to collect shoes from Sprout Silkworms in order to throw at the kite. When her plan didn’t work, Gri told her that they would need a ladder. Lara then asked Rami why she was flying a kite, to which Rami explained that she used to fly kites with her mother, who couldn’t remember those moments anymore. Lara reassured Rami that people sometimes forgot the important things in the chaos of life and resolved to find a ladder.
They encountered a man named Silvergrass, who told them that his ladder was in his home, but that he couldn’t go inside because he had lost a brooch which he had gotten for his wife for their wedding anniversary, adding that he couldn’t remember what it looked like either. Though Gri told her that trusting people blindly was foolish, Lara went in search of the brooch and found the carrot-shaped jewelry in the hands of Flower Field Bunnies.
Once again, Gri recalled Gru telling him that it wasn’t bad to put his trust in other people. Lara presented the brooch to Silvergrass, who gave her the ladder in exchange. To Gri’s amazement, Lara bravely climbed the ladder up to the roof, even though she had never climbed one before, as she was confident that Gri would catch her. When Lara slipped, Gri moved to catch her, but wind spirits suddenly appeared and stopped her fall. Lara then gave the kite to Rami, who promised never to get her kite stuck again. In order to help her keep the promise, Gri taught her how to fly a kite properly.
Gri then noticed Lara’s bell and asked her about it. Lara explained that it was her village’s treasure, and that it meant a lot to her, even though the bell didn’t ring. Seeing an opportunity to steal it, Gri offered to take the bell to a man who was good at fixing antiques. Since the man lived in a shady part of town, he offered to take the bell and bring it back to her. To his surprise, Lara readily trusted him and handed the bell over. Gri brought the bell to the sketchy merchant and asked how much the bell was worth.
The merchant used a magic detector, which shattered immediately, indicating that the bell possessed tremendous magical power. He urged Gri to return the bell to its owner, explaining that its pristine condition meant that it was important to them. Recalling Lara’s words about how much the bell meant to her, Gri felt guilty and decided to return it, though he fully expected her to have realized by then that she had been swindled.
He returned to find her talking to the Magistrate’s guards, just as he expected, but as he came closer, he was surprised to find that Lara was arguing with the guards, telling them that Gri wasn’t a street wolf like they claimed. After the guards left, Gri asked why she had handed the bell to him. When Lara explained that she trusted him as a friend, Gri came clean and told her that he had been trying to swindle her, and that he wasn’t a good person.
However, Lara told him that if he didn’t believe her, then he ought to believe the spirits, explaining that they rarely approached anyone, let alone followed them, unless they were a good person. She added that though she called them ‘kids’, they knew more than her, especially about people’s energy. She explained that the spirits were drawn to positive energy, which was like sunlight to them.
Though Gri tried arguing that the spirits had made a mistake, Lara cited how he had run to catch her when she had been falling off the ladder, how he had offered to teach Rami how to fly her kite, and how he had come back to return the bell. (A/N: Lara is the greatest idea that Nexon has come up with in years. I’m so tired of all the generic, edgy classes in the game and Lara is like a breath of fresh air in contrast. I absolutely love her innocence and positivity, and her relationship with Gri is adorably cute.)
As Gri wondered himself why he had returned, Lara asked him why he didn’t hide his Anima features, explaining that her grandmother had taught her how to hide them, as they could sometimes scare people. Gri told her that he knew how to hide them, but he added that he didn’t care if people saw, as they already called him ‘street wolf’. Lara then wondered how else they could look into the bell, as the merchant didn’t know anything. Gri told her that the town had an antique shop, though there was a mountain of knickknacks to look through.
They arrived at Granny Dume’s antique shop, where Granny Dume confused Gri for his brother, Gru. She asked him if he was still trying to take back the antique that the Magistrate had stolen, to which Gri reminded her that he wasn’t Gru. While looking around the shop, Lara accidentally broke a bowl. To make up for it, Granny Dume asked them to find a toy that she had bought for her son.
They found the toy amidst the Flower Wing monsters, but Gri noted that the toy was quite old. They returned to the shop, only to find her adult son, Naru, behind the counter. Naru explained that he had asked for the toy when he had been a kid, but his mother had lost it shortly before his birthday. To apologize for the confusion, Naru allowed them to pick anything from the shop, free of charge.
While searching the shop, Lara and Gri encountered sun spirits, who presented a book to Lara. They opened the book, entitled “The History of Mysticants”, which had several pages torn out. From what they could make out, mysticants had been left in the world as a result of an unknown influence. They came in all shapes and sizes, making it difficult for ordinary people to recognize them, and according to the authors of the book, mysticants existed independently of the authors’ wills.
The bell mysticant, however, had been created by the authors to embody their will and purpose, though the rest of the book was too torn to learn more about it. They also found a note signed from the Merchant Prince of the Back Alleys, who had written that he had borrowed the missing pages. (A/N: It’s heavily suggested that the author of the book is either one of the elders or researchers of Odium.)
As they left the shop, Gri found it odd that Granny Dume couldn’t remember him, even though she had been able to remember a much more distant memory of her son’s toy. (A/N: Several other people whom we’d helped in earlier quests also seem to be suffering from unusual gaps in their memory, such as Rami’s mother not remembering that she used to fly kites with her daughter, as well as Silvergrass being unable to recall what his wife’s brooch looked like.)
While walking through town, they encountered the Magistrate, who demanded that Gri pay his dues. As Lara argued with the Magistrate, several river spirits drenched the Magistrate, as well as the contract which he had made with Gri.
Furious, the Magistrate ordered his guards to arrest them. As Gri and Lara ran from the guards, a woman named Hannah helped them by hiding them in her studio. Hannah lied to the Magistrate that she hadn’t seen the two, to which the Magistrate reminded her of their agreement, and that, as her art patron, he expected a new painting soon. After he left, Gri and Lara came out and thanked her.
As Lara marveled at her paintings, Hannah invited them to come visit whenever they wanted. After they left, the guards found them once again and the pair spent the next several days running and hiding. During their misadventures, the Magistrate visited Hannah and threatened her to finish her paintings on time. She reminded them of her deal to only use one person per month for her plans, to which the Magistrate grudgingly agreed and left. (A/N: More on this later.)
Soon after, Lara and Gri ran into the three thugs whom they had met at the outskirts of town, who pledged their loyalty to them, recognizing Lara and Gri as the only two people to have crossed the Magistrate and gotten away with it. They explained that they had been inspired to rebel against the Magistrate and wanted Lara and Gri to lead them. Gri immediately protested, claiming that he was a lone wolf, and that he planned to leave the village once his debts were paid.
Lara then remembered that they also owed a debt to Hannah and decided to visit her studio in order to thank her. There, Hannah told them a bit about the Magistrate’s visit earlier, and how he had threatened to tear all her paintings to shreds, since he wasn’t satisfied by her latest work. Upon learning that Hannah had run out of paint, Lara offered to help collect the ingredients that she used to make it.
As Lara headed out, Gri told her that he would go on his own to collect some of the ingredients, as he worked faster alone. While Gri collected white petals, Lara collected pink and yellow petals from the Flower Field Bunnies and Flower Drift Bunnies. Soon after, Lara returned to the studio, but found that Gri had not yet returned.
As Lara watched Hannah paint, Hannah explained that she had been friends with Gri’s father, who used to be a calligrapher with excellent brushwork. After he died, the Magistrate had called ‘back taxes’ on his estate and had taken everything that Gri and Gru had. Gru had been determined to recover a particular keepsake that the Magistrate had stolen, and so he had worked for Hannah in order to earn enough money to buy it back.
When Lara asked if the brothers had been able to recover the keepsake, Hannah told her that soon after, Gri had had the worst day of his life when Gru had suddenly disappeared with all the money that they had, leaving Gri alone in debt. After hearing Hannah’s story, Lara felt a surge of emotion and decided to go after Gri, who had just finished collecting all the white petals.
Lara ran into him on his way back to town and told him that the reason why she believed in people was because her grandmother had once told her that as long as she held her faith, people would pull through in the way that she trusted them to. She promised Gri that the next time he was in trouble, she would help him through it.
Just then, they were approached by the three thugs, who presented a business proposal in order to make money. To Gri’s surprise, Lara seemed interested in the proposal, and when he asked why she needed the money, she explained that it was a secret. After learning that the thugs were attempting to swindle others, she told them to find a legitimate way to earn money. As they respected Lara for defying the Magistrate, the thugs readily agreed.
After the thugs left, Gri called Lara out for her naivety, explaining that morality wasn’t black and white, as he and the other thugs swindled people in order to survive, rather than because they didn’t know better. Lara acknowledged that she had been born in a happy home, but added that she was willing to learn about Gri’s hardships if he explained. Uncomfortable from Lara’s forwardness, Gri brushed it off, claiming that she didn’t need to hear his sob story and walked off. As Lara began to chase after him, she noticed a commotion on the street and rushed over, thinking that Gri was involved.
At the town square, Lara found the Magistrate and his guards threatening Arisol and her daughter, Rami, the girl whose kite had been stuck on the roof. The Magistrate gave Arisol one final warning to pay her taxes. After he left, Lara approached Arisol and asked if she was in trouble. Arisol explained that the Magistrate levied exorbitant taxes on the townspeople, and that if they were unpaid, he would take their homes and kick them out to the back alleys. When Lara asked how she could help, Arisol asked her to defeat the Sprout Silkworms and Flower Wings, as they were stealing from the townspeople. After helping Arisol, Lara continued to search for Gri.
Some time after Lara left to search for him, Gri arrived at the town square and encountered Arisol and Rami. Arisol thanked Gri for helping Rami with her kite and added that even Lara had helped them a while back. She also apologized on behalf of the town for rejecting Gri, telling him that it wasn’t his fault for what had happened to him.
She explained that the town was afraid of the Magistrate, and so no one had reached out to care for him when he had been left alone. Gri was suddenly reminded of Lara’s words about trusting others and the promise that she had made to him about helping him when he was in trouble. However, he shook off the memory and wondered why he was suddenly remembering it.
After heading to the back alleys, he ran into the thugs, who told him that they wanted to give up swindling others and to get back their original livelihoods before the Magistrate had kicked them to the streets. Gri told them that if they wanted their old lives back, they needed to take it for themselves, as they couldn’t expect someone else to stand up for them. As he made his way back to the town street, he ran into the Magistrate, who began to insult Gri and his brother.
Just then, Lara arrived and told Gri that she had learned a new trick from the Mountain Kids. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake as Lara commanded the land spirits to shake the ground, causing the guards to retreat in fear. However, the earthquake abruptly stopped when the Mountain Kids fell asleep, making Lara sheepishly realize that she still needed to practice maintaining her connection to the spirits.
However, she revealed that she had snuck the thugs and many of the townspeople through Hannah’s studio, all of whom suddenly appeared and began standing up to the Magistrate. Furious, the Magistrate ordered Gri to call off the mob in exchange for telling him where to find his father’s keepsake. However, Gri refused, telling him that he wouldn’t allow the Magistrate to pull any more strings. The Magistrate then threatened Lara, claiming that she had no right to meddle as an outsider. Lara then pointed out that the land was all connected, meaning that she couldn’t ignore injustice, no matter where it happened. (A/N: This reminded me of the MLK quote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”)
Suddenly, a river spirit appeared from the Magistrate’s clothes and Lara revealed that she had created the earthquake as a distraction so that the spirit could steal the Magistrate’s storage key. After the Magistrate was chased out of town, Lara and Gri went to the Magistrate’s storage room, though Gri told her that the keepsake wouldn’t be there, as the Magistrate had made it sound as though it was hidden somewhere else when they had chased him out of town. However, he noted with disgust how many treasures the Magistrate had stolen in his never-ending greed.
Lara told him that her grandmother used to say that such greed happened when wishes turned into obsession. When Gri asked how one could know when that line had been crossed, Lara explained that it happened when one started wishing that things would go better for them over others. Gri then asked Lara what she would wish for, to which she told him that she would wish for him to be free.
When Gri pointed out that they had already made it happen by chasing the Magistrate out of town, Lara decided that her wish would then be to make the hopes and dreams of the people who wanted the bell to ring to come true. She then realized that they ought to tell Hannah about what had happened, but Gri told her to go on ahead, as he wanted to help Lara learn more about the bell, since she had been too busy helping him. Once Lara left, Gri continued searching the storage room. One scroll in particular kept catching his eye, though he dismissed it as part of the Magistrate’s collection.
At the Dalbourde Studio, Lara thanked Hannah for allowing the townspeople to secretly pass through her studio in order to drive the Magistrate away. Hannah told Lara that thanks to her, she would be able to paint at her own pace and asked if Lara could help her with it by collecting a special type of water from Sunlight-Seeking Spheres in the back alleys.
After bringing her the water, Hannah asked if Lara had learned more about the bell. Lara told Hannah that the bell was a special type of mysticant, which intrigued her. Just then, Lara remembered the note in the book that she had found and decided to investigate the back alleys. There, she met the sketchy merchant, who told her that he had thrown the missing pages away. Undeterred, Lara hunted down the pages from the Gluey Leaf Flies over the next several days.
(A/N: The next scene with Gri and Hannah mentions that Lara has been out for a few days and this is the only place where I could see her spending time, since everything else is just dialogue, which is why I mention that it took several days.)
After finding all the pages, Lara glued them together and realized that there was an extra page from another book, which she held onto.
(A/N: For the longest time, I had no idea why that extra page was mentioned when it doesn’t play a role in her class story. Way after initially writing this section, someone on the lore server played through Burning Cernium on Lara and we find out that this page actually came from a book written in the Cernium Royal Library about the war between the Adversaries and the Ancient Gods.)
With the book restored, Lara learned that any sickness caused by a mysticant could only be cured by another mysticant, for which the bell had been created in order to react to other mysticants and purify their evils. Lara asked the merchant if he knew more about mysticants, since he had taken the book, but he replied that it was a secret. Lara then went after Gri, and as she left, the merchant breathed a sigh of relief that Lara was no longer around to keep prodding about his client.
(A/N: It’s not too clear in the GMS translation, but the KMS and MSEA translations make it clear that mysticants are cursed objects, and that the bell mysticant is unique because it was specifically created to destroy them. Lara’s level 200 quest reveals that a group of people known as the Sinners had locked themselves in the realm of the sages as punishment for the crime of having forsaken their humanity, and that only the ringing of the bell can absolve them of their sins.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Odium storyline reveals that the bell was created by the elders of Grandis, who had created cybernetic Adversaries through experimentation in order to fight the Ancient Gods eons ago. As a result of their brutal and unethical experimentation, these Adversaries had their humanity, their emotions, their free will, and their sense of self taken away, leaving them as empty shells obsessed only with fulfilling their assigned purpose.
The elders called this phenomenon ‘contamination’, which slowly began spreading to them and the researchers of Odium. In order to undo this contamination, the elders created the bell mysticant and locked themselves in the realm of the sages, after which they became known as the Sinners for committing atrocities against their Adversaries.
Although the concept of mysticants and the Sinners were both introduced in Lara’s storyline, the concept of mysticants themselves seems to have been completely forgotten by the writers, as they only ever talk about the bell undoing the contamination in future storylines. They never explain where any other mysticants came from and outside of Lara’s class story, we never hear the word ‘mysticant’ again.)
Back in the studio, Gri asked Hannah if she had seen Lara. Hannah mentioned that Lara had been out for a few days, likely trying to find a way to ring the bell. She also confided to Gri that Lara seemed to be obsessed with the bell, and that she seemed to be trying to hide it from Gri. He dismissed her concerns, claiming that Lara was an open book, to which Hannah told him that he should come to the studio that night, as Lara had something special planned.
Some time after Gri left, Lara arrived and told Hannah that the bell reacted to evil mysticants. When Lara asked if Gri was okay, Hannah told her that Gri was planning to leave town soon and suggested that she leave him alone, as he had been through a lot. Hannah then told her that she had an idea on how to ring the bell and asked Lara to come later that evening. When Lara arrived later on, Hannah showed her a paintbrush, with which the bell was subtly resonating. Hannah told her that the bell’s resonance meant that the brush was an evil mysticant, and so they needed to destroy it.
She asked Lara to set fire to the brush while holding onto the bell, explaining that it would destroy the mysticant. Just then, Gri arrived and was shocked to find Lara burning the paintbrush, which was actually his father’s keepsake. Devastated and furious at Lara’s apparent betrayal, he stormed off, upset at himself for believing in Lara’s speeches about trust.
After Gri left, Lara felt utterly alone and realized that even the spirits had abandoned her. Hannah explained that because Lara’s heart had been broken and she had lost her innocence, the land spirits would not be drawn to her, as they only appeared before the pure of heart. She then revealed that the brush was completely unharmed, as mysticants couldn’t be destroyed in such a manner, and that the brush had the power to gouge out happy memories and paint them on a canvas.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
While mysticants haven’t really been touched upon in future Grandis content, the fact that the bell can cleanse the energies of other mysticants makes me believe that evil mysticants have the same magical contamination that affected the elders and their Adversaries. The contamination erased their humanity, including their memories and emotions, and the idea of extracting happy memories and painting them on a canvas sounds similar to this idea, which might mean that evil mysticants were created by someone who was afflicted with contamination.)
Due to her arrangement with the Magistrate, she would take a memory from one person every month in order to paint it for the Magistrate, which was why so many people in town were missing crucial memories. Back in the village, Gri was brooding when the spirits began to flock around him and drew him towards the antique shop. There, Granny Dume gave him a stuffed wolf doll that he had asked Gru to buy long ago, explaining that Lara had saved up enough money to buy it for him.
Inside the wolf’s mouth, Gri found a letter from Gru, which explained that the reason why Gru had been trying so hard to find the keepsake was because he had realized that the brush was an evil mysticant that needed to be destroyed. Realizing that Lara hadn’t betrayed him, he rushed to the Magistrate’s storage room, where he opened the scroll that had caught his eye earlier. Inside, he found a painting of himself and Gru playing with the land spirits. Gri realized that the fact that he remembered that moment was because it had come from Gru’s memory, meaning that his brother hadn’t abandoned him, but rather, he had been kidnapped by the Magistrate and Hannah.
Gri rushed back to the studio, where Hannah was demanding that Lara give her the bell. Just then, Gri arrived with the spirits and reaffirmed his trust in Lara, who realized that the spirits hadn’t left her heart, but that her heart had left them. Having made her heart whole once again through her renewed faith, Lara regained her affinity with the spirits and used her powers to fight Hannah. However, the evil energies of the mysticant strengthened Hannah, who easily defeated both Lara and Gri.
As Hannah moved to kill them both, Lara offered herself and all her happy memories in exchange for Gri’s life. Realizing that Lara had countless happy memories, as well as the fact that she was an outsider whom no one would ask around for, Hannah eagerly agreed. As Gri tried to stop Lara from sacrificing herself on his behalf, the bell resonated with both their strong desires to put the other forward, causing it to ring with an ethereal note. Its warm glow destroyed the brush mysticant and erased both Hannah and all of her paintings.
The next morning, Lara and Gri walked through town as Gri explained that his brother had gone to pay the Magistrate when he had been kidnapped for Hannah’s paintings. However, he told her that he was ready to let his brother go and asked where Lara would go next. (A/N: I really hope that Gru is actually alive. All the others people in the village whose memories were taken are still alive, but the fact that he was kidnapped might mean that all his happy memories were taken one by one until he either died or was left an empty shell.)
Lara explained that though she wasn’t sure, she was confident that traveling would help her uncover the mystery of the bell. She asked Gri if he would come with her, but he replied that he wasn’t sure what his purpose was with his newfound freedom and asked for some time to figure it out before he reunited with her.
After saying their goodbyes, Lara continued on her way when she encountered the shady merchant, who hailed her the Hero of Narin. He told her that the Shadowdealers knew nearly everything that happened in Grandis, and so they would likely be able to help her with the bell. He gave her a letter of introduction and directed her to Savage Terminal in order to meet with Gen.
As she headed out of town, the merchant’s client, Kaling, appeared and told him that his actions had disrupted her plans. (A/N: I’m guessing that Kaling learned that the brush was a mysticant and wanted to collect it before it was destroyed. She probably blames him because he gave Lara information about mysticants, which led to the paintbrush’s destruction.) However, she told him that she was willing to change the deal and asked if the bell was a mysticant. The merchant told her that he couldn’t divulge his clients’ information, though Kaling bribed him into revealing everything he knew about Lara and the bell.
Lara soon arrived in Savage Terminal and met with Coney, who introduced her to Cadena. Upon showing her the letter of introduction, Cadena grew furious and used her chain to tear it up, telling Coney that the letter was a contract with Mr. Hazard. Suddenly Gen arrived and diffused the situation.
After Cadena stormed off, Gen apologized for her behavior and explained that there had been a recent power struggle between the Shadowdealers, and though Gen had tried to clean up afterwards, the letter had seemed to slip by them. He took her back to his hideout, where he explained that Cadena was angry because Mr. Hazard had attempted a terrorist attack on the city. As the Shadowdealers dealt in equal transactions, he offered to tell her anything that she wanted to know as reparation for Cadena’s behavior.
Lara asked about the state of Grandis and learned that the Anima had vanished. She also learned about the Transcendents of Grandis, as well as the Overseers, who were said to have created the three worlds. Additionally, Gen told her about the Interdimensional Portal that led to Maple World, where Lara hoped to learn more about the bell. When Lara asked if he knew about the bell, Gen told her that their trade didn’t cover restricted information, as it was beyond the scope of their equal transaction. When he offered to sell the information at an exorbitant price, Lara told him that she didn’t have that kind of money and thanked him for his help.
She then went to Pantheon, where Tear and Kyle met her at the outskirts at Fenelle’s instructions. (A/N: I call her Tear here because she isn’t in her Angelic Buster form.) They escorted her to the Great Temple, where Fenelle looked into Lara’s heart in order to determine whether she was worthy of using the Interdimensional Portal. Fenelle sensed that Lara had a strong will and fully trusted others, which she considered to be both admirable and rare.
Having passed Fenelle’s test, Lara arrived in Maple World, where she was greeted by Grendel the Really Old, who had sensed the energy of her mysticant and invited her to Ellinia, as he was studying similar powers there. After she presented the bell, Grendel thought to himself that the bell had been crafted in antiquity by an ancient deity or something comparable. He then offered to introduce her to Athena Pierce in Henesys, who could help her on her journey. Athena suggested helping others during her travels in order to gain more experience with Maple World. (A/N: Athena gives the standard talk about the four theme dungeons.)
Some time after she began her journey, a sun spirit brought her a letter from Gri, who told her his theory that the bell had rung because of their willingness to sacrifice themselves, rooted in the thought that each was more important than the other. This understanding helped her grow closer to the spirits, thus increasing her powers.
Wind of Vengeance:
(A/N: I was surprised that they decided to have Khali’s storyline take place on continental Grandis, rather than a moon like all other classes. Grandis has thirteen moons, and at the time of Lara’s release, we knew about the existence of seven of them. With there being six unreleased Grandis classes before the Savior update - the Nova magician, the Flora thief and bowman, and the Anima warrior, bowman, and pirate, I’d assumed that each of them would’ve start out on the six unreleased moons, since Nexon has been treating the moons as starter worlds.
Ever since the release of Cernium, Nexon has been treating continental Grandis as a high-level area for the Adversary storyline. However, it does make sense that we would get Flora classes who start out on continental Grandis, since the planet is the Flora homeworld. We can also be almost certain that Ark and Adele were both born on the planet Grandis as well.
Khali’s story provides a lot of new information about the High Flora and hints at a much more in-depth exploration of continental Grandis in the future. Her hometown, Erimos, is said to be one of six different cities in the High Flora nation, and we’ll likely see the other five in future content. Erimos is an Ancient Greek word that means ‘desert', which lines up with the desert setting of the area, but it also means ‘isolation’ or ‘lonely’, which matches the somber tone of Khali’s storyline.
For those who are wondering about how Sacred Power fits into Khali’s story, the lore behind it is that a strange, oppressive aura had settled over certain areas of continental Grandis, which interfered with the manifestation of one’s innate skills. In order to counteract that aura, the researchers of Cernium had created Sacred Symbols containing Sacred Power, which lets us fight at our usual strength again.
That strange aura began settling over Grandis shortly after the death of the Black Mage, which is when the Ancient Gods began reawakening with the Transcendents’ influence over them waning. Because Khali’s storyline is set many years before the events of Tenebris and Convergence, that oppressive aura hasn’t appeared yet, which means that there’s no need for us to have Sacred Power.
Before I get into the story, there’s one important thing that I need to mention as a disclaimer. The Flora have a caste system based on magical power, with the God-King on top, followed by the Gods, the Priests, and the commoners. The Gods described in this section aren’t actually deities in any capacity. ‘God’ is a lofty title that they gave themselves in order for them to assert their superiority over ‘lesser’ life forms, including the Flora of lower castes.
The Priests of the High Flora view the God-King and the Gods as these larger-than-life figures, which is probably what the High Flora elites were going for when they created the names for the caste system. In real life, priests both worship the gods and serve as religious leaders amongst normal people by interpreting and preaching the gods’ divine mandate.
This model is precisely how the Flora caste system works, in which Priests are deferent to the Gods, while still maintaining some level of authority over the commoners. And if the Gods are seen as these all-powerful beings, then the God-King is almost incomprehensibly powerful if he exists as the god of gods. In Darmoor’s case, he quite literally is a god, or at least on the same level as one, by being the Transcendent of Life.
On top of it being a cultural thing to worship the Gods of the Flora, we can also see Flora classes actually deriving power from them in their Hyper Skill, Divine Wrath. The skill description for it is, “Borrows strength from the ancient god of the Flora”, which is likely a reference to people like the God of the Verdant Flora, as well as other Gods from before the Flora Civil War.
When GMS localized this storyline, it took a lot of liberties with changing up a lot of the original KMS names and terms. The biggest offender of this was the fact that they renamed ‘God’ to ‘Divine’ and ‘Priest’ to ‘Blessed’. I can’t begin to tell you how much I hate the fact that they did this. God and Priest have been used consistently in the game ever since Illium’s release, and having this second naming system being invented out of nowhere adds so much confusion to stuff that’s already been established.
Under this naming system, things like the God of the Verdant Flora make no sense because his name should’ve been the Divine of the Verdant Flora instead. GMS tried to reconcile this discrepancy by insinuating that other regions outside Erimos might use Gods and Priests, which also makes no sense because the High Flora live in a fascist nation where nationalism is heavily emphasized and everything is branded and standardized under one system defined by the central government.
The likely reason why changing God to Divine was made is to clear up the confusion of the game constantly reusing the term ‘god’ for things like the Ancient Gods, the Goddesses of the three worlds, the Fox God, the Slime God, Goddess Rhinne, Goddess Minerva, etc, and while I agree that it’s ridiculously convoluted, it’s not supposed to be GMS’ job to be the one to fix it.
I wouldn’t blame GMS at all for sticking with God, no matter how confusing it is, because they’re just translating something that KMS dropped the ball on, but when GMS randomly starts trying to do stuff in their attempts to fix things, it adds another layer of confusion by inventing lore that doesn’t exist, making everyone who doesn’t play in KMS confused on which parts are canon and which aren’t.
Now, people who didn’t do the one optional side quest for Khali that insinuates the idea of God and Priest being different naming systems might start wondering who the Gods of the Flora are in other storylines, and since GMS never explained that God in the context of the Flora is supposed to refer to the caste system, anyone who didn’t do Illium’s story is gonna start thinking that they’re actual gods or something, and that’s gonna make everyone even more confused by how inconsistent everything’s now been made. For this reason, I’m gonna continue using the old naming system of God and Priest because it would be stupid to start using Divine and Blessed just in this section and nowhere else.)
Near the outskirts of Erimos, a city in continental Grandis, a High Flora Priest named Laiyan attempted to arrest a commoner named Tasha for repeatedly attacking several Priests, whom he called her ‘betters’. When Tasha claimed that Syamans between High Flora were justified, Laiyan replied that Syamans was reserved only for Priests and Gods. However, Tasha retorted by asking why they they had all agreed to fight her if the restrictions on Syamans were so strict, and why they had all lost if they really were her ‘betters’.
(A/N: The explanation for Syamans was given at a later point in the actual story, but I’ll include it here for the sake of clarity. A Syaman is an honorable duel between High Flora. After swearing to compete fairly in the name of the God-King, the two challengers face each other in a magical showdown. A Syaman between two Priests is mainly just for entertainment or showing off, but a Syaman between a Priest and a God is what determines caste rank. Because a Priest challenging a God - a person of higher caste rank - is considered to be a valiant act, a God is obligated to answer to that challenge accordingly.)
Tasha then challenged Laiyan to face her in a Syaman. Upon seeing his anger at her insolence, she laughed and asked if he was afraid of losing to a commoner like herself, who had no magical powers. Laiyan replied that she had grown quite arrogant for winning against a few Priests, claiming that anyone could become a Priest if they had even a drop of magic inside them.
He then claimed that his magic was on a much different level from the Priests whom she had encountered, and that no matter how talented she was at martial fighting, there was no way that a commoner with no magical power could defeat him. Tasha replied that if he was so confident, then he wouldn’t have a problem agreeing to face her in a Syaman.
Laiyan accepted her challenge and immediately moved to attack, though Tasha dodged his sword strike by leaping into the air and jumping atop a rock formation. Laiyan continued pursuing and attacking, but to his surprise, Tasha appeared behind him and held a Chakram to his throat before laughing that a member of the Zealous - the Lord’s Guard - wasn’t much of a challenge after all.
(A/N: The fight between Laiyan and Tasha showed an interesting detail with the way that the Flora fight. Laiyan initially doesn’t open his wings while fighting Tasha, but he does after Tasha initially dodges his attack. Ark’s storyline explained that the Flora only fight at a fraction of their magical capacity while their wings are closed. Laiyan’s fight with Tasha is actually the first time that we’ve seen a High Flora open their wings while battling somebody. We’ve seen Albaire and Veronica open their wings before, but that was because they were flying, not fighting.
My understanding of Flora wings in combat is that opening your wings is essentially allowing the magic inside your body to flare up and manifest externally. Constantly channeling magical energy through your wing conduits is extremely stressful on the body, which is why the Flora typically only open their wings when it’s absolutely necessary.
The only time that we’ve seen full-on combat using fully-open wings was during the Flora Civil War in the Grandis webcomic, which necessitated full power, since it was a tooth-and-nail fight to the death. We’ve also seen what happens in the case when a Flora’s magical conduits get overloaded, as Adele’s wings were said to have shorted out from excessive expenditure of magical energy during the coup against the God-King.
The only cases where we’ve seen wings being fully open continuously is with the Verdant Flora, who likely have mechanical support for their conduits, as well as Darmoor, who has the largest wingspan ever seen. The fact that he has such large wings that expend a tremendous amount of energy, that he keeps them open for no other reason than because he can, and that he can do so with no adverse consequences to his conduits is a testament to his immense power and control, which no one except a Transcendent would be able to pull off.
On another note, it seems that the intensity of color might also correspond to magical power. Albaire has fairly light-red colored wings, while Laiyan and Veronica have solid-red wings. I’d even argue that Veronica’s shade of red is a bit darker than Laiyan’s, which makes sense, given that it’s possible that Veronica is an Apostle of Darmoor, while Laiyan is just an aide to one.)
Tasha then asked if he was beginning to question the caste system after seeing that she was much stronger than him. She explained that he was a Priest because he had been born with magical powers, and that she was a commoner because she hadn’t. However, she claimed that even if she had been born with magic, she would have been killed, not made into a Priest, simply because she would have been born with magic to two commoners.
She then asked Laiyan whether he truly thought that it was right, though Laiyan merely claimed that she had won through trickery. However, Tasha replied that she hadn’t used any tricks, and that he had lost simply because he was that much weaker than her. As the Zealots began rushing to the scene, Tasha laughed that luck seemed to be on his side before fleeing.
Tasha then returned back to her home, where her husband, Jad, told her that Kinan had brought them a crib from their friend, a High Priest named Anan. (A/N: When Khali’s storyline came out in the KMS test server, it was suggested that High Priest is a subdivision within the Priests in order to distinguish them from the weaker Priests who barely hold any magical power. However, this implication was removed in the live server, and so ‘High Priest’ just seems to be a position now, rather than a caste.) Tasha immediately told Jad that they couldn’t accept Anan’s gift, as the people wouldn’t be happy if they heard about a Priest congratulating a commoner on her pregnancy with a gift.
Jad joked that she sounded like a Priest before explaining that they needed the crib, as business wasn’t good lately. He told Tasha that there were rumors circulating that they were married and explained that while the commoners supported them, it was mainly the Priests – whom she regularly fought – who bought the weapons that they sold at their shop. Tasha began to apologize, though Jad told her not to be sorry, explaining that he was proud of her, and that he believed that she was doing the right thing. However, he asked her not to push herself too hard, now that she was pregnant.
One year later, Tasha grew deathly pale as she neared the end of her labor. As Jad and Tasha’s friend, Kinan, waited patiently, Jad’s mother, Ritan, told Jad that Tasha was calling for him. Jad and Kinan rushed to her side, where they were shocked to find her severely weak. Though it was difficult for her to speak, Tasha explained that she could feel magic inside her womb.
Kinan immediately realized that they needed to remove the baby right away, explaining that she had once read a book about mutations, which explained that when a commoner gave birth to a mutant - a commoner child inexplicably born with magic - the mother would be unable to handle the child’s magical power during birth, which would result in her death.
Jad asked Kinan whether removing the baby would allow Tasha to live. Kinan explained that Flora babies with magical powers would open their wings at birth, meaning that Tasha would survive if they could remove the baby before that, though she warned that the baby would die in the process. After struggling to make a decision, Jad told Kinan to remove the baby. However, a weak Tasha begged him to save the child instead, as she wanted it to be safe and happy.
Jad reluctantly agreed to heed Tasha’s wishes and allowed her to deliver the child, which spread its magical wings at birth and killed her in the process. As Jad began mourning Tasha, Kinan told him to pull himself together, reminding him that the child was still in danger, as mutants were killed at birth for having ‘impure’ magic. Kinan suggested that they take the baby and flee Erimos, adding that it was their opportunity to fulfill Tasha’s wishes.
At Jad’s confusion, Kinan explained that the very fact that the child was born with magic was symbolic. She noted that even two commoners could create a child with magical wings and pointed out that rather than the child being a mutant, it was proof that even commoners had magic deep inside their bodies. She explained that once the child grew up, it would carry on Tasha’s legacy to overthrow the caste system. With the child spearheading their cause, Kinan believed that they would be able to find others who shared their beliefs.
When Jad asked about the child’s safety, Kinan promised that she would protect it, despite the danger of it being discovered. Jad then conceded that their society was flawed, and that both she and Tasha had gone through many hardships fighting against those injustices, having almost lost their lives many times. However, he explained that she had come close to death many times, and that she was destined to live a life in hiding. He told her that he didn’t want that kind of life for his child, and that Tasha wouldn’t have wanted it either.
He then asked her whether there was a way for the child to live an ordinary, safe life. Kinan warned Jad that though there was a way, he might never see his child again. Jad replied that as long as his child was happy, he was fine with it. Kinan then explained that Tasha had once saved the life of Anan - the High Priest who had gifted them the crib. As Anan owed his life to Tasha, Kinan him that Anan would take the child in.
Soon after, at Anan’s residence, a servant named Nile informed Anan that a guest had arrived. Anan, whose wife was in labor, ordered him to send them away. However, upon learning that the guest had brought Tasha’s child, Anan believed that with his own child about to be born, it had to be fate, and so he ordered Nile to make an announcement that his wife had given birth to twins. Tasha’s daughter, Khali, and Anan’s daughter, Rasha, were then raised together as twin sisters. Over the years, the girls grew up together and became extremely close, with Rasha looking up to Khali as an older sister.
(A/N: Given the fact that the Flora age a lot slower than humans, which we can see from Illium being a teenager at 153 years old, Khali and Rasha must’ve grown up over the course of centuries, and since their story takes place in the present day, it means that Khali’s birth happened during the Flora Civil War, which ended just decades before the present.
GMS created a lot of confusion by stating that Khali was 17 years old at the time of her story beginning, which takes place over the course of two years, leaving her as 19 when she arrives in Maple World. This line doesn’t exist anywhere in KMS, and I’m honestly at a loss for why they felt the need to make up something that’s not canon and present it as though it is.
It’s not strictly an impossibility that Khali could’ve been 17 at the time of her story starting, as Illium’s storyline reveals that Illium built Ex when he was 11, suggesting that the Flora very quickly go through their infancy and start aging much more slowly as they get older. But the problem is that GMS chose to say that Khali was 17 to replace the original KMS line, which mentioned that she had received an item on the day that she had become an adult.
Even if it’s possible for Khali to have physically been an adolescent at 17, Illium being 153 is said to be the age of a teenager by Flora standards. There’s absolutely no way that 17 could be the age of majority when Illium is still a teenager after being a century-and-a-half-years-old. I get the reasoning behind why GMS thought to say that she’s 17, but I wish that they’d just stick to translating things as closely to the original source material as possible so that they don’t create phantom continuity errors in GMS that don’t exist in KMS.)
Over the years, the girls grew up together and became extremely close, with Rasha looking up to Khali as an older sister. One day, on Khali and Rasha’s birthday, Khali awoke and greeted her father, who told her that he wanted to take her somewhere. When Khali told him that she would wake Rasha up, Anan told her that it would just be the two of them, claiming that it was because it was Khali’s birthday when she asked him why. Though Khali pointed out that it was also Rasha’s birthday, Anan remained insistent that it would just be the two of them. Anan then took Khali to Jad’s weapon shop.
(A/N: We find out later in her fourth job advancement that Anan brought Khali alone because he wanted Jad to meet his birth daughter, whom he hadn’t seen since she was born.)
There, Jad presented Khali with the Chakrams that Anan had requested as her birthday present, as Khali was training for the Test of Faith - the entrance exam for the Zealous. As Khali was the daughter of a well-respected High Priest, Jad offered a gift of his own and presented her with a white scarf. Khali noted that it was beautiful and thanked him before asking if he had another scarf that she could give to her sister. Jad explained that the scarf which he had given her was the only one of its kind, though he presented her with a blue scarf, which Khali graciously accepted.
Khali then decided to test her new weapons by defeating the Sloppy Marauders outside the city. After practicing, she returned home and greeted Rasha, who had just woken up. She gave the blue scarf to Rasha, who noted that it was similar to the white one that Khali was wearing. Khali explained that she had hoped to get matching scarves, though there had only been one of the white ones. Upon seeing that Rasha liked the white scarf better, Khali immediately gave it to her and took the blue scarf instead, claiming that she would give Rasha anything that she wished for.
After exchanging birthday wishes, Khali decided to continue training, as the Test of Faith was fast approaching. She then left the city and fought the Ferocious Marauders before returning home to check on Rasha’s training. There, Rasha explained that she had tried changing her weapon just as Khali had, though she admitted that she felt like she was merely wasting her time. She then asked whether they could spar together, as it had been a while since they had last fought.
Rasha was dissuaded when Khali easily won and wondered whether she would be able to join the Zealous. Though Khali reassured her that she would, Rasha pointed out that even if she did get in, everyone amongst the Zealous would be just as strong as Khali, which made her wonder whether she would fit in.
Khali then reminded her of the day that they had begun dreaming of becoming part of the Zealous. Many years ago, Khali and Rasha had been attacked by marauders outside the city when Ypsilon, the Lord of Erimos, had saved them. Khali had thanked Ypsilon and asked how they could repay him, as they had been taught by their father that the world revolved around reciprocity.
Ypsilon had laughed and told them that if they wished to reciprocate, then they would need to perform an act of equal value. As he had protected them, he had told them that it would suffice if they protected him in return, though he added that they would only be able to do so once they became stronger and more mature. Khali had then asked him for his name, which he had given before walking away.
Khali reminded Rasha of how much they had grown to respect Ypsilon, and how they had promised to repay him for his kindness. She then told Rasha that she believed that the strength of one’s willpower was much more important than physical strength, and that their respect for Ypsilon and their determination to protect the people of Erimos was all that Rasha needed, promising that they would only get stronger in the future. Her spirits lifted, Rasha agreed that they would definitely join the Zealous together.
On the day of the Test of Faith, Rasha and Khali arrived at the testing area, where they read the rules of the examination. They learned that the exam would follow the same regulations as a Syaman, and that only the winners from each of the two testing groups would be appointed to the Zealous. Rasha nervously told Khali that she had never fought in a Syaman before and asked whether she would be okay. Khali reassured her that most of the Priests in the city were new to Syamans as well.
She explained that with Ypsilon having such powerful magic, there was no one fearless enough in the city to challenge him. (A/N: Ypsilon is a God of the High Flora.) However, she vowed that she would one day challenge him herself. Rasha noted that though Khali was stronger than her, she would surely lose, adding that she might even get badly hurt. Khali admitted that she probably would, though she explained that she wasn’t challenging him because she had confidence that she would win, but because she wanted to show him how much she respected him so that she could earn his praise, for which she wasn’t afraid of getting hurt.
They then headed into the examination area, where Rasha was relieved to know that she was in a different block from Khali, as she doubted that she could win against her sister. Khali and Rasha then proceeded to dominate the brackets until Khali faced a boy named Shaheen in the finals. Shaheen recognized Khali as Anan’s daughter and explained that he was curious whether she had inherited her father’s strength. Promising that he wouldn’t hold back, he and Khali fought in a final Syaman, which Khali easily won.
Laiyan, the captain of the Zealous, then congratulated Khali on her victory, noting that her speed, in particular, was commendable, as he had only once met someone as fast as her. (A/N: Laiyan is the Zealot who had fought against Khali’s mother, Tasha, at the beginning of the story.) Khali asked if that person had been a Zealot, though Laiyan quickly changed the subject and handed her a uniform to put on before her appointment ceremony.
Laiyan and Khali then entered the palace, where Khali was pleasantly surprised to find that Rasha had also been selected for the Zealous. Laiyan was impressed to learn that they were both sisters, pointing out that they had matching scarves, and noted that their parents must be honored. In the audience room, Khali and Rasha kneeled before Ypsilon, who asked them to pledge an oath of eternal loyalty to both him and the city of Erimos.
After they pledged themselves to him, Ypsilon recognized them as the children whom he had saved many years ago, explaining that they had stood out to him from the moment that he had seen them. Khali explained that it was only much later after he had saved them that they had learned that he was the Lord of Erimos, adding that they had trained hard to serve him as Zealots and repay their debt.
Ypsilon told them that it was still too early for that, for while they had grown, they still needed to grow even stronger. Rasha replied that they were prepared to risk their lives, but Ypsilon told them not to risk their lives for him, but for their people. After the ceremony, Khali told Rasha that she was surprised that Ypsilon had remembered them. She noted that he was quite dazzling, and that she wanted to get stronger in order to earn his approval. Rasha expressed her confidence that Khali would be able to, though Khali added that Rasha would be able to do it too, and that they would earn his approval together.
The next morning, Khali arrived at the palace in order to begin her first mission as a Zealot. She and Rasha met with Laiyan, who asked them how they felt about their first day. Khali replied that she was excited, while Rasha admitted that she was nervous, causing Laiyan to laugh that they were complete opposites. He then ordered them to defeat the Suspicious Outlaws and Enraged Outlaws outside the city. After they finished their mission, Laiyan congratulated them and asked them to keep growing stronger, adding that he would call on them when the time came.
(A/N: Something that GMS omitted that later gets revealed is that the outlaws and marauders that we fight in this storyline are all members of the other races, which means that Nexon has basically tricked us into committing genocide this entire time. Even though it’s not explicitly stated in GMS, it’s still pretty self-evident from how characters talk in this storyline about holy crusades and conquering territory that all these outlaws and marauders are the natives of this area that the High Flora purged and drove out before seizing their land and property, which forced them to turn to crime in order to survive. Even though they’re described as dangerous criminals, it’s more likely that they’re really just trying to take back what was stolen from them.)
Over the next year, Khali and Rasha continued taking on missions and growing stronger. One day, Laiyan called the two back to the palace. Khali, who had grown frustrated that she had only been assigned monster elimination missions for a year, believed that there had to be a reason that Laiyan had called them back to the palace.
She and Rasha reported to Laiyan, who greeted them and noted that it had been a while since they had last seen each other. He asked whether they had adjusted to the life of a Zealot, noting that they had exceeded his expectations with how many successful missions they had completed over the last year. He reminded them that he had promised to call on them when the time was right, adding that that time was now.
He explained that their missions had been as Initiates, and that in order to become true Zealots, they would need to complete a special, sacred mission. However, he warned them that once they completed the mission and became proper Zealots, there would be no turning back. Khali immediately accepted and nudged a hesitant Rasha into doing the same. Laiyan then ordered them to not only defeat the Menacing Outlaws, but to bring them back alive. Before he headed out, Laiyan reminded them not to forget their oath.
After Laiyan left, Rasha wondered what he had meant between telling them that there was no turning back and to not forget their oath. Khali supposed that it meant that they needed to become even more loyal in order to become proper Zealots. Upon seeing Rasha remain silent, Khali asked her what she was so anxious about. Rasha admitted that she had a bad feeling, to which Khali replied that she worried too much, and that it was just a normal mission, which Rasha hesitantly agreed to.
The two then captured the Menacing Outlaws and returned back to Laiyan, who told them that Ypsilon himself would receive their mission report. At the audience room, Khali reported that they had brought back the enemies alive, just as he had requested. Ypsilon replied that they had done well, after which Rasha cautiously spoke up and told him that she wanted to ask him something, surprising Khali.
Rasha asked Ypsilon why he had asked them to bring in the enemies alive. In response, Ypsilon reminded her that she had sworn her eternal loyalty to him. He then asked her whether she had made that pledge without knowing what that allegiance meant. He explained that allegiance was something that came from the deepest, most sincere part of one’s heart, adding that the fact that she would question her mission made him doubt her sincerity. He then told her that if what she had offered to him that day hadn’t been allegiance, then she should surrender her uniform immediately.
Rasha admitted that she had nothing but the sincerest respect for him, but just as she began voicing the reason for her doubts, Khali interrupted her and told Ypsilon that Rasha’s doubts came from allegiance, swearing that what they had sworn to him that day had been nothing less than the truest feelings that they felt towards him. Satisfied with her answer, Ypsilon then began extracting the life force from the outlaws, shocking both Khali and Rasha.
Rasha immediately began asking him what he was doing, though Khali quickly cut her off. After Ypsilon killed the outlaws, he explained that in their duties as Zealots, they had taken the lives of many of their enemies. He asked them what their reason for doing so was, to which Rasha answered that it was for the safety of their people.
Ypsilon explained that they had killed their enemies for the greater good, and that he was doing the same thing, adding that there was no difference between them slaying their enemies and him extracting the life out of them. He then told them that the dirty work of staining their hands with the blood of the unenlightened was the duty of the Zealous.
He admitted that they might be confused, explaining that they now understood why such missions were kept from the Initiates until they were ready to know. However, he warned them that he wouldn’t be so understanding next time, adding that he hoped that their oath of eternal loyalty would not turn out to be false. Back at home, Rasha asked Khali whether she was planning to stay in the Zealous. When Khali asked her what she meant, Rasha explained that no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t help but believe that it wasn’t right.
Khali asked her in disbelief whether she was planning to quit the Zealous, to which Rasha asked her if she was really going to stay after what she had seen. Khali reminded her what Laiyan had told them about not being able to turn back, as they wouldn’t be permitted to leave the Zealous alive after seeing Ypsilon’s secret. Nevertheless, Rasha told Khali that she was going to quit, causing Khali to ask Rasha if she had lost her mind.
Rasha retorted that Khali was the one who had lost her mind, reminding Khali about her own words - that their determination was what was most important, and that they couldn’t forget those feelings. Khali replied that her allegiance towards Ypsilon and her determination to protect the people hadn’t changed, adding that Ypsilon had been right when he had told them that someone had to kill their enemies for the sake of the people.
Rasha pointed out that merely eliminating the enemies of the city would have sufficed, not extracting out their life force. However, Khali reasoned that they would have been killed either way, and that she didn’t believe it to be a bad thing that their lives had been of some use in the end. In disbelief at Khali’s words, Rasha told her that it wasn’t what she had wanted to do when she had pledged to protect the people, explaining that capturing their enemies alive and extracting their life force was merely Ypsilon’s greed, to which Khali insisted that Ypsilon was a good man.
Rasha asked Khali if she truly believed that, adding that the Zealous that she had longed to join her entire life wasn’t something that would do something so evil. She then told Khali that if she truly had no problem with what they had witnessed, then she was disappointed in her, after which she stormed off.
The next day, Rasha met with Laiyan and told him that she was quitting the Zealous. Laiyan reminded her that she couldn’t leave the Zealous alive after having completed her special mission. Rasha replied that she would rather lose her life than to work for the sake of someone else’s greedy self-interest. A furious Laiyan then drew his sword when Khali rushed in and stood between them.
Laiyan ordered Khali to stand aside, claiming that her sister had chosen her path. However, Khali refused and promised that she would take responsibility for Rasha’s actions, and that in exchange for sparing her sister’s life, she would ensure that Rasha wouldn’t reveal Ypsilon’s secret to anyone. Laiyan put away his blade and told Khali that he would give her an opportunity because he trusted her. He then ordered Khali to tear out Rasha’s wings with her own hands.
An angry Rasha claimed that she would rather die than have her wings removed, to which Laiyan threatened to do just that. Realizing that there was only one way to save her sister’s life, Khali quickly tore Rasha’s wings out. A satisfied Laiyan told her that he would remember her wise judgement and unwavering loyalty before walking away.
Back home, Rasha rushed back to her room and shut the door without a word. That night, however, Rasha came to Khali’s room and explained that she had something to give her. She then handed Khali a box containing her swords. She explained that wings were the symbol and pride of the Flora, and that though her life had been spared, she had lost both of her wings. However, she added that she had not only lost her wings, but Khali herself as a source of her pride.
She explained that Khali had always been her pride and joy as her older sister, and that after their father had given Khali her Chakrams, she had also bought new weapons for herself as well. She told Khali that she had wanted to do the same things as her, for while she may not have lived a long life, she had spent all of it following Khali’s lead.
She admitted that she had always felt a mix of envy and respect for Khali, though those feelings had now all crumbled down. She added that though Khali may have thought that she had saved her life, after losing all her pride, Rasha explained that she might as well have died today. After Rasha left, Khali began sobbing as she clutched the box containing Rasha’s swords, repeating to herself that there was nothing else that she could have done, and attempted to convince herself that she had done the right thing.
(A/N: This is going to be a really hot take, but what Rasha did was honestly such a selfish and poorly thought-out move. Like I get it - what Ypsilon did was horrendous and there’s no possible way that you could ever morally be in the right by continuing to serve him. But you know what’s also terrible? Choosing to die when you didn’t have to and forcing your family to have to live with the trauma of your death for the rest of their lives.
There was a very viable solution right in front of her - she could’ve ran away and gone somewhere that the Zealous wouldn’t find her. Khali did the exact same thing at the end of this story by running away to Maple World, where the High Flora have no presence or jurisdiction. And not only that, but she came back to Erimos on at least three separate occasions when she was already marked as public enemy number one, even going as far as to openly interact with people who were already aware that she was a fugitive.
And if that wasn’t enough, she was even able to get in touch with Nile, who was able to give her objects and information straight from Erimos. Any competent government in existence would’ve had Nile being watched when he’s the most likely person to get in contact with Khali in order to find her whereabouts, but they’re so ineffectual that Khali can just waltz into Erimos multiple times and get into contact with people there with absolutely zero repercussions.
Rasha could’ve done the exact same thing instead of needlessly and impulsively dying on a principle. She didn’t even try to find another solution to her situation - she just decided to give up and die like she was doing something impressive by throwing her life away. Dying for the sake of an ideal only has meaning if you have no other options in front of you to keep fighting for what you believe in, but what Rasha did was choosing to die like an idiot because she couldn’t be bothered to think about her options for longer than half a day before getting herself publicly executed just to make an ineffectual moral statement and irreparably traumatizing her loved ones in the process.
She straight up could’ve left and spared everyone a lot of grief if she just spent an extra week figuring out the best way forward instead of deciding that she absolutely can’t serve Ypsilon for even a moment longer, as though her dying is magically gonna make him stop killing more people after she turns in her badge. If she was guaranteed to die by quitting anyways, then she at least should’ve tried to take her best chance to live and fight another day, if nothing else than for the sake of her family so that they won’t have to watch her die and deal with the aftermath of that for the rest of their lives, with Ypsilon just finding a replacement for her and continuing his killing without any issues, and with her accomplishing absolutely nothing in the end.
And the thing that gets me even more is that her current situation is still a vast improvement over having to be a fugitive for the rest of her life, and especially over being dead at the human equivalent of 19. The fact that she even went as far as to suggest that Khali was the selfish one for saving her life just screams to me, “Tell me you’re privileged without telling me you’re privileged”.
Sure, she’s lost her social standing and she’s basically become an outcast now. But you know what? She’s still breathing, isn’t she? She can still move forward with her life, just like the thousands of other commoners in her situation who, unlike her, don’t even have the privilege of having a High Priest for a father who doesn’t believe in the caste system and would still love and support her unconditionally, even after she’s basically turned into a social pariah that almost anyone else in their world would disown out of disgust if she were their daughter instead of Anan’s.
When she was like, “I’d rather die than lose my wings and live without pride”, I really had to stop myself from facepalming. Great take, Rasha. Go on and tell all the commoners around you that their lives are so miserable and pathetic without wings that it would be better if they all just dropped dead right now instead of having to live such horrible, unbearable lives where they get to have loved ones and moments of happiness. Being a minority has a mountain of hardships associated with it, but acting as though it’s some worthless life that’s only good for dying is such an incredibly bigoted viewpoint.
And even though Rasha has to face a lot of that same discrimination now, which is something that no one should ever have to go through, her situation still isn’t the same as other commoners. Not only does she get to have a family who still cares about her in spite of all the fascist ideology of their people, but she also gets to continue living in a giant mansion, she gets to have servants who wait on her hand and foot, and she doesn’t even have to worry about food or income or anything else except her healing process, which is way more than most other people get to have.
And somehow, it’s apparently completely selfless for Rasha to die because she thinks that she’s making a stand against Ypsilon - and not even because he’s committing ethnic cleansing, but because he isn’t doing it ‘humanely’ enough for her liking, whatever that’s supposed to mean - yet having to live a life without the privilege of being a racist and classist oppressor is the worst thing that Khali could’ve done to her, all because Rasha thinks that she’s too good to live as a commoner - ignoring the fact that she literally could’ve just deserted if she really wanted to leave that badly without hurting anyone.
With that being said, though, I don’t blame Rasha at all for being upset about what happened right after the incident. It was an extremely traumatic moment that she needed to come to terms with, and in a better written story, she would’ve. But the problem is that she never comes to terms with it, and the writers make it seem as though there’s nothing that she needs to reevaluate because she was this perfect person who did all the right things for all the right reasons, while Khali was the one in the wrong for stopping her sister from throwing her life away for literally no good reason whatsoever.
Even a whole year after the incident, it’s Khali who’s the one who has to apologize to Rasha for not believing her about Ypsilon, with all of Rasha’s character flaws getting completely glossed over. It just seems so strange to me that the central focus of this story is about the underlying classism in High Flora society, and yet all of Rasha’s privileged statements about how being a commoner is a fate worse than death get completely ignored and never brought up again, all for the sake of rushing through this ridiculously fast-paced storyline at the speed of light.)
One year later, Khali awoke and began heading out for her next mission to invade the territories belonging to other races. Before she headed out, she attempted to say goodbye to Rasha, whose door remained shut. Khali sadly pointed out that it had been a year since they had seen or spoken to each other, and asked if they could see each other again, just once.
Upon hearing nothing but silence, Khali apologized once again and told Rasha that she would be back soon. As she headed out, Khali noted to herself that she had likely just burdened Rasha with her words. She reminded herself that Rasha needed time, and that she would one day understand that Khali had made her decision out of love. As she had told Rasha that she would be out, she supposed that her sister would now come out to do her daily activities. Khali then proceeded to complete her mission by driving out the local outlaws of the other races before reporting back to Laiyan, who was pleased by her work.
(A/N: The fact that the other races that we’re driving out are the outlaw mobs that we’ve been fighting this whole time means that Nexon has basically tricked us into committing genocide in this storyline. GMS omitted pretty much every explicit mention of these outlaws being members of the other races, although it’s still pretty self-evident from how characters talk in this storyline about holy wars and conquering territory that all these outlaws and marauders are the natives of this area that the High Flora purged and drove out before seizing their land and property, with all these attacks being the natives’ way of trying to take back their home.)
He noted that it had been two years since she had joined the Zealous and laughed that time quickly flew. He asked Khali how Rasha was, to which Khali quickly noted that she was fine and thanked him for his concerns. Laiyan explained that between the loyalty that she had shown, despite her sister being reduced to such a state, as well as her many achievements, she had made him quite impressed. Because of this, he explained that he had gotten permission from Ypsilon to make her his second-in-command, adding that her father must be proud too.
After a small appointment ceremony, Khali returned home and stood outside Rasha’s door. She told Rasha that she had become Laiyan’s second-in-command, and that though she might not want to congratulate her, she had wanted to tell her anyways. Upon hearing no response, Khali asked Rasha if they could see each other again sometime, as their birthday was coming up soon.
She recalled how nice their birthday had been two years ago when they had gotten their matching scarves. She explained that it was the first time that they had gotten something that matched each other, and so it had been quite meaningful for her, even though the scarves had been different colors. However, she added that she had really liked that people could tell right away that they were sisters because of the scarves, and that their birthday had been a happy one.
She explained that they had been too busy with Zealot missions to celebrate last year, and that they had never been able to make up for it. Because of that, she hoped that they could celebrate their birthday together this year. Upon hearing no response once again, Khali reluctantly wished Rasha good night before walking away, though unbeknownst to her, Rasha silently opened the door and watched her walk away.
(A/N: This next scene takes place during a flashback that occurs during a conversation between Laiyan and Khali. Since I’m trying to keep everything on this site in chronological order, I decided to move it to where it actually takes place. I’ll make a note of where this flashback happens in the actual class storyline later on.)
Some time later, Laiyan learned that someone in the city was spreading rumors about the existence of a mutant in Erimos. Upon investigating the rumors, he discovered that the person spreading the story was Kinan, Tasha’s old friend and accomplice. (A/N: If Kinan had just kept her mouth shut about the mutant, everyone would’ve been safe. I fully blame her for everything that happens in this storyline.)
Laiyan immediately arrested Kinan and began interrogating her about the identity of the mutant in prison. When Kinan remained silent, Laiyan promised to spare her life if she revealed the identity of the mutant. Kinan asked him whether his offer was legitimate, to which Laiyan noted that she at least seemed to value her own life.
However, Kinan replied that she doubted that he would spare her, even if she were to tell him, claiming that she had seen her share of Priests like him. In response to her words, Laiyan offered her a choice to die painlessly after revealing the mutant’s identity, or to remain quiet and experience a pain worse than death. Kinan merely retorted that his magic didn’t scare her, causing Laiyan to angrily draw his sword.
Just then, Ypsilon entered the room and ordered Laiyan to stand down. He then asked Kinan what she hid her secrets with, to which she replied that she didn’t understand what he was asking. Ypsilon clarified by asking whether she hid the truth because she believed it to be right, whether it was for a greater cause, or for morals, explaining that he was asking what it was that kept her from telling the truth.
Kinan laughed at his words and asked why he was curious about such a thing, adding that she could never understand what went on in the minds of those who had magic. Ypsilon replied that it was just a question, and that he was merely curious. Kinan answered that she had her beliefs, a greater cause, and morals. However, she explained that she had long since decided to stop risking her life for such things and told Ypsilon that she kept silent out of loyalty.
Satisfied with her answer, Ypsilon declared that she simply needed to be stripped of her loyalties before using his powers to extract loyalty itself out of her. He then asked her what the mutant’s name was, to which Kinan replied that she didn’t know their name, though she admitted that it was Tasha’s child. She explained that the child had been born with magic, and so they had pretended that it had died along with Tasha, adding that the child was still alive.
(A/N: We learn this later on in Khali’s level 200 quest, but Ypsilon is actually Dr. Y from Kain’s storyline. In Kain’s story, we observed Dr. Y extracting abstract things, such as memories and Malice. In this story, we see Ypsilon doing the same thing by extracting life force, magic, and loyalty.
Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet that Ypsilon is an Apostle, it’s practically a given at this point, as the Apostle theme plays for him as Dr. Y in Kain’s storyline and plays twice for him during Khali’s storyline. The Apostle theme also played for Kaling in Hoyoung’s storyline before she was confirmed as an Apostle in the Odium storyline, and so we can basically treat Ypsilon being an Apostle as canon.
Ypsilon follows a long line of Grandis villains having alter egos and side jobs, such as Darmoor posing as Aaron in Cernium and Kaling owning the Information Broker Bureau in order to locate Hundun, the last of the Four Perils. Between being the Lord of Erimos, working as an Apostle and attending regular meetings, hunting down the power of the Ancient Gods, starting a mercenary company in Toolen City, and getting a degree in psychiatry, this guy gets a lot done with his time. I should really take notes.
GMS chose to translate his name as Ypsilon, even though KMS’ spelling phonetically translates to Epsilon. ‘Epsilon’ is the fifth letter in the Greek alphabet, which suggests that Epsilon might be the Fifth Apostle, similar to how Havoc is the First Apostle of Lightning. In contrast to the letter ‘epsilon’, the Greek letter ‘ypsilon’, also spelled ‘upsilon’, in its capital form, looks just like the letter Y, which explains the origin of his pseudonym as Dr. Y.)
Soon after, Khali was called to the palace at Laiyan’s request. There, Laiyan explained that he was giving her a very important mission. He asked her whether she recalled how he had once mentioned that he had met only one person as fast as her and explained that the person whom he had been referring to was a woman named Tasha, who had been quite powerful, despite being a commoner.
A surprised Khali asked if he meant to say that she possessed magic, to which Laiyan explained that thought Tasha had no magical power, she had been gifted with exceptional physical abilities, which had made her stronger than even some Priests. He told Khali that Tasha was someone who had sown the seeds of dissent in their society, and that she had targeted the weaker Priests in order to challenge them to Syamans and flaunt her strength, which she had used as proof that the caste system ought to be abolished if a commoner could defeat Priests.
He explained that he had tried to eliminate her for the sake of their peaceful society, and after a pause, he claimed that he hadn’t done so because there was no longer a reason for him to intervene when she had died soon afterwards. He told Khali that Tasha had disappeared one day, and that there had been rumors that she was carrying a child. After her disappearance, she hadn’t been seen for a year until she had unexpectedly resurfaced after dying, with her child having apparently met the same fate soon afterwards.
As her husband had been ordinary and hadn’t done anything suspicious, even after his child’s death, Laiyan had seen no reason to take further action, leaving Tasha forgotten for many years. However, he explained that he had recently heard someone spreading strange rumors around the city and causing quiet dissent amongst the people. Upon investigating, he had discovered that the perpetrator was Kinan.
He told Khali that while Tasha had challenged Priests to Syamans, Kinan had supported her by opposing and criticizing the Priests openly. He explained that after Tasha’s death, Kinan had laid low and stayed out of sight. Khali asked why Kinan would resurface after so long, to which Laiyan explained that Kinan had been spreading rumors about a mutant living amongst them in Erimos.
(A/N: This is where the interrogation flashback takes place in the actual story.)
Khali asked Laiyan who the mutant was, to which he explained that it was Tasha’s child, who was not only alive, but still had its magic intact. As they couldn’t allow someone like Tasha to emerge again, he declared that they needed to discover Tasha’s child immediately. He then ordered Khali to arrest Tasha’s husband and mother-in-law - the last members of her family.
Following Laiyan’s orders, Khali traveled to Jad’s weapon shop, where Jad warmly greeted her before noticing her expression. He asked her whether something was wrong, to which Khali asked him if the woman standing next to him was his mother. Jad realized that they hadn’t met yet and introduced Khali to his mother, Ritan, as Anan’s daughter.
Ritan greeted Khali and asked Jad whether she was ‘that child’s’ sister, to which Jad quickly replied that he would tell her later. He then asked Khali whether she had come to purchase a weapon, to which Khali reluctantly explained that she had come to arrest them both. She then bound both their hands with rope before escorting them to the palace prison.
There, Laiyan ordered Khali to guard the door from outside. After she left, Jad demanded to know what they had done to be arrested, claiming that they were merely commoners managing a humble weapon store. He claimed that they hadn’t committed any crimes and asked Laiyan why he was treating them in such a way.
Laiyan repeated Jad’s claim that they hadn’t committed any crimes in disbelief, to which Jad asked whether they had been arrested merely for being Tasha’s family. He retorted that an honorable Priest such as Laiyan would never arrest them for such a reason, to which Laiyan laughed that he had once thought them to be innocent before reminding them that the magic within a mutant was ‘impure’.
A shocked Jad asked Laiyan whether he had a child, explaining that his own child was dead. He told Laiyan that they had announced the child’s death alongside Tasha’s and began telling Laiyan to check the records when Laiyan grew impatient and slashed Jad with his sword. Laiyan noted that with Jad having lived in a peaceful city under the protection of the Priests all his life, it must be his first time being attacked in such a way.
Laiyan then asked Jad whether he felt like talking, to which Jad maintained his story that his child had died many years ago. Laiyan then declared that he would be joining his wife soon when Ritan begged him to stop, promising to speak on her son’s behalf. She revealed that Tasha had indeed given birth to a magical child, and that after seeing that it had been born with wings, they had sent it away to be taken in by a High Priest.
In pain, Jad weakly asked his mother to stop, though Laiyan merely ignored him and asked Ritan for the Priest’s name, which she revealed was Anan. A surprised Laiyan then demanded to know the child’s name, to which Ritan explained that she didn’t know. When Laiyan angrily asked her if she was mocking him, Ritan explained that after they had sent the child away to Anan, the only one who had spoken with him had been Jad, as she had deliberately decided not to know the child’s face or name in order to protect it.
Laiyan then declared that if she didn’t know, then he would simply get the information out of her son. Ritan immediately begged him to stop and revealed that though she didn’t know who the child was, she knew of a way to identify it. She explained that on the child’s birthday, when the child had become an adult, they had given her a scarf that had once belonged to Tasha, her birth mother, upon which was Tasha’s mark.
(A/N: In the original KMS story, it’s only said that they had passed along a keepsake of Tasha’s. The fact that it’s a scarf was censored in this conversation for dramatic effect and gets revealed later on, although you can easily figure out what the item is based on the very next scene that happens after this. The white scarf that Jad gave Khali is the same scarf that she swapped with Rasha at the beginning of the story, and so you can already tell how the rest of this is gonna play out. Tasha’s mark on the scarf is the same shape as the teardrop-shaped Chakri that Khali creates with her skills.
While Laiyan could’ve easily learned the mutant’s identity by interrogating Jad, I think that the intention was to show that he was a man of his word, and that he was honoring the deal that he had made with Ritan that he would leave her son alone if she told him everything.)
After Laiyan left the prison, he met with Khali and began inspecting her blue scarf for Tasha’s mark. A confused Khali asked him if there was something wrong, to which Laiyan recalled that her sister also had a similar scarf. After finding no mark, he told Khali that he needed to speak with Ypsilon and ordered her to guard the prisoners while he was gone.
Khali then entered the prison, where Ritan immediately begged her to spare their lives. Khali reassured her that they wouldn’t take the lives of innocent civilians and asked Ritan to tell them everything that she knew. Ritan insisted that she had already revealed everything that she knew before begging Khali once again to spare their lives.
Just then, Ypsilon entered the prison with Laiyan and declared that the prisoners were no longer of any further use. Khali immediately stood between him and the prisoners, to which Laiyan reprimanded her for blocking Ypsilon’s path. Khali ignored his words and demanded to know what Ypsilon meant, causing Laiyan to grow furious. However, Ypsilon told Laiyan to stand down, claiming that it was alright.
Khali pointed out that the prisoners had told them everything that they knew, which Ypsilon acknowledged, to which Khali explained that their lives then ought to be spared. However, Ypsilon merely asked her why, causing Khali to exclaim that they were innocent civilians, and that they ought to be set free if they had already revealed everything that they knew.
Ypsilon agreed that her words would be correct if the prisoners were, in fact, innocent civilians. However, he explained that she had misunderstood the situation, as the prisoners were actually sinners who had hidden the existence of a mutant born in their family.
(A/N: Just as an FYI, while the original Korean text uses the word ‘sin’, within the context of the story itself, ‘sin’ is basically equivalent to ‘crime’, as being a mutant is both a sin from a cultural stigma perspective, as well as an actual crime.)
He pointed out that it was a serious felony, as a mutant was the mark of a sin. However, Khali protested that they had already revealed everything that they knew about the mutant, and that the prisoners were their very own people, not members of other races, to which Ypsilon told her that those who hid the truth about a mutant were no longer their people.
(A/N: Like I said before, GMS omitted this line about Khali mentioning the other races, instead just saying that the prisoners are their own people, not marauders or outlaws. Personally, I think they really should’ve kept the original line because it’s a significant insight into Khali’s psychology and shows that she whole-heartedly believes in the High Flora ideology of racial supremacy.)
When a furious Khali asked him how he could say such a thing, Ypsilon replied that it was simple logic. He noted that to be a mutant was a sin, and that as the prisoners had hidden the existence of that sin, they had committed a sin themselves, which meant that they needed to be punished. He then asked her whether that was so difficult for her to understand.
Khali retorted by asking what was so impure about the magic of a mutant, noting that the prisoners hadn’t willfully been trying to conceal something evil in their society, but rather, they had only been trying to save their child, which made them valued members of their society. Ypsilon coldly told Khali that she was questioning the very idea of a mutant with her words and asked whether she was really claiming that there was nothing impure about a commoner possessing magic. As Khali began stammering out her defense, Ypsilon pushed her aside and extracted the life force out of Jad and Ritan, immediately killing them both.
After he and Laiyan left, an aghast Khali immediately returned home, where she desperately sought out her father and told him everything. After understanding the situation, Anan urged her to leave Erimos and go somewhere far away, explaining that if she were to run without formally quitting the Zealous, then she would be able to escape with her life.
However, Khali noted that if she were to disappear, then her punishment would fall onto him and Rasha instead. She pointed out that even if he were to survive, Rasha would surely be killed, as without her wings, her life now only held as much value as that of a commoner. After having seen how Ypsilon had callously taken the lives of two commoners, she vowed that she wouldn’t leave Rasha behind, as she was Rasha’s older sister.
Realizing that Khali was right, Anan decided that they would run away together and change their identities before living in hiding. Khali told her father that she couldn’t condemn them to a life of hiding because of her, to which Anan reminded her that they were family. Reassured by his words, Khali decided that she would speak to Rasha about it.
She then went outside Rasha’s door and explained that she had something important to tell her. She told Rasha that just today, she had seen Ypsilon take the lives of two commoners. She explained that the Ypsilon that she knew had loved all his people, but the Ypsilon that she had seen today and the one who had saved them years ago were completely different people, which she now realized.
She explained that he had killed the commoners simply because they had wanted to save their child, and that he had killed them in the most horrible way by extracting their life force. She also explained that not only had she been unable to do anything except stand by and watch, but she herself had brought them to him in the first place. She admitted that Rasha had made the right choice to leave the Zealous, and that she had been wrong. She then begged her sister to give her the opportunity to take back what she had done by opening the door.
To her surprise, Rasha opened the door and stepped outside. She then told Khali that she didn’t believe that it was ever possible to change the past, which was why every choice that they made in every moment of their lives was so important. However, she agreed to hear Khali out about how she intended to take back her decision, admitting that Khali was her big sister before the two tearfully made up.
The next morning, Khali awoke and noted to herself that their father would be looking for a place for them to hide, while Rasha would be home preparing for their departure. In the meantime, Khali planned to continue working for the Zealous as though nothing had happened in order to avoid making it seem as though she was starting to have doubts about being part of it. She noted that her mission was half a day’s worth of travel from the city and decided to move out quickly.
While Khali was finishing up her mission, Erimos and Laiyan met in the audience room, where Laiyan told him that he had no doubts that Rasha was Tasha’s child. He explained that from his interrogation, he had learned that the child had been given Tasha’s scarf, and that Khali’s scarf didn’t have Tasha’s mark on it.
He also pointed out that Khali was the one who had arrested Tasha’s family, and that Khali would have sent them away into hiding instead of arresting them if she had truly been Tasha’s daughter. He added that he wasn’t defending her merely because she was his adjutant, but because he knew Khali to be someone who treasured her family greatly. He also added that Tasha’s family hadn’t recognized Khali either, but rather, they had merely clung to her and begged for their lives.
Furthermore, he pointed out that Khali was a devoted Zealot, while Rasha was a traitor who had rejected that duty. He told Ypsilon that there was no question of who amongst the two would have the blood of a rebel who had rejected their society’s values. Ypsilon conceded that Laiyan’s words were logical, though he nevertheless told Laiyan not to rule out the possibility that Khali was the mutant.
Laiyan then took the Zealous to Anan’s house, where Rasha asked him what was going on, explaining that both her father and sister were away. Suddenly, Laiyan grabbed her throat and pushed her into a wall before grabbing her scarf, upon which he immediately saw Tasha’s mark. Concluding that Rasha was indeed Tasha’s child, Laiyan explained that he shouldn’t have had her wings ripped out, as he had always been curious about just how powerful a mutant could be, though he had thoughtlessly stripped her of her magic and wasted that potential.
He asked Rasha if she had ever thought it to be strange, as magical power was mainly passed down through bloodlines. He noted that aside from Ypsilon himself, her father, Anan, was undoubtedly the strongest person in Erimos.
(A/N: This information might actually explain how it is that the Verdant Flora can’t pass down their wings to their children. People have wondered for a long time why it is that the descendants of the Verdant Flora don’t have wings when the High Flora ripping their wings out shouldn’t have affected their genes. However, if we take Laiyan’s words to mean that the amount of magic passed down is dependent on how much magic the parents had at the time that the child was conceived, we can actually form a pretty decent explanation for it.
At the beginning of the story, Kinan speculates that commoner children born with magic is proof that there’s latent magical power in all commoners. Since the level of magic passed down remains fairly consistent, with a few exceptions like Khali, we can say that the Verdant Flora are essentially just like commoners - people with residual magic, but not enough to manifest wings of their own. As a result, their children would also inherit the minimal magic that their parents had at the time of conception.
Since we know that cases like Khali are rare, and since we also know that Tasha was fairly powerful in her own right, we can speculate that it takes quite a number of generations for the magic passed down across generations to grow strong enough for a commoner to be born with wings. Since the Verdant Flora had theirs completely ripped out, they were basically starting from almost zero, which is why we haven’t yet seen a case of a Verdant Flora being born with wings.
Since the Verdant Flora are practically the same as commoners, we can even speculate that the God of the Verdant Flora had originally planned to create mechanical wings for the commoners. In the webcomic that explored the Flora Civil War, it was shown that the other Gods had shown the God-King several scrolls that proved that the God of the Verdant Flora was attempting to share magic with the commoners. It’s possible that these scrolls were schematics for the mechanical wings that he was developing.
After the Verdant Flora were exiled, it was shown that the God of the Verdant Flora had spent a lot of time actually building the wings, which would line up with the fact that he only had theoretical schematics at the time of his exile. His mechanical wings likely draw out and amplify the innate magic that commoners have, which he used in order to draw out the residual magic of the Verdant Flora after their wings were torn out.
Since the amplification happens externally, the actual amount of magic inside the Verdant Flora still remains the same, and so that trace amount of magic is all that would be passed down to their children. Later on, it’s also shown that magical power can be increased through training it like a muscle, which would allow the trace levels of magic inside them to slowly build naturally, giving them enough power to match the High Flora and one day even regrow their wings naturally in a future generation, assuming that there are more groups of Verdant Flora in hiding aside from the one that was wiped out in Illium’s storyline.
In cases like Illium, it’s possible that he had such little magic that not even the mechanical constructs could amplify his magic enough to generate wings. However, we’ve also seen that Illium had been able to manifest his magic in times of crisis, such as when he unconsciously shot out magic at the thugs in Savage Terminal at the beginning of his story.
We can speculate that Illium has an unusual predisposition towards rapidly growing his magic through training and life-threatening situations, which might be the potential that Agate sensed in him. After he fused with the God of the Verdant Flora through the Elder Crystal, he was able to grow wings much larger than any that we’ve seen before, with the exception of Darmoor, which suggests that his ability for rapid growth will help him become exceptionally powerful by heightening the power that he’s received from the God of the Verdant Flora. It’s also thematically appropriate for an engineer like Illium to fuse with the creator of their mechanical wings and inherit the God’s role as the savior of their people.)
Rasha asked what it was that he was trying to say, to which he told her that she wasn’t Anan’s daughter by blood. Struggling in his grip, Rasha asked what proof he had, to which he explained that her mother’s name was Tasha - a societal outcast just like her. Looking closely at her scarf, he told her that he was reminded of how the scarf had always fluttered in the wind with every movement that Tasha had made, adding that the sight of it had disgusted him.
(A/N: It’s really funny that all the evidence that Raiyan presents throughout this story about Rasha being Tasha’s daughter is specifically because of her weakness, noting that there’s no possible way that someone like Rasha could have been descended from Priests because of it. But in the same vein, he points out all the similarities between Khali and Tasha, such as their unparalleled speed and skills, and he uses that as evidence to point towards how Khali can’t be a mutant. It goes to show just how ridiculous the reasoning of bigots is to justify their own rhetoric, even when there are so many glaring holes in their ideology, whether it’s superiority of race, gender, or anything else.)
A confused Rasha repeated his words that the scarf had belonged to a woman named Tasha, causing Laiyan to laugh that she would call her birth mother by name. Nevertheless, he confirmed that Tasha was her birth mother, and that her scarf had been left for Rasha, her daughter. Rasha asked him what had happened to her birth family, to which Laiyan explained that Khali had delivered them to him, not knowing that Jad was Rasha’s birth father.
Rasha immediately realized that they had been killed, though Laiyan ignored her words and ordered her to come with him quietly for Anan and Khali’s sake before asking if she was going to try to insist that the scarf didn’t actually belong to her. Though Rasha realized that the scarf had originally been given to Khali, she nevertheless lied and admitted that the scarf belonged to her in order to protect her sister.
Soon after, Anan returned home and Nile, his servant, immediately rushed to tell him that Rasha had been arrested. Furious, Anan stormed into the palace, where Laiyan greeted him. Anan demanded to know where his daughter was, to which Laiyan asked if he had meant to say the child whom he had raised. He offered Anan to see for himself, explaining that Ypsilon was waiting for him.
Inside the audience room, Anan was devastated to find Rasha dead at Ypsilon’s feet. He weakly began asking Ypsilon why he had killed Rasha, to which Ypsilon reminded him that mutants were sinners, and that though Rasha’s wings had been torn out, it was better to be rid of the threat completely. He then added that for the crime of having hidden and raised a mutant, Anan would need to be punished accordingly as well. However, he noted that his blood daughter, Khali, was considerably loyal, and so he pondered on what to do with Anan.
Meanwhile, Khali finished her mission and returned back to the palace, where she reported her success to Laiyan. Before she could give the details of her mission report, Laiyan interrupted her and explained that there was something that he thought better to reveal sooner rather than later. He asked her whether she remembered Jad, the weapons merchant whom they had interrogated, and revealed that Rasha was his daughter.
A confused Khali asked him what he meant, to which he reminded her that commoners born with magic needed to be killed without exception, causing Khali to slowly process the realization that Rasha had been killed. Laiyan added that for hiding the existence of a mutant, Anan was guilty of a similarly grave sin, though Ypsilon had decided to spare his life. Khali immediately began yelling and asked what he was talking about, adding that Rasha was her sister.
Laiyan told her to lower her voice and conceded that it must be difficult for her to believe, since he knew how much she cared about her sister. However, he explained that he had proof of his claims, which Khali demanded to see. Laiyan revealed that Rasha’s scarf had once belonged to Tasha, and that Jad had gifted it to her, likely because he had wanted Rasha to have something that her mother had owned. He then laughed that Jad had no idea that his actions would cause his daughter’s ruin.
Khali was suddenly horror-struck upon realizing that she herself had given the scarf to Rasha. Laiyan acknowledged her disbelief, though he explained that Rasha herself had confessed to it, as she had undoubtedly understood the debt that she had owed to her adoptive father and sister. He then gave Khali permission to rest at home in order to give her time to calm herself, though he urged her not to let her loyalty waver because of it, reminding her that he trusted her a great deal.
As the realization began to sink in, Khali declared in quiet fury that the scarf had actually belonged to her, explaining that if the owner of the scarf was Tasha’s daughter, it meant that the mutant wasn’t Rasha, but herself. Taking out her Chakrams, she began fighting Laiyan with lightning speed. Though Laiyan managed to stab her, he was shocked to find that he had merely attacked a sand clone of Khali, while the real Khali appeared from the shadows and declared that just as he had said, she would become a symbol of sin and judge him for his crimes.
She then managed to kill Laiyan before storming into the audience room, where she was shocked to find Rasha dead and her father having his magic extracted by Ypsilon. Khali demanded him to stop immediately and moved to attack him, though Ypsilon merely teleported away. He greeted Khali and promised that he had no intention of harming her father, though he admitted that he couldn’t allow Anan to remain a High Priest after committing such a grievous crime, for which he was removing Anan’s magic from him.
Khali declared that she wouldn’t allow him to do so, to which Ypsilon told her that she was making a foolish decision. He then came close to Khali and noted that it was the first time that he had seen her up close. Suddenly, he explained that he could feel a very ill-natured kind of magic from her, causing him to realize that Laiyan had made a mistake, and that she was Tasha’s daughter all along.
(A/N: While Ypsilon describes her magic as “ill-natured”, it’s likely that commoner magic just has a unique signature, and that Ypsilon is referencing the High Flora ideology that mutants have ‘impure’ magic.)
Khali furiously began to attack Ypsilon, who merely deflected all her attacks, which created large black orbs around the room. He then used the orbs to create large tendrils that attacked Khali, heavily damaging her and draining almost all her magic.
(A/N: In the Carcion storyline, Limbo uses the exact same move, and it’s explained that he’s using a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers that Darmoor had given to him, similar to Kaling and her claw attack. Based on this, we can assume that Ypsilon was using that same power against Khali during their fight here.)
Suddenly, Anan weakly raised his head and yelled at her to run away before using the last of his magic to attack Ypsilon, who kneeled over in pain. Though Khali refused to leave him behind, Anan told her not to let Rasha’s death be in vain and begged her to live on. With the last of her strength, Khali spread her wings and jumped through the palace window before flying away. With a single-minded determination, she continued walking as far as she could go before making it off the planet Grandis and traveling to the Nova moon, where she collapsed outside the Protective Shield, relieved to know that she had managed to survive.
(A/N: Khali gets a medal for being the first High Flora class who got to keep her wings. Ark’s wings were damaged in the Specter ritual and Adele’s were burned out from having expended too much energy during the coup to overthrow the God-King. Ark can technically use his wings in his Specter state, as he can temporarily repair them using the power of the Specter. Adele also has a 5th job skill that allows her to use Erda to temporarily reconstruct her wings.
However, Khali is the first class to actually have her natural wings intact. I think it’s both funny and ironic that Illium and Khali are the only two Flora classes to have their wings when Illium is a Verdant Flora and Khali is a commoner, making them both people who wouldn’t normally have natural wings of their own. I do wish that Khali had some skills where she does actively open her wings. I was hoping for a buff that temporarily allows her to open her wings and get a power boost or something.
On another note, GMS made a localization error in their translation by saying that Khali reached the border of continental Grandis, which is when she collapses outside Pantheon. For anyone who’s confused by this - the actual KMS text says that she escaped the continent, not that she reached its border. She most likely left the same way that you leave Erimos in-game - by using one of those green creatures with umbrellas that can take you off-world. I still have absolutely no idea what those creatures are and how they can travel through space with an umbrella, but I’m assuming that it’s some weird combination of magic, teleportation, and plot convenience.)
Soon after, Kaiser found Khali passed out at the border of the Protective Shield and immediately recognized her as a High Flora. He noted that she was wounded and decided to treat her injuries while keeping an eye on her. Soon after, Khali awoke to the sight of Kaiser and Fenelle. Kaiser introduced himself as the Guardian of the Nova and asked her why she had come to Pantheon.
Khali explained that she had come across Pantheon while running away and promised that she meant no harm to his people. However, Kaiser replied that he found it difficult to believe and asked why she had come to Pantheon, if not to attack them. Khali then told him everything that had happened to her on Erimos, after which she explained that the only reason why she now lived was to get revenge. Fenelle told Kaiser that she sensed a strong rage inside Khali, and that she didn’t believe that Khali was lying.
Kaiser and Fenelle then took Khali inside the Great Temple, where overwhelming feelings of vengeance awakened inside her. She recalled that she had brought herself to survive only for the sake of revenge, and that she would never forget her rage and frustration, which allowed her to awaken some of the power that she had lost to Ypsilon.
Fenelle then told Khali that she would need to regain her strength in order to get her revenge, and so she suggested that Khali travel through the Interdimensional Portal in order to go to Maple World. She explained that the High Flora were hated by the people of Grandis, which would make it difficult for Khali to train there.
Realizing that Fenelle was right, Khali decided that training in Maple World would be for the best, and so she agreed to heed Fenelle’s advice. Fenelle told Khali to seek out Athena Pierce, who would be able to help her on her journey, and noted that her coming to Pantheon and her path ahead was all part of fate’s plans for her.
(A/N: Once we get to Maple World, Athena will tell us about the four level 30-60 theme dungeons as usual.
After reaching level 30 and starting her journey in Maple World, Khali can return back to Erimos and complete three optional quests there. While the quests aren’t related to her storyline, they’re really great for worldbuilding and expanding on the society, culture, and military of the High Flora. Since they’re not part of Khali’s class story, there’s no specific timeframe of when they canonically take place, but I’m choosing to place them here, since you can technically start them as early as level 30. You can also do the quests in any order, not necessarily the one that I presented them in.)
Bara:
Khali soon returned back to Erimos, where she met a man named Bara near the border, who explained that he was from a distant, cold territory, and that he had finally been approved to move to Erimos, though his documents had been blown away somewhere inside the border. As Bara couldn’t enter Erimos without his documents, Khali entered the city and found them blown away into a tree.
After Khali brought the documents back, Bara asked Khali to accompany him to the castle, though Khali apologized and explained that she couldn’t go to the castle for certain reasons. Bara then asked Khali to buy him something to drink, as he was sweltering in the heat. Noticing that Vara was sweating profusely, Khali decided to buy a Tonic for him.
Bara thanked her and noted that the people of Erimos were kind. Khali asked him why he had wanted to come to Erimos, to which Bara replied that though most Priests served the God of the territory that they were from, he had always been curious about other places, as he found it interesting that there were so many different cultures, despite everyone being High Flora.
(A/N: GMS added a line in which Bara tells Khali that the Blessed serve the Divine of their territory before asking if Erimos uses the term ‘Divine’, as he’s heard that other places call them Gods, adding that he’s always thought that it was confusing. This is a tongue-in-cheek way for the localization team to poke fun at how the word ‘God’ is used literally everywhere in this game. Like I said at the start of the section, though, there’s no such thing as two different naming conventions for the caste system - every territory uses God and Priest in canon.)
He explained that whereas Erimos was a desert outside the border and fertile inside, the territory where he came from was snowy both in the mountains and inside their territory, which made it difficult to make a living. Because of this, the lord of his territory wasn’t concerned with prospering, but rather, they only focused on the cold and hunger of their people.
Khali noted that Bara’s lord sounded like a nice person, and though Bara conceded that his lord was a good person, he added that they were unsuitable to be a lord, as their short-sighted attempts to save those dying before their eyes made them unable to join with the Central Army in order to expand their territory and escape the mountains.
However, he noted that his views on the lord were different than those of the young people whom the lord had saved, because of which, he had decided to emigrate from his home in search of somewhere warmer. Though Bara claimed not to like his hometown, Khali noted to herself that Bara seemed to care about it a great deal.
(A/N: Although GMS used male pronouns to refer to the lord of the snowy mountain, it’s left ambiguous in KMS because they don’t really have gendered pronouns. Because of this, there are two possible theories in regard to the identity of Bara’s lord. In the Arteria storyline, Reina is confirmed to be an Apostle of Darmoor and the lord of the snowy mountain territory, which fits with her ice powers. It’s explained that Reina had only recently become the lord after defeating the previous lord in a Syaman and becoming a God, but it’s not confirmed when this actually happened.
The two theories about the timeline placement rely on the description that Bara gave of his lord, which is that their lord refuses to join the Central Army because they’re too focused on the immediate suffering of their people. The first theory is that Reina is already the lord at the time of Khali’s storyline, and that her involvement in leading Arteria to invade Maple World is because she’s finally decided to join the Central Army after realizing that she needs to lead her people out of the cold.
The other theory, which I personally think is more likely, is that Reina challenged and defeated the previous lord after growing discontent with their ineffectual leadership, which is why she’s taking a more proactive approach in joining the Central Army after becoming the new lord. This would also mean that Reina only recently became an Apostle after winning her Syaman, which either means that she took the title of Apostle from her predecessor, or that Darmoor offered the position to her after seeing that she’s much more talented than the previous lord.)
Shadi and Shaheen:
Khali noticed a young High Flora boy in the shopping district and wondered why he was standing alone. The boy, Shadi, noted that she seemed strong and asked for her help. He explained that he wanted to buy his brother a gift, though he didn’t have enough money. Though his pride refused to allow him to accept money as a Priest, he explained that the dealer would smelt any metal that he brought, and so he asked her to collect swords from the nearby marauders.
Khali collected the swords and brought them to the shopkeeper, who created the sword for Shadi. Shadi then asked Khali to deliver the sword to his brother, Shaheen, as Shaheen had recently stopped training and Shadi was afraid that his brother would be angry with him for presenting him with a sword as a gift. Though Khali worried that Ypsilon would be looking for her in the residential district, she nevertheless agreed to bring the sword to his brother.
At the residential district, Khali gave the sword to Shaheen and recognized him as the finalist whom she had faced in a Syaman during the Test of Faith. She then explained why Shadi had asked her to bring the sword to him. Shaheen explained that he had been born with weak magical power, though he had honed his magic through training in order to join the Zealous.
Growing up, he had believed that hard work was stronger than magical lineage, but after he had lost to Khali – the daughter of a powerful High Priest – in the Syaman, he had come to believe that for the High Flora, being born with magical lineage was all that mattered, which had killed his desire to train. Upon hearing his explanation, Khali told him that she thought that it was great that he was making his own life, not living according to his given destiny. She then admitted that both her parents were actually commoners before giving him Shadi’s sword.
Simer and Ksha:
Khali met a woman named Simer, who told her that she had a favor to ask of a High Priest like Khali. Khali realized that the woman still believed her to be a High Priest, but nevertheless, she decided to hear her out. Simer explained that she wanted Khali to meet with her son. She told Khali that though her son was a commoner, he had volunteered to join the Central Army and was carrying out the High Flora mission proudly. Though she had been surprised when he had decided to enlist, he had told her after enlisting that he was carrying out the sacred orders of the God-King, traveling between battlefields and colonies.
However, she explained that she had lost contact with him, as he wasn’t allowed to share information about the military with commoners, and so she had no idea where he had been for many years. Though she had visited the Central Army management office several times in order to inquire about her son, they had merely told her that he was doing well, refusing to even tell her whether her letters had been going through to him.
She added that she had realized that she couldn’t keep inquiring about her son when they had already told her that he was carrying out the God-King’s will as a proud member of the High Flora, as she would be getting in the way of her son’s work. She explained that she had even requested an audience with Ypsilon, though she had received no response.
Though she was proud of her son, she couldn’t help but worry about him, as she constantly wondered whether he had gotten hurt on the battlefield, whether he was doing his job well, and whether he was making sure not to get in the Priests’ way. However, she had recently heard from a merchant that her son was in Erimos near the castle entrance waiting for someone. Though she had seen him from a distance standing outside with another soldier, she explained that she didn’t think it appropriate for a commoner like herself to get in the way of his mission.
Because of that, she asked Khali to deliver a birthday gift and a letter that she hadn’t been able to give to her son. She apologized for asking such a request from a High Priest, but she explained that only someone of Khali’s status would be able to speak with a Central Army soldier during a mission. Khali noted to herself that she would be able to avoid the castle guards by only going to the entrance, and so she agreed to help Simer. Simer explained that her son had the same brown skin and red hair as her, just like all the High Flora who were native to Erimos, and that he was wearing his army uniform.
At the castle entrance, Khali met with Simer’s son, Ksha, who was grateful to her for bringing his mother’s gift. He explained that without her, he would never have been able to see or hear from his mother, even while being stationed in Erimos. Khali asked him whether it was difficult for him to take time off, to which Ksha noted that despite being a Priest, she didn’t know much about the Central Army. As she didn’t seem to be a researcher, he concluded that she most likely must be part of the Zealous.
Avoiding the subject about her not being a Zealot anymore, Khali asked him if his problem was unique to the Central Army. Ksha confirmed her suspicions and added that it was specifically a problem that commoner soldiers faced. Ksha explained that unlike the Zealous, which protected the lord and people of each territory, the Central Army led their holy crusade against the other races.
(A/N: Since there are multiple Zealous associated with protecting the lords of their respective territories, with those lords most likely being Gods, it’s also possible that the Knights of the Einherjar, who once protected the God-King, were an elite version of the Zealous, or possibly even a precursor to them. Since the knights needed to be exceptionally powerful in order to protect the God-King, it’s possible that the knights were either very powerful Priests or even Gods themselves.
We also know that there used to be knights who protected the King of Ristonia, although we don’t yet know how they fit into the story, such as whether they were part of the High Flora or why they would protect a human ruler if they were. The knights were said to be legendary, almost mythical figures, as the Knights of the Einherjar were disbanded centuries ago after the murder of Darmoor’s father. It’s possible that Darmoor disbanded the knights and replaced them with the various Zealous of each territory at the end of the Flora Civil War.)
Ksha also explained that the officers who received their orders from the God-King and led the Central Army were Priests who graduated from military academies. Though commoners could also attend the military academies, they were unable to become officers, as those without magic weren’t permitted to lead. (A/N: The dialogue for this storyline in the KMS test server stated that military academy graduates were High Priests, although this detail was removed in the live server.)
Khali asked him if he was bitter about not being able to become an officer, as well as what that had to do with him not being able to see his mother. Ksha explained that he wasn’t bitter, as he knew what he had signed up for, though he admitted that as a soldier who followed the holy mandate, he did want to rise up in the ranks. He told Khali that the main job of commoners in the Central Army wasn’t to lead, but to assist the officers and manage the colonies. As the military was a place where only the strong could rise up, commoners with no magical power had limits to how far they could climb.
(A/N: In the KMS test server, Ksha also mentioned that commoner soldiers had trouble with the mercenary soldiers of other races, who looked down on them as being weak and powerless. In the Cernium storyline, it’s revealed that a majority of the Flora army is composed of mercenaries, as both the High Flora and the Verdant Flora nearly went extinct in the aftermath of the Flora Civil War.
Since the High Flora have more than enough foot soldiers, it explains why High Flora soldiers are trained to start out as officers immediately upon deployment, although this quest confirms that commoners are basically glorified servants to the Priest officers. The fact that the High Flora are taught to believe that other races are inferior makes the commoners being looked down upon by the mercenaries even worse of a blow to their dignity, and it might also be the reason why this line was removed, as the Flora wouldn’t stand for such an insult, even to their weakest members.)
Ksha told Khali that for commoners, managing their reputation was everything, and since they couldn’t achieve much on the battlefield, their main priority was completing their missions perfectly in order to boost their reputation. Because of this, he explained taking time off to see his mother while he was in the middle of a mission was unthinkable.
Khali silently noted the irony that despite Ksha’s strong desire to succeed, he still wasn’t questioning the societal discrimination against him for not having magical powers. She then realized that she, too, had also been just like him not too long ago, and that just like her, it was inevitable that he and others would start questioning the High Flora ideology, despite it being both a felony and treason to do so.
Ksha then explained that he couldn’t leave his mission, and that he would be too busy to visit his mother before leaving Erimos, as he needed to visit the other five territories after his mission was over, and so he wanted to buy his mother a teapot from the quartermaster, which had a picture of a faraway place, as she loved tea. As he couldn’t simply take their supplies, he asked Khali to obtain Warrior Potions and Sniper Potions to barter with the quartermaster, as they were low on potion supplies.
(A/N: Here, we get a confirmation that there are a total of six Flora territories on continental Grandis, meaning that there are at least six Gods of the High Flora, including Ypsilon. It’s possible that some of those Gods might also be Apostles too. Along with the six territories, we also have Aboris as the capital city of the High Flora, as well as all the colonies that they have scattered throughout Grandis.)
Khali then obtained the potions and brought them to Ksha, who bought the teapot and asked Khali to pass it on to his mother, as well as to tell his mother that he would see her again. Khali then brought the teapot to Simer, who was overjoyed to receive his gift and the news about him. Khali told her that he had promised to find time to see her, to which Simer replied that though she didn’t know when that would be, she wanted her son to be safe until then.
She explained that it was through the blessings of the God-King and their lord that she had been able to meet a High Priest who could help her. She then prostrated herself at Khali’s feet and began praying that the God-King and Ypsilon would bless her future. Though Khali realized that there was nothing that she could say, she noted to herself that she didn’t need anyone’s blessing, as she knew the path that she was following, and that she needed to grow stronger in order to reach its end.
(A/N: This last part is Khali’s third job advancement.)
Soon after, Fenelle called Khali back to Pantheon, explaining that a High Flora who claimed to know her had come. She added that they had asked her to mention that they had come to deliver a white scarf, and that Khali would understand what they meant. Khali immediately realized that the white scarf belonged to Rasha and decided to return to Pantheon.
At the Great Temple, Khali was surprised to find Nile, her father’s servant, who was relieved to see her alive. Nile explained that after her disappearance, her status as a mutant had been announced to all of Erimos, as well as the fact that Laiyan, Anan, and Rasha had been killed while trying to keep her from escaping. He revealed that after Anan and Rasha’s funeral, he had investigated all throughout Grandis to find out where she had gone. After hearing a rumor about a High Flora who had crossed through the Interdimensional Portal in Pantheon, he had believed it to be her, and so he had come to Pantheon in order to find her.
Khali then told him that she had been training in Maple World in order to regain the strength that Ypsilon had stolen from her, and to get her revenge. Nile told her that Ypsilon, who had killed his master, was also his enemy, and that he planned to help Khali get revenge. In order to do so, he offered to use Anan’s fortune to investigate Erimos, explaining that since Ypsilon ruled the city, there was bound to be useful information about him there.
He then promised that he would continue protecting Anan’s home as always, and that he would not leave the mansion unguarded for as long as she remained alive. He then gave her Rasha’s scarf before returning back to Erimos. Khali realized that the scarf had belonged to both her late birth mother, as well as her late sister, and vowed to treasure it always.
(A/N: This storyline isn’t something that I’d say is bad, but it’s just so damn rushed that all the dramatic impact falls apart when you actually start looking at it. Pretty much all of what happens in Khali’s level 1-30 quests amounts to just a very extended prologue to her actual character arc, which is completely glossed over because of Nexon’s stupid streamlining where they condense everything of substance into the first 30 levels of class storylines.
Her character arc is supposed to go from her single-minded drive to get revenge into her wanting to protect the people of Maple World after forming bonds with them, and her motivation for this is because she wants to protect them and stop tragedies like hers from happening to anyone else. But the problem is that all of this development happens completely off-screen, and the only way that we even learn about it is through a two-minute cutscene in Black Heaven that has her telling Nile about her motivations in helping the Alliance.
Khali’s story feels like such a missed opportunity because the writers chose to do a speed-run of her entire life from birth to the present, fast-forwarding through all the highlights of her early adulthood, and doing a cheap milking of emotions from the audience by killing everyone off for shock value, even though we’ve only know these people for like fifteen minutes.
Beyond the well-written drama and tension, there’s really nothing of any actual substance to Khali’s character because the writers tried to bite off way more than they could chew by trying to dump a mountain of worldbuilding with High Flora society, culture, and politics - all in the first 30 levels of her storyline - and as a result, they had to compensate by skimming through any meaningful character development that could’ve happened.
Khali’s story was something that needed more than just an hour to properly develop. She was in dire need of extra quests that characters like Hoyoung or Adele get every 20 levels or so - things like her going to Ariant and seeing the similarities to Erimos, especially with Areda being like Ypsilon. The writers tried to put all the heavy lifting onto the players by making them go through theme dungeons and prequests to naturally establish how Khali would explore the world and make new bonds, but when I burned my Khali, the only theme dungeon that I did was Ellinel Fairy Academy and half of Gold Beach before I left Gold Richie to the mercy of Captain Darkgoo after deciding that I’m being underpaid by the the amount of EXP he’s giving me.
One specific thing that they touched on and never brought up against was how much Khali continued believing in High Flora ideology. It’s clear that she ended up realizing that discrimination against commoners is morally wrong, but the game never goes into her belief in the idea of racial superiority. She mindlessly kills the outlaws of the other races in her class story, and when she’s defending Jad and Ritan, she points out to Ypsilon that even though they’re commoners, they’re still their own kind, not members of other races, which is the only moment when this is ever addressed.
You’d think that there would be a moment where Khali does some reflection on how much of the ideology that she’s been instilled with was actually real after her change of heart on commoners, but we never get to see any of this growth - even in Maple World, where she’s surrounded by nothing except the ‘lesser’ life forms that she’s been taught to view as inferior.
All the other Flora classes’ stances on racial superiority is actually given time be presented properly in their stories - Illium’s people were exiled for not believing in it, Ark defected after realizing that Darmoor’s War for Peace was a massacre, and even Adele refused to follow the God-King into war because she thought that his genocide was morally unjustifiable. But we get almost no understanding of who Khali is as a person, what she believes in, or what she even stands for outside of wanting to kill Ypsilon and the five minutes of her story where she starts sympathizing with commoners.
Honestly, I really wish that they didn’t kill Rasha off because they could’ve done so much more with both her and Khali’s characters by capitalizing on the fact that they’re foils of each other, where Khali is a commoner who was born with wings, while Rasha is a Priest who lost her wings. I think that there was a lot of worth in the idea of showing Khali and Rasha grow together in Maple World by coming to terms with their role-reversed positions and slowly learning to break free from High Flora ideology. Rasha could’ve slowly learned to realize that a life without wings isn’t a death sentence, and Khali would’ve similarly grown in her new life as a mutant who’s lost her old life and privilege.
I think that overall, this story was written very ambitiously and could’ve been executed amazingly, but the main thing that drags it down is the stupid streamlined format that Nexon seems to love nowadays, which is dumping all the story into first job and then expanding the story exclusively through job advancements and a final level 200 quest. Comparing these types of storylines to class stories like Zero, Shade, Phantom, or the original RED Explorer story, the difference between the writing quality is night and day with how those stories are allowed to actually breathe, and as a result, you can see that their presentation benefits immensely from better pacing when they’re not restricted to the first 30 levels.)
Rise of the Resistance:
In Edelstein, a group of kids were playing hide-and-seek close to the Verne Mine, despite being warned that they should never venture there. While trying to look for their friends, one of the kids crawled through a hole in a large rock formation and accidentally stumbled upon a strange laboratory. Inside, they were shocked to find dozens of children inside strange pods. One of the children introduced herself as Vita and urged them to leave before Gelimer or the other Black Wings found them.
(A/N: Vita is canonically female, but her NPC’s gender is the opposite of that of the player. The game went through this weird phase for a while where they tried to have your class companion be the opposite gender in order to push a romance angle, which is weird because we don’t have anything remotely close to a romance with Vita in this story.
I also think it’s funny that they consider it inconceivable that characters of the same gender could have a romance as well. Nowadays, it seems like the writers have gone from flat-out denying the existence of gay people to having characters like Ark, Lucid, and Veronica exist in a state that I like to call Schrödinger's gay, in which they’re both gay and not gay until the writers inevitably get bored of queerbaiting and decide to kill them off.)
The kid had never heard of Gelimer before, and so Vita explained that he was the mad scientist of the Black Wings who performed experiments on living subjects. Just then, they heard footsteps approaching and the kid hid behind a large piece of apparatus. Gelimer and a Black Wings officer named Schiller arrived at the lab, where Gelimer told Schiller that his experiment was going well, thanks to the huge supply of rue. He told Schiller that the android that the Black Wings wanted would be completed soon, and that he was about to enter the next stage in his experiment. Schiller asked what he meant by that, but Gelimer merely teased that what he was planning was much more interesting than a simple android.
(A/N: The next stage in his experiment is likely a reference to either Black Heaven or his Retoxin gas, although I highly doubt that the writers had either in mind at the time, since the Resistance storyline was released way back in the Big Bang patch.)
Just then, a power surge caused the lights to flicker in the lab. When Schiller and Gelimer left to investigate, Vita told the kid that they had a chance to escape, but the kid refused to leave Vita behind and smashed the container that she was trapped in, allowing her to break free. The kid then grabbed her hand and led her outside the lab. Just as they reached the outskirts of Edelstein, Schiller appeared to capture Vita. He realized that the kid was a citizen of Edelstein, and since they had seen too much, Schiller decided that he would take them back to the lab in order to make them a new test subject.
Just then, an airship appeared, from which a Resistance agent with the codename J dropped down from a ladder and grabbed them both before escaping to a safe spot. J assured the pair that while he could have easily handled Schiller, he wouldn’t have been able to guarantee their safety during the fight. Upon realizing that Vita had been a prisoner of the Black Wings, he decided to bring her to the Resistance in order to protect her, though he told the kid to return back home. Before J left, the kid eagerly asked him how they could join the Resistance, to which J smiled and told them to get stronger.
The kid then returned home to Edelstein and immediately sought out Headmaster Ferdi in order to ask him how they could get stronger. Realizing that they were the one whom J had mentioned, Ferdi suggested that they help other people around town. The kid first approached Elex, who asked them to defeat Sprout monsters and bring them back to plant in the school garden. Afterwards, Elex asked them what the children of Edelstein needed most. The kid replied that they needed peace, which Elex agreed with, adding that Edelstein was very unstable.
Next, the kid helped Belle eliminate Potted Morning Glories. After returning, Belle told them that the roads would be safe to walk again and asked what the most important part of the roads were, to which the kid told her that the most important part was how safe they were. Belle agreed, adding that she considered unsafe roads to be the same as being threatened under strict surveillance.
Next, the kid spoke to Claudine, who asked them to bring her some acorns, which she wanted to use in order to make medicine. After collecting them, Claudine asked them what the most important thing that the citizens of Edelstein ought to do in order to stay safe. The kid replied that they should try to stay out of places that could lead to injury or illness. Claudine agreed, though she told them that Edelstein was far from such an ideal.
Next, the kid spoke to Brighton, who asked them to eliminate Grape Juice Bottles and bring back their Cork Stoppers. Brighton then asked what ought to be the first thing that they eliminate from Edelstein, to which the kid replied by saying that they should remove restrictions on their freedom. Finally, the kid met with Checky, who asked them put up a flyer at the town billboard, as it would be too suspicious for him to do so himself. Checky then asked them what would happen if people couldn’t exchange information, to which the kid replied that they would live as puppets without ever realizing it.
(A/N: I don’t know a single middle-schooler who would say things like, “We’re living our lives as puppets,” except for the edgy quiet kid in the corner who has an unhealthy obsession with guns and anarchy. Also, it’s great to know that the Resistance is so willing to recruit child soldiers. Incidentally, we actually have quite a number of child soldiers in the game: Explorers, Cygnus Knights, Resistance, Evan, Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, Illium, Hoyoung, Lara, Alpha, Beta, and Kinesis. And those are just the playable classes. If the Alliance was this willing to put weapons in the hands of kids and then send them off to fight gods, I hope that they at least factored in a large therapy bill for all the trauma that they now have to live with.)
After helping the townspeople, the kid returned to Ferdi, who gave them a special invitation. Upon opening it, the kid was transported to the Secret Plaza of the Resistance. There, they were surprised to see the familiar faces of Claudine and all the other townspeople whom they had helped. Claudine explained that while they pretended to be ordinary and meek in public, all of them fought secretly in the Resistance. After speaking with each of the different leaders and learning about their specializations, the kid chose their path and became an official member of the Resistance.
After completing Headmaster Ferdi’s training program, the Resistance member was assigned their first mission by Claudine, which was to eliminate Patrol Robots and bring back their memory chips so that she could analyze the surveillance footage. After bringing the chips back, Claudine analyzed them and learned that the Black Wings were closely watching one of their allies, an old man named Surl. Claudine believed that the Black Wings were suspicious of the items that Surl was purchasing on the Resistance’s behalf and asked the Resistance member to warn him. She taught them one of the secret codes of the Resistance, which was to substitute ‘Black Wings’ with ‘Roaches’, ‘surveillance tapes’ with ‘Dances’, and ‘supplies’ with ‘naps’.
After they gave Surl the coded warning, the old man responded with his own code and instructed them to deliver it to Claudine. The Resistance member unscrambled the code and told Claudine that Surl needed to purchase supplies for the Resistance, but he wanted to ask for her advice, since the Black Wings were watching him closely. Claudine told them that the Resistance used special potions that allowed them to transform into each other, allowing them provide alibis for members out on missions. Using one of Surl’s hairs, Claudine created a potion that would allow the Resistance member to transform into Surl. While they distracted Watchman Bavan using the potion, the real Surl was able to purchase supplies without Bavan keeping an eye on him.
After the Resistance member returned from their mission, Claudine told them that Vita had awoken and gave them permission to see her. Vita thanked them profusely for rescuing her, but quickly felt a wave of exhaustion. She told them that she would speak more after she rested and went back to bed. The Resistance member then asked Wendelline, the Resistance’s treatment specialist, when Vita would make a full recovery. Wendelline explained that while Vita didn’t have many physical injuries, she was extremely weak because of the experiments that the Black Wings had performed on her.
When the Resistance member asked if there was anything that they could do to help Vita, Wendelline suggested that they could make her a more comfortable bed by collecting Wooden Boards from the Strange Signs around town. After they brought the boards back, Wendelline thanked them and told them to train hard for Vita’s sake. They then reported back to Claudine, who told them that the Resistance had decided to look after Vita, as she had no recollection of her life before the lab. Thrilled that Vita would be staying with them, the Resistance member rushed back to see her.
Vita was excited to become a member of the Resistance and explained that though she couldn’t fight, she used to watch the Black Wings closely while she had been imprisoned and had learned how to make medicine. In order to make a special medicine for the Resistance member, she asked them to bring her Serpent Tails. She then created a medicine that could boost one’s strength, although she admitted that she didn’t know what the side effects would be.
The Resistance member offered to test the medicine for her, causing Vita to tear up upon realizing how much faith they had in her. She injected the serum into them and suggested that they fight a strong robot in the training center in order to test its effects. After defeating one of the special training robots with ease, the Resistance member reported back to Claudine and told her about the effects of the medicine. Claudine told them that she would consider using the serum on the other Resistance members, but only after thoroughly testing it.
Soon after, Claudine gave the Resistance member their second mission, which was to help Surl. In code, Surl explained that the Water Thief Monsters were stealing his supplies and asked them to recover the water that they had taken. After returning with the water, Surl thanked them and explained that he now had a surplus of water.
Though he wanted to sell the excess, he knew that there were too many Black Wings around, and so he asked the Resistance member for their help. He told them that he normally sold water to distant regions in Maple World and asked them to deliver his shipment to Ace at the Edelstein Airport. There, however, the Resistance member encountered a Black Wings ambush. After defeating the Black Wings henchmen, they successfully delivered the water to Ace and took back one of the Black Wings henchmen’s pins to Surl.
Surl was furious at the Black Wings and told them to show the pin to Claudine, who was equally furious that the Black Wings had stooped so low as to steal the citizens’ supplies in spite of the heavy taxes that they levied. She thanked them for their work and resolved to formulate a plan to deal with the Black Wings.
The Resistance member then went to visit Wendelline, who told them that she wanted to thank Vita for her work on the serum by giving her a present. She explained that she needed Streetlight Tendrils, but as she was afraid of fighting, she asked the Resistance member to collect them from the Streetlight monsters. They brought the materials to Wendelline, who created a Resistance badge for Vita. Vita was overjoyed to have a symbol of her new home and resolved to be even more useful.
Soon after, Claudine told the Resistance member that she had decided to distribute Vita’s medicine and asked them to deliver the supplies to an undercover Resistance agent at the drop-off point. She explained that the agent was typically away from Edelstein doing other missions, and since that was part of his alibi, he couldn’t publicly enter Edelstein, even if he wanted to.
At the drop-off point, the Resistance member was surprised to see J, who told them that the medicine would be popular with the Resistance’s secret agents because of its effectiveness, though he added that the medicine seemed a bit strange. After taking the shipment, J told them that he had a feeling that their paths would cross again. Just then, Claudine contacted the Resistance member and told them that the Black Wings were planning to rob Surl and asked them to protect him. Arriving just in time, the Resistance member drove off hordes of Black Wings henchmen before returning to the Secret Plaza.
There, their job instructor assigned them a special mission to steal a report from a Black Wings agent, which contained information gathered from the outside world. The Resistance member went to the Edelstein Airport, where they were surprised to find Schiller. Though he initially didn’t recognize them, Schiller was reminded about who they were when the Resistance member told him that though they hadn’t originally been strong enough to face him, they would finally get their revenge.
After defeating Schiller, they brought the report to their instructor, who was impressed by their skills. They explained that they felt that it was important that the Resistance member face Schiller again, not only to get revenge, but also to see how much they had improved. Having proven their talent, their instructor decided to teach them more advanced skills.
Some time later, J asked the Resistance member to meet him at the drop-off point and told them to keep their meeting confidential. There, J asked them to help him with an investigation and gave them a small package, which he instructed them to bring to Lisa in Orbis. Lisa told them that she would start the analysis immediately, but explained that she needed Stirge Wings in order to complete it.
The Resistance member obtained the wings and brought them to Lisa, who was able to finish her analysis. She told them that that, at first, she had thought that the contents of the package were medicine, but after her analysis, she was sure that it was poison. She explained that the poison would initially cause positive effects, but after the user developed a dependency on it, the poison would drain their life force cleanly away. She gave them her report to give to J and warned them that though she had no idea what he intended to do with the medicine, she recommended that he get rid of it as soon as possible.
After reading the report, J’s suspicions were confirmed and he told them that Vita might be a spy. He explained that he had first grown suspicious after seeing the effects of Vita’s medicine, but as he doubted that a kid could make something that potent, he had kept quiet because he hadn’t wanted to cause trouble for her in case he was wrong. He had then begun watching the Black Wings closely to see what their next move was, but he had been surprised when it had seemed as though they weren’t even trying to get Vita back.
The Resistance member attempted to defend their friend and told him that it was likely because Vita was hidden in the Secret Plaza, but J countered that even if that were true, it didn’t change the fact that the medicine was poison. He told them to inform Claudine that they needed to keep a closer watch on Vita, and that they needed to plan their next moves very carefully. As the Resistance member had helped uncover the truth, J knew that he could trust them, but he added that if the Resistance were to show its hand too early, the Black Wings would simply pull Vita out and the Resistance would learn nothing.
The Resistance member returned to the Secret Plaza and told Claudine what J had said. Claudine was surprised by the news and told them that she hated to think that their comrades were spying against each other. However, she knew that if J was right, they couldn’t afford to disregard it as a coincidence. She told them that she would keep a close eye on Vita, and that she would analyze the medicine a second time, just to be sure.
Some time later, Claudine contacted the Resistance member and told them that she had confirmed that the medicine was poison. After having met with the other Resistance leaders, they had decided to lock Vita up and recall all her medicine. The Resistance member protested that there must have been some kind of misunderstanding, to which Claudine replied that she hoped that that was the case. She told them that they were more than free to visit Vita.
Since they were her closest friend, Claudine hoped that Vita would tell them truth, as she was currently claiming that she hadn’t meant to make the medicine poisonous. The Resistance member went to visit Vita, who sobbed and told them the same story that she had told Claudine. They reassured her that they knew that she hadn’t meant to hurt anyone and told her that they would make sure that she would be set free.
Vita thanked them and explained that even after what had happened, she still believed that her life with the Resistance was wonderful, and that she had no regrets. She told them that Claudine was trying to make an antidote and asked them to help her with it. The Resistance member returned to Claudine and told her that Vita was sticking to her story, adding that there was no way that she could be a spy.
Claudine replied that she was inclined to agree, but told them that the evidence was stacked against her. She then explained that for the antidote that she was working on, she would need Feather Plants, but as they didn’t grow in Edelstein, they would need to find some on Victoria Island. She asked them to speak with the Dark Lord in Kerning City, as she had been told that he had a stash of Feather Plants.
They went to speak with the Dark Lord, who told them that Feather Plants were extremely rare and were often saved for antidotes. He explained that many were needed to make even a single antidote and offered to give all the Feather Plants that he had, as he would rather that someone in need of them take them before they went to waste. In exchange, he asked them to eliminate the Jr. Necki monsters in the Swamp Region. After the Resistance member finished, the Dark Lord gave them a pouch containing about half the Feather Plants that the Resistance needed. He mentioned that Ereve had stashes of Feather Plants, and that they might be able to get the rest from there.
The Resistance member brought the plants to Claudine, who thanked them, but since they were still missing half, she wasn’t sure about what to do. When the Resistance member suggested that they ask Ereve, Claudine grew angry and told them that any self-respecting member of the Resistance would rather stay poisoned than beg the Cygnus Knights for help, explaining the story of how the Cygnus Knights had betrayed them. With no other option, she decided that she would try to pad the Feather Plants with some other herbs and thanked the Resistance member for their help.
A few days later, the Resistance member was contacted by Eckhart, who told them to come alone to the Edelstein Airport. There, he told them that Ereve’s information network was the most powerful in the world, and that he knew that the Resistance had asked the Dark Lord for Feather Plants. He explained that Feather Plants only grew in Ereve, and that he would give them to the Resistance as a gift in order to demonstrate the Cygnus Knights’ commitment towards working together.
The Resistance member brought the Feather Plants to Claudine, but after learning how they had obtained them, she told them that she refused to be bought off by traitors. Though she appreciated the Resistance member’s intentions in accepting the gift, she explained that she still couldn’t take them. As it wouldn’t be fair to ask them to return the same gift that they accepted, she promised them that she would ask someone else.
Some time later, Ferdi contacted the Resistance member and explained that their instructor had a special mission for them. Back at the Secret Plaza, their instructor explained that the mission would require them to leave town and head to the Power Plant inside the Verne Mine. They explained that both the Power Plant and the Verne Mine rightfully belonged to the citizens of Edelstein, but the Black Wings had taken them both over and built an Energy Conducting Device to divert power away from the city for their own purposes.
For their mission, the Resistance member was to infiltrate the Verne Mine alone and destroy the Energy Conducting Device without affecting the Power Plant. Their instructor explained that the Power Plant was essential for the livelihood of the citizens, and that its destruction would wipe out all of Edelstein. They added that the Black Wings had successfully taken over the town by holding the people hostage with their own Power Plant, threatening to blow up the city if they didn’t comply with the Black Wings’ orders. Because of this, the Council President had no choice but to give the Black Wings full control of Edelstein.
After accepting the mission, the Resistance member was told to find a Black Wings member named Stephan, who sold Black Wings hats as an illicit side trade. With the hat that they purchased from him, the Resistance member infiltrated the mine and successfully destroyed the Energy Conducting Device. Pleased by their accomplishment, their instructor rewarded them by teaching them more advanced techniques.
Demon Awakening:
(A/N: First off, I hate the fact that the Demon doesn’t have a canon name. Calling him the Demon may as well just be the same thing as calling Mercedes “the Elf”. I remember that long ago, it used to be a thing for fanfiction writers to call him Valfor, similar to how they used Aidan and Luka as the names for the Mechanic and Battle Mage characters. At the very least, I’m a little glad that they decided to start calling him the Demon instead of the Demon Slayer because I always thought that “Demon Slayer” made it seem as though he was a person who was known for killing demons.
The Demon Slayer is the canonical version of the Demon, but both the Demon Slayer and Demon Avenger storylines are identical, with the exception of their 4th job advancement. If there’s any information specific to the Demon Avenger, I’ll include it in the author notes, rather than in the text. To this day, I have no idea why they created the Demon Avenger as an alternative path if they were just gonna make him non-canon. They may as well have just created a new demon branch of warriors, magicians, etc. and made the Demon Avenger a separate character, especially since the Demon only has superficial ties to the Resistance lore.
On a related note, the Demon is technically a Resistance member, which means that he can complete some of the main Resistance storyline. However, since it wouldn’t make sense for these quests to be repeated after the Resistance member does it first, I’ll only be including the Demon-specific quests in this section. The Demon’s storyline begins some time after Vita is rescued, but it has to be before Vita is accused of poisoning the Resistance because Elex makes a comment about how Vita is a victim of the Black Wings, which he wouldn’t have said if he believed that Vita could be a Black Wings spy.)
Over the centuries, the Demon had fallen into a deep hibernation inside the protective egg that he had constructed in order to recover from his fight with the Black Mage. Eventually, this egg was discovered by the Black Wings, who brought it back to Edelstein. Realizing that the egg contained an enormous amount of power, they took it back to the Verne Mine and hooked it up to a special Energy Conducting Device in order to power Gelimer’s experiments. (A/N: This one is different from the one in the Power Plant.)
As the device began to drain his energy, the Demon awoke from his hibernation and quickly broke out of the egg, using the last of his strength to defeat the Black Wings henchmen operating the device. In the shadows, J watched in amazement at the Demon’s tremendous powers. As the Demon fell unconscious, J took him back to the Secret Plaza.
The Demon soon awoke in the infirmary room and realized that all of his power had been drained away. He then overheard J telling the Resistance leaders about his discovery of the Energy Conducting Device, which he described as being similar to the one in the Power Plant, except that it had been connected to the egg. He explained that the Demon was extremely powerful, and that he wouldn’t have brought him back to the Secret Plaza if the Demon hadn’t already expended the last of his strength.
Elex wondered whether the Demon was one of Gelimer’s test subjects, which would make him a victim of the Black Wings, just like Vita. J went to check on the Demon in the infirmary and found him awake. He then escorted the Demon to meet with the Resistance leaders, who began questioning him about his organization, his background, and the wings on his back. The Demon explained that he was a former Commander of the Black Mage, and that he had been born with his wings, as his father was a pure-blood demon.
Claudine was shocked and asked the Demon how he could be a former Commander when the Black Mage had been sealed for centuries. This, in turn, shocked the Demon, who realized that not only had the Heroes succeeded in defeating his former master, but quite a large amount of time had passed since then. Claudine asked the Demon why he had betrayed the Black Mage, but the Demon merely told her that it was a personal matter.
He then asked Claudine who the Resistance and the Black Wings were, to which she explained that the Resistance was an organization formed to drive the Black Wings, a group trying to revive the Black Mage, out of Edelstein. The Demon was pleased to know that the Black Mage may yet return, as it meant that he could finally get his revenge. Just then, Headmaster Ferdi appeared and asked him to join the Resistance, as they both had a common enemy. After considering it, the Demon decided to accept their offer and thanked them for rescuing him.
Back in the infirmary, the Demon began wondering about whether he felt comfortable using the same power that he had once used to serve the Black Mage, or whether he should view his power drainage as an opportunity to cultivate a new power. He ultimately decided to continue using his Demon Fury, telling himself that he would use any means to defeat the Black Mage, even if it meant that he had to use the power that he had once used to serve a betrayer.
(A/N: The other option he chooses is to give into his rage, which turns his hair silver and transforms his mace into a Desperado. I noticed some similarities between his awakening as the Demon Avenger and Damien wielding the Spirit of Vengeance. Damien’s sword contains the Spirit of Vengeance, which is the combined spirits of countless sacrificed half-demons, similar to how the Demon Avenger wields a demon-powered Desperado. The word ‘avenger’ is also rooted in the word ‘vengeance’.)
Having awakened his old power, he returned to Claudine, who recommended that he enroll in Headmaster Ferdi’s training program in order to get stronger. After passing the training courses, Claudine told him that a Black Wings spy had infiltrated the Secret Plaza. With everyone on high-alert, the Demon decided to find the spy himself. The spy was surprised that the Demon had found him, as he had been using the power of darkness to cloak himself. The Demon explained that his demon bloodline allowed him to see through such tricks and proceeded to easily dispatch him, much to Claudine’s impressment. (A/N: The ability that the Black Wings spy was using sounds a lot like Dark Sight. I guess that Dark Sight doesn’t work on demons.)
The Demon then continued training in Edelstein until he was contacted by Checky, who told him that two children had gone missing from the town. He was worried that the children had ended up in the Serpent Path and asked the Demon to find them. Sure enough, the Demon found the two children cowering in fear of the serpents in the area. He then defeated the serpents in order to clear a path, allowing the children to run home safely.
(A/N: The game really missed the opportunity to develop the Demon’s relationship with the people of Edelstein. I have this entire story in my head about his relationship with the kids of the town that I would’ve loved to see in the game. For context, my estimate for how much time passes between the formation of the Cygnus Knights to the defeat of the Black Mage is somewhere between 10-15 years. I would say that the events of this section occur around 3-5 years into the timeline. I like to imagine that after the Demon saves these kids from the serpents, he checks in on them from time to time, which eventually leads to the kids viewing him as a cool big brother and the Demon taking care of them because they remind him of when Damien was a kid and how he’d follow the Demon around everywhere he went.
After the formation of the Alliance, I imagine that the Demon would be away from Edelstein a lot of the time, but he would still visit occasionally and give the Edelstein kids souvenirs and stories about his adventures. After Damien dies and the Black Mage is defeated, he would end up visiting the Edelstein kids, who are significantly older by now, probably around 15-16 years old, which would be around when Damien had been recruited as a Commander and forced into slavery in Tynerum. He’d tell them about Damien for the first time and how he hadn’t been able to save him.
Talking to the kids would then help him realize just how much of an impact he’d had on their lives, not only as an older brother figure, but also because him defeating the Black Wings and the Black Mage meant that he had helped create a better future where those kids didn’t have to throw their innocence and their lives away in battle, and so, even though he hadn’t been able to help his brother, he had still been able to help his chosen family, and that understanding would’ve helped him in the healing process in order to come to terms with Damien’s death and eventually move forward.)
Some time later, the Demon realized that he needed new armor and went to ask Surl about obtaining some. Surl began complaining that people nowadays didn’t understand the value of saving, explaining that many people threw away Black Plastic Bags from the Dust Box monsters without even realizing how many useful things were inside. In exchange for bringing him some of those plastic bags, he agreed to give the Demon a fair price on some armor. After the Demon collected the bags, Surl used the materials inside them to craft new gloves for him.
Soon after, Claudine told him that there were too many Streetlight monsters around Edelstein, which made it difficult for the Resistance to conduct their operations at night. As the Demon began heading to Streetlight Row, he encountered Council President Anthony, who also told him that there were too many Streetlights, and that the city needed to cut down on power consumption. Anthony ordered him to eliminate the Streetlights and bring back their light bulbs directly to him. The Demon realized that Anthony was planning to turn a profit with them, but nevertheless, he eliminated the Streetlights and gave the bulbs to Anthony, who bought his silence by giving him a single bulb. (A/N: Woah. This is worthless!)
As the Demon continued his training, Elex reached out to him and asked if he would investigate a strange monster that was scaring the townspeople. In Edelstein Park, the Demon encountered a purple cat, which immediately began attacking him. While fighting, the cat sensed something familiar and unexpectedly began speaking, calling the Demon “Commander”.
She introduced herself as his servant, Mastema, which made him immediately stop fighting. (A/N: Just like Vita, Mastema is canonically female, although her gender in the game is the opposite of the player’s gender, as she has romantic feelings for the Demon.) Mastema explained that she had managed to deliver his letter to the Heroes all those centuries ago, but Arkarium had arrived shortly after and attacked her. In order to survive, she had transformed herself into a cat and had spent centuries searching for the Demon.
Overjoyed to be reunited with her master, Mastema asked if he remembered the day that they had first met, when he had saved her in the Valley of the Dragons. The Demon told her that he remembered and realized that since no one except the two of them had been in the valley that day, it meant that the cat really was Mastema. He then told her what had happened during his battle with the Black Mage, and how he had encased himself into an egg in order to recover.
Mastema filled him in on how after his fight with the Black Mage, the Heroes had managed to defeat the Commanders at the Temple of Time and seal the Black Mage away. Though she didn’t know the fate of the other Commanders, she believed that they were likely plotting to revive the Black Mage. She also added that the Heroes had disappeared after sealing the Black Mage, but that there were rumors of their return spreading throughout Maple World. The Demon then decided to take her back with him to the Secret Plaza under the cover story that she was his pet.
At the Secret Plaza, Mastema told him that since he needed more power, she could form a contract with him in order to bestow her demon powers onto him. Though the Demon was hesitant, Mastema assured him that the power transfer wouldn’t turn him into a cat, adding that it would also allow them to speak telepathically. Once the Demon accepted the contract, Mastema’s power flooded into him, awakening more of his lost power.
The Demon then left the Secret Plaza and began walking around Edelstein. After sensing that he was being watched, he made his way to the outskirts of the town, where two robed men appeared. The older man told the younger one that it was a bad idea to reveal themselves, but the younger man ordered him to be silent. He then told the Demon that it had been a long time since they had last seen each other, and that he had only wanted to stop by in order to say that it was good to see him again.
(A/N: The younger man is obviously Damien. This quest, and several others like it, were either added or they replaced some of the Demon’s original quests and created a sub-plot of the Demon attempting to find the identity of the new demon Commander, which culminated in Damien revealing himself to the Demon during Heroes of Maple.)
After the pair left, the Demon felt that the younger man’s voice seemed familiar, but he was puzzled by the dark energy that he exuded. Mastema telepathically spoke to him through their bond and asked whether she ought to follow them. The Demon told her not to, as it was too dangerous, and so she decided to instead investigate their identities.
Soon after, the Demon ventured aboard to continue his training. Some time later, Mastema telepathically reached out to him and explained that she had heard rumors of an old man named Alcaster in El Nath, and that he had been alive for centuries. She suggested that he visit Alcaster, as anyone who had lived for so long would likely have valuable information.
The Demon arrived in El Nath and approached Alcaster, who immediately sensed the great darkness within him. Believing him to be a servant of the Black Mage, Alcaster refused to speak with him. Mastema then contacted him and asked what he had learned from Alcaster, but the Demon told her how Alcaster had refused to speak with him after sensing his Demon Fury.
Mastema suggested that he help Alcaster in order to prove that he wasn’t evil and told him to listen for an opportunity. The Demon then overheard Alcaster speaking to himself, saying that he needed Stirge Wings for his research, though he couldn’t make the trip all the way to Kerning City himself. Seizing the opportunity, the Demon collected the Stirge Wings and brought them to Alcaster, promising him that he was no longer in league with the Black Mage.
Though Alcaster was dubious, he nevertheless accepted the Demon’s gift and agreed to hear him out. The Demon asked him about the other Commanders and the Black Wings, to which Alcaster explained that he only had secondhand information about the old war from his master, who had personally lived through it. His master had told him that only Von Leon knew the full story of what had happened at the Temple of Time, as well as the fate of the Black Mage, but added that the Lion King had been hidden for some time.
Though he didn’t know what had happened to the other Commanders, he believed that they remained hidden while building their forces. He also believed that the Black Wings had been founded by one of the Commanders themselves, explaining that they were too focused and organized to be a random cult that worshipped the Black Mage. He then asked the Demon why he had asked such questions, as he would have thought that a former Commander would know more about the Black Mage’s followers than him. Regardless, he told the Demon to take care if he intended to battle those dark forces.
After getting his answers, the Demon continued his training and soon made his way to the Six Path Crossway, where he ran into Mercedes. She immediately recognized him as a Commander, but she also sensed that he seemed different, as though he were aware of his past misdeeds. She told him that thanks to the letter that he had sent all those centuries ago, the Heroes had been able to formulate their strategy based on the troop deployment information that he had given them, which had been the key to their victory.
She also mentioned that Arkarium had appeared and attacked Mastema and the other Heroes soon after she had delivered the letter before fleeing. With the information from his letter, the Heroes had been able to take the most direct route to the Black Mage’s throne room, where they had found the Demon lying unconscious. However, because of his attack, the Black Mage’s protective magic had been damaged, which had been instrumental in allowing them to seal him away.
The Demon was thankful that his actions had been meaningful, but Mercedes pointed out that there was much evil that he had yet to atone for, adding that she doubted that his crimes could ever be forgiven. The Demon replied that he had no intention of seeking forgiveness. Because he had already lost everything that mattered to him, vengeance was the only thing left to him.
Mercedes asked what his intentions were, to which the Demon told her that he would end the Black Mage himself and right all of his wrongs. Mercedes told him that his strength would be needed once the Black Mage returned, and that she was glad that they were on the same side. She also pointed out how strange it was that despite having once been sworn enemies, they were now able to have a simple conversation. Though she couldn’t forgive him, she explained that she no longer hated him, and hoped that the Great Spirit would watch over him until they met again to face the Black Mage.
Some time later, Mastema told him that she had found a way to help him regain more of his old power and asked him to come to Edelstein Park, as they needed a secluded area for the training that she had in mind. When the Demon arrived, Mastema explained that she had created a temporary copy of her past self, and though it wasn’t as strong, she believed that sparring with it would help the Demon in his training.
She then sent him into an alternate dimension, where he fought and defeated the copy of Mastema. Upon returning back to the real world, Mastema asked whether her copy had told him anything strange, which the Demon denied. (A/N: Mastema was hoping that her copy didn’t accidentally reveal her feelings for him.) However, he told her that he had been able to regain more of his old power, which Mastema was glad to hear.
Some time later, Mastema reached out to the Demon again and excitedly told him that she had found a way to change herself back to her demon form. She then asked him to collect Cellion, Lioner, and Grupin tails, which could restore one’s true form if braided together. Though the Demon believed that it was merely a tall tale, he nevertheless brought them back for her. Mastema then braided the tails together and placed the braid under her pillow, claiming that she would return back to normal the next day. However, just as the Demon suspected, the rumor was merely a superstition and Mastema remained a cat.
The Demon then continued his training, but soon after, Mercedes reached out to him again and demanded to know what he was planning. The Demon told her that he had no idea what she was talking about, and so Mercedes explained that a suspicious group of men had been signed in Orbis, and that one of them looked exactly like him. The Demon wondered whether they were the same men who had been tailing him in Edelstein and told Mercedes that he would look into it. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and told him to speak with Lisa, who was the one who had seen the group. She also warned the Demon that she would make him pay if he were truly planning something sinister.
In Orbis, the Demon met Lisa, who told him that she hadn’t personally witnessed the men, but rather, she had heard the rumor from Spiruna. (A/N: Great going, Mercedes. Maybe try fact-checking next time before you start threatening someone.) Lisa warned the Demon that Spiruna hated strangers and suggested that he do something for her so that she would be more inclined to humor him. She suggested that he bring Starpieces from the Star Pixies, whose growing population had been irritating Spiruna. Sure enough, Spiruna was annoyed to see the Demon, though she was placated when he gave her the Starpieces. He asked her where the men were headed, but Spiruna told him that he needed to do more in exchange for that information.
After he hunted Lunar Pixies and Luster Pixies, Spiruna was satisfied and used her magic to teleport him to their location. There, he witnessed the same robed men putting Eliza, the Goddess’ pet, under a curse. The Demon quickly realized that the men were also demons. As soon as they spotted him, one of the demons decided that they needed to eliminate him, as he had seen too much.
However, the younger demon from before, who seemed to be in charge, told him that he would handle the situation. He ordered them to disperse and finish their missions, but the Demon moved to attack, vowing that he wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. However, the young demon simply told him that they would meet again someday before disappearing, leaving the Charmed Eliza to fight him.
After he defeated the Goddess’ pet, Eliza thanked the Demon for lifting the curse on him before disappearing. (A/N: I thought that Eliza was female all this time, but the Orbis town quests actually reveal that Eliza is male.) The Demon was surprised that there were still other demons in Maple World, as he believed that they had all vanished after the Black Mage had been sealed away. He then resolved to investigate their return.
(A/N: Before the Milestone update, it was revealed in the Stone Colossus storyline that the demons had created and corrupted clones of Eliza in order to infect the Stone Colossus with darkness. However, the revamp to the Stone Colossus storyline removed Damien’s involvement with it, and I’m assuming that they’re going to delete this quest when they get around to revamping the Demon.)
Master Thief Phantom:
(A/N: The Destiny and Milestone updates created major continuity errors with Phantom’s storyline by having the majority of it take place before the formation of the Alliance. The very first scene in Phantom’s story establishes that it takes places shortly after the formation of the Alliance, with Phantom attempting to defend Cygnus from Hilla’s attempt to overthrow her and destabilize the Alliance.
The story team has been playing around with the timeline for a while now, trying to set the majority of all class stories to take place before the Alliance is formed, and it’s very likely that Phantom’s story will someday receive a revamp to work out the kinks in the timeline. Until then, however, we’re stuck with the plot hole of the Alliance being referenced many times in Phantom’s storyline, which is something that I struggled with addressing in this section.
On one hand, I want to make this site as plot hole free as possible, and so my first instinct was to remove all the references to the Alliance in this section, since any future revamp will almost certainly do the same. On the other hand, removing those references would create an inaccuracy in the writeup of what actually happens. Ultimately, I decided that keeping the site as cohesive as possible was more important to me, and so I made a compromise by removing those references on the lore site, but keeping them on the Maple Wiki for anyone who wants to see it unaltered. I hope that this way, it’ll make things less confusing, while still having a record of the actual story documented somewhere online.
On another note, Phantom’s storyline now intersects with Aran’s story, and so I’ve also included some of Aran’s storyline, including her 3rd job advancement. The reason why I included the latter is because it’s too short to be included in its own section, and it chronologically takes place between the intersecting portions and Aran’s Alliance quest.)
In order to destabilize Cygnus’ legitimacy as the Empress, Hilla posed as a noblewoman and publicly made a claim that she was the true heir to Ereve. With Shinsoo away for unknown reasons, an emergency conference was held in Ereve, where Hilla would testify for her right to the throne.
(A/N: Given that Shinsoo never leaves the Empress’ side, it’s strange that they never bothered to explain her absence. Since Hilla insisted on holding the conference during this time, I wonder if she or the other Commanders had done something to grab Shinsoo’s immediate attention, although I have no idea what situation would warrant Shinsoo going in place of the Cygnus Knights.)
Phantom, who had been largely underground since waking up from the ice, decided to publicly reveal himself for the first time in order to defend Aria’s heir. Together with his butler, Gaston, they devised a plan to reveal Hilla’s treachery and save Empress Cygnus. On the day of the conference, the Lumiere anchored itself directly above the Knight’s Chamber while Phantom infiltrated Ereve, which was on high security because of the number of high-profile world leaders gathered in one place.
He then disguised himself in a robe and talked his way through the inner security. Hilla then appeared before the royal court and Neinheart began questioning her about her claims. In the crowd, Phantom hid himself and listened to the Senators discussing Hilla’s apparent ownership of Skaia, the treasure of Ereve.
(A/N: It’s a common misconception that Skaia is the Seal Stone of Ereve. The Seal Stone of Ereve, also known as Shinsoo’s Teardrop, has been around in the game since Aran’s release and has been called the treasure of Ereve ever since its introduction. In contrast, Skaia was created for Phantom’s storyline and has no lore significance outside his story.
While Skaia is also referred to as the treasure of Ereve, it was actually just a common jewel that Empress Aria favored. Aria had heard stories about Phantom robbing the corrupt nobles and had wanted to meet him, but as Ereve had no treasures worth stealing, she had spread rumors about Skaia’s supposed magical properties in order to lure him to Ereve.)
Hilla began explaining the legend of Skaia, which was said to hold many powers, with one being that it glowed only in the hands of one descended from the Empress’ bloodline. Irena countered that there were no historical records of Skaia’s powers, but Hilla replied that the people of Ereve were the only ones in Maple World who had seen pictures of the gem, and so she claimed that their own knowledge of Skaia’s appearance would allow them to see that her gem was real. Hawkeye responded by saying that jewels could easily be forged, but Hilla countered by telling him that as he hadn’t been alive centuries ago, his opinion on the validity of the gem was of no importance.
(A/N: Literally none of Hilla’s arguments would hold up in a real court of law, and yet Neinheart and the Chief Knights keep letting her dominate the argument. I definitely wouldn’t have expected Neinheart of all people to be this bad at discourse.)
Hilla then argued that the reason why Cygnus was so frail was because she was being overpowered by Shinsoo’s strength, as only a true Empress could handle Shinsoo’s power, insinuating that Cygnus had been stealing Shinsoo’s power for herself. Cygnus agreed that she was too weak to handle Shinsoo’s power and admitted that she had been frail ever since childhood.
Shaken by Hilla’s argument, she began to doubt herself and told Neinheart that that she couldn’t ask the people of Maple World to fight on her behalf if she truly didn’t have any real authority or qualifications. Hilla then proposed a test to determine the true Empress and demonstrated that Skaia glowed in her hands. She then challenged Cygnus to see if it would glow in hers as well. When Skaia failed to glow in Cygnus’ hands, the Chief Knights reassured her that the legitimacy of the jewel itself was dubious, and that Shinsoo would reveal the truth when she returned. Neinheart added that Hilla could also be scheming to place doubt on her position.
Hilla lauded Cygnus for her wisdom, despite her young age, but urged her to make the right decision and cede the throne. Just then, Phantom appeared from the balcony and halted the proceedings. He then began to systematically counter Hilla’s arguments one by one. First, he reminded the audience that Empress Aria had no children, with only a niece left to carry on her bloodline.
(A/N: I have no idea why he brings this up when Hilla never claimed that she was directly descended from Aria’s children. I almost wonder whether the writers added that line just to disprove any theories that people might’ve had about Aria and Phantom having a secret lovechild.)
Secondly, he countered Hilla’s claim about Cygnus’ frailty and explained that it was because only an adult Empress could fully accept Shinsoo’s power, which was why Cygnus remained so weak. Finally, he dismissed Hilla’s gem as a fake, revealing that the true Skaia was in his possession before jumping from the balcony before the astonished crowd. Hilla was utterly shocked at Phantom’s unexpected appearance, whereas Mercedes and Athena Pierce were overjoyed to see their old comrade return.
Phantom threw a card to shatter the fake Skaia before unleashing a series of powerful skills to deter Hilla. Realizing that she had been beaten, Hilla shed her disguise and decided to back off, but not before warning them that Maple World was already in the Black Mage’s hands. As the crowd celebrated Phantom’s heroics, he approached Cygnus and immediately saw the resemblance between her and Aria. He then told her that he preferred her with a smile, something that he would tell Aria frequently, and vanished in a flash. After he disappeared, Cygnus found that Phantom had placed the real Skaia in her hands, thus returning it back to its rightful owner after centuries of safeguarding it.
(A/N: I always see people who say that Phantom and Cygnus should end up together, but those people also need to be reminded that Cygnus is literally a child and doesn’t become an adult until Tenebris. In my mind, Phantom looking out for Cygnus has always been because he views her as the child that he and Aria never had, and shipping him with Cygnus, even as an adult, makes him feel like a creepy child groomer who has a countdown for the day that she turns 18.
The translators who did the GMS localization don’t help with this because the GMS dialogue has him tell both Cygnus and Aria, “I prefer a woman with a smile on her face,” while the direct KMS translation of what he says is more along the lines of, “Your smiling face fits you the best,” which removes the inherent flirtiness from it. This weird trend of lewding kids like Lucid and Cygnus or shipping them with adults probably comes from people not reading the dialogue, and since the art style makes everyone look around the same age, people probably just assume that everyone is an adult.)
Back on the Lumiere, Phantom sighed in relief that it had only been Hilla whom he had faced and thought to himself that if any of the real Commanders had been there, he would have been in serious trouble. (A/N: Get wrecked, Hilla. It’s a bit ironic, considering that Hilla will go on to become the strongest Commander during the events of Tenebris.) He then congratulated Gaston on a job well done, as his butler had used laser lights to trick Hilla and the audience into believing that the powerful skills which he had been using were real.
Gaston cautioned Phantom against provoking a Commander in his weakened state and suggested that he continue his training. Phantom followed his advice and began training against the monsters in the training rooms of the airship, but he soon returned to Gaston in a huff and complained about how difficult it was to fight while being weak.
Gaston was amused and told Phantom that he had already taken the liberty of buying a potion that held accumulated strength. Though Phantom drank it all, he found that he had barely gotten any stronger. Gaston laughed and told him to take pride in his own strength by training more. After another round of training, Phantom returned once again to complain to Gaston, who told him that Christiane, one of his intelligence gatherers, wanted to give him a report on her assignment.
At the information deck, Christiane told him that she had finished investigating the Black Wings and had learned that a Black Wings member named Stephan was selling Black Wings hats. As her team hadn’t been able to learn much about the Black Wings’ actions, Christiane explained that she had obtained a hat and gave it to Phantom, hoping that he could learn more about the Black Wings by infiltrating their ranks.
In Edelstein, Phantom decided to get information from the watchmen in town. He first talked to Leonore, who mistook him for a grunt and ordered him to find her ring. After he recovered it, Leonore told him that she had joined the Black Wings in order to get away from the people who had loaned her money to buy the ring. She herself wasn’t sure of what the Black Wings did, but she added that she was glad to be away from the loan sharks. Next, he spoke to Wonny, who ordered him to tell Belle to take care of the Strange Signs. Belle told Phantom that the signs frightened her and begged him to take care of them in her place.
After defeating them, he returned to Wonny, who had noticed that Phantom had done Belle’s job for her. He told Phantom that helping the townspeople wasn’t something that a Black Wings member did. He explained that he had lived in Edelstein for most of his life, and that he had seen good people turned into something that they weren’t. He cautioned Phantom that being a Black Wings member meant being a scumbag and warned him to watch himself around the other Black Wings.
(A/N: The Edelstein town quests reveal that Wonny has joined the Black Wings in order to keep an eye on his girlfriend, Gabrielle, the former Council President’s daughter who’s being held hostage by the Black Wings in the Verne Mine. Though the people of Edelstein know that he’s not truly one of the Black Wings, Wonny still feels disgusted with himself for all the things that he has to do in order to keep up the ruse that he’s a loyal watchman, as he feels terrible about hurting the people of his hometown just so that he can keep Gabrielle from harm.)
Phantom then went to see Bavan, who asked him to bring back a Snake Leather Bag, after which he congratulated Phantom for trying to climb up the ranks, adding that he himself was hoping to reach the upper echelons of the organization in order to get the real benefits. Phantom quickly realized that none of the watchmen had any idea about the purpose of the Black Wings, though he felt that Bavan might know something about the upper ranks. However, Bavan merely dismissed Phantom as lazy and compared him to Stephan, the watchman who had a business selling Black Wings hats.
Phantom went to see Stephan, who offered to trade information in exchange for Batteries from the Patrol Robot S monsters. He then told Phantom that the high-ranking officers of the Black Wings were rarely in Edelstein, as most were away on missions in order to collect resources and artifacts. He mentioned that it was possible to encounter the founder of the Black Wings, who was working to extract a great deal of energy from Edelstein, but he added that the chances of meeting them were astronomical, and instead suggested that he speak to Le Tierre the secretary in order to learn more.
Inside the Verne Mine, Le Tierre asked him to prove himself by defeating Safety First monsters. She then told him to wait inside a nearby room, where she would introduce him to the Black Wings officers, whom she promised would promote him for his work. Inside, however, he found Black Wings henchmen waiting to ambush him. After defeating them all, he wondered what he had done to make Le Tierre suspicious, though he quickly dismissed the thought and returned to the Lumiere, where he asked Christiane to locate a Black Wings officer.
Some time later, a member of the intelligence team named Colette informed Phantom that she had found a lead and told him to speak with Tru in Lith Harbor. Phantom remembered Tru from the time that they had worked together to find the Seal Stone of Victoria Island and went to meet him at his shop.
Tru greeted him and began reminiscing about their old adventure together, laughing that he never would have guessed at the time that Phantom was one of the legendary Heroes. Getting to the point, he told Phantom that he had been gathering information on the Seal Stones ever since their adventure. Phantom told Tru that he had heard that someone had almost stolen the Seal Stone of Victoria Island from Aran, but Tru explained that it had been difficult for Aran to protect both the Seal Stone of Victoria Island and the Seal Stone of Ereve.
(A/N: This doesn’t make much sense, since Aran never tried to save the Seal Stone of Ereve besides just giving Neinheart a warning, and no one was trying to steal the Seal Stone of Victoria Island during her storyline either.)
He then told Phantom that he had been tracking Puppeteer Francis, and that he had discovered that Francis had made himself a hideout in the Golem Temple. Phantom infiltrated the hideout and attacked Francis, who was easily defeated. Francis began crying that he was taking a break from the Black Wings because he kept failing all his missions and getting beaten up all the time.
Phantom demanded that Francis answer his questions, but when Francis refused, Phantom beat him up once again. When Francis began crying harder, Phantom realized that he couldn’t get any information out of Francis in his current state, and so he attempted to placate the Puppeteer by offering to fix the puppet that he had broken by collecting Golem Cores.
After repairing Francis’ puppet, Phantom asked him what the goal of the Black Wings was. Francis was dumbfounded and asked why Phantom had beaten him up, only to ask something that anyone on the street could have answered, and told him that the Black Wings were trying to revive the Black Mage. Phantom asked him why reviving the Black Mage required extracting so much energy from Edelstein, to which Francis replied that he didn’t know much aside from what Le Tierre had told him about needing energy in order to revive the Black Mage.
Phantom then asked why the Black Wings were collecting the Seal Stones, as they should be useless without the Black Mage unsealed. (A/N: This line has retroactively become a plot hole with the Explorer revamp, since the Black Mage has obviously been unsealed at this point.) Francis told him that they needed to collect all the Seal Stones in order to bring the Black Mage back, but Phantom grew irritated at his answer and told Francis to stop lying, explaining that the Seal Stones didn’t have that kind of power. Francis whimpered that he was telling the truth, as the information had come straight from the founder of the Black Wings.
When Francis refused to tell him any more, Phantom attacked him yet again, but even after being defeated, Francis refused to reveal the founder’s identity, though he accidentally let it slip that she was a woman. (A/N: Phantom holds the record for having beaten up Francis the most out of any class.)
Phantom deduced that the founder couldn’t be Hilla, as the Black Wings weren’t skeletons, and that it couldn’t be Magnus or Guwaru, since they were men. He deduced that the Demon wouldn’t have rejoined the Black Mage, Von Leon never left El Nath, and Arkarium was too old. Through the process of elimination, he came to a single conclusion: Lotus.
(A/N: Honestly, he could’ve eliminated most of them just based on the knowledge that the founder is a woman. I’m guessing that it was because the writers wanted to take the chance to reveal the identities of the original seven Commanders. It also doesn’t make much sense that Phantom’s conclusion was Lotus, but I’m guessing that he likely realized that it was Orchid and then jumped to the next conclusion that her real goal likely had something to do with Lotus. This is also the first time that Magnus and Guwaru were mentioned in the game, which actually predates their initial appearance in Luminous’ storyline.
While Nexon revealed that they only formed an official story team after Tenebris, I have strong suspicions that there’s been an unofficial story group since Phantom’s storyline. A while back, Nexon explained that they used to draft stories by dragging regular employees into the writing room and having them make up lore.
My theory is that around the time of Phantom’s storyline, a handful of employees who liked the story became the de-facto group of people called in to develop the lore, which is why there was a notable shift in the amount of foreshadowing and effort placed into the story, especially when you consider that Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storylines introduced the overarching lore about the Overseers and the Transcendents in the very next patch after Phantom’s. Additionally, Phantom’s storyline is where the writers started laying the groundwork to tie together the lore about the Seal Stones and the real purpose of the Black Wings, which all came together in Black Heaven.)
Feeling a small amount of pity for Francis, Phantom brought him more Golem Cores for his troubles and then asked what he would do once the Black Mage returned. Francis told him that he would ask the Black Mage to make him the King of Ludibrium, allowing him to rule a kingdom of puppets, and vowed that he would recover the Seal Stone of Victoria Island in order to do so, claiming that he already knew where it was.
Phantom then left the Golem Temple and shook his head at the foolishness of the Black Wings in thinking that the Black Mage would share his power, as Phantom knew him to be a being who only sought the destruction of Maple World. He wondered why the Black Wings would want the Seal Stones, as they were only a safety net in case they couldn’t defeat the Black Mage. He was sure that Orchid must have known about their purpose and wondered whether she was using the Black Wings for her own purposes.
Recalling how Francis had revealed that he knew where the Seal Stone of Victoria Island was, Phantom realized that Tru may be in danger and returned to Lith Harbor in order to warn him. He told Tru how he had beaten the information out of Francis and asked if the Seal Stone was still safe, to which Tru explained that he had given it to Aran to safeguard in Rien and promised to warn Lilin about a possible Black Wings attack, adding that he would reach out if anything came up.
Phantom then returned to the Lumiere and told Christiane about what he had learned. Christiane suggested that if Orchid really was using the Black Wings for her own purposes, then they might be able to make a truce with the Black Wings. Phantom doubted that they could ever become allies, but Christiane reminded him that if the Black Wings executives were withholding such critical information, then it would only be a matter of time before the infighting started, which could be an opportunity for him to negotiate an alliance. Until then, she recommended that Phantom continue his training, as his future enemies would undoubtedly be stronger than Francis.
After continuing his training, Phantom believed that he was strong enough to use some of his more powerful skills. Though he didn’t have a teacher anymore, he remembered that he had compiled notes from his original training and had left them in secret vaults around Maple World. To get the skills that he needed for his current strength, he entered his vault in Orbis.
There, he found that the lock on his vault had remained untouched, making him disappointed in the thieves who had appeared over the centuries. Upon realizing that he didn’t have the key to unlock it, he broke the lock and entered his vault, where he began rummaging through some of his old treasures. (A/N: Some of his treasures include the world’s first meso, the only existing Reverse Miracle Cube, the first edition of “A History of Ribbon Pigs”, and a copy of “The Great Mushroom Uprising”.)
He then found his notes and began reminiscing about his old teacher, Raven, who had emphasized the importance of learning a skill twice in order to remember it. He wished to himself that Raven would have taken his own advice and learned how to defuse a bomb twice, recalling that his death had been a sad day for everyone.
(A/N: I’m really interested to know about Raven and his troupe that Phantom joined. While they have the opportunity to tell a lot of major backstories in the Grand Athenaeum, I wish that they had a Not As Grand Athenaeum, where they can present interesting side stories that don’t have much to do with the main plot.)
Soon after, one of Phantom’s maids, Marguerite, learned that he had given a lavish bag to Bavan and threatened to go on strike unless he brought her one as well. After finding another Snake Leather Bag, Phantom gave it to Marguerite, who thanked him and gave him an elegant chair as a gift.
(A/N: There’s a bit of a continuity error in this exchange, as both Phantom and Marguerite talk as though Phantom had given the bag to another woman, even though he had given it to Bavan. I like to think that she assumed that he had given it to some other woman and he had gone along with it in order to avoid having to tell her that he had given the bag to someone like Bavan over her.)
Some time later, Tru contacted Aran and warned her that a suspicious ship was sailing towards Rien, and that he suspected the Black Wings were behind it. He asked Aran to quickly head to Rien in order to defend the island, promising to send reinforcements to help. Aran rushed back to Rien, where she found that the town was in flames, with Maha trapped in a gravity cage and the Black Wings attempting to break down the barrier to the Rien Library, where Lilin had kept the Seal Stone of Victoria Island.
Aran rushed to the scene and confronted Orchid, ordering her to stop at once. She then turned to Maha and asked her where Lilin was, to which Maha replied that he didn’t know, and that Orchid had somehow been able to perceive him and suppress his power. Orchid then laughed that she would play with Aran slowly in order to pay her back for what Mercedes had done to her. Realizing that Rien was a precious place to Aran, Orchid summoned hordes of Black Wings henchmen to raze it down, to which Aran stood her ground and defeated them all.
Meanwhile, Tru contacted Phantom about a mysterious ship sailing towards Rien. Though he had already warned Aran about it, he wanted to let Phantom know as well, in case she needed backup. Phantom rushed to Rien and began facing the Black Wings henchmen in town. Elsewhere, just as Orchid decided to fight Aran personally, she suddenly stopped in surprise before declaring that she couldn’t handle two of them in her current state. She then decided to retreat without the Seal Stone, though she declared that she would soon return and face Aran with her full power. As she disappeared, the gravity cage on Maha dissipated, freeing him once again.
Phantom then met with Lilin, who told him that Aran had taken care of most of the invasion herself, though she thanked him for his help. When Phantom asked whether the Seal Stone was safe, Lilin explained that she had locked it up in the Rien Library. Lilin then told Phantom that she wanted to ask him a question about the Heroes, which Aran couldn’t answer because of her amnesia.
She asked him if the people of Maple World from centuries ago had known about the Heroes and their actions in fighting the Black Mage. Phantom told her that the Heroes had been very well-known and asked Lilin why she wondered such a thing. Lilin told him that she knew that the Heroes had to have been well-known, but given that it was the case, she asked him why the Heroes had been forgotten.
A surprised Phantom asked her to elaborate, and so Lilin explained that despite the Heroes having taken down one of the worst villains in Maple World, there wasn’t a single record of their victory, which she found strange, even after taking into account that it had happened centuries ago. She told him that the Rien Clan had a record of every feat and accomplishment of the Heroes, but the rest of the world had no knowledge of both the Heroes and the Black Mage, as though they had all been wiped from the history book.
Phantom decided to look into it, claiming that even if someone had been erasing the Heroes from history over centuries, there had to be a few clues that they couldn’t have covered up. Before he left, he asked if she would be alright in Rien, to which Lilin explained that between Aran and the penguin warriors, Rien was one of the safest places in Maple World. She assured him that if things got too bad, she would give the Seal Stone of Victoria Island to the Alliance for safekeeping. Phantom then returned to the Lumiere and told Colette about what he had learned. Colette promised him that she would scour Maple World for any untampered record of the Heroes in order to find any leads.
After Phantom left, Lilin met with Aran, who had been wondering which second person Orchid had been referring to, with Maha also noting that Aran’s other ‘friend’ had arrived as well. Lilin explained that thanks to Aran, she had been able to flee to safety, and that someone else had come to help Rien as well, causing Aran to wonder whether they were the ‘friend’ that Maha had been talking about. Lilin revealed that Phantom had arrived on Rien just before Aran had, explaining that he was one of the Heroes who had fought the Black Mage. Hearing Phantom’s name caused Aran to vaguely remember him, and to realize that he was the reinforcements that Tru had mentioned, as well as the employer of Tru’s business partner.
Lilin confirmed Aran’s suspicions and explained that she had spoken with Phantom because she had been curious to know something that only he could answer as someone who hadn’t lost his memories. She told Aran that despite the Heroes being known by the common people, there were almost no records of their battle against the Black Mage, even though it ought to have been an extremely important historical event. She suspected that someone was deliberately erasing records of the Heroes and the Black Mage, adding that Phantom had decided to investigate the matter personally.
She then told Aran that Phantom had confirmed that Wing Master Orchid was the leader of the Black Wings, and a Commander of the Black Mage centuries ago. Aran immediately realized that the person whom she had been fighting was Orchid, though she regretted being unable to defeat her. However, Lilin reassured her that she would get another chance, especially if Orchid was a Commander. Aran asked Lilin whether she would be okay, to which Lilin told her that she would strengthen the protective spells around Rien, and that she would give the Seal Stone to someone trusted in order to keep it safe.
(A/N: Lilin later entrusts the Seal Stone to Athena Pierce, although it gets stolen by the Black Wings in transit, which is where the Explorer storyline begins.)
Soon after, Maha reached out to Aran and called her to Rien, where he told her that it was time for her to regain more of her memories. However, he explained that she wouldn’t simply be using the Mirror Cave again, as she needed to undergo special training there. He asked Aran whether she remembered the Red Jade and explained that it was a special gemstone created when their combined powers resonated, allowing it to amplify the power of her spirit weapon.
As the Red Jade had been destroyed by the Black Mage’s curse, Maha tasked Aran with using the Mirror Cave to learn how to create the Red Jade, noting that she had first created it during an intense training session in El Nath. He explained that since they had been so fatigued – to the point of fading in and out of consciousness – he had little memory of that time, which meant that she would need to relive that moment in order to learn how to create the Red Jade herself.
Using the Mirror Cave, Aran witnessed her past self pushing past her limits in order to prepare for the battle against the Black Mage, believing that the essence of Maha was still incomplete. Suddenly, Aran found herself surrounded with Lycanthropes in the valley. Aran of the present then recalled that the Red Jade had been formed with her past self had been pushed past her limits, both in body and mind. Hoping to replicate that moment, Aran fought the Lycanthropes, pushing past her exhaustion, causing her and Maha to become one and create the Red Jade. She then brought the jewel to Maha in the present, whose amplified power allowed him to awaken more of her old strength as well.
Dimension Invasion:
(A/N: With the 20th anniversary update in KMS, Dimension Invasion and its storyline were removed from the game. However, the events of Dimension Invasion are indirectly referenced in the Genesis Weapon storyline, which preserves the concept of Hilla invading Grandis in order to confront Magnus. The Genesis Weapon cutscene makes a mention of the Black Mage’s seal being on the verge of breaking, which doesn’t line up with the original Dimension Invasion storyline, but since that story has been removed anyways, I decided to cut out those bits from the original story that don’t work in order to have everything fit better into canon.
What originally happened is that Gelimer and Hilla worked together to invade Heliseum, with Gelimer creating special Crimson Interdimensional Portals with his technology. The Nova, who were trying to retake Heliseum, called the Alliance for help in fighting off both Magnus and Hilla’s forces, which were openly battling and disrupting the operation to retake the capital. Since Gelimer betraying Orchid doesn’t line up well with the current timeline, I removed those parts and only kept the stuff that exists in the Genesis Weapon cutscene.)
With the Black Mage’s resurrection imminent, the Commanders began making preparations to move out of the shadows after centuries. Suspecting Magnus of having deserted his position, Hilla infiltrated Tyrant’s Castle in Heliseum and confronted Magnus, whom she gave one final chance to explain himself. She asked Magnus why he had never bothered to attend the Commander meetings, even though he was alive and well, and asked whether he opposed the Black Mage’s will. Magnus simply laughed and asked if the seal would be broken soon before congratulating the Commanders for all that they had accomplished thus far.
(A/N: It’s interesting to me that the Commanders had regular meetings in all the centuries that the Black Mage was sealed. I’ve always just headcanoned that they put themselves to sleep during that time because the Black Mage had ordered them to lay low and not cause trouble until he came back. The fact that they were all probably awake during that time makes me want to believe that with the exception of Von Leon being depressed in his castle, all the other Commanders bought a penthouse together and lived a sitcom life, complete with a canned laugh track.)
Hilla told him to keep his mouth shut, but Magnus was merely amused that he seemed to have struck a nerve. He reminded Hilla that he had never promised his utmost loyalty to the Black Mage and explained that Gerand Darmoor used very different methods than the Black Mage, adding that he wouldn’t embarrass himself further by continuing to play a part in such a ridiculous masquerade.
Hilla appeared genuinely upset by Magnus’ betrayal and, holding back tears, she told him that it was only right to call him an enemy, swearing that she would take back everything that the Black Mage had given him. Magnus sneered and replied that it should have been that way all along, as he could use a good fight. They then engaged in a fierce battle, the outcome of which was unknown.
(A/N: I always found the idea of Magnus and Hilla having unresolved romantic tension in FriendStory to be interesting. It’s nice to see that Hilla, at least, seemed to have some feelings for Magnus in the real world, and honestly, I like to think that Magnus getting under her skin was him flirting with her and reciprocating her feelings. And that’s such a cool coincidence because would you look at that, I’m also in love with both of them.
For me, Magnus and Hilla are just like a Fire/Poison Mage - hot but toxic. They’re literally the worst individually, but when you see them paired together, you can’t help but think, “God help me, these two are the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in my life. I bet I could talk my way into a throuple with them. There’s no way this can end well, but what am I if not self-destructive?”
Getting back to the point, though, even though the outcome of their fight isn’t mentioned, it’s likely that Magnus won, since he’s still ruling Heliseum by the time that the Alliance launches its siege. This exchange between Magnus and Hilla is shown in a cutscene after you defeat Magnus during the Genesis Weapon liberation questline.)
Riena Strait:
(A/N: Although any class can complete the Riena Strait theme dungeon, Illium’s Alliance quest has Neinheart reach out to him and explain that Lilin, his sister, had told him about how Illium had helped save Riena Strait. Additionally, the KMS Spring 2024 update created an Alliance quest for Zero, which also had Neinheart reach out to him after hearing from Lilin about how they helped her at Riena Strait.
The Milestone update created a sort of streamlining for the way that all classes have their storylines take place. The way that it assumes things is that every class does their 1-30 storyline, then does the 30-60 theme dungeons, then has their level 75 Alliance quest, and then proceeds with the 100+ theme dungeons in Nexon’s recommended order, which means that the assumption is that the protagonist will have done every major quest themselves, and that there’s no one set character who does anything. It’s something to bear in mind throughout the rest of the chronology, since there are times when the ordering won’t make sense, like Grandis classes joining the Alliance at level 75, when Grandis itself joins at level 100.)
A traveler was contacted by Lilin, who explained that the water levels of Rien were rising, and that all of Rien would soon be underwater. She told them that the Penguins, Malamutes, and Seals had all put aside their differences and had started working together to save Rien by studying the islands that were most affected. She added that they could use the traveler’s help and told them to ask Puro the penguin to ferry them to the Glacial Observatory. Upon arriving at the observatory, the leader of the investigation, Putan, was less than impressed to see the kind of help that Lilin had sent. Nevertheless, he apologized for being rude and believed that the traveler had to be a brave warrior for having crossed the glaciers in such terrible weather.
(A/N: Aran gets exclusive dialogue when she first meets Putan, in which Putan recognizes her and expresses his relief that such a reputable warrior has come to help them.)
He told the traveler that they would need a boat to navigate the waters and instructed them to ask Dachi for one. Dachi asked the traveler to bring back good lumber from the ocean in exchange for using his boat. With Helmsman Tanya manning the wheel, the traveler collected good lumber from the ocean and brought it back to Dachi. Having gained access to a boat, the traveler returned to Putan for their mission. Putan explained that Frostwitch Barbara was likely the culprit behind the melting glaciers, as she had been sighted at all the sites of glacier problems. He told the traveler to go to Ice Station 1 and see if there was anything that he could do to help.
After traveling there, the traveler met Pushki, who told him that he was researching ways to capture Frostwitch Barbara. He asked the traveler to help by eliminating the Ammonite Grumpils and Fish Grumpils. After defeating them, the traveler returned to Pushki, who heard a girl screaming nearby. The traveler and Tanya sailed west of the glacier, where they spotted a young woman surrounded by Grumpils.
After being rescued, the girl introduced herself as Nora the Explorer. (A/N: Meanwhile, Dora the Explorer was found dead in a ditch.) She explained that she had been studying the permafrost layer on the glaciers when the Grumpils had begun to attack. The traveler then told her about the situation with Frostwitch Barbara and the people of Riena Strait.
Nora explained that the permafrost showed definite signs of natural degradation, meaning that the melting glaciers had to be the result of rising temperatures. She added that the Grumpils were most likely thawing out, rather than being summoned with magic. She also wondered why a witch would want to raise the sea level around her own area and felt as though something wasn’t adding up. Because of this, she decided that she would help the traveler with their mission. They then returned to Pushki, who asked the traveler to bring his Wind Change Report to Putan.
Putan was pleased by the report and asked them to help Alviola next. Alviola asked the traveler to go to Ice Station 2 and speak with her brother, Alvesh, who told the traveler that the Malamutes had a keen sense of smell, and that monsters in the Ice Station were releasing a toxic stench that was interfering with his duties. The traveler defeated the Corruptor Barrels and Polluter Barrels, for which Alvesh thanked them and requested that they bring back his Tracking Report to Putan.
After receiving the report, Putan was able to pinpoint the location of Frostwitch Barbara and asked the traveler to defeat her. However, after sailing to Barbara’s house, the traveler was surprised to find her surrounded by baby animals and began to doubt that she was an evil witch. Nora asked Barbara if she was the one causing the rising sea levels, but Barbara explained that she couldn’t use that sort of magic. However, she added that she was the one saving all the baby animals around her from drowning as the water levels rose.
She then tasked the traveler with finding large fish to feed the babies, after which the traveler asked Barbara why she continued to help the animals when they hated her. Barbara explained that in the past, the Seals, Malamutes, and Penguins would fight all the time, but unexpectedly, they had united by turning on Barbara, even though she had only been saving their young. Though she had initially been upset, she had decided that having them united against her was a better sort of peace than having them fight each other.
The traveler then sailed back to the Observatory and told Putan that Barbara was actually good. Confused by what to believe, Putan concluded that the Seals must be the culprits, as he had gotten reports that Seals had attacked his Penguin warriors. He asked the traveler to investigate the Seals and discover the truth. The traveler spoke with Dachi, who explained that the Seals were innocent and asked them to investigate Ice Station 3.
There, the traveler met with Dabo, who explained that he had seen some of the Seals sneaking around the base and asked the traveler to defeat them. After defeating them, the traveler discovered that they were actually Black Wings henchmen disguised as Seals. Furious to know that the Black Wings were impersonating his comrades, Dabo asked the traveler to defeat the Walrus-disguised Black Wings inside the base and to find any evidence of their treachery. The traveler obtained Garbled Commands from the Black Wings, which Dabo told him to bring to Putan in order to prove that the Seals were innocent.
Back at the base, Putan was ashamed to have suspected Barbara and his allies and asked the traveler to find someone who could translate the Garbled Commands in order to solve the mystery. The traveler brought the data to Nora, who recognized that the code originated from Edelstein. She explained that the perpetrators were looking for a huge power source, and that they had destroyed the glaciers and spread discord amongst the natives of Riena Strait in order to do so.
(A/N: It’s later revealed that the Black Wings have been harvesting coolant for Black Heaven.)
With the coordinates from the report, they sailed towards the Glacier Cutter Base. There, the traveler defeated the Warmer Bots that were melting the glacier. After returning, Nora continued to decipher the Garbled Command and theorized that there were robots deeper inside the base that were hauling off chunks of ice. The traveler then went on to defeat the Shaver Bots and brought back their Glacier Core Fragments. Nora recognized the fragments as having the ability to freeze anything and realized that the culprits must have big plans to need so many.
Meanwhile, Black Wings henchmen reported that intruders had discovered their base. Their leader, Admiral Martini, decided to retreat, rather than give his enemies the satisfaction of capturing them, and ordered them to destroy all evidence on the base in ten minutes. The Black Wings then detonated the base and the explosion was felt by Nora and the traveler. The traveler rushed to the base center, where they encountered a Demolisher. (A/N: You later encounter thousands of Demolishers during the events of Black Heaven.)
The traveler managed to defeat it, but they soon realized that the rest of the evidence had been already destroyed. They returned to Nora, who was pleased that they had stopped the Black Wings from melting Riena Strait. They returned to the observatory and reported back to Putan, who thanked them for their help. For their last mission, all the animals went to Frostwitch Barbara’s house to apologize. Lilin then arrived at the observatory and thanked the traveler for his help. She told them that she had learned that even if people disagreed on things, working towards a common goal brought out the best in them, especially if it protected the ones they loved.
(A/N: Aran gets exclusive dialogue with Lilin in place of the regular dialogue. Lilin notes that she’s heard that Aran had done a great job with the mission, just as she’d believed. She then notes that the fact that the people behind the melting glaciers had been dangerous enough to cause the sea levels to rise means that they can't just ignore it. She decides that she'll write a letter to someone who can help investigate, even though she doesn't want to speak to him.
She then tells Aran that in order to help people come together and protect what they love, they need a hero like Aran. She explains that heroes are symbols of hope who have the power to bring people together, and that with Aran on their side, they all have that hope. Lilin then jokingly asks Aran if she's scared before laughing that there's no way that it could be true with she's Aran. Upon Aran pointing out that she had just smiled, Lilin asks in confusion why she's so surprised, noting that all humans laughed sometimes. She then asks Aran whether she's going to get back to training before adding that she won't disturb her as she gets to it.)
The Verne Mine:
(A/N: This section covers the Edelstein town questline, which was revamped in the Milestone update. Although I don’t typically cover town storylines in the main story section, the Milestone update created a recommended storyline ordering, which includes the Verne Mine storyline. Because the information that we uncover is important to later stories, I decided that it would make sense for it to be included.)
A traveler was called to Edelstein by Headmaster Ferdi, who requested their help in assisting the citizens of Edelstein. The traveler met with Ferdi, who explained that Edelstein was also known as the Iron City, as it was renowned for its power plants and mining industry. However, he noted that the powerful monsters and the Black Wings made entry to the Verne Mine difficult.
The traveler asked Ferdi who the Black Wings were, to which he explained that they were the people dressed in black who monitored the city and ruled with an iron fist. Based on Ferdi’s tone, the traveler quickly surmised that the Black Wings were a hated organization. Ferdi then directed the traveler to meet with Albert, the former Council President.
(A/N: For Resistance classes, Ferdi instead notes that they’ve been busy outside Edelstein and asks them to take a break momentarily in order to hear his request In Edelstein, Ferdi skips the explanation about the town and just asks them to meet with Albert directly.)
The traveler met with Albert, who explained that he was once the Council President of Edelstein before the Black Wings had taken over and deposed him. He told the traveler that he blamed himself for allowing the Black Wings to take over and kidnap his daughter, Gabrielle, as a hostage in the Verne Mine. Worried about her living conditions, Albert asked the traveler to enter his former mansion, which had been seized by the new Council President, Anthony, and recover some of Gabrielle’s old clothes.
The traveler entered the mansion and defeated the guard robots inside before finding Gabrielle’s clothes in her trunk and bringing them to Albert. Albert thanked the traveler for their help and asked the traveler to bring the package to Watchman Bavan, who would sometimes deliver them to Gabrielle in exchange for food and money. The traveler brought the package to Bavan, who eagerly accepted the offering and dumped Gabrielle’s clothes on the floor before pocketing the money and snacking on the food as usual. He then told the traveler that Albert would have no idea whether the clothes had been delivered or not, and so it hardly mattered whether he did.
Just then, Watchman Wonny called the traveler over and told them that though he was a low-level watchman, he was the liaison between Edelstein and the Black Wings headquarters, and so he would be able to bring Gabrielle the clothes that Albert had packed. Upon looking at her cloak, he noted fondly how she had worn it when they had taken a picture in front of the Edelstein Clocktower. Though he couldn’t guarantee that the clothes would be delivered, Wonny promised them that he would try his best.
After the traveler handed off the clothes, they were called over by Claudine’s younger sister, Ulrika, who demanded to know why they had been speaking to Wonny, whom she called a traitor who had joined the Black Wings, despite being an Edelstein citizen. Believing the traveler to be a Black Wings spy, Ulrika declared that she would report them to the Resistance unless they agreed to help her friend, Jun. The traveler spoke with Jun, who revealed that his younger brother, Von, had disappeared several days ago after leaving on a mission to rescue their older sister, Gabrielle. He asked the traveler to find Von and ask him to come back home, as it was extremely dangerous around the Verne Mine.
The traveler arrived at the entrance to the mine, where they found Von looking for a way inside. Von refused to come with the traveler, claiming that he wouldn’t leave until he had freed his sister. He explained that he had tried forcing his way into the mine, though the guard had been too strong for him. Because of this, he asked the traveler to help him find another way inside by obtaining a Black Wings hat from a Black Wings member who sold them. The traveler then met with Stephan, who agreed to give them a hat in exchange for a price, offering them the choice between a sum of mesos or Patrol Robot S Memory Chips.
Using the Black Wings hat, the traveler and Von entered the Verne Mine, where they met with Gabrielle, who was surprised to see them. She explained that though she hadn’t received any of the things that her father had delivered, she was nevertheless glad to know that he was alive. As they could freely travel between Edelstein and the mine, Gabrielle asked them to deliver a letter to her father for her. After the traveler delivered the letter to a relieved Albert, they returned back to the mine, worried for Gabrielle’s safety.
There, they were caught by Gabrielle’s captor, a bunny named Buck Teeth, who mistook them as a new recruit and put them to work by having them eliminate the Racocos in the mine. After the traveler finished, an unimpressed Buck Teeth ordered them to find new work to do themselves. Just then, a disguised Von called them over and thanked them for helping him infiltrate the mine. He explained that he was getting closer to freeing Gabrielle, as he just needed to find a way to make Buck Teeth leave for a moment, as he believed that he would be able to overpower Le Tierre the Secretary while helping Gabrielle escape. He then asked the traveler to defeat the Guard Robots and bring their broken batons to Buck Teeth in order to make her believe that there was an intruder in the mine.
Sure enough, Buck Teeth took the traveler to inspect the Guard Robots, though she quickly determined that there was nothing wrong except for a few defective units. Berating them for wasting her time, Buck Teeth ordered them to dispatch the faulty robots, after which she returned back to Gabrielle. After finishing their mission, the traveler returned to see if Von had escaped with Gabrielle, though they were surprised to find that she was still there.
Gabrielle thanked them for trying to help her, though she explained that she couldn’t leave, as the Black Wings would only retaliate against Edelstein and her father if she were to escape. She told them that her hardships were nothing compared to those of the townspeople, and that she would endure them until the day that their city was freed.
However, Gabrielle told the traveler that she wanted to be useful in her captivity and explained that they might be able to find important information about the Black Wings from the memory chips of the Guard Robot L’s. After the traveler collected the chips, Gabrielle asked them to deliver both the chips and a document which she had secretly compiled on the Black Wings’ activities to Wonny. Back in Edelstein, the traveler handed the information to Wonny, who noted how ashamed he was that he had joined the enemy for Gabrielle’s sake, even as Gabrielle continued to risk her life for the town.
Suspecting that there was more to Wonny’s story, the traveler spoke with Brighton the streetsweeper, who revealed that Wonny and Gabrielle were in love with each other, and that he had joined the Black Wings to keep an eye on Gabrielle after she had been held hostage. He then told the traveler to go to the mansion walls at 10pm if they wished to see for themselves how Wonny would miss Gabrielle every night. That evening, the traveler found Wonny, who claimed that he wasn’t there because he missed Gabrielle, but because he was guarding the mansion from thieves. He then told them to leave if they had no business there, as he didn’t have time to deal with them.
(A/N: Originally, this quest really did require you to speak with Wonny at 10pm PST in order to complete it, although the revamp made it so that you can just view a cutscene immediately after accepting the quest.)
The next day, Wonny thanked the traveler for Gabrielle’s document, explaining that it had made him think a lot. He then asked them for one more favor and requested that they deliver the information to the Resistance for him, believing that it would be less suspicious if they handed it over instead of him. He explained that the Resistance was always keeping an eye on him, and that they would soon be in contact. Sure enough, the traveler was soon approached by a girl, who told them that she had been asked to give them a balloon.
After the girl disappeared, the balloon popped, revealing a note instructing them to come to Edelstein Park alone. There, they met with the Resistance agent codenamed J, who told them that the Resistance had vetted them and determined that they were not affiliated with the Black Wings, for which he brought them to the Resistance headquarters at the Secret Plaza.
(A/N: The quest involving the balloon and J is exclusive to non-Resistance classes, as the Resistance classes are simply able to head over to the Secret Plaza directly.)
Claudine welcomed them to the Resistance’s hideout and thanked them for helping Von safely return back to town, noting that it must have been very dangerous for them in the Verne Mine. The traveler then delivered the information to Claudine, who began to look over the information.
(A/N: Here, Resistance classes get an exclusive scene that originally used to be part of their Alliance quest before it was moved to the Verne Mine storyline. After going over the information, Claudine notes that what’s even more disturbing is that no one knows the true purpose of Gelimer and the Black Wings. She then asks the Resistance member to enter Gelimer’s laboratory and investigate.
In the lab, the Resistance member obtains a research journal before overhearing Gelimer talking to Orchid. Gelimer tells Orchid that there’s no need to check up on him in person, promising that his research will be finished soon. However, Orchid snaps at him, claiming that Arkarium’s plans are well underway, and that she can’t let him beat her and Lotus.
Gelimer replies that it’s not easy creating a creature as powerful as what she’s asking for, though he promises that he’ll have it ready soon. Orchid tells him that the end product needs to be perfect, and that it’s the very reason why she had formed the Black Wings and hired him in the first place. Gelimer is taken aback at this news, as well as the Resistance member, who realizes that Orchid is the founder of the Black Wings.
Gelimer’s surprise here is likely because he believed that Orchid had formed the Black Wings to revive the Black Mage, with Lotus being a personal project of hers. Here, however, he discovers that reviving the Black Mage was just a superficial goal, with her true purpose being to revive Lotus all along.
He then tells her that if she’s spent so many years waiting, a little while longer won’t make a difference. He assures her that once he’s finished, both she and Lotus will be far stronger than before. The Resistance member then wonders what exactly Gelimer is making. Just then, Orchid and Gelimer hear a noise coming from where the Resistance member is hiding, with the Resistance member deciding that it’s time to leave.
Back in the Secret Plaza, the Resistance member brings the research journal to Claudine, who reads it and notes that Gelimer is trying to create a perfect, superhuman creature through experimentation, and that those experiments are even using magic. She adds that one test subject had come close to the form that he wanted, though he had decided to discard it after realizing that it had no power at all. This test subject is Vita, although the research journal doesn’t mention it. She then notes that Gelimer seems to be working on someone else’s orders, and she’s surprised to learn from the Resistance member that Gelimer is reporting to Orchid.)
After going over the information, Claudine told the traveler that based on Gabrielle’s information and the Resistance’s own knowledge, they could conclude that Gelimer was planning to create a superhuman creature that went beyond just a simple android. She explained that outside of their cruel biological experiments, the Black Wings were also engaging in environmental destruction, such as the mining and resource extraction in Riena Strait.
She then added that these projects had all been for Orchid, who was revealed to be the founder of the Black Wings. As Orchid was also a Commander of the Black Mage, Claudine suspected that the Black Mage’s resurrection was imminent and noted that it was possible that Gelimer’s experiments may be for the Black Mage as well. She told the traveler that it was a terrifying prospect that the Black Wings were working for the Black Mage, and that his destructive reign may soon happen once again.
Claudine also told the traveler that the Resistance’s intelligence suggested that the Black Wings were collecting the Seal Stones, which were said to have been used to seal the Black Mage. Though Claudine had initially believed the Black Wings’ acquisition of the Seal Stone to be part of Gelimer’s experiments, she wondered whether it was also their way of eliminating any future threats or complications to their operations in advance. Nevertheless, she thanked the traveler for helping them uncover such vital information.
Soon after, the traveler was contacted by 10 Boogies, who asked them to meet her at the outskirts of town. There, she told them that she had been watching their actions from afar, and that she was quite impressed by their bravery. She noted that the people of Edelstein – even the young and the elderly – were fighting for their freedom, and that she hoped that the Cygnus Knights and others could come together to help liberate the town someday.
The Xenoroid:
Decades ago, a young boy from Edelstein had been kidnapped by Gelimer on his way home from playing with his friends, Claudine, Elex, Brighton, and Belle. Gelimer soon transformed him into a Xenoroid, an augmented type of android, and gave him the name Xenon. (A/N: Small grievance, Xenon is technically a cyborg, not an android. Androids are robots that look and behave like humans, whereas cyborgs are living organisms with mechanical enhancements.) Over the decades, he and another girl named Beryl were put through extreme training and examinations in order to become Gelimer’s most powerful weapons. After years of conditioning, Gelimer administered his final test for Xenon, which was to defeat a holographic replica of Von Leon.
(A/N: Gelimer later allies himself with the Commanders and eventually becomes one himself, but he always planned to betray them and rule the world by himself. Because of this, I believe that part of Xenon’s training was specifically to learn and exploit the weaknesses of the other Commanders in order to become a powerful weapon against them, especially when you consider that his template would be copied and imprinted onto Lotus and possibly many other Xenoroids later on.)
Gelimer was pleased to see that Xenon had easily been able to defeat Von Leon, but before he could celebrate his victory in creating the perfect android, an intruder was detected in the facility. Fearing that Orchid had discovered his secret base, Gelimer checked the monitor and saw that Claudine, Belle, and Brighton had infiltrated the facility.
(A/N: The Xenoroid project was the heart of Gelimer’s dream to create the ultimate being. The plan that he had proposed to Orchid was for Lotus’ spirit to be transferred into an augmented clone body, which resulted in the creation of Vita and several other experiments. While those were mainly for show, he did seem to have some genuine interest in Vita, which makes me believe that he may have at least had some vested interest in those cloning experiments. Gelimer believed Lotus’ body to be perfect, as it had been created by the powerful magic of the White Mage, and so I wonder whether his experiments in the Verne Mine doubled as both a front to appease Orchid and to determine whether he might be able to replicate Lotus’ perfect body as a clone.
In the Alliance prequest for the Resistance, we learn that Vita was a perfect replica of Lotus, but she was deemed a failure because she had no magic. Quests in the game’s early history involving Lotus strongly suggest that he was originally conceived as female, which explains why Vita was described as a perfect replica and why there were so many apparent mistranslations that used female pronouns to allude to Lotus. It’s a bit harder to account for Vita being a perfect replica now that Lotus has been canonized as male, but taking a jump into a different series, Omega from Star Wars: The Bad Batch is an unaltered template for Jango Fett, with the only difference being that a genetic mistranslation during the cloning process resulted in her being female, which might be similar to what happened with Lotus and Vita.
Either way, we can disregard Gelimer’s cloning experiments as being nothing more than personal curiosity, as his ultimate dream had always been to turn Lotus into a Xenoroid and use him as the central core for Black Heaven. Because of this, he wanted to keep the existence of his Xenoroid project secret from Orchid, which was why he worked on Xenon in a secret facility outside the Verne Mine.)
Though Gelimer was relieved that Orchid hadn’t discovered the facility, he was still irritated that the Resistance had found it. However, he decided to use the situation as an opportunity to conduct a field test for Xenon. He dropped down a cage to capture the Resistance and sent Xenon to eliminate them. However, Claudine managed to push Brighton and Belle away before the cage dropped down on her. Xenon then arrived to eliminate the Resistance, but the sight of his old friends began triggering his latent memories, causing his head to throb in pain. Just as Gelimer and Beryl arrived, Brighton and Belle retreated in order to formulate a rescue plan. Gelimer then ordered Xenon to guard Claudine while he and Beryl chased down the others.
Perplexed by the strange memories in his head, Xenon decided to visit Claudine in her prison. There, he encountered his friend, Roo-D, a rabbit-fox hybrid Xenoroid, who asked him whether he had remembered anything from his past. In order to jog his memories, she gave him Claudine’s dagger, believing that it held the key to his memories. While she kept a watch for Gelimer’s return, Xenon asked Claudine about the dagger, explaining that it almost felt familiar to him.
As Claudine wondered whether Xenon could be her old childhood friend, Roo-D returned and warned them that Gelimer was coming back. She told Xenon that the only way for him to regain his memories was to escape with Claudine before Gelimer erased the last vestiges of his memories. She explained that long ago, she had made a promise to keep him safe during a time before Gelimer had taken away his memories. In order to protect him, Roo-D had hidden her true nature from Gelimer by acting like one of his loyal underlings.
Choosing to betray Gelimer, Xenon broke Claudine out of her cell and began to escape. Just then, Beryl appeared and turned on Xenon after witnessing his betrayal. Though Xenon managed to defeat her, Gelimer arrived and activated his control circuit in order to freeze him in place. However, Xenon’s strong will to recover his memories helped him override the circuit, allowing him to resist his programming and slowly walk away.
Just as Gelimer ordered Beryl to destroy Xenon, the Resistance rescue party arrived and helped them escape. Back at the Resistance base, the leaders were in disagreement about what to do with Xenon and Roo-D. As Checky and Brighton believed them to be Black Wings agents sent to infiltrate the Resistance, Roo-D offered to remove Xenon’s control circuit as a show of good faith, although she warned them that it would weaken him to the point of near-death. Nevertheless, Xenon told Roo-D to proceed, as he didn’t want to be a danger to those around him.
Roo-D removed the control circuit, which severely weakened Xenon, but left him immune to Gelimer’s control. Claudine then welcomed him into the Resistance and suggested that he speak with the other Resistance leaders in order to gain their trust. She asked him whether he had any memories, but Xenon told her that he couldn’t remember anything about his old life. When Claudine asked if he knew anything about the Black Wings, Xenon explained that he had never heard of them. This surprised Claudine, as Gelimer’s research was funded by the organization, and Gelimer himself reported to Orchid, the leader of the Black Wings.
(A/N: This is a continuity error, as the Resistance shouldn’t have any knowledge about Orchid until right before the Alliance is formed. I’ll go into more detail later in the section, but it seems as though Xenon’s storyline was written to be set after the Alliance is formed. However, this can’t be possible because of Xenon’s role in the Explorer storyline, which is set before the Alliance’s formation. The Resistance apparently discussed the idea of there being a specific founder of the Black Wings, but they ultimately decided that there was no single founder until the main character of the Resistance storyline finds proof that Orchid is both the founder of the Black Wings and a Commander.)
Xenon apologized and told her that he had only ever seen Gelimer and the other Xenoroids as far as he could remember. Claudine told him not to be sorry, as she realized that she had likely placed too much importance on the secret facility that they had found him in, though she was certain that Orchid or the other Black Wings must have paid him a visit.
Xenon told her Roo-D would likely know more about the topic, explaining that she was Gelimer’s assistant who had helped oversee the Xenoroid combat training program. Claudine thanked him for sharing what he knew and told him to rest for a while. Xenon then spoke with Checky, who asked him to complete Headmaster Ferdi’s basic training program in order to see if it would jog his memories. Although he was still unable to remember anything, Checky nevertheless welcomed him into the Resistance.
Next, Elex asked Xenon whether he had ever been to Edelstein as a child, as he had recognized Xenon as his long-lost friend. Xenon apologized and explained that he couldn’t remember. Though Elex told him that it was hard to trust someone with no memories, he refused to accept Xenon’s apology, explaining that the Resistance needed dedicated fighters, not apologies.
In order to help jog Xenon’s memory, Elex asked him to collect Memory Chips from the Patrol Robots, hoping that being exposed to the town would trigger Xenon’s childhood memories. When he was still unable to recall anything, Elex realized that Edelstein must have changed too much for him to recognize after so long. He then told Xenon to speak with Brighton, who asked him to gain Headmaster Ferdi’s approval, explaining that he would trust Xenon if Ferdi approved of his character. After Ferdi placed his trust in Xenon, Brighton did as well.
Xenon then returned to Claudine, who officially introduced herself and explained that she was in charge of assigning missions to Resistance members. For his first mission, she told him to get to know Edelstein and its people. Belle then called him over and explained that she had never seen Claudine act so emotional, as she had been staring wistfully at her dagger all day long. She then asked him to go the empty house near the giant mansion at the center of town, explaining that the house used to belong to her friend, who had left behind a photograph that Belle wanted him to retrieve.
Xenon found the photo, which showed a young Claudine eating lunch with a child who looked just like him. He returned the photo to Belle and told her that he was feeling an unfamiliar sensation of nostalgia and longing, which confirmed Belle’s suspicions that Xenon was indeed their childhood friend. However, she was surprised at the fact that Xenon had been kidnapped by Gelimer, as the Black Wings hadn’t even been formed at the time. (A/N: Gelimer actually began the Xenoroid project by himself many years before meeting Orchid.)
Belle asked him to show the photo to Claudine, explaining that the boy in the photograph was her close friend. Claudine was filled with wistfulness and told Xenon that the dagger he had asked her about in Gelimer’s lab had belonged to her friend. She explained that she had borrowed the dagger in order to make a sheath for it, but her friend had disappeared before she had ever gotten the chance to return it. Since that day, Claudine had continued holding onto the dagger in the hope that she could one day return it back to him.
Xenon asked what she would feel if her friend came back, to which Claudine told him that she would like that very much. He asked if she would still feel the same way if her friend had become a different person, but Claudine explained that it didn’t matter to her, since everyone changed, adding that people made the best of their situation. She believed that her friend was a good person, which was all that mattered to her. Claudine then told Xenon that she knew of a place that could help him regain his memories and told him to take the path to the outskirts of town from Edelstein Park, explaining that it had once been a popular place for children to play when she was younger.
There, however, Xenon encountered Beryl, who had come to capture him. As Beryl’s inner circuitry had been damaged during their earlier fight in the lab, Xenon was able to easily defeat her, even in his own weakened state. He asked Beryl how she had been able to follow him, to which she responded that she had followed his Pulse. Though she was forced to retreat, Beryl warned him that there was nowhere he could hide from her.
After she left, Roo-D rushed over to Xenon, having detected Beryl’s Pulse in the area. She explained that a Pulse was like a heartbeat that Xenoroids gave out when they were active. Xenon asked if there was a way to turn off his Pulse, but Roo-D told him that it was impossible, as his Pulse was an indicator that he was alive. However, she explained that Beryl wouldn’t be able to feel his Pulse unless they were in the same town, and so she suggested that they leave Edelstein.
Xenon told her that he needed to let the Resistance know that he was leaving, but as he couldn’t risk entering the Secret Plaza and revealing their base to Beryl, Roo-D suggested that he ask Claudine’s younger sister, Ulrika, to pass on the message. Ulrika agreed to let Claudine know, but she made Xenon promise to bring her back a souvenir when he returned. With that, Xenon and Roo-D decided to go to Henesys, as its large population would allow them to blend in.
Just as they reached the outskirts, Claudine caught up with them and explained that Ulrika had told her that he was planning to leave Edelstein. She asked if things were moving too fast for him, but Xenon only told her that it was a personal problem that necessitated him to leave. Claudine offered to help, but Xenon told her that she and the Resistance would be in danger if they stayed too close to him.
Realizing that his mind was made up, Claudine decided to give Xenon her dagger as a reminder of his time with the Resistance, explaining that she was returning it to its original owner. Though he was touched by the gesture, Xenon told her to keep it, as she needed it more, promising that he would take it back once she no longer needed it after Edelstein was safe again.
Xenon and Roo-D then traveled to Henesys, and with neither of them knowing how to blend in, they decided to find an elder of the town who could share their wisdom. They met with Chief Stan, who told them to find a job in order to fit in and sent them to see his wife, Mrs. Ming Ming. Mrs. Ming Ming asked Xenon to find her missing packages of ingredients, which had accidentally been delivered to the Golem Temple. After Xenon recovered the packages, Mrs. Ming Ming used the ingredients to prepare boxed lunches and asked him to deliver them to Camila and Bruce.
After delivering the lunches, Xenon helped Bruce find his missing water bottle, which had been taken by one of the Golems. He also helped Bruce create a freezer pack and a thermal container for Mrs. Ming Ming by collecting Frozen Stones and Burning Stones. As Xenon headed back to town, Roo-D alerted him that she could feel Beryl’s Pulse nearby. Xenon quickly went to deliver Bruce’s gifts to Mrs. Ming Ming, who could see that he seemed to be sad. Xenon explained that he needed to leave town, which was causing him to feel a strange sensation. Mrs. Ming Ming told him that she hoped to see him again and gave him a boxed lunch as a parting gift.
Xenon then asked Roo-D where they ought to go in order to avoid Beryl. Roo-D suggested that they try heading to a different dimension by using the Interdimensional Portal, which had recently appeared in Maple World with the seal on the Black Mage weakening. They traveled through the portal and entered Pantheon, where Cartalion immediately halted them. After realizing that they were from Maple World, he apologized and explained that Xenon’s markings were similar to those of their enemies. (A/N: He’s most likely referring to Xenon’s facial markings being similar to Specter markings.)
He was impressed by Maple World’s technology after learning that Xenon was an android and told him to speak with Fenelle, who could help him learn more about Grandis. He also asked Xenon to give her a letter that he had received from Angelic Buster, which contained information that Fenelle would find noteworthy. After he delivered the letter, Fenelle explained that Pantheon was usually peaceful, but that it had lately become much more chaotic.
Just then, Kylan welcomed Xenon and asked if he had any objects from Maple World, as he was fascinated by all things from the other dimension. Xenon showed him Roo-D, who reminded Kylan of similar-looking creatures on Grandis. He asked Xenon to capture Kaloong and Laloong monsters, after which he made several notes comparing Roo-D with them. Xenon then returned to Fenelle and asked her to tell him about the chaos in Pantheon. Fenelle told him about their struggle against Gerand Darmoor, as well as the recent loss of one of their sacred stones.
(A/N: Fenelle actually says that two of their relics are now gone. The line about the relics is from before the Angelic Buster story revamp, which retconned the four relics powering the Protective Shield as four sacred stones containing a portion of the actual relic’s power, which exists in Heliseum. However, the line about two relics being gone is a continuity error, as the relic - now the sacred stone - from the West Sanctum was recovered by Angelic Buster.)
Fenelle then asked Xenon if he could patrol the Eastern and Western borders, which had been weakened due to the loss of the sacred stone. At the outskirts, Xenon fought and defeated several Specters and returned to Fenelle, who thanked him for his help. Just then, Xenon felt Beryl’s Pulse and, fearing that their conflict would destroy the town, he drew her to the outskirts of Pantheon. After forcing Beryl to retreat, Xenon told Roo-D that he felt as though Beryl showed unusual hostility towards him, going beyond just impassively following Gelimer’s orders.
However, Roo-D told him that it was unlikely, as Xenoroids were programmed not to feel emotions. With Grandis no longer being safe, Xenon returned to Pantheon in order to plan his next move. Just then, a Shadowdealer name Tonero approached him and explained that he had been ordered to give him a Traditional Winner’s Earrings Box. Upon opening it, Xenon found that it contained a message from Claudine, who had asked him to help a secret research organization created by the Resistance.
(A/N: There seems to be a timeline error with Xenon’s storyline. His story seems to have been written with the assumption that the Alliance has been formed, but this creates a contradiction with the Explorer storyline, in which you encounter Xenon, who’s already joined Veritas, the organization that Claudine mentioned. Because the meeting with Xenon happens before the Alliance formation quest, there’s no way that Xenon’s storyline up to this point could take place after the formation of the Alliance. Because of this, several things about this storyline fall apart. Claudine mentions that Veritas recently received funding from the Alliance, which logically can’t happen.
Additionally, it’s almost impossible for the Resistance to have come in contact with the Shadowdealers. It works if you assume that the Alliance has been formed at this point, as you could say that the Nova had introduced them to the Shadowdealers. However, since this storyline has to predate the formation of the Alliance, we’re left with Cartalion mentioning that he’s never seen someone from Maple World before, and given that he’s such a high-ranking knight, there’s almost no way that the Resistance could’ve traveled through the Interdimensional Portal and met with the Shadowdealers without him knowing.
The only other explanation is that the Shadowdealers themselves have visited Maple World, but then there’s no way to explain why the Nova would’ve allowed a black market organization to use the Interdimensional Portal. It’s true that there are multiple Interdimensional Portals throughout Grandis, but the fact that Cadena was told that she would have to use the one in Pantheon means that there aren’t any other ones that are accessible to the Shadowdealers.)
Xenon then traveled to the research facility in Aquarium, where he met Professor Moon, nicknamed Professor Dreamboat, who welcomed him to the Resistance Research Command of Veritas. He explained that they were a research group dedicated to tracking and addressing phenomena related to the Black Mage. Since they were understaffed, Professor Dreamboat was pleased to have Xenon as a field agent.
Xenon explained that he was being tracked, but Professor Dreamboat told him that they would figure out how to circumvent that problem. Xenon asked if he could be outfitted with the same technology that made the base impervious to scanners, but Professor Dreamboat explained that it wouldn’t be viable, as it would essentially make Xenon the size of a two-story building. He instead proposed creating Pulse Disruptors, devices that could drown out Xenon’s Pulse, and resolved to begin researching them.
Some time later, Professor Dreamboat asked Xenon to help him with his research so that he could develop the Pulse Disruptors more quickly. He gave Xenon a device that could record his Pulse and asked him to hunt monsters so that he could gather information on when Xenon’s Pulse would spike up.
Before Xenon headed out, Edwin the engineer also asked for his help. He showed him the Promessa, a top-of-the-line vehicle that could transport the user anywhere. However, he explained that it had cost him everything he had in order to build it, and that Professor Dreamboat was unhappy with the exorbitant costs. In order to avoid spending more on materials, he asked Xenon to gather Gravi Stonegar and Onyx Stonegar Pieces to help restock their supplies. Xenon hunted the monsters in Pantheon, which also calibrated the Pulse recorder, and brought both the recorder and the materials to Professor Dreamboat and Edwin.
Xenon then went to see if Promathus the biologist needed any help. Promathus recognized Xenon as Gelimer’s creation, prompting Xenon to ask if he knew Gelimer. Promathus explained that he and Gelimer had once studied together at a biotechnology lab. He explained that Gelimer had endless talent, not only in biotechnology, but also in mechanical engineering, chemistry, and many other fields. Because of his dangerous research, he had been forced to leave the lab, nearly getting kicked out altogether.
Though he hadn’t heard from Gelimer since then, Promathus told Xenon that he never would have suspected that Gelimer would join the Black Wings. He added that it was rumored that Xenon was Gelimer’s most powerful weapon and explained that Gelimer had been researching androids before he had left the lab. Xenon’s escape meant that Gelimer had failed, which pleased Promathus immensely. He explained that a scientist should use their knowledge for humanity, not personal greed, as it otherwise didn’t matter whether one was a genius or not. Because of this, he believed that it was too late for Gelimer.
He then told Xenon that he had no work for him and told him to leave. Xenon asked Promathus why he seemed to dislike him, but Promathus merely scoffed and asked if Xenon was trying to emulate human emotions by asking such a question. Xenon remained silent, which made Promathus feel uncomfortable. He then apologized for what he said to Xenon, as his dislike for Gelimer didn’t justify his prejudice against Xenon.
After speaking with Promathus, Xenon was contacted by Nathania the alchemist, who explained that she had recently been transferred from Magatia to Veritas, and so she had ordered urgent materials. However, she had instead received a letter from the supplier, which had gotten lost in the lab, and so she asked him to help her find it.
Xenon found the letter in a dirt pile and gave it to Nathania. She told him that her supplier had written that he had run out of some of the materials that she had ordered. Though she had told her supplier to send whatever he had, the supplier had insisted on sending everything at once when it was available, leaving her without any materials. Because of this, she asked Xenon to bring her Tablecloths and Medicines with Weird Vibes from Kerning City.
Soon after, Professor Dreamboat contacted Xenon and explained that the Pulse Disruptors were ready. By burying them around Maple World, he believed that Xenon’s Pulse would remain hidden from detection unless Beryl was within extremely close range. Most of the disruptors had already been installed by the Resistance, and so the only places where they needed to bury the rest were in Ereve, Ludibrium, Pantheon, Henesys, and Edelstein. Xenon buried the Pulse Disruptors in the first four regions and then traveled to Edelstein.
He asked Professor Dreamboat why he had been asked to bury the disruptor in Edelstein if the Resistance could have taken care of it when they had handled the others. Professor Dreamboat explained that he had wanted to give Xenon the chance to visit Edelstein, since he had left in a hurry last time. He also explained that by burying the final disruptor, Xenon would be free to return to Edelstein as he pleased.
After installing the disruptor, he reunited with Claudine, who was overjoyed to see him again. She then told him that Ulrika was asking for him, though she didn’t know why. Ulrika reminded him that he still owed her a souvenir for delivering his message to Claudine and told him that as compensation, she wanted Jr. Necki Skins. Xenon went to Kerning City and collected the skins for Ulrika, who planned to use them to force Checky to take his costume off. (A/N: Poor Checky. We should just accept that his costume is filled with hopes and dreams, just like he keeps telling us.)
Just then, Professor Dreamboat contacted Xenon and explained that they had received intel that there were active Black Wings agents and asked him to investigate. He sent Xenon to the Golem Temple in Henesys, where he encountered Dargoth and Francis speaking. Francis was wondering what Gelimer was thinking by keeping their mission a secret from Orchid.
Dargoth pointed out that they would likely never know what Gelimer had in mind and thought that it was best to just do as they had been told. Hearing Gelimer’s name, Xenon revealed himself and asked them to explain what they were talking about. Dargoth and Francis began to fight Xenon, who easily defeated them both, causing Dargoth to retreat and leaving Francis alone.
After questioning Francis, Xenon learned that Gelimer had ordered them to capture someone, and Francis quickly realized while describing their target that they were meant to be looking for Xenon. He also told Xenon that Gelimer’s orders were meant to be kept secret, even from Orchid. After he proudly declared that his loyalty only belonged to Orchid, Xenon pointed out that it meant that Francis had no reason to obey Gelimer’s orders to capture him.
He told Francis to report back to Gelimer that he had nearly caught him, adding that there would be no point in lying that they had never met after Dargoth had likely reported what had happened. Having learned all that he could, Xenon returned to Veritas and reported what had happened to Professor Dreamboat, who told Xenon that he would discuss it with the other scientists.
Some time later, Promathus contacted Xenon and told him that until recently, Beryl had been the only one chasing after him. However, the Resistance had recently learned that some of the other Black Wings had also been given orders to capture him. Though Xenon’s existence was meant to be a secret from the Black Wings, Gelimer had gotten desperate and had involved some of the other Black Wings to recapture him.
In response to this, the researchers at Veritas had begun to make new weapons for Xenon, though Promathus added that he was against the decision, fearing that it would lead not just himself, but all the scientists of Veritas into following Gelimer’s path. Because of this, he wanted to test Xenon in order to have him prove that he was worthy of the new weapon by bringing back a Black Wings hat. (A/N: I have no idea what exactly this is supposed to prove.)
Xenon went to the entrance of the Verne Mine and bought a hat from a Black Wings member named Stephan, putting it on just as a Black Wings henchman arrived. Though Xenon tried to pretend that he was a Black Wings member, the henchman vaguely recognized his face from the photo that Gelimer had showed him and decided to bring Xenon to Gelimer in order to clear up the matter.
With no choice, Xenon defeated the henchman and brought the hat to Promathus, who then augmented Xenon’s system with the new weapons developed by Veritas. He also told Xenon that he had registered information gathered by the Resistance on all known Black Wings agents onto Xenon’s controller, which meant that Gelimer and the other Black Wings would see him as a total stranger, even if he were standing right in front of them.
(A/N: I don’t see how having Black Wings data would allow him to present himself as a stranger unless it just creates a holographic disguise whenever his controller detects that one of the Black Wings uploaded in the registry is nearby.)
Roo-D then told Xenon that he ought to visit his friends in Edelstein and suggested that he bring them gifts, as he hadn’t seen them in a long time. When neither of them could come up with any gift ideas, Roo-D told him to ask people similar to the gift recipients for ideas. Xenon asked why they couldn’t just ask the recipient themselves, but Roo-D told him that humans liked to make their gifts a surprise. (A/N: Honestly, just give everyone an Amazon gift card like I do.)
First, Xenon asked Professor Dreamboat for gift ideas for Elex, who recommended giving a book and offered one from his collection. He then gave it to Elex, who was less than ecstatic, though he still thanked Xenon nevertheless. He also gave Xenon some advice that books were better with pictures, as they would be easier to read to his kindergarteners.
Next, he asked Promathus for a gift idea for Brighton. Promathus told him that he felt sorry for Brighton, claiming that he must not have many friends if they really were similar. He then gave Xenon a ticket to Gold Beach to give to Brighton, telling him to warn Brighton that overwork could cause premature wrinkles. Xenon gave the ticket to Brighton, who thanked him, but explained that he wasn’t the type to go to resorts. However, Xenon scared him enough with Promathus’ advice on premature wrinkles to the point that he accepted it.
Next, he asked Nathania for ideas on a gift for Belle. After explaining that Belle was straightforward and fierce, Nathania suggested giving an unexpected gift like flowers and recommended getting Dahlias from Edelstein. Xenon gave the flowers to Belle, who was happy to receive them until caterpillars began crawling out of them. Xenon noted that it seemed odd that someone who rode a fierce jaguar into battle would be afraid of tiny bugs.
Next, he asked Edwin what to get for Checky. Since Checky wore a bear costume, Edwin suggested bringing him a teddy bear. He told Xenon to use Dirty Bandages, Ribs, and Horse Skulls from the Excavation Site in order to construct it. (A/N: This is very different from your usual Build-A-Bear Workshop experience.) Even though he was hesitant about the materials, the bear came out quite nicely. He brought it to Checky, who told him that it would make a much better present for Elex. Checky then swapped the book that Xenon had gotten for Elex in exchange for the teddy bear, making them both much happier with their gifts.
Finally, Xenon thought of what to get for Claudine. He remembered that Claudine still had his dagger and decided to get her a new one, believing that she really liked that type of weapon. He realized that his Whip Blade changed shape in battle, and so he got her a training blade from Edwin. Claudine was surprised to get his gift and told him that she liked her dagger better, but promised to keep his gift safe. He returned to Roo-D and told her about his less-than-stellar experience finding gifts for his friends. Roo-D reassured him that he would get better with time, adding that his experiences would help him regain his memories.
Some time later, Promathus called Xenon and asked him about Roo-D. As a biologist, he was deeply intrigued by her unique rabbit-fox hybrid appearance and asked him to bring some samples from similar creatures in Orbis. Xenon went to Orbis and brought Solid Horns and Stiff Feathers from the Jr. Cellions, Jr. Lioners, and Jr. Grupins.
After bringing back those samples, Promathus concluded that they bore no similarity to Roo-D and asked him to bring different samples. He sent Xenon back to Orbis to collect Cellion Tails, Lioner Tails, and Grupin Tails, and though he was unable to form any conclusions regarding Roo-D with them, he explained that she had inspired him on one of his personal projects and asked Xenon to bring him Lucida Tails to finish his research.
Later on, Xenon spoke with Roo-D about her design. She told him that it made sense for Promathus to be researching creatures that resembled her, especially since Gelimer had created her design based on creatures that appealed to humans. She explained that Gelimer had designed both herself and Xenon to be naturally attractive in order to have an advantage in manipulating humans. (A/N: Gelimer believes in the power of pretty privilege.)
The Big Bang:
(A/N: I call this section the Big Bang, but it’s mainly just an homage. I’m not including most of the details that the Big Bang patch mentions due to the glaring continuity errors. The patch states that the Black Wings succeeded in resurrecting the Black Mage, who proceeded to rearrange Victoria Island. Since the first is blatantly false and the second just seems like a weak lore justification for the reorganization to Victoria Island, the only thing I’m including from the patch is that the monsters around Maple World grew stronger because of his return, explaining the origin of Chaos bosses.
This section covers the revamped Explorer storyline, which I’m not a fan of at all. The original version that we got during the RED patch stood perfectly fine on its own, with only a few minor continuity errors. If you’re curious about reading the old Explorer storyline, check out the pre-Destiny page. This new one largely adapts the basic skeleton of the original plot and attempts to streamline it by condensing the main story into levels 1-30, whereas the original storyline had quests spaced periodically through levels 1-100, which did a much better job of conveying the Explorer’s growth over time.
There’s always been an implication that the Explorer is the canon Adversary, as Tess called us Kao in the original Explorer storyline when no other class got referred to as Kao outside Ellin Forest and Vanishing Journey. However, they’ve all but confirmed this with the new storyline, as the Explorer inherits the will of the First Explorer, an Adversary who fought in the war against the Ancient Gods eons ago.
I personally also believe that the canon Adversary is a Hero because of the iconography of the Adversary wielding a one-handed sword in many animated cutscenes, including the scene in which we create a glowing sword of light to stab the Black Mage during Limina. Although a Paladin can technically also use a sword, they’ve now shifted the Paladin aesthetic to use maces instead.
Additionally, the title ‘Hero’ is much more reminiscent of the Heroes of Maple, and it seems thematically appropriate for the Hero of the present to finish what the Heroes of the past started. This was the main reason why I chose to become a Hero main, despite how painful mobbing used to be with his pathetically small hitbox. Thankfully, that got fixed in the Destiny update and now I hate my life significantly less.
There were several other major changes made, which I’ve documented on this page, but the problem is that even though they sound good in theory, many of them break the existing lore. The biggest culprit is the change that they made with the Black Mage being freed before the formation of the Alliance. This breaks the chronology of basically every storyline set between the time that the Alliance is formed and the Black Mage’s unsealing.
I’ve attempted to reconcile these differences as best as I can, but unfortunately, there are still several plot holes that I can’t remove because those sections have to be placed in certain places, as they would otherwise break a lot more. However, I’ve heard that they’re planning to revamp most storylines in future updates, which gives me hope that they have a plan to fix the plot holes that they’ve introduced.)
On Maple Island, a young Beginner visited the library in the hope of escaping their dull, repetitive life. There, they discovered a dusty book, which contained records of the greatest heroes of Maple World. Amongst the many stories, they were captivated by the Maple Tree Legend, the story of the First Explorer. Enraptured, the Beginner would read the book every day underneath the Maple Tree that the First Explorer loved.
One day, the Beginner was heading to the Maple Tree when they found a girl named Sugar reading aloud the story of the First Explorer, born as a maple leaf who quelled the chaos of the world by forging his willpower into a weapon and slashing through the earth and the sky. (A/N: The First Explorer is one of the first Adversaries who fought against the Ancient Gods eons ago.)
In order to secure a lasting peace, however, he fell as a maple leaf until the day that another maple leaf would herald his coming when the pitch-black sunset would stain the northern sky. Just as the Beginner arrived at the Maple Tree, a glowing maple leaf fell from the branches into the Beginner’s hands. As the light faded, the Beginner wondered whether they had merely imagined it, though they decided to keep the leaf, as it felt special to them.
Just then, Sugar noticed them approaching and introduced herself before asking if they could help her find her maple-leaf shaped hairpin. After the Beginner found the hairpin in the leaf piles, Sugar thanked them and asked for their name before giving them a gift for helping her, explaining that it would help them on their adventures. (A/N: She just gives you potions.)
Realizing that Sugar had mistaken them for an Explorer, the Beginner clarified that they weren’t an Explorer themselves, though they liked reading about the adventures of other Explorers. They explained that they had come to the Maple Tree in order to read about the First Explorer. Sugar smiled and realized that they were talking about the Maple Tree Legend, to which the Beginner excitedly told her that Amherst and Southperry, the two towns on Maple Island, had been built centered around the Maple Tree in honor of the First Explorer.
Sugar asked the Beginner if they wanted to go adventuring and be part of the First Explorer’s legacy, but the Beginner sheepishly explained that they were so weak that they had never thought about leaving Maple Island before. In order to repay them for finding her hairpin, Sugar decided that she would help them become stronger.
She lifted a heavy box of snail shells and told the Beginner that even though she was awkward, she was also strong. However, Sugar accidentally tilted the box, causing all the shells to break. As Sugar lamented that she needed the shells to obtain a ticket off Maple Island, the Explorer suggested that she hunt snails in order to get more shells.
Sugar excitedly told the Beginner that they could help her gather snail shells and led them over to the hunting grounds where snails roamed. After the Beginner brought half the shells, Sugar revealed that not only had she collected the other half, but she had also gathered enough for the Beginner to exchange for a ticket.
As the Beginner protested, Sugar told them that they had been afraid that they were too weak, but they had just proven that they were strong enough to hunt the snails. However, the Beginner told her that they couldn’t drop everything and leave, as they believed that one needed to have a special mission in order to do so. However, Sugar replied that not every Explorer needed a special calling, and that some even decided to adventure for no particular reason.
When the Beginner asked Sugar whether she was an Explorer, Sugar confirmed it and told them that her reason for adventuring was to make new friends in order to help them. When she admitted that it was a dumb reason, the Beginner assured her that it was just as good a reason as any. Sugar then told the Beginner that the First Explorer whom they looked up to had just been an ordinary person who had saved the world because of his good heart.
She added that the Beginner had a good heart as well, as they had helped her despite having just met, which made her believe that they would make a great Explorer. She then laughed and said that people might tell their story as the Second Maple Tree Hero, though the Beginner told her that it was way over the top. (A/N: I like the fact that Sugar is speaking out of experience, as she had been friends with the First Explorer during his journey eons ago.)
She then told them that they would experience hard times and happy times during their adventures, and that having someone with them through the hard times would make things go easier. She asked the Beginner whether they would join her on her mission, and after the Beginner considered it, they took the glowing maple leaf as a good sign and agreed to come. She and the Beginner then made their way to Southperry.
Along the way, they met a girl named Mai, who gave them their ship tickets in exchange for the snail shells, which served as proof that they were strong enough to handle exploring Maple World. They then gave their tickets to Captain Vasily and boarded the Sangri-La.
(A/N: I’ve covered the Special Explorer storylines in an earlier section, but just for reference, Cannoneer and Dual Blade both share the revamped Explorer storyline, just as they used to share the original Explorer storyline. However, Pathfinder no longer shares the regular Explorer story. Cannoneer’s storyline slightly diverges here due to the story revamp. When Cannoneer tries to board, he’s told that the Sangri-La is full, and so he instead boards a different boat that crashes on Coco Island. After escaping with Monkey and Cutter, his story returns back to the regular Explorer storyline.)
During the voyage, they encountered three others hoping to become Explorers: a girl named Olive who hoped to become a bowman and gain riches, the aloof Tess who wanted to become a great pirate, and a boy named Rondo who wanted to become a thief. While conversing, Sugar told the others that she wanted to be a Cleric while the Beginner revealed their aspirations. They also explained that they had come across a glowing maple leaf, which intrigued Tess.
(A/N: Tess behaves sarcastically and rudely for most of your main storyline, which is a stark contrast to his easy-going, friendly nature in the original storyline. In the original story, Tess recognizes you as his best friend, Kao, from Ellin Forest, though this reference has been removed in the current storyline. Given that Tess has been singularly-driven on a centuries-long mission to break the blood curse on himself and Kyrin, and since he doesn’t recognize the Explorer as his best friend anymore, it makes some sense as to why he behaves standoffish with you and the others equally, although I still vastly prefer his old personality.)
After arriving at Victoria Island, the five decided to split up and meet their respective job instructors. The Beginner asked Sugar whether she wanted to meet up after they finished their first job training, but Sugar told them that she had something to take care of first and encouraged them to keep training. The Beginner then met their job instructor and learned the basic skills needed for them to train, allowing them to officially become an Explorer.
(A/N: At this point, Dual Blades will proceed with their special storyline. They’ll return to the regular Explorer questline after finishing the Dual Blade story.)
Soon after, Tess reached out and told the Explorer that he might be able to help them learn more about the glowing maple leaf. After meeting at the Six Path Crossway, Tess examined it and concluded that it was a normal maple leaf, unlike what he had thought it might be. He then suggested that they keep training in order to uncover more details and suggested that they go help the locals in Henesys.
Soon after, the Explorer received a note that contained an announcement for all Explorers that Olive was wanted for stealing an important treasure of Victoria Island. Surprised, the Explorer went to the Bowman Instructional School and met Athena Pierce, who explained that someone had stolen the treasure while it had been in transit from Rien to Henesys.
She added that it was a very precious jewel, and so its owners had charged the Bowman Instructional School with its safe delivery. Though she found it hard to believe that Olive, her own disciple, was responsible, she asked the Explorer to join the search. The Explorer agreed to help, and so Athena sent them to reinforce the search party in Ereve.
While patrolling around Ereve, the Explorer thought to themselves that the treasure being precious meant that it must have been strictly guarded, and so they wondered how Olive could have managed to steal it. Soon after, they encountered Olive, who told them that she was on a mission to clear her name. The Explorer stopped her as she attempted to leave and fought her in order to keep her from escaping.
The Explorer, who believed that she was lying, told her to hand over the jewel, citing how she had mentioned that she had wanted to get rich when they had first met on the Sangri-La as proof of her intentions. However, Olive explained that she had been framed, and that she had come to Ereve following a lead as to who had really stolen the treasure.
Just then, Rondo arrived to apprehend Olive. As he dragged her away, Olive begged the Explorer to ask Neinheart about the Master of Disguise. Upon questioning Neinheart, the Explorer learned that he had once met the Master of Disguise, who seemed to have a penchant for precious jewels. Neinheart then made a copy of the Cygnus Knights’ notes on the Master of Disguise and gave the document to the Explorer, who brought it to Athena Pierce.
Athena was relieved to know that Olive wasn’t the culprit, but explained that there were still more complications, as the treasure stolen wasn’t merely a precious jewel, but a Seal Stone. She told the Explorer that the Seal Stones had the power to reshape a continent, and that it had been created by one of the Heroes who had fought against the Black Mage. She added that the stolen Seal Stone - the Seal Stone of Victoria Island - was one of many.
(A/N: The stolen Seal Stone is the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, but in the original storyline, the stolen Seal Stone was the Seal Stone of Nihal Desert, which no longer exists in canon because of the revamp. The GMS localization made a mistake and instead claimed that there were several other Seal Stones on Victoria Island like the one that had been stolen, with each being critical in its own way. This is a continuity error, as almost all the Seal Stones have been stolen by the Black Wings at this point.)
The Explorer asked about the Black Mage, whom Athena explained was a great villain who had invaded Maple World centuries ago and destroyed everything that he touched, even splitting the continent of Ossyria, which had resulted in the formation of Victoria Island. Regarding the Heroes, Athena explained that there were five Heroes who had fought against the Black Mage when he had invaded Maple World, and that one of those Heroes had created the Seal Stones.
The Explorer asked why the jewels were called Seal Stones if they had the power to reshape continents, to which Athena explained that they had been created to seal the Black Mage. She told the Explorer that before the final battle, the Heroes had created two contingency plans. The first one was that in the event that they lost the battle, the Seal Stones would bind the Black Mage for eternity. The second one was that in case the sealing failed, the Seal Stones would turn back time for the split continent and restore it, which was a last resort.
(A/N: This isn’t strictly a continuity error, but the implication from previous storylines has always been that the primary contingency for the Seal Stones has been to turn back time on broken continents, with the sealing spell being a last-minute plan. Although, this actually does give better context to why they’re called Seal Stones.)
With their questions answered, the Explorer was sent to join Olive as part of an investigation team to infiltrate the Verne Mine in order to find the Master of Disguise and the Seal Stone. The Explorer and Olive traveled to Edelstein, where they met up with Sugar, Rondo, and Tess. Sugar told them that they would need to disguise themselves as Black Wings members in order to enter the mine. As they argued over the best way to obtain a hat, Tess suggested a majority vote. (A/N: You get the choice between stealing a hat, asking someone for a hat, buying a hat, or just charging in.)
However, Tess ignored the vote, despite being the one who had proposed it, and decided to act on his own. He found a passing Black Wings member and began to fake cry, tearfully explaining that his late mother’s dying wish had been for him to become a member of the Black Wings. He made up a story that he had failed to join the organization due to his incompetency and asked if he could borrow the hat just so that he could experience wearing it at least once in his life.
The boy, who was actually Xenon disguised as a Black Wings for a Resistance mission, gave up his hat, though he quickly revealed that he had seen through their façade and explained that a real Black Wings member wouldn’t be fooled by such a terrible performance. When the Explorer realized that he wasn’t a member of the Black Wings either, Xenon explained that he wouldn’t ask for their identity if they didn’t ask for his, although he agreed to answer any questions they had.
Xenon told them that the Master of Disguise’s real name was Baroq, and that as a high-ranking officer, he wouldn’t be easy to run into. He explained that the Black Wings had occupied the town and were a militarized cult trying to revive the Black Mage. He also suggested that they enter the mine and start their search in the room of another executive named Eleanor.
Before he left, he also gave them dossiers on all the officers of the Black Wings. After he left, the group decided that the Explorer would wear the hat in order to enter the mine while Rondo used his Dark Sight skill to hide in the shadows in order to accompany them. Before they left, Sugar used her magic to buff the Explorer for their mission.
(A/N: If the Explorer is a magician, Sugar will tell them that though she’s sure that they know how to use Bless, she still wanted to do something for them. The Explorer will tell her that they can’t actually use Bless just yet and thanks her.
If the Explorer is a thief, Tess will note that since the Explorer and Rondo are both thieves, they can both use Dark Sight. However, he tells the Explorer to hold on to the hat in case they need to drop their Dark Sight.)
In the distance, Xenon wondered why the Explorers were investigating the Black Wings, but he decided that it had nothing to do with him. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but note that there were five comrades who had gathered together.
(A/N: In the original Explorer storyline, it was revealed that one of the criteria for using the Seal Stones is five different powers gathered together. I have no idea why this was brought up, as it plays no role in the revamped storyline.)
Inside the mine, the Explorer and Rondo encountered two rooms and wondered which was the right one. Rondo told the Explorer to close their eyes, after which he took off his hat and used his fox Anima ears to listen and determine the right room. (A/N: I have no idea how he figures out the right room just by listening.)
Inside, they found the Seal Stone of Victoria Island and a note from Baroq written to Eleanor explaining that he was leaving the Seal Stone in her room. Laughing at Baroq’s stupidity at leaving such an important object unguarded, the Explorer and Rondo took the Seal Stone and the note and returned to the others. Outside, Rondo gave the note to Olive and told her that she could use it as proof that Baroq had impersonated her for his mission. Sugar then opened a Mystic Door to the Bowman Instructional School, where the Explorer gave the Seal Stone and Xenon’s document to Athena Pierce.
(A/N: If the Explorer is a magician, they’ll wonder how Sugar already knows how to use Mystic Door when she’s just a Cleric, as it’s a 3rd job skill.)
Though they wondered whether Xenon’s document was trustworthy, Athena briefly looked through it and noted that they could trust the source. As they all began to leave, Olive stopped the Explorer and attempted to stammer out a thank you before giving up and instead leading them to a secret training ground. There, the Explorer trained by defeating a Blue Mushmom before Olive revealed that it was her way of thanking the Explorer for listening to her and getting the document from Neinheart, which had led to her exoneration. After Olive left, the Explorer felt happy to know that they were able to help people on their adventures. They then decided to return to Athena Pierce in order to ask her for a new mission.
Athena told the Explorer that they had good timing, as she had something she wanted to discuss something with them. She explained that after looking through Xenon’s document, she had begun to wonder why the Black Wings wanted the Seal Stone if they were planning to bring back the Black Mage. She explained that the Black Mage had split the continent, and so it didn’t make sense that they would want an object that could put it back together.
The Explorer speculated that if the Seal Stones had the power to seal the Black Mage, then perhaps they held the power to break it as well. However, Athena told them that it was impossible for someone to undo the Seal of Time, as the Black Mage was sealed behind the Gate of the Present, which had been locked up ever since the seal had been activated. She explained that even if the Black Wings had the power to break the seal, there was no way for them to access it behind the Gate of the Present.
She also explained that she regularly sent scouts to monitor the Gate of the Present, and that all of them had consistently reported that there was no way inside. Nevertheless, she told the Explorer that she could never have too many scouts and asked them to visit the Temple of Time. She then teleported the Explorer to the Three Doors, after which she wondered aloud that if the Explorer was as special as Tess thought, then perhaps they would catch something that she and the others hadn’t.
(A/N: The revamped storyline gives me so much whiplash. We went from reading on Maple Island to going to Ereve, then to Edelstein, and now Athena wants us to go to a level 140+ area when we’ve been a 1st job Explorer for literally 20 minutes.)
Upon arriving, the Explorer was surprised to find the Gate to the Present open. As Athena had emphasized how dangerous the Temple of Time was, they decided to report back to her. However, they felt something calling to them and instead decided to enter the Gate of the Present. Upon entering, they made their way to the Black Mage’s throne room, where they found the Black Mage sealed behind the degrading Seal of Time.
The Explorer immediately noted that the aura of evil was like tar all over their skin, as well as the fact that one of the five Seal Stones powering the seal was cracked. The Explorer returned back to Athena Pierce and explained that not only was the Gate of the Present open, but one of the Seal Stones powering the seal was cracked.
They then suggested replacing the cracked Seal Stone with the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. Athena and the Explorer returned to the Temple of Time, where Athena noted that the Gate of the Present was shut. When the Explorer told her that it appeared open to them, Athena realized that they had a special power that allowed the Gate of the Present to open for them.
(A/N: The original Explorer storyline, as well as Shade’s original storyline, stated that the Gate of the Present only opens to those not from Maple World. The original Explorer storyline made a mention of the Explorer being from another world, while Shade’s existence was erased from the world, which is why both of them were able to enter. This explanation was likely removed because of the complications that would arise from non-Maple World classes entering the Temple of Time.
The special power that the Explorer has comes from the maple leaf containing the essence of the First Explorer, who was an Adversary, which means it’s likely that the Gate of the Present only opens to Adversaries, or perhaps any significant source of divine power, such as Transcendents, which would explain how the Black Mage and Rhinne could open it as well. Something interesting to note is that in the Odium storyline, it’s said that there’s no door in Odium that won’t open to a Vessel. A Vessel is a person compatible with a Seal Stone, with the player being one of them. It could be the case that the Gate of the Present is built similarly to the doors of Odium, which is why it reacts to either us or the First Explorer.)
The Explorer entered the Black Mage’s throne room, where the Black Mage himself began to speak to the Explorer, telling them to turn back because it was not yet time. He declared that he would soon break free, and through his power would the world come to order. He then offered the Explorer a place in his new regime, but the Explorer decided to ignore his words and began to replace the Seal Stone.
The Black Mage then asked whether the Explorer had chosen to walk a broken path, just as the cracked Seal Stone shattered. The Black Mage immediately broke free of his seal and quickly disappeared, teleporting the Explorer back to the Tree Doors. The horrified Explorer apologized to Athena Pierce for failing to fix the seal, though Athena reassured them that it wasn’t their fault.
(A/N: The GMS localization made some changes to what the Black Mage says. In the original KMS dialogue, the Black Mage is much more overt about the power of the Adversary, recognizing that the Explorer is one who has “broken free of order”. Whereas the GMS translation talks about how he’s going to bring order to the world, the KMS dialogue says that he’s going to replace the existing order of the world, which is an obvious reference to his fight against the Overseers.
The “broken path” is also more heavily implied to be the Path of Destiny that the Adversary needs to break free of. The Black Mage telling them that it’s not yet time combined with the fact that he recognizes the power of the Adversary carried by the Explorer makes it seem that he was genuinely scared for a moment that the Explorer would defeat him before his plan could come to fruition, which spurred him to break the seal prematurely, despite it not yet being the proper time.)
As the leaders of Maple World began to mobilize in preparation, Agent N reached out to Luminous and explained that the Black Mage was on the move, likely near Lania’s home. He told Luminous that Agent O had just sent them the message, and though the other agents were on their way, he wanted to let Luminous know before they arrived. Luminous used the Aurora Prism to return to Lania’s home, where he found the entire forest warped with the power of darkness.
He saw Vieren nearby, who apologized weakly for having failed. Luminous asked him where Lania was, to which Vieren told him that he had no idea how the Black Mage had found them, but added that the Sentrobo had been destroyed. Though Agent O and Penny had managed to hide, Vieren hadn’t been able to stop the Black Mage from taking Lania. Vieren then attuned the Aurora Prism to the Black Mage’s location so that Luminous could go after him.
Luminous used the Prism to arrive in a different area of the forest, where he heard Lania calling out to him. He followed her voice and discovered her collapsed on the ground. Suddenly, she cried out as she was engulfed in a great wave of darkness. Possessed by the Black Mage, she began to attack Luminous with dark magic. Luminous used his powers to drive the darkness out of Lania, who collapsed motionless on the ground, just as the Black Mage himself appeared.
The Black Mage mocked Lania for her weakness, claiming that she had faltered before a mere sample of his power. Having both Lucia and Lania taken away from him, Luminous swore that the Black Mage would suffer for what he had done. The Black Mage asked if Luminous was shaken and called his compassion a rotten crutch. Disgusted with the Black Mage considering love a weakness, Luminous challenged him to a duel and promised to show him the power that love had granted him. However, the Black Mage refused, explaining that he wanted to save their final battle for another time.
After he vanished, Luminous was relieved to see that Lania had awoken, who revealed that she was remembering memories of being Lucia in her past life. She told Luminous that she had never blamed him for her death and told him to stop feeling sorry about everything. Though Luminous protested that she wouldn’t have died if it hadn’t been for him, Lania snapped at him and said that they were together again, and that it was all that mattered. However, she reminded him that no matter what, she was still Lania. With a weight lifted off his heart, Luminous told Lania that they should head home.
Soon after the Black Mage’s return, Maple World’s most powerful monsters were strengthened by his dark influence, including Zakum, Papulatus, and Horntail.
(A/N: The idea of the Black Mage corrupting and strengthening monsters into Chaos bosses holds up a little less well with bosses who appeared after the Black Mage’s unsealing, such as the Root Abyss bosses. It seems like they’ve established the nomenclature of bosses to have Chaos bosses refer to actual monsters, such as Zakum, Kalos, or Gloom, while humanoid bosses like Magnus, Seren, or the Black Mage are called Hard bosses.)
PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
Saving Maple Island:
Olive reached out to the Explorer and told them that black flames had engulfed Maple Island. She and the Explorer rushed back to Maple Island, where refugees were boarding ships to escape. They met up with Tess and Rondo, after which Olive explained that a dark shadow had set the island ablaze before disappearing.
The Explorer realized that it must have had something to do with the Black Mage and explained to the others about what had happened with the seal. Tess immediately blamed the Explorer for having unleashed the Black Mage, but the others jumped to their defense. They then realized that they could use the Seal Stone of Victoria Island in order to restore the broken land, just as Athena had mentioned. Tess took the Seal Stone in order to try using it, but he was unable to make it work.
As they wondered why the Black Mage had attacked Maple Island instead of a larger target, Tess accused the Explorer of having deliberately freed the Black Mage, claiming that it was too convenient of a story that the Explorer was the only one who could enter the Gate of the Present, with the seal breaking immediately after someone entered it for the first time in centuries. As Olive and Rondo began bickering with Tess, the Explorer told them to stop, admitting that it was all their fault. They then gave the Seal Stone to Tess and decided to leave with the refugees, believing that they didn’t have what it took to be an Explorer.
As Olive attempted to change the Explorer’s mind while they walked away, Rondo and Tess rushed over to call them back, explaining that the black shadow was heading to the Maple Tree where Sugar was. Recalling their fond memories with Sugar, the Explorer grew determined to save her and rushed towards the Maple Tree, fighting past the corrupted snails along the way. At the Maple Tree, the Explorer found an injured Sugar crumpled beneath the flaming Maple Tree as the Black Mage’s Shadow towered over her.
Though the Explorer tried to help Sugar escape, she refused and told them that she needed to protect the tree, explaining that as long as the roots were safe, the leaves would one day grow again. Sugar sensed the Explorer’s fear and told them that they could escape, promising that she would be able to take care of the tree. She explained that their roots were as strong as the Maple Tree’s, and that it was okay if their leaves had to fall, as they would grow again one day.
The Explorer realized that Sugar still believed in them, even after knowing that they wanted to run away. As their determination to fight surged, a mysterious voice rang in their head and told them that a great strength of will slept within them. It reminded them to remember their heart’s greatest desire, to protect others, as their heart was the key. With a sudden surge of strength, the Explorer tapped into a portion of the divine power of the Adversary in order to defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow.
(A/N: This voice belongs to the First Explorer coming from within the maple leaf. The desire to protect is the key to using the power of the Adversary, which is what lets us destroy the Black Mage, and so we can almost consider this as him setting us on the path to our ultimate destiny.)
As the Explorer attempted to carry Sugar, she told them that there was no one who could heal her, for as her life force was connected to the Maple Tree, she would die once the tree’s roots burned up. As the others rushed over, they began debating about what do, as water had no effect on the flames. Reflecting on the mysterious voice’s words, the Explorer told Tess to hand over the Seal Stone. Even as the others looked at the Explorer unremarkably holding the Seal Stone, the Explorer focused on their strong desire to save Sugar and poured their determination into the Seal Stone.
Suddenly, the Explorer was transported to the Erda Flow and encountered Sugar, who transformed into the Goddess of Maple World. (A/N: This area is the same place you reach by entering through the Horizon Portal in the Bowman Instructional School for your 5th job advancement.) The Goddess explained that she had waited for many years under the Maple Tree as Sugar, her avatar, for someone like the Explorer.
She thanked the Explorer for saving her with the strength of their will. She explained that she would need to return to her Goddess form, and though Sugar’s journey had come to an end, theirs was just beginning. She then sent the Explorer back to Maple Island, telling them that one day, they would grow to become a great tree with roots deep and strong.
Back on Maple Island, the Explorer was surprised to find Maple Island restored. The others asked where Sugar had gone, and so the Explorer told them about their meeting with the Goddess. Though they all wondered why Sugar had decided to leave, they realized that they had no answers. Tess then apologized to the Explorer for the way that he had treated them throughout their journey. The four then agreed to make Maple Island their hometown, even though Explorers were meant to be wanderers.
As they went their separate ways, the Explorer recalled how Sugar in her Goddess form had told them that they had saved Maple World, although they felt as though their desire to protect Sugar and their friends was much more simplistic compared to the extravagant ideals of keeping the peace and protecting everyone’s hopes and dreams that one often heard of larger-than-life, mythical heroes. They realized that the power which had allowed them to defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow was neither the maple leaf, the mysterious voice, nor the strange power that had engulfed them, but rather, it was just their strong determination to protect.
(A/N: There are quite a few differences between the original Explorer storyline and the revamped one. Originally, Sugar never died at all and stuck with us the whole way through. After the island gets destroyed, we ended up seeking out the five Heroes to ask whether there’s a way to restore the island.
The Heroes explain that the Seal Stones were created with the energy of the continent that they were made for, meaning that only a Seal Stone created for Maple Island can restore the land. However, as Maple Island didn’t exist back then, the Heroes never made a Seal Stone for it, and so we have no way of repairing the island. The concept of a Seal Stone only fixing the land that it was made for has been removed, which is why it technically makes sense for us to be able to use the Seal Stone of Victoria Island in the revamp.
If the Explorer was a magician, we’d end up talking to Evan, who would give us some of Freud’s research on the Seal Stones from Afrien. That research explains that there are three key points to using the Seal Stone: a focal point to channel its power, which can range anywhere from a person to a continent; the combined will of five individuals to give intent for its power, and a strong desire to abandon destruction and seek peace. That second point was alluded to in the revamp with the way that Xenon notes that there are five of us, although like I mentioned before, all the rest has been retconned and removed.
Eventually, the shadow would come back and we would defeat it when the other four Explorers buffed us and the Goddess of Maple World would give us her blessing. It feels really weird that we’re defeating the Black Mage’s Shadow in our first job, whereas we fight the Black Mage’s Shadow at fourth job in the original storyline. After we defeat the shadow, our combined willpower transforms the maple leaf into the Seal Stone of Maple Island, exactly like how it was described in Freud’s notes.
I have lots of problems with the Explorer revamp changes, but what I hate about it more than anything else is that it turned the Explorer, whose appeal is that they’re a free soul, into a “chosen one” type character and locking them into some sort of grand destiny. I would’ve been fine if that was the extent of the problem, but the way that they chose to present them as a chosen one was done in a very heavy-handed and clumsy way.
The Adversary as a concept is the embodiment of the game’s biggest theme of symbiosis. They’re a vessel holding the will of the people whom they protect, with each drawing strength from the other. They’re not valued because they’re born special, they’re made special because they’re valued. The original Explorer storyline captured this idea perfectly in the way we spent a hundred levels with Sugar and the others, forming bonds over the course of months to years in-universe.
The other Explorers working together to defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow by buffing us perfectly encapsulates the idea of the Adversary drawing strength from the people and using it to defend them. At the very end of it, our combined determination is enough to create a Seal Stone to save Maple Island with their collective effort. We were made special because we spent a hundred levels with them and formed bonds through shared memories.
The revamped story loses all its spirit by making us speedrun through a condensed version of the original story. We probably spent a total of twenty minutes in-universe jumping from place to place, barely even interacting with anyone. If the writers had intended for us to inherit the power of the Adversary, they should’ve leaned into the theme of symbiosis and emphasized the bonds we made through walking alongside humanity, which is supposed to tie into the idea of the Adversary being a narrative foil to the Black Mage, who worked alone in the shadows in his attempt to save the world.
Instead, our importance as the Adversary gets cheapened because the writers treat our interactions with others as some sort of obligation, even going as far as to kill off Sugar needlessly and reducing her into a stepping stone for whatever character development they could milk out of it. By making our importance come from a magical talking leaf instead of our friends and allies, the writers go completely against the point of the story, which is that inner strength and unity is stronger than any divine power, and that people are more than just the destiny set before them.)
The Explorer then returned to Athena Pierce and told her about what had happened on Maple Island. Though they apologized for using the Seal Stone, Athena told them that they had done exactly what they had needed to do and asked them once again not to blame themselves when the Explorer noted that they had merely fixed the mistake that they had created. Athena then asked how they had been able to use the Seal Stone, as even she didn’t know how, to which the Explorer told her about the mysterious voice that had explained how their desire to protect others was the key to using the Seal Stone.
Athena realized that she was right when she had declared that the Explorer had a great power, as they were no ordinary person to have walked through the Gate of the Present, face the Black Mage’s Shadow, and use the Seal Stone. She then told them to become stronger, as the power they held may save Maple World one day. The Explorer then returned to their job instructor, who taught them stronger skills.
(A/N: Originally for your second job advancement, your instructor would send you to a special map, where you had to collect Dark Marbles as a test.)
The Explorer then continued training, but found that they still couldn’t hear the mysterious voice. They decided to find new work to do and went to Henesys in order to ask the townspeople if they needed help. Camila suggested that they visit the Six Path Crossway, as many people passed through there and might need help. At the Six Path Crossway, they encountered Rondo standing before the Interdimensional Portal. After startling him as a prank, the Explorer was surprised to find that Rondo had fox Anima ears.
They then helped pick up Rondo’s fallen hat and listened as Rondo explained that he was an orphan, and so he had no idea why he had been born with his ears. He told them that he had decided to become an Explorer in order to find others like him, although he had realized that the only animal ears that he had seen on people were all decorations. Suspecting that he was from a different world, he explained that he was trying to use the Interdimensional Portal in order to visit Grandis and find his people.
The Explorer decided to accompany him and the two traveled to Pantheon, where they asked Cartalion about people with fox ears. Cartalion told them that the Anima had animal features, although many of them had gone into hiding after the High Flora had declared war on the other species of Grandis.
He explained that Pantheon was perhaps the safest place on Grandis, as the four sacred stones of the Nova protected them after they had been forced to flee their capital of Heliseum. Rondo asked where the Anima refugees had fled, but Cartalion told them that he had no idea, as the Nova had rarely crossed paths with the Anima even before the war. Rondo suggested venturing out to old Anima villages, but Cartalion told him that it was too dangerous outside the Protective Shield.
To prove his point, Cartalion escorted Rondo and the Explorer to the border, where they found themselves overwhelmed by the Specters. Realizing that he stood no chance at his current strength, Rondo decided to become stronger in order to find his people and thanked the Explorer for accompanying him and keeping his secret. Rondo told the Explorer that he planned to stay in Grandis for a while and told them that they could return to Maple World. After the Explorer left, they noted that the flames of war engulfing Grandis were just like the disaster on Maple Island. Feeling sorrow for the unimaginable pain in the world, they resolved grow strong enough to help everyone.
Suddenly, the mysterious voice called out and told them that they had the will to be awakened. It told them to remember their heart’s desire to help those in need, as their heart was the seed that would grow and flourish. Feeling new power awakening within them, the Explorer returned to their job instructor, who sent them to the Chief’s Residence in El Nath. There, their respective chief taught them new skills for them to become stronger.
(A/N: Originally for your third job advancement, your third job instructor would test you by sending you to the Holy Ground at the Snowfield, where you have to touch the Holy Stone and get transported to a pocket dimension. Inside, you had to defeat a clone of your first job instructor and collect the Black Charm that they dropped before bringing it back to the third job instructor.
One of the features of the original Explorer storyline was that each Explorer branch had a different storyline. For example, our quest with Rondo in the revamp was copied over from a level 25 quest that Explorer magicians did. Level 25 Explorer warriors would have a quest with Sugar, bowmen and pirates had a quest with Tess, and thieves had a quest with Olive.
Another feature of the original Explorer story was that each of the other Explorers would have different jobs that worked around yours. For example, if we were a thief, Olive would be a bowman instead, and the others would also have their jobs changed so that each of us has a unique job. This last part of the section is just a mount quest for Explorers.)
During their adventures, the Explorer ran into Kenta at the Aquarium, who explained that he was a monster tamer working to show that monsters and humans could coexist peacefully. In order to do so, he had been developing a way to ride monsters with a special Pheremone. However, strange monsters had recently stolen his research notes and, fearing that it would fall into the wrong hands, Kenta asked the Explorer to protect his Oinker from the monsters and gather their Pheremone samples, while also recovering his research notes. After helping protect the Oinker from the Barnard Gray monsters, Kenta thanked them and promised to teach them monster riding as soon as he finished his research.
Soon after, Kenta reached out and explained that he had learned that Pheremones could cause monsters to grow violent, and so he asked them to go to Leafre and purchase a special bottle of perfume from Chief Tatamo, which could help calm the monsters down. After purchasing it, the Explorer used the compound to tame a wild Hog, allowing them to ride it. Some time later, the Explorer went to visit Kenta again, where he told them that he had learned a way to strengthen the monsters that one could ride. After obtaining Green Hoblin Charms and Cracked Shells, the Explorer paid a hefty donation fee to Kenta, who then upgraded their Hog into a Silver Mane.
Birth of an Alliance:
(A/N: Almost every class storyline written so far converges at this point. Just for the record, these storylines include: Explorers, Cygnus Knights, Aran, Evan, Mercedes, Luminous, Resistance, Demon, and Xenon. The only exceptions are the Grandis classes and Phantom, who join the Alliance some time after its formation. This was actually one of my favorite sections to write because it felt so satisfying to have each classes’ Alliance quest fit seamlessly into the next. I complain a lot about how this game has a lot of plot holes, but I have to admit that the writers did a pretty decent job with this one.
Before the Explorer storyline revamp, the formation of the Alliance took place before the unsealing of the Black Mage. However, the revamp now places the Alliance’s formation to be set shortly after the return of the Black Mage. I’ve complained about this several times before, but I really hate this change, not only because I had to spend the better part of a week tediously reorganizing all the content and the several hundred hyperlinks on the site, but also because the only way that I was able to reconcile the conflicting changes was by separating out the level 75 Alliance prequests for all classes and moving them to this section.
What this means is that I had previously arranged this site such that the level 75 quests naturally converged for all classes before I covered future quests. What now happens is that I’ve covered quests like Luminous’ meeting with the Black Mage, which took place at level 130, in a previous section and then placed this level 75 quest chronologically after that quest. While it doesn’t make sense from a gameplay point of view for a level 75 quest to take place after a level 130 quest, it does fit the chronology for the purposes of this site.
The Black Mage’s attack on Maple Island actually takes place somewhere in between this section. I initially thought about putting the first half of this section into the Saving Maple Island section, but I thought that it would break the narrative flow. Because of this, I’ll be keeping together all the Alliance quests in this section, but I’ll clearly note when the events of Saving Maple Island begin and end. At the start of this section, the Black Mage has just been freed and soon sets fire to Maple Island, which Cygnus feels in her heart.)
As her doubts began growing about whether she could lead the fight against the Black Mage’s forces, Cygnus called Mihile and asked him to return to Ereve. There, she told him that the Cygnus Knights had grown in strength, enough so that their next battle may be against the Black Mage’s dark army. Though she acknowledged that her Knights and her people deserved an Empress at the height of her confidence, she confessed that she had her doubts.
Mihile reminded of her words, that they were stronger when together as one, and suggested that they join forces with others outside Ereve. Surprised at his suggestion, Cygnus noted that she had a responsibility to her people, and that their well-being rested on her shoulders. She then wondered whether calling on others to ease that burden was prudence or indolence. Mihile told her that though he was no expert on the ethics of rulership, he promised that he would always follow her, no matter her decision. Cygnus thanked him and called his faith the foundation beneath her.
Soon after, the Cygnus Knight was contacted by Neinheart, who explained that the Empress was on the brink of making an important decision. Before she did, however, she wanted the counsel of each of her knights, and so all the Cygnus Knights had been ordered to return to Ereve immediately. The Knight reported to Cygnus, who thanked them for returning to see her. She told them she was afraid that despite everything that they had done, the Black Wings continued to remain a threat, with rumors stating that the Wing Master, one of the Black Mage’s Commanders, had returned.
She confessed that there was a feeling inside her, as though a rumbling cloud had taken hold of her heart. (A/N: Here, Cygnus has just sensed the Black Mage’s attack on Maple Island.) She noted that the rift between Ereve and the Resistance was wider than ever, with even the Explorers beginning to lose their trust in her. She also noted how, hundreds of years ago, the Black Mage had brought Maple World to the brink of destruction, and how the Heroes - unable to defeat him - had only managed to seal him away with Freud's Seal Stones. She added that the power of a Transcendent who had fallen so far was quite formidable.
She then told the Knight that she was terrified about whether she could face the Black Mage and save Maple World, and whether she even deserved to be Empress in the first place. However, she apologized for her doubts and told them that her duty as Empress was to allay doubts, not to pile hers onto those of her people. She then asked them to go to Victoria Island and collect reports from Hersha and Matthias, two of Ereve’s informants, who had been dispatched to assess the state of Maple World.
(A/N: The events of Saving Maple Island take place concurrently with the Knight’s mission to gather the two reports.)
In Ellinia, the Knight collected Hersha's report and asked him about what he had seen across the different regions of Maple World. Hersha explained that monsters across the world were getting more powerful, and that the Black Wings were expanding their power, creating new secret bases all across Maple World. He added that there had recently been a large abnormal fire on Maple Island, adding that the Empress had likely sensed it. The Knight quickly realized that the fire was why Cygnus had been so anxious. Hersha also added that Edelstein was under full control of the Black Wings, and that Cygnus would likely need to send in all the Cygnus Knights in an all-out war to remove them.
The Knight then went to Kerning City and met with Matthias, who explained that he had been surveying southern Ossyria, where he had learned that Ariant was suffering under tyranny and Minar Forest was being plagued by monsters. He added that though the Cygnus Knights had been created to fight the Black Mage, there were other problems in Maple World that needed their attention. He then gave the Knight his report and asked them to deliver it to Cygnus.
After collecting both reports, the Knight returned to Cygnus and told her what both informants had explained. Cygnus thanked them and explained that the Black Mage’s Shadow had attacked Maple Island while the Knight had been away. She told them that she had sent the Cygnus Knights alone to stop the shadow, explaining that she had believed that it was their role to help those in need by themselves. However, she explained that she had come to realize that they needed allies, which would be a difficult task to accomplish. Nevertheless, she asked them to tell Neinheart that she had made up her mind about creating an alliance.
Neinheart thanked them for bringing Cygnus' decision and asked them to help arrange the First Continental Conference. He explained that they would need to invite the Explorers, the Resistance, and the Heroes. Though there was no single leader of the Explorers, he told the Knight that Athena Pierce was highly respected amongst the community. As she had personally lived through the tyranny of the Black Mage, Neinheart hoped that she would understand the need for the alliance.
Regarding the Resistance, he explained that Claudine led the movement, though he was unsure of whether the Resistance would accept the invitation. In regard to the Heroes, he explained that they had faced the Black Mage centuries ago, and though they were merely individuals, they represented far more than that, which would bring legitimacy to the alliance. Neinheart then told the Knight to meet with the Resistance, while others would invite Athena and the Heroes. Neinheart emphasized the importance of the mission and explained that he was entrusting it to them because of their ties to the Resistance.
(A/N: In the old Cygnus Knight storyline, you got the choice to pick between inviting the Resistance, the Explorers, and Aran. I ended up doing the Alliance prequest three times with three different Cygnus Knights in order to record all the different paths when I initially wrote this section.)
Soon after, Cygnus asked Neinheart to arrange a royal meeting between herself and Mercedes, as she wished to hear Mercedes' counsel as not only a fellow royal, but also as someone who had once faced the Black Mage. At the meeting, Cygnus told Mercedes that the Black Wings were getting stronger, with the Commanders appearing one by one and the Cygnus Knights powerless to stop them. She feared that they may not be able to defeat the Black Mage with their strength alone, as even their many preparations still weren't enough. Mercedes noted to herself that even though Cygnus had done a lot, despite her young age, the Black Mage was still a corrupted Transcendent that even the Heroes had barely been able to seal away.
Cygnus told Mercedes that Maple World was strong, and that in addition to the Cygnus Knights, they had battle-hardened Explorers, the Resistance fighting in the shadows, the Heroes who had reawakened, and many other unknown warriors who, if brought together, would make them unbeatable. Mercedes confessed that it would be difficult to accomplish if the people of Maple World couldn’t look past their differences. However, she told Cygnus that despite it being difficult, it was what Maple World needed.
She explained that centuries ago, she had been forced to watch Maple World fall to ruin because its people couldn’t look past their own selfish desires. In the present day, however, she believed that Cygnus could bring about a new era of strength to defeat the Black Mage, and so she supported Cygnus’ decision. Cygnus thanked Mercedes for her insight and invited her to the upcoming conference that she was planning to host.
Meanwhile in Edelstein, Claudine reached out to the Resistance member and told them that Vita had gone missing. As she doubted that someone in her frail condition could have destroyed the cell door, Claudine feared that the Black Wings might have discovered the Secret Plaza. She begged them to go to the Verne Mine in order to see whether Vita had gone there. She also asked them to convince Vita to come back, if possible, believing that Vita would listen to a close friend.
The Resistance member rushed to the Verne Mine, where they found Vita standing at the entrance with a dazed expression. Vita then monotonously declared that all enemies of the Black Wings must be destroyed and summoned Black Wings henchmen to attack the Resistance member. After defeating them, the Resistance member tried to snap Vita out of her daze, but nothing that they said seemed to work.
Just then, Gelimer arrived to see what was causing Vita’s delay. The Resistance member demanded to know what he had done to Vita, to which Gelimer replied that ‘the creature’ had completed its mission and was awaiting its next orders. The Resistance member snapped at Gelimer not to treat Vita like a robot, to which Gelimer clarified that she wasn’t a robot, but rather, a perfect brainwashed slave. He explained that he had called her back, as it had been some time since he had given her a check-up, but he was pleasantly surprised that she had brought the Resistance member along as well.
Though he yearned to use them as his new lab rat, he knew that Hiver wouldn’t allow it. However, he still decided to run one small experiment and told them to take the road behind the mine to his lab, promising to return Vita if they made it. He also warned that the guards would be dangerous and recommended that they bring as many friends as possible for backup.
The Resistance member rushed back to Claudine and explained that not only was Vita innocent, but Gelimer had also been using her for his schemes. Claudine apologized for suspecting Vita, but she told them that it was too dangerous to go after her, since she couldn’t spare any agents to back the Resistance member up. After arguing back and forth, Claudine finally agreed to let them go after Vita, but she warned that no one would be able to rescue them or Vita if things went wrong. Claudine then wondered to herself whether she should have accepted the Cygnus Knights’ help earlier.
Around the same time, the Knight arrived to meet with Claudine and attempted to give her Cygnus' letter, but Claudine refused and claimed that she wouldn’t accept any correspondence from Ereve. However, the Knight was persistent, and though Claudine acknowledged that they were strong and willing to do what was right, she claimed that she couldn’t trust the rest of Ereve, especially when Cygnus remained unwilling to come down from her perch of safety and fight for the cause.
The Knight protested that the Cygnus Knights had made sacrifices, but an annoyed Claudine asked whether they even knew the meaning of sacrifice. She then asked them to accept a dangerous mission without hesitation. After the Knight accepted, she told them to go into the Verne Mine and identify the location of a laboratory where a particular child was being held, as the Resistance had no idea of the mine's internal structure. (A/N: She’s asking us to look for Vita before the Resistance member goes in alone, although she doesn’t specify Vita’s name in the Cygnus Knight storyline. Based on the dialogue at the end of this quest, it seems like the Resistance member’s quest finishes before the Cygnus Knight’s quest.) Despite knowing that they were going in alone into enemy territory with incomplete information, the Knight accepted and entered the mine.
Meanwhile, the Resistance member entered Gelimer’s lab, where they found Vita locked up, though they were glad to see that she had come back to her senses. Vita admonished them for having come after her, explaining that Gelimer had wanted as many Resistance members to arrive in order to finish them all off at once, which was why he had told them to bring friends. She reminded them that she was Gelimer’s test subject, and that even if she were to escape with them, her presence would only cause more trouble for the Resistance.
The Resistance member told her that they didn’t care about any of that, as the only thing that mattered to them was that she was their friend. They told her not to blame herself for the situation, reminding her that it was all Gelimer’s fault. Vita was touched and called them a good friend, but she explained that she couldn’t go with them, as Gelimer had rigged a bomb in her cage, which would kill her and anyone around her once it detonated. However, she told them that she had a town return scroll that she had hoped to use in order to return back to Edelstein, but as she didn’t want to cause any more trouble for them, she had resolved to stay in the lab and die alone.
Though seeing them made her miss Edelstein and all her friends in the Resistance, Vita knew that she was a danger to everyone around her as long as Gelimer controlled her. The Resistance member pleaded with her that that they could undo the brainwashing, and though Vita conceded that they could try, she believed that it would be too dangerous. She told them that she would be happy as long as she could save them, and that she was counting on them to defeat the Black Wings. She then made the Resistance member promise not to let Gelimer do to anyone what he had done to her, after which she thrust the return scroll upon them, teleporting them away right before her cage exploded and killed her.
The Resistance member returned to the Secret Plaza and sadly told Claudine what had happened. Claudine immediately blamed herself, believing that she should have kept a closer eye on Vita and realized what Gelimer had been up to. She also regretted that she had been too prideful to accept the Cygnus Knights’ help, as she had believed that the Resistance could have taken down the Black Wings on its own, though in the end, Gelimer had still beaten them and Vita had paid the price. She then asked the Resistance member for some time alone to reflect, adding that they likely needed the same.
While the Resistance member discovered Vita, the Knight navigated through the maze and soon encountered several children locked in a cell. Though the Knight freed them, they realized that they had entered a prison, not a laboratory, and the fact that there were multiple children when Claudine had specified only one meant that they were not the ones whom she had asked them to find. Nevertheless, the Knight escorted the children back to safety.
After Claudine treated them, she told the Knight that the children would be fine. She explained that the Black Wings had kidnapped the children from other regions of Maple World for experimentation. The Knight apologized for being unable to find the laboratory, but Claudine told them not to worry about it, explaining that they had done the right thing by helping the children. She sadly added that it hadn’t been too late for them, though she refused to elaborate on her cryptic words. She then agreed to read the letter and told them that she would discuss it with the other Resistance leaders first.
Some time later, Claudine called the Resistance member to a secret meeting with the other Resistance leaders. She explained that the reason why they were gathered was because the Resistance had been invited to a Continental Conference in Ereve in order to prepare for the Black Mage’ return. Though many of them were in favor of blowing off the Cygnus Knights, Claudine asked them to remember Vita, as well as the knowledge that the Black Wings founder was a Commander.
Elex reminded them that they had previously decided that the so-called founder didn’t exist, but Claudine assured him that Orchid definitely existed, and that she had been proven to be a Commander based on the Resistance member’s intel. She reminded them that the Black Mage was an evil Transcendent who had almost destroyed Maple World hundreds of years ago, and that various Heroes had made countless sacrifices, just to barely seal him away.
She then told the others that there were reports that the Black Mage had returned. Brighton asked whether it meant that Orchid was also working for the Black Mage, to which Claudine noted that it was highly likely, as the Black Wings had taken over Edelstein and conducted cruel human experiments to create something, which made her wonder whether the Black Mage may rule Maple World once again.
Brighton commented that it sounded like Claudine believed that they should join the alliance. Claudine told him that it was a difficult decision, though she added that if the Black Mage was involved, they needed all the help that they could get. Elex asked whether they could trust Cygnus, while Brighton asked if the Resistance was really so weak that they needed to ask their enemies for help.
Claudine reminded them that even the Heroes from centuries ago hadn't been strong enough to defeat the Black Mage, which was why they had needed to use the Seal Stones to seal him away. She noted that the Resistance was also too weak to face the Black Mage on their own, and though she admitted that she didn't fully trust the Cygnus Knights, she added that she didn’t want another tragedy like Vita’s to befall upon them again.
Belle took Claudine’s side and asked the others whether they hated the Cygnus Knights so much that they couldn’t look past their anger to fight the Black Mage. Elex agreed that though he didn’t like the Knights, they needed to defeat the Black Wings. Checky added that they could always leave the alliance if Ereve turned on them. Brighton begrudgingly agreed, and with a unanimous vote, they agreed to attend the conference. Claudine then asked the Resistance member to deliver their response to Ereve. Cygnus greeted them in earnest and told them that she was looking forward to their attendance.
Soon after, Claudine called the Demon to Edelstein and told him that while he had been away, the Resistance had received an invitation for a Continental Conference, which was intended to form an alliance between the Resistance, the Cygnus Knights, and the Explorers in order to fight the Black Mage. She explained that the Resistance had decided to attend the conference, for while she still didn't fully trust the Knights, she knew that the Black Mage was too dangerous for them to fight on their own.
She then asked the Demon's opinion on the alliance from the perspective of a former Commander, to which he explained that the Maple World from centuries ago was comprised of independent, insular nations who held strong hostility for each other. He added that by eliminating the Empress, the factions of resistance had devolved into ragtag groups that couldn't work with each other, making it easy to conquer them.
He noted that in comparison, the Black Mage had been a corrupted Transcendent with god-like abilities, and that his followers had also received a share of that power, which was why he believed it to be a wise choice for the Cygnus Knights to form an alliance against such a formidable foe. Upon hearing the Demon's words, Claudine realized that she had been correct in her decision to attend the conference and decided that it was time for their fight to truly begin.
Some time later, Claudine also reached out to Xenon and told him that the Resistance was standing at the crossroads of a major change. She explained that the Cygnus Knights had invited them to form an alliance between the Resistance, the Cygnus Knights, and the Explorers in order to fight the Black Mage.
She told Xenon that the Black Mage was a corrupted Transcendent who had driven Maple World to the brink of destruction hundreds of years ago, and that five brave Heroes had managed to seal him away with the Seal Stone of the great mage, Freud. However, she revealed that the Black Mage's seal had been broken, and so the Resistance had decided to join the alliance in order to band together and fight such a dangerous foe. She then asked Xenon to join the Alliance, adding that he would soon receive a call from the Cygnus Knights to attend the conference.
Meanwhile, Evan and Mir arrived in Edelstein in order to get revenge on Hiver. Mir suggested storming the Verne Mine and attacking all the Black Wings inside, but Evan told him that he didn’t want to attack random people just because they worked for the Black Wings, reminding Mir that they themselves used to be part of the Black Wings until recently. They decided to go undercover in order to learn Hiver’s location and asked a watchman named Bavan where Hiver was by making up a story that they owed him money. Bavan agreed to contact Hiver in exchange for Nependeath’s Honey from Orbis. After bringing him the honey, Bavan told Evan that he had arranged for Evan to meet Hiver in the Verne Mine.
Inside the mine, however, Black Wings henchmen ambushed them and Evan realized that Bavan and Hiver had set up a trap. After defeating the henchmen, a strange woman arrived and had a stand-off with Evan, though she quickly realized that he was a civilian and disappeared. Though Evan wondered whether she was affiliated with the Black Wings, Mir recognized her as Claudine the town doctor, claiming that his perception as an Onyx Dragon could be trusted.
In town, Evan confronted Claudine, who denied having met them in the mines. When Mir spoke aloud and insisted that he recognized her, Claudine was surprised to know that a lizard could talk. Evan explained that Mir was an Onyx Dragon, to which an intrigued Claudine asked them to meet her in Edelstein Park in order to speak surreptitiously.
At the park, Evan told Claudine that he held a grudge against the Black Wings. When Claudine asked Evan whether the Black Wings had taken over his town like they had with Edelstein, Evan explained that a Black Wings officer named Hiver had tricked him, and that he was trying to revive the Black Mage, the enemy of the Onyx Dragons.
Claudine noted that Hiver was quite high up in the Black Wings hierarchy and wondered how far the Black Wings' conspiracy extended. She then revealed to Evan that she was a member of the Resistance against the Black Wings, though she warned him not to speak on the matter any further, as she was hiding her identity. However, Evan pointed out that they were both on the same side and suggested that they could team up. However, Claudine told them that she couldn’t trust them yet, as they might be a spy or might be too weak.
In order to have them prove themselves, she told them to take the secret route to Gelimer’s laboratory and bring back Black Wings emblems from his henchmen. After they brought the emblems back, Claudine told them that even though they might have gotten them from their commanders, she felt as though she could trust them, not only because of their actions, but also because of the intelligence that the Resistance had stolen from the Black Wings, which detailed their dealings with the Onyx Dragons.
She told Evan that since he had proven his strength, it made sense for them to ally with each other. She noted that the Heroes had banded together centuries ago to fight the corrupted Transcendent, and that they had only been able to seal him away with Freud's Seal Stones. However, she added that things were different now, as all of Maple World was banding together to fight the Black Mage. After learning about the upcoming Continental Conference, Evan and Mir decided that they needed to attend in order to join the fight.
Some time later, Athena called the four Explorers to the Bowman Instructional School. (A/N: Pathfinder gets a slightly modified version of this quest, in which she gets introduced to Tess, Rondo, and Olive, as she doesn’t follow the main Explorer storyline and has never met them before.) She explained that she wanted them to meet the Heroes in order to consult with them, as the ones who had originally sealed the Black Mage might have knowledge on what to do now that he had returned.
Olive immediately asked to speak with Mercedes, a fellow archer, while Rondo decided that he wanted to meet with Phantom, a fellow thief. Tess decided to speak with Aran, as he remembered how she had protected them until the very end when the Black Mage had invaded, even going so far as to leave the escape ship in order to find a missing kid who had fallen behind. The Explorer wondered how old Tess was for him to have recalled memories of Aran in the past, but they nevertheless agreed to go meet Luminous.
(A/N: This quest was actually adapted from the original storyline, which has the Explorers meet the Heroes shortly after the Black Mage destroys Maple Island in order to learn how they can use the Seal Stones to fix the ruined land. A feature of the original storyline was that the story path would often change slightly based on your job, meaning that each job got a different series of quests. For this quest, warriors met with Aran, magicians met with Evan, etc. Pirates met Luminous, since no one knows that Shade exists. That quest was set well after Phantom made his debut, and so there were no continuity errors at the time.)
The Explorer traveled to the forests of Ellinia and found a Sentrobo guarding the area. After defeating it, Luminous appeared and began questioning them. The Explorer explained why they had come and asked if the Heroes could reseal the Black Mage, since they had all been freed from the ice. However, Luminous told them that it would be impossible for two reasons.
He first explained that he had lost his powers after emerging from the ice and assumed that the same fate had befallen the other Heroes. He also explained that Freud had used the Seal Stones to bind the Black Mage to eternity, not for eternity, and that the Seal of Time had fractured the fabric of time in Maple World. He confessed that using the sealing spell again could have catastrophic consequences.
Disheartened that it was impossible to stand up to the Black Mage, even with the Heroes and the Seal Stones, the Explorer returned to Athena Pierce. There, the four summarized their findings and concluded that they had no means of defending Maple World from the Black Mage. Athena reassured them that they wouldn’t be defeated so easily and explained that she would call on them again when the time came. She then asked the Explorer to stay behind as the other Explorers left and explained that Empress Cygnus had sent a letter proposing to create an alliance between the major world powers of Maple World. She then asked the Explorer for their opinion on the alliance.
The Explorer told her that they felt responsible for the revival of the Black Mage and asked if they could really fight the Black Mage while they remained so weak. Athena reassured them that they could very well become a great hero who protected them all, but even if they couldn’t, every hero had people standing behind them who all worked together to protect what they loved. She declared that it was time to stand together in order to face the Black Mage and asked them to join her at the upcoming conference.
(A/N: The original Alliance prequest for Explorers had you deliver a piece of driftwood to Kyrin, who found that it contained Guwaru’s mark. You then brought the wood to Athena Pierce, who purified the relic and determined that it was a warning from Guwaru that the Black Mage was about to return.
A few days later, Athena tells you that she’s received a letter from Cygnus, and though she worries that the alliance would place restrictions on the freedom of all the Explorers, she believes that the alliance is necessary in order to prevent Maple World from falling into the Black Mage’s hands. The Alliance was formed before the Black Mage broke free of his seal in the original chronology, which is why it made sense for Guwaru to warn us about his impending return.)
Some time later, Agent N reached out to Luminous and told him that Empress Cygnus had found out that they were working together, and that she wanted to meet with him. Wondering whether Cygnus was a descendant of Empress Aria, Luminous traveled to Ereve to meet with her. Cygnus asked him if he had been surprised by her invitation, to which Luminous told her that he was surprised that she even knew him in the first place, as few seemed to remember the events of his time.
Cygnus explained that though the records about the Heroes had been erased thanks to the Commanders' schemes, not everyone had forgotten them. However, she added that it wasn’t the reason why she had asked him to meet. She explained that centuries ago, he and the other Heroes had sealed away the Black Mage with Freud's Seal Stones, though she noted that there were no such heroes anymore. She noted that though her Cygnus Knights would fight back, she remained unsure whether they could face the Black Mage on their own.
Because of this, she had found other heroes - the countless Explorers and Resistance members who would fight against the forces of darkness - and that she planned to form an alliance with them to face the Black Mage. Though there had only been five who had stood against the Black Mage centuries ago, she told him that there were hundreds who stood together in the present day. Luminous was impressed by Cygnus’ resolve and told her that she reminded him of Empress Aria. Believing that her cause was noble, he asked her to call upon him whenever she was in need of his power.
Soon after, Lilin contacted Aran and asked her to return to Rien. There, she excitedly showed Aran the invitation to the conference that the Empress had arranged and explained that it was proof that Ereve had recognized Aran as a true hero. Believing it best that Aran went with someone who recognized her as a hero, Lilin suggested that she ask Athena Pierce to accompany her, as she was a well-respected figure in Maple World.
Aran asked Lilin if she would also come to the conference, but Lilin was unsure about whether she ought to be there. While she debated about going, Athena agreed to accompany Aran, though Aran wondered whether she herself ought to be there without her memories. Athena reassured Aran that she was still a hero, and that she had seen Aran’s bravery for herself when Aran had saved her from the Black Wings. She then added that Mercedes would also be there, suggesting that they could all go together.
On the day of the conference, Athena and Aran met with Mercedes at the Six Path Crossway. Upon seeing Mercedes, Aran recalled how Mercedes and Freud had seen her off as she had left to fight the Black Mage’s army. The pair began to catch up, with Mercedes revealing that the curse had affected the other elves as well, and that the other Heroes were roaming Maple World and trying to regain their power.
However, she then told Aran that Freud had likely already passed away, as Afrien had taken the curse in his place, which meant that Freud hadn’t been frozen like the other Heroes. As both of them remained solemn, Athena asked them to put aside their sorrow, as it was a happy day of reunion for them both. Mercedes and Aran realized that Athena was right, and so they decided to continue catching up on the way to Ereve. Though Aran was happy to be with her old friend again, she nevertheless felt a strange sense of loneliness.
After receiving unanimous confirmations, the First Continental Conference took place and the Maple Alliance was officially created.
The Forgotten Hero:
(A/N: Shade’s storyline was revamped in the Milestone update, and I personally think that it’s the worst story revamp that we’ve ever gotten in history, even more so than the Explorer revamp. One major reason for this is because a large majority of Shade’s quests were deleted because of Nexon’s obsession with streamlining story content so that every storyline goes from 1-30, with 3rd and 4th job advancements, as well as a final level 200 quest.
The original Shade storyline was practically perfect in terms of pacing and presentation, and this stupid streamlining erased a large amount of narrative content that made the original so compelling. There’s another glaring issue with the direction of the new story, but I’ll hold off on that until later, since it’s a pretty major spoiler.)
Centuries after the Black Mage’s sealing, the forgotten hero mysteriously appeared on moon of Vulpes in Grandis, severely weakened, where he awoke to the sight of a young Pointy-Ear Fox Anima girl named Moonbeam looking down at him, excitedly claiming that the Fox God had granted her wish. Upon seeing his confusion, Moonbeam told him that he was under the Fox Tree, to which the hero asked her whether he was near the Temple of Time, and what had happened to the Black Mage.
Moonbeam replied that she had never heard of either of those terms and explained that he was at the home of the Pointy-Ear Foxes. The hero then noticed Moonbeam’s strange animal features, as well as the fact that there were many moons in the sky, to which Moonbeam told him that there were always many moons in the skies of Grandis, causing the hero to realize that he was somewhere completely different from Maple World.
Moonbeam then asked him to come with her to the Anima village, and so the hero reluctantly followed her back to Fox Point Village. There, Moonbeam explained that though they didn’t normally allow strangers to enter their village, the hero was an exception, as he had saved her life once before, much to his confusion. She also added that since the hero had no sharp claws or teeth, he didn’t seem to pose any danger at all. She then told the hero that he would still need to get permission from her grandfather, Silver, who was their chief, in order to settle in their village, to which the hero told her that he couldn’t stay, as he needed to return back to Maple World.
Upon learning that the hero had no idea how to get to Maple World, Moonbeam told him that the area outside the village was dangerous, and that he would quickly get into trouble if he tried to leave in his current state. Realizing that Moonbeam was right, the hero agreed to meet with the chief. After the hero introduced himself, Chief Silver noticed that he had no ears or tail, meaning that he would not be able to take care of himself. He took pity on the hero and decided to take him in before asking him what his name was.
The hero began recalling how Freud had given him his name when they had first met, but Silver mistook his silence and assumed that he was struggling to name himself, for which he decided to come up with a good name for the hero. Silver suggested several strange names, but Moonbeam rejected all of them and decided that she would name him, since she was the one who had found him. Because he was dark and mysterious, she gave him the name Shade, which she explained was the perfect complement to Moonbeam.
(A/N: We never actually get to learn his original name, although we do know from the behind-the-scenes information released during the Milestone event that Shade didn’t have a name at all prior to meeting Freud, similar to how Mihile had no name in his original storyline before Cygnus gave him one. In KMS, the name that Moonbeam gives him is actually Eunwol, which translates to ‘hidden moon’. While she calls him Shade in GMS because ‘Shade’ is a complement to ‘Moonbeam’, her reasoning in KMS is because she recalls how Shade had come from a world with only one moon, rather than many, and so she names him ‘Eunwol’, which means ‘hidden moon’.
The five Heroes of Maple have their names spell out MAPLE with Mercedes, Aran, Phantom, Luminous, and Evan, while the five Explorers in the Explorer storyline spell out STORY with Sugar, Tess, Olive, Rondo, and You, the player. Sadly, Shade doesn’t get to have his name fit into either phrase, although he could maybe be an empty space between MAPLE and STORY, since he’s the forgotten hero.)
After receiving his new name, Shade decided to visit the new house that Silver had given him, which had been left empty after its owner had gone away. Despite his new life, Shade wondered what had happened to his friends. Given that he was still alive, he wondered whether it meant that the seal on the Black Mage had failed. However, he refused to believe that the other Heroes would have given up so easily, and so he assumed that they were hiding out somewhere, waiting to get back together. He decided that he needed to focus on getting his strength back first so that he could join them.
After inspecting his new house, he returned to Silver, who told him that it was time to meet the neighbors. He explained that it was their tradition to give rice cakes to new neighbors, and so he gave Shade some old rice cakes to distribute to the other Anima. The Anima in the village were pleased to receive the rice cakes, but gave several back-handed compliments about Shade’s lack of ears and a tail. They also gave Shade new clothes in order to make him look more presentable. After greeting his neighbors, Shade returned to Silver, who explained that the last step was for him to pray to the Fox God.
Shade was escorted to the Fox Tree by Moonbeam, who prayed for the Fox God to watch over her new friend, whom she called weak and vulnerable. At Moonbeam’s insistence, Shade also prayed to the Fox God. Suddenly, a light engulfed Shade and filled him with strength. Moonbeam explained that it was the Fox God’s blessing, which would allow him to use the power of the spirits contained in his new Fox Marble. Moonbeam then taught him the basics of how to use his new power and explained that it would be useful to him for hunting and taking care of himself.
After returning back to the village, Moonbeam decided to teach him how to hunt. She joked that failure meant starvation, but she promised that she would still feed him, even if he failed. Shade first hunted for Dried Caterpillars, but because he was opposed to eating such food, Moonbeam had him hunt for Sparrow Eggs. After he returned, Moonbeam told him that the adults had prepared a gift for him, as the village had a tradition of giving gifts to baby foxes after their first successful hunt.
Shade went back to his house and found their gift of raw liver. He tried to eat it, telling himself that people ate raw fish, but found that he couldn’t stomach it. Nevertheless, he decided to thank the Anima by lying that he had eaten it. However, he noted that the villagers seemed cold when he thanked them. Silver explained that he was meant to have given a gift in return to the villagers. Since he believed that Shade had already eaten the liver, and since Shade was too weak to get large gifts, Silver suggested for him to bring Mouse Tails.
After hunting and obtaining them, Shade got lost on the way back to the village and stumbled across a large tiger monster. As he felt a strange sense of déjà vu, Shade’s head began to throb as he collapsed in pain. Suddenly, Moonbeam arrived and stood between Shade and the tiger, claiming that she would save him, just as he had saved her in the past.
Her words caused Shade to recall a memory from many years ago, when he had awoken in the Temple of Time and seen the Black Mage sealed behind the Seal of Time. Suddenly, Shade had begun flickering in and out of existence, causing him to disappear into a void between dimensions. Within the void, Shade had heard the sound of someone crying out for help, causing him to reach out into a bright light pouring out from a dimensional crack, allowing him to cross over into Grandis.
There, he had seen the tiger monster towering over Moonbeam, who was crying behind the bodies of her parents, who had already been killed by the monster. With the last of his strength, Shade had rushed forward and taken the tiger’s attack before it could reach Moonbeam, causing him to collapse and flicker out of existence once again. Just then, the Fox God had appeared and defeated the monster before bringing Shade to her domain.
Shade then recalled how the Fox God had, for many years, poured her power into him in an effort to stabilize his flickering existence, though Shade had remained in a coma all the while. Because of Shade’s actions in trying to save a fox Anima, the Fox God had vowed to save Shade, no matter what, even though the exertion of energy had caused her to fall asleep for a long time.
Soon after, Shade awoke from recalling the memory back in his home, where Moonbeam demanded to know why he had gone off on his own to hunt for Mouse Tails when he was already so weak, adding that she could have done it for him so that he wouldn’t have gotten hurt. She then told Shade that she hated him and ran off towards the Fox Tree. Confused by what he had done wrong, Shade decided to go after her.
At the Fox Tree, Shade apologized to Moonbeam for getting hurt and worrying her. Moonbeam told Shade that she was the one who had hunted the liver herself, and so Shade had no reason to hurt himself while trying to get gifts for the other villagers, who hadn’t done any of the work. Realizing that he was still too weak, even with a spirit, Moonbeam decided to give him her own spirit.
Against Shade’s protests, she transferred her guardian spirit to him, explaining that she had promised to protect him. She reassured him that she was strong, even without her spirit, and that Shade could protect her if she ran into trouble. Back at the village, Silver told Shade that he had heard that Moonbeam had given him something special and explained that she would get extremely attached to certain people, likely because she had lost her parents at a young age. He asked Shade to take care of Moonbeam just as much as she cared for him. He then added that it was time for Shade to undertake his coming-of-age ceremony, which would allow him to be acknowledged as a true fox.
He told Shade to speak with the villagers in the town and obtain five marks of certification from them. First, Timber asked him to defeat Red Poison Frogs and Green Poison Frogs. Next, Compass gave him a quiz about the Pointy-Ear Foxes. After passing the quiz, he took Patience’s test to defeat the Delinquent Chicks and Brook’s test to defeat Punk Chicks. Finally, he approached Moonbeam, who gave him her certification without having him do anything. (A/N: Moonbeam is that one friend who always lets you copy her homework.)
With five marks of certification, Silver proclaimed Shade to be a true fox and one of their kin. He told Shade that the villagers had prepared another gift for him and asked him to go home and see. Back at his home, Shade found that the Anima had prepared fox ears and a tail for him. Shade hated this gift as well, as he didn’t want to lose his identity while in the unfamiliar world. Realizing that he needed to give the Anima a gift in exchange, Shade returned to Silver, who eagerly told him that there was someone who may know about where he came from.
Silver explained that though most Pointy-Ear Foxes lived in close-knit families and never left the village, there were some who wandered the world, with one of those Anima coming back. Suddenly, both of them noticed that it had begun to rain, with Shade realizing that he had never seen it rain before. Silver explained that rain meant that a fox Anima was crying somewhere. As no one in the village was crying, he suspected that the rain was indeed because of Moonbeam. However, he explained that she had never cried once since losing her parents.
Worried that something bad had happened to her, Shade went to the Fox Tree, where he found her hairband caught onto one of the branches. He began scaling up the tree and soon found Moonbeam attempting to reach the highest branches. Moonbeam sadly smiled and explained that she had been hoping to reach the top of the Fox Tree so that the Fox God would be able to hear her wish – for Shade not to leave. She explained that she had always known that he would leave one day, as his scent was of the wind. She explained that she had given him her spirit because she didn’t want him to leave. By having Shade promise that he would protect her, she had hoped that it would make him stay by her side.
Shade told her that he had a friend, and that his friend was the first person to have ever helped him. At the time, Shade had told him that he didn’t have a reason to live, but his friend had then told Shade that he didn’t have a reason to die either. That friend had also promised that they would get through the tough times together. Shade explained that before arriving at the village, his friend’s face was the last one that Shade had seen. He told her that his friend was likely in pain and blaming himself, thinking that Shade was gone, and so he needed to go back to see the ones who were waiting for him so that he could tell them that he was alive. However, he promised to return to Moonbeam once it was all over.
(A/N: The friend in question is Freud. A lot of subtext in Shade’s storyline makes it seem like he might’ve had feelings for Freud. Even with a platonic reading of their relationship, Shade feels like a kicked puppy that keeps following the first person who shows him basic human decency. He’s very similar to Moonbeam in the sense that both of them get heavily attached to certain people and base their entire existence around them, indicative of some pretty severe codependency issues.
Moonbeam is willing to give up her guardian spirit, which is considered sacred to her people and integral to her safety, to a near-total stranger whom she’s gotten attached to after only knowing him for a few days. Shade gets so attached to Freud, and the other Heroes later on, that he practically throws himself on the executioner’s blade because he has such little regard for his self-worth that suffering a fate worse than death isn’t just the obvious choice, but the only one that even crosses his mind. It’s a tragic contradiction that he fixates on a singular thing to keep living for while also being psychologically unable to care about himself.)
Moonbeam asked Shade if she was a friend who was just as important to him as his friends from Maple World were. Shade promised her that she was, to which Moonbeam explained that the fox Anima called such people ‘companions’. As she and Shade were companions, she told him that he was bound to come back to her. She also told him that she would miss him greatly while he was away and made him promise to come back soon.
With that, they carved a mark of companionship on the Fox Tree. As they had made their promise under the Fox Tree, she explained that Shade was sworn to keep his promise in the name of the Fox God. With that, Moonbeam told him that she was hungry and raced back to the village. However, Shade noted that the rain still showed no signs of stopping.
Back in the square, Shade found that the entire village – except for Moonbeam – had come out to see Tumbleweed, an Anima wanderer and Moonbeam’s uncle who had returned back to town. Silver explained that Tumbleweed was the owner of the house that Shade was staying. Tumbleweed immediately recognized Shade as a human and asked if he was from Maple World. Shade asked him how he knew about Maple World, to which Tumbleweed explained that though he had never personally been there, he had heard that the Interdimensional Portal in Pantheon allowed for travel between Grandis and Maple World.
Tumbleweed was surprised that Shade had never heard of an Interdimensional Portal before, as he believed that Shade must have used one to arrive in Grandis. He was further surprised to learn that Shade had no idea that he was in another dimension, to which Shade explained that he had assumed that he was merely on a different world. Tumbleweed then agreed to guide Shade to Pantheon, with the entire village sharing a portion of their power with Shade in order to protect him until he returned.
In Pantheon, Shade marveled at how the atmosphere was completely different from Vulpes, noting that the Nova appeared to be just like Magnus. As they entered the town, Shade thanked Tumbleweed for guiding him, to which Tumbleweed told him that it was nothing. After a pause, he noted that it had rained all the way out of Fox Point Village before adding that it seemed that Moonbeam seemed to care deeply about him. He explained that Moonbeam had always smiled when she was younger, before he had left the village.
He then admitted that the reason why he had left was because he had been trying to run away, as Moonbeam had reminded him of his dead brother. He explained that he had been afraid that he would grow to resent Moonbeam if he had stayed, as she was a reminder of how his brother and sister-in-law had been killed, while Moonbeam had survived in their stead. He then thanked Shade for saving Moonbeam when she was young, and for becoming her friend in the present day.
After Tumbleweed returned back to the village, Shade met with Cartalion, who guided him to the Interdimensional Portal, from which he emerged in Henesys. Though he realized that everyone in town was human, he still felt that something was different. At the center of the town, he found Chief Stan and asked him about Maple World. Stan immediately grew annoyed, as he thought that Shade was playing a joke on him. When he realized that Shade was being serious, he gave an in-depth explanation about Maple World using his Maple Map.
After seeing the new geography of Maple World, Shade recognized Ossyria. Stan explained that Athena Pierce had come from Ossyria as well, and told him to speak with her at the Bowman Instructional School. Shade recalled Athena as the little girl who would follow him and the other Heroes around. He remembered that she had been heading to southern Victoria Island by airship and had likely settled down. He also wondered whether she would know anything about Mercedes. Arriving at the Bowman Instructional School, he was surprised to see that Athena was an adult.
Athena, in turn, was surprised by his words and took it to mean that Shade was surprised that she hadn’t been cursed by the elves. She explained that she had been lucky to avoid the curse, adding that the centuries which had passed since then were enough time for an elf to mature. Shade was utterly confused by her words, as he recalled that the day that they had faced the Black Mage was the same day that young Athena had gotten on the airship to Victoria Island.
Athena realized that Shade had been cursed by the Black Mage and explained that it had been centuries since he had been sealed away. She then explained the story of how the Heroes had successfully sealed the Black Mage away, and how they had been cursed to be frozen in ice soon after. Shade was shocked to learn that centuries had passed, as it had only been one year since he had awoken in Vulpes.
(A/N: This is weird because one year on Grandis is equal to ten in Maple World. This would mean that a whole decade should have passed in Maple World since he woke up, which can’t be possible. I’ve mentioned this before, but it seems like Nexon has forgotten about this plot point after initially revealing it in Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storyline.
The only other way that this could be possible is that ever since Maple World and Grandis had started fusing, the rate at which time passes in both worlds has begun to synchronize, which I think is actually a good way to write this off, since it’ll remove any confusion about why the Alliance members who go to Grandis don’t age slower than they would on Maple World, and likewise with Grandis classes aging faster on Maple World.)
Shade then asked what had happened to the other Heroes, to which Athena explained that all the curses had lifted on the five Heroes. As they had gotten weaker from the curse, they were roaming Maple World in order to rebuild their skills. She added that though no one knew why the curse had broken, she suspected that it was due to the Black Mage’s resurrection. At Shade’s surprise, she revealed that centuries after the Black Mage had been sealed away, the seal had been broken, after which he had attacked Maple Island, with the slumbering Heroes awakening soon after.
(A/N: The part about the Heroes returning after the Black Mage’s seal is broken doesn’t make any sense because we know that the Heroes join the Alliance when it’s first formed, and since the Alliance is formed right after the seal is broken, they have to have been awake beforehand. Most likely, Athena just means to say that they’ve finally made a public return and are working actively again with the Alliance after the Black Mage returned.)
With the Heroes wandering Maple World in order to regain their power, Athena told Shade that she would inform him once she learned where they were. Shade thanked her and explained that he wanted to see Freud first before wondering what had happened to Afrien. Athena uncomfortably told him that Afrien had taken the curse in Freud’s place, which meant that Freud – a human – couldn’t have survived for centuries.
(A/N: I refuse to believe that Freud, the mage who casually remade the Seal Stones and created a new universal law to prevent time travel before the Black Mage was sealed, was incapable of extending his lifespan when people like Grendel and Alcaster could easily do it.)
Athena added that after the other Heroes had been cursed, Freud had roamed the world and told the story of the five Heroes, but she wondered why he had never mentioned Shade. Shade was overwhelmed by the news, unable to believe that he would never see Freud’s smile again. He began wondering why Freud had left him out of his stories, and whether it was out of guilt that Shade had taken his place as a sacrifice. Though Shade had wished to find Freud and tell him that it wasn’t his fault, he noted to himself that he would need to accept that Freud was gone, no matter how hard it was.
(A/N: Something that I hate with the revamp is that Shade originally refused to believe that his best friend was gone, and so he went on a journey to find traces of him, eventually leading him to meeting Evan at Turtle Island. There, he learned that Afrien was sleeping in a deep depression, which causes him to finally believe that Freud really is gone. Nevertheless, he’s unable to find any closure without seeing Freud’s grave or someone who had seen his death, and so he ultimately decides to write a letter and send it out to sea inside a bottle to give himself whatever closure he could. The revamp reduced all of that soul-searching into three sentences of reminiscing, which is a very appropriate metaphor for how badly they’ve screwed up on this remaster.)
As Shade began training to regain his strength, Athena soon reached out to him and informed him that Mercedes would be visiting Henesys. Shade quickly returned to Henesys, where he found Mercedes good-naturedly teasing Athena for her gullibility in thinking that she had met another one of the Heroes, reminding her that only Aran, Freud, Phantom, and Luminous had accompanied her into the battle against the Black Mage.
Just as Athena noted that Shade didn’t seem to be lying, she quickly noticed Shade’s distraught face as he ran away. Athena sadly watched him leave as she told Mercedes that Shade had seemed genuinely upset while hearing about Freud’s fate, to which Mercedes wondered whether he had been a mercenary who had accompanied Freud, though Athena remained unsure.
(A/N: Following his meeting with Evan in the original storyline, there was an entire questline that took place between his 2nd and 3rd job advancement, in which he began seeking out the Heroes. He first met with Aran in Rien, where he found out that the reason why she didn’t remember him was because of her memory loss. He then tries to visit Mercedes, but ends up discovering that Lucid is impersonating Mercedes in Elluel while putting all the elves into a nightmare. After he exposes her deception, Lucid vows revenge on him before disappearing.
After that, Shade ends up searching for Phantom by visiting his three vaults in Orbis, Ariant, and Leafre (the sites of Phantom’s three job advancements). He finds Phantom in the Leafre vault, where Phantom doesn’t recognize him and believes him to be an intruder. After they fight, Shade tells Phantom to stop, as the portrait of Aria hanging on the wall might get damaged. Phantom is immediately suspicious when he finds out that Shade knows about Aria and believes him to be a minion of the Black Mage.
Confused by what’s happening, Shade leaves and decides to seek out Luminous, as he starts to suspect that he’s been forgotten. He eventually hears that Luminous lives with Lania, and so he meets with her in Grendel’s library. Lania is happy to meet a friend of Luminous’ and brings him back to her house, where Luminous raises his weapon and believes Shade to be an enemy. This cements Shade’s belief that he’s been forgotten, which leads into the rest of his questline, which has remained mostly unchanged.)
Elsewhere, Shade realized that it now made sense why Freud had omitted him in his stories, and why Athena still couldn’t remember him. He noted to himself that Mercedes not being able to remember him seemed to confirm his suspicions that his existence had been erased as a result of him sacrificing his time. In order to confirm his theory, he went to Minar Forest, where he found a time capsule that he and the other Heroes had made. Though they had promised to open it together, Shade hoped that they would understand why he had opened it himself.
Inside, he found Phantom’s contribution, a scroll from Luminous, a whetstone that Aran had used to sharpen Maha, one of Afrien’s scales, and the token of the Ruler of Elves, though he wondered whether Mercedes had meant to put it in there, as he assumed that it was quite important. He then found his own contribution, a photograph of all six of them. He remembered that the others had told him to put his most prized possession inside, and so he had put in a photo of his only friends in the world. However, upon looking at the photo, he was shocked to find that he had been erased from it. He left the forest distraught, finally accepting that he had been erased from Maple World.
Believing that he had no place in Maple World anymore, he decided to return to Vulpes, where he knew that at least the villagers would still remember him. He returned to Fox Point Village, but to his surprise, he noticed that the mark of companionship which he had carved with Moonbeam had disappeared. In the village, he was shocked to find that Moonbeam, Silver, and all the Anima villagers only saw him as an intruder, chasing him out of the village.
(A/N: In the original storyline, Shade sees that it’s raining and meets with Moonbeam, who’s been crying ever since Shade left because she’s lost her guardian spirit and doesn’t know why, as she doesn’t remember that she gave it to Shade. Because of this, she concludes that the Fox God took it away from her as punishment for her bad behavior, and she’s spent all her time at the Fox Tree ever since, praying for the Fox God to give it back.
In the revamp, it’s later revealed that the Fox God gave Moonbeam a new guardian spirit off-screen, which is why she’s not upset here. Although I like the angst that came with the original storyline, it does make more sense for the Fox God to have given Moonbeam a new spirit, since it’s her job to protect the Anima. The remainder of Shade’s 3rd job advancement below is completely new to the revamp.)
At the outskirts of town, a devastated Shade noted that none of the Anima remembered him, even though their power was still with him. Suddenly, Shade was teleported into the Fox God’s domain, which he recalled from his dream during his time comatose there. The Fox God recognized Shade as a human and demanded to know how he had the power of the fox spirits, noting that he had not only her strength, but the strength of the other Anima as well.
Though the Fox God believed that he had stolen that power, Shade quickly explained everything that had happened to him, causing the Fox God to realize that he had been forgotten each time that he had crossed dimensions. Believing that his story added up, the Fox God noted that she now understood where her missing power had gone, realizing that Shade was the one whom she had poured her power into in order to save.
In order to ensure that he would not feel the same pain again, the Fox God gave Shade her blessings, explaining that though she couldn’t undo the memories which had already been lost, she could ensure that he wouldn’t be forgotten again. She then told Shade to make new memories, adding that she wanted him to be happy. With that, she sent Shade back to Vulpes, where he was relieved to know that his curse had been lifted.
Though he wondered whether he ought to go back to the Anima and rejoin them, he soon recalled Athena’s words about the Black Mage’s resurrection and realized that he couldn’t ignore the Black Mage’s threat to Maple World. Knowing that he would only end up saying goodbye to Moonbeam again, Shade decided that he would only return to see her once the Black Mage had been defeated once and for all.
(A/N: This is, by far, the stupidest writing decision I’ve ever seen in my life. The main problem I have with it isn’t really that his curse is broken, but the fact that it got broken so easily and so quickly. Before the revamp, Shade’s curse never actually got broken. It took the entire convergence of Maple World and Grandis into one dimension for the curse to just be circumvented in that one specific edge case, rather than it actually being broken permanently.
The revamp removed a large majority of the angst and emotional drama that came with Shade’s distress upon realizing that he’s fated to be forgotten forever. Rather than it being the central conflict of his character arc, Shade now spends a grand total of fifteen minutes with this world-shaking revelation before the Fox God waves her magic wand like his personal fairy godmother and makes everything all better for him.
The weight of his curse is so much smaller now because all of it gets fixed instantaneously like it was nothing, and while there’s still the fact that him being forgotten can’t be undone, being able to make new, permanent memories with his old friends feels a lot less impactful than being cursed to be forgotten whenever he crosses dimensions.
It’s likely that the writers didn’t want to be limited by Shade when writing the lore with Tynerum, since it’s not guaranteed that we’ll get a Convergence-style event with Tynerum and Maple World/Grandis, but I’m sure that there were plenty of other ways that they could’ve handled it. We could’ve even had Chronica break Shade’s curse, since his curse is because he sacrificed his time, with Chronica literally being the Transcendent of Time. I just wish that there was some more time between Shade realizing the true nature of his curse and the curse actually being broken.
On another note, the Fox God is also heavily implied to be an Ancient God, which is another issue that a lot of players have had with the story lately - that everyone and their mother is now an Ancient God, or using the power of an Ancient God, or related to an Ancient God, when the whole point of the Ancient War was for the Overseers to seal the gods away and ensure that they remain asleep forever. Now, the game is filled with cases where the gods’ power is still active, and in some cases, the gods themselves are still awake.
We already have Shinsoo as an Ancient God tasked with watching over the birth of a future Transcendent, but there’s no reason at present why the Fox God should be allowed to remain awake. We know that she helped the elders of Grandis with their experiments to create Adversaries in Odium, and at this point, I’m assuming that the Overseers give a free pass to the gods who swore obedience to them so that they get to avoid falling asleep in exchange for turning against the other gods.)
Shade then continued to train in Maple World until he suddenly began to feel unnaturally drowsy. After falling asleep, he had a terrible nightmare of Moonbeam and the other Anima running in fear of him, the five Heroes looking at him with anger in their eyes, and himself disappearing as he sacrificed himself to power the Seal of Time.
Suddenly, the Black Mage appeared before him in a dark void and told Shade that the only reason why Shade hadn’t disappeared was because, as a Transcendent, the Black Mage was still able to remember him, and that Shade would disappear once he did. He then asked Shade if he would make the same choice again, knowing what it had cost him. Awakening from his nightmare, Shade wondered whether it had really been a dream, or whether it was the Black Mage using his power, which meant that his full resurrection was imminent.
Reflecting on the Black Mage’s words, Shade recalled how one of the Seal Stones had been cracked when he had first opened his eyes in the Temple of Time, and how he had rematerialized into existence imperfectly once the Black Mage’s seal had been broken. He noted that it was only thanks to the Fox God pouring her power into him for many years that his existence had been stabilized, with her blessing serving as a temporary solution to let his existence persist while crossing dimensions. However, he noted that the curse hadn’t been erased fully, which meant that there was a chance that he would disappear if the Black Mage did.
He then thought to himself that he had always been prepared to sacrifice himself on that day, and that his only regret had been that his friends would have felt guilty about it, which had made it fortunate that there was no one who would be sad that he was gone. However, he wondered whether he would have made the same choice if he had known that he would not die, but be eternally forgotten, never to be truly part of any dimension. Nevertheless, he decided that what had happened was over, and that even if others had forgotten him, he only had more people to protect.
Because of this, Shade committed himself to growing strong enough to stop the Black Mage, for which he decided that he would need allies. He decided to meet with Athena Pierce, who had forgotten about his existence after he had crossed dimensions. Mistaking him for an Explorer, Athena asked him whether he wished to join the Alliance, adding that more and more people were joining now that the Heroes had returned. With Athena’s help, Shade traveled to Ereve and met with Cygnus before joining the Alliance. He then promised to himself that he would see Moonbeam someday if the Fox God’s blessing still held and protected him from disappearing with the Black Mage.
(A/N: Originally, Lucid was the one who gave Shade his nightmare because of his interference in Elluel when he exposed her actions. Later on, Shade got exclusive dialogue with Lucid in Lachelein, in which it was revealed that Lucid could still remember Shade. Me and a bunch of other people on the lore server came up with a huge theory to explain this, which you can read here, although all of it is now incompatible with the current lore.
The new explanation about Shade’s curse in the revamp is that Shade’s existence is tied to the Black Mage, who remembers him because he’s a Transcendent, as the Transcendents embody the laws of the universe. Because of this, Shade was able to still exist - very weakly - in a space between dimensions for centuries as the Black Mage’s seal began weakening, since Shade’s existence was sacrificed to power the seal. Eventually, Shade was able to cross dimensions as Maple World and Grandis began fusing, allowing him to appear in Grandis.
After the Fox God rescued him, she exerted a significant amount of power into stabilizing his existence, which is why he no longer flickers in and out of existence after he finally wakes up from his coma. The Fox God then blesses him with enough of her power that his existence is completely stable, meaning that he won’t be forgotten when his existence briefly flickers out while crossing dimensions. However, Shade is unsure of whether his existence itself will be erased with the Black Mage’s death, since he believes that it’s tied to the Black Mage remembering him.
As we see in Limina, however, Shade doesn’t disappear anymore, although it’s left ambiguous about why this is. One reason could be that the Fox God’s protection kept him from fading away, while another could be that plenty of people remember him now that he won’t be forgotten. Either way, I really hate the way this got handled because the original version had Shade being certain that he’ll disappear once the Black Mage dies, and he still chooses to fight anyways.
Shade’s story closely parallels the generic Adversary’s character arc, with him falling into despair, overcoming it with the assumption that he’ll disappear forever, then being surprised with the Black Mage’s final words that he won’t be forgotten, and finally getting his catharsis with the curse finally being ‘lifted’ with Maple World and Grandis’ fusion as a thematic reward of sorts for everything that he went through. There was a lot of depth to Shade’s feelings in the original, and the new version just doesn’t come anywhere close to it now that he has the Fox God as his safety net.)
A Withered Lotus:
Following the attack on Rien, Colette reached out to Phantom and told him that even after thoroughly investigating, she couldn’t find a single record of the Heroes. While she continued her search, she told him to seek out Alcaster in El Nath, who was ancient enough to have been able to remember the Heroes. Phantom went to see Alcaster, who told him that he had been living in El Nath for over 300 years. Though he hadn’t been born during the time of the Black Mage, he explained that his old teacher had lived during that era, and that his teacher had told him about the legend of the Heroes.
Alcaster added that ever since Cygnus had come into power, she had made the Heroes much more well-known, as they had been virtually forgotten before then. He also told Phantom that his master had left behind a diary in his laboratory, which he believed might have more details about the Heroes, and so he sent Phantom to the fifth floor of Orbis Tower in order to recover it.
While searching the laboratory, Phantom encountered Black Wings henchmen and managed to defeat them. Realizing that the diary was missing, he returned to Alcaster, who was surprised that the Black Wings had broken into the laboratory. He wondered why they would have taken the diary, as it held no information besides personal musings.
Phantom asked if there was anything else in the laboratory that could have been of interest to the Black Wings, such as formulas, schematics, treasure maps, or jewels. Alcaster told him that the only jewel in the laboratory was a worthless gem that his master had referred to as a Seal Stone, explaining that he himself had found no use for it in his incantations or alchemy, and so he had left it alone. Phantom realized that the Seal Stone of El Nath was exactly what the Black Wings had been after, and that he had let it slip out of his hands.
(A/N: This part of Phantom’s storyline conflicts with Evan’s storyline. It’s implied in Evan’s storyline that the Seal Stone of El Nath is hidden in the basement of the Chief’s Residence, though they only say that an important treasure had been hidden there, giving some wiggle room to interpret that it may have been some other artifact. Given that the Black Wings had some interest in the elven treasure Mistelteinn, it’s possible that they were after a similar relic, even though everything about Evan’s storyline suggests that it should’ve been a Seal Stone.)
Alcaster was surprised that the Black Wings would steal something so useless and believed that they might not have taken the diary after all. Phantom returned to the laboratory for another search and successfully recovered it. He brought it to Alcaster, who realized that the diary was an incomprehensible mess. (A/N: Sounds like me taking notes in class.)
He lamented that he wouldn’t be able to tell Phantom more about the war from 300 years ago, explaining that most people were unaware of the war, despite how all of Maple World had once struggled under its influence. He added that it was only thanks to the efforts of people like Athena Pierce that peace had returned back to the land.
Phantom thought it surprising that the shy girl who had followed Mercedes into battle had grown up to become a great leader, though he also remembered that she had been helpful during the battle against the Black Mage. Alcaster told him that much had been lost when the war had descended upon them, and that the records of that time seemed to have vanished in flames, as though they were kindling for that unwanted battle. He mused that the war had taken much from the people, including the past, and hoped that the young would never have to face such horrors again.
Phantom then returned to training around Maple World until Colette reached out to him again and suggested that he visit the library in Helios Tower, where every piece of text in Maple World was said to exist. She explained that if no record of the Heroes existed there, it would confirm that someone had been tampering with history.
At the library, Wiz the Librarian told him that the records on the Black Mage and the Heroes were still in-house, but he warned that they wouldn’t be easy to find, since unpopular books were usually relegated to the library vault. Phantom went to the vault to search for any books on the Heroes, but instead found several books on the shelf precisely burned in a way that left the other books untouched.
Just then, Black Wings henchmen appeared and began to attack Phantom. After defeating them, he returned to the main library and told Wiz that someone had been burning his books. To his shock, however, Wiz began to attack him. After being beaten back to his senses, Wiz seemed to have no recollection of the past few minutes, as though his body had not been his own for a moment.
Phantom recalled seeing something strange shooting out of Wiz when the librarian had been knocked out and wondered what sort of magic could cause someone to become possessed. Moreover, he wondered how despite Helios Library having books on every topic in Maple World, a fire would start under the only books that pertained to the Heroes.
Phantom was certain that someone was tampering with the history of Maple World, and that they seemed to be able to possess others. Though a seduction spell would be simple enough to control someone, Phantom noted that the entity had taken Wiz over from the inside. He returned to the Lumiere and told Colette everything that he had learned. He then ordered her to switch focus from investigating historical records to instead looking into whatever force had possessed Wiz.
After the incident at the library, Phantom continued his training and soon grew strong enough that he decided to relearn some of his stronger skills. He went to his secret vault in Ariant, where he noted that the city was still the same desolate wasteland of rich oppressors that he had left behind centuries ago in order to become something more.
At the entrance of the vault, he discovered dust and realized that someone must have broken inside, as his vaults were airtight. There, he discovered Dust Dwarves and defeated them all in order to enter the vault. After finding his notes, he reminisced about the old days when he had first devoted his life to taking down the rich, throwing away his old name and becoming Phantom for the sake of it all.
Soon after, Colette contacted Phantom and told him that she had discovered that Wiz had been controlled through spirit possession, which allowed a soul to enter another person’s body, explaining that the strange entity that Phantom had seen fleeing the scene was likely a soul. She told him to go to Sleepywood and meet the Rememberer, who was an expert in spirit possession.
The Rememberer was shocked to see what he described as an unholy terror on Phantom’s back and asked him what he had gotten mixed up in, as there was a terrifying burden on his back, invisible to Phantom. He told Phantom that he would make a charm to weaken the creature, though he added that Phantom would need to talk to it and make it go away on his own. In order to help make the charm, Phantom entered the Cursed Temple and collected Tauromacis Blood. The Rememberer then crafted the charm and told Phantom to use it at a Shaman Rock.
After Phantom activated the charm, he was teleported to a cave, where he found an unconscious Mu Young and the soul of Lotus hovering over him. Lotus greeted Phantom and explained that though his body had remained comatose for centuries, his soul was able to roam free. Phantom told Lotus that he was surprised to see him alive after their battle at the Temple of Time.
Lotus replied that he couldn’t die while knowing that Phantom and the other Heroes were running around free. He confirmed that he had been the one who had possessed Wiz, explaining that he had discovered the power to possess others after his soul had left his body. To demonstrate it once again, he possessed Mu Young’s body and began to fight Phantom. After being defeated, Lotus released Mu Young and commended Phantom for having regaining more of his strength.
Before Lotus left, Phantom asked if he had been the one erasing the Heroes from history. Lotus was amused that Phantom had discovered his scheme and told him that he had been erasing records of the Black Mage, with the Heroes’ erasure being incidental. Phantom asked what Lotus was planning, to which Lotus merely told him to figure it out himself. With that, Lotus disappeared and Phantom was sent back to Sleepywood.
(A/N: I don’t really know why exactly he’s been doing this in the first place and they never really explain it either. I doubt that the Black Mage had given him the orders, and so I’m guessing that Lotus did it so that the Alliance wouldn’t have any information to help them face the Black Mage. The idea that Lotus was destroying key historical records was brought up in the revamped Dual Blade storyline during the same patch that released Phantom, which incorporated Lotus’ actions with the backstory on the Dual Blades. I’ve included those events in an earlier section, as well as an explanation about the plot holes that got opened up with the changes.)
Phantom wondered whether Orchid knew that Lotus could possess people, though he was more interested in knowing why Lotus had been destroying historical documents. Though he briefly wondered whether Lotus had caused the war 300 years ago, he told himself not to jump to conclusions. Based on what he had learned, Phantom knew that Lotus’ physical body was comatose somewhere in Maple World, and so Phantom decided to destroy Lotus’ body in order to get rid of his soul.
Knowing that he and Orchid were inseparable, Phantom surmised that they would still be close together and concluded that Lotus’ body was somewhere inside the Verne Mine. As there were too many enemies in the mine, Phantom told Christiane to analyze the Black Wings headquarters for weaknesses. As Christiane continued working, Phantom wondered whether the massive amounts of energy that Orchid was harvesting was related to Lotus.
Soon after, Christiane contacted Phantom and told him that all the energy being harvested in Edelstein was coming from the Power Plant, which was being funneled into a single point inside the mine. She explained that there were rumors that Orchid’s room was deep inside the Power Plant and offered to look into it. Phantom told her that there was no need, as he would go himself in order to destroy Lotus.
Christiane warned Phantom that it would be dangerous and cautioned him against charging into a zone full of enemies for an unsubstantiated rumor. Phantom told her that he had a gut feeling that there was something more to it, and reassured her that if Lotus wasn’t there, then he would simply take down Orchid instead. Christiane told him that he was behaving strangely and rushing in without thinking, to which Phantom darkly told her that she didn’t know him as well as she thought, and that he would do what needed to be done.
(A/N: Phantom is one of the most emotionally complex characters in the game, and he’s one of my favorites. While he’s normally a happy-go-lucky showoff, he can just as easily flip to having stone-cold murderous intent. His dark side is scarier than that of many of the villains.)
Phantom rushed to the Verne Mine and infiltrated the Power Plant. Past Orchid’s room, he found a hidden laboratory, where he discovered Lotus’ comatose body floating in a tank. Phantom mocked Lotus about how far he had fallen compared to the time when he and Orchid had ransacked Ereve. Though he admitted that he wasn’t one to attack a defenseless foe, he added that he was also smart enough to recognize an opportunity when he saw it. Just as Phantom was about to kill him, Lotus’ soul possessed Phantom and seized control of his body.
An amused Lotus asked Phantom whether his senses had been so dulled that he would fall for such an easy plot, musing that it was possible that Phantom had merely been fooling everyone into thinking that he was as clever as he claimed. He explained that possession was difficult to perform, as only the weak-minded were susceptible to his powers from a distance. Knowing this, he had manipulated Phantom into coming close to his body, where he could easily possess him. He told Phantom that he knew that the thief would fall for his trap, as once he had his sights set on revenge, he had a one-track mind that couldn’t see the bigger picture.
With that, he forced Phantom to leave Edelstein and travel to Ereve. There, Lotus had Phantom approach the garden where Cygnus was resting. Phantom immediately realized that Lotus was planning on having him kill Cygnus, thus eliminating the leader of the Alliance and turning the world against him. Cygnus spotted Phantom and approached him, glad to have a chance to see him again after he had stopped Hilla.
Phantom struggled to remove Lotus’ hold on his body, but when he realized that he couldn’t stop himself, he desperately let out a silent plea for help. Just then, the spirit of Empress Aria appeared, much to Lotus’ shock. Aria explained that while she didn’t have the power to destroy him, she could drive him out of Phantom for good. With that, Phantom regained his senses and awoke to the sight of Aria’s spirit.
Aria gently scolded Phantom for being as bull-headed as ever, and for being so blinded by his quest for vengeance that he had never bothered to move on with his life, reminding him that he used to be smarter. She then told him that as the Empress of Maple World, she wanted to thank him for everything that he had done, explaining that she owed him a debt of gratitude that no one could begin to repay. As a mere woman, however, she apologized to him for leaving him with such a heavy burden to carry.
She likened him to an uncaged bird singing in the night when they had first met, though he was now trapped in a cage of unending conflict. However, she reminded him that neither of them asked for the fates that they had been given and asked that there be no more apologies or sadness between them, as she was proud to leave Maple World in his hands. She added that her words weren’t meant just for him, but for Cygnus as well, and asked him to share them with her, as there was no future without her leadership. With that, she disappeared for the last time and left Phantom alone.
(A/N: This entire scene, from the moment that Lotus possessed Phantom to Aria’s appearance, is what got me invested in the lore of the game. Even though there are still so many other well-written stories out there, Phantom’s storyline is still really special to me after all these years and without it, it’s likely that this website might never have been written in the first place.)
Reflecting on Aria’s words, Phantom was ashamed that in spite of his talk that he wanted to follow in her footsteps, he had just been using her ideals as an excuse for getting revenge on Lotus and Orchid. He realized that it was the reason why he hadn’t wanted to join the Alliance in the first place, as he had known that they wouldn’t approve of his goals. In the end, he realized that he wasn’t the kind of fighter that they needed, and that he didn’t deserve to be called a hero. Despite it all, however, he knew that Aria had still trusted him and he realized that he couldn’t betray that trust.
Some time later, Phantom decided to meet Cygnus, noting that he owed her that much after almost taking her life. In Ereve, Cygnus greeted Phantom and told him that she had wanted to meet him. She explained that she wouldn't ask why he had disappeared after saving her, and why he hadn't spoken with her since that day, as she knew that he had his reasons. She then added that she knew how difficult it must have been for them to face a corrupted Transcendent, and how hard he and the other Heroes must have worked to seal him away.
However, she explained that centuries ago, only five people had been brave enough to stand up against the Black Mage, but in the present day, there were hundreds willing to fight alongside him. She asked him not to carry the burden of the fight on his own, reminding him that he had allies if he was willing to trust them. Phantom conceded that Cygnus had a compelling argument, as the Alliance could have helped him during his last few missions. He agreed to join the Alliance, adding that they could benefit from the greatest thief in the history of Maple World.
Fight for Azwan:
(A/N: With the Milestone update, the presentation of theme dungeons and other storylines has been streamlined into a single continuity, with the player having a set journey from the time that they join the Alliance, to the moment they become the Adversary during Black Heaven, all the way into the Arcane River and continental Grandis. The Azwan storyline is chronologically the first entry into this journey, which is reflected in the dialogue at the beginning of the story. The story team has created a recommended order of quests to complete, which is what I’m roughly following while ordering this site, although you’ll see that there are times when I deviate from that ordering in order to avoid continuity errors that pop up.)
Following the formation of the Alliance, Neinheart summoned an Alliance member in order to assign them their first official mission. He explained that though they might be wondering whether it was too early for the Alliance to begin undertaking missions so soon after its formation, the war against the Black Mage was just beginning, and that they needed to prepare immediately.
He explained that amongst the Black Mage’s forces, the Commanders were those with the greatest power, and that the Alliance was tracking their movements. As the Commanders were formidable and dangerous, with the possibility of there being even more new Commanders in the future, Neinheart asked the Alliance member to lend their strength to the Alliance’s investigation, as he believed that only someone as strong as them could handle any unexpected situations that may arise.After giving them a report on the known Commanders, Neinheart told the Alliance member that he expected a great deal from them, as they were one of the strongest members of the Alliance.
He then began explaining that the lost city of Azwan had recently reappeared. He revealed that Azwan was the hometown of Hilla, who was said to have destroyed Azwan and offered it to the Black Mage after she had become a Commander. Because of this, he believed that there may be clues about Hilla in the lost city, for which he tasked the Alliance member with their first mission to assist the Cygnus Knights with their investigation of Azwan.
The Alliance member traveled to Ariant, where they encountered a group of citizens listening to the song of a wandering dancer. The dancer told them that her song was quite popular in Ariant and revealed that it spoke of an elixir of everlasting youth hidden somewhere amongst the ruins of Azwan, adding that Queen Areda of Ariant had already sent people on a mission to obtain it. (A/N: The wandering dancer is a disguised Hilla.)
Wondering whether the rumors were true, the Alliance member traveled to the ruins of Azwan, where they met a Cygnus Knight named Gardin. Gardin told the Alliance member that the Knights had set up a base camp near an obelisk that led into the underground city, though progress had been halted by a magical barrier that prevented anyone from entering. He explained that the rumors of the elixir had caused droves of grave robbers to swarm the city, and that he worried that they would make the situation worse. Suspecting that they were using a secret passageway, Gardin asked the Alliance member to investigate where the grave robbers were coming from.
The Alliance member began exploring the nearby area and soon came across a secret passageway that led underground into the city. After entering Azwan, they came across a pair of grave robbers and hid behind several boxes in order to eavesdrop. They then overheard the two soldiers, who had been sent by Queen Areda, discussing whether the elixir of everlasting youth was actually real. The pair agreed that it hardly mattered when Areda would claim it for herself after using them to do her dirty work. Then then shuddered at the thought of having to serve an immortal Areda for all eternity.
One of the soldiers suggested that he ought to drink the elixir instead, claiming that he was much better looking than Areda. However, the other soldier claimed that he himself was more handsome. The two then began to bicker as the bewildered Alliance member wondered why the two guards were arguing about who looked better when they were identical twins. Just then, a third identical guard appeared and claimed that his face was the one that was truly handsome, causing the Alliance member to realize that they were triplets.
The third soldier then reported that just as he had thought, the barrier only prevented access to the upper parts of the city, while the underground passageways allowed them entry through the lower parts, meaning that they only needed to drill a hole and climb up to the upper city. Realizing that they couldn’t allow the grave robbers to find the elixir, the Alliance member revealed themselves and quickly defeated the grave robbers before using their equipment to climb into the upper city.
The Alliance member soon reached a refuge, where the ghosts of King Iason, Prime Minister Longorias, and Shamaness Medina were shocked to find that someone from the outside world had managed to circumvent the barrier and invade the city. The Alliance member quickly reassured them that they hadn’t come to harm them, to which a surprised Medina noted that she couldn’t sense Hilla’s energy in them. As Longorias wondered whether another faction which they didn’t know about had appeared, Medina decided to speak properly with the Alliance member in order to learn their intentions.
Medina asked the Alliance member why they had come to Azwan, noting that the city had already fallen, leaving only souls with nowhere to go. She then introduced herself as a Shamaness of Azwan and explained that she was responsible for maintaining that barrier that prevented their souls from being taken by the Black Mage. She revealed that when Hilla had offered Azwan to the Black Mage, the people of the city had had their souls stolen and turned into monsters, while the survivors had hidden behind the barrier, unable to leave its boundaries without their souls being taken as well.
The Alliance member then revealed that they had entered the city through the underground passageway, causing Medina to wonder how they had survived the monsters which were attacking the kingdom. The Alliance member replied that there were no monsters currently attacking, likely because the Black Mage had already been sealed centuries ago. This news stunned Medina, who was shocked to learn that hundreds of years had already passed, and that the Black Mage had already been sealed and unsealed in that time.
After processing the Alliance member’s story, Medina realized that she and the other souls of Azwan must not have realized just how much time had passed, as the passage of time meant little to ghosts. Realizing that they had a common enemy, Medina offered to help the Alliance member gather information about Hilla. She explained that Hilla was living in a large tower to the east, as the people of Azwan had constructed it for her with the belief that the great Shamaness should pray to the heavens from high up. However, she warned them that Hilla was quite dangerous, as she had already been the most powerful Shamaness in Azwan history before receiving even more power from the Black Mage.
Fearing that even a scouting mission would prove too dangerous, Medina decided to accompany the Alliance member and protect them with her own power as a Shamaness of Azwan. Immediately upon entering the tower, however, the Alliance member found themselves in total darkness, unable to see anything around them, including Medina. Worried that Hilla may have done something to her, the Alliance member attempted to look for her, though they soon realized that they appeared to be walking endlessly through the darkness of the tower.
As they continued onward, they soon saw a shape in the distance, but upon coming close to it, the darkness in the room lifted, revealing Hilla standing before them. The Alliance member immediately demanded to know what she had done with Medina, to which Hilla revealed that she had already eliminated her, noting that Medina had grow quite arrogant to enter her tower so brazenly, despite her having once been Hilla’s favorite.
Upon seeing the Alliance member’s expression, Hilla laughed and told them not to look at her like that, pointing out that Medina had already been dead anyways. She then declared that the Alliance member would soon be dead as well, as there could be no living people in the city of the dead. She then used her powers to paralyze the Alliance member, who collapsed on the ground in pain. As Hilla told them to close their eyes and become another ghost of Azwan, the voice of Medina broke through as the Shamaness appeared before them and helped them back up to their feet.
The surprised Alliance member asked Medina how she had survived, as Hilla had claimed that she had already eliminated her. However, a confused Medina asked them what they were talking about, as she hadn’t even met Hilla, who wasn’t in the tower at all. Medina revealed that the Hilla standing near them was just an illusion, and that the Alliance member had fallen under her spell from the moment they had entered the tower. In order to prove her words, Medina used a spell of truth upon the illusion of Hilla, which quickly scattered away and disappeared. She then noted that it was fortunate that the Alliance member hadn’t lost their will, as she wouldn’t have been able to break the illusion otherwise.
The pair then returned back to the refuge, where Medina told them that Hilla’s specialty had always been illusion magic, and that she had cast a spell to create an illusion of herself inside the tower. She noted that Hilla’s powers were quite terrifying, as her illusions – strengthened even further with the Black Mage’s power – were capable of deceiving her victims, eroding their will, and even taking their lives. However, she then realized that the fact that Hilla had created an illusion of herself in the tower meant that the real Hilla was likely somewhere else in Maple World. She noted that Hilla wouldn’t be easy to stop, for while she had once been beloved by all of Azwan, she had ruthlessly sacrificed them all for her own selfish desires.
She then told the Alliance member that without Hilla in the tower, there was no point in maintaining the barrier. However, she explained that she was worried about what Hilla might do in the outside world. Recalling how the Alliance member had mentioned that they were part of an alliance against the Black Mage, Medina noted that it was fortunate that such a group had appeared over the centuries, as many had lost their lives in the past because nobody could come together against a common foe. Though she admitted that there was little that they could do as ghosts, Medina promised that the souls of Azwan would do whatever they could to help, and that she would lift the barrier to allow the Alliance entry for their investigation.
The Alliance member told Medina that they were grateful, though they wondered whether lifting the barrier was safe with so many grave robbers around. Medina was surprised to learn that there were many in search of the Elixir of Youth, revealing that there was no such treasure in Azwan, as Hilla would never have betrayed Azwan for eternal youth if such a thing already existed in the city.
The Alliance member then decided to speak with Gardin, who was shocked to learn that they had found themselves in such a situation and noted that they should have requested for assistance. Nevertheless, he was relieved to know that the Alliance had such a powerful ally, adding that the Alliance member was quite amazing. He then told the Alliance member that the Cygnus Knights had been investigating the Elixir of Youth in order to curb the number of grave robbers entering the city, and that they had discovered that a small number of elixirs were in circulation. As the Alliance member had determined that there was no real Elixir of Youth, Gardin asked them to figure out what exactly was being sold in Ariant.
Back in town, the Alliance member defeated several grave robbers and obtained an elixir, which they brought back to Gardin. Though he wondered whether they ought to send it to Ereve for analysis, Gardin realized that it would be more helpful to have a Shamaness like Medina look at it. The Alliance member brought the elixir to Medina, who noted that there was an inscription upon the elixir: “The loss of beauty across this fair world so saddens me. I have in my possession the power of immortality, which I shall grant to only the most beautiful souls,” noting that it had also been signed by Hilla herself.
Though she wondered whether Hilla had really obtained eternal youth from the Black Mage, Medina analyzed the elixir and learned that it had been created from Hilla’s powerful illusion magic, which actually extracted obsession and insanity that hid inside the drinker’s heart. Medina suspected that the rumors about the elixir had been started by Hilla herself in order to spread the effects of the elixir and urged the Alliance member to inform the Alliance about Hilla’s conspiracy. She warned them that Hilla’s power of illusion was deadly, and that her Shamaness’ intuition told her that they would someday have to face Hilla and her dark magic.
The Alliance member then spoke with Gardin, who thanked them for the information and explained that the Alliance would work to confiscate the elixirs and warn Areda, who was obsessed with finding everlasting youth. After reporting to Gardin, the Alliance member returned to Ereve and told him about what had happened in Azwan.
Neinheart was disturbed to know that his suspicions about Hilla being active in Maple World had been confirmed, though he nevertheless thanked the Alliance member for their help. He told them that the Alliance would continue their investigation, and he they would call upon them when they were next needed, though he asked them to share any new information about the Black Mage that they uncovered in the meantime.
Soon after, Gardin visited Areda at her palace and heavily emphasized to her that there was no such thing as an Elixir of Youth. However, Areda merely waved away his concerns and dismissively told him that she understood before ordering him to leave, claiming that the silk merchants for her new slippers were about to arrive.
After Gardin took his leave, Hilla – disguised as the wandering dancer – entered the palace and asked her whether she really believed Gardin’s words. Areda replied that it was clear to her that the Alliance was merely attempting to monopolize all the elixirs for themselves. As she fumed in annoyance at the thought of the Alliance having confiscated so many, Hilla placated her by assuring the queen that she was at her service.
Areda noted that it was fortunate that Hilla was there, lambasting her grave robbers for being useless compared to a wandering dancer. Hilla then presented an elixir to Areda, who greedily drank it and noted that she could already feel the power of everlasting youth flowing into her. In exchange, she promised to give Hilla enough gold to set her for life, to which Hilla thanked her before leaving the palace. As she did, she lifted the illusion on her form, changing her brown hair back to red, laughing at the chaos and confusion that she had just created.
(A/N: This storyline got a pseudo-conclusion in the Labyrinth of Suffering storyline. The reason why I say pseudo-conclusion is because it raises more questions than it answers. While stumbling through the labyrinth, the Adversary is plagued by visions of despair, in which their allies in Tenebris and the people of Maple World are suffering. One of these visions has them view a conversation between two citizens of Ariant - SagaT and Ahmad - who are being forced to work like slaves.
Ahmad tells SagaT that everything had fallen apart once Areda had found the Elixir of Youth, causing her greed to grow insatiable. The Adversary is surprised because they believed that they had given the elixir to Medina. Ahmad then says that many people have begun to leave the city, causing the situation to worsen for those who remained.
However, SagaT reveals that the people haven’t left, but rather, Areda has imprisoned them in the palace in order to drain their vitality, as she has to keep draining youth from others in order to maintain the effects of the elixir. The scene then flashes to a corrupted Areda being consumed by dark energy as she tells herself that she has to keep draining life, causing the Adversary to realize that she’s really draining Erda.
The canonicity of this vision is left up to your interpretation because for the most part, every vision inside the labyrinth is an illusion created by Hilla in order to break you. However, this vision seems to be pretty plausible based on what we know happens at the end of the Azwan storyline. Personally, I believe that this one is actually true because all the other illusions of Maple World’s people suffering are stripped away at the end of the storyline and it’s revealed that they’ve been fighting all along, with the exception of this vision.
The only thing I don’t like is that we never figure out whether the people of Ariant are saved or not. The whole situation in Ariant has been weird to me from the beginning because of how not a single person in Ereve thought to themselves, “Hey, maybe as the federal government of this world, we should do something about one of our states falling under authoritarian rule.”
To an extent, there’s a fairly reasonable explanation for that. My headcanon has always been that in the centuries since Empress Aria’s death, the authority of the Empress has become almost ceremonial at this point. Ereve has a Senate, but I’d wager that there’s a limit to the kinds of laws that they can pass. Plus, who’s even left to enforce them? The Noblesse and the Knight of Light are technically there, but the Noblesse were all wiped out in the war from 300 years ago and the Knight of Light’s power is weakened without an Empress to serve.
By the time that Cygnus is coronated, the people of Maple World have lived without an Empress for over 800 years. Cygnus started out with no army, no authority, and no visibility. On top of that, she was probably somewhere between 5-8 years old when she became Empress. Even with Neinheart to help her, she’s struggled with an inferiority complex her entire life where she thinks that she’s not worthy of being Empress, which means that she’s probably terrified of having to be assertive in enforcing the laws of Ereve. She probably doesn’t want to send the Cygnus Knights to overthrow Areda and risk looking like a tyrant, and Areda definitely isn’t going to listen to Cygnus because there’s no way that she’ll take the words of a child seriously.
However, the thing I don’t understand is why Cygnus still hasn’t intervened in the present day. The fact that nearly every citizen in Ariant has been kidnapped by the queen should be a national-level emergency, even with the fight against the Black Mage going on. It just comes off as completely irresponsible of Cygnus to ignore what’s going on in Maple World when she’s literally the sole ruler of the whole planet and a good chunk of her constituents are having the life sucked out of them.
The probable reason for this is that the writers didn’t feel like resolving all the problems in the town storylines because the KMS director wanted the story focus to shift to Grandis. I love the Grandis story and everything, but there’s no good reason that they couldn’t have wrapped up the problems in Maple World the same way that they resolved all the Maple World class storylines in the Aftermath cutscenes.)
Ellin Forest:
(A/N: I’m actually starting out with the Explorer’s 4th job advancement because it needs to chronologically be done before Ellin Forest. It’s fairly short and also ties heavily into the Ellin Forest lore, and so you can just consider it to be essential reading because it’s too short to be in its own section. I would’ve placed this earlier, but it breaks the narrative flow with all the stuff that happens directly as a result of the Black Mage’s unsealing and the formation of the Alliance. However, you can assume that the events of this section happened concurrently with the earlier sections.)
Athena Pierce called the four Explorers to Henesys and explained that the Black Mage had been eerily silent after attacking Maple Island. Because of this, she asked them to check on the towns of Victoria Island and look for any strange activity. As the Explorer set off to investigate Perion and Ellinia, Tess asked them to swap with him and investigate the Nautilus instead, though he refused to explain why.
Aboard the Nautilus, the Explorer met with Kyrin, who told them that she believed Tess to be suspicious because of the way that his skills had seemed to be far beyond those of a normal Beginner when they had first met, as well as the fact that he had a strange energy that seemed to drain hers as well.
(A/N: If the Explorer is a pirate, when we first meet Kyrin, she’ll note that it’s been a while and asks what brings us back. Otherwise, she’ll welcome us to the Nautilus and ask if we’re here to become a pirate.)
As she had been unable to talk to him after his job advancements, she believed that he had something to do with the Black Mage. The Explorer told her that Athena would frequently give Tess important jobs, which made Kyrin feel as though she had misjudged Tess if Athena really trusted him. After confirming with her that the Nautilus was safe, the Explorer decided to intercept Tess in Ellinia and confront him about Kyrin’s suspicions. In Ellinia, Tess was amused when the Explorer asked if he was part of the Black Wings and decided to tell them his full story.
He explained that his mother, Yuris, was a half-elf who had died soon after giving birth to Kyrin when a strange poison containing the Black Mage’s power had corrupted Ellin Forest. While on a mission to scout Victoria Island, his father, Destonen, had found a suspicious tent and had discovered several research notes inside.
The notes had detailed how the writer, Kirston, had been curious about how the Black Mage’s charisma was such that it could attract such a motley group of Commanders. Kirston had found himself enraptured by the Black Mage’s mysterious ideals. Noting that the Black Mage had been sealed, he had resolved to break the seal, as he hadn’t been sure whether the Black Mage had intended to be sealed away.
Another research note had revealed that Kirston had encountered several maple leaves with an entity within them. According to a prophecy which he had uncovered, he had feared that the entity would foil the Black Mage’s plans, and so he had resolved to eliminate all obstacles that would prevent the Black Mage’s resurrection.
Suddenly, Kirston himself had entered the tent and had cursed Destonen’s bloodline so long as the Black Mage remained alive. Upon returning back to the camp, Destonen had found that Yuris had died from the poison soon after giving birth to Kyrin. He had then brought Tess and Athena to the area that he had been exploring, which would one day be known as Perion, and had told them about Kirston and the curse before passing away soon after.
Tess had soon realized that the curse had been split between himself and Kyrin, the two descendants of Destonen’s bloodline, and that the curse worsened the closer they were to each other. In order to save both their lives, Tess had resolved to stay away from his sister, which was why he had stayed for as little time as possible around her on the Nautilus, and why he had spent centuries trying to find a way to break the curse.
After having heard the full story, the Explorer felt bad for Tess and resolved to become stronger in order to help him. Suddenly, the mysterious voice which they had heard during their previous job advancements rang out and told them that their heart wanted to be stronger for others’ sake, and that their heart would lead them to their fate.
Feeling a new power within themselves, the Explorer returned to the Chief’s Residence, where the chiefs sent them to the Forest of the Priest in Leafre. There, the Explorer encountered the Explorer Priests, who deemed them worthy of receiving their knowledge. They reminded the Explorer that their new strength was meant to help others, and that it was their duty to lead Maple World into the future as a hero.
(A/N: Originally, you had to first prove your strength by collecting a Heroic Pentagon from Manon and a Heroic Star from Griffey. Back in the day, you could also buy a special scroll in Ludibrium that you could bring to Chief Tatamo in order to get the items for free, although that option was removed some time before the RED update.
Moving on, we have the actual Ellin Forest storyline. If you’re interested in seeing what the original Ellin Forest storyline was like, check out the link to the pre-Destiny revamp chronology. For the most part, any class can complete the new story, but it makes the most sense for an Explorer to do it, as Destonen is a major link between the events of Ellin Forest and the present day.
While this theme dungeon can be completed at level 95, Explorers should do it after their fourth job advancement for the sake of immersion because it otherwise introduces a plot hole, as the quest dialogue has Explorers know all about Tess’ family history, which obviously shouldn’t be possible when we don’t hear it until level 100.)
A traveler was called to Helios Library by Wiz the Librarian, who explained that he had discovered a new book that chronicled the history of Ellin Forest. He told the traveler that a new sentence had glowed on the pages when he had opened it, and that it had described how someone with the traveler’s exact description had arrived in Ellin Forest centuries ago, which had prompted him to call them. He also told them that at the exact moment when he had discovered the book, the Time Control Room in Ludibrium had broken down, with Karen, the keeper of the Time Controller, being unable to say why.
(A/N: I’ve mentioned this before, but this conflicts with Aran and Luminous’ quests that had them travel to Ellin Forest, as those events are meant to have taken place long before the events of this storyline. The only workaround that I can think of is that it took some time for Wiz to track them down based only on their description in the book. In KMS, Karen was called the manager of the Time Control Room, which I think is a lot funnier.)
Wiz told the traveler that a Temporal Gate had opened up, which led to Ellin Forest from hundreds of years ago. When the traveler asked what sort of place Ellin Forest was, Wiz explained that it had existed centuries ago, shortly after the Black Mage had been sealed, when towns like Henesys hadn’t yet existed.
(A/N: Explorers get an exclusive dialogue that has them realize that Tess’ father had died around that time. They also wonder whether it would be possible to prevent Destonen’s death. Pathfinder gets some exclusive dialogue in which she speculates that there must be many relics in perfect condition to be found there.
The Heroes and the Demon get some exclusive dialogue as well. Aran notes that she hadn’t been able to do a thorough search when she had first visited because she had been looking for the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, but she wonders whether returning there will help her regain her memories. Evan and Mir wonder whether they’ll meet another Onyx Dragon. The rest of the Heroes recall that Athena Pierce had intended to head to the southern plains of Victoria Island and wonder why she had settled in Ellin Forest instead. The Demon notes that he probably wouldn’t be welcome in a time right after the Black Mage gets sealed away.)
Wiz then sent the traveler to meet with Karen, who refused to let them enter without good reason, claiming that it was too dangerous to venture inside the Temporal Gate, which was an aberration that defied the fundamental laws of time. Hoping to convince her, the traveler obtained the copy of the Chronicles of Ellin Forest from Wiz and returned back to Karen.
(A/N: I’m guessing that security’s gotten tighter around the Temporal Gate since Aran last visited, since she had no trouble going through during her class storyline.
Explorers get an exclusive dialogue that has Karen remind them that she won’t let them travel to the past without good reason. What’s interesting is that there are different paths within this same exclusive dialogue. In both cases, you start out by saying that you have a quarter-elf friend who was cursed during the time of Ellin Forest.
If the player hasn’t finished Limina, the Explorer tells Karen that their friend has been suffering from the curse for centuries, and that they want to stop it from happening. However, if the player has finished Limina, they tell Karen that despite his curse being lifted, he had still been suffering for centuries, and so they want to prevent it from ever having happened in the first place. In both cases, Karen tells them that she still can’t let them through, prompting the Explorer to show her the book. This exclusive dialogue is currently bugged in GMS, as Explorers receive the post-Limina dialogue even if they haven’t finished it yet.
It’s actually very rare for us to get exclusive dialogue that’s dependent on the completion of another storyline. Before the release of the Ellin Forest revamp, I only know of two other storylines where something like that has happened before. In Hotel Arcus, the Adversary only recognizes Senya Angler if they’ve completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes.
In Mushroom Castle, characters who completed Mushroom Kingdom before its removal from the game apparently get some sort of exclusive dialogue as well. I’ve never witnessed this personally, and so I don’t know what that exclusive dialogue actually is, but I’ve gotten several testimonies that this is actually real.
I really want to know whether this would also happen during Kerning Tower for characters who’ve completed Kerning Square, and so I’d appreciate any confirmations sent my way. The writers seem to be making a bigger push to have conditional exclusive dialogue, as the Odium storyline also has specific lines that only appear depending on whether or not you’ve competed storylines like Detective Rave’s Case Notes or Reverse City.
Aside from Explorer dialogue in this part, Aran has exclusive dialogue in which she tells Karen that she’s from that time period, and that she’s lost her memories of it, which is why she wants to go back there and see what kind of a person she really was. Evan and Mir tell her that they want to meet other Onyx Dragons, while the other Heroes tell her that they used to live during that time period, and that they had to leave for reasons beyond their control, because of which they want to see how everyone has fared without them.)
The traveler presented the book and showed Karen that their presence in Ellin Forest had been recorded. A surprised Karen noted that the power of time had touched the book and realized that the traveler must be part of a pre-destination paradox. She reluctantly gave them permission to enter the Temporal Gate, but she warned that history could never be changed, and that they should always be mindful that they were just a stranger like the book said. The traveler then entered the Temporal Gate and arrived in Ellin Forest of the past, where they encountered Yuris.
(A/N: The Heroes all get exclusive dialogue here. Aran, Mercedes, Phantom, and Luminous introduce themselves by name. Evan calls himself a Dragon Master and Shade introduces himself as a friend of Freud. Like I mentioned in Aran’s Seal Stone of Ellin Forest quest, the appearances of time-travelers have been changed in order to prevent time paradoxes. In Phantom’s case, Yuris points out that he has red hair, while the real Phantom has blond hair. Likewise, Yuris perceives Luminous to have black hair instead of silver hair. It isn’t said how the others have their appearances changed, but Yuris doesn’t recognize any of them.
In the case of Evan, Yuris also sees Mir as a lizard and claims that he has no horns when Evan tells her that Mir is a dragon. When Yuris doesn’t recognize Shade, he assumes that he’s been forgotten in the past as well. In the case of all the Heroes except Evan and Shade, Yuris dismisses each of their claims of being one of the Heroes by saying that there’s no one who hasn’t heard of the Heroes before and brushes them off as a follower of the Heroes who’s impersonating them. In the Demon’s case, Yuris is surprised to see his wings, to which he admits that he’s a demon. However, Yuris gets confused and asks if he’s joking, as she perceives him as a Nymph from Orbis.)
Yuris greeted the traveler and asked them to find a fragment broken off from one of the large Floating Rocks on the crashed airship. After the traveler gave her the fragment, Yuris asked them to let Perzen know that the airship was almost repaired. The traveler entered Altaire Camp, where Perzen was shocked to see an outsider. He demanded to know how they had made it past his magic barrier, to which the traveler explained that they had come from the future.
(A/N: All the Heroes except for Evan are surprised when Perzen doesn’t recognize them. They all wonder whether they might have been erased from history, but note that Perzen clearly still remembers the existence of the Heroes themselves. In Evan’s case, Perzen sees Mir as a snake, whereas Yuris thought him to be a lizard, both of which happen because they don’t see Mir having any horns.)
Unconvinced by their story, Perzen led the traveler to Athena Pierce, who immediately vouched for them. She told Perzen that she was sure that the traveler was telling the truth because she had met people who had come from the future before.
(A/N: This is a reference to Aran and Hiver from the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest quest. In the case of Aran, she tells Perzen that she knows that Aran is telling the truth because she’s been to Ellin Forest before. Aran and Mercedes both have exclusive dialogue, in which they reveal their identities. Despite not being able to perceive their real appearances, Athena believes them.)
Athena then asked Perzen and the traveler to keep the fact that they had come from the future secret from the other refugees, explaining that it would only confuse them. She then asked the traveler why they had come in the first place, to which the traveler explained that they wanted to know more about Ellin Forest.
Athena told the traveler that things weren’t going well between the Black Mage splitting Victoria Island from Ossyria and the refugees being swamped with difficulties. She explained that when the Heroes had gone to fight the Black Mage, she had intended to lead the refugees to the southern plains of Victoria Island, but for some unknown reason, dragons had attacked their ship and had forced them to crash land in Ellin Forest instead.
(A/N: They mention that the dragons had inexplicably attacked them several times in this storyline in a way that makes it seem like it’s going to be a major plot point, but there’s never a clear answer given about why. It would be really cool if this was the setup for a future story revamp about Horntail, especially since he was one of the three Great Kings of Leafre alongside Nine-Spirit and Afrien.)
The traveler then remembered Yuris’ instructions and told Athena and Perzen that repairs to the airship were nearly complete. Perzen realized that he would need to begin preparations to magically activate the floating gemstone on the ship and set off to do so. Athena thanked the traveler for the information and explained that the refugees had been trying to create a village in Ellin Forest, though she regretted it would no longer be possible, as Ephenia the Fairy Queen didn’t want to coexist with them anymore, despite having been a gracious hostess when they had first arrived.
As a result, Altaire Camp had been divided into hunters and gatherers. While the hunters searched the wilds for a better home, the gatherers stayed and maintained the camp. As the only ones capable of defending the camp were herself, Perzen, and Tess, Athena asked the traveler to help the refugees.
The traveler agreed and met with Tess in order to ask him whether he needed any help. (A/N: Explorers get an exclusive dialogue in which they note that he looks exactly as he does in the present, which they find to be a warm welcome.) As he was stuck on guard duty, Tess asked the traveler to find flowers for his mother, Yuris, who was soon about to give birth to his sister, Kyrin. He also told the traveler to bring the flowers to Sion, who could wrap the flowers as a gift.
(A/N: Fun fact: the first time that we ever see Sion is as a nameless background character on the refugee ship during Aran’s tutorial. She gets named and is given a role in both the original and current Ellin Forest storyline, and as far as I’m aware, she’s the only background character from Aran’s tutorial to appear in other storylines.)
After the traveler obtained the flowers, they brought them to Sion, who told the traveler that Crawls with Balrog had a fever, and that he urgently needed medicine. Following Sion’s instructions, the traveler asked Loha for some medicine, though she realized that they had run out. As the search team had taken some with them, she asked them to obtain medicine from Lohd deep in the forest.
After the traveler obtained the medicine from Lohd, they returned to Sion, who happily told them that she didn’t need it anymore, as Crawls with Balrog had beaten the fever on his own. She added that Perzen had also foreseen that the child was fated to carry the future on his shoulders. (A/N: It’s heavily implied that Crawls with Balrog is a baby Dances with Balrog, and although it’s never explicitly confirmed, I basically just treat it as canon at this point.)
As she didn’t need the medicine anymore, Sion asked the traveler to return it back to Lohd. The traveler returned to Lohd and gave him back the medicine before asking why he was exploring such a barren place. Lohd explained that though the land was barren, it could later be revived. He admitted that though settling on fertile land would be best, it wasn’t always possible.
He told the traveler that once repairs on the airship were finished, they would all go to the most promising land that they had explored, which would become the capital of Victoria Island. He then revealed that he was planning to make the barren land that he was exploring a base for thieves, emphasizing that his thieves would be different from others, and told the traveler to seek him out instead of boarding the airship if they were interested in joining.
(A/N: The implication here is that he’s referring to Explorer Thieves, as opposed to common thieves with no training. The old Ellin Forest storyline implied that Lohd would become the first Dark Lord, with his name ‘Lohd’ itself being a reference to ‘Lord’ in the title ‘Dark Lord’. While the new storyline still confirms that he’ll found Kerning City, the old storyline had an extra detail which suggested that he founded the city because he often had disagreements with Athena Pierce about how to run the camp, causing him to found Kerning City, while Athena helped establish Henesys.)
The traveler then returned to Sion, who asked them to collect Tree Rod Vines in order to wrap them together with Tess’ flowers. After the traveler helped Sion prepare the flowers, they gave the present to Tess, who thanked them and explained that his father, Destonen, had gone on a mission.
(A/N: It’s around here that the new Ellin Forest storyline diverges from the old one. The original version had several other pioneers of Altaire Camp whom you helped, such as Kanderune, Shadrion, and Rius. All of these characters were removed and the plot was modified to focus on Destonen and his family. Kanderune was the warrior representative for Altaire Camp and he was responsible for the questline with Chao, although his role was taken over by Destonen in the revamp. Shadrion is another thief who worked under Lohd, while Rius was Sion’s soulmate.
Kanderune still technically appears in the story, although not by name. In the Forest of Poison Haze PQ, party members take on the appearances of the leaders of each of the five job branches in Ellin Forest. Warriors become Kanderune, magicians become Perzen, bowmen become Athena Pierce, thieves become Lohd, and pirates become Yuris. This is still true after the revamp, which might suggest that Kanderune may still exist in-universe, even if he doesn’t show up in the revamped storyline. If that’s true, then that may also suggest the same for Shadrion and Rius too.
On a related note, the weird appearance morphs in the revamp may have come from this PQ and potentially even the original storyline. In the original theme dungeon, everyone in Altaire Camp recognizes us as Kao, who accidentally went too far back in time while attempting to travel back and warn us about Arcane Power. When we meet Tess, there’s a very subtle reference to the appearance morphs in our conversation with him, in which he asks us about how we got the bruise on our head, even though we don’t have one.
Back when I originally did the theme dungeon, I was pretty confused about the purpose of that line, but with the release of the revamp, it’s a bit clearer that the writers had always intended for these appearance morphs from the beginning. That still doesn’t explain the line about the bruise, though. My first though was that Tess perceives the bruise because Kao had that bruise before leaving Ellin Forest, but the fact that he asks us where we got it means that Kao didn’t have the bruise, and so I still have no idea what the purpose of that line was.)
Tess explained that he was worried that his mother, Yuris, would catch a cold because of the rain. In order to help shield Yuris from the rain, the traveler obtained a large mushroom to use as a parasol and brought it to her. Before they could explain what it was, Yuris told them that she was having pregnancy cravings and asked them to obtain fruit from a fairy named Ellin. When the traveler asked whether Ellin was the master of the forest, Yuris scoffed and told them that the forest was ruled by Ephenia.
The traveler was confused, as Wiz’s book clearly stated that the forest was called Ellin Forest. Nevertheless, the traveler went to see Ellin, who gave them the fruit in exchange for eliminating the noisy fairies around her. The traveler brought the fruit to Yuris, who told them that her cravings had disappeared.
The traveler then told her that the mushroom was a parasol for the rain, and though Yuris was touched that Tess was worrying over her, she explained that the rain wouldn’t stop, as it was being artificially generated by Perzen’s magic in order to settle the large amount of dust that had been scattered into the air as a result of Victoria Island’s separation from Ossyria.
(A/N: Explorers have an exclusive dialogue in which they recall that Yuris had died from poisoning, causing them to wonder whether Perzen’s rain is toxic. It’s actually not toxic until Kirston releases his poison. Luminous notes that if Perzen is strong enough to create rain on such a scale for so long, he ought to investigate what else Perzen can do. I don’t really know why they added this line for him because he never ends up talking to Perzen. Technically, Luminous has a small quest after finishing Ellin Forest where Perzen asks him to investigate a trace of darkness deep in the forest, which leads to him meeting Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits, but that doesn’t really connect to this piece of dialogue because Luminous never really investigates Perzen’s other abilities.)
The traveler returned to camp and visited Perzen, who asked them to investigate an ominous aura near the magic barrier by speaking with Destonen at the western border. The traveler headed west and met with Destonen, who told them that he was being blocked from investigating the nearby cave because of Chao and the other wild boars.
The traveler defeated Chao and cleared a path for Destonen, who thanked them and asked what part of Ellin Forest they had been tasked with exploring. When the traveler told him that they weren’t on the exploration team, Destonen came to believe that they were a gatherer and noted that it was a shame, as he believed them to be quite strong.
The traveler then asked him about the ominous aura in the area, to which he told them that everything seemed to be normal in the western forest, though he had seen fairies being corrupted into monsters in the east. The traveler pointed out that all fairies were monsters, but Destonen replied that they must know little about fairies and asked if there weren’t any fairies where they came from. He explained that though some were monsters, most were kind and caring.
He added that though he had seen quite a number of fairies being turned into monsters, he had trusted the Fairy Queen to deal with it. When the traveler told him that Perzen had mentioned how the ominous aura was spreading, Destonen wondered whether something was wrong with Ephenia and asked them to speak with Ellin, who was still friendly to the refugees.
The traveler went to see Ellin, who was annoyed to see them, as she believed that they had come for more trivial reasons. However, she paused when the traveler asked about Ephenia and explained that the ominous aura had been affecting the Sylphs, which had been triggering her headaches. She then revealed that Ephenia had sided with the Black Mage. As fairies shared their fates, what affected their ruler affected them all, meaning that Ephenia’s corruption had spread to the other fairies in the forest, which had even caused the trees to wither.
(A/N: This is an expansion of the original lore introduced in Mercedes’ storyline, which was that the destiny of the elven ruler was tied to their subjects, explaining why Mercedes’ curse had extended to the other elves. Elves are a type of fairy, and so this piece of lore in the new Ellin Forest storyline has retroactively made this a general rule for all three types of fairies: Elves, Nymphs, and Sylphs.)
Ellin explained that she had been debating on whether to stay quiet, or to reveal the truth and become a traitor to her race. She told the traveler that she had ultimately decided to betray Ephenia and instructed them to let Athena Pierce know. As she knew that Athena would likely be in disbelief of a fellow fairy’s corruption, Ellin gave them a letter that Ephenia had written to Guwaru as proof of Ephenia’s actions.
(A/N: This letter is actually a book that’s identical to the one that we get from the Forest of Poison Haze Cross World PQ. It basically just has some stuff that Ephenia wrote to Guwaru about how she believes in the White Mage’s ideals. There are lots of references to the White Mage chapter in the Grand Athenaeum, such as how angry she is that humans are kidnapping fairies and grave robbing their resting places, as well as how enamored she is by the White Mage because of his promise to create a better world with light.
In the final pages, it’s clear that her obsession with him corrupts her after he becomes the Black Mage and her love for him grows twisted. She tells Guwaru that the White Mage was right when he said that the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness, and so she wants to exterminate all life on Victoria Island in order to remake it into a better one without humans.)
Though Athena was still hesitant, even after reading the letter, Perzen was adamant that Ephenia was a threat and asked the traveler to eliminate her. The traveler went into the heart of the forest and successfully killed Ephenia before returning back to camp. Athena thanked the traveler and explained that though she knew that she ought to have faced Ephenia herself, her judgement had been clouded. She told the traveler that because of Elluel’s proximity to the Fairy Forest, the elves and the Sylphs once had close relations, adding that she and Ephenia had once been close too.
(A/N: There’s an Easter egg in this theme dungeon where if you keep heading east past the map where Ellin is, you can enter the Sealed Forest, where you’ll find the entrance to Elluel. The entrance has been completely sealed with ice, which we actually do ourselves when playing as Mercedes during her tutorial.)
She then confessed that she had believed that the Heroes’ battle with the Black Mage had ended the war, and so she had focused on settling Victoria Island instead of searching for the Heroes. However, she realized that she was wrong in thinking that the Black Mage’s threat was over and confessed that she didn’t know what to do. The traveler began to reassure her that her efforts wouldn’t be in vain, as the town of Ellinia would be founded as a place where fairies and humans could live together in harmony. However, Athena stopped the traveler, believing that it would be too dangerous to know about the future.
Perzen argued that learning about the future would be an opportunity to plan better, adding that the traveler’s arrival itself was an auspicious omen. (A/N: Perzen has the ability to see parts of the future, which is probably why he’s a lot less cautious about it.) Athena countered that the future was determined by their choices, and thus, it had to be their own free will that carved the path ahead, not the words of a time-traveler, no matter how well-intentioned. Perzen came to agree and decided to stop casting his artificial rain, as he knew that he would need to focus all his magic on the barrier in order to ward off the fairies that would inevitably come for revenge.
After Perzen left, the traveler noticed Athena’s expression and asked if they could do anything else to help defend the camp. Athena reassured them that they had already done enough, adding that she was merely worried about whether not asking them about the future was truly the right decision. She then asked the traveler why they had come back to the past, if not to change it, to which they explained that they had been told that the past must not be changed. Noticing their hesitation in answering, Athena decided not to press the issue.
The traveler then wondered whether they had altered the past by killing Ephenia, and so they opened the Chronicles of Ellin Forest and saw that a new line had been written that described how Ephenia had been killed by an unfamiliar traveler. The traveler also read that a prospector of Altaire Camp would die shortly after Ephenia, and they concluded that it had to refer to Destonen. (A/N: Explorers get a line saying that if they were able to change the past by killing Ephenia, then they might be able to prevent Destonen’s death as well.)
The traveler asked Athena about who would most embody the word ‘prospector’, to which she agreed that it would refer to Destonen, who had once sailed in search of new lands before the rise of the Black Mage, and who would pave the way for pirates in the future. The traveler then decided to go after Destonen and traveled through Chao’s cave, which they had cleared for Destonen some time ago.
The traveler found Destonen about to enter Kirston’s tent and warned him not to go inside, explaining that he would learn a dangerous truth that would result in his death. The traveler then revealed that they had come from the future, which Destonen immediately believed, explaining that his intuition and the look in their eyes made him realize that they were telling the truth.
He then began to tell the traveler about how he had first met Yuris in her self-made airship while he had been sailing the ocean. He explained that many people had believed that he had been looking for freedom on his long voyages, but he revealed that what he had really wanted was a place to rest at the end of his grand adventure.
He also noted that despite many speaking ill of him for abandoning his wife and son in camp while exploring Victoria Island, he had been hoping to create a better world for Yuris and his children. He then asked one question of the traveler, which was to reveal Kyrin’s fate, as he would never be able to see her grow older, since he was the only member of their family without elven ancestry. (A/N: Explorers tell him that she lives on the sea as freely as him, while other classes merely speculate that she does, as they’ve never met her before in the present.)
As a final favor, Destonen asked them to deliver a letter to Yuris, but when the traveler went to the airship, they found that the area was empty and a black ribbon had been tied to the mushroom parasol. They rushed back to Sion’s tent, where they found a newborn Kyrin sleeping next to Crawls with Balrog.
The traveler was shocked to realize that Yuris had already died from Kirston’s poison spreading across the forest. Believing that their warning had averted Destonen’s death, however, the traveler returned back to the present in order to verify that the blood curse mentioned in the book hadn’t transferred to Kyrin and Tess. Aboard the Nautilus, however, they discovered that nothing had changed.
(A/N: Explorers who haven’t finished Limina and all other classes who speak to Kyrin have her say that Tess is suspicious when they ask if she knows who he is. Explorers who finished Limina have Kyrin say that Tess is her big brother, after which she thanks them for lifting the curse and reuniting her with him.)
Confused, the traveler returned to the past and told Athena the real reason why they had come to Ellin Forest. Athena revealed that in spite of their warning, Destonen had entered Kirston’s tent and had gotten cursed, with Tess leaving shortly after Destonen’s death in order to find a way to lift the curse from himself and Kyrin. She also revealed that though she wasn’t sure about whether the history was still the same, Ellin had become the new master of the forest.
(A/N: This is new lore added in the revamped story. Ellin was present in the original story, but it was never explained why there was a connection between her name and the name of the forest.)
She added that she would also work with Ellin in order to establish the town of Ellinia that the traveler had described. Overwhelmed, the traveler realized that Karen’s warning about changing the past hadn’t been a warning, but a fact, that people were fundamentally incapable of changing the future, as everything in the past had been preordained.
(A/N: This universal law was established by the Overseers, with mechanisms like the changes in appearance and the inability for objects to be moved from their time period being part of their way of creating a fixed future. This is the same rule that the Black Mage was hoping to overcome, and it's through the power of the Seal Stone that the Adversary gains the ability to defy destiny and break away from their preordained fate.)
The traveler returned back to Wiz and told him that even though they had thought that they had changed fate by killing Ephenia, their actions had always been meant to be. Wiz explained that it may have been a result of the will of the world, which had intervened after the accidental creation of the Temporal Gate in order to correct the alterations in history. However, he noted that they still had no idea why the Time Controller had broken down in the first place, though he consoled the traveler by asking if there was anything that they had gotten from the experience.
(A/N: The Heroes and the Demon tell Wiz about how they were perceived differently, to which Wiz speculates that the will of the world might have altered their appearances in order to prevent paradoxes. The will of the world is another way that the game refers to the Overseers. The plot point about the broken Time Controller is still open-ended, just like the stuff with the dragons crashing the airship, and it makes me wonder whether this might open the door to stuff like new Papulatus lore, since he’s involved with the stuff about time breaking down in Ludibrium.)
The traveler then realized that they had been unable to deliver Destonen’s letter to Yuris, and so they instead decided to give it to Kyrin, who recognized it as her father’s handwriting.
Destonen had written an apology to Yuris for not being able to be with her when their daughter was about to be born. He explained that he would have been with her every moment if he could, especially since his life was much shorter than hers. As he would pass on long before her and their children, he had wanted to be there with Kyrin from the start, and for as long as possible. He explained that he had come to realize that his own life was short, but those whom he loved would continue to live on for much longer, and so he had decided that he would hold back his sorrow and continue his explorations for their sake.
He then told Yuris that he had chosen to open a Pandora’s Box full of dangerous truths for the sake of his family’s future and asked her to only mourn him for a moment if it cost him his life. He recalled how she had once joked that she would marry someone else when he died, but he asked that she still remember him even if she did so. He told her that even if he wasn’t part of the world anymore, he still wanted to remain in her heart and added that he loved her more than life itself, with all his heart.
(A/N: I would literally die for Destonen. I strongly believe that it is the civic duty of every player to simp for this man. This letter was unbelievably sweet, but for some reason, Kyrin just gives a plain thank you and says that she won’t ask how we got it, which is the most lukewarm response I’ve ever heard to getting a long-lost letter from your dead father. If she really doesn’t want it that bad, I’ll gladly take it back and frame it on my wall.)
Mastery of Power:
(A/N: Following the story team’s new chronology ordering in the Milestone update, this section is meant to be a consolidation of all 4th job advancements, as well as any quests that take place between the Alliance quests and the final level 200 quests for Maple World classes. The only exceptions are the Explorer job advancement, which was already covered in Ellin Forest, and the Cygnus Knight job advancement, which chronologically takes place later. I’ll also be grouping together all level 200 quests in the section right before the start of the Arcane River storyline, which takes place right after, as well as any quests that take place in-between 4th job and level 200 for Grandis classes in the Nova Alliance section.)
Aran:
As Aran continued her training, Lilin reached out and asked her to return to Rien, as Maha was behaving strangely. Realizing that she couldn’t hear Maha’s voice in her head either, Aran rushed back to Rien and found that Maha was emanating dark energy. He explained that he had been frozen over the centuries, just as she had been, and that that the absence from his master had been too much for him, which had caused seeds of darkness to be planted in his heart. Though he had initially believed that the darkness would have gone away after Aran returned, Maha realized that its hold was too strong on him. He then begged Aran to defeat him and return him back to normal before he went berserk.
Aran then fought Maha and managed to return him back to his senses. Maha thanked her for her help and explained that their connection had now strengthened even further, enough so that she could now use his full power without having to wield him directly. He then bestowed all her old skills and explained that she would return to full power once she fully mastered them. Just then, Lilin rushed over worriedly and asked Aran what had happened. Aran and Maha both laughed as they realized that Lilin hadn’t been able to see Maha, prompting Aran to recount everything that had happened.
Soon after, Pucci reached out to her and asked if her wolf, Werewolf, which Aran had renamed Ryko, had been acting rebellious lately. He explained that wolves went through a type of puberty during their adolescent years, and that the ones who didn’t go through puberty failed to grow properly. In order to get advice about how to help Ryko through his adolescence, Aran first visited Nanuke at Snowy Whale’s Island, who offered to make a special formula for adolescent wolves.
After bringing her Lime Powder Bottles, Ink Bottles, Butter-Toasted Squids, and special Puberty Wolf Vitamins from Kenta, Nanuke prepared the formula for Aran, which she then fed to Ryko. Aran then went to see Scadur, who told her that she needed to let Ryko run wild in order to get the rebellion out of his system. After bonding with Ryko by riding with him through the cold fields of El Nath, Ryko soon grew to become an adolescent wolf.
After a long time, Pucci told Aran that a pack of wolves had shown up in Rien, having followed the rumors that she had picked up a lost wolf pup. Aran went to see the Head Wolf, who thanked her for taking care of Ryko, but asked that she return him back. Aran told him that Ryko was her friend, and so she couldn’t give him up. In order to determine whether Aran was worthy of keeping Ryko, the Head Wolf administered a test to have Aran fight his Wolf Underlings.
After she defeated them all, the Head Wolf was impressed by her power and allowed her to keep Ryko. However, he told her that they were Silver Wolves, who possessed Silver Blood. He explained that before becoming adults, Silver Wolves strengthened their hearts by drinking Life Water for Wolves, which was only found in their homeland. He warned that forgoing the ritual would result in serious consequences, and so Aran traveled to Leafre, the homeland of the Silver Wolves, and collected the Life Water for Wolves from the Skelegons, which Ryko then drank in order to evolve into an adult.
Evan:
While Evan and Mir continued their training, Mir unexpectedly began shedding again, after which he grew much larger and powerful, appearing much more like Afrien, with dark scales and four golden horns. Mir told Evan that his strength grew with the strength of his master, meaning that Evan had grown stronger as well.
Mercedes:
Mercedes’ vigorous training soon paid off, as the Great Spirit restored all of her power and explained that she would need to continue training in order to fully master the power of the Elven Ruler as she had once done centuries ago.
Phantom:
Phantom decided that it was time to relearn his most powerful skills, and so he traveled to his vault in Leafre, which contained his most treasured possessions, many of which were simple keepsakes. He approached the voice-activated Guardioso, which was unexpectedly unable to recognize his voice and proceeded to attack him as an intruder.
After destroying it, Phantom realized that its warranty had expired just the day before, meaning that he would need to spend another fortune in order to replace it. Nevertheless, he entered the vault and found his notes behind a magnificent portrait of Aria. He reminisced about his first encounter with her, when he had written her a letter in order to tell her that he would be coming to steal Skaia, claiming that it would be his greatest achievement. He fondly remembered how he had never expected that Aria, rather than being a pushover, actually had a will of steel, which had caused him to fall in love with her.
Shortly after having recovered his notes, Phantom decided that he wanted a mount in order to ride in style. As the only mounts centuries ago had been horses and large monkeys, he wanted something spectacular in order to show off his wealth in the modern age. He went to speak with Gaston about it, who revealed that he had already ordered a top-of-the-line car. However, because there had been some delays in its shipping, he recommended that Phantom check on the manufacturer in Magatia.
There, he spoke with a Zenumist named Bedin, who explained that he had accidentally broken the Lidium engine while installing it and sheepishly asked if Phantom could provide the sum to buy more Lidium, as he had spent all his money on the broken engine, though he promised to pay him back as soon as he could. (A/N: Well that was a lie, there’s 10 million mesos that I’m never getting back.) After Phantom gave him the money, Bedin finished constructing the car and gave it to Phantom, who named it Rolls.
Luminous:
Luminous continued to strengthen his connection between light and darkness and succeeded in blending them together on a new level, allowing him to use even stronger skills.
Shade:
As Shade continued to train and grow stronger, the Fox God called to him and summoned him to her domain, where she worriedly asked him why he hadn’t returned to Fox Point Village, and whether the Anima had refused to hear his story. Shade explained that with the Anima unable to remember him, he had taken the opportunity to finish his business on Maple World first by defeating the Black Mage.
The Fox God explained that after she had given her power to him, she had fallen into a deep slumber, which showed how strong and precious that power had been. However, she told him that she had done so gladly, as she recognized him as a fox under her protection and cared for his happiness. She then asked Shade whether defeating the Black Mage was how he would be happy, to which Shade explained that he wanted to protect everyone, and that after protecting Maple World, where his old ties were, he would return to Grandis, where his new ties were.
The Fox God accepted his wishes, though she noted that he still ought to see Moonbeam, even from afar, as he would miss her for a long time if his business took him many years. She then teleported him to Vulpes, where it was still raining. There, he met with Moonbeam, who, despite keeping her distance, noticed that Shade had sad, longing eyes. Shade, in turn, asked Moonbeam why she was crying, and whether it was because she was afraid, to which Moonbeam replied that she had no idea why she was crying.
After a pause, Shade noted that even if old memories faded, new ones could still be made. He then told Moonbeam that he would make a promise before walking away, leaving Moonbeam confused by his words. As he walked off, Shade spoke aloud to himself that after it was all over, he would come back and dry her tears. After returning back to Maple World, Shade’s strong determination strengthened his bond with the spirits.
Cygnus Knight:
(A/N: Although the Cygnus Knight 4th job advancement takes place later, there’s still a mount quest that takes place around here.)
Neinheart reached out to the Cygnus Knight and told them that they needed to upgrade their mount, explaining that it was unbefitting of them to still be riding a Mimiana as an Advanced Knight. He then sent them to Kiridu in order to learn enhanced monster riding. Kiridu told them that Mimiana could become a more powerful creature through shedding, though he added that it would require a special formula used for the dragons of Leafre. After obtaining the Concentrated Formula, the Knight fed it to Mimiana, which molted into Mimio.
Resistance:
In Edelstein, Headmaster Ferdi summoned the Resistance member back to the Secret Plaza for an emergency meeting. There, Claudine informed them that their instructor had gone missing while completing a mission, explaining that they had gone to investigate rumors of a new weapon that Gelimer was creating for the Black Wings. Claudine asked them to rescue their instructor and gave them a return scroll to the Secret Plaza so that they could quickly escape.
The Resistance member disguised themselves as a Black Wings member in order to gain access to the Verne Mine and made their way to Gelimer’s laboratory. There, they told Gelimer that they were a new member who was patrolling the area. Gelimer told them that an intruder had snuck into his laboratory recently, and so he needed more guards.
The Resistance member then offered to patrol the area for him. Gelimer suspected that they wanted to steal his experiment, but they managed to convince him by explaining that they wanted to prove their loyalty. Placated, he gave them a key card so that they could gain access to the laboratory where the new weapon was being stored.
Using the key card, they entered the laboratory and discovered a secret prison where their instructor was being held. Their instructor explained that they had discovered that the secret weapon was a Poison Gas Generator, but when they had tried to destroy it, the poison gas had overwhelmed them, leading to their capture. (A/N: This is likely an earlier iteration of the Retoxin gas that Gelimer was planning to use on Maple World in order to turn everyone into mindless puppets.)
At their instructor’s behest, the Resistance member managed to destroy the weapon and used the return scroll in order to transport themselves and their instructor back to the Secret Plaza. Some time later, their instructor told them that they had been impressed by their strength. Believing that they were strong enough to handle it, their instructor taught them the full extent of their combat knowledge.
Demon:
Having grown much stronger, the Demon decided that it was time for him to start his investigation on who was commanding the Black Wings. He first infiltrated the Verne Mine and destroyed the Guard Robots in order to thin their numbers. Moving deeper into the mine, he defeated the Guard Robot L monsters and created a hole in their monitoring of Gelimer’s laboratory.
However, even after searching the laboratory and the Power Plant, he was unable to find any clues about the leader of the Black Wings. Just then, he felt a dark energy coming from Eleanor the Black Witch’s room. Before investigating it, however, he decided to first search the rooms of the other officers. (A/N: I have no idea why they bother mentioning that there’s something suspicious in Eleanor’s room if he never even investigates it in the end.)
He began investigating Francis’ room and decided to read his diary. As he opened it, overpowering magic emanated from its pages, nearly causing him to drop it. He was surprised to know that the Black Wings had such extraordinarily powered members.
(A/N: This is the only confirmation that we get that Francis is much more talented than he seems. Given that his last chronological appearance was at the end of Black Heaven, I’m hoping that he’ll have gotten a glow-up and mastered his powers before taking Grandis by storm.)
Flipping through the pages, he read through Francis’ lovesick musings on Orchid and even found a photo of her that Francis had discreetly taken. He realized that Orchid was leading the Black Wings, but he wondered why Lotus wasn’t in the photo, as the two were normally inseparable.
Mastema contacted the Demon with a lead on the demons whom he had met at Orbis, explaining that Roly-Poly 10 had sighted the robed demons in Ludibrium. When the Demon arrived, Roly-Poly 10 immediately began yelling at him and demanded to know what he had done to the King Block Golems. The Demon asked what Roly-Poly 10 meant, to which he explained that he had sighted the Demon putting a strange device on the King Block Golems.
The Demon assured him that he wasn’t the one responsible for what had happened, and that he was actually trying to find the culprit. Roly-Poly 10 still didn’t believe him and told him to prove that he wasn’t the one responsible by removing the MR Receivers placed on the Golems. After the Demon collected the receivers, Roly-Poly 10 decided to trust him and explained that he had asked the Demon to bring the receivers so that he could figure out the assailants’ location. After learning that they were in the Toy Factory, he asked the Demon to stop them.
The Demon arrived at the factory and found two demons talking. The robed demon was wondering if it was wise to have carried out their plan in Ludibrium, as they had been ordered not to waste their time with toys. (A/N: Unlike most of the other interactions with Damien’s army in this storyline, this incident at Ludibrium doesn’t seem to have any wider connections to other events in the game, such as how Eliza being corrupted in Orbis was tied with the events of the Stone Colossus.) The unrobed demon told his comrade to think and asked if he wanted the new Commander to worry about petty details, added that they would be rewarded for their actions.
Some time later, Mastema told the Demon about a new lead that she had discovered, explaining that there was a secret book on Dark Alchemy in Magatia. She told him that she had visited Magatia many years ago, where she had heard rumors about its researchers’ hidden alchemy techniques that supposedly allowed them to draw on darkness itself.
She explained that there were two alchemical societies in Magatia, the Zenumists and the Alcadno, and suggested that he start by questioning the Zenumist President, Carson. She also told him that she had found another way to restore her true form through alchemy and asked him to bring her Purple Liquid while he was in Magatia, which would allow her create a potion that could transform her into whatever she most desired. (A/N: She really should’ve paid attention to the wording of this.)
In Magatia, the Demon asked Carson about Dark Alchemy at the Zenumist headquarters. Carson was shocked that the Demon knew of its existence, as the subject was a closely guarded secret. He asked the Demon to reveal his identity, to which the Demon merely replied that he hunted and destroyed dark artifacts of the Black Mage. Carson told him that he did know about Dark Alchemy, but he explained that someone had just stolen his Forbidden Book of Alchemy.
He noted that the Demon was different from the ones who had stolen the book and asked how he had heard about it, as it seemed strange that so many people were looking for it all of a sudden. The Demon explained that as a hunter of relics connected with the Black Mage, he had followed the rumors of Dark Alchemy to Magatia.
When the Demon asked what the thieves had done, Carson told him that he wasn’t sure who the thieves were, but their magic had been strong enough to stun him, open the safe, and escape. However, he explained that the Zenumists only had half of the book, while the Alcadno held the other half in order to keep the secret safe. He was worried that if the thieves were to steal the other half of the book, they would gain access to Dark Alchemy, and so he asked the Demon to stop them.
The Demon rushed to the Alcadno headquarters, only to find a magician hypnotizing Maed, the Alcadno President, into giving him the other book. The Demon rushed to attack the magician, who was overwhelmed by the Demon’s strength. Though he managed to get away, the Demon noted that the magician had been injured, and so he couldn’t have gotten far.
Carson then arrived and asked Maed what had happened. Maed told Carson that he had been hypnotized into giving the other half of the book to the thief. The Demon then asked what was written in the Forbidden Book of Alchemy, as he might be able to help. Maed told the Demon that the Forbidden Book of Alchemy contained the most powerful secrets of Magatia’s founder.
Those who had come after the founder had been told to keep its contents secret at all costs, and so they had split the book into two. Maed explained that Dark Alchemy wasn’t used for attacking or defending, but rather for making or destroying magical substances, adding that it had the power to alter the very flow of Maple World’s magic. He then begged the Demon to recover the book.
(A/N: While the White Mage isn’t directly the founder of Magatia, he practically pioneered the field of alchemy and his research was so influential that alchemists who came after him built the town upon his foundations, both figuratively and literally, as the town was built directly above his underground research laboratory. Based on what we know about the properties of Dark Alchemy, it’s cool to see that the White Mage had an interest in researching the powers of creation and destruction, even before he had become the Transcendent of Light.)
Maed gave the Demon a Magic Tracking Compass that would allow him to track the magician’s whereabouts. He told the Demon that it seemed that the magician was heading west of Magatia into the desert, warning him that the magician would likely escape if he made it to Ariant. The Demon rushed after the magician and caught up to him in the Desert of Red Sand.
Hiding behind a tree, he watched the magician regroup with two others, one of whom appeared to be their leader. The leader immediately sensed the Demon’s presence and told the magician that he had been followed. As the Demon prepared himself for battle, the magician warned the leader that the Demon was powerful. Noticing that they had set up a portal, the Demon realized that they were planning to make their escape through it. He threatened them to return the book, but the magicians refused and told him that they couldn’t afford to fail their mission and risk Arkarium’s wrath.
This intrigued the Demon, who asked them what Arkarium wanted with the book. Once again, they refused to tell him, though they did mention that the book had originally belonged to the Black Mage. One of the magicians then grew careless and boasted that they would use Dark Alchemy to destroy all the Seal Stones and revive the Black Mage.
(A/N: They’re likely talking about the five Seal Stones that make up the actual Seal of Time, as the other Seal Stones that the Black Wings are searching for aren’t really keeping him sealed. However, the Black Heaven storyline does reveal that even after the Black Mage gets unsealed, the remaining Seal Stones innately channeled the desire of the people of Maple World for the Black Mage not to return to power, which limited his strength until the final Seal Stone was used to save the Adversary.)
Having heard all that he needed, the Demon easily dispatched the three magicians and recovered the book. He then returned to Magatia and gave the book to Maed, explaining that the thieves had been servants of the Black Mage, and that they would likely return to steal the book. Maed told the Demon that he and Carson had come to an agreement to destroy the book, as it was too dangerous to lose and too difficult to keep safe, which the Demon agreed was the wisest choice. Still, Maed wondered what the true purpose of Dark Alchemy was and why the founder had left them with such a powerful and dangerous tome.
On his way back from Magatia, the Demon picked up some Purple Liquid from a Rurumo for Mastema and returned to Edelstein. With the Purple Liquid, she created a potion that would allow her to turn into what she most desired, but after drinking it, Mastema transformed into the Demon from when he had been a Commander. Fortunately for her, the effects of the potion quickly wore off, though the Demon was nevertheless amused.
(A/N: Poor Mastema, thankfully the Demon was pretty dense here, but imagine having your crush almost exposed like this.)
Soon after, Mastema contacted the Demon with a lead on the demons whom he had met at Orbis, explaining that Roly-Poly 10 had sighted the robed demons in Ludibrium. When the Demon arrived, Roly-Poly 10 immediately began yelling at him and demanded to know what he had done to the King Block Golems. The Demon asked what Roly-Poly 10 meant, to which he explained that he had sighted the Demon putting a strange device on the King Block Golems.
The Demon assured him that he wasn’t the one responsible for what had happened, and that he was actually trying to find the culprit. Roly-Poly 10 still didn’t believe him and told him to prove that he wasn’t the one responsible by removing the MR Receivers placed on the Golems. After the Demon collected the receivers, Roly-Poly 10 decided to trust him and explained that he had asked the Demon to bring the receivers so that he could figure out the assailants’ location. After learning that they were in the Toy Factory, he asked the Demon to stop them.
The Demon arrived at the factory and found two demons talking. The robed demon was wondering if it was wise to have carried out their plan in Ludibrium, as they had been ordered not to waste their time with toys. (A/N: Unlike most of the other interactions with Damien’s army in this storyline, this incident at Ludibrium doesn’t seem to have any wider connections to other events in the game, such as how Eliza being corrupted in Orbis was tied with the events of the Stone Colossus.) The unrobed demon told his comrade to think and asked if he wanted the new Commander to worry about petty details, added that they would be rewarded for their actions.
Just then, the Demon revealed himself and demanded to know if they served the Black Mage. The unrobed demon was shocked to see the Demon and asked how he had found them, to which the robed demon snapped at his comrade about how he had already warned him once before about the dangers of leaving the Demon alive. The unrobed demon told his comrade to shut up, adding that the Commander didn’t need to know about it. Hearing about the new Commander intrigued the Demon, much to the unrobed demon’s embarrassment, as he was supposed to keep it a secret.
He decided to eliminate the Demon right then and told his comrade to go on without him. Despite the Commander’s orders, he decided that he would put an end to the Demon. However, the Demon defeated the unrobed demon, forcing him to retreat. (A/N: I find it hilarious that the unrobed demon said that the Commander didn’t need to know about it, but his death dialogue says, “I’m gonna tell the Commander about this!” as though he’s a five-year-old that got pushed at the playground.)
The Demon wondered who the new Commander was and resolved to stop them, as he didn’t want anyone else to suffer as he had. He wondered if there was anyone he knew who had the qualifications to become a Commander, but since he had been asleep for centuries, he realized that there was no one that he knew who was alive, and so he decided to ask Mastema. Mastema was surprised that there was a new Commander leading the demons, as she had thought that the demons had left Maple World after the Black Mage had been sealed away. With no other leads, the Demon decided that he would have to investigate himself.
Soon after, Mastema reached out to the Demon and asked how his training was going, to which he replied that he had hit a wall and asked if they could repeat the sparring session he had with her clone. (A/N: The Demon’s 4th job advancement is unique because while every other quest needs you to accept it, you have to decline when Mastema asks you if your training is going well. This is the moment where I express my superiority over the spacebar holders.)
Mastema told him that she doubted that sparring with her would help and instead suggested that he try sparring with himself. She explained that though the Temple of Time was normally the only place where one could tinker with time, she had heard news that something was wrong with time in Ludibrium and suggested that they go to the Path of Time at the Clocktower Bottom Floor.
There, Mastema stabilized a crack in time, as her cat form allowed her to move between dimensions, and she explained that he could use the crack in order to fight his past self. She also assured him that she had arranged it so that his actions in the past wouldn’t affect the future. The Demon then entered the Crack in Time and fought his past self in the Temple of Time.
As their battle progressed, his past self soon resorted to using his most powerful skills. Nevertheless, the Demon was able to successfully defeat his past self and returned to Mastema. He told her that fighting with his past self had allowed him to remember many of the skills that he had forgotten, and so the training had been a success.
(A/N: For the Demon Avenger path, Mastema suggests that he fight his inner rage and uses her power to send him inside himself, similar to meditation. However, she warns that the damage he sustains there will transfer to his real body. The Demon is then transported to the memory of his ruined home, where he defeats his inner rage and successfully completes his 4th job advancement.)
Some time later, the Demon received a strange letter written in an archaic style. The author had written that they knew that the Demon was looking for information about the Black Mage’s newest Commander and told him that they could provide it if he came alone to the West Leafre Forest. The Demon realized that it was an obvious trap, but since it was also an opportunity to gather information about the enemy, he decided to go anyway. He entered the forest, where he called for the author of the letter to show themselves.
A demon officer then appeared and claimed that the Demon was either brave or foolish for having come while knowing that it was a trap. The Demon replied to him that it was his chance to uncover information. The officer told him that he knew that leaving the Demon alone would become a problem for the Commander, to which the Demon asked who the Commander was and why demons like the officer were serving them. (A/N: I’m guessing that when he says demons like him, it means half-blood demons.) The officer replied that there was no point in telling him, as he wouldn’t live much longer. However, the Demon managed to eliminate the officer after a quick duel.
The Demon then continued his training and soon decided that, having grown much stronger, it was a good chance for him to confront Von Leon and get the answers that he wanted, as Alcaster had told him that only Von Leon knew the details of the final battle at the Temple of Time. He decided to use the secret passage from his days as a Commander, but after arriving at the Lion King’s Castle, he noted that it was in terrible shape and wondered if Von Leon had blocked off the secret entrance. However, he was able to find the entrance and used it to enter the Audience Room. Von Leon recognized the Demon and asked what he wanted, calling the Demon ‘the betrayer’.
The Demon scoffed his words, claiming that the Black Mage was the true betrayer for having killed his family. Von Leon told him that if that were true, then it was likely part of the Black Mage’s grand plan, and that the Demon was too blinded by anger to see. The Demon replied that he was surprised that someone who had offered their soul to the Black Mage after losing their own family would say that, adding that the difference between them was that the Black Mage had already betrayed the Demon, whereas the betrayal was yet to come for Von Leon.
His words angered Von Leon, who loudly asked what there was left for him to lose, as he had lost everything that he cared about. Seething with rage, he told the Demon that he had nothing more to say to him, as he had no interest in the disloyal. The Demon assured him that he would leave, but he first asked what had happened to the other Commanders. Von Leon merely told him to go to the Temple of Time in order to answer his own question there. He then ordered the Demon to leave and warned that if they met again, he wouldn’t hesitate to strike him down. After the Demon left, Von Leon blocked the secret passageway.
Soon after having regained most of his power, the Demon decided to follow the lead that he had obtained from Von Leon and investigate the Temple of Time. He was hopeful for some meaningful answers, as the Temple of Time had once been the Black Mage’s stronghold and the place where he had once been sealed away. Before he headed out, Mastema asked him to obtain an Hourglass of Time during his mission, which had the power to transform one’s appearance into what they looked like in the past.
The Demon arrived at the Temple of Time and entered through the Gate of the Past. He continued onward until he encountered a hooded demon, who told him that he had been waiting, adding that he was honored that the Demon had come all the way just for him. The Demon asked the Commander who he was, to which he told the Demon that he would find out someday. He added that for now, he had something to give him.
He then passed on a locket, which the Demon recognized as his own locket that held a photo of his mother and Damien. (A/N: The locket fell out of the Demon’s pocket during his battle with the Black Mage centuries ago. Damien likely found it in the Black Mage’s throne room after the seal broke.) The Commander explained that he had felt as though he ought to give it back and told him to be careful not to lose the locket or the memories. The Demon asked the Commander why he had the locket to begin with, but the Commander chose to ignore the question and instead promised him that they would see each other again before disappearing.
Frustrated, the Demon decided to return to Edelstein, though he made sure to first obtain an Hourglass of Time for Mastema. Back at the Secret Plaza, he gave the hourglass to Mastema, who used it to successfully revert her appearance back to her demon form. Mastema then took the chance to confess her true feelings to the Demon, but just as she said the words “I love-“, the magic of the hourglass wore off and she returned back to her cat form.
The Demon then asked her to continue, but Mastema lost her nerve and instead told him that she had meant to say that she loved fighting on the side of good. The Demon agreed and told her that fighting the Black Mage had given him a new appreciation for Maple World, adding that he believed that they were doing the right thing.
(A/N: I hope that Mastema one day has the courage to finally confess, although I don’t know how much good it’ll do her if she’s stuck as a cat. The writers haphazardly rushed through giving a conclusion to the Maple World classes in the Aftermath cutscenes, and unfortunately, Mastema returning to her demon form wasn’t covered in them.)
Xenon:
As Xenon had become much stronger, he decided that he wanted to start looking more actively for clues about restoring his memory. In order to do so, he realized that he would need to go back to Gelimer’s secret laboratory. He returned to Veritas and spoke with Roo-D, who told him that according to the Resistance’s intel, the lab was closed. She added that most likely, Gelimer would have destroyed anything that would have been useful to Xenon.
Nevertheless, Xenon told her that he still wanted to go back. Roo-D told Xenon that she would accompany him and suggested that he tell Professor Dreamboat. The professor warned them that Gelimer would have installed traps and cautioned them to be careful. With that, he sent them to the entrance of the laboratory.
Upon arriving, they were surprised to find that it had been abandoned for some time. They also saw that Gelimer had installed new guard robots, as he knew that Xenon would one day return. After fighting their way through the defenses, Xenon and Roo-D arrived at the prison where Claudine had once been captured. As they proceeded deeper inside, a force field blocked the entrance to the testing center. Xenon broke through the barrier and continued into the lab.
There, they discovered the main control device, which Roo-D plugged into. However, she realized that the internal components were completely broken and asked Xenon to bring some parts from the guard robots in order to fix the device. After repairing the computer, Roo-D began to access the data, but Black Wings henchmen quickly appeared to ambush them while Roo-D was plugged in. As she couldn’t move, she asked Xenon to fight them off. He managed to defeat the henchmen while Roo-D gained access to the data.
Though most of the data had been corrupted, Roo-D managed to restore bits and pieces and learned that the data itself was mainly a series of numbers and test results, noting that it became less comprehensible the older it was. She explained that she had only been able to find words such as “Edelstein”, “Candidate”, “critical error”, and “obstacle removed”. Roo-D suspected that Gelimer had felt as though the Xenoroids didn’t fully obey him because of their memories. However, because he couldn’t erase them all, he had tried to overwrite their memories with his soldier programming.
Xenon asked if it meant that he would never get his memories back, but Roo-D reminded him that he had managed to remember some of his past, and so there had to still be traces of his emotions and memories within him. She suggested that they return to Veritas and ask Professor Dreamboat about it.
When Xenon continued to stand still, she asked if he was disappointed that he hadn’t been able to find anything useful. Xenon asked her if the emotion that he was feeling was disappointment, explaining that despite knowing that he may not find any clues, he had still kept hoping. Roo-D promised him that they would find another way and suggested that they go back to Veritas.
(A/N: Unfortunately for Xenon, he’s probably the only character in the game who can never get their full memories back. While other characters had their memories suppressed due to magic, the memories themselves still remain untouched in their minds. In contrast, Xenon had most of his memories physically overwritten by Gelimer, though some of them still remain.
His cybernetic brain probably works a lot like how computer memory works. On a computer, deleted data isn’t necessarily removed, but rather, it’s marked inaccessible with a special flag. That’s why it’s possible to recover deleted programs, as that flag is just removed and that segment of memory is made accessible again.
It’s highly likely that fragments of Xenon’s memory still persist and can be made accessible again, but the vast majority of his memories were overwritten with Gelimer’s soldier programming, and so there’s no chance for him to ever get them back. I was wondering whether Alpha and Beta might be able to use their powers to do a localized rewind on Xenon’s brain, but even then, it’s hard to say whether that would work, as it might just end up that Xenon’s current memories get erased in the process of getting his old ones back.)
After returning, they told the professor about the data which they had found. He assured them that he would review the data, though he recommended that Xenon rest, since he wouldn’t have any new missions until they finished analyzing. He also reassured Xenon that he had done his best, as it must have been extremely difficult for him to have faced his past.
Just then, Xenon realized that the laboratory had no data on Roo-D’s past either, and so he went to ask her if she was disappointed as well. She told him that she wasn’t disappointed, as she wasn’t curious about her past. She told him that she wasn’t completely disinterested, but she liked her life in Veritas much better than she did with Gelimer, and that it was enough for her.
Some time later, Nathania reached out to Xenon and asked for a personal favor. She explained that she was from Magatia, the home of all alchemists. Though the world of alchemy was split between the Zenumists and the Alcadnos, all the schools of alchemy were based on the mystic knowledge passed down in Magatia, with some of them even touching on the forbidden arts, and she explained that one of those techniques was life creation.
(A/N: It’s interesting to think just how much of a positive influence the Black Mage had on the world in spite of being a villain. The current infrastructure of Maple World, especially the free transportation that arose from advances in efficient fuel renewal from alchemy, can all be traced back to his influence.
On a side note, the MSEA translation of life creation is Dark Alchemy, which initially created a whole deal of confusion for me when I was using Shiang’s video as a reference, as Dark Alchemy was established to be the art of creating and destroying magical substances in the Demon’s storyline. Since the book on Dark Alchemy was also destroyed in the Demon’s storyline, I was very panicked about the chronology of Xenon’s storyline until I decided to play the GMS version myself to double check and found that it was just an issue with the localization.)
Nathania believed that Gelimer had incorporated the forbidden art of life creation with his scientific knowledge in order to create Xenoroids. To confirm her suspicions, she asked Xenon to go to Magatia and investigate. However, she explained that alchemists of the present day were very exclusive and cut ties off with others in order to research their art. As a result, it would be difficult for an outsider to find out more information. She gave Xenon two letters written to the presidents of the Zenumists and the Alcadno and assured him that if he were to give them her letters and mention her name, they would try to help him.
Xenon first went to see Carson of the Zenumists and gave him the letter. Carson was surprised to hear from Nathania, as it had been many years since she had last made contact. He agreed to share his knowledge, but swore Xenon to secrecy. He explained that the forbidden art had originally been created by the Black Mage, which was why its existence could not be revealed to the public.
He elaborated that Magatia was sustained by the remnants of the Black Mage’s research, and that most of them were guarded in secret. He explained that life creation was one such secret until someone had recently stolen it. Xenon was surprised to learn about its theft and Carson added that he believed that the thief was an alchemist, as there was no other explanation for the technique used to penetrate the alchemic protection on the document. Though the Alcadnos denied the charge, Carson believed that one of their members was the thief.
After leaving, Xenon was surprised to feel Beryl’s Pulse in Magatia. He wondered why she hadn’t come after him yet, as they could clearly both feel each other’s Pulses. He supposed that she was too preoccupied with something else, but wondered why she was even in Magatia to begin with. He decided to avoid her until he finished his mission and went to go speak with Maed of the Alcadno.
After giving him Nathania’s letter, Maed told him that the research on life alchemy had already been stolen months ago. He suspected that the Zenumists were trying to frame the Alcadnos and told Xenon that some strange men had been sighted around Magatia before the document had disappeared, and that the men had been clad in black and were dressed like rabbits. He suspected that the Zenumists had hired them in order to frame the Alcadnos.
As Xenon left the Alcadno headquarters, he was stopped by Han the Broker, who offered to sell Xenon the information that he was after. After Xenon paid the fee, Han explained that the men who had been sighted in Magatia were trained soldiers, not alchemists. The men had been able to find the life creation document, but they hadn’t been able to access it because of a powerful truth-concealing alchemy placed upon the document. When the soldiers had failed, their commander had arrived in Magatia and had finished the mission themselves.
Xenon realized that though the thieves were neither Zenumist nor Alcadno, the two factions suspected each other because no one except an alchemist could have undone the protection spell. Han the Broker added that the commander had met with Bedin, a Zenumist, and suggested that Xenon speak with him in order to learn what the commander had been after.
Xenon went to speak with Bedin, who asked him to find Scorpion Stings first. After Xenon brought them back, Bedin told him that the person who had spoken to him was actually a little girl. He explained that alchemists normally didn’t share their knowledge to those outside their circles, but the girl had appeared so pitiful that he hadn’t been able to help telling her everything that he knew.
Xenon asked Bedin what he meant, to which he explained that she had wanted to know about revealing concealed truths in order to save her brother, who was the only surviving member of her family. He had told her that he knew how to make a truth-revealing potion, but as his recipe would take a hundred years to craft, he had sent her to speak with Russellon of the Alcadnos.
Xenon went to speak with Russellon, who asked him to bring Homunculus’ Blood. After bringing it to him, Xenon asked about the truth-revealing potion. Russellon revealed that the Homunculus’ Blood was the truth-revealing potion, which was the same thing that he had told the girl. Russellon laughed at Bedin’s naivety in believing that the girl was harmless, as anyone who could defeat a Homunscullo and obtain its blood was clearly dangerous.
Russellon then asked for the blood that Xenon had collected as the price for the information that he had shared. He also gave Xenon some free advice and told him that secrets had a reason to be kept secret, and that once uncovered, he would need to pay the price, whether he liked it or not.
Xenon then returned to Veritas and told Nathania everything that he had learned. Nathania told Xenon that she suspected that the girl was Orchid. Because she had once been a Commander of the Black Mage, she would likely have known about her master’s influence in Magatia. She also realized that Gelimer had manipulated others in order to gain access to life creation so that he could accelerate his research.
She realized that they needed some sort of countermeasure against him and asked Xenon to go to her secret laboratory in Magatia, where he would find a document that contained information on the Black Mage’s research, which she hoped to use in order to create countermeasures against Gelimer.
She told him where to find her laboratory and explained that the entrance was password-protected, with the password simply being ‘password’. (A/N: I feel called out.) Xenon was able to find her notes, but just as he was about to leave, he sensed Beryl’s Pulse much more strongly. He suspected that Beryl had been sent to Magatia in order to collect more of the Black Mage’s research for Gelimer.
Having recovered the document, Xenon decided that he could finally confront Beryl, and so he went back inside the laboratory and waited for her to arrive. Beryl soon entered and was surprised to find that he hadn’t run. She then asked if he was ready to fight, to which Xenon told her that he had a question that he wanted her to answer.
Beryl agreed to hear him out if he surrendered, though she made no promise of answering. Xenon told her that he would never get caught by her, and with negotiations having failed, they engaged in a battle that Xenon ultimately won. Beryl was frustrated that she kept losing to Xenon and wondered if it was because he was the perfect specimen, whereas she was not. Xenon asked Beryl why Gelimer had sent her to Magatia, but Beryl snapped at him not to call their father by his name, claiming that Xenon had no right as a traitor.
Xenon was surprised to hear Beryl refer to Gelimer as her father, to which she explained that since he had created her, it meant that he was her father. Xenon told her that Gelimer wasn’t any sort of father, especially not to him, as Gelimer had kidnapped him and had turned him into a weapon, adding that he was sure that the same thing had happened to her. Beryl replied that who she once was didn’t matter, as she was now a Xenoroid.
Xenon was shocked to hear that Beryl didn’t care about who she once was, to which Beryl explained that it was because she wasn’t a failure like Xenon. He asked her what she meant, to which she explained that he was a failure because he had betrayed their father due to emotions and memory. However, she added that she couldn’t understand why their father wanted him back, and that Gelimer believed that Xenon was special, despite his betrayal. Because of this, he kept sending Beryl to find him and to return him intact.
She told Xenon that she could never forgive him for being a failure and a traitor, even though he was still being treated as Gelimer’s favorite. Xenon asked if that was the reason why she hated him, which surprised Beryl. He explained that he knew that she disliked him, even though Roo-D had told him that Xenoroids had no emotions. However, if she still felt such hate for him, it meant that she still possessed emotion. Beryl snapped at him to be quiet and told him that though she was leaving, the next time they met, she would fight with her full power, even if it meant destroying him against Gelimer’s wishes.
After she left, Xenon reflected on Beryl’s words. Unlike himself, she didn’t seem to want to become human and even denied that she had any human feelings left in her. He wondered why that could be, as her not wanting to be human made her more human than anyone. He then returned to Veritas and gave the document to Nathania. After he told her about Beryl’s appearance, Nathania wondered if it meant that Gelimer was working against Orchid in order to get his hands on the Black Mage’s research first.
Over time, Xenon regained much more of his old power. However, he was still uneasy about having learned very little about his past. He wondered whether there was something wrong with him, as Roo-D and Beryl were content with being Xenoroids, unlike himself. He wondered if he would ever get his memories back and decided to speak with Roo-D back in Veritas.
He asked her whether he should have never left Gelimer’s lab and thrown his old power away in search of memories that he would never find. Roo-D admonished Xenon and told him that if he had stayed, Gelimer would have turned him into a puppet, and that he could have even been ordered to destroy Edelstein if Gelimer had wished it. Xenon agreed that he shouldn’t regret escaping Gelimer, but he asked if it was strange that he was the only Xenoroid who seemed to be obsessed with his memories.
Roo-D replied that it wasn’t strange to want to remember, adding that everyone thought differently, even in the same situations. She also added that it was Xenon himself who had told her that being a Xenoroid was more than being a simple robot, citing the differences between him and Beryl. She explained that his desire to regain his memories made him more human than the rest of them.
She also added that getting his memories back was something that he had to decide for himself, and that if it was too painful, he could always stop searching. However, if he wanted them back, despite the pain, she would support him no matter what he decided. She also told him that the same was true for everyone else, reminding Xenon that by escaping Gelimer’s lab, he had gained colleagues and friends who would always support him.
As Xenon continued mastering his full power, Roo-D reached out to him and explained that Beryl had sent a message asking Xenon to settle their feud once and for all, and that she had threatened to destroy all of Edelstein if he didn’t show up. Roo-D warned Xenon to take care and told him that Beryl had sent them the meeting coordinates.
They traced the coordinates to Gelimer’s secret laboratory, which Roo-D noted was a poetic location for their confrontation. Xenon went to the laboratory, where Beryl was waiting. She told him that the laboratory was where they had both been born, and where they would have their final battle. She then told Xenon to come at her with his full power so that she could demonstrate her superiority over him.
After a fierce battle, Xenon managed to defeat her. Beryl begrudgingly acknowledged that she had been defeated and suddenly asked Xenon if he remembered how happy Gelimer had been when Xenon had been completed. She realized that he likely didn’t remember and explained that Gelimer had told her how every bit of research and every machine that he had ever built had been leading up to Xenon.
She also admitted that Gelimer had never once paid that kind of attention to her, which was when she had realized that the day would come when she and Xenon would end up fighting to the end. However, she told him that she never would have thought that he would betray them, and so she had continued to pursue him across the world. She had been furious that he had been stronger every time that they had met, for she had been sure that his emotions and memories would make him weaker. In the end, however, she admitted that both she and their father had been wrong.
Xenon was shaken by Beryl’s candid speech, but Beryl added that their encounter was likely the last time that they would ever face each other, explaining that because she had failed her mission, she would be marked as a defective unit and dismantled. Xenon was shocked, but Beryl told him that even now, he continued to taunt her with his emotions, as he ought to be happy that she would no longer pursue him.
Xenon replied that if he had known that she would be dismantled, he never would have come to fight her. He then pleaded with her to come back to Veritas with him so that he could show her that there was more to life than being the strongest. However, Beryl merely told him that she couldn’t betray Gelimer, adding that having failed the mission which she had been created for, she had to pay the price. Xenon told her that it didn’t mean that she had to die, but Beryl responded that a Xenoroid never truly died.
Xenon told her to stop blaming herself, but Beryl replied that his human logic was confusing. She explained that she was a Xenoroid, which meant that she must obey her command protocols until the end, and nothing that Xenon said could change that. Xenon told her that her actions were senseless, but Beryl replied that if that was true, then her whole life had been senseless, adding that she had been born to complete her mission, and that it was what she planned to do.
Xenon pleaded with her one last time for her not to go, to which she told him that they had fought since the day that they had first been created. Though she wondered if it would have been different if they had been normal humans, she suspected that it likely wouldn’t have changed, as it was what siblings did best. Xenon continued to plead with Beryl to stay, even as she turned her back to him, a sad smile on her face and a single tear falling from her eye.
Xenon returned to Veritas in anguish and told Roo-D everything. He decided that he would storm the Verne Mine in order to find Beryl, but Roo-D stopped him and told him to think. She reminded him that there were nothing but Black Wings facilities at the Verne Mine, and as Gelimer had kept the Xenoroid project secret from even Orchid, he was likely hiding Beryl somewhere that no one else knew about.
Xenon asked what they could do, to which Roo-D told him that she and the others would look for Beryl. She hoped that since both Xenon and herself were missing, Gelimer would likely keep Beryl alive, as she was the only finished Xenoroid in his grasp. Xenon told Roo-D that he felt extreme torment, to which Roo-D explained that he was feeling devastation, adding that he had finally become human enough.
Xenon asked what Roo-D meant, to which she explained that when they had been forced leave Edelstein for the first time in order to avoid Beryl, he had felt disappointment over leaving his Resistance friends, but those feelings were nothing compared to how he felt now, meaning that he had developed his emotions. She also pointed out the irony in how he needed to lose something in order to feel something.
Xenon told her that if such pain was what being a human meant, then he didn’t want to be human anymore. Roo-D replied that being a human wasn’t always exciting, and that it would sometimes come with negative feelings like anger or sadness. Though Gelimer thought that weapons like themselves didn’t need emotions, Roo-D disagreed and claimed that though emotions didn’t help directly in fighting, they made them stronger nonetheless.
(A/N: For those wondering what happened to Beryl, it’s revealed in the Black Heaven storyline that Beryl was marked for dismantling, though she was ultimately saved and eventually became a member of Haven under the new name Bitterbot. She has a small reunion with Xenon after the battle at Tenebris, and though she doesn’t reveal her real identity, Xenon promises to visit her one day.)
Kaiser:
While training, Kyle heard the voice of the previous Kaiser calling to him. The former Kaiser told him about his battle with Magnus and how he had sacrificed himself in order to help the survivors of Heliseum escape to Pantheon. He also explained that Magnus had only been able to survive his attack through Darmoor’s power, to which Kyle mentioned that he had heard that Magnus had traveled to Maple World in order to restore his lifespan, which had been cut short, even with Darmoor’s treatment.
(A/N: The former Kaiser sacrificed himself using Ancestral Prominence, Kaiser’s Hyper Skill attack. Thankfully, the power of game mechanics saves us from dying every time that we use it in the game.)
The former Kaiser then transferred his Essence into Kyle and promised to contact him again once Kyle was ready to become a Grand Kaiser. With the former Kaiser’s Essence, Kyle gained full mastery over his Kaiser powers and enhanced his ultimate Kaiser form.
Angelic Buster:
As Angelic Buster continued to master her powers, she noted to Eskalade that until recently, Magnus had been the strongest enemy that she knew. However, after exploring Maple World and learning more about the dangers that it faced, she told him that there may soon be a day when she might need to face an even stronger foe. Eskalade asked Angelic Buster why she was feeling so serious, to which she replied by explaining that she had thought that she would need to grow stronger in order to face stronger enemies. She then asked him how many more followers she needed to unlock more of his power, recalling that he had once mentioned that she would need 10,000.
When she noted that she might need to hold a concert in order to boost her reputation, Eskalade told her that she was already strong enough to gain a reputation through her skills as a warrior, adding that since they weren’t in Grandis anymore, she could even boost her reputation as Tear. Upon seeing her confusion, he explained that the reason why he had given her a new identity as Angelic Buster to use his powers was because the people of Pantheon knew Tear to have no magical powers.
However, Angelic Buster revealed that she had already known that she could have used her powers as Tear in Maple World and explained that the reason why she had continued using her identity was because she didn’t want Kaiser to worry about her, as well as the fact that she genuinely enjoyed singing as Angelic Buster and seeing people enjoy her music. Eskalade laughed and noted that she had a wonderful personality before granting her the last of his power, noting that the conditions for inheriting his power had been fully met with her being renowned as the idol of the battlefield wherever she went.
Cadena:
When Cadena had last been taught new skills by Gen, she had been told that she would need to develop her own techniques in order to surpass his teachings. Sure enough, Cadena successfully created her own skills to use in battle, allowing her to surpass her teacher.
Illium:
At the Sanctuary hideout, Illium and the other students discussed their findings on the location of the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. Carnelian reported that she had befriended several people at the Aquarium, and that they had told her about something glittering in the Deep Sea. There, they found a Crystal Gate that once again only allowed Illium to enter.
Inside, Illium arrived in the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, where the voice of the Ancient Master told him that those who were bound by time’s shackles could not enter, and that only Illium, as the Chosen One, had been permitted to enter the sanctuary. He explained that though Illium’s time hadn’t yet come, the time of the crystals had arrived.
He then transferred his full power into the Elder Crystal before sending Illium back to Maple World. Illium then told his friends about what had happened, and though most of them were impressed that Illium was the chosen one of the Verdant Flora, Sinaria was intrigued to know that the crystals were awakening.
(A/N: There’s a pretty interesting theory out there that the God of the Verdant Flora - the one who created mechanical wings for the Verdant Flora, as well as the Elder Crystal - is actually Chronica, Grandis’ Transcendent of Time. The main two things that we know about Chronica are that Darmoor stole their powers and sealed them in the Chronica Sanctuary. It was revealed in the Grandis: Ancient War webcomic, which detailed the Flora Civil War, that shortly after Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life at the final battle, he sealed the God of the Verdant Flora inside the mytocrystal on the back of his hand, which might count as him stealing Chronica’s powers.
We also see here in Illium’s 4th job advancement that the God of the Verdant Flora claims that both he and the Sanctuary exist “beyond time”. Given that his consciousness seems to be trapped inside the Sanctuary, as well as the fact that Chronica’s sanctum is called the Chronica Sanctuary, it’s speculated that the Sanctuary of the Ancient God might be the same as the Chronica Sanctuary, and that the God of the Verdant Flora is Chronica sealed away inside.)
Ark:
Ark felt the growing influence of the Specter inside him and decided to confront it in the Abyss. The Specter greeted him and asked if his visit meant that Ark had agreed to wield its full power. However, Ark ignored it and instead asked why he was only a partial Specter. The Specter told him that there had been complications during his corruption, as someone outside the Abyss had interfered. It also added that there was a problem with Ark’s soul, which couldn’t be consumed like others, almost as though it had an impurity.
It explained that Ark’s soul had protected him from its influence, which had resulted in his partial Specter state. It then imparted more of its power into Ark before awakening him back to reality. Ark was satisfied to know why he was only half-Specter, but he realized that he needed to figure out what was wrong with his soul, as the Specter inside him wasn’t content to merely co-exist with him.
Some time later, Ark felt a strange energy in Sleepywood and decided to investigate. There, he met Kaiser, who told him that he had already investigated the area and had found no traces of the High Flora. Ark then discussed with Kaiser about the looming threat facing Maple World. Kaiser told Ark that though he hadn’t found any trace of the High Flora, his trip hadn’t been a waste. He then told Ark that he would contact him soon. (A/N: Kaiser later contacts Ark to let him know about the fight to retake Heliseum.)
Hoyoung:
Hoyoung continued his training and soon felt that it was time for him to learn more of his Master’s spells. Just like before, he fell asleep and arrived at the Hermitage in his dreams. However, he was unable to find the next volume of spell books until the spirit of his Master appeared within his dream.
Hoyoung explained everything that had happened with Taotie to his Master, but to his surprise, his Master wasn’t angry, as he explained that Hoyoung was already paying for the trouble that he had created. Hoyoung asked his Master why he had blocked him from entering the Hermitage, but his Master explained that the Hermitage dwelled within the realm of the sages, where only those who were granted permission could gain entry. (A/N: The Odium storyline confirms that Hoyoung has been entering the realm of the sages through his dreams during his job advancements.)
He told Hoyoung that his role as a Master had been ordained by the elders from the realm of the sages, and that he had been entrusted with making right what had gone awry in the outside world. He explained that many years ago, when Grandis had been embroiled in chaos, he would spend his days upon the fields of battle, until one day when he had encountered an infant Hoyoung abandoned in a ruined town. Taking pity on the child, he had raised Hoyoung as his own, but when Hoyoung had asked to learn magic, he had sensed the limitless energy within the boy.
As Hoyoung was both wild and unpredictable, he had decided to seal away Hoyoung’s powers in order to keep him from harming himself. Hoyoung asked why his Master hadn’t just told him, to which he explained that Hoyoung would have grown negligent in his training if he had believed success to be impossible simply because it didn’t come easily. To apologize for hiding the truth, he transferred the knowledge of his final spells to Hoyoung and told him that from now on, Hoyoung would need to create his own spells.
Adele:
While training around Maple World, Adele received a letter from one of her contacts in Maple World, who told her of a Verdant Flora boy who had been sighted in northern Perion. After chasing down rumor after rumor, she finally met the boy, Illium.
Looking at his blue mechanical wings, she was reminded of something from her past, though she couldn’t say what it was. Illium was initially suspicious of Adele, but after she gained his trust, he invited Adele to Sanctuary in order to chat. Illium told her that the High Flora had sent someone to hunt him down, though it didn’t seem like Adele was in league with them, as he doubted that Darmoor would send someone with burned-out magical conduits like hers. However, he wondered why her wings had burned out and why she had come looking for him.
After Adele told him about her adventures and her lost memories, Illium told her that her time serving the old God-King had happened very long ago, and so Ex explained that the God-King whom she had served had been a wise man of excellent character, though he had turned into a tyrant some years into his reign and had led a campaign of domination against the other races. Believing the Flora to be superior to all others, he had decided that it was their duty to ‘fix’ the other races. Adele thought to herself that the God-King she remembered would never have done such a thing, but somehow, she also felt that Ex’s words seemed to be true.
Suddenly, she was consumed by a memory of the God-King giving a speech denouncing the other races as savages, claiming that it was the High Flora’s responsibility to show them the way. Adele remembered the doubt that had seeded the Knights of the Einherjar as he commanded them to lead his armies into battle.
Ex told her that the High Flora claimed that the Verdant Flora had murdered the God-King, adding that it was far from the truth. Adele asked who had killed him, to which Ex told her that it was unknown, though the Verdant Flora suspected that Darmoor was involved. Illium added that it was difficult to find out exactly what had truly happened, as none of the records agreed with each other.
(A/N: For example, the Nova were under the impression that Darmoor had been a vocal opponent of the Flora Civil War, and that the Verdant Flora had killed the God-King as revenge for the High Flora tearing out their wings and exiling them. I’m pretty sure that this is revisionism taking place because it feels way too convenient for Nexon to have planned out that these story conflicts were actually deliberate. Most likely, they decided to make it a plot point in order to cover up their continuity issues.)
Illium suspected that the answer lay in Adele’s memory of when the Einherjar had fallen and asked her to tell him what the truth was, as it would clear the name of the Verdant Flora. Adele recalled that she had only remembered red wings, meaning that it had been an internal fight between the High Flora. Illium thanked her for clearing the matter and transported her back to Maple World.
Before he did, however, he warned her that chaos was returning to Grandis. As she would need to pick a side soon, he hoped that they wouldn’t be enemies. After returning back, Adele wondered if Darmoor had planned everything from the beginning, as it was the Flora Civil War that had led to his awakening as the Transcendent of Life. She then wondered what he could possibly have been after that would justify going to such lengths.
Soon after, Adele heard the call of the knight statue in Ristonia. She received a vision of the glowing statue, which helped her recall one of her hidden memories of being sealed away into the Void for her alleged betrayal of the God-King. Adele was disturbed by the memory and wondered whether a betrayer such as herself deserved a second chance. Nevertheless, the last of her power flooded into her as the voice of the knight statue told her that there was light still inside of her.
Kain:
Kain was contacted by Gen, who told him that they had found a path to his hometown. Kain asked what had happened to Illin, who had given him the coordinates to his hometown in exchange for an introduction to the Shadowdealers. Gen told him that Illin had a plethora of information, though it was hard to meet with her because of her choker, which allowed the Drakas to track her location.
Kain told him that with the Drakas gone, it shouldn’t be a problem, but Gen revealed that the Drakas still existed. Kain then traveled to his hometown, where he erected a grave for Luska. He then recalled a memory of Luska telling him about the fall of the Black Nova and how they still kept their Malice. He also recalled how she had led him through a prayer that no one would ever use Malice again. Kain apologized to Luska's grave for using Malice against her wishes, adding that he had no choice. His surge of emotion caused the Malice inside him to build, strengthening his powers.
Lara:
In Maple World, Lara received a letter from Gri, who asked if she would join him in searching Hannah’s old studio for clues about mysticants. Lara arrived early at the Dalbourde Studio, where she encountered Kaling. As they began talking, Gri arrived and warned Lara to stay back. He confronted Kaling, explaining that the villagers had described how she had been snooping around the studio for days.
Kaling replied by asking what the two of them had done, as it was something to take note of when a mysticant was destroyed. She asked to see the bell, but Gri told Lara not to give it to her. Lara asked Gri why he was so worried, as Kaling was a fellow Anima. However, Gri told her that Kaling wasn’t an Anima, as he couldn’t detect an Anima scent from her.
(A/N: Despite Gri’s claim, it’s shown in the Odium storyline that Kaling has always had her Anima features, and without giving spoilers about future content, it’s possible that Gri doesn’t pick up an Anima scent on Kaling because of certain magical changes that have happened to her. Before I jump into the spoiler version, I want to give a disclaimer to skip past this author note if you don’t want to see spoilers for Odium or Shangri-La.
In the Odium storyline, it’s shown that Kaling had her Anima features even before becoming contaminated. The Shangri-La storyline adds on to this and reveals that all the researchers were Anima who worked alongside the elders of Grandis. There are two Ppossible explanations to explain why Kaling doesn’t have an Anima scent. The first is that the Overseers, who blessed the elders and the researchers with divine power, made it so that the sages of Grandis are a higher level of beings, distinguishing them from Anima. The second is that Kaling’s contamination is masking her Anima scent.)
Kaling then unleashed the arm of a powerful fiend and had it close its fist around Lara, completely smothering her.
(A/N: We learn later in Hoyoung’s level 200 quest that this fiend is one of the Four Perils, which Kaling has in her possession. In the Shangri-La storyline, it’s explained that Tai Yu had left Hoyoung at the start of his storyline because he had been tasked with investigating why the seals on Taowu and Qiongqi had been broken. Because of this, we can surmise that Kaling has them both in her possession at this time.)
In its grasp, Lara sensed an inauspicious power that sought to swallow the entire world. She called upon the spirits to help free herself from Kaling, who recognized that Lara’s bell had been created by the sages of Grandis. After cursing the sages for their continued interference, Kaling decided to leave, though she warned Lara that she always took what she wanted in the end. Having grown closer to the spirits through the encounter, Lara was able to strengthen her powers.
Khali:
Some time later, Nile contacted her and explained that he had found something while going through her birth father, Jad’s, house. As she would be in danger of being discovered by the Zealous if she were to come to the city center, he explained that he had left the items at Jad’s house in the storage box under the window.
Khali arrived at Jad’s house, where she found it strange to know that it was where she had been born. While exploring the house, she found her old crib and noted that it felt as though no time had passed since the day that she had been born. She then discovered the things that Nile had found – a stack of old letters from her father, Anan, written to her birth mother, Tasha.
In the first letter, Anan wrote that he had sent her money to repay her for saving his life, though he hadn’t expected her to be offended by it. He explained that he was grateful for the unexpected hand that she had lent him, as he had heard the rumors about her circulating amongst the Priests. He added that he would never have expected for her to have saved the life of a High Priest like him.
He also wrote that his wife was very sick, and that according to rumor, a mysterious flower that grew on the cliff that Tasha had saved him on would cure the illness. Though he had known that it was likely a superstition, he had gone anyways, as he had been desperate enough to take any chance that he could to save his wife. He added that he was grateful that Tasha had caught him when he had been about to fall and asked whether there was a way for him to reciprocate her favor. (A/N: I’m not gonna question why someone who has wings would be in danger of falling off a cliff.)
In the second letter, Anan congratulated Tasha on her pregnancy and explained that his wife had recently gotten pregnant as well, which he believed to be a miracle. He wrote that though his wife’s body hadn’t fully recovered from the illness, she was looking forward to the day that their child would be born. He noted that Tasha’s child would be born around the same time as his own and added that her child would be mature and full of energy, just like her. He also explained that the crib that he had sent with his letter wasn’t a gift to her, but to her child, adding that he hoped that their children would be good friends, despite their different castes, just like he and she were.
The final letter was addressed to Jad, in which Anan wrote that Khali was growing up strong and well. He noted that Jad must want to see her, though he hadn’t yet visited. He explained that Khali was quick on her feet, just like Tasha, and that Rasha was always eager to catch up to her sister as well. He noted that though they weren’t related by blood, it was clear that the two were sisters, as they were very much alike.
He explained that though his wife had passed away, Khali and Rasha were growing up happily, and that they were relying on one another. He then added that the reason why he had written was because he wanted a weapon for Khali to use - one that was light enough that she could use without it slipping from her grip while running quickly. As it had been many years since Jad had seen Khali, Anan offered to bring Khali to the weapon store so that he could meet her. (A/N: The knowledge that Jad knew that Khali was his daughter since the start of her class story really recontexualizes the scenes in which she arrests him.)
After reading through the letters, Khali found a book that Tasha had written about her fighting techniques, dedicated to her soon-to-be born child. By reading the book, Khali regained more of her power and mastered more advanced skills.
Friend Story:
(A/N: I really wish that this would’ve been a fun, non-canon side story, but it was added into canon with Kinesis’ release and was cemented into the lore with the Heroes of Maple blockbuster. Personally, I’m not a fan of this because of how strange it is that everyone in Maple World and Grandis apparently has an equivalent in FriendStory. The game refers to Earth as Friends World, and even though there’s no way in hell that I’d normally call it that, I decided to bite the bullet and refer to it as Friends World in order to keep things consistent.
After the Heroes of Maple revamp in the Dreamer update, it was revealed that Friends World is a parallel world to Maple World, while Tynerum is the third dimension created by the Overseers. The main reason why I changed ‘Earth’ to ‘Friends World’ on this site was because the revamp placed a bigger emphasis on the distinction between worlds and dimensions.
Both Friends World and Maple World exist in the same dimension, just like how the dimension of Grandis has the world of Grandis and all its moons. Because of this, I decided to call it Friends World in order to help make it clear that Earth is just a world, and not a dimension, as this was a source of confusion for a long time in regard to whether Earth or Tynerum was the third world made by the Overseers, back when ‘world’ and ‘'dimension’ were synonymous.
In a sense, both of these terms can still be - and often are - used interchangeably in the story, since these dimensions are just artificial boundaries meant to separate the three worlds, which were originally one mega-world during the era of the Ancient Gods. After the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, both of them now share one dimension, and even though they’ve also fused back into one mega-world, everyone in the game still refers to them as different worlds.
This is also why the Arcane River is said to be a convergence of three worlds - and not dimensions - as the three worlds in question are Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World. Friends World is a minor world that exists in the dimension of Maple World, but there’s a dimensional barrier that keeps it separate from Maple World until the absence of Maple World’s Transcendents causes the barrier to weaken, allowing people from both sides to open a portal between those two worlds.
After Kinesis’ storyline, Friends World is now converging with Maple World, which removed a significant source of confusion with Friends World and Tynerum, as the line about “three worlds” converging now lines up with the idea of Friends World being fused with Maple World, while still maintaining the lore about Tynerum being the third dimension separated by the Overseers. Tynerum and Maple World are technically linked together through a portal, although there’s no actual convergence going on between them at the moment.
Jumping back into FriendStory, though, the events of FriendStory and Kinesis’ storyline take place in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. FriendStory is the third most traumatizing section in this site behind the Heliseum prequests and Black Heaven, not only because of its length, but also because all the maps in which you need to hunt monsters have an abysmally low drop rate, not to mention that there are only ever six monsters that spawn every ten seconds, making FriendStory one of the most needlessly long storylines to complete. FriendStory is divided up into six chapters and a prologue, with the first part here being the Prologue: The World Beyond the Closet.
When I wrote this section, I had a vague idea of what happens in FriendStory from reading about it, but I hadn’t actually played it before. For the same reasons that I described above, getting through this storyline was borderline torturous, and so I made a bunch of stupid author notes to keep myself amused and sane, which I decided to keep here because why not. So have fun having access to my unfiltered 3am thoughts formed at the precipice of madness.)
In Ereve, Empress Cygnus had a dream of a different version of herself in Friends World, which she recounted to Neinheart and the Chief Knights. Meanwhile, the Cygnus from Friends World recounted a similar dream that she had of herself on Maple World to Neinheart, who told her that a new transfer student would be arriving soon. Elsewhere, the student who would be transferring to Shinsoo International Private School was pulled into Maple World through a dimensional rift in their closet. (A/N: POV: you’re so deep in the closet that you fell right into Maple World.)
Some time later, a traveler received a cell phone and a call from someone asking them to come to the Closet House in Henesys, where they met the transfer student and Elwin the Barrier Master.
(A/N: The student is the same gender as your character. If the player is Kinesis, when the transfer student talks to him, he’ll get really confused about the student saying that he’s from another world, since Kinesis is from that same world too. Just as he starts telling the student that he recognizes their school uniform, the Maple Administrator will pop in and tell Kinesis that FriendStory is content from his world, seen through the eyes of someone from Maple World.
She then starts getting meta and tells us that if we play FriendStory as Kinesis, it’ll cause major paradoxes. She admits that we can still go through with it anyways, but she warns that Kinesis will behave abnormally because of the nature of the script. I tried playing FriendStory on a Kinesis just for fun after going through it once on my Hero, and this was honestly one of the most hilarious things to ever happen to me in the game. I’m convinced that the Maple Administrator, Spiegelmann, and Cody are secretly the three Overseers.)
Elwin explained that he was Grendel’s student, and that he had accidentally summoned the student from another world while tinkering with the dimensional barrier. Elwin told the traveler that he was trying to fix his mistake, but the student was refusing to return to their world, claiming that they enjoyed Maple World far more than Friends World.
(A/N: Once upon a time, I saw a post about some guy who was too busy playing MapleStory to hang out with his girlfriend. I like to think that Nexon based this character on him. “Sorry babe, I know this is the third time that I’ve cancelled our dinner plans, but you just don’t get it, I don’t have time for real world obligations, I just popped my fourth totem.” If you’ve ever been the girlfriend in this situation: end it. Your man has set the bar so low that it’s gone past the mantle of the earth. I promise you, nothing good has ever come out of dating a MapleStory player.)
The traveler attempted to convince the student to return home, but to no avail. Elwin pointed out to the student that even if their parents didn’t notice their absence, their school definitely would. The student asked if there was any way for them to continue staying in Maple World for a few days, and so Elwin asked the traveler if they would attend school in the student’s place until they were ready to return home, though he warned them not to use their powers.
After the traveler arrived at Shinsoo International School in Seoul, the transfer student called them on their phone and told them to purchase a school uniform. Once they obtained a uniform, Elwin called and told them that Shinsoo International Private School was a school set up by the Shinsoo Corporation, which was run by a rich family who had sent their heiress and only daughter, Cygnus, to study there.
The traveler arrived at the school, where they met Cygnus and her chauffeur. Though Cygnus didn’t recognize the traveler, she told them that her handkerchief had been blown into a tree. The traveler climbed the tree and returned it to Cygnus, who was impressed by their skills and exchanged numbers with them. After Cygnus left, her chauffeur told them to stay away from Cygnus, believing that they were planning to pretend to be her friend and then stab her in the back, as many others had done to her in the past.
The traveler then went to their first class, which was taught by Dean Stan. Their first day passed by quickly and the traveler found the new lifestyle to be much different from their usual adventures in Maple World. Soon after, the traveler met Francis and exchanged numbers with him. Francis told them that he had captured footage of dark blobs falling from the sky during the recent earthquake. Though most people had brushed it off, Francis believed that there was a secret behind the earthquake.
Just then, a hoodlum began to bully Francis and asked the traveler if they knew how to fight, claiming that he was also a transfer student, and that he needed a partner to help him terrorize the school. (A/N: The story never actually reveals the bully’s name, but people in KMS think that he might be Tofu from Gold Beach. Personally, I don’t think that they look anything alike, and so I’m just gonna treat him like a generic character.)
When the traveler refused, the bully told them that he would meet them behind the school to fight. At the back of the school, the bully was waiting for the traveler to arrive when he heard a voice that said, “Your hunger for violence... Yes, this will do. Your desire… I will feast upon it!” Suddenly, a Fistfight Troublemaker was created, born from the desire to triumph through strength. The traveler quickly defeated the Troublemaker and saved the bully.
Just then, Elwin called, having seen the whole thing with his magic, and told them that he had warned them not to use their powers. He then asked them to come back to Maple World, as Grendel wished to speak with them. Back in the Closet House, they explained the situation to Grendel, who told them that they had discovered a parallel world full of the same people from Maple World that led completely different lives. He also added that the great magicians of Maple World had been aware of the parallel world for some time, though they had never opened a portal there before.
Though Elwin was pleased to know that he had managed to open a portal somewhere that even the greatest magicians hadn’t, Grendel berated him, claiming that opening the portal had allowed the two worlds to affect each other, possibly in disastrous ways. Elwin suggested that they return the transfer student back home, but Grendel told him that the evil energies of Maple World had already affected the parallel world.
The traveler then recalled what Francis had said about the dark blobs and wondered if those were the evil energies that had arrived from Maple World. Grendel told the traveler that as they had already established themselves as a student, they would need to stop the corruption of Friends World. He then introduced another one of his pupils named Lily, a Manipulation Magician and Elwin’s younger sister, who agreed to help the traveler and Elwin.
(A/N: This is the beginning of Chapter 1: Cygnus and the New Kid.)
In Cygnus’ office at Shinsoo International School, Cygnus gushed to Neinheart about the transfer student she had met, whom she called the ‘new student of fate’. Meanwhile, the bully overheard Cygnus gushing over the traveler. As he was also a transfer student, he assumed that he was the one whom she was talking about.
(A/N: Interestingly, Cygnus obsesses over you regardless of your gender. The writers who worked on FriendStory decided to be chaotic good and make a great number of characters into bicons, which I’ll point out throughout this section. Mushroom Castle was also released in the same update as FriendStory, which features Princess Violetta falling in love with the player regardless of gender, as both she and her father are totally down for us to marry her. The writers decided to keep up the same energy of making everyone in Friends World bi with Kinesis and Yuna, who both canonically date each other no matter whether you make a male or female Kinesis.
I think that these decisions might’ve been too controversial for Nexon because after Kinesis’ storyline, all future storylines decided not to explicitly make queer characters and instead opted for some very heavy subtext. The classic example is my two favorite disaster gays, Ark and Albaire. Lucid is also strongly implied to have romantic feelings for Mercedes, and potentially the Black Mage, depending on how you interpret her need to be needed by powerful beings. I’m also pretty sure that Veronica is both in love with and simultaneously hates Adele, because why else would the game showcase the two dancing like lovers when the writers explicitly made it so that male Adeles can’t dance with Jerome during the masquerade ball cutscene?)
Back in the city, Elwin called the traveler and told them to meet him outside the front gates of the school. There, they met Elwin in the form of a dog, who told them that he was trying not to stand out. He then urged them to do the same by refraining from using their powers so that they could covertly find the monsters spawned from Maple World’s dark energies.
Just then, Cygnus called them and asked them to come to her office in order to finish their transfer paperwork. At her office, Cygnus introduced herself and explained that there was no principal because her family had allowed her to manage the school, as they believed that it would be like a management course for her.
After learning their name, she felt that it was familiar, though she quickly dismissed the feeling. Cygnus then officially welcomed them to the school after finalizing the paperwork. Cygnus then told them to meet the dean at the Staff Lounge, where Dean Stan told them that the school had a zero-tolerance policy of fighting and gave them a final warning because of their fight with the bully. He also gave them the class president’s number and told them to call him in order to have him set them straight.
However, when they called Neinheart, the class president, he immediately hung up on them. On the second call, he picked up and apologized, as he believed that all unknown numbers were scam calls. (A/N: This is such a mood. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I get so many robocalls from scammers impersonating the Chinese Embassy and I don’t know how to make them stop.) He asked the traveler to meet him at the library, where he told them that he knew about everything that happened in the school and warned them to stay away from Cygnus. As punishment for their fight, he assigned them cleaning duties on the upper floors.
As the traveler began cleaning, several other students offered to help in exchange for not being beaten up in the future. Bemused, the traveler went to the school roof, where they met Lily in cat form. She explained that the dirt around the school was likely being caused by another monster inside a nearby portal, which she asked them to enter in order to defeat it. Inside the portal, they encountered several Motes and obtained Bizarre Dust Balls after defeating them. Lily explained that the Motes appeared to stay hidden, though larger Troublemaker monsters may not be far behind.
Just then, Mihile, Hawkeye, and Eckhart appeared and recognized the traveler as the one who had beaten up another student. (A/N: Mihile gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he wonders why one of them looks just like him.) All three of them tried recruiting the traveler to their clubs, though all of them were rejected. Undeterred, they exchanged numbers and left the traveler to report back to Neinheart. However, Neinheart told them that he knew that they had used the other students to clean up on their behalf and warned the traveler that they were now on his list.
Meanwhile on the roof, Mihile, Hawkeye, and Eckhart were discussing the traveler and how Cygnus was infatuated with them. Just then, the bully arrived and claimed that he was the transfer student whom Cygnus loved. He then declared that as the ruler of the school, he claimed the school rooftop for himself, though the three completely ignored him and decided to leave. Only Eckhart remained long enough to fight the bully at his request and utterly defeated him before catching up with the others. Just then, Areda the Chief Executive arrived to meet her son and advised him to fall in with Cygnus in order to rule the school, rather than to fight his way through.
(A/N: In Maple World, Areda is the self-obsessed Queen of Ariant. The real Areda from Maple World has no known children. If the bully is Tofu, then Tofu has no relationship to Areda in Maple World, and if the bully is an original character, then he doesn’t exist outside of Friends World.)
Meanwhile, Cygnus called the traveler and offered to show them around town, telling them to meet her at the school entrance after school. On their way there, they overheard several students gossiping about them. The traveler was exasperated to hear the talk about them, as they were meant to remain inconspicuous. As they were making their way to the school gates, Cygnus was arguing with her chauffeur, who refused to drive her around with the traveler, as she was to have dinner with the board members that night. However, Cygnus ordered him to cancel the dinner and to make up an excuse to her parents before leaving.
Soon after, the traveler arrived at the school gates, where the chauffeur asked if they had seen Cygnus, who had stormed off earlier. When they called Cygnus, she told them that she had slipped out the back door in order to lose her chauffeur and told them to meet her there. The two then made their way around the city, where they encountered Oz and Irena at a food truck. Oz asked Cygnus if she could pay for them, as they had forgotten their wallets. However, the vendor refused to accept the check that Cygnus wrote, and so the traveler decided to pay for everyone.
(A/N: I guess mesos are just a universal form of currency if they’re accepted on Grandis and Friends World too. If I could just reach across the screen and grab all the money that I get from farming, I’d be rich enough to buy Nexon and fix the game. No more lag, no more plot holes, and no more toxic work culture.)
Oz and Irena thanked them and gave them their numbers, promising to pay them back. Oz recommended that they check out a tarot card reader on the other side of the overpass. There, they ran into Neinheart, who told them that the card reader specialized in romance, which flustered Cygnus. Inside the tent, they met Cassandra, who told them that they had shared a previous life in another world, where Cygnus was an Empress and the traveler was a warrior who protected her. Cygnus immediately recalled the dream that she had of Maple World and told the traveler that they were perfect for each other. (A/N: She’s really down bad, isn’t she? Is this the part where I tell her about my deep-rooted commitment issues?)
They then decided to take the bus to another part of town, which was thrilling for Cygnus, as she had never taken public transportation before. After getting off, they encountered Elwin in his dog form, when all of a sudden, the chauffeur appeared to escort her back. Elwin then told the traveler that the Motes were back and asked them to take care of it.
(A/N: If you’re replaying FriendStory, there’s a hidden quest that you can unlock here. If you talk to Elwin, he’ll point out a random lady and call her beautiful. You get presented with the choice to call him a pervert or the option to say, “Pervert! I’m gonna call the police!” The first option will result in the story continuing as it normally does, but the second option will result in a special cutscene.
Our yelling will call over officer Athena Pierce, who asks us about the pervert. A shocked Elwin will ask us to make something up, and so we tell Athena that the pervert was someone wearing a black cape and wrapped up in chains. Athena will ask us in disbelief that someone with such a peculiar description could run 500 meters away in the three seconds that it took her to notice our yelling.
Though she doesn’t believe us, she’ll exchange numbers with us in case we find more suspicious people, as we seem like we’re not from around here and we don’t seem to know how to use smartphones either. After she leaves, Elwin will get mad at us for getting her attention and tells us to stay away from the police, claiming that they only complicate things, especially sharp cops like her. Following this quest, he’ll proceed with asking us to deal with the Motes like he does in the regular story playthrough.
Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue during this scene, in which she immediately recognizes Athena Pierce and says her name aloud. Officer Athena will ask Mercedes how she knows her name, to which an embarrassed Mercedes reminds herself that they’re not on Maple World. Athena will then note that since Mercedes is a student at Shinsoo International School, it would make sense that she would know her name.)
After dealing with the Motes, the traveler returned to Elwin, who told them that he suspected that someone was trying to target Cygnus, as he had heard a voice earlier that had cursed Cygnus and had promised to get her soon.
The next day, Cygnus met with Oz and Irena for lunch when the bully arrived to flirt with Cygnus. Irritated, Irena pummeled the bully and warned him to watch himself before all three of them left. Just then, Areda arrived and berated her son for his ineptitude. She then decided to handle the situation herself. After school, Cygnus met with Neinheart and told him that she had overheard a rumor that she had kissed someone with crazy hair, whom she interpreted to be the traveler, though she was confused why anyone would describe the traveler as having crazy hair. Neinheart promised to investigate the matter and called the traveler, asking them to meet him at the school roof.
There, they found Neinheart with Irena, Hawkeye, Mihile, Eckhart, and Oz. Neinheart explained the rumor to them and said that though they all agreed that the rumor referred to the bully, he doubted that the bully was clever enough to have started it, which made him suspect that someone was trying to discredit Cygnus.
Neinheart asked the traveler to obtain the bully’s student records, telling them that they needed to covertly obtain them, since the records were off-limits to students. They went to the Staff Room, where Elwin met them and explained that the Motes had appeared and swept away the student records. The traveler defeated the Motes and obtained the records, which they took to Neinheart.
Neinheart learned that the bully was Areda’s son and he explained how, one year ago, Areda had met with Cygnus and had learned that not only had Cygnus built Shinsoo International School right next to another school, but she had also bought the bus system to ensure that the students could commute in order to prevent her school from being torn down. (A/N: That neighboring school is the School for the Gifted, which Kinesis attends.)
After leaving the meeting, Areda had cursed Cygnus for her intervention, as she had wanted the school to be demolished for her plans. To get revenge, she had resolved to have Cygnus marry her son in order to gain control of Shinsoo Corporation. However, Neinheart had witnessed her tirade after the meeting and had learned about her plans, though he hadn’t told Cygnus about it because of how ridiculous it was.
However, now that Areda was making her move, Neinheart decided that he had no choice but to tell Cygnus. The group then went to her office, but they were surprised to find that she wasn’t there. The traveler called Cygnus, who told them that she was out getting a latte. She told them that she would meet them later and hung up, as her phone was dying. Believing her to be in danger, Neinheart ordered everyone to search for Cygnus.
The traveler went to Sunset Lot, where they met Lily in her cat form. She told them that she had seen Cygnus pass by a moment ago, and that she had also finished studying the Bizarre Dust Balls and had learned that Motes were created by dark emotions such as hate, jealousy, and envy. The Motes grew larger as those dark emotions were at their peak, which transformed them into Troublemakers.
She suspected that someone’s dark feelings towards Cygnus were creating the Motes and asked them to eliminate the monsters before they spread further. As they fought their way through the Motes, Cygnus was confronted by the bully, who attempted to flirt with her. (A/N: This kid literally says, “After all, I know you want this great big…”, although he thankfully doesn’t complete his sentence. I thought this was supposed to be a kids’ game.)
Unexpectedly, the bully got on his knees and apologized for being creepy, claiming that it wasn’t what he wanted. Disturbed, Cygnus walked away as Areda appeared and berated her son for giving up. Just then, the traveler arrived and demanded to know where Cygnus was. The bully suddenly declared that he was done with Cygnus, claiming that he liked Irena instead after she had beaten him up. (A/N: I’m not gonna kinkshame, but please for the love of god, can everyone stop being thirsty for just ten minutes?)
He told Areda that he wanted to be a regular student without getting involved with her plots, but Areda yelled at him and called him a disappointment for wanting to be normal and wasting the gift of ‘good looks’ and charms that he had gotten from her. She then cut him off and disowned him before sending him away. Suddenly, Areda was consumed by a strange green aura, spawning a Greedy Troublemaker, born from obsessions with money.
(A/N: Before defeating the Troublemaker, there’s a secret quest that you can complete if you’re replaying FriendStory. Instead of clicking on the Troublemaker NPC to fight it, enter the rightmost map instead, where we’ll find Cygnus waiting for us. We’ll try telling her to leave because it’s dangerous, but Cygnus is determined because she’s set everything up perfectly. She’ll then kiss us before telling us to keep it a secret between just the two of us if the player is male, or by saying that it’s a secret between two girls if the player is female, after which she’ll run away. We then get a special title for completing this hidden mission.)
The traveler then defeated the Troublemaker, allowing Areda to return to her senses. A few days later, police officer Athena Pierce came to see Neinheart and Cygnus and reported that her investigation had revealed that Areda had been trying to take over the school. (A/N: It’s strange that Athena’s Friends World counterpart still has elf ears when she should be human.)
She told them that she had found deeds and investor contracts at Areda’s home, as well as several slashed photos of Cygnus, and that she had learned that Areda had been trying to build a shopping mall in place of the school. Back in the Closet House, Lily congratulated the traveler for helping out with the Motes. She told them that it was better that they stay close to Cygnus, as there seemed to be a connection between relationships in Maple World and Friends World.
(A/N: This is the start of Chapter 2: Orchid and the Stalker.)
Some time later, Francis arrived in the second-year classroom in order to leave his confession of love for Orchid to find. (A/N: Bro we literally just ditched the thirsty dude, why did we pick up another?) Soon after, Orchid - a successful teen pop star - arrived and found the love letter, though she ordered her manager to deal with it.
As he left with the letter, Orchid suddenly changed her mind and asked him to bring it back. Upon reading it, she was shocked to find that it sounded like a stalker’s note. Soon after, Neinheart called the traveler and asked them to meet him in Cygnus’ office. There, he told them that a stalker had placed a threatening letter on Orchid’s desk.
The traveler recognized Orchid as being with the Black Wings and Neinheart confirmed that she was indeed signed by Black Wings Entertainment. Though he conceded that she had a terrible attitude, he nevertheless asked them to recover the letter. After obtaining it, they brought it back and everyone agreed that it was clearly a threatening letter.
Oz asked them to find a fingerprinting kit in the science lab, where they encountered Elwin in dog form. Elwin told them that they would need Aluminum Dust and a Brush, which they could obtain from the Motes. With all the pieces of the kit obtained, Oz told them to give her time to find the culprit. The traveler went back to the first-year classroom, where they told Francis about the threatening letter that Orchid had received.
Francis was shocked to hear that the ink had been smeared, making it appear as though it was a stalker letter. Realizing that everyone believed him to be a psychopathic criminal, Francis passed out from fear. Soon after, Neinheart called the traveler and congratulated them on sweating Francis out. They returned to the office, where they found Francis surrounded by Neinheart and the club captains.
Francis told them that his nervousness made his palms sweaty, which had smeared the ink, and proved that he hadn’t meant to threaten Orchid by showing an old draft of the letter. Everyone present agreed that the original letter was cringeworthy, but not stalker material, and agreed to help him woo Orchid.
To help him understand how to word love letters properly, the traveler went to the library in order to find a good romance novel. There, they met Elwin, who told them to eliminate the Motes that had stolen the books from the romance section. After the traveler brought the books back, Francis promised to read them and make a better love letter.
The next day, Francis left a new love letter for Orchid, but his sweaty palms once again made the letter seem like a threatening stalker had written it. As Dean Stan threatened expulsion and police involvement for the culprit, Francis fainted once again in class. (A/N: Please just arrest him so that I won’t be subjected to his simping anymore.)
Some time later, the traveler received a call from Nurse Hilla, who asked them to keep an eye on Francis, since her shift was over. In the infirmary, Francis asked them to find pills for him to feel better, even though the traveler cautioned him against taking random drugs. Just then, Elwin arrived and suggested finding fake medicine to use as a placebo for Francis, such as laxatives, which they obtained from the Motes.
After taking the laxatives, Francis began telling the traveler about why he had fallen in love with Orchid. He compared himself to the Greek mythological figure, Pygmalion, whose only love was a statue, just as he himself only loved his figurines. (A/N: Francis, I’m saying this for your own good: go outside and touch grass. And then stay there.) However, he explained that he had fallen in love with Orchid one day when he had found her standing in the rain. As he finished recounting, Oz and Irena arrived and told Francis how cringeworthy his story was.
(A/N: There’s a hidden quest that you can complete here. While fighting Motes during any part of this story, there’s a chance that they’ll drop a love letter that the bully wrote to Irena. If you find it before this moment, you can give it to Irena, who hates it. However, she notes that he did come around to being alright, despite still being creepy. She decides that she’ll tell him that he has no chance whatsoever and thanks us for bringing her the letter. We then get another unique title from completing this quest.)
Undeterred, Francis asked the traveler to find a photo of Orchid for him. They went to the original transfer student’s house and found a poster of Orchid, which they brought to Francis. (A/N: The original transfer student is the one whom you’re standing in for.) However, Francis demanded an actual photo, and so they went in search of Orchid.
The traveler learned from Cassandra that Orchid was on her way to a photo shoot. They caught her at the front gates and took a photo of her, but realized it was blurry, and so they ran after her to the city center. They then took another photo, but something came in the way of the shot, and so they continued chasing after her once again.
They followed her to the Drizzling Strolling Path, where they met Lily in cat form. She warned them that Orchid’s dark emotions were calling in Motes, adding that she feared that it would cause another Troublemaker to appear. After fighting their way through waves of Motes, the traveler finally found Orchid standing in the rain.
They quickly took a good photo of her and began to leave when Orchid confronted them, believing them to be her stalker. She told them that she had known all along that the letters weren’t threatening, as she had been able to read past the smears. She then took them to a park and told them that her brother, Lotus, had collapsed there three years ago after getting into a car accident. (A/N: How much do you wanna bet that FriendStory Phantom ran him over?)
She explained that the girls had loved Lotus and had been nice to her in order to grow closer to him, but when Lotus had suffered from his accident, they had turned their backs on her. Once she had become a pop star, however, those same girls had come flocking around her, and so she behaved coldly because she believed that everyone was fake like them. However, the traveler told her that there were bound to be those who liked her as she was, which caused Orchid to grow intrigued by them and exchange numbers.
(A/N: After getting Orchid’s number, there’s a special hidden quest that you can complete by calling Orchid consecutively for 30 days straight between 8-9pm UTC. You can’t miss a single day or else you’ll have to start all over again from day 1. As you progress through the calls each day, Orchid starts slowly opening up to you. She’ll tell us a little bit about how Black Wings Entertainment is overworking her, how she sometimes visits a comatose Lotus in the hospital, and she’ll occasionally let it slip accidentally that she’s falling in love with us, which allows me to add her to my list of bicons.
There are a few neat tidbits that we learn from her calls, like how Gelimer is the president of Black Wings Entertainment, and that she’s going to star as the villain in a movie called Black Heaven. She then makes a meta joke about how someone as beautiful as her can never be hated by the audience no matter how evil a villain she’s playing, which is a reference to how the writers started rewriting Maple World Orchid as a cute tsundere antihero who makes all the characters in the story conveniently forget that she’s responsible for half their trauma.
On the 29th day, Orchid will ask us if we’ve ever been in a pillow fight before and admits that she’s never been in one, though she claims that she would hit us repeatedly and asks us if we’d let her. On the last day, she tells us that her number got leaked, and so she won’t be able to answer our calls for a while. At the end, you get a special pillow fighting chair that has Orchid hit us with a pillow while Oz and Irena pillow fight in the background.)
The next day, Lily called them and explained that calming Orchid down had kept Troublemakers from manifesting.
(A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue during this part. When Lily notes that we handled Orchid well yesterday, Phantom will reply that he has no intention of being friends with Orchid, explaining that he had simply been playing along. He notes that Lotus seemed to have gotten into a car accident on Friends World, but just as he begins to describe the fate of Maple World’s Lotus, he decides to stop talking about it, claiming that it isn’t a good memory.)
The traveler then returned to Francis and gave him the photo of Orchid. They also told everyone about what they had learned from Orchid in the park, which moved them. Francis then gave them his next love letter and asked them to deliver it to Orchid so that it wouldn’t get smudged. (A/N: Or you could use a printer instead of a pen like a normal person.) They found Orchid in the music room, who was pleased to see them with a love letter. (A/N: If the player is female, Orchid will tell them that she feels strange receiving a love letter from another girl.) However, her face turned dark once they explained that her real stalker was Francis.
Just then, Oz called and asked if they had delivered the letter, as Francis was already waiting for her on the school roof. They rushed over, where they found Oz and Irena watching Orchid and Francis. There, Orchid brutally rejected Francis and began walking away when Francis asked why she didn’t want to date him.
Orchid told him that he only wanted her because she was famous, and that he knew nothing about her. However, Francis told her that he didn’t care if she was famous, and that he had fallen in love with her when she had been a stranger crying in the rain, which was the moment when he had decided that he wanted to save her.
However, Orchid told him that she didn’t need to be saved, and that she wanted a friend, not a white knight who wanted to fix her. (A/N: An actual progressive take on gender roles? In my MapleStory? Have the writers finally left the early 2000s?) As the traveler went to console Francis, they felt dark energy emanating from him, just as Elwin arrived to warn them. Francis then spawned a Forever Alone Troublemaker, born from unrequited love. They immediately fought off the Troublemaker, returning Francis back to his senses.
Oz and Irena then took him to the school infirmary and called the traveler to come see him. There, everyone began consoling him, though Francis refused to give up and resolved to find the right way to approach Orchid. Everyone was impressed by his dedication until he revealed his Orchid doll. He explained that he had realized that he had put Orchid on a pedestal instead of treating her like an actual person, and so he had decided that he would practice talking to the doll in order to get better at talking to her.
(A/N: This is not the worst method that I’ve heard of in my life. If you’re replaying FriendStory, there’s an alternate ending that you can unlock by choosing a different dialogue option. After Orchid rejects Francis, he’ll collapse on the floor in sadness. As he starts crying, we get the choice to leave him alone or comfort him. Leaving him alone will result in the regular ending, but comforting him will unlock the secret ending. We’ll attempt to make him feel better, but our words make things worse and cause the Troublemaker to pop up.
After we defeat it, the next scene in the hospital will go completely differently if you decided to make him feel better. As everyone consoles him, Francis will explain that he’s moved on from Orchid, as he’s now instead in love with us. He cites how we took good care of him over the last few days, how we delivered Orchid’s letter for him, even while knowing that it wouldn’t work out, and how we stood by his side when he was in pain from being rejected. He remains convinced that it was part of our complex plan to have Orchid reject him on purpose so that we could lift him back up ourselves.
Following this horrible alternate timeline, we go back to the Closet House, where Lily finds the situation absolutely hilarious. She jokingly tells us that we should’ve given him a chance because he’s cute in his own way, though he’s thankfully now gone back to simping for Orchid again after we thoroughly beat him up. Since Francis falls for us regardless of our gender, I guess he’s also one of the few explicitly bi characters in the game, although I’m excommunicating him from this small list of people because I refuse to be affiliated with him like this.
The next part is Chapter 3: Hilla and Magnus Sittin’ in a Tree. I can already tell from the title that the thirst of this world has not been quenched.)
Some time later, two students were flirting with each other when Hilla the nurse and Magnus the PE Teacher arrived to stop them, as dating wasn’t allowed at school, and took each to their respective offices.
Soon after, Hawkeye and Mihile were discussing what had happened between Hilla and Magnus with the traveler and Neinheart. Hawkeye brought them and Francis to the school rooftop, where he declared that they were now the Shinsoo School Players Club, and that they needed to hook up Hilla and Magnus so that they wouldn’t interfere with dating at the school.
(A/N: You know what, maybe I’m on board with this. If people can date each other, that means some of them might finally get together and stop their pining. Speaking of dating not being allowed at school, there’s a hidden mission that we can do by finding three hidden couples scattered across the school. There’s one on the rooftop, one near the bus stop, and one at the back of the school. After catching the students, we get a special title for completing the hidden mission, although we feel bad for doing it.
During Hawkeye’s explanation about the players club, he calls us “a crew of real men out for a good time”. If the player is male, we’ll say that this isn’t really what we signed up for. If the player is female, we’ll ask him who he’s calling a man.)
He then asked the traveler to find out what Magnus and Hilla thought of each other. The traveler learned that Magnus couldn’t stand Hilla because of her temper, and that Hilla had no opinion on Magnus. They returned to the school rooftop, where everyone reported that Magnus and Hilla would frequently argue. Hawkeye then suggested changing the environment around them in order to subliminally make them fall for each other by spreading photos and rumors online. After taking out-of-context shots of the two, the traveler pinned the photos at the front gate, hallways, and staff lounge.
Neinheart then suggested starting subtle rumors of the two, such as them both getting sick at the same time. However, Hawkeye took it too literally and asked the traveler to collect Flu Virus bottles from the infirmary. There, Elwin told them to collect the bottles from the Motes. After collecting the bottles, they mixed the virus into Hilla’s mug and Magnus’ water bottle. Soon after, both Magnus and Hilla were spotted with flu symptoms in the hallways and the rumors began flying. (A/N: And that was how COVID-19 started on MapleStory’s Earth.)
However, Neinheart told them that they needed Magnus and Hilla to take action themselves. Francis suggested an online tool that he had found, which took the first two letters of one’s name, converted them into numbers, and found the difference. He explained that there was a match if the difference was the same as the difference between one’s age and their crush’s age. Hawkeye decided to humor Francis and asked the traveler to get chalk, which they obtained from the Motes. They then drew the math problem on all the chalkboards across the school.
Just then, Cygnus called and asked them where everyone was, as no one seemed to be around lately, making her wonder if they were doing anything secret. The traveler then got the idea to pique Magnus and Hilla’s interest by getting them to talk about each other. They went to see Dean Stan to ask about Magnus and Hilla’s common interests, but he simply told them that the only thing that they had in common was that they fought with each other, and that they were close in age.
He suggested that they ask the security guard, who might know whether they got along better outside of school. Ericsson the security guard told them that Magnus and Hilla were perfect opposites, even down to their schedules, and suggested that they ask Orchid, who may have seen more. However, Orchid simply yelled at them for never calling and stormed off.
The traveler decided to ask Irena instead, who told them that trying not to think about someone would make one think about them more. The traveler then went to see Magnus in the staff room and insinuated that it was fate that he and Hilla always ran into each other and argued. Next, they went to see Hilla in the infirmary and asked whether she was in her early twenties.
Hilla blushed and said that she was nearly thirty, to which they told her that it was easy to find true love around thirty and pointed out that she and Magnus were around the same age. The next day, everyone began talking about how Orchid remembered everyone’s face except for Hilla’s and Magnus’, and how it must be fate. They then noticed how Hilla and Magnus hurriedly walked past each other without saying a word.
Neinheart told them that it was common for people to fall in love during times of crisis and suggested that they get Magnus to the infirmary. The traveler went to the front gates and borrowed soccer balls from Velderoth to kick at Magnus, but Magnus proved too strong for them. (A/N: Magnus loves throwing meteors at us so much, it’s high time that we throw some back at him.) The traveler fled the scene before Magnus could spot them, after which Francis called and asked what had happened.
Upon learning that they had failed, Francis asked them to come to the science lab. As soon as they arrived, Elwin rushed to them and explained that Francis had passed out while making a chemical, suspecting that the Motes had something to do with it. After hunting down the nearby Motes, they returned to Francis, who awoke and gave them a chemical to give to Magnus to drink.
They then tricked Magnus into drinking the chemical by telling him that it was a power drink, after which Magnus immediately fell unconscious. They took him to Hilla before locking the infirmary door and cutting off the power supply. Neinheart then looked through the surveillance camera, where they saw Hilla tenderly caring for Magnus.
The next day, Neinheart told them that they needed to get a love confession by organizing a private location, romantic music, and a special event. The traveler discovered Fountain Park and let the others know that it was the perfect place. They then tricked Magnus and Hilla into coming by telling them that a teachers’ outing was happening. There, they began playing romantic music, which finally prompted Magnus and Hilla to kiss.
Just then, however, Arkarium arrived and confronted the pair, asking if the rumors about them dating were true. Hilla and Magnus immediately began to insult each other while denying it before storming off. Arkarium then began wallowing in his misery about being single, inadvertently summoning a Born Single Troublemaker, born from eternal loneliness. (A/N: FriendStory Arkarium is definitely an incel, change my mind.)
While the others tracked down Magnus and Hilla, the traveler quickly defeated the Troublemaker and brought Arkarium back to his senses. Soon after, everyone returned and reported that Hilla and Magnus had discovered them. Though they had failed to set them up, everyone admitted that it had been a fun effort before leaving. A few days later, however, Hilla and Magnus still found themselves thinking about the other.
(A/N: There’s an alternate ending that you can trigger if you’re replaying this chapter. When Francis is about to play the music, he’ll say that his hands are sweaty and asks us to play it for him. Normally, we’ll tell him to play it himself, but if you’re replaying this chapter, you can choose to play the music yourself.
The rest of the story then proceeds the same, but at the very end, we get a bonus scene that has Hilla with her hair down inviting Magnus to the movies, which he accepts, confirming that they’re still dating in secret. At the end of this cutscene, we also get the ability to call Hilla. Technically, her number is already in our phone, but we can’t really call her properly until we unlock this ending.
This is the start of Chapter 4: Cassandra’s Tales of Totally Shocking Stuff. I’m begging you, Nexon. Please let the thirstiness end here. I’m too emotionally unavailable to relate to this.)
Some time later, several students gathered in a classroom to hear one of Cassandra’s scary stories. She told them a story about a student who had come to school at night because he had forgotten his cheat sheet the night before his test. He had gone to the music room to pick up his bag, where he had begun hearing a piano. Just as he had grabbed his bag, he had heard a voice telling him not to go, offering to play the piano for him. He had then remembered the story of the ghost in the piano room and how the ghost would play the piano all night until its hands bled.
Fearing that something terrible would happen if he heard the full song, the student had immediately run away and the piano had stopped the moment that he left the room. However, when he had tried taking a book out of his bag, a red hand had burst out and grabbed him. When someone asked what ended up happening to the student, Cassandra told them that he had passed out and had been found on the floor, after which he had moved away a week later.
Some time later, Neinheart called the traveler and asked them if they believed in ghosts. He explained that he didn’t, but he added that a strange rumor had been going around, and so he asked them to come to Cygnus’ office. There, Neinheart explained that Cassandra had been spreading rumors about ghosts and asked them to talk to her about it.
(A/N: Bless Cassandra for switching up the narrative. I forgot how much being in high school feels like a prison. Also fun fact: Cassandra is based on the character of the same name from Greek mythology, who was cursed by Apollo to divine prophecies that would never be believed. This storyline takes inspiration from her story, specifically about all the ghost stories that she tells.)
Upon arriving in the classroom, Cassandra told them that she felt a strange aura coming from them and declared that they weren’t from this world. She then laughed and explained that she was only joking before asking if they had come to hear a scary story. As she never repeated the same story twice, she told them to ask Oz about her most recent one, as Oz had heard the whole thing.
Oz told them about the ghost of the music room and asked them to investigate what was really going on. They went to the music room, where they met Elwin in dog form, who told them that it was probably the Motes. The traveler then found suspicious recorders and piano music on the Motes. They returned to Oz and told her that it was just a prank, which she was relieved to hear. Soon after, Neinheart arrived and told Cassandra to stop spreading false stories, showing her the recordings in order to disprove her words. Irritated, Cassandra swore to make Neinheart eat his words. That night, Neinheart found that the lights didn’t work and the bookshelves were moving on their own, toppling right onto him.
The next day, Cygnus called the traveler and told them about what had happened to Neinheart. They both went to the infirmary, where Hilla told them that his only injuries were a stubbed toe from when a book had hit it. Neinheart suspected that Cassandra was behind the incident and asked the traveler to investigate in his place. In the classroom, they found Cassandra telling a new story about the secret of Shinsoo International School’s Old Building.
She explained that even though the building was off-limits, it was easy to break into. A student had once been dared to touch the front gate when they had heard a voice saying, “It hurts… Go away…” (A/N: That voice belongs to me, slowly dying while finishing this storyline.) The voice had driven him mad and all he could think about was escape. When he had come back home, he had taken his shoes off and had found that they were covered in sticky blood.
One of the students in the crowd then shared that they had heard a rumor that the school had been built on an old graveyard without permission. Oz then asked the traveler to check out the old building for themselves. There, they found Lily and Elwin, who told them that more Motes had gathered around the old building. After defeating the Motes, they found large ketchup bottles and realized that it was yet another trick.
Just then, Ericsson the security guard arrived and chased them off. The traveler then went to see Oz and told her that it was yet another prank. Oz confronted Cassandra about spreading false stories, though Cassandra kept claiming that she was only saying what she had heard. Angry at the way that Oz had spoken to her, Cassandra vowed to teach her a lesson. That night, Oz found that the lights didn’t work in the science lab, just as the room caught on fire.
The next day, Cygnus called the traveler and told them about what had happened to Oz.
(A/N: If you’re replaying this chapter, there’s a special interaction that takes place on our way to the infirmary. We’ll run into Lilin, who asks us where the infirmary is. We can choose to ignore her or offer to walk her there. If we offer to walk her there, she’ll decline and ask us to just tell her where it is. After we tell her, she asks if we know the student president, Neinheart, and whether we’re a friend of his.
We tell her that we’re friends with Neinheart, although he’d probably say differently. She then tells us not to mention that she was here, after which she’ll storm off, although we’ll still get Lilin as a contact in our phone. Aran gets some exclusive dialogue when she meets Lilin, in which she notes that the girl, whose name she doesn’t know, looks a lot like Lilin from Maple World.)
They went to the infirmary, where Hilla told them that only the tip of Oz’s hair had been burned off. Cygnus wondered whether Cassandra had hexed Oz and Neinheart, but both Oz and Neinheart refused to believe it. Oz then asked the traveler to expose Cassandra for the fraud she was.
(A/N: If you’re replaying this chapter, you can complete a hidden mission around this part. If you talk to Oz, she’ll complain that she couldn’t go to the cafeteria because she was embarrassed by her burnt hair, and so she’ll ask us to buy her a Spicy Rice Cake Skewer, a Sandwich, and a Fish Cake from the food stand. Following this, we get a special title for completing this hidden mission.)
They went to see Cassandra and found her telling yet another story about how Ericsson wouldn’t say a word all day until midnight, when a baby could be heard crying somewhere in a low shrieking voice somewhere in the school. She revealed that inside the abandoned building, Ericsson would use a demon ritual to summon ghosts.
However, the students told Cassandra that her story was weak and demanded evidence. Just then, Elwin called and told the traveler that he had heard baby cries from the old building. The traveler went to the entrance of the old building, where Lily told them that Elwin had run away in fear. They entered the school and covertly followed Ericsson, where they found him feeding stray cats. Just then, Ericsson caught them and explained that he had been keeping the stray cats safe in the old building, and that they cried when he was gone. He also asked them not to tell anyone, as it was against school policy.
After Ericsson left, Lily and the traveler noticed a camera flash and saw someone going upstairs. They fought through several Motes on their way and found Cassandra on the roof. After confronting her, they learned that she had been taking fake photographs in order to make her stories seem real. Though she admitted to have been behind the recorders and the ketchup bottles, she swore that she hadn’t done anything to hurt Neinheart and Oz.
Just then, one of Cassandra’s fans appeared and told her that everyone knew that her stories were fake, but that she was impressed by Cassandra’s creativity. She then admitted to causing the incidents with Neinheart and Oz in an attempt to avenge Cassandra’s honor. When Cassandra asked in horror why she had done something like that, a dark aura began emanating out of Cassandra’s fan as her dark thoughts manifested a Two-Faced Troublemaker, born out of conflicting emotions.
After the traveler defeated the Troublemaker, Lily used her manipulation magic to remove those memories from Cassandra’s fan. The next day, Cassandra called the traveler and asked if they would come hear her story, claiming that it was a special one. There, she showed everyone the photo that she had taken of Ericsson and the cats and told them the true story, rather than making it seem scary.
(A/N: If we talked to Lilin during the story replay, there’s a bonus scene that plays here. Cygnus will meet with Neinheart in the infirmary, where she’ll ask him why he’s still wearing his bandages when he’s fully healed. Just then, Lilin - who had previously asked us for directions to the infirmary - will arrive. Neinheart is glad to see his sister, although Lilin shuts down his attempts at being friendly and explains that she only came to see if his foot is healed yet.
Neinheart tells her that it should be better soon before asking why she’s here so early, sternly adding that he hopes that she didn’t skip class. Lilin retorts that she’s not here to talk about herself, as she’s just here to check on him. She adds that he’s had his bandages forever and tells him that he should go back to the doctor. Cygnus then hesitantly interrupts and introduces herself, to which Lilin replies that she knows who she is and calls Cygnus “Miss Shinsoo-moneybags-whatever”.
Neinheart tells Lilin to mind herself, to which Lilin will tell her brother to mind himself, adding that she’s not the one crushing on Cygnus. Neinheart will be shocked, and even Lilin is surprised that she let it slip, as it seems like she hadn’t meant to. She then awkwardly decides to leave, hesitantly adding that it’s nice that he has lots of friends now. After she leaves, Cygnus expresses her surprise at Lilin’s personality, to which Neinheart explains that they’ve never gotten along.
Cygnus then realizes that Neinheart had been wearing his bandages on purpose, to which Neinheart explains that Lilin wouldn’t want to see him unless he had lied about still being injured. Nevertheless, Cygnus notes that Neinheart is grinning and asks him why. Neinheart replies that it’s because it’s been a while since Lilin had called him her brother. This is one of the few instances where I really want to see a continuation of FriendStory.
This is the start of Chapter 5: Students in Crisis. It’s me. I’m the student in crisis. Originally, this was the final chapter in FriendStory until Chapter 6 was added as an expansion. Chapter 5 very much feels like a season finale in this slice-of-life series, with Chapter 6 being more like an OVA.)
Some time later, Oz and Irena visited Hugh Head the tailor, who told them how there had once been a boy who had attended Shinsoo International School years ago, and that he had been so handsome that every boy around him had turned into a squid in comparison. (A/N: God help me, the thirstiness is back. At this point, I see no choice. I’m gonna repeatedly throw my character off the school roof until the fall damage does me in.) However, Oz and Irena told him that his story was ridiculous, though Hugh stuck with it and explained that the handsome student was getting a degree in education in order to become a teacher. Irena told him that she wanted to see that student in person, as she couldn’t believe that anyone was really that attractive.
Just then, Cygnus came into the store. After hearing the story of the handsome student, she confirmed that he was real, and that he was joining the faculty soon as a student teacher. Soon after, Neinheart called the traveler and asked them to come to the office immediately, too lost for words. There, they were shocked to find that Hawkeye had turned into a squid. Neinheart explained that yesterday, a girl had rejected Hawkeye after she had explained that ever since she had met the new student teacher, she had found him so attractive that every other boy looked like a squid in comparison. After Hawkeye had gone to see the student teacher, he had returned to them as a squid.
As 911 refused to take him seriously, Neinheart decided that they needed to investigate the student teacher themselves. (A/N: 911 is a GMS localization, as Seoul obviously doesn’t have 911 as their emergency number.) He gave the traveler a lesson plan and asked them to deliver it to the student teacher, hoping that it would give them an opening to learn more. The traveler went to the staff room and gave the lesson plan to the student teacher, who wondered whether they had met before.
(A/N: I knew that the White Mage was gonna be in this story, but I absolutely did not expect him to have a whole three-piece suit and an impeccable haircut. Because of that, I’ve decided that from now on, I’m the only person who’s allowed to simp in this godforsaken storyline because after all the suffering that I’ve been put through, I, and only I, deserve this right.
There’s also a hidden mission that you can complete here if you’re replaying FriendStory. If we talk to Hawkeye, he’ll complain about being the only squid. He then gets the idea that we should take a photo of the White Mage and show it to Neinheart, who’ll turn into a squid after comparing himself to the White Mage.
The GMS localization also has Hawkeye say: “That’ll teach Mr. High-and-Mighty! ‘Stop treating women like objects, Hawkeye!’' ‘Learn some common human decency, Hawkeye’ What a jerk.” I cannot properly express my affront at the GMS localization team for slandering Hawkeye’s good name like this.
After we take the photo and show it to Neinheart, he’ll get confused by why we’re showing it to him. Hawkeye will then get mad and ask Neinheart why he hasn’t turned into a squid. Neinheart will then proudly proclaim that he’s been voted Most Popular and Most Sophisticated two years in a row, and so he has high self-esteem. Hawkeye will then once again lament that he’s the only squid. We then get a special title for completing the hidden mission.)
After returning back to the office, Neinheart determined that the traveler was the only person who could resist the White Mage’s charm and tasked them with keeping an eye on him, as well as to figure out how to reverse the squid transformation.
(A/N: When Neinheart says this, our character wonders why none of them ever do anything, and honestly, where’s the damn lie? If we go by the hidden mission, he’s immune enough to put in work for once too.)
Elwin then called and told them that the situation with the White Mage had gotten well out of control, as things like people transforming into squids didn’t normally happen in Friends World. Elwin explained that he had detected a massive surge in dark energy, which had enveloped the entire school, adding that it had gone far beyond simple Motes or even Troublemakers. He believed that it was the reason why the squid transformations were happening, and why no one seemed to realize that it was anything more than casually odd. While he contacted Grendel, Elwin told the traveler to stay alert in order to determine the source of darkness.
Some time later, Dean Stan ordered the traveler to come to the staff lounge, where he told them that the school was in uproar. He then asked them to investigate a new organization called the SCRS. The traveler learned that the squids had formed the SCRS, the Squid Civil Rights Society, in order to demand equal treatment from the female students. They also learned about the other side called the PSTL, the Pale Student Teacher Lovers, who were demanding an end to the squids’ discrimination against the White Mage.
(A/N: A little known fact is that I’m actually the founder of the PSTL, but that’s the kind of lore that the game just isn’t ready for. On a more serious note, they refer to the White Mage as the Pale Student Teacher in this storyline, but I’ll be referring to him as the White Mage for consistency within this guide, as I don’t want to make it seem like they’re two different people.)
The traveler reported back to Stan, who decided to shut everything down. Just then, Elwin called the traveler and told them to head over to the library. There, Elwin explained that three Dust Zones had appeared at once, and that he feared that the students’ love for the White Mage was destroying the fabric of reality. (A/N: Damn, look at the raw power that I possess.)
At his behest, the traveler cleared up the Motes in the library, the science lab, and the music room. They then went to the school roof, where they found Ephenia, the PSTL president, bullying one of her members. After she left, they found Lily in cat form, who told them that Ephenia frequently bullied the members of her club, and that she was worried that everything was leading to something major like a final battle.
The next week, Dean Stan announced that the White Mage would be holding one-on-one mentoring. In Cygnus’ office, Neinheart told the traveler that the new trend had been to get a one-day date pass with the White Mage, who was considering opening a slot on the weekends for his mentoring sessions. He then tasked the traveler with obtaining the weekend pass in order to destroy it, hoping that it would stop the craze that was taking over the school. (A/N: I have a better idea. Why don’t I take the pass for myself and fight anyone who gets in my way?)
The traveler went to the third-floor classroom and ran into Ephenia, who was organizing a competition to get the weekend pass. She had hired a man in a dog suit named Kemdi, who administered a quiz for the pass.
(A/N: Kemdi used to be an NPC in charge of minigames before he was removed from the game. His quiz is honestly so brutal. I would highly recommend using a guide for this because it asks the most random questions, like whether it’s true or false that Lake Baikal is in the USA. It’s actually false, Lake Baikal is in Russia.)
The traveler successfully answered the most questions correctly, infuriating Ephenia.
(A/N: Stay mad Ephenia, I’m the only one legally allowed to simp for him around these parts. If we’re replaying the chapter, we get a special dialogue with Kemdi, who gives us a bonus question in exchange for the White Mage’s number. Thankfully for me, this question is really easy to answer because the answer is just the bonus dialogue, “Kemdi”.)
Neinheart then arrived amidst the confusion and tore the pass into several pieces, claiming that it should still be good for each person. As everyone rushed to cash it in with the White Mage, Dean Stan arrived and mandated that there would be no dating between students and teachers.
Eventually, it was the White Mage’s last day as a student teacher and the PSTL members gave him a grand sendoff with many tears. After he left, Lily called the traveler and told them that the original student whom they had switched places with wanted to talk to them. The traveler returned to the Closet House, where the student explained that they were ready to switch back.
In order to complete the switch, Lily explained that she needed to remove the traveler from the memories of all the students. When they asked about the Troublemakers, Lily told them that the Magician Association would take over protecting the other world, as they had safer ways of keeping watch over the border between worlds. She allowed them to call one person to say goodbye to before she erased everyone’s memories. (A/N: You get to choose the person to call.)
After the call, Lily went to the school entrance and cast the spell to wipe everyone’s memories. She then headed back to Maple World with Elwin and told the traveler to come back once they were ready. As the traveler took one last look at the school, they suddenly received a phone call. The traveler was surprised, as the memory wipe meant that no one should remember their number.
The voice on the other side told them that he wanted to speak with them before they left, as he wanted to know about the traveler’s identity, powers, and the world that they belonged to. He told them to take the bus to Sunset Lot, where they encountered a horde of Motes that they fought through. Upon defeating them, they found the White Mage waiting for them. Inexplicably, the traveler was unable to recognize him beyond realizing that he seemed familiar.
At the same time, in Hugh Head’s shop, Hugh was telling Oz and Irena that the handsome student had black hair and tanned skin, confusing the girls. Just then, Blackbull walked into the stop and Hugh introduced him to them as the handsome student who was to begin his student teaching. Cygnus and Neinheart then walked in and told Oz and Irena that when they had contacted the White Mage’s university for his credentials, they had been told that there was no such student who had ever been enrolled there. Neinheart also told them that he had found all the letters and flowers that the students had given to the White Mage in the trash.
(A/N: Well that explains a lot. My toxic trait is simping for people who care about me even less than I care about them. The implication here with Blackbull being the handsome student is that he was the actual student that Hugh Head was talking about, and that Cygnus just assumed that they were the same person because the White Mage had falsified his educational history. She saw that he was an alumnus of her school, and after seeing how handsome he was, she made the assumption that he was the student from Hugh Head’s story.)
Back in Sunset Lot, the traveler realized that the White Mage didn’t belong in Friends World, to which the White Mage replied that he could say the same thing of the traveler. He pointed out the traveler’s strange behaviors, such as talking to Elwin and Lily in their animal forms and hunting Motes, claiming that no one in Friends World did such things. The traveler demanded to know his identity, to which he merely replied that he was a student teacher, just as they were a transfer student.
Claiming that he couldn’t give his secrets away, he told them that it had been fun watching them and learning about the world that they had come from, as well as their powers and the strange occurrences in the city. The traveler asked how he could remember them after the memory wipe, to which he asked if they had thought that it was a coincidence that the barrier between their worlds had been opened. He explained that a door between realms could not be opened only from one side, and that if Elwin had been able to open the door, it was only because he had also opened the door from his side.
(A/N: In the Heroes of Maple storyline, it’s explained that the absence of Transcendents in Maple World caused the balance of the world to fall apart, which weakened the dimensional barrier between Maple World and Friends World. As a result, both Elwin and the White Mage’s efforts to breach the barrier between their worlds allowed for the creation of the portal in Closet House.)
Promising that they would meet again, he left the traveler a Squid Troublemaker as a parting gift, one custom-made by the White Mage. The traveler defeated the Troublemaker, surprised that the White Mage was able to summon one on his own.
They returned to the Closet House, where they explained everything to Grendel. After hearing their story, Grendel realized that the dark energies in Friends World had been invited in. He explained that there were shared elements between Maple World and the other world, and that the people of Friends World would soon face a similar evil to the one on Maple World.
When Lily asked whether they had the right to interfere in the problems of another world, Grendel decided to take it under consideration, as he felt that it may be their responsibility to stop the threat of evil from Maple World threatening another world. He also suggested that they could always send the traveler back to help, as they needed a hero to combat such a villain. A few days later, the original student returned to the school and introduced themselves, just as the traveler returned back to school and greeted Neinheart and Cygnus, with Lily having restored everyone’s memories.
(A/N: Finally, we have Chapter 6: Damien and the Spirit of Rock, the last chapter of this torturous saga.)
Some time later, Boogie went to Cygnus’ office and ran into Neinheart. She tried asking Neinheart whether it was too late to sign up for the upcoming contest at the festival, though her timidity made it hard for him to understand her. Neinheart then brought her the necessary forms in order to sign up. That night, Boogie went to the music room, having forgotten her sheet notes, where she encountered Damien and his band practicing. (A/N: His band members are human versions of the Root Abyss bosses.) She also heard them trashing her song after having found her sheet notes.
The next day, the traveler encountered several fans of Damien on the way to school. Neinheart then called the traveler and explained that there was a disease going on around school. On their way to school, the traveler ran into Elwin in dog form and discussed the strange people whom they had met on the street. Elwin suspected that the new transfer student had something to do with the strange trends. In Cygnus’ office, Neinheart told everyone that the disease of rock and roll had infected the school after Damien had transferred in.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he expresses his shock that Damien is alive in this dimension. He then wonders whether he might be able to see Damien again in this world.)
Just then, Cygnus and Mihile appeared in full rock aesthetic, which proved Neinheart’s point. (A/N: Okay but they look really good like this. Can everyone in this game get a rock and roll makeover?) Hawkeye then suggested that they make their own band in order to beat Damien, though Irena was less than enthusiastic about the plan. Exasperated, Neinheart asked the traveler to find Damien in order to learn about his goals.
In the third-floor classroom, they were shocked to find Mihile, Cygnus, and several other students who had all trashed the room and turned it into a rock hall. They learned that Damien was practicing at the Old School Building, where Elwin told them that the Motes had taken over the abandoned classrooms.
However, he explained that these Motes had been spawned from the infected students, and that fighting the Motes may hurt their friends as a result. In order to circumvent this, Elwin gave them a musical weapon made by Grendel in order to vaporize the Motes. After fighting their way to the roof, they encountered Oz, Hawkeye, and Eckhart. Just then, Damien and his band revealed themselves atop a makeshift stage made up of stacked-up desks.
(A/N: If the player is the Demon, Damien will be momentarily shocked upon seeing the Demon’s face, wondering if they’re his brother. However, he quickly dismisses the thought, telling himself that there’s no way that’s possible.)
The traveler and Damien then engaged in a rock battle, though Damien’s sound overpowered theirs. Damien revealed that they were using the school as a stepping stone in order to move on to bigger heights. They also made fun of Boogie, claiming that she had no talent. Just then, Irena appeared and claimed that Damien’s band was weak, vowing that she would decimate them. She and Damien then made a bet that the losers would have to moon the entire school. (A/N: What kind of stupid bet is this? Actually, nevermind. I forgot that this is a high school.)
The next day, Oz called the traveler and told them to come for practice on the school roof. While determining which song to perform, Irena asked them to collect music sheets from the music room so that they could practice each song. In the music room, the traveler found Damien speaking with Neinheart about the order of appearance for the bands in the contest. After he left, Neinheart told them that Damien would routinely transfer to schools and dominate the music scene for a month before moving on. The traveler then collected the music sheets from nearby Motes.
Just then, they heard a terrible noise coming from the roof and realized that it was the band playing. With the sheet notes, the band began practicing for hours, though they didn’t improve at all, with several staff members even coming in to let them know that they were awful. Frustrated, they decided to book a practice room, though they realized that they needed money for it.
They went to see Hugh Head, who offered them a job using a sewing machine. As none of them had any experience with one, the traveler attempted to use it and accidentally destroyed a pair of pants in the process. Just then, Damien arrived and demonstrated how to properly use a sewing machine in order to outclass them. Neinheart then called and told them to go to Sunset Lot for a part-time job.
There, they encountered Elex leading a construction crew and asked for an opportunity. He told them to lift sacks and called over Damien, who had started working part-time there, in order to show them how. Unwilling to be outclassed again, Irena attempted to lift all the sacks and fell in the process. (A/N: After realizing that there are no open jobs left, Hawkeye says, “No jobs. Absolutely no jobs. Thanks, Obama!” I think this is my favorite GMS localization ever.)
Dejected, they decided to go to Granny’s food stand, where they found Damien working there as well. After his shift was over, Damien walked away and the others noticed that his fingers were bandaged up, showing his dedication to practice. Upon learning that everyone was willing to give up, Irena apologized for selfishly dragging them into the situation and told them that she would work out the bet with Damien herself. After she walked away, they realized that Irena was dejected because she was graduating that year, and that it was her last chance to leave a mark. Feeling ashamed, they decided to make it up to her.
The next day, Neinheart called and asked what they had been up to, as Elex had complained about their actions at the construction site. The traveler asked him about where Irena was, to which he replied that she would soon be dropping by the infirmary. There, the traveler met Neinheart and Boogie waiting for him. Neinheart asked them to get fever medicine, as Hilla had stepped out. After the traveler recovered it from the Motes, Neinheart administered it to Boogie, just as Irena arrived.
At Neinheart’s insistence, Irena decided to tell the traveler the truth. She told them about how she had comforted Boogie about graduation by telling her that they could make good memories before they left by performing her song at the festival. After hearing how Damien had trashed her song, she had decided to outclass him in the concert in order to avenge Boogie.
The other members of the band then arrived and agreed to help as well. Boogie also agreed, provided that Irena perform her song. Over the next month, the band spent all their time practicing and improving, elevating Boogie’s song to new heights. With their new sound, they successfully cured Cygnus of her rock fever and took a group photo.
On the day of the festival, Hawkeye called and told the traveler to meet in the auditorium. At the front of the school, the students were enjoying the festival and rumors were flying that Irena’s band would face off against Damien’s. In the auditorium, the band was nervous about performing when they noticed that Boogie was missing. Just then, Stan arrived and ordered someone to help collect pamphlets from the library.
The traveler decided to help and took back the pamphlets from the Motes. As they made their way back to the auditorium, they heard Damien’s bandmates discussing how Boogie had run off. The traveler asked Damien what his problem was, to which he explained that he had devoted his whole life to music, adding that the traveler couldn’t expect to be the hero with clever one-liners. (A/N: I’d take clever one-liners over magical Adversary powers any day.)
After the band found out about Boogie, Irena realized that she would be at the Drizzling Strolling Path, as she always went there when she felt upset. There, the traveler found Lily, who told them that several students had been possessed by the Motes. After freeing the students, they found Boogie and put Irena on the phone. Irena told Boogie that she would support her decision no matter what. The traveler then returned to school, where Damien and his band gave a spectacular performance.
Though it was time for their band to perform, Irena kept holding it off in the hope that Boogie would come. Sure enough, Boogie came to cheer Irena and the rest of the band on. With Boogie’s support, Irena and the others gave an even better performance that won the contest. Realizing that he had lost, Damien’s anger caused the ground to quake as he summoned a Proud Troublemaker, born from the unwillingness to lose.
(A/N: If the player is the Demon, right before the Troublemaker appears, Damien will express his shock that he lost and say something like, “If I don’t become a rock star and meet my brother…”, suggesting that FriendStory Damien is estranged from his brother in some way. If the player is a female Demon, Damien will say “sister” instead of “brother”.)
Lily and Elwin immediately used their magic to blind everyone, giving the traveler enough time to defeat it. After Damien came back to his senses, Irena told him that she would cancel the bet as long as he apologized to Boogie. Damien refused to apologize, claiming that her band’s performance was inferior. However, he admitted that Boogie’s song wasn’t half-bad before walking off.
A few days later, Cygnus asked Neinheart if he had a version of Boogie’s song that had been sung by Boogie herself. Neinheart told her that there was a sample track that Boogie had submitted with her registration. While searching for it, Cygnus realized that Boogie had submitted it after the deadline, though Neinheart amusedly denied knowing about it before admitting that there were things more important than rules, such as making memories. (A/N: Mercifully, we’re finally done. Despite how much I hated everyone’s thirsting, FriendStory had a certain charm with its cast and I definitely wouldn’t mind more chapters.)
Hero of Seoul:
Due to the barrier between Maple World and Friends World thinning, a high-school boy from Seoul gained the power of psychokinesis and decided to use his new skills to become a superhero, giving himself the name Kinesis. Kinesis began to make a name for himself by intervening to rescue people, and his popularity soon grew online. Together with his tech-savvy friend, Jay, and his girlfriend, Yuna, Kinesis began learning to control his powers.
Some time after gaining his abilities, Kinesis ran a training program created by Jay in order to assess his capabilities. After finishing the program, Jay told Kinesis that Yuna was looking for him at school. There, Yuna - as well as Jay, remotely - reminded Kinesis to keep his identity secret, as he had a tendency to veer towards the spotlight. Yuna then asked him to collect signatures to renovate the gymnasium, reminding him that he was the president of the student council. While he collected the signatures, Kinesis was amused to learn about the various rumors that the media was posting about his true identity.
Jay then contacted Kinesis regarding the monsters which he had fought a few days ago and asked him to return back to their hideout. There, Jay told Kinesis that he had been tracing an anonymous user known only as WM, who kept posting blocks of text and code. Jay explained that he and several other hackers had attempted to decode them, but they had soon noticed that the timestamps on WM’s posts lined up with the appearances of the strange monsters. Because of this, WM had gained a cult following, with many believing that he was some sort of prophet.
(A/N: Once again, the lore that they won’t tell you is that I’m the founder of that cult, and this time, I’m also claiming presidency before Ephenia can.)
Jay explained that he had been able to decrypt WM’s code because he had realized that WM was using a local TV broadcast to encrypt the messages, which was why his non-Seoul colleagues hadn’t been able to figure out the encryption. However, Jay noted that it had been exceedingly simple to decrypt the code once he had understood the missing element, almost as though WM had wanted it to be uncovered.
With the decrypted text, Jay had been able to learn exactly when and where the monsters would appear and told Kinesis that the most recent post suggested that the next attack would be that night at Kinesis’ school, the School for the Gifted. Though he advised Kinesis against going, believing it to be a trap, Kinesis insisted on rushing in without a plan.
Inside the school, Kinesis found several students being terrorized by Motes. After fighting them off, Kinesis asked Jay about what kind of monsters the Motes were, to which Jay replied that there were rumors of dust monsters at a nearby school. (A/N: This is a reference to the events of FriendStory at Shinsoo International School.) Jay asked Kinesis to collect whatever remnants the monsters left behind, and so Kinesis collected Twisted Dust Balls while continuing to save the students.
As he moved through the school, Kinesis started getting the feeling that someone was watching him. Suddenly, his head began throbbing and he soon blacked out for a moment, causing him to lose control of his powers, resulting in the desks and chairs levitating around the classroom. After waking up, he dismissed it as him being tired and decided to return back to the hideout. On his way, he encountered a black cat on the street and decided to take it home before naming it Nero. He then gave Jay the Twisted Dust Balls from the Motes and left him to analyze them.
The next day, Jay told him that he was mystified by the Motes, as they seemed to be like ghosts, even though he knew that it wasn’t possible. Nevertheless, he explained that he had found another code from WM. Kinesis immediately asked Jay to direct him to where the next attack would happen.
However, Jay replied that he knew that Kinesis was hiding something, as he had lost the uplink with him last night at school, even though the Psy-Limiter had shown a spike. Kinesis explained that he had passed out and had momentarily lost control of his powers, which immediately worried Jay. He began telling Kinesis that he didn’t feel comfortable sending him into the field in such a condition, but suddenly, an emergency news report announced that an unknown assailant was attacking people at random in Seoul’s Hannam subway station.
Against Jay’s recommendation, Kinesis rushed to the scene and defeated the Motes attacking people on the subway. As he made his way through the subway cars, he encountered several Troublemaker monsters. After defeating them, he contacted Jay to report in. Jay told him that Nero had gone missing, which worried Kinesis. Kinesis waited for the subway cars to stop moving so that he could get off, but he quickly realized that the subway wasn’t stopping at all.
Suddenly, an announcement broadcasted that regular service on the train had been interrupted and advised caution. Just as Kinesis’ head began throbbing again, the White Mage appeared before him. (A/N: He’s wearing a trenchcoat, what impeccable drip.) The White Mage greeted Kinesis and called him special, explaining that Kinesis was the first human of their world to have gained abilities from the other, unlike the traveler from Maple World who had come to Friends World already with powers. The White Mage’s eyes then turned red as he explained that Kinesis was the catalyst that he had been looking for. The White Mage then used his powers to cause a massive sinkhole to manifest around Kinesis, dragging in everything within a large radius of the city.
Soon after, Yuna rushed to the hideout and met with Jay, who reassured her that Kinesis hadn’t died in the sinkhole, but rather, he had been sucked inside it. He told Yuna that the sinkhole had appeared to have caused everything within its radius to go missing, rather than being destroyed. At Yuna’s disbelief, Jay told her that though she may not have noticed, he hadn’t merely been playing heroes with Kinesis.
He then asked her whether she had heard about the theory that their world was shrinking. Yuna explained that she might have read it somewhere in a scientific magazine, to which Jay replied that it wasn’t merely a conspiracy, but rather, it was an actual phenomenon that scientists had carefully observed. He explained that it was more correct to say that their world was being absorbed by another.
Jay revealed that while the changes were so subtle that most people didn’t feel it, their world might disappear entirely in the near future. He explained that in the midst of unknown forces absorbing their world, Kinesis had simultaneously developed powers that defied all known laws of physics. Yuna then realized that Jay had been helping Kinesis with his powers in order to gather data, rather than to humor Kinesis’ theatrics of being a superhero.
(A/N: As I’ve mentioned before, Friends World is a parallel world that exists in the same dimension as Maple World, with the three dimensions created by the Overseers being Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum. The absence of Transcendents in Maple World caused the barrier between Maple World and Friends World to weaken enough that the White Mage and Elwin could create a portal. However, the White Mage is now taking things one step further by using Kinesis and his powers as a catalyst to fuse their two worlds together.)
Meanwhile, Kinesis awoke at the Magician Association headquarters in Ellinia, where he met a wolf magician named Three Moon. (A/N: Fun fact, Three Moon’s name in KMS is Owl, like the sound of a wolf howling.) To his surprise, Nero appeared and transformed into a girl, who introduced herself as Nella Medionel Roonia, which she explained meant ‘half-child of the sacred moonlight’ in the ancient tongue. As she began explaining how she came from an important magician family, Kinesis laughed and continued to call her Nero, much to her annoyance.
Nero then told him that she had tried to stop him from meeting the White Mage, but she hadn’t been able to successfully tail him. When Kinesis expressed his confusion, she told him to wait for her master, Grendel the Really Old, to arrive and explain everything. While they waited, Three Moon asked Kinesis to help prepare dinner.
Nero led Kinesis to the forest, where he collected bird eggs from the Sparrows and firewood from the Axe Stumps. When Grendel still didn’t arrive after dinner, Three Moon recommended that Kinesis and Nero search for Grendel and advised them to meet with Fanzy. Upon meeting with Fanzy, however, the two were told that Grendel had just returned to headquarters.
Back at the Magician Association, Kinesis was officially introduced to Grendel, who explained that the White Mage of Friends World had exploited Kinesis’ powers in order to create a massive sinkhole in Seoul. Upon seeing Kinesis’ shocked expression, he agreed to answer any questions that Kinesis had. Grendel first told Kinesis about the Magician Association, explaining that the organization had been created in order to establish a unified center of research that could be shared with all magicians in order to prevent knowledge from being lost, such as when the Black Mage had first devastated Maple World. (A/N: This sounds a bit like the Mage Tower that had taken in the White Mage as a child.)
He told Kinesis that he had many apprentices, including Nero, and that he had sent magicians to keep tabs on Kinesis’ world once they had become aware of it, with Nero being chosen to watch over his city. (A/N: I love how Grendel just decides to keep calling her Nero, even when she calls him out on it.)
Kinesis asked Grendel why the Magician Association had brought him to Maple World, to which Grendel explained that the sinkhole had kept growing larger while Kinesis remained inside of it, which had made it necessary to extract him. Once Kinesis had been brought to Maple World with the combined powers of all the Magician Associations’ summoners, the sinkhole had ceased to expand.
However, the laws of physics had stopped working inside the sinkhole, making it impossible to assess the damage, though he promised Kinesis that Yuna and Jay were safe. He then told Kinesis that he would need to remain in Maple World until he mastered his powers for his own safety, as well as the safety of his friends.
Grendel added that the Magician Association was equally curious about Kinesis’ powers, as psychokinesis was extremely rare in Maple World, despite how common magic was. Grendel noted that he found it strange how Kinesis had developed his powers when Friends World lacked even the most basic magic, but added that the White Mage was capable of seizing Kinesis’ powers and pushing them to untold heights.
However, he explained that the Magician Association could help him control his powers, as Nero had been the one responsible for helping him regain control of himself the night before at school with her Restraining Magic. He also told Kinesis that the White Mage of Maple World had performed the unthinkable centuries ago in their world, and as Maple World and Friends World were linked, it was likely that similar events would be mirrored in Friends World.
Having had all his questions answered, Kinesis began training with Nero in order to master his powers. For his training, Nero had him collect tails from Evil Eyes and Cold Eyes, as well as to fight Curse Eyes. While training, Kinesis encountered several talking brooms, which Nero explained had been enchanted by Elwin after he had been inspired from a TV show that he had watched in Friends World. (A/N: This was a fun callback to Elwin from our adventures in FriendStory.)
Having gained more control of his powers, Grendel agreed that it was safe for Kinesis to return to his own world. After reuniting with Jay and Yuna, Kinesis learned that several people had gone missing in the sinkhole, and that they were likely on Maple World. Kinesis resolved to rescue them and went to visit Three Moon.
(A/N: What I find interesting is how turbulent the world merge between Friends World and Maple World is compared to Maple World and Grandis. During Zero’s storyline and Will’s Genesis Weapon liberation flashback, it was mentioned that Maple World was much larger than Grandis, and both Hilla and Will speculated that the collision would destroy both worlds.
However, the two worlds fused seamlessly during the events of Convergence, with pretty much no adverse side effects. In contrast, the fusion of Maple World and Friends World seems a lot more violent, with a giant sinkhole devastating Seoul, as well as people being sucked into Maple World or even trapped between worlds, which you’ll see later.)
With Three Moon’s help, Kinesis was able to rescue the missing people at Ellinel Fairy Academy, Gold Beach, the Swamp Region, and Riena Strait. Kinesis then returned to the Magician Association, where he discovered that all the missing people had stayed behind in order to thank him. After they left, Kinesis began feeling guilty for having caused the disaster, but the magicians reassured him that the blame lay solely with the White Mage.
Kinesis then asked about the other missing people, to which Three Moon explained that the rest of them were stuck in the dimensional crack between Maple World and Friends World. Kinesis then realized that the missing people would snap back to Friends World if the source of the sinkhole were stopped. Elsewhere in Friends World, the White Mage was walking in the crowded streets, where the billboard broadcasts announced the return of the missing people. The White Mage was pleased that Kinesis had grown faster than expected, though he decided that he could wait no longer.
Meanwhile, Kinesis continued to develop his powers and was sent by Nero to the Excavation Site in order to keep training. Some time later, Jay contacted Kinesis and told him that Yuna had seemed depressed lately. Right after Kinesis headed for school in order to find her, Yuna returned back to the hideout. Suddenly, a Troublemaker smashed through the window and kidnapped her. Jay immediately called Kinesis and explained the situation. Kinesis rushed after Yuna and ran into Nero, who led him to the subway. Kinesis began chasing after the Troublemaker and fought his way through the powerful Omens.
(A/N: Omens being made by the White Mage of Friends World is interesting because his Maple World counterpart inadvertently created them while researching light and dark magic, which might suggest that the White Mage of FriendsWorld is doing something similar.)
Kinesis caught up to the Troublemaker at the edge of the sinkhole, where it jumped inside with Yuna. Realizing that it was a trap, Kinesis and Nero went to see Grendel in order to plan out their next move. Soon after, news reports began covering an unexplainable tornado that had formed in the sinkhole, which had resumed expanding with no signs of stopping. At the Magician Association, Grendel explained that the properties of the sinkhole had changed ever since the tornado had manifested. Kinesis asked what the White Mage wanted, to which Grendel explained that though it was just a hasty guess, he believed that the White Mage was attempting to merge their worlds.
(A/N: The image shown during Grendel’s explanation depicts Friends World, Maple World, and Grandis, which are the three worlds currently in the process of merging together. However, whereas Friends World and Maple World are merging because of the White Mage’s attempts to use Kinesis as a catalyst, Maple World and Grandis are fusing because they were originally one mega-world until the Overseers separated them into different dimensions and used the Transcendents’ presence to maintain that artificial separation, which is starting to fail as the Transcendents of Maple World disappear.)
Though their worlds were separated by dimensional barriers, Grendel explained that certain conditions could break them and create a pull towards each other. Jay asked what would happen if the worlds merged, but Grendel replied that no one knew and suggested that perhaps only a god could perceive the result. Kinesis realized that his powers were an abnormal phenomenon born from the aftermath of their worlds’ collision. He then wondered whether he was the first of many others who would develop such powers.
Three Moon then tasked Kinesis with preventing the dimensional cracks from collapsing in order to save the people trapped inside them. Kinesis first went to Aqua Road to stabilize the cracks. Soon after, Three Moon summoned him back to headquarters and gave him a letter from the Empress, who invited him to join the Maple Alliance. Kinesis recognized Cygnus from Shinsoo International School, as the two had collaborated for inter-school events many times in the past. He then met with Cygnus in Ereve and joined the Alliance.
Some time later, Three Moon sent Kinesis to stabilize the dimensional cracks in the Nihal Desert, after which he told Kinesis to continue training in order to close the sinkhole once and for all.
After training and honing his skills, Kinesis maxed out his Psy-Limiter, which made Grendel believe that he was finally ready to face the sinkhole. Kinesis and Nero made their way to the sinkhole, where the powerful tornado was still blowing. Inside the sinkhole, Kinesis fought his way through the Omens and reached the eye of the storm, where he was shocked to find Yuna as the source of the tornado.
Kinesis then saw that the White Mage had appeared and demanded to know what he was. The White Mage called himself a liberator who had given the gift of freedom to their world, such as how he had liberated the power of the tornado from inside Yuna. He explained that Kinesis had given him no other choice, as he had needed to create another catalyst in order to help him in the absence of Kinesis' power. He also added that by choosing Yuna, he had ensured that Kinesis would return back to Friends World as well.
Kinesis vowed to defeat the White Mage, who merely laughed at his confidence. He told Kinesis that people loved him for his noble deeds and asked how long it would last, explaining that power was both feared and hated. With the breach between the two worlds growing, the White Mage told Kinesis that there would be more people with powers appearing, and that not all of them would be heroes.
Kinesis told the White Mage that he sounded as though he had been around forever, to which the White Mage conceded that perhaps he had, claiming that his current incarnation was not his first life. The White Mage then asked Kinesis if he had ever wondered about the reason for his own existence. He claimed that he knew why he himself existed, before clarifying that he remembered why.
(A/N: I couldn’t find a good way to phrase this sentence, but the White Mage first asks if Kinesis remembers why Kinesis himself exists. He then goes on to say that he knows why he himself, the White Mage, exists, before clarifying that he remembers why.)
The White Mage explained that he existed to break down barriers, and that he had been brought into existence in order to fulfill a great purpose to this end. However, Kinesis told the White Mage that he was merely hiding behind fancy words, claiming that he was really just a coward who hid behind his plots before calling him the worst kind of villain.
The White Mage merely laughed and told Kinesis that he had a friend who had once told him something similar. He then told Kinesis that everything that had transpired was a test to see if Kinesis had the strength to stand at the final stage in another world. The White Mage then disappeared and left a Master Omen in his place, which Kinesis managed to defeat.
(A/N: There are couple of important points that we learn about the White Mage and his goals during his conversation with Kinesis. The White Mage being able to remember his past lives originally suggested that he might have been a mortal Transcendent who reincarnated. However, with the revelation that Friends World is just a parallel world, rather than its own dimension, it’s possible that the White Mage is actually the reserve to the Black Mage, holding the power of light as the Black Mage holds the power of darkness.
Since Friends World and Maple World share a dimension, it’s just as likely that a Transcendent or their reserve could exist in either world, since the criteria for the Overseers is that there just need to be three Transcendents per dimension to maintain balance. It’s also strongly suggested that the White Mage of Friends World is aware of the Black Mage of Maple World, and that they might even be in contact with each other. When he says that he wants to see if Kinesis can stand at the final stage of another world, he’s almost certainly talking about the final battle against the Black Mage at Tenebris, which means that he’s aware about the Black Mage’s plan on some level.
Since he’s also been testing Kinesis throughout his storyline in order to make him stronger, we can also interpret it to mean that he’s grooming Kinesis as an Adversary who can defeat the Black Mage at the final stage of Maple World’s conflict. Because of this, we can reasonably assume that the White Mage is an element of the Black Mage’s plan to create the Arcane River and destroy the Transcendents of Maple World.
We know that the Arcane River was created from the Erdas generated in the collision of three worlds, and that its existence is said to be a phenomenon representing the convergence of those three worlds. We can see this clearly in Vanishing Journey, where you can find elements from Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World, such as broken mushroom houses from Henesys, portions of the buildings in Pantheon, and all of Reverse City. The Black Mage began fusing Maple World and Grandis by sealing away himself, Rhinne, and Alicia, which caused Maple World to begin fusing with Grandis in order to reestablish its natural balance.
Meanwhile, the White Mage is attempting to fuse Maple World and Friends World by opening a portal at the same time as Elwin, after which he used Kinesis - and later Yuna - as a catalyst to accelerate the fusion of their worlds, which would give the Black Mage the Erda that he needs to create the Arcane River, as well as to make Kinesis strong enough to be an Adversary who can complete the Black Mage’s plan to destroy himself and break the Overseers’ hold on Maple World.
Simultaneously, Maple World’s energies have begun to seep into Friends World, causing people to awaken with magical powers, which the White Mage is planning to use for his own unknown purposes. If it’s true that the Black Mage and the White Mage are in collusion, it’s possible that the White Mage has awakened as the new Transcendent of Light, and that he’s making preparations to destroy himself, just as the Black Mage had done.
There’s also one more interesting thing that the White Mage tells Kinesis, which isn’t strictly related to his plans. In the GMS translation, when Kinesis calls him a coward who hides behind his plots, the White Mage laughs and tells him that it’s not the first time that he’s been called that. In the original KMS translation, however, he tells Kinesis that a friend had once said the same thing to him. Since the life events of characters from Friends World correspond to that of their counterparts, based on what we know about the White Mage’s life, it’s likely that the friend whom he’s referring to is the Friends World equivalent of the mercenary who met him in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum.)
Nero then used her containment magic on Yuna to stop the tornado and took her back to the hideout. There, Grendel congratulated Kinesis on closing the sinkhole, though he added that the barrier between their worlds had become irreparable, meaning that Friends World would soon become consumed by Maple World. However, Grendel mentioned that it wasn’t the first time that something like that happened, speculating that it had perhaps all been planned centuries ago by the Black Mage.
Grendel then told Yuna that she now had the power to control the wind. Yuna’s surprise caused the wind in the room to start swirling until Nero told her to calm down. Grendel explained that the failing barrier between the two worlds meant that more and more people would soon find themselves with similar powers. Kinesis then decided that he would create his own organization, similar to the Magician Association, in order to help them learn to control their powers and use them for good, which would prove the White Mage wrong.
(A/N: With the confirmation that Tynerum is the third world created by the Overseers, it’s all but confirmed now that Tynerum will be the focus of the story after Grandis. However, that doesn’t mean that Friends World is totally out of the picture, as its existence as a mirror to Maple World - and Grandis, as it fuses with Maple World - means that there are plenty of things that the writers can do to keep it relevant, especially since we know that the Black Mage factored it into his plans.
When Grandis was first introduced to the game, they added some basic lore with Kaiser and Angelic Buster during the Tempest patch, and then they left it alone for a good five years until they picked it back up in the Nova update. Since then, they started seeding more Grandis lore periodically with new classes and new theme dungeons, which slowly built up the Grandis story in the background, even while the main Maple World plot continued developing primarily.
If that model is anything to go by, I’d wager that in the next couple of years, they’re gonna start releasing more Tynerum or Friends World classes and storylines to gradually introduce some more plot threads, so that when the Grandis story gets wrapped up, they’ll have a decent number of pieces to play around with in order to keep up the momentum of the story, rather than having to start over from scratch.
If I could have one wish come true, I’d love for the main villain of Tynerum to be a corrupt Transcendent of Time, which would complete the set of an evil Transcendent of Light and a Transcendent of Life being the antagonists of their respective arcs. Even putting aside how aesthetically pleasing that would be, the Transcendents of Time have historically been next to useless, as literally all they ever do is just have their powers stolen by someone else and then get sealed.
Zero is the closest thing that we have to a relevant Transcendent of Time, and even then, the game has retroactively made them an imperfect Transcendent who doesn’t count as a real one because of them being divided, just so that they can continue existing in the game while simultaneously allowing Nexon to continue with its narrative of destroying all the Transcendents in the game. It’d be nice to have a subversion of that where the Transcendent of Time becomes the strongest out of the three.)
Siege of Heliseum:
(A/N: The Heliseum prequests were initially one of the most exhausting quests in the entire game. Y’all can’t even begin to fathom just how much I suffered while doing them over and over again for every single Grandis class while also taking notes on the whole thing. I spent almost two months just on this section alone, and good god, those might have been the longest two months of my life. I’ll spare you the misery and the melodrama, but I honestly deserve a goddamn medal for this. And maybe a vacation to KMS headquarters so that I can give the story team a piece of my mind.
Fortunately, the Heliseum storyline was revamped alongside Angelic Buster during the KMS Fall 2023 update, which significantly shortened the quests and streamlined them into a singular narrative, as well as standardizing the level requirement from level 90 to 100. Before the revamp, Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena had significantly different questlines than other classes, and they were also much longer than the regular one. At the same time, these quests built upon and expanded their class stories in a much-needed way, especially with Cadena, and so I consider those quests to be an integral part of their storylines.
The original Heliseum storyline, which you can see in the pre-Destiny page, was formatted to have four different storylines in their own sub-sections (the generic story, Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena). Because of the way that the revamp has changed the flow of the story, however, I think that I can keep everything under one section under the generic title of “Alliance member” for everyone’s storyline, with the exception of certain portions of exclusive dialogue for those three main Nova classes, as well as certain other Grandis classes. Because of this, I’ll make notes about where those special storylines converge and diverge from the generic story.
As an important disclaimer, I’ve been unable to find any playthroughs online of Cadena’s revamped Heliseum prequest, as the one video which someone put up got taken down before I could make a backup of it. Because of this, this section will unfortunately remain incomplete until the update comes out to GMS. However, from the small skim-through I did, most of her story seems almost all-but-identical to the pre-revamp version, and I’ll make certain notes about important details from her story that are lore-relevant.)
Having increased their strength since repelling Magnus’ invasion of Pantheon, the Nova began their operation to retake Heliseum. With Edea appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Nova army and Piston as her second-in-command, their forces were able to push into Heliseum and establish the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.
As the battle began, Kaiser was summoned back to Pantheon by Beldar, who told him that the Nova had finally begun the operation to retake Heliseum. Though he admitted that Magnus was a formidable foe, he explained that they couldn’t put it off any longer, as they needed to recover the Outrigger, a holy relic given to the Nova by their Ancient Gods. In order to gather allies, Beldar asked Kaiser to deliver a letter to the Cygnus Knights in Ereve.
In Ereve, Kaiser delivered the letter to Neinheart, who told him that the Alliance needed to hold a conference to discuss the matter. At the conference, Claudine and Athena Pierce were informed by Neinheart about the Nova. Athena noted that though she knew about Grandis, it was strange to work with people from an entirely different world. Claudine pointed out that if the Nova were asking for help in defeating Magnus, a former Commander, it was inevitable that the Alliance would want to aid them.
Neinheart agreed and added that he felt uneasy about the fact that Magnus knew about Maple World, even though they knew almost nothing about Grandis. He explained that it may even be a good opportunity to gather information about Gerand Darmoor. Though the Alliance remained in agreement to send help, Claudine pointed out that it would be difficult to mobilize a large number of troops, to which Neinheart explained that he wasn’t planning to, as it would be too difficult to send a large force to another world.
He also noted that the Nova themselves wouldn’t want many troops from a foreign power in their homeland when trust hadn’t yet been fully established. Because of this, Neinheart explained that he would send only volunteers and the Alliance’s most elite soldiers to assist the Nova in their operation. Kaiser then returned back to Pantheon and informed Beldar about the Alliance’s plan to reinforce the Nova.
(A/N: These next few quests are the Heliseum intro quests for several Grandis classes, most of which follow the same format. For some weird reason, all Grandis classes besides Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and Cadena are treated as though they come from Maple World because they’ve all been given the generic storyline. These classes typically have a class-exclusive quest to initiate the Heliseum prequests, followed by a class-exclusive quest after retaking Downtown Heliseum. Although I separated out these quests in the old version of this section, I’m listing them all out here in a serialized way, since that’s how I’m doing this current version of the section.)
Soon after, Kylan summoned Illium to Pantheon and told him that Beldar had requested aid from the Maple Alliance about reclaiming Heliseum. Illium noted that Beldar didn’t trust him, but Kylan told him that Beldar might see the Verdant Flora in a different light if Illium were to help the Nova. Illium went to see Beldar, who told him that though he still didn’t trust him, he trusted Kylan’s recommendation. He then asked Illium to travel to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ in order to meet with Piston and Edea. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
Meanwhile, Kaiser contacted Ark to let him know about the good news that he had mentioned during their encounter in Sleepywood and asked him to come to Pantheon. He reassured Ark that the barrier wouldn't affect him as much, since was stronger now, though he warned that Ark would still feel weaker. In Pantheon, Kaiser told him that he had convinced the Council to allow Ark to join the Heliseum Reclamation HQ, though he added that not everyone had agreed. Even though he knew that Ark didn’t have bad intentions, Kaiser explained that he still needed proof that the Nova would be safe, since it was his responsibility as the Guardian.
However, he then added that Ark’s lack of hesitation to help those in trouble served as proof enough to him. He also told Ark that though he hadn’t been able to tell him before, the people who had arrived in Pantheon earlier had been Verdant Flora, adding that Ark may encounter them soon. Ark was hesitant about the news, as he was worried about how the Verdant Flora would take his presence as a High Flora. Nevertheless, he went to Pantheon and met Beldar, who directed him to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
Elsewhere, Adele received a letter from Fenelle asking for her aid in retaking Heliseum. She traveled to Pantheon and met Beldar, who told her that though he didn’t trust her, he was willing to work with her because of Fenelle’s recommendation. He told Adele to meet with Piston and Edea at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
Some time later, Fenelle reached out to Khali and explained that the Nova were fighting to retake their capital, and that now was their chance to do so. She then asked Khali to return to Pantheon in order to aid them. Khali noted to herself that the Nova had believed in and helped her, a High Flora, and so, she decided that she would be happy to help if she could. Fenelle asked her to learn more from Beldar, who told her that though he didn’t trust her, he was willing to work with her because of Fenelle’s recommendation. He told Khali to meet with Piston and Edea at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
Meanwhile, Kain received a letter from Gen, who wrote that the Nova were planning to retake Heliseum and asked him to assist them, as the Nova were one of the Shadowdealers’ biggest clients and their loss would affect the Shadowdealers. In exchange for access to the Shadowdealers’ intelligence network, Kain agreed to help the Nova. Kain met Beldar in Pantheon, who recognized him by the new name that Gen had given him. (A/N: This is just the IGN of the player.) He then directed Kain to meet with Edea and Piston at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
While on her travels, Lara was approached by Kain on behalf of the Shadowdealers, who told her that the Nova were preparing to retake Heliseum. Kain was surprised that Lara readily accepted his request without even considering stipulations, payments, or even details. He connected her with Beldar in Pantheon, who explained their situation and asked her to travel to the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. (A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one.)
Elsewhere, Hoyoung received a letter from Fenelle asking for his aid in retaking Heliseum. He traveled to Pantheon and introduced himself to Beldar, who was surprised to see an Anima not in hiding. He then asked Hoyoung to meet with Edea and Piston at the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.
(A/N: The rest of this storyline is the same as the generic one. With the Grandis classes out of the way, here’s the starting quest for non-Grandis classes.)
Soon after, Neinheart reached out to an Alliance member and explained that he was contacting them in regards to an important Alliance matter. He asked them whether they had heard rumors about another world and revealed that they were true. The Alliance member traveled to Ereve, where Neinheart told them that according to various records and verified data, there were indeed other worlds besides Maple World, and that one of them was a world called Grandis.
He explained that amongst the people of Grandis, a race called the Nova had already established good relations with the Alliance, as both the Nova and the Alliance had a common enemy in Magnus, a traitorous Nova who had once been a Commander of the Black Mage. He told the Alliance member that though the Alliance had been preoccupied with matters concerning Maple World, it was clear that there were grave threats from other worlds that they were facing, which was why they were working with the Nova to learn more about them.
He then asked the Alliance member whether they would be willing to take on a new mission to help the Nova gather information in their mission to retake Heliseum from Magnus. He revealed that he had specially chosen them for the mission, as they had already demonstrated great courage and strength throughout their service to the Alliance. The Alliance member accepted Neinheart’s request and used the Interdimensional Portal to travel to the Great Temple in Pantheon, where they met with Fenelle.
Fenelle greeted them as a hero of Maple World and told them that she had been told that Maple World would be sending warriors to help the Nova, adding that she hoped that the relationship between the Nova and the Alliance would continue to prosper. She then led the Alliance member to Beldar, who expressed his sincere gratitude to them for lending their aid. He explained that the Nova had been planning to retake Heliseum for many years, and with the appearance of powerful warriors like Kaiser and Angelic Buster, the Nova had gone forward with their plan to retake the capital by establishing the Heliseum Reclamation HQ.
However, as Magnus’ Specter army was too strong for them to face, he asked the Alliance member for their aid in the battle. After the Alliance member accepted, Beldar asked them to meet with Tiron at the dimensional door to Heliseum. There, the Alliance member found Tiron crying. (A/N: If the player is Angelic Buster, Tiron enthusiastically fanboys over her before he randomly goes back to crying like in the regular script. Talk about whiplash lol.)
Tiron explained that Specters had just attacked HQ, and that the two Nova commanders – Edea and Piston – had rushed in to rescue the soldiers cut off from the others. Though he had faith that Edea and Piston would be safe, he told the Alliance member that he was worried that the operation was taking much longer than usual, with the number of soldiers holding the barricade growing smaller.
The Alliance member immediately rushed into the battle, where they encountered Edea and Piston holding the line. Edea recognized the Alliance member as the reinforcements from Maple World and asked them to help defeat the Specters. (A/N: If the player is Kaiser or Angelic Buster, Edea and Piston will recognize them immediately.) After retaking HQ, Edea thanked the Alliance member for their help and noted that their battle prowess was incredible, especially after hearing that the Alliance had sent only its most elite soldiers.
(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, in which Edea notes that Kaiser’s battle prowess is incredible, and that he truly is that Kaiser of their generation.
Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this line, in which Edea notes that her battle prowess is incredible, despite her delicate appearance.)
Edea and Piston then introduced themselves before explaining the situation at HQ. Edea explained that the Specters had been attacking quite frequently, though the most recent attack had caught them off-guard with the sheer size and scale of the surprise operation, which made her believe that it was due to a lack of intel on their part. As HQ was lacking in many other things, Edea explained that their first priority was to reestablish their operations before continuing the fight.
Piston told the Alliance member that the Specter Battle Hounds had played a major role in sniffing out HQ, for which he asked them to defeat the monsters. After defeating the Specter Battle Hounds, the Alliance member returned to Piston, who told them that their efforts had helped free the supply lines. However, in order to open them up further, he asked them to defeat the Specter Shieldbearers in the Forest of Choices.
With the Forest of Choices opened up, Edea asked them to check with the quartermaster, Harpoon, about their supply problem. Outside the tent, the Alliance member met Harpoon, who introduced himself and his twin brother, Maroon. Harpoon explained that he and Maroon had chopped off their horns on different sides in order to help people tell them apart.
(A/N: I’m guessing that the Nova don’t have nerve endings on their horns, kind of like hair or fingernails on humans, since cutting off her horns was a huge source of trauma for Cadena. Most likely, they just chopped off the superficial parts of their horns, while Cadena cut her horns from the roots.)
Harpoon then asked them to collect Dinogoth Tails in order to restock their rations. After collecting the meat, they returned back to Harpoon, who thanked them and explained that their next focus was to obtain armor. He revealed that thanks to the help of a great warrior, he had learned that they could take the shields of the Specter Shieldbearers for wood. (A/N: In the original Heliseum prequest, Cadena was the one responsible for giving Harpoon this idea. I’m assuming that this detail has been preserved in Cadena’s new story.)
After the Alliance member obtained the shields, Harpoon thanked them and explained that Edea was looking for them. Back at HQ, Edea told them that with their supply lines and rations secured, she hoped to focus on strengthening the soldiers. She explained that though their soldiers had been trained in Pantheon, none of them had ever faced someone as strong as the Alliance member, and so she asked them to spar with the soldiers in order to help them grow stronger.
After the Alliance member agreed, Piston led them to the training field, where he introduced them to the soldiers and explained that they were a warrior from another world who had come to help them. (A/N: For Kaiser, Piston introduces him as the Kaiser of their generation, while he introduces Angelic Buster as “the famous Angelic Buster”.) He then asked the Alliance member to demonstrate their skills by sparring with the soldiers. After the sparring session, Edea thanked the Alliance member for their help, noting that it would go a long way in making the soldiers ready to retake Heliseum.
Soon after, Edea told the Alliance member that many of the soldiers had unexpectedly asked to spar with them again, as they had been invigorated by the Alliance member’s skills and passion. The Alliance member agreed to another round and fought the soldiers once more. After the battle, Edea told the Alliance member that in addition to training the soldiers, they would need to obtain stronger weapons for the battle.
She revealed that the Nova had a powerful weapon called the Blue Dragon Cannon, which was capable of breaking down a city wall in a single blow, though most of it had been lost years ago during the first battle against Magnus. However, she explained that Eurenth, once known as the Great Sage of the Nova, knew how to restore the weapon. Edea asked the Alliance member to speak with Eurenth, though she warned him that he was rather eccentric, for despite once being a great sage, he was now a recluse who never left his hut in the Forbidden Forest. She also warned them not to mention her name to him, as he would grow even more upset because of it.
The Alliance member traveled through the Forbidden Forest and arrived at Eurenth’s hut, where Eurenth noted that they were a warrior of another race. He explained that he had always been a proponent of gathering the aid of other races, adding that it seemed as though the Nova were finally listening to him.
(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces this interaction. When he arrives at Eurenth’s hut, Eurenth recognizes Kaiser by his armor and notes that the new Kaiser seems to have resurfaced quite late, adding that it gives him a bad impression of him.
Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue here. When she arrives at Eurenth’s hut, Eurenth recognizes her from the rumors circulating about an idol. He then notes sarcastically that he’s heard stories about strange people coming to Grandis, though it seems that the strangeness hasn’t stop there. Nevertheless, he feels the power of the sacred stone that Angelic Buster carries, surprising her with his perception as the Great Sage. He then asks her why she’s come to him with the power of a sacred stone.)
The Alliance member then asked him whether he knew how to restore the Blue Dragon Cannon. Eurenth explained that though he did, he couldn’t share that information with just anyone.
(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he insistently tells Eurenth that it’s crucial in retaking Heliseum. Eurenth then recognizes his sincerity and agrees to consider sharing the information.
Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she insistently tells Eurenth that it’s crucial in retaking Heliseum. Eurenth bitterly retorts that Heliseum never should have been taken in the first place, though he nevertheless agrees to consider sharing the information.)
In order to test them, he asked them to obtain the tears of Popo, his pet Kaloong, who was a special monster capable of speech. He explained that Popo only cried for people that it liked, though he hadn’t been able to get Popo to cry for him in years. He told the Alliance member that if they could get Popo to cry for them, it would mean that they were truly a special person worthy of the knowledge.
The Alliance member spoke with Popo and learned that though Eurenth considered it a pet, he never actually fed it. Popo revealed that the Yellow Speeyor monsters had stolen its jewel, and so it asked the Alliance member to recover the jewel in exchange for its tears. The Alliance member recovered the jewel and brought it back to Popo, who ate it and revealed that it was actually candy. For their help, Popo gave them a bottle of its tears.
Popo then revealed that the reason why Eurenth lived alone in the woods was because the Nova had ignored his counsel, which had resulted in Magnus taking over the capital. Since then, Popo had refused to shed its tears for Eurenth, as it wanted him to change his mind and continue helping his people. Popo explained that it hoped that Eurenth would reconcile with his disciple, as it didn’t want to see him stuck in a rut anymore.
(A/N: Eurenth’s characterization has been vastly changed in the revamp, as he was originally the typical pervy sage character, which was a trait that he shared with pre-revamp Eskalade. I’m very thankful that both their characters were changed because watching them sexualize children was honestly one of the worst parts of playing through Angelic Buster’s story.)
The Alliance member then brought Popo’s tears to Eurenth, who was surprised that they had been able to obtain them. He then presented his documents on the Blue Dragon Cannon and revealed that though he had initially planned to withhold them until the Heliseum Council would beg him for it, he would nevertheless give them to the Alliance member, just as he had promised. He then told the Alliance member to hurry and give the documents to Edea. The surprised Alliance member asked how Eurenth had known that Edea had sent them, to which Eurenth told them that only his former disciple would know to send them to him.
The Alliance member then returned back to HQ and gave the documents to Edea, who revealed that though she had once been Eurenth’s disciple, she had stopped considering him her teacher after he had gone into exile. After looking through the documents, Edea realized that the cannon, which converted willpower into energy, would be difficult to restore with the lack of supplies at headquarters. She explained that the amplification device couldn’t be built with their current resources, as the required materials would need to be obtained outside Pantheon.
As the Nova had cut off all trade routes with external merchants after the fall of Heliseum, Edea realized that only way to obtain the materials without establishing a new trade route would be to work with the Shadowdealers. She explained that the Shadowdealers were black market merchants who worked in the shadows. However, she revealed that the scale of their operations was huge, as they had even handed the secret of creating Vision Bombs to the High Flora.
(A/N: Vision Bombs were briefly mentioned in Cadena’s story in a throwaway line about how Mr. Hazard sold Vision Bomb tech to the High Flora. They finally made their debut in the Arteria storyline, in which it’s revealed that Vision Bombs are highly potent poison bombs.)
Though the Shadowdealers weren’t directly allied with the High Flora – only siding with the highest bidder – Edea told the Alliance member that she had wanted to avoid dealing with them unless it was absolutely necessary, despite the fact that they had reached out to the Nova several times in the past. She then gave the Alliance member a D-03 Transmitter and told them to work with the Shadowdealers to obtain the amplification device for the Blue Dragon Cannon.
At the meet-up spot, the Alliance member contacted a Shadowdealer named Tonero, who recognized the signal as Edea’s and noted his surprise that she had finally reached out to him. After the Alliance member clarified that they had been sent on behalf of Edea, Tonero traveled to the meet-up spot personally and met with the Alliance member. Upon learning that they wanted an amplification device, Tonero agreed to help them in exchange for Specter Cores.
After the Alliance member obtained the cores, Tonero was impressed with how quickly they had returned and noted that they were quite powerful. He also noted that the situation with the Nova seemed to have changed as well, and upon learning that the Nova were planning to retake Heliseum with the help of the Alliance, he told the Alliance member that he believed that the Nova had a high chance of victory.
He then revealed that he hoped to establish trade with the Nova, as they were major race cut off from the outside world, which meant that there would be no other competition. He added that he would always have an ample amount of trade opportunity whether the Nova prolonged the war or retook Heliseum, as they would need military materials during the battle and resources to maintain the capital.
He explained that he had been hesitant to support the Nova initially, for it would be impossible for them to defeat Gerand Darmoor, even if they were to defeat Magnus. However, with the support of allies from outside Grandis, he noted that there was a chance for victory. He then gave the amplification device to the Alliance member and told them to give it to Edea as a show of trust that their transactions were trustworthy.
The Alliance member brought the device to Edea and told her what Tonero had told them. Edea explained that she had been worried about the Shadowdealers taking advantage of their war, for which she decided to speak with the Heliseum Council in order to decide their next move in regard to an alliance with the Shadowdealers.
(A/N: These next parts are listed separately for the sake of continuity, but they happen smoothly within the flow of the current story for Kaiser, Angelic Buster, and classes who follow the generic story. Cadena’s part of the story is supposed to take place before the rest of this, as hers focuses on obtaining the schematics for the Blue Dragon Cannon from the Shadowdealers. After she obtains them, she asks Coney to create special modifications to the weapon, which is the backstory for one of Cadena’s 5th job skills called the Apocalypse Cannon, which is a reforged version of the Blue Dragon Cannon combined with Shadowdealer tech.)
As the Nova began restoring the Blue Dragon Cannon, Edea reached out to the Alliance member and asked them to help obtain High-Quality Oil from the Red Speeyors in order to make the weapon run smoothly. After the Alliance member obtained the oil, Edea thanked them and explained that they would continue working on restoring the weapon.
Soon after, Edea called Kaiser to HQ and asked him to help them with testing the weapon, which had been mainly completed, with the exception of the amplification device. Though Kaiser admitted that he had never fired such a weapon before, Edea explained that for the Blue Dragon Cannon, willpower was more important than artillery skills, which was why she had chosen him for it. Edea told Kaiser that as the amplification device hadn’t been installed, the weapon’s firepower would be minimal and perfect for him to do a test run.
Kaiser traveled to the construction site of the Blue Dragon Cannon, where he marveled at how large it was. By honing his willpower, Kaiser was able to fire the cannon, which let out a large explosion that Kaiser noted was already powerful, despite the amplification device not being installed. Kaiser then reported his findings to Edea, who was impressed to know the weapon’s efficacy. She then told him that the coordinates would soon be set, and that the operation would soon begin.
Edea then called Angelic Buster and explained that they were in the process of gathering the right coordinates for the Blue Dragon Cannon to fire upon. She then asked Angelic Buster to help Tiron, who was busy calculating the coordinates. Angelic Buster then helped protect Tiron from invading Specters while he finished the necessary calculations.
Having successfully obtained the coordinates, Edea contacted the Alliance member and informed them that all the necessary preparations had been made for launching the weapon. However, she explained that though the weapon had immense power, the true operation would begin after launch. Kaiser then activated the Blue Dragon Cannon, after which the Nova and the Alliance fought to drive back the remainder of enemies.
With Piston’s guidance, the Alliance member continued driving the Specter army into the valley near the outskirts of Heliseum, where Edea unleashed a massive wave of lightning to destroy them all at once. With Magnus’ forces in shambles, the Nova were able to push forward and establish a new base camp in Downtown Heliseum.
Edea and Piston then told the Alliance member that before they could push forward to retake Tyrant’s Castle, they would first need to properly setup their new base in the black-market district. The Alliance member began working with Tiron to defeat the Specters near the base. As the Alliance member defeated the Guerrilla Specters, Tiron was amazed by how many Specters had been deployed by Darmoor, causing him to wonder whether the Specters were all made somewhere.
The pair then began clearing out the Specter Engineers, with Tiron noting that there were no Nova living in Heliseum, as the entire capital was filled with nothing but Specters. He speculated that the Nova who had been unable to flee to Pantheon had already been killed long ago. Moving further into downtown, they began eliminating the Power Specters. As they did, Tiron pointed out that Magnus had filled the entire city with low-intelligence Specters who had no leader directing them, which made him believe that Magnus was shut inside the castle for some unknown reason.
After clearing out downtown, the Alliance member returned back to Edea, who told them that based on Tiron’s investigation, she could conclude that the reason why Magnus had left Heliseum overrun with Specters was because he had no interest in the city itself, as his true goal was the Outrigger, which she explained was a holy relic that the Ancient Gods of the Nova had left behind to protect their people.
(A/N: Angelic Buster gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Eskalade expresses his outrage at a traitor like Magnus attempting to take the power of the Outrigger.)
She then told the Alliance member that their next mission was to scout out Tyrant’s Castle in order to confirm that Magnus was inside. She asked them to check the castle, though she noted that they would likely be unable to enter the throne room due to a barrier. However, she warned them not to enter if they found themselves able to enter, as Magnus and his defenses were too dangerous for them to handle alone without preparation.
The Alliance member infiltrated Tyrant’s Castle and arrived at the throne room, which they found to be locked. They reported back to Edea, who realized that the locked door meant that the three Guardians of Heliseum were still active. She explained that the three Guardians were responsible for keeping the keys to the throne room, and that Magnus had swayed two of the three Guardians to his side when Heliseum had fallen, which was how he had been able to take the castle so easily.
(A/N: For Kaiser and Angelic Buster, Edea notes that they must already know about the three Guardians, with Kaiser and Angelic Buster both noting that the three Guardians protect the throne of Heliseum.)
In order to take the keys from the Guardians, Edea devised a plan and asked the Alliance member to defeat the Purple Reagent Rocks and Red Reagent Rocks in the eastern part of the castle. After the Alliance member defeated them, they reported back to Edea, who revealed that Treglow, the eastern Guardian, had created the creatures long ago, and that they still appeared to be active. She then asked the Alliance member to investigate the basement, which they found to be locked with a chemical seal. Edea explained that Treglow would often lock his laboratory in order to block out distractions, though she had several books which he had lent to her, which outlined the creation of his chemical seal.
After looking through the books, Edea told the Alliance member to obtain Purple Reagent and Red Reagent in a 3:2 ratio, which would break the chemical seal. The Alliance member used the reagents in order to melt through the seal before reporting back to Edea. Edea explained that Treglow had been a genius scientist adept in various fields, though chemistry had been his greatest. Despite being celebrated by the Nova, his thirst for achievement had been insatiable, which Magnus had taken advantage of by sending spies to support his research for a long time, procuring books and materials from the High Flora that were difficult to obtain.
Eventually, Magnus had given Treglow a cursed reagent several days before the fall of Heliseum, which he had claimed was extremely useful. Because of the cursed reagent, Treglow had lost his mind, resulting in him obeying Magnus’ orders blindly in his madness. The Alliance member then entered Treglow’s lab and defeated him, taking his key in the process.
With Treglow’s key, the Alliance member returned back to Edea, who noted that though she couldn’t sympathize with Treglow, she was relived that her old colleague’s suffering had been put to an end. She then told the Alliance member that though she was surprised that Treglow had been alive, she was certain that the western Guardian, Victor, was dead. However, she told them to check his workshop in order to see whether his creatures were still there, which would prove that he was actually alive.
In Victor’s workshop, the Alliance member defeated the Red Totem Staffs and Blue Totem Staffs before reporting back to Edea, who was shocked that Victor was still creating minions, despite his death. She asked them to check Victor’s workshop to see what condition he was in, as she was curious to know how he had seemingly survived. The Alliance member peeked through the door and saw that Victor was nowhere in sight.
They reported back to Edea, who asked them to obtain the key. Inside, however, they encountered a magical canvas that began attacking them. After they defeated the creature, the Alliance member obtained Victor’s key and his diary. They gave the diary to Edea, who read through it and learned that long ago, Victor’s fiancée had passed away after falling ill, leaving Victor so heartbroken that he refused to see anyone else, only painting pictures obsessively.
Soon enough, an anonymous sender had given Victor a magical canvas said to bring anything painted upon it to reality. Victor had earnestly drawn his fiancée, though the canvas continued creating only dolls of her. Over time, Victor had felt his soul being bound to the canvas as he compulsively kept drawing upon it.
Edea explained that the diary ended with Victor declaring that he would end his pain by taking his own life. She told the Alliance member that she felt rather shaken to know the fates of her fellow Guardians, and that the magical canvas which they had fought must have been Victor, with his soul trapped inside it. Nevertheless, she took Victor and Treglow’s keys and began combining them with her own.
Just then, however, a Nova soldier arrived and reported that Piston had been seriously injured. At the infirmary, Edea and the Alliance member met with Piston, who explained that Velderoth had attacked them, and that he had become a new Guardian of Heliseum, replacing Edea.
(A/N: Kaiser and Angelic Buster both get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they express their shock upon hearing that Velderoth has sided with Magnus. They also get some exclusive scenes following this, which I’m listing out separately because they intersect with the generic story. For the purposes of this section, I’m making the assumption that Kaiser and Angelic Buster are both present while visiting Piston, regardless of whether or not they’re the player character.)
Soon after, Edea met with Kaiser and noted that he had once been close friends with Velderoth, to which he told her that he had never thought that Velderoth would join Magnus. However, Edea reminded him that they were at war, and that he needed to focus, as such things sometimes happened in war, just like how she was facing her former friends, Victor and Treglow.
Though Kaiser apologized, Edea told him not to be sorry and admitted that a letter had come for him some time ago, which she now realized had been from Velderoth. She explained that in the letter, Velderoth had challenged Kaiser to a one-on-one, and that he had claimed that he would withdraw the Specter army if he lost. Though Kaiser realized that it was likely a trap, he asked Edea to let him follow through with it so that he could reason with his old friend. A hesitant Edea asked him whether he was ready, to which Kaiser vowed that he would handle Velderoth personally if he confirmed that Velderoth had sided with the enemy.
Some time later, Edea met with Angelic Buster and noted that she had seemed quite surprised to hear about Velderoth. Edea then asked whether she knew anything about him, to which Angelic Buster explained that she had once been close friends with him. Edea sympathized with Angelic Buster, though she also reminded her - just like Kaiser - that they were at war, and that she needed to focus, pointing out how facing old friends could sometimes happen, just as she had faced Victor and Treglow.
Though Angelic Buster apologized, Edea told her not to be sorry and admitted that a letter had come for Kaiser some time ago from Velderoth. She explained that in the letter, Velderoth had challenged Kaiser to a one-on-one, and that he had claimed that he would withdraw the Specter army if he lost. Edea noted that it was an obvious trap to separate Kaiser from the rest of their forces, and though she had faith that their forces would be ready for the ambush, Edea asked Angelic Buster to follow Kaiser in order to ensure that he remained safe.
Edea then realized that the Specters would be launching another attack while Kaiser was drawn away, and so she ordered Tiron to locate the Specter army so that the Nova could attack first, which she believed would deal a huge blow to Magnus. Together, the Nova and the Alliance member successfully launched a counterattack that wiped out the remaining Specters.
Meanwhile, Kaiser - with Angelic Buster secretly following - arrived to find Velderoth, augmented with greater power. Kaiser confronted Velderoth and demanded to know how he could have sided with Magnus. Velderoth asked Kaiser whether he remembered when they had first faced Magnus, and how – despite being Kaiser – he had been nothing more than a child before Magnus.
Velderoth revealed that he had come to realize that Magnus was the path to greater, overwhelming power, which was all that mattered. A shocked Kaiser told Velderoth that power was meant to help others, not to dominate them. However, Velderoth told Kaiser that he could continue using his freely-handed power in such a foolish way, while he would use the power that he had earned from Magnus however he wished.
Kaiser told Velderoth that though he had no desire to fight him, he would fulfill his duty as Kaiser and defeat any who had betrayed the Nova. As he transformed into his Kaiser form, Angelic Buster solemnly thought to herself that Velderoth really had betrayed them. Kaiser then fought against Velderoth, while Angelic Buster secretly dispatched the Specter reinforcements which Velderoth had called for.
After a fierce struggle, Kaiser managed to best his former friend, who was surprised to find that Kaiser had grown even stronger. However, Velderoth laughed that he had only been buying time for the Specter army to overrun the black-market district. Declaring that they would meet again, Velderoth disappeared and left Kaiser alone.
Kaiser rushed back to Downtown Heliseum and attempted to warn Edea, who revealed that she had already expected the attack and had used their reinforcements from Maple World to launch a counterattack. Soon after, Angelic Buster returned as well and met with Edea, who explained that Kaiser had already told her the full story. Angelic Buster then revealed that she had dispatched Velderoth’s reinforcements, to which Edea noted in relief that it was fortunate that she had been sent to follow Kaiser, adding that it was thanks to her that they hadn’t lost him.
With little resistance left, Edea hoped to launch the final attack on Tyrant’s Castle. However, she first asked the Alliance member to defeat Velderoth, who was a formidable opponent as the third Guardian of Heliseum.
(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue her, in which Edea wonders whether it’s right of her to ask him to defeat a former friend, noting that Kyle, despite being Kaiser, is still quite young. Though she offers to let another warrior handle it, Kaiser insists on following through with it, claiming that it’s his duty as Velderoth’s former friend to handle the matter.
Angelic Buster gets some similar dialogue here, in which Edea wonders whether it’s right of her to ask Angelic Buster to defeat a former friend, addressing her as Tear. At Angelic Buster’s surprise, Edea notes that they’ve spent a lot of time together, and that she has a sharper eye than most. Though she offers to let another warrior handle it, Angelic Buster insists on following through with it, claiming that it’s her duty as Velderoth’s former friend to face him and try her best to reason with him.)
The Alliance member fought their way into Velderoth’s chambers, where Velderoth was shocked to find that the Nova had come for him. He began wondering whether he had been wrong to leave, though he quickly regained his resolve and noted that he would have stayed nothing if he had chosen to stay in Pantheon. He told himself that all he needed to do was win, so that Magnus could soon arrive and turn the whole situation around. However, he was quickly defeated by the Alliance member, forcing him to retreat.
(A/N: Kaiser gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic interaction. Kaiser fights his way into Velderoth’s chambers, where he finds Velderoth waiting for him. Velderoth curses himself for his stupidity, noting that despite having tried to lead Kaiser into a trap, he was the one who had instead been led into a trap by the Nova, resulting in the destruction of his Specters. He explains that he had never expected Kaiser to use such a cunning strategy, as his image of Kaiser had been of his old, innocent friend.
Upon hearing his words, Kaiser declares that as the Guardian of the Nova, he’ll do anything to protect his people. Velderoth angrily retorts that he’s sick of hearing about how Kyle is Kaiser, adding that none of it would have happened if he had awakened as Kaiser instead. Kaiser then tells Velderoth that it’s over, and that he’ll bring Velderoth to justice. Velderoth is then defeated by Kaiser, forcing him to retreat.
Angelic Buster also gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic interaction. Angelic Buster fights her way into Velderoth’s chambers, where she finds him waiting for her. She attempts to convince Velderoth to return back to Pantheon, claiming that he isn’t the type of person to follow someone like Magnus. When Velderoth demands to know how she could know what type of person he is, Angelic Buster reveals herself as Tear.
However, Velderoth calls her bluff, claiming that Tear has no magical powers. Angelic Buster then revealed that she obtained powers from the sacred stone, and that she had been defeated by Magnus alongside him and Kaiser, for which she had been training hard ever since. To her surprise, however, Velderoth is infuriated to know that just like Kaiser, Tear had been blessed with magical power, whereas he remains the only one amongst them who hasn’t been blessed with luck.
He then declares that it didn’t matter to him whether she’s Tear or not, as he only follows Magnus, whom he believes will be the sole victor in the end. As he declares that he’ll remove her, Tear pauses for a moment before claiming that he’s made his choice. She notes that though she hadn’t been able to stop him from going down his path, she’ll take him down in the name of their old friendship. Velderoth is then defeated by her, forcing him to retreat.)
The Alliance member then reported back to Edea, who noted that while Velderoth may remain a thorn in their side, his injuries meant that he would be out of the picture for some time. She then explained that she had combined the keys and unlocked the throne room. She warned the Alliance member that Magnus would likely be trying to absorb the power of the Outrigger, though the fact that his door had remained locked likely meant that he was encountering trouble. As Magnus taking its power would spell disaster, Edea asked the Alliance member to stop him while the Nova held off the Specters.
The Alliance member arrived in the throne room, where they found Magnus attempting to absorb the power of the Outrigger. However, Magnus was quickly pushed back by the relic, causing him to seethe in fury that he had failed once again. He then cursed the Ancient Gods of the Nova and demanded to know why they continued to reject him, despite having taken the Nova throne.
He then wondered whether they were rejecting him because he had betrayed the Nova, sighing to himself that he should have found a way to take the sacred stones of the Nova and transfer the rest of the Outrigger’s power into them. Nevertheless, he declared that he would never give up, and that the Ancient Gods’ power would be his. He then declared that he would kill every single Nova in the world, even if it meant that he would be the only one left.
(A/N: The Outrigger was created by the Ancient Gods of the Nova after one of the dragon gods, Satiras the Devil Dragon, and his Black Nova followers began a campaign of domination against Grandis. The Outrigger contains the will of the other dragon gods to protect the Nova, and this strong will prevents a mortal like Magnus from misusing its power, though a Transcendent like Darmoor would have the power to go against the will of the gods.)
Just then, the Alliance member confronted him and vowed to stop him. Magnus was surprised to see them and wondered whether Heliseum’s defenses had been breached. He angrily seethed that the Guardians were all useless – even Velderoth, who had originally seemed promising to him. However, he laughed that a fight would be more entertaining, as he was sick of trying to absorb the holy relic.
(A/N: Kaiser gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When he arrives at the throne room, Magnus recognizes him as Kaiser, and when Magnus decides to fight, he notes that Kaiser must have grown stronger since the last time they had fought, for which he tells Kaiser to show his full power.
Angelic Buster also gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When she arrives at the throne room, Magnus doesn’t recognize her and instead refers to her as a stranger. When he decides to fight, he tells her to draw her weapon and show her full power.
The Demon also gets some exclusive dialogue during this interaction. When he arrives at the throne room, he tells Magnus that it’s been a long time since they’ve seen each other. Magnus is surprised to see a Commander of the Black Mage on Grandis, and especially on the side of the Nova. He asks the Demon what happened to him after betraying the Black Mage, to which the Demon replies that it’s a long story, just as long as how Magnus had ended up in Heliseum.
Magnus agrees that talking only makes things messier, and so he tells the Demon to state his purpose. The Demon replies that he’s already made his decision, and that he’s come to defeat him. Magnus then laughs that he wishes that the Demon had said that earlier, admitting that he had always wanted to get rid of the Demon too, which transitions into their battle.
All the Heroes except for Evan and Shade also get some exclusive dialogue here. When they arrive at the throne room, Magnus is surprised to see a hero of Maple World fighting in Grandis for the Nova. He then adds that seeing an old enemy after so long brings back memories and declares that he’ll finish them off, which transitions into their battle.)
Magnus and the Alliance member then fought in a fierce battle, during which, Magnus lost control of Guwaru’s power, allowing it to flow back into him on Maple World. (A/N: It’s unknown what this means for Magnus, who had stolen Guwaru’s powers in order to restore his lifespan, which had been cut short by the former Kaiser’s attack, even with Darmoor treating his injuries.)
After the Alliance member emerged victorious, Magnus expressed his shock that he had lost, claiming that it couldn’t be over yet when he still had work to finish. Suddenly, a large, mysterious vortex appeared and sucked in both Magnus and the Outrigger, causing them to disappear from the throne room, leaving behind only the cursed Kaiserium, which was reclaimed and later restored by Kaiser.
The shocked Alliance member returned back to Edea and told her everything that had happened. Though Edea was surprised to learn of Magnus’ fate, she nevertheless thanked the Alliance member profusely for helping them retake Heliseum, explaining that she had never thought that she would see the day that the Nova would regain their capital.
As part of the celebration, the Nova arranged for a festival headlined by Angelic Buster, who agreed to put on a performance for both the Nova and the people of Maple World. After the concert, however, Edea met with the Alliance member and noted that despite her early happiness, there was still a lot of work to do, as Magnus was still alive, the Outrigger was missing, and Heliseum was barely up and running.
She also noted that their true enemy, Gerand Darmoor, had remained completely absent throughout the conflict, which made her wonder whether their struggle to retake a single city was beneath his notice as the ruler of all of Grandis. However, she explained that it was possible that the Nova would fight him one day, and that the people of Maple World may be involved in that battle as well. She told the Alliance member that though his goals remained unknown, it was possible that for someone who already ruled Grandis, it was possible that he would covet to rule another world.
In order to prepare for the coming fight, Edea decided that the Nova would officially join the Maple Alliance, for which she traveled to Ereve in order to finalize the details. There, she spoke with the Alliance leaders, who were pleased with having new allies. Though Claudine was wary about committing to a fight against another enemy when the threat of the Black Mage still remained, Edea noted that she had learned that their two worlds were connected, and that the enemies of one world were the enemies of the other. Cygnus welcomed Edea and hoped that their alliance would make them all stronger.
Soon after, Edea reached out to Kaiser and explained that after the operation, the Council was planning to make him Knight Captain, as Piston was still injured, causing great uncertainty amongst the Nova knights. She told Kaiser that having him as the new captain would add more stability to the situation, adding that it was a reward for his valor in the battle. However, Kaiser refused and claimed that he was still too inexperienced to have the position.
A surprised Edea asked him to spend time thinking about it, as she hoped that she would reconsider. After some time, Kaiser returned to Edea and told him that his position still hadn’t changed. He explained that their true fight was against Gerand Darmoor, and that, just as the Nova were growing stronger through joining with the Alliance, he also needed to grow stronger, which he could only do by traveling the world, rather than being locked in place due to his position. Edea was impressed by Kaiser’s maturity and told him that she would convey his message to the Council.
After helping retake Downtown Heliseum, Ark met with Cadena and introduced himself, reminding her that they had met before in Savage Terminal. He explained his situation to her, and though she still didn’t fully trust him, she acknowledged that his actions to help the Heliseum Reclamation HQ, as well as having saved Coney during their first encounter, was enough to make her believe that at the very least, he wasn’t a follower of Magnus. As they talked, Cadena told him about how Mr. Hazard had nearly destroyed Savage Terminal while making a weapon for Magnus. After Cadena left, Ark realized that the High Flora’s reach was long enough to have even reached Savage Terminal.
At Eurenth’s hut, Ark met Angelic Buster and told her about how Kaiser had recommended him to join the Heliseum Reclamation HQ. She told him that she was grateful for more allies, as it had taken a lot of people to help breach the city. He asked her who else had helped retake Heliseum, to which she replied that she had only heard of the Maple Alliance, the Hero of Justice, and another person who looked similar to Ark. Realizing that it was likely a Verdant Flora, Ark asked if she knew where they were. She pointed him to the City Center, where he encountered Illium.
Though he was nervous, Ark shared his story while Illium occasionally asked questions politely. He also listened to Illium’s story about the Verdant Flora, and how Darmoor had recently discovered their home. Illium told Ark that it had been his master’s dying wish that the High Flora be stopped and hoped that they would meet again.
(A/N: The rest of this section is literally just going to be Beldar going down his list of people to apologize to, so apologies in advance haha. These are supposed to be the quests that most Grandis classes get after the end of the prequest, but you’ll very quickly see that there’s not much substance to them at all, outside of maybe a few classes.)
Soon after, Beldar summoned Ark back and apologized for his behavior, noting that it must have taken great strength and courage on his part to help. He explained that he now believed Kaiser’s word that Ark had good intentions and invited him to visit Pantheon or call on the Nova for help if he ever needed it.
Meanwhile, Morian contacted Illium and told him that Beldar wanted to speak to him. In Pantheon, Beldar told Illium how Edea had mentioned that he had been helpful in reclaiming Heliseum, for which Beldar wanted to offer his deepest gratitude and apologies for mistrusting Illium and the other Verdant Flora. He admitted that the Nova records of the Verdant Flora revealed a dark history, but that Illium’s actions had proven that their histories were biased. He welcomed the Verdant Flora to visit Pantheon whenever they wished and implored them to let him know if they ever needed the Nova’s help.
Beldar then summoned Adele back and apologized for his behavior earlier, calling her a true friend of the Nova.
Soon after, Beldar summoned Khali back and explained that he had received a letter from Fenelle about how she had played a big role in retaking Heliseum. He then apologized for his behavior and thanked her for her help.
Beldar then summoned Kain back and thanked him for his help. He told Kain to tell Gen that there wouldn’t be any more issues in their future dealings, and that he didn’t need to worry about picking up the tab. He also told Kain that Fenelle had sent her best wishes and had asked him to tell Kain, “Memories and Malice are one. You will find both, whether you want them or not.”
Some time later, Beldar summoned Lara back and thanked her for her help.
(A/N: For some reason, Hoyoung is the only Grandis class that Beldar doesn’t call back. After the storyline, there’s a small questline where you can help Romero obtain certain Specter items for his black-market deals. This questline is extremely short and inconsequential, and so I’m not even gonna bother covering it. The following is a special cutscene that takes place for Cadena, which can only be unlocked by defeating Normal Magnus.)
Following the battle against Magnus, Cadena tearfully left flowers on the throne for her family, telling herself that even if her family were to somehow come back, things would never be the same, and that she would never be who she was before. She resolved to stay on the path that she had committed herself to, hoping that she would one day make sense of why she was the only one who had survived.
(A/N: Honestly, the writers did a phenomenal job with how they handled Cadena in this storyline. I like that despite her finally defeating Magnus, which is meant to be the culmination of the goal that she’d set for herself at the start of her storyline, it doesn’t actually give her any closure. Usually, beating the main antagonist of your story is supposed to feel momentous or celebratory, but here, it only feels hollow and pyrrhic. It’s a good reminder that you can’t erase trauma just by being rid of the things that caused it.
I’m usually pretty wary of how media depicts trauma because of how they often simplify it as something that you can just overcome by confronting the root of it and living happily ever after, which is rarely ever true. Sometimes, you’ll never get closure no matter what you do, and even when you’re doing everything right, you might come out feeling even worse. I think that media really needs to move past the idea of characters overcoming trauma and never having it be a problem for them again because not only is that blatantly false, but the people who consume that media end up getting the wrong message.
A lot of times, people describe overcoming trauma as a road, as though it’s a journey of some sort where you can point at yourself and say, “Look, I’m halfway to the finish line.” I think that analogy is pretty reductionist because in my experience, the road to recovery is almost never linear. For every day that you’re going forward, you’ll have some where you’re running in circles, and some where you’ll find yourself going backwards. You can’t divorce yourself from trauma by crossing some magical finish line because you can’t remove something that’s now become a part of you, no matter how much you wish it wasn’t.
For me, I like to view coping with trauma as a thermometer. The goal isn’t to reach a finish line, it’s to stay warm enough for as long as possible. Some days, you’ll feel like there’s a fire in your head that you can’t put out. Other days, you’ll shut down as though you’re buried six feet deep in a snowfield. Thermometers are sensitive like a hairpin trigger and even something as small as a thought can affect the reading.
But eventually, you figure out how to dress for the seasons and the weather gets more bearable every year. Even then, though, trauma can still creep up on you, even if you thought that you were long past it all, and that’s perfectly okay. Your progress isn’t defined by outrunning the things that hurt you. Even accepting that you’ll never know peace is a form of closure in itself. Just like what Cadena said earlier, finding meaning in all the things that were once senseless is the closest thing there is to moving forward.
This was probably a really heavy way to close out this ridiculously long section, but I think that it’s an important PSA to anyone who needs to hear it, and also because it’s a topic that’s very personal to me. With that being said, this is a website about a happy mushroom game, so I’ll end on a positive note - here’s a link to one of my favorite MapleStory meme videos of all time.)
Nova Alliance:
(A/N: This section covers all the Alliance quests for Grandis classes, as well as any quests that take place between 4th job and level 200. These extraneous quests were originally placed in a previous section, but the Angelic Buster story revamp created some timeline issues that required me to move these quests around in order to keep them in order.)
Kaiser:
Following the siege of Heliseum and the Nova officially joining the Maple Alliance, Neinheart contacted Kaiser after noting that he was quite impressed by hearing about his accomplishments. He explained that they were gathering strong warriors for the Alliance against the Black Mage, for which he invited Kaiser to Ereve, adding that they needed all the information about Grandis and Magnus that they could get. Kaiser was curious to know what kind of enemy the Black Mage was that required all of Maple World to unite against him. He then noted that having an alliance against a common enemy would benefit them all, for which he decided to accept.
Kaiser traveled to Ereve and met with Empress Cygnus, who thanked him for coming and introduced herself. She asked Kaiser whether he knew about the Black Mage and explained that he was an evil Transcendent who had tried to destroy the world long ago until he had been sealed away by several brave Heroes. However, Cygnus revealed that the Black Mage’s seal had been broken, and with the Cygnus Knights unable to handle the threat themselves, she had hoped to form a worldwide Alliance against him. Upon hearing this, Kaiser agreed to lend his support and officially joined the Maple Alliance.
Soon after, Neinheart reached out to Kaiser and told him that the Alliance had discovered the Black Mage’s laboratory in Magatia.
(A/N: The Black Mage’s laboratory is the same laboratory that you enter at the end of the Magatia town storyline. In the town quests, the laboratory was said to have belonged to the Black Magician, which is the original GMS localization of the Black Mage’s name. Shortly after the Magatia town quests were released, the Black Mage was brought into greater focus with the release of pirates and Aran.)
Neinheart explained that the Alliance had found several interesting documents, and though he had already sent copies to the Nova, he wanted to show one particular document to Kaiser directly. After receiving the documents, Kaiser reviewed them and found new information on the Transcendents. He read that the Black Mage had cut off a part of himself that was imbued with light, and that he had embraced the darkness, putting him at odds with Rhinne and the World Tree. Kaiser was pleased to note that according to the documents, the Black Mage didn’t know the location or the identity of the World Tree. However, he realized that the Black Mage’s attempt to steal the Transcendent of Time’s powers was similar to how Darmoor had stolen the powers of Chronica.
(A/N: Most likely, these documents were written very soon after he awakened as the Transcendent of Light, probably while he was formulating his plan to destroy the Transcendents. At the time of writing these documents, he probably didn’t know who or where Alicia was. Later on, we learn that Neinheart ordered a more thorough investigation of the laboratory after the events of Black Heaven, which is when the Alliance found dozens of prophecies that foretold the events of major incidents like Black Heaven, Heroes of Maple, Esfera, and Tenebris. It’s highly likely that the laboratory was where the Black Mage mapped out the Path of Destiny.
His ability to see the future is somewhat distinct from most characters in the game. Characters like Cygnus or the Shamanesses of Azwan receive symbolic visions that they have to interpret, such as how Cygnus’ vision of Black Heaven was birds of light that fought against a giant of darkness. In contrast, from the way that the game describes the Black Mage’s abilities, it seems like he has little to no real precognitive skills. It’s more likely that he instead used complex mathematical formulas, his innate genius-level intelligence, and his enhanced powers as a Transcendent to manually chart out every single possible future based on every single relevant variable.
In Limina, Grendel mentions that the future is so incomprehensibly vast that mortals are physically incapable of perceiving it, aside from small fragments. However, it would make sense that a Transcendent - and particularly only someone with an IQ as high as the Black Mage - would have the ability to perceive an infinite number of futures and manipulate them. Because of this, the Black Mage’s prophecies are less his interpretations of future visions, and more just the events that he had already decided would happen.
On top of that, his prophecies themselves were also part of his plan, as he had purposefully left them behind so that the Alliance would discover them and know that their destiny was predetermined. He also left behind one particular sentence that would clue Cygnus and Neinheart in on realizing the importance of the Adversary at the time of Esfera, which would be the basis of their entire operation strategy in Tenebris: “Only the Adversary can counter immortality’s fate with the strength of a Seal Stone.”)
Kaiser returned to Pantheon and discussed the document with Fenelle. She noted that the main takeaway was how something strange seemed to happen when Transcendents used each other’s powers, as Darmoor’s use of Chronica’s powers had resulted in several Interdimensional Portals appearing all across Grandis. She also noted that Magnus had disappeared from Maple World after the Black Mage had taken Rhinne’s power.
Kaiser asked if it meant that the Interdimensional Portals appeared when other Transcendents used the power of the Transcendent of Time. Fenelle replied that it seemed to be the case and conjectured that Magnus had returned to Grandis when the Black Mage had used Rhinne’s power, which may have accounted for the time gap between him leaving Maple World and arriving on Grandis.
(A/N: Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storylines laid the groundwork for the lore on Transcendents and suggested that Interdimensional Portals only appear when a Transcendent of Time’s power is stolen. However, all future mentions of the topic state that it’s the result of taking any Transcendent’s power, not necessarily the Transcendent of Time’s.)
Kaiser then pointed out that the Interdimensional Portal on Maple World had just been discovered recently. Fenelle reasoned that the power of time had likely been sealed away along with the Black Mage, but just then, she realized that the Interdimensional Portal reappearing meant that the seal on the Black Mage must have been broken, allowing for the power of time to form the Interdimensional Portal once again. Fenelle told Kaiser that the Alliance needed to be informed immediately and warned him that with Maple World facing the return of their biggest threat, and with the Nova preparing to launch their attack on Magnus, the situation had gotten much more serious.
(A/N: The Interdimensional Portal was introduced in the game during the Tempest patch, which also released Luminous, Kaiser, and Angelic Buster. These three class storylines were written with the intention that they interconnect, as Luminous’ final quest involves him meeting the Black Mage shortly after the seal breaks, which is meant to coincide with the Nova realizing the significance of the portal appearing.
Because of the constant retcons and continuity errors that get introduced in later updates, the chronology has gotten all jumbled up into a huge mess. In the case of the Interdimensional Portal’s appearance, the Explorer storyline and Xenon’s storyline are both set before the Black Mage’s seal is broken, but the portal already exists at that time. Now, rather than the portal’s appearance meaning that the seal has been broken, it’s essentially been retconned to mean that the seal has seriously weakened. Because of this, it now feels odd for the Nova to act like they’ve stumbled onto some sort of revelation when the Black Mage has already been freed for a long time now.)
Angelic Buster:
Following the siege of Heliseum and the Nova officially joining the Maple Alliance, Neinheart contacted Angelic Buster after hearing about her reputation and explained that they were gathering strong warriors for the Alliance against the Black Mage, for which he invited her to Ereve. Angelic Buster was curious to know what kind of enemy the Black Mage was that required all of Maple World to unite against him. She then wondered whether the Nova would need to make a similar alliance in the future with the other races in order to fight both Magnus and Gerand Darmoor.
Believing that it would be a good idea to learn more about the Alliance, Angelic Buster traveled to Ereve and met with Empress Cygnus, who thanked her for coming and introduced herself. She asked Angelic Buster whether she knew about the Black Mage and explained that he was an evil Transcendent who had tried to destroy the world long ago until he had been sealed away by several brave Heroes. However, Cygnus revealed that the Black Mage’s seal had been broken, and with the Cygnus Knights unable to handle the threat themselves, she had hoped to form a worldwide Alliance against him. Upon hearing this, Angelic Buster agreed to lend her support and officially joined the Maple Alliance.
Cadena:
Beldar contacted Cadena and explained that the Council had recently approved of a union between the Nova and the Maple Alliance. He then asked if she would be willing to join the Alliance, explaining that if she did, then the Alliance would be able to contact her directly with new information, rather than her constantly needing to check-in with him.
Though Cadena had a feeling that joining the Alliance would be bothersome, she nevertheless accepted the offer, as she believed that it would be beneficial to be informed about important developments more promptly. After agreeing to join, Beldar sent her to Ereve in order to finalize the paperwork. There, Neinheart greeted her as the Hero of Justice, and though he expressed his surprise that Cadena didn’t appear to be a Nova, he nevertheless welcomed her into the Alliance.
Illium:
Neinheart contacted Illium and his friends and explained that he had heard about them from his sister, Lilin, who had mentioned how they had been helping people around Maple World, and how they had even helped her with the problem in Riena Strait. He then asked if they would be interested in meeting him in Ereve.
After Illium arrived in Ereve, Neinheart told him that the Empress wanted to meet him. Cygnus then greeted Illium and explained that she wanted to recruit him into the Maple Alliance. Illium was surprised by her request, as he was from another dimension and wondered what he could do for Maple World. He also felt that it was unwise to fight for a different world, rather than for the Verdant Flora.
Cygnus responded that she had heard from Kaiser that the people of Grandis were fighting against Gerand Darmoor. Illium told her that Darmoor was responsible for massacring his people, and that he was the sworn enemy of the Verdant Flora. Cygnus then asked if he knew that Magnus, the Nova traitor and a follower of Darmoor, had served as a Commander of the Black Mage.
Illium was surprised to learn that Darmoor’s reach had extended even to Maple World. Cygnus told him that both Darmoor and the Black Mage were evil beings who threatened the peace of both Grandis and Maple World, and that they needed to be stopped. She added that in exchange for his support, the Alliance would fight alongside him to liberate Grandis as well. Illium told her that he needed to discuss it with his friends first, and that he would give his answer soon.
Back at the hideout, Illium heard his friends’ opinions. Sinaria was against the arrangement, as she believed that they didn’t have time to meddle with outsiders’ affairs. However, Morian believed that the Alliance seemed powerful. Sinaria countered that they could become strong themselves and called him a coward for not believing in Illium.
Illium told Sinaria that she was being harsh, and that with the Alliance’s resources, they could find the Sanctuary of the Ancient God faster. Upon hearing this, Sinaria immediately changed her stance and agreed to join the Alliance. (A/N: Sinaria really isn’t subtle at all.) Illium and the others then returned to Ereve and told Cygnus that they would join her. She was pleased by their decision and officially welcomed them into the Alliance.
Soon after, Sinaria reached out to Illium and told him that she had learned that the Crystal Gate had recently appeared in Ereve. She urged him to rush over before the others so that he could catch it before it vanished. Illium arrived alone in Ereve and found Sinaria communicating with someone through a receiver. He overheard her saying, “…there’s no problem… trust me… for the future… Verdant Floras…”
Just then, Sinaria spotted Illium and led him to where the Crystal Gate was rumored to be. Ex noted that there was unusual energy in the area, but Sinaria dismissed it as energy from the Crystal Gate. Illium arrived to find a horde of Specters that rushed to attack them. He defeated them and pressed forward, but Sinaria quickly rushed ahead and told him to follow.
Just then, more Specters surrounded him and Illium realized that it was a trap. Suddenly, both Ex and Machina were forcibly powered off. Without the support of his machines, Illium fought off the Specters alone and barely managed to defeat them. After the Specters disappeared, Ex and Machina were both able to power on again. Sinaria then appeared and angrily asked Illium why he hadn’t followed her, explaining that the Crystal Gate had vanished. After he explained that the Specters had laid an ambush for him, Sinaria told him that the enemy had likely tried to lure them out by creating a fake Crystal Gate, which Illium found plausible.
(A/N: Illium can be a bit dumb sometimes, but then again, he’s also a middle-schooler fused with the consciousness of a several-thousand-year-old magical prodigy, so maybe his big brain and small brain energies collided against each other and turned him into an idiot savant.)
Some time later, Sinaria contacted Illium and reported that a Crystal Gate had been sighted in Minar Forest, and so the students all split up to search the area. Illium, Sinaria, and Morian searched the Burning Forest with Deus and Ex, but they were unable to find any trace of it. Suddenly, a horde of Specters arrived and Sinaria rushed towards them. Illium warned that it was too dangerous, but he was shocked to see that the Specters obeyed her.
Just then, Darius arrived and stood beside Sinaria. He greeted Illium and told him that once he took the Elder Crystal and presented it to Gerand Darmoor, the Verdant Flora and the High Flora would reunite and achieve glory and power comparable to that of the ancient Flora, allowing them to rule all of Grandis. As Illium moved to attack, Darius used his magic to freeze him, Morian, Deus, and Ex in place.
Darius then revealed that he had allowed Illium and the other students to escape Sanctuary, as he needed the Elder Crystal’s power to mature while Illium trained in Maple World. Sinaria then told Illium that there was only one future - that which recognized the Flora as the superior race - and implored him to see that she and Darius were working for the future of the Flora. Darius added that he had underestimated Illium, as he could never have imagined that Illium was the heir to the God of the Verdant Flora’s power. He invited Illium to join them in creating a new future for the Verdant Flora, claiming that they would be unstoppable together.
However, Illium refused and told Darius that his vision of the future went against everything that Agate and the others had given their lives for. Realizing that he couldn’t convince Illium, Darius attempted to seize the Elder Crystal for himself. However, Illium broke free of Darius’ spell and defeated the entire Specter army with his full power.
Furious, Darius vowed that he would never give up and disappeared with Sinaria. Some time later at the Aboris Royal Palace, a High Flora Priest reported to Gerand Darmoor that Darius had failed them and asked what could be done. Darmoor replied by saying, “The meaningless struggle of immature life… What a pathetic existence.”
(A/N: GMS actually has a completely different line that Darmoor uses: “The struggles of life can sometimes be difficult to see…” This is hands-down the worst translation in the entire game, not only because it’s completely different from the original translation, but also because it leaves absolutely none of the impact that the original line gives, and so I refuse to acknowledge that he ever says this. Fortunately, they have him use the actual line in the Cernium storyline.)
Ark:
As Ark grew stronger, Athena Pierce reached out to him and invited him to join the Maple Alliance. He then traveled to Ereve in order to meet with Neinheart and Cygnus, who formally welcomed him into the Alliance.
Soon after, he received a letter from Francis, who invited him to join the Black Wings. Ark went to meet him at the Verne Mine and asked him how many others he had sent the invitation to. Francis explained that he had only asked him and another girl with pink pigtails, though he regretted that the Alliance had gotten to her first. Ark then hit Francis, explaining that something had instinctively made him do so, and refused Francis’ offer. As he left the Verne Mine, Ark noted to himself that Francis didn’t seem truly evil and hoped that he would one day change.
(A/N: Ark gets a medal for being the last class to canonically hit Francis in a class storyline. Francis attempting to recruit a girl with pink pigtails is a reference to Angelic Buster, who originally had a small quest in her old storyline, in which she punched Francis after he tried to have her join the Black Wings. Although that quest has been removed from the game, the events of that quest still canonically happen according to Ark’s story. And just like with Ark’s quest here, it was also only said in the dialogue of the original Angelic Buster quest that she hits Francis, rather than us actually fighting him.)
Just then, he met Angelic Buster, whom he recognized as the same girl that Francis had described. After exchanging greetings, she gave him a report from Kaiser that detailed Maple World’s Transcendents. Ark read through the report and learned that the Black Mage had stolen the Transcendent of Time’s powers, resulting in the creation of the Interdimensional Portal. Ark realized that the portal’s appearance meant that the Black Mage’s seal was weakening. (A/N: This is a continuity error. Grandis class storylines were initially set before the seal breaking, but the Explorer revamp ruined everything.)
He also read that Transcendents who stole another’s power were weakened. He realized that Darmoor must have known the risks, which made his decision to steal Chronica’s powers even more confusing. He then wondered if Darmoor was planning to invade Maple World during a time of peace with the stolen power of time.
(A/N: This also happened to the Black Mage, who spent years recovering his full power while trapped in the seal. It says a lot about the Black Mage’s strength when the Heroes couldn’t even beat him centuries ago when he was at a fraction of his full power. In contrast, it says a lot about how strong we are to beat the Black Mage at twice his original strength in Limina.)
Hoyoung:
As Hoyoung grew stronger, Athena Pierce reached out to him and invited him to join the Maple Alliance. Hoyoung traveled to Ereve in order to meet with Neinheart and Cygnus. Hoyoung felt as though Neinheart was gauging his skills, and so he attempted to prove himself by stealing Neinheart’s pocket watch and appearing behind him. Neinheart laughed, but warned that he would be less than amused if he did something like that to the Empress. With that, Cygnus formally welcomed him to the Alliance.
Hoyoung then continued to travel Maple World until Taotie sensed another monster in Ariant. At the town, they continued chasing rumors until they learned that a dried-up cactus had drained an entire oasis. In the desert, they encountered a warp in space created by the Sand Monster, which Taotie believed had possessed the cactus, Deo. After Hoyoung defeated it, Taotie emerged to consume the Sand Monster’s spirit.
In El Nath, Hoyoung captured a Wolf Monster, which had hidden inside a powerful creature called the Nyalmo, as it was afraid of conflict.
(A/N: Fun fact about the Nyalmo, he’s a field boss that looks like a giant Yeti wearing skis and a giant Hector on his head. The El Nath town quests reveal that the Nyalmo is the child of the Spirit of Snow and a human. The Nyalmo has the heart of a human, but the looks of a monster, which caused people to run away from him.
The Spirit of Snow felt sorry for her son and froze an entire mountain range for him, which was how El Nath was made. He’s normally a gentle creature, but during the El Nath town storyline, a statue of his mother, the Spirit of Snow, gets damaged, causing him to go on a rampage. We have to fight him and fix the statue in order to calm him down.)
After catching the fiend, Hoyoung and Taotie had a snowball fight, which ended in a draw when neither refused to yield. Next, they captured a Book Monster, which had possessed King Sage Cat. Taotie explained that the Book Monster was bad at making friends, and in order to avoid loneliness, it forced others to stay by having them solve challenging riddles. After answering countless riddles, Hoyoung convinced the Book Monster to emerge from within King Sage Cat, after which Taotie immediately consumed it.
In Wyvern Canyon, Hoyoung heard rumors that Leviathan, the master of the canyon, had disappeared. Believing it to be the work of a fiend, Hoyoung and Taotie tracked it to the Warped Path that it had created. Taotie explained that the fiend was a Lizard Monster, which could blend in with its surroundings. Hoyoung formulated a plan to feign ignorance when he entered the Warped Path in order to get the Lizard Monster to drop its guard and deactivate its camouflage to attack them. Sure enough, Hoyoung was able to force it to release Leviathan, allowing Taotie to consume it.
Some time later, Hoyoung heard stories about aliens in Omega Sector and convinced Taotie to visit under the pretense of hunting for fiends. Hoyoung was thrilled to find proof of aliens after being beamed up to their mothership, where they found the Magnet Monster possessing Chief Gray. He was surprised to know that the Magnet Monster made its hosts even weaker, as opposed to the other fiends. Even after consuming it, Taotie noted that Chief Gray’s body aches likely wouldn’t go away, as they came from old age. Hoyoung then asked how much body pain Taotie had because of his age, much to Taotie’s annoyance.
Soon after, Taotie sensed another fiend in Savage Terminal and teleported Hoyoung to the Scrapyard, where they found the Frog Monster bathed in toxic waste. Taotie explained that the Frog Monster sought the most disgusting place that it could find, which allowed it to become the very essence of filth over time. Having grown up near vegetation and clean water, Hoyoung nearly passed out from the stench and quickly defeated it before it became too much for him to bear.
Some time later, Taotie teleported Hoyoung to Fox Valley in Vulpes, where they encountered a Cocoon Monster. Taotie explained that it was in the process of maturing into an adult insect fiend. The Cocoon Monster noticed Taotie and told him that it almost hadn’t recognized him because of how small he had become, much to Hoyoung’s amusement and Taotie’s irritation.
Taotie then asked the fiend where its brothers were, explaining to Hoyoung that the Cocoon Monster had two brothers, and that the three siblings were seldom seen apart. The Cocoon Monster explained that it had lost them when they had fallen into Fox Valley, and that their timidity prevented them from searching for each other. Taotie told Hoyoung that because of the siblings’ bond, he needed all three spirits to be present before he could consume them. Hoyoung then found its brothers and reunited the siblings.
As the siblings happily spoke with each other, Hoyoung recalled how he used to ramble to his Master as a child, who would always patiently listen whenever Hoyoung wanted to talk. Satisfied at being together again, the three Cocoon Monsters willingly allowed themselves to be consumed by Taotie once again. Taotie then told Hoyoung that there was just one more fiend left to find.
Adele:
Athena Pierce reached out to Adele and asked if she would be interested in joining the Maple Alliance. Adele traveled to Ereve and met with Neinheart and Cygnus, who officially welcomed her into the Alliance. Some time later, Adele received a letter from one of her contacts in Maple World, who told her of a Verdant Flora boy who had been sighted in northern Perion. After chasing down rumor after rumor, she finally met the boy, Illium.
Looking at his blue mechanical wings, she was reminded of something from her past, though she couldn’t say what it was. Illium was initially suspicious of Adele, but after she gained his trust, he invited Adele to Sanctuary in order to chat. Illium told her that the High Flora had sent someone to hunt him down, though it didn’t seem like Adele was in league with them, as he doubted that Darmoor would send someone with burned-out magical conduits like hers. However, he wondered why her wings had burned out and why she had come looking for him.
After Adele told him about her adventures and her lost memories, Illium told her that her time serving the old God-King had happened very long ago, and so Ex explained that the God-King whom she had served had been a wise man of excellent character, though he had turned into a tyrant some years into his reign and had led a campaign of domination against the other races. Believing the Flora to be superior to all others, he had decided that it was their duty to ‘fix’ the other races. Adele thought to herself that the God-King she remembered would never have done such a thing, but somehow, she also felt that Ex’s words seemed to be true.
Suddenly, she was consumed by a memory of the God-King giving a speech denouncing the other races as savages, claiming that it was the High Flora’s responsibility to show them the way. Adele remembered the doubt that had seeded the Knights of the Einherjar as he commanded them to lead his armies into battle.
Ex told her that the High Flora claimed that the Verdant Flora had murdered the God-King, adding that it was far from the truth. Adele asked who had killed him, to which Ex told her that it was unknown, though the Verdant Flora suspected that Darmoor was involved. Illium added that it was difficult to find out exactly what had truly happened, as none of the records agreed with each other.
(A/N: For example, the Nova were under the impression that Darmoor had been a vocal opponent of the Flora Civil War, and that the Verdant Flora had killed the God-King as revenge for the High Flora tearing out their wings and exiling them. I’m pretty sure that this is revisionism taking place because it feels way too convenient for Nexon to have planned out that these story conflicts were actually deliberate. Most likely, they decided to make it a plot point in order to cover up their continuity issues.)
Illium suspected that the answer lay in Adele’s memory of when the Einherjar had fallen and asked her to tell him what the truth was, as it would clear the name of the Verdant Flora. Adele recalled that she had only remembered red wings, meaning that it had been an internal fight between the High Flora. Illium thanked her for clearing the matter and transported her back to Maple World.
Before he did, however, he warned her that chaos was returning to Grandis. As she would need to pick a side soon, he hoped that they wouldn’t be enemies. After returning back, Adele wondered if Darmoor had planned everything from the beginning, as it was the Flora Civil War that had led to his awakening as the Transcendent of Life. She then wondered what he could possibly have been after that would justify going to such lengths.
Some time later, Brook and Laddie reached out to Adele and told her that they had recovered an old banner of the God-King, which a Shadowdealer would deliver. Adele went to Savage Terminal and met Coney and Cadena. Recognizing her as a High Flora, Cadena refused to deal with Adele and left Coney to complete the transaction himself.
Coney apologized for Cadena’s behavior, explaining that Darmoor had recently sent his henchman, Mr. Hazard, to turn the core of Savage Terminal into a bioweapon. Between the key to Ristonia’s Ancient God and the conspiracy at Savage Terminal, Adele wondered what Darmoor was up to. She then took the banner, triggering a hidden memory of her moral dilemma about following the God-King in an unjust war. After witnessing the memory, Adele wondered whether that was the reason why she had betrayed her liege.
Soon after, she decided to seek out Ark, the wingless High Flora boy whom Illium had mentioned. She met Ark at the Temple of Time and asked him why he had come to Maple World, to which Ark explained that he wanted to investigate why Gerand Darmoor wanted to link Maple World and Grandis, believing that Darmoor wanted something that he could only find in Maple World.
He then shared his experience as a High Flora soldier on Verdel and how his betrayal had resulted in the Specter ritual that had transformed his arm. Ark’s story of desertion helped Adele recall the memory of her own refusal to follow the God-King into battle, who had then thrown her into prison. She told Ark that she would like to visit Verdel, but Ark explained that the entire moon’s surface had been destroyed, though he would reach out to her if he found a way to return.
Some time later, Adele heard about Kaiser and believed that since he was a reincarnating entity, he may know something about the old God-King. She met with Kaiser in Minar Forest, where he told her about how Magnus had betrayed the former Kaiser. The conversation triggered a memory of Veronica visiting her in prison, where she had mocked Adele and had told her to expect company that night, adding that there was still time to change her mind.
Soon after, Ark contacted her and explained that he had obtained coordinates to Verdel from an old friend. (A/N: Despite the fact that the entire life energy of the moon was drained in Ark’s storyline, it somehow looks to be perfectly fine when they arrive.) Together, they arrived on the ruined surface of the moon and made their way to the High Flora military installation, where Adele recalled how some of the Knights of the Einherjar had freed her from her prison, just as Veronica had said, and had asked her to join them in their revolt against the God-King. She also remembered how she had refused to betray her liege and cut them down before rushing to his defense. Adele then realized that she had never betrayed her oath to the very end.
Kain:
Athena Pierce reached out to Kain and told him about the Maple Alliance, explaining that both the Shadowdealers and Fenelle had strongly recommended him as a candidate. Kain wondered whether she had run a background check on him and realized that it would be helpful to be in touch with people who had that kind of intel. At Athena’s recommendation, he went to Ereve and met with Neinheart and Cygnus, who formally welcomed him into the Alliance.
Lara:
Athena Pierce contacted Lara and told her that Fenelle and the Shadowdealers had recommended that she join the Maple Alliance. Lara traveled to Ereve, where she was officially welcomed into the Alliance by Neinheart and Cygnus.
Khali:
Athena Pierce reached out to Khali and suggested that she join the Maple Alliance, which had recently formed a partnership with the Nova. Khali traveled to Ereve and met with Neinheart, who greeted her and explained that Empress Cygnus wanted to invite her to the Alliance after hearing about her achievements. He told her that he had heard from Fenelle that though she was a High Flora, she wasn’t allied with Darmoor.
As she had her reasons for turning her back on the High Flora, and since she was working to protect Maple World, Neinheart explained that he had decided to trust her and invite her to the Alliance. Khali then spoke with Cygnus, who greeted her and explained that Maple World and Grandis were influencing one another, and that it might even be meaningless to distinguish between the two dimensions at this point.
She then asked Khali to lend her strength to aid Maple World, to which Khali explained that though she wanted to help, she couldn’t, as she had a bigger goal. Cygnus told Khali that she had heard about her situation from Fenelle and explained that the fact that she had lost her power and had left her hometown meant that her enemy must be powerful. She noted that if Khali faced them alone, then she might end up repeating what had happened. Cygnus then promised that the Alliance would aid Khali when the time came if Khali would help them in return. After considering it, Khali accepted and was officially welcomed into the Alliance.
Gelimer’s Betrayal:
(A/N: In the 20th anniversary event in KMS, there were several features from the game that were removed, including the Evolution Lab. While the actual feature no longer exists in the game, the story was still preserved by moving it into Act 1 of Black Heaven as a prologue. There were several minor changes made to the story in order to have it fit into the narrative, most of which involved removing any references to the player completing the questline. If you want to see the original story of the Evolution Lab, check out the pre-Destiny page.)
In the Verne Mine, Orchid continued to lament over Lotus’ condition and demanded to know whether Gelimer’s experiments would truly bring him back. Gelimer assured her that Lotus would return in perfect form. He also proposed the draft of a massive airship that he was planning to build, Black Heaven, and convinced Orchid to approve the project.
Soon after, Gelimer moved Lotus from Orchid’s room to a new area of the laboratory called the Evolution Lab. There, he finished transforming Lotus into the perfect Xenoroid, making him far stronger than his prototypes, Xenon and Beryl. Orchid soon discovered the Evolution Lab and demanded to know why he had moved Lotus without her permission. She threatened Gelimer and reminded him that his experiments should have concluded months ago. Gelimer promised that Lotus would awaken imminently and demonstrated his claim by releasing Lotus from his pod.
Orchid was overjoyed to see her brother awaken, but she quickly grew confused when he wouldn’t respond to her. Gelimer then commanded Lotus to execute Program Alpha-97, which caused Lotus to turn on his sister and drain her half of the Wing Master powers. Gelimer revealed that he had succeeded in taking control of Lotus, who himself had the ability to control others, and explained that he had deliberately kept Lotus’ brain in hibernation, since his powers were all that Gelimer wanted. Severely injured, Orchid weakly asked Gelimer why he needed Lotus’ body. Gelimer explained that the Black Mage required a vessel, not another follower, and with that, he left Orchid to die and took Lotus with him.
(A/N: It’s surprising that Gelimer knows about Lotus’ ability to possess others, although I guess it makes sense when you consider that he’s been closely observing Lotus and performing experiments on him for years. In Black Heaven, Gelimer reveals that he wants to use Retoxin gas in order to turn the people of Maple World into mindless slaves, all of whom would be linked into a hive mind controlled by Lotus.
While I originally assumed that he’d link them through technology, it might actually be that he wanted Lotus to possess them all. Since Lotus can only possess weak-minded people from a distance, it’s possible that he wanted to use the Retoxin gas in order to weaken everyone’s minds for Lotus to be able to control them all at once.)
Soon after, the Resistance discovered the Evolution Lab and found an unconscious Orchid, whom they brought back to the Secret Plaza. Claudine briefed the other Resistance leaders on what had happened between Orchid and Gelimer, adding that Orchid was now just like a normal little girl without her powers. She explained that she hadn’t put Orchid in prison because of her fragile condition, though she hoped to make Orchid pay for her crimes soon enough. In order to learn more about what Gelimer was plotting Claudine decided to send Belle to investigate the Evolution Lab.
(A/N: Originally, Claudine would summon the player and give them the briefing on Gelimer and Orchid, rather than her speaking with the Resistance. It was explained that Checky was the one who had found Orchid, and while Belle did go investigate the lab, the player was sent there first.)
Several days later, Brighton rushed urgently to Claudine and informed her that Orchid had managed to escape. Meanwhile, Orchid traveled to the Evolution Lab, where she encountered a hologram of Lotus, which had been created as the interface for the Evolution System. Orchid quickly realized that the hologram was an AI created by Gelimer and grew angry, causing the last remnants of her Wing Master power to manifest. The AI detected Orchid as a threat and attacked her, immediately knocking her out.
(A/N: In the original story, Claudine sent the player in order to track down Orchid. After the Evolution System attacked Orchid, it would scan the player, whom it had registered as a valid user when they had first encountered it during their initial investigation, causing it to return back to normal.)
The Resistance then discovered Orchid and brought her back to the Secret Plaza, where Claudine treated her injuries. Soon after, she spoke with Brighton and explained that though she had done all that she could medically, Orchid had fallen into a coma. Just then, Belle arrived from the Evolution Lab and explained her findings. She told them that the Evolution System had evolved by itself without any changes to its internal system and begrudgingly admitted that Gelimer was a genius, despite how much it pained her to say.
She explained that the system was capable of making its own judgements, allowing it to evolve into a stronger model on its own. Having recognized Orchid as a strong enemy, it had enhanced its own system to accommodate. As they wondered what this would mean, Orchid suddenly called out to Lotus from her coma, surprising the group. Far away, Lotus shed a tear for the sister whom he had been forced to turn against. Gelimer was surprised to see Lotus crying, as he had believed that he had suppressed all of Lotus’ emotions and desires. As Gelimer set out to correct the behavior, Lotus also called out to Orchid.
As the Alliance continued to use the Evolution System in order to learn more about it, the system recorded the combat data of countless Alliance members and imprinted it onto Lotus in order to have him analyze and enhance his own battle algorithms, thus making him even stronger. Soon after, Gelimer sought out the Commanders and presented Lotus’ enhanced body to them, claiming that it would be the perfect vessel for the Black Mage to inhabit.
Though the Commanders were plainly aware of Gelimer’s hidden agenda, they nevertheless accepted him into their ranks in order to use his talents, though they refused to make him a full Commander. With the support of the Commanders and free from Orchid’s oversight, Gelimer was in the perfect position to achieve his goals unobstructed.
(A/N: The Evolution System was more meaningful when the actual in-game feature used to exist, as players interacting with the system and using it to get stronger was the very thing that made Lotus even stronger. It felt pretty cool to know that Lotus was learning about our own fighting techniques in real-time, although the removal of the Evolution Lab means that we don’t really ever get to see anyone actually training Lotus’ AI model.)
The Lion King’s Castle:
An Alliance member was summoned to El Nath by the Resistance agent codenamed J, who had requested backup for investigating the Lion King’s Castle. In El Nath, the Alliance member met with J, who asked them whether they had heard of Von Leon the Lion King before. He explained that Von Leon was a great warrior and a Commander of the Black Mage who, like the other Commanders, had recently resurfaced with the Black Mage’s return after he and his castle had disappeared for centuries.
He told the Alliance member that the castle was located where Von Leon’s kingdom used to be, and that he suspected that Von Leon had secluded himself inside. Though the region was sparsely populated, J nevertheless believed that they couldn’t ignore the threat of Von Leon resuming his activities, for which he asked them to help him investigate.
Together, J and the Alliance member infiltrated the castle, though they quickly found that the path ahead was locked. In order to move forward, J decided to use his Resistance skills to craft keys for the castle towers, for which he asked the Alliance member to collect the necessary materials from the nearby monsters. The pair then pushed ahead to the Fourth Tower, where they encountered the ghost of a knight named Luden. Luden was shocked to find that living people had entered the castle, while the Alliance member was surprised that only they could see and hear Luden, as J was unable to perceive him.
Nevertheless, J asked the Alliance member to speak with Luden, believing that he might be able to give them more information about Von Leon. Luden was relieved to know that the Alliance member could see him and asked them to hear his story. Luden explained that he was a knight who had once served Von Leon many centuries ago. Though their kingdom had been poor, Von Leon had been a benevolent king who had ruled with his beloved wife, Ifia, until tragedy had befallen their castle, resulting in the castle’s guardians being transformed into monsters.
Luden explained that the Black Mage had corrupted Von Leon, and that his own words had failed to reach his king, who had fallen beyond reason. He then added that even in the centuries after the Heroes had sealed the Black Mage away, Von Leon had shown no signs of returning to his former self, for which he begged the Alliance member to try and reason with the king, as Luden was only a ghost now.
The Alliance member decided to first consult with J, who believed that turning Von Leon’s heart would be a great victory for the Alliance. As he was unable to see Luden, J decided that he would continue investigating the castle while the Alliance member helped Von Leon. After J left, the Alliance member agreed to help Luden, who asked them to speak with the ghost of Queen Ifia, believing that she was their only hope of swaying Von Leon’s heart.
Following Luden’s instructions, the Alliance member arrived at the Fifth Tower, where he found Ifia’s ghost near the entrance to the Rose Garden. Ifia was surprised to find a living person in the castle, and even more surprised to learn that they had come at Luden’s request, realizing that Luden was also a specter that haunted their once-beautiful castle.
Ifia explained that her husband had once been a blunt, yet kind, man who knew nothing except swordsmanship. Though he had been a man of few words, Ifia told the Alliance member that his goodness spoke through his eyes, though she feared that whatever the Black Mage had done to him had changed him greatly, enough so that he no longer even acknowledged her, despite her calling to him for centuries. She asked Alliance member to speak with Von Leon to see if he still remembered her, as she feared that he no longer cared for her.
In the Audience Room, the Alliance member met Von Leon, who demanded to know what they wanted from him. The Alliance member asked them whether he still remembered Queen Ifia, to which Von Leon - surprised to learn that they knew her name - warned them that he wouldn’t forgive them if they blasphemed the name of the dead. The Alliance member told Von Leon that Ifia’s ghost had been calling to him, though Von Leon called them a liar, claiming that he would have known if his beloved wife were a ghost, and threatened them to never speak her name again.
The Alliance member returned to Ifia and told her that Von Leon still remembered her, but that he couldn’t see or hear her. Elated that Von Leon hadn’t forgotten her, Ifia asked the Alliance member to help her make herself known to Von Leon. She told them that he had once built a Rose Garden for her, and that there was a reminder of their shared memories still inside. She first asked them to find the key to the garden from the Grey Vultures, after which she told them the story of how she had first met him.
At the time, she had been a commoner who sold flowers in the kingdom. One day, Von Leon had disguised himself as a commoner during a festival and had been roaming the grounds alone. When she had run into him, she had thought that it was strange that he didn’t have a single flower on him throughout the festival. Eventually, the two had fallen in love and wed after Von Leon had proposed to her with a snow rose. Soon after, he had built the Rose Garden inside the castle in her honor.
Ifia then asked the Alliance member to find a Flower Book inside the garden and present it to Von Leon, hoping that it would help him believe that she still waited for him after centuries. The Alliance member brought the book to a surprised Von Leon and explained that Ifia had told them where to find it. Though Von Leon knew that only he and Ifia knew of the book, he still couldn’t believe the Alliance member’s story, as he refused to accept that he couldn’t hear Ifia’s voice when they could. The Alliance member then returned to Ifia and told her about what Von Leon had said.
Realizing that there was only one way that Von Leon would believe her, Ifia decided that she would visit him herself using a secret passageway that only the two of them knew about. She explained that she had previously been unable to enter the throne room due to the dark energy of the castle’s monsters, though she believed that she would be able to enter with the Alliance member’s help. (A/N: I thought that the one bonus of being a ghost is that you don’t take damage. Also, can I just say that she moved so slowly in this quest that I think that I might’ve died myself while waiting for her.)
In the Audience Room, Von Leon was shocked that the Alliance member had discovered the secret passageway. The Alliance member revealed that Ifia had told them about it, and that Ifia herself was standing with them. When Von Leon still couldn’t sense her, he wondered whether it was punishment for having sold his soul to the Black Mage and stained his hands with countless blood and sins. Defeated, he gave the Alliance member a pendant containing Ifia’s picture and told them that now that he had completed his revenge, he didn’t deserve her memory.
The Alliance member and Ifia returned to the Fifth Tower, where Ifia told them that she was touched that Von Leon still had the pendant after centuries, which made her wonder whether it was proof that he was still a good man deep down. Nevertheless, she noted that she hadn’t heard him say that he wouldn’t help the Black Mage anymore, which made her wonder what had caused him to change so much. She explained that she could remember very little at the time of her death, as she had blocked out the painful memories, leaving only flashes of flames and screams in her mind.
Believing that Luden may still remember, Ifia asked the Alliance member to speak with him, resolving to stay by Von Leon’s side so that he wouldn’t be alone. She told the Alliance member that though she knew that he had committed grave sins, she couldn’t allow him to suffer by himself, and that she would bear those sins with him.
The Alliance member then met with Luden, who was disappointed to learn that not even Ifia’s voice could reach the king. The Alliance member asked Luden what had caused Von Leon to change, to which Luden began telling the story of their kingdom’s fall. He explained that because their kingdom had been poor, the people hadn’t feared the Black Mage’s rise, as they had believed that the kingdom had nothing to offer him, because of which they had thought that he would spare them.
Soon after, a coalition had formed against the Black Mage and had asked Von Leon to join them. (A/N: They refer to this coalition as the Anti-Black Mage Alliance, but I’m refraining from using the word ‘alliance’ to avoid confusing it with the Maple Alliance.) However, the people had refused to fight against the Black Mage, as they hadn’t wanted to sacrifice their lives needlessly when they were sure that the Black Mage wouldn't attack them.
Von Leon had gone to negotiate with the coalition, but while he had been gone, the coalition had branded the citizens as minions of the Black Mage and had attacked the kingdom. Von Leon had returned to find his kingdom in flames and his beloved wife killed. Driven to despair and fury, he had sold his soul to the Black Mage in order to exact revenge on the ones who had destroyed his kingdom.
Luden told the Alliance member that though the Black Mage had threatened the world, it was the coalition which had wiped them out. However, though Luden admitted that fear and pain could warp one’s judgement, he noted that the actions of the coalition didn’t seem to make sense to him. However, to prove the coalition’s betrayal, he asked them to hunt Castle Golems, which he explained had been knights of the kingdom before they had been warped into monsters.
The Alliance member found several medals on the golems, which Luden explained were symbols of the coalition, some of whom had been transformed into monsters alongside the kingdom’s knights. Luden saw that the Alliance member felt sorry for Von Leon, though he urged them not to feel pity. He explained that though the king’s rage and sadness were understandable, it was unjustifiable for him to have sold his soul to the Black Mage. He added that Von Leon had already had his revenge, and that it was time to break the cycle, even if it meant putting the king down.
Luden told the Alliance member that Von Leon was a master swordsman, and that he had likely also gained more power from the Black Mage, for which he warned them to be careful. The Crusader then entered the Audience Room and faced Von Leon. After a fierce battle, the Crusader emerged victorious and returned to Luden. Luden thanked them for their actions, but explained that Von Leon had only been weakened. Since his powers were tied to the Black Mage, Von Leon could never truly fall until the Black Mage’s power had been driven from his body.
(A/N: Since the Black Mage is now dead, I wonder whether Von Leon has regained his humanity. Nexon seems to have forgotten that Von Leon exists, as his last chronological appearance was in Zero’s storyline, ten years ago. Technically, he appeared in one of the flashbacks for the Genesis Weapon liberation questline, but that flashback was chronologically set even before Zero’s class story. If I had the power to shape the lore, I’d have Von Leon, Lucid, and Orchid appear as an ex-Commander trio in the Grandis story.)
After speaking with Luden, the Alliance member met with J, who was surprised to learn that they had managed to defeat Von Leon. The Alliance member told J about what they had learned from Luden, causing him to realize that the reason why Von Leon remained inactive was because he had already completed his revenge. However, he told them that one aspect of their story didn’t make sense, which was the coalition’s actions. He explained that while they had indeed existed, they had been a small group which had quickly disappeared.
He noted that it seemed strange that such a small group would have wasted all its forces on attacking Von Leon’s kingdom when they knew that their meager forces would have been wiped out in the battle. He then explained that while investigating the castle, he had come across several strange totems in the possession the coalition, which contained a dark energy that created madness in the bearer, which made him believe that some external force had driven the coalition mad, forcing them to attack Von Leon’s kingdom.
Though they were both disturbed by the idea, J noted that those events had already happened centuries ago, and that there was nothing they could do to change it. As they had confirmed that Von Leon was unlikely to act again, he believed that their investigation had concluded. He then told the Alliance member that defeating the Black Mage was their only hope of breaking Von Leon’s curse and putting an end to his great tragedy.
(A/N: It’s heavily implied that Hilla is the one responsible for driving the coalition mad, as we’re told in the Azwan storyline that Hilla’s illusions are strong enough to drive people to insanity. We also see Hilla being the one to recruit Von Leon in the Winter Bard.
Personally, I really hate how the story team keeps shoehorning “the Black Mage did it” into everything. The original version of the story had the coalition attack because they were driven by fear and paranoia by the slow collapse of their world around them, which was a much more compelling story with the amount of gray morality present in it. The new version takes away all the interesting elements of it, and pins everything on the Black Mage, which further goes on to ruin the rest of the storyline.
The Black Mage’s motivations in everything he did was because he thought that the Overseers had left their world broken beyond repair, and it’s a hell of a lot harder to see his point of view when almost all the retcons in the story have now made it so that the Black Mage was responsible for creating half the issues in the damn story, creating problems where none existed. I really wish the story team would stop forcing everything to be related to the Black Mage and just let some things happen independently of him.)
Root Abyss:
Following the Black Mage’s return, two new Commanders were brought into his ranks - Will and Damien. Will was a scholar who was deeply interested in the Black Mage and his goals since his youth. In his childhood, Will had deduced that Rhinne had created a vessel to inherit her power in order to strike back at the Black Mage. As he grew older, the Interdimensional Portal appeared in Maple World, and Will grew increasingly curious about its role in the Black Mage’s grand design. Through his research, he had learned that the Interdimensional Portal was an aberration that occurred when a Transcendent stripped the power from another Transcendent and used it.
He had concluded that the Interdimensional Portal was a sign of collapse, and that if left unchecked, Maple World and Grandis would destroy one another. Though he had initially wondered whether it was part of the Black Mage’s plan to destroy Maple World, he hadn’t been able to believe that simple destruction was all that the Black Mage had planned, as there were far simpler methods to destroy the world.
He had noted that the Black Mage had deliberately introduced countless variables into his plan, despite knowing that they would get in the way of his goal. Will had pondered endlessly about the Black Mage’s goals and had wondered whether it was ambition, a thirst for immortality, intellectual curiosity, or simply a desire to plunge Maple World into chaos. He soon began to grow frustrated when his research simply brought him back to the beginning.
Just then, however, that thought triggered an epiphany. He decided to look back to the beginning when the Black Mage had been the White Mage, before he had become the Transcendent of Light. Will successfully finished his research and concluded that the Black Mage’s goal was to create a new, perfect world that was free from the influence of the Overseers. He also realized that the Black Mage’s sealing was part of his plan, and so he became certain that the Black Mage would return.
After the Black Mage’s seal was destroyed, Will sought him out and became one of his most loyal Commanders, intent on satisfying his intellectual curiosity by seeing the new world that the Black Mage planned to create. With the spider-like powers he received from the Black Mage, Will became known as the King of Spiders.
(A/N: Will’s backstory is revealed in a flashback that we see after defeating him in the Genesis Weapon liberation questline. We also learn that Will became the Black Mage’s sole confidante, and that after the events of Mirror World, the Black Mage told Will about another goal of his, which is that he wanted something more than just the creation of a new world. This was unfortunately butchered in GMS, which erroneously stated that Will had come to suspect that the Black Mage was aspiring for something more than Genesis, which he had been keeping secret from Will.
The reason why the writers gave Will spider powers is likely because the cobwebs that spiders spin look just like cracks in a mirror, alluding to his role as the keeper of Mirror World.)
Meanwhile, Damien continued to gain influence with the half-blood demons of Tynerum in order to raise his own army. After he was brought back to Maple World by Arkarium, he was soon approached by Von Leon during one of his first meetings with the Commanders. Damien was intrigued to learn that Von Leon was a kindred spirit, as they had both lost loved ones and had chosen the path of revenge.
Von Leon then unexpectedly told Damien that some things were impossible, even for the Black Mage. Damien was surprised and asked Von Leon why he was so interested in him. Von Leon ignored the question and asked Damien whether he had ever felt as though what he was doing might be pointless. Damien retorted that Von Leon was one to talk about stopping his quest for vengeance, adding that there was no going back for either of them after having sold their souls to the Black Mage.
However, Von Leon simply told Damien that even if his mother were to return to life, Damien’s tainted soul wasn’t fit to be anywhere near her. He explained that he was sure that Damien had expected as much, but added that to be so close to something without being able to touch it was a fate worse than death. (A/N: This scene is revealed after you defeat Damien during the Genesis Weapon liberation questline.)
Soon after, the Commanders learned the location of the World Tree with Damien being tasked with recovering her. He and his army traveled to Root Abyss, where he discovered Alicia slowly regaining her powers. Rather than capturing her then, he told Alicia that he needed her at full strength and placed a seal on Root Abyss in order to prevent her from leaving. To guard her, he created four Seal Guardians: Von Bon, Pierre, the Crimson Queen, and Vellum.
(A/N: Alicia and the four Seal Guardians are based on characters from Alice in Wonderland. Alicia is Alice, Von Bon is the White Rabbit, Pierre is the Mad Hatter, the Crimson Queen is the Queen of Hearts, or possibly even the Red Queen, and Vellum is the Jabberwocky. Given her love of literary references, as seen with the Tower of Oz being based on the Wizard of Oz, I really did think that Alicia was the original creator of the Seal Guardians, and that Damien had simply corrupted them. However, the few references that exist online suggest that Damien had created them himself.
Zero‘s storyline reveals that the Commanders had planned for some unknown person to become the next Transcendent of Life, although their plans are disrupted when Damien goes rogue and attempts to steal Alicia’s power for himself. The Damien webcomic reveals that Arkarium has been keeping him in line by promising that the next Transcendent of Time after Rhinne would join the Black Mage and turn back time on his mother’s corpse, which Arkarium claims to be preserving with his time powers, although we later learn that her body was actually an illusion.
When Alpha and Beta meet the Commanders at the end of their storyline, Damien comes to realize that they have no intention of joining the Black Mage, which is when he decides to become the next Transcendent of Life himself by finding the Abyss Crystal, as Arkarium had claimed that only a Transcendent has the power to bring someone back from the dead.)
Word soon reached the Alliance that a previously uncharted area in Sleepywood had appeared. Neinheart summoned an Alliance member and explained that the Alliance had determined that, based on residual traces of magic, there had once been a barrier around the area until recently. Because of the powerful dark energy lingering in the region, Neinheart suspected that it may be a hideout for the Black Mage’s forces. He explained that the Cygnus Knights had already been dispatched to investigate, though the thick fog and vegetation had made it difficult to scout the region. Because of this, he asked the Alliance member to investigate the area and the reason for its sudden appearance.
While investigating, the Alliance member fell deep below Sleepywood into Root Abyss and woke up to find Alicia standing over them. Alicia asked them whether they had come to rescue her, to which the Alliance member replied that they hadn’t known that anyone would be in such a place, especially not such a young girl. Alicia explained that they were in Root Abyss and asked them to help her escape.
The Alliance member found several exits around Root Abyss and told Alicia that she could leave using them. Alicia explained that she had already tried many times to leave using those exits, but she had found that they didn’t work for her. The Alliance member then tried the exit and discovered that it worked for them. Upon finding that they could leave, the girl gave them a scroll and explained that she had brought it with her because it was meant to allow one to return to the nearest town. However, she told them that it didn’t work for her, and so she asked them to try it.
Though the Alliance member noted that the scroll was ancient, they found that it worked for them. They returned to let Alicia know, who wondered whether she would be stuck in Root Abyss forever. The Alliance member asked her how she had ended up in Root Abyss in the first place, as it didn’t seem like a safe place for a little girl.
(A/N: The Demon and all the Heroes except Aran and Evan get exclusive dialogue, in which they instead wonder how Alicia had ended up in Root Abyss in the first place, as it doesn’t seem like a place for the Transcendent of Life.)
Alicia explained that she had created Root Abyss at the center of the continent centuries ago in order to recover her powers, though the dark energy that now infected the area had made it impossible for her to leave. Confused, the Alliance member asked who she was, and was shocked to discover that she was the World Tree, immediately realizing that the World Tree was said to be the Transcendent of Life, who had disappeared long ago.
(A/N: The Demon and all the Heroes except Aran and Evan don’t get the line where they realize who the World Tree is, as they already know who she is.)
Alicia explained that she had used up too much of her power during the battle against the Black Mage, which was why she was barely able to maintain her form with the little life force that she had left. She told the Alliance member that she had come to the center of the continent because it was teeming with life energy, and that she had remained asleep there until recently, when several unknown intruders had broken through her barrier, waking her from her slumber, and attempted to kidnap her. Though they had all been hooded, Alicia explained that their leader was a demon with an eyepatch and sword.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he realizes that Alicia’s description matches with the demon Commander that he had met.)
Alicia told the Alliance member that the demon had wanted her at full strength, and that he had trapped her in Root Abyss until she could recover. Worried that the demon would soon come for her, Alicia asked the Alliance member once again to help her escape first. She explained that since she was still trapped, they would first need to learn the identity of the demon leader, who had created four doors around Root Abyss.
Just as the Alliance member decided to investigate the doors, they were suddenly engulfed by a strange light that transported them before Vellum, who demanded to know whether they dared to challenge “his” will. Vellum introduced himself as his master’s Seal Guardian, to which the Alliance member asked whether he was the one who had placed the seal on Alicia. Vellum replied that his master was the one who had sealed Alicia, and that he was merely acting according to “his” will. The Alliance member then asked whether he was referring to the demon with the eyepatch, causing Vellum to angrily tell them to be silent, declaring that their filthy mouth was unfit to speak of his master.
As Vellum began dropping rocks upon them, the Alliance member realized that they would need to use force in order to get answers, to which Vellum scoffed before shooting a fireball attack. He then mocked the Alliance member for falling to their knees after such paltry combat before revealing that there were three other Seal Guardians besides him, and that the Alliance member would need to defeat all four of them if they ever hoped to break the seal on the World Tree. Having sufficiently threatened them, Vellum sent the Alliance member back to Alicia.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue with Vellum that takes the place of the generic script. Vellum calls the Demon a disgraceful traitor who had abandoned the pride of the demon race and asks if he believes whether he can challenge “his” will. Vellum introduces himself as His Majesty’s Seal Guardian, causing the Demon to conclude that Vellum is working for the Black Mage.
The Demon demands to know whether Vellum is here to steal the World Tree’s power, and whether the Black Mage had put him up to it. Vellum claims that no one can order “him” around, and that everything happens in accordance to “his” desires. The Demon asks if he’s referring to the demon with the eyepatch, but Vellum angrily tells him to be silent, claiming that the Demon doesn’t deserve to speak about “him” after having lost his pride as a demon.
As Vellum begins to drop rocks on him, the Demon declares that he’ll get what he wants out of Vellum one way or another, to which Vellum scoffs at the Demon’s claim that he could overpower him before shooting a fireball attack. He then mocks the Demon for falling to his knees after such a paltry combat, adding that the rumors of him being the strongest warrior of the demons have been greatly exaggerated, after which the dialogue returns back to the generic script, which has Vellum threaten the player before teleporting them back.)
Realizing that they couldn’t hope to save Alicia alone, the Alliance member told her that they would report back to the Alliance and return with reinforcements. They then met with Neinheart, who was pleased to know that the World Tree had been located at last, though he was less happy to learn that there were assailants targeting her power. He decided to take action by mobilizing the Alliance and dispatched a team to secure Root Abyss.
Soon after, Neinheart called back the Alliance member and told them that the Alliance had decided to focus all their efforts on recovering the World Tree, as the power of the Transcendent of Life rivaled that of the Black Mage, with Alicia having been instrumental in sealing him away. He explained that after the battle, the World Tree had withered away, with Athena Pierce bringing the remaining source of life with her to Victoria Island. Though he had been worried that she had been taken by the Black Mage’s forces, he was relieved to know that they had finally stumbled across her by good fortune.
Believing that the demon was a new Commander, Neinheart told the Alliance member that they had to protect the World Tree at all costs. He explained that the Alliance had managed to defeat the Seal Guardians and free the World Tree, and so he asked the Alliance member to help escort her back to Ereve. The Alliance member traveled to Root Abyss, where the met with Alicia, who was overjoyed to have the seal broken.
They then convinced Alicia to come with them to Ereve, apologizing for asking her after she had just regained her freedom. After realizing that Ereve was the safest place for her, Alicia agreed to come with Ereve and returned back with the Alliance member, where she promised to repay them for their help someday before being absorbed inside the gemstone on Shinsoo’s forehead for her safety.
Neinheart then told the Alliance member that though the World Tree had been rescued, the danger had not yet passed. He explained that the ones who had sealed the World Tree had realized that she had been moved away, and that they had resurrected the Seal Guardians to engulf Victoria Island with dark energy. In order to stop them, the Alliance member returned back to Root Abyss and defeated the Seal Guardians once and for all.
(A/N: In the original storyline, we had to defeat the Seal Guardians in order to free Alicia, rather than the Alliance defeating them off-screen. I actually thought that this was a nice change of pace to have the Alliance actually do something on their own, rather than depending on the player to do everything for them.
The Tower of Oz storyline takes place around the same time that the Alliance was mobilizing in Root Abyss. The Tower of Oz lore isn’t very significant, but the gist of it is that Neinheart tells the Alliance member that an underwater tower has been discovered in the far, northern reaches of Maple World, where they’ve also discovered Alicia’s soul. Neinheart is curious about why Alicia’s soul is there when Alicia is currently sealed in Root Abyss and sends the Alliance member to investigate.
Alicia’s soul explains that she had split from her main body in order to protect the Tower of Oz while her physical body healed in Root Abyss. However, the Black Mage’s influence has corrupted the guardians of the tower over time, and so she asks the Alliance member to defeat the guardians by taking Stupid Pills, as the tower blocks out anyone above a certain intelligence so that the unintelligent monsters in the tower can remain safe. I think that “Stupid Pill” is one of the worst GMS localizations in the game and I vastly prefer KMS’ original name, which was “Hazy Stone”.)
Cygnus Awakens:
(A/N: There’s a mount quest which I added here before the main Cygnus Awakens storyline, as it takes place shortly beforehand and there wasn’t anywhere else to keep it.
The Cygnus Awakens quest used to be level 120, but it was bumped up to level 125 in the revamp. This is likely because the original ordering created a conflict, as it didn’t make sense for Cygnus Awakens to be the sequel to Root Abyss when it was lower level content. Even then, though, I wouldn’t use levels as an ordering for chronology up until the Arcane River storyline. The Gate to the Future, for example, is level 160-180 content, even though it takes place shortly after the formation of the Alliance, which is level 75 for most classes.)
Neinheart reached out to the Knight and told them that Kiridu was looking for them, as there was a problem with Mimio. The Knight met with Kiridu, who explained that their advancement to Chief Knight posed a problem. Though Mimio grew stronger as its master did, even Mimio had its limits, and its health was quickly deteriorating as a result. Kiridu placed Mimio inside a special incubator, hoping that it would help it recover. To his shock, however, Mimio began weakening even faster. Realizing that there was no other choice, Kiridu instructed the Knight to take Mimio to Shinsoo, whose power had created every mount in Ereve.
Shinsoo told the Knight that Mimio had grown tired from its constant battles alongside them and asked them to let Mimio go. The Knight refused and began arguing with Shinsoo, claiming that they would not let go of their dear companion. However, Shinsoo soon helped the Knight understand that Mimio was in pain, and that selfishly holding onto it would only make it suffer more.
Reluctantly, the Knight agreed to give Mimio up, and Shinsoo used her power to send it back to where it came from. To her surprise, however, Mimio returned back to the Knight’s side on its own. Shinsoo explained that the Knight’s attachment to Mimio combined with its strong will had allowed it to manifest itself without her power. She then gave it the new name Shinjo, declaring that it no longer needed her power to stay in the world.
(A/N: This last part is the actual Cygnus Awakens storyline. Mihile characters get a slightly different script for this section, but I’m working on the assumption that the Knight canonically completes it. The only main difference in Mihile’s script is that the dialogue is different in order to account for the fact that it’s just the five Chief Knights accompanying Cygnus, rather than the Chief Knights and the Cygnus Knight protagonist. Mihile also gets a somewhat altered dialogue with Shinsoo, which I’ll put in the author notes.)
Some time later, Neinheart gave the Knight a special assignment to serve as part of the security detail to protect Empress Cygnus at the upcoming Alliance meeting, which was to be the first Alliance meeting held outside Ereve. Neinheart explained that he had agreed to the change in location because Cygnus needed to learn more about Maple World, which couldn’t happen if she always remained in Ereve. However, he told the Knight that he refused to compromise her safety and reminded them that security needed to be iron-clad, which he could only entrust to the six Chief Knights.
Soon after, the Knight met Cygnus and her court at the Station to Ereve in the Six Path Crossway. Just as they were about to start heading to the Alliance meeting, an injured Kiku arrived at the station and explained that Ereve was under attack, and that though Shinsoo was fighting off the invaders, the situation was looking grim. Neinheart asked Kiku who had attacked Ereve, to which he explained that it was an unknown man with grey skin and purple hair.
Cygnus immediately decided that she would return along with the rest of the Chief Knights, as their forces would otherwise be split between protecting her and reinforcing Shinsoo. Neinheart agreed with her, explaining that there was a chance that the attack on Ereve could be a ruse to draw them away from Cygnus.
He decided that it would be best for them to all return to Ereve together, adding that he would postpone the Alliance meeting as well. As they prepared to debark, Neinheart began wondering what the enemy’s goal could be in attacking Ereve. As they prepared to return to Ereve, the Knight wondered to themselves whether the enemy was after Cygnus or if they were after Shinsoo and the World Tree.
As the Knights reached Ereve, Damien successfully defeated Shinsoo and shattered the jewel on her forehead before extracting Alicia, who had regained her full Transcendent powers. After binding her with the power of his sword, Damien collapsed onto his knees, overwhelmed with overexerting his body.
Alicia asked Damien whether he had any idea what he was doing, to which he laughed and told her that he was just hunting prey before asking what was wrong with that. Alicia noted that he clearly didn’t know anything at all, as his body was unfit to handle his powers. However, Damien ordered her to shut up and told her that she knew nothing, claiming that hunters and preys weren’t decided at birth. He then laughed and declared that his hunt would now begin.
(A/N: Unlike Damien, the Demon won the genetic lottery and got both demon powers and a demon body with wings. It’s said that having wings is pretty rare, and that wings are an indication of having great strength. Damien has been compensating for his weakness by branding monsters across Maple World and draining their power through his mark of corruption, which we saw during Stone Colossus.
One thing that I really like about this game is its consistent use of themes and symbolism. Throughout the story, we can clearly see the duality of symbiosis vs parasitism. The Adversary derives their power from the people they protect. Seal Stones can only be used by a population. Cygnus’ authority comes from people choosing to follow her, not because she has a throne. Heroes are strong because their power is freely given by others who believe in them, giving a level of purity and divinity to their strength.
In contrast, we have the parasitic relationship between the villains and their sources of power. Kaling created the Four Perils because she wanted them to consume thousands of fiends so that she could fuse with them and artificially inflate her power. Damien brands his targets and drains their power for himself through their parasitic mental link. Tyrants like Areda, Darmoor, or even the Black Mage have to subjugate and manipulate in order to keep their authority. Special types of Specters like Gilmore in the Cernium storyline have the power to kill Ancient Gods and Transcendents just like the Adversary, but their power comes from being stuffed with countless Specter souls.
In every case here, we can see that each example of symbiosis has its parasitic foil, like with Cygnus and Areda. This central theme is the most apparent in the case of the Adversary vs Specters. The Adversary can kill gods because countless souls choose to support them. For Specters, this support is forcibly taken by seizing those souls for themselves.
The power is still the same, but whereas the Adversary’s is divine and righteous, Specter power is insidious and inhuman, like the kind you get by selling your soul. It’s something they’ve been leaning into a lot more with the Grandis lore lately and I really appreciate the effort of the writers to not only tell a good story, but to add themes and symbolism to elevate that story into something even better.)
Just then, the Knights arrived in Ereve, only to find the entire island in ruins. For an instant, they saw Damien smirking in front of Shinsoo’s body before he teleported away with Alicia. The Knights rushed ahead and found Shinsoo lying motionless, causing Cygnus to burst into tears and cry over Shinsoo’s body. (A/N: Contrary to popular belief, the game mentions multiple times that Shinsoo never actually died.)
Suddenly, a surge of power welled up inside her, causing a large water barrier to envelop around herself and Shinsoo. Mihile rushed forward in an attempt to save the Empress, but found that his attacks did nothing. Neinheart was shocked at the sight of Cygnus constructing a barrier with her own power, and not with Shinsoo’s, which he had believed to be impossible. Within the water barrier, Cygnus experienced an awakening and a transformation. With her new powers, she touched Shinsoo’s body and restored vitality to the divine beast.
Over the next few months, the Knights rebuilt Ereve after Damien’s attack. Soon after, Neinheart spoke with the Knight and explained that though he didn’t know much about Cygnus’ new powers, her awakening had resulted in her growing much stronger than before, which, in turn, made the Cygnus Knights stronger, as they drew their strength from her. He told them that though Shinsoo would be able to tell them more, the divine bird had left Ereve for unknown reasons. He added that Cygnus was still despondent over Shinsoo’s leaving, as Shinsoo was Cygnus’ guiding star, just as Cygnus was to the Knights. He then asked the Knight to speak with Cygnus in order to help make her feel better.
(A/N: During our conversation with Neinheart, he mentions Damien by name, which means that he likely had some clue about Damien’s background and his relationship to the Demon. It introduces a bit of a plot hole with the Demon having no idea who the new demon Commander is until the Heroes of Maple blockbuster, as he could’ve just accessed the Alliance intelligence network and pieced it together himself.
However, a bigger plot hole is the fact that the Alliance has no idea about Lotus until Black Heaven, even though Phantom knows that Orchid is obtaining huge quantities of energy to revive Lotus. It’s probably something that the writers hadn’t considered, and so we just have to pretend like we didn’t notice.)
Cygnus was pleased to see the Knight and noted how different Ereve seemed after being rebuilt. She confessed that she hadn’t felt like herself since awakening her powers. She explained that Shinsoo had always mentioned that she wouldn’t be the one to awaken, and that she wouldn’t be ready if she did, as it had been said that her distant descendent would awaken.
She confessed that she felt unstable and feared what would happen if she couldn’t control her powers, wondering whether she was the reason that Shinsoo had left. Nevertheless, Cygnus noted that her awakening had allowed her to save Shinsoo’s life and make the Cygnus Knights stronger, and so she would not regret what had happened. She believed that Shinsoo would one day return to guide her, and until then, she vowed that she would use her power to bring peace to Maple World.
Soon after, the Knight heard Shinsoo’s voice calling to them. Shinsoo asked them to come find her, as they deserved to know the truth. The Knight followed Shinsoo’s call to Leafre, where they found the divine beast waiting for them. The Knight asked Shinsoo what had happened to the Empress, to which Shinsoo asked them if they knew about the three Transcendents of Maple World who had maintained balance over life, light, and time.
However, she explained that the Transcendents hadn’t existed from the beginning, as they had been created after the chaos of the world had been quelled by the Overseers, proxies of the Primordial God, adding that she herself had also been working to maintain balance, though that balance had now been broken. As the Transcendents were needed to keep the balance of the world, it had been ordained that in the distant future, a descendant of Cygnus would be born with the power to become a new Transcendent, for which Shinsoo had been waiting many years.
Though Cygnus had been destined to lay the foundation for a future Transcendent, the shock of seeing Shinsoo at the verge of death had caused her to prematurely awaken as a Transcendent-in-reserve. Due to her sudden and incomplete awakening, Cygnus could now use a portion of the Transcendent’s powers, though she remained in a strange state of not actually being one.
(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he asks Shinsoo whether that means the Empress’ destiny has changed, to which Shinsoo tells him that he could view it that way.)
Shinsoo confessed that the situation was something that she had never expected, which made her worried that Cygnus would be adversely affected. She admitted that she had little power of her own left, as she had expended most of it on building and maintaining Ereve, as well as creating the Piyos, who would carry on her will. As a result, she feared that she didn't have enough power left to protect Cygnus. Nevertheless, she explained that her mission to keep the world in balance still stood, which was what she, as a survivor of the Ancient War, would continue doing until the very end.
In order to do so, Shinsoo explained that she would need to correct what had gone wrong, though she didn’t know whether that duty meant that she would need to revert Cygnus back to her old self, or to complete her awakening as a full Transcendent. She explained that she was unsure whether that duty meant that she needed to separate Cygnus from her Transcendent powers or to teach her how to use it. In order to find answers, Shinsoo had left Ereve, as she feared that without those answers, Cygnus would get hurt. She realized that Cygnus was likely worried and confused, and she added that she was sorry that she couldn’t be at Cygnus’ side.
(A/N: Mihile has some exclusive dialogue here in which Shinsoo notes that Mihile must be worried too, as both he and Shinsoo know the pain of being a helpless protector.)
She then asked the Knight if they would watch over Cygnus in her stead, believing that they had the strength to do so.
(A/N: This is where the quest ends for Mihile. Cygnus Knights gets some extra dialogue right after this, which I’ve covered below.)
After the Knight agreed, Shinsoo told them that she felt a sense of nostalgia looking at them, as the purity of their heart and their beliefs reminded her of the Noblesse. Shinsoo explained that perhaps the Knight’s distant ancestors were Noblesse, or that the Knight had simply taken on the mantle themselves, but regardless, their selflessness endured in the Knight.
She explained that in the time of the Noblesse, ignorant rules had sent waves of people to their pointless deaths. Though she had done what she could to try to stop it, she had only been able to do so much. However, other had taken up the cause and had stood for peace on her behalf, and so she had given them the name ‘Noblesse’.
However, war had still taken the lives of their noble hearts, with many dying with Empress Aria and the survivors perishing in the war from 300 years ago. Shinsoo told the Knight that they and the people of Maple World would soon have enormous decisions to make and asked that their principles guide them in making those choices wisely. She then asked the Knight to help the Empress quell the chaos of the world.
Hoping to do something to help Cygnus, the Knight returned to Neinheart and told him about their conversation with Shinsoo. Neinheart was surprised to learn that Cygnus held the power of a Transcendent’s reserve and asked the Knight to keep it between themselves. He added that there was much that they didn’t know about Shinsoo, and so he hoped to avoid wild speculation.
He also added that their enemies wouldn’t give them the luxury of time, and that between the Black Wings, the Commanders, and the Black Mage himself, the Alliance needed to be as strong as possible. However, he noted that the Knight was living proof of how strong they could become and asked them to stay the course.
(A/N: Originally, Shinsoo gave us her blessing and bestowed the Call of Cygnus skill in order to help us protect the Empress. However, the Ignition revamp removed the need to complete this quest in order to obtain the skill. There are also a few other changes to the dialogue that came with the Ignition update.
In the pre-Ignition Cygnus Knight storyline, Shinsoo explained that Cygnus’ descendent would have been the fourth Transcendent, possibly of a new domain. With the revamp, they’ve now omitted the reference to Cygnus being the fourth Transcendent and have instead suggested that she exists as a reserve. For some weird reason, a lot of the dialogue that Shinsoo has with the Cygnus Knight gets omitted in her conversation with Mihile in the GMS localization, meaning that Mihile characters won’t get a lot of the new lore changes, such as Cygnus being a reserve and the line about the Overseers.
Cygnus being called a reserve here is interesting because it implies that she occupies a similar role as Tana did to Aeona. The idea of there being a reserve to a Transcendent has always been unique to the Transcendent of Light, as they’re the only Transcendent with two powers - creation and destruction - requiring two vessels to hold each one. Cygnus being called a reserve here likely has a different connotation, as it probably just means that she’s a vessel ready to inherit the powers of a pre-existing Transcendent, similar to how Tana became the new Transcendent of Light after killing Aeona.
Interestingly, the idea of Cygnus being a reserve actually has roots in MapleStory M. Just to give a disclaimer, the mobile game has a wildly different storyline from the main game, and it honestly feels like you’re in a fever dream even just hearing about it. For example, the Explorer in MapleStory M is actually a dream fragment created from the Black Mage’s thoughts, which Lucid kidnapped from Cygnus’ dream and accidentally dropped on Maple Island while transporting it back to the Black Mage.
The same storyline also revealed that if a Transcendent gets corrupted, the Overseers will awaken someone to replace them. For this reason, Cygnus awakened to replace the Black Mage and become the new Transcendent of Light, which also linked their minds. This resulted in us, the Black Mage’s dream fragment, floating over into Cygnus’ dream, causing Lucid to try to recover it at the start of the storyline. Obviously, MapleStory M doesn’t share the same lore and continuity as the main game, and I don’t even think that they share the same writing team, but whether it was coincidental or not, some of the ideas from the mobile game managed to appear in the post-Ignition story.
Jumping back to the main game, the fact that Cygnus has awakened as a reserve implies that the Transcendent whom she’s meant to replace still exists. Her prominent life powers likely mean that she’s meant to replace Alicia, and that she’s slowly growing stronger as Alicia weakens, eventually becoming an all-but-complete Transcendent by the time of Tenebris, shortly after Alicia scatters her life force. This idea is supported by the Moonbridge storyline, during which Cygnus Knights get one of their 5th job skills called “Empress Cygnus’ Blessing” enhanced to “Transcendent Cygnus’ Blessing”, which suggests that Cygnus’ latent Transcendent powers are growing stronger.
However, I actually have another theory about Cygnus and her Transcendent powers, which is that she’s a failsafe created by the Overseers in the case that all the Transcendents of Maple World are permanently removed. Over the course of the story, Cygnus has been shown to use not only life powers, but also powers from the other two domains. She’s used the power of time to foresee the future in Black Heaven and Tenebris, and during Tenebris, she also creates a massive light shield to block Gloom’s attack.
Based on how she embodies all three laws of light, life, and time, my theory is that she’s some sort of super-Transcendent failsafe that can maintain the balance of all three domains at once in the event that the other Transcendents vanish. This would also explain why it was said that her distant descendent was meant to awaken, rather than herself, as the Transcendents are still in power in the present day.
Another similar theory is that Cygnus’ ability to use all three powers is because she has the potential to replace any of the three Transcendents, and that once she fully awakens as a Transcendent, her ability to use all the other powers except her assigned domain would disappear, similar to how the Black Mage had to cast out his light upon awakening as the Transcendent of Light, as an awakened Transcendent of Light can’t use both light and darkness.)
Some time later, Neinheart called an Alliance member to Ereve, where they noted that the whole place looked different. Neinheart told the Alliance member about Damien’s attack, and how he had taken the World Tree after killing Shinsoo. He also revealed how Cygnus had prematurely awakened as a Transcendent-in-reserve, granting her the use of some Transcendent powers without being fully awakened as one, while Shinsoo had left Ereve to find a way to help her.
Neinheart explained that he had initially been planning to keep the knowledge secret, though he admitted that he knew that he couldn’t keep it secret forever, which was why he had chosen to share it first with them. He then added that despite how unexpected it all was, they couldn’t stop their work, as their priority was defeating their enemy as soon as possible.
Crimsonheart Castle:
(A/N: The Crimsonheart Castle storyline introduced the lore about Tynerum, and it gave us our first look at what the demon homeland is like. Unfortunately, nearly all of it was blatantly plagiarized by KMS from GMS’ Masteria. I’ve mentioned this before, but Tynerum is called Masteria in KMS. KMS took the name from GMS’ Masteria, which is the continent that hosts New Leaf City. Not only was KMS too lazy to come up with an original name for Tynerum, but they also lifted the assets for Crimsonwood Keep and the pre-revamp versions of the twisted Versalian soldiers, after which they just slapped on the new name of Crimsonheart Castle and called it a day.
I think that it’s really dumb how our only glimpse of Tynerum is just a cheap, recycled version of GMS Masteria. Not only that, but GMS decided to change some of Grendel’s dialogue to say that Tynerum is facing a war led by the demon Naricain, the antagonist of the Masteria storyline. This replaced the original KMS dialogue that basically had Grendel note that even the demons had no idea what the cause of the great war that devastated Tynerum was. GMS’ unnecessary change now just exists to cause confusion between Tynerum and Masteria.
The only reason why I’m including this section is because it’s technically canon, but I’m really hoping that they give this storyline a revamp one day. The Heroes of Maple blockbuster was revamped in the Dreamer update, and it cleared up a lot of confusion about Tynerum, confirming that it’s the third world created by the Overseers, while Friends World is a parallel world within the same dimension as Maple World. Because of the new focus on Tynerum, as well as the string of storyline revamps, it’s very likely that Crimsonheart Castle will be revamped as well, and with any luck, it’ll get rid of the recycled Masteria assets and establish its own unique aesthetic.)
A traveler was contacted by Grendel the Really Old, who asked if they were interested in learning more about the world of Tynerum. They decided to meet him in Ellinia, where he told them about the Grand Athenaeum, a library which contained all the knowledge in the universe. Much like the Akashic Records of old, the Grand Athenaeum was a place where magicians who surpassed time and space could gather in order to share their knowledge. (A/N: The Akashic Records is a concept in theosophy and anthroposophy about a compendium of all universal knowledge. I guess that it’s an actual thing in Maple World.)
He told them that some of the library’s books even had personalities of their own, and that one particular book had kept following him around until he had opened it. Inside, he had found that it was written in a strange language, which he had translated and discovered to be a distress call from a magician named Ridley, who had written that Tynerum was on the verge of collapse, as chaos ruled and law was gone, with the pride of the demons fallen to the ground. He then requested for anyone receiving his message to send help immediately.
(A/N: Ridley is an important character in the original Masteria lore. Aside from his contributions to Crimsonwood Keep, he had embedded his consciousness into a statue, allowing him to speak with others.)
Grendel told the traveler that according to ancient records, Tynerum was the distant world of the demons, located far from Maple World. With little knowledge of Tynerum, and with the demons reappearing in Maple World after centuries, Grendel believed that the distress call warranted investigation. Using the library book as a medium, Grendel created a portal that allowed the traveler to enter Crimsonheart Castle in Tynerum.
(A/N: In-game, you actually use the Dimensional Mirror found in most major towns to travel to Crimsonheart Castle. It’s a bit strange that Grendel can open a portal between dimensions, but as Tynerum was only recently confirmed to be in its own dimension, it’s likely that this detail will get replaced with something that makes more sense in a potential revamp.)
Inside the castle, the traveler discovered that several pure-blood demon children had been imprisoned within. The traveler spoke with their leader, a girl named Pepper, who was surprised that an outsider had come to help them, as none of them had sent out a distress call. Pepper explained that all the children had been captured from a nearby town, to which the traveler asked her whether there was anyone who would come to their rescue.
Pepper told the traveler that they must not know the situation in Tynerum as an outsider, explaining that due to the ongoing great war, their nation had all but collapsed, with only a few small villages remaining. She revealed that a group of unknown, violent assailants had kidnapped them as they had struggled to survive, and that she had overheard that they were planning to conduct some sort of ritual sacrifice.
(A/N: The Heroes of Maple storyline reveals that the demons had been conducting terrible experiments for thousands of years in order to take the powers of the Transcendents of Tynerum. One such experiment was the Sword of Destruction, which had been created by sacrificing the souls of countless half-blood demons across the millennia. As a result, the sword came to be inhabited by the Spirit of Vengeance - the combined spirits of those sacrificed demons - and was later claimed by Damien. It’s likely that these weak, pure-blood demon children are being held for sacrifice in a similar type of experiment.)
The traveler then asked Pepper whether there was a magician named Ridley amongst them, to which Pepper replied that she had never heard of anyone with such a name before. Just then, a statue called the traveler over and explained that he was Ridley, the one who had sent the distress call. Ridley welcomed the traveler to Crimsonheart Castle and explained that it had once been a majestic and impregnable fortress until it had fallen in the great war hundreds of years ago, leaving it a desolate state.
He also that during the fall of Crimsonheart Castle, he had been turned to stone from a curse, leaving him frozen for centuries. Because of this, he had been unable to tell the captured demon children about several secret passageways that could help them escape from the castle, which was why he had sent a call for help through an enchanted book in the Grand Athenaeum. At Ridley’s request, the traveler informed Pepper about the secret passageways, though Pepper explained that the passageways were heavily guarded, making it impossible to escape through them.
Just then, Grendel telepathically contacted the traveler and asked what they had found out. After hearing about the situation, Grendel realized that the state of Tynerum was indeed grim, though he asked the traveler to continue investigating by helping the demon children. In order to clear a path for the children to escape, the traveler fought and defeated the monsters and soldiers patrolling outside the area. With the traveler’s help, Pepper and the other demons were successfully able to flee the castle and thanked the traveler profusely for their help.
The traveler then spoke with Ridley, who revealed that the monsters outside the castle had once been the proud knights of Crimsonheart Castle until they had been corrupted by an evil force during the great war. The traveler asked Ridley why they had been corrupted, to which he explained that it remained unknown, as the origins of the great war remained shrouded in mystery. As he had been frozen in place for centuries, Ridley regretfully admitted that he had no knowledge of what had been transpiring in the outside world.
After speaking with Ridley, the traveler contacted Grendel and informed him about everything that they had learned. Grendel was surprised to know that not even the demons were aware about the cause of their great war, and so he asked the traveler to leave Crimsonheart Castle and investigate the outside world. However, the traveler found the path to the exit blocked by a powerful warrior named Master Red Nirg. Though the traveler was able to defeat him, they noted that despite being a demon, he had been exuding a strange aura.
(A/N: Master Red Nirg is based on Red Nirg, one of the four Twisted Masters in the original Masteria storyline. The Twisted Masters were powerful Versalian commanders who served the Archdemon Narician, the main villain of the Masteria storyline, and you also got to fight them in the now-removed Crimsonwood Keep PQ.
In addition, the corrupted monsters and soldiers of Crimsonheart Castle are all mobs which appeared in the original Phantom Forest of Masteria. In the original Masteria storyline, many of these corrupted monsters are minions of Naricain who crossed over to Maple World from another world called Versal. However, the current Masteria storyline retconned these soldiers to be knights of Crimsonwood Keep who were corrupted by Naricain, similar to the story presented in Crimsonheart Castle.
The original Masteria lore is hands-down one of the best stories in the game, and I have a writeup about it as the prologue on the GMS-verse section of this website. GMS-verse is a name that I made up in order to refer to the shared universe for all the overseas content in GMS (which is non-canon to the main story): Masteria, Sengoku, Jett, Beast Tamer, MONAD, Stellar Detectives, and Mushroom Shrine Tales. In my opinion, the old Masteria lore is infinitely better than the new one in every single way and Masteria Through Time is the single greatest mistake ever made in the history of storytelling.
On the topic of overseas content, however, the Crimsonheart Castle storyline was continued overseas as the original Gollux prequest, in which Pepper and the other demon children contact you from Shadow Veil Forest and ask you to help them defeat Gollux, who was corrupted by Hilla. This backstory has been removed everywhere except JMS, which still has the weaker version of Gollux and the old prequests. The huge number of prequests were cut down everywhere else, with GMS even getting a small new backstory to Gollux that ties directly with the Masteria lore and Afinas, the mysterious society of knights and scholars who were dispatched to the Abrup Basin during the events of MONAD.)
The traveler then discovered that a powerful barrier was preventing them from exiting the castle. They reported back to Grendel, who realized that their investigation couldn’t continue, as the barrier had been designed to keep outsiders out. However, he noted that there was indeed more to Tynerum than what met the eye and added that they would get a chance to continue learning more, as the barrier wouldn’t last forever. He then thanked the traveler for their help in learning more about Tynerum, explaining that he couldn’t help but be curious about it as a member of Maple World, a member of the Alliance, but most importantly, as a scholar.
(A/N: Following the Crimsonheart Castle storyline, there are several mini-games that you can complete in order to help strengthen Ridley’s magic, although there’s nothing that we get from completing them. There’s also a party quest called the Tynerum Altar, which is a watered-down version of the Crimsonwood Keep PQ in GMS. Ironically, the Tynerum Altar PQ has been removed in KMS and virtually every other regions except for GMS.
Although it’s a cheap knockoff, you do get to learn a little bit more lore about Tynerum by completing them. We learn that the Twisted Masters - at least, the KMS version of them - have holed themselves in Crimsonheart Castle in order to absorb the power of five legendary weapons wielded by the knights of Crimsonheart Castle. The party quest involves fighting your way into the Tynerum Altar, defeating the Twisted Masters, and reclaiming the legendary weapons.
At the end of the main Crimsonheart Castle storyline, however, the Demon gets some exclusive dialogue. He tells Mastema that this was his first time coming to Tynerum in-person, as he had only ever heard stories about it. Mastema notes that it’s a much livelier place than she had thought, as she had also only ever heard stories about it.
The Demon then reflects back on how he had been brought up in a community of half-blood demons who had crossed over to Maple World some time ago. He recalls how it hadn’t been easy growing up in Maple World as a half-blood demon, for while he had been fortunate enough to have earned respect by being born with demon powers, Damien had been born weak and sickly, for which he had been forced to become even stronger in order to keep his family safe from harm.
He then tells Mastema that from the stories that he had heard about Tynerum from the high-ranking demons of his community, he had learned that Tynerum had fallen into chaos in the absence of a strong ruler, which was why he had believed in the Black Mage’s ideals to conquer Maple World and become a Commander, though he lamented that he had lost everything as a result.
After a pause, he tells Mastema that he never wants to lose anyone like that again, adding that he wouldn’t make that mistake again if he got the chance to do it over. He explains that it would be better if he were to pick up his sword simply to protect what he loved, rather for any sort of grand ideal, noting that Damien would agree.
The Damien webcomic created a continuity error with this dialogue, as it retconned the Demon and Damien’s birthplace as Tynerum. It explained that the Demon took his mother and Damien to Leafre shortly after his demon powers awakened, as his mother was human and Damien had been born without demon powers, making them easy targets for the powerful pure-blood demons.
I wasn’t sure whether to include the in-game version or the webtoon version for the Demon’s backstory on this site, as the story constantly flip-flops on whether it’ll retcon a webtoon with new in-game lore, or if it’ll retcon in-game lore with a webtoon that gets built upon by future in-game lore. Because of this, I’m tentatively choosing to include the webtoon lore, as it’s not directly contradicted by anything released in recent years, but I’ll add or remove things as necessary if future storylines contradict anything.)
The Elite Bosses:
In the ruins of the Sharenian palace, Commander Kellad and his squad had spent countless years trapped in a time-loop created by the devil Ergoth Dunamis. Over time, his squad had grown insane from sleep deprivation and had soon turned on Kellad, believing that he had manipulated them into following him because he had sworn to Prince Sharen IV that he would revive him with the Rubian. Realizing that it was too late for his squad, Kellad had ordered Quieg, the only loyal member of his squad, into attacking the others.
After his squad killed each other, Kellad saw that Prince Sharen, who had been lying dead on the floor moments ago, had gotten up on his own. Sharen asked Kellad if he had ever seen an illusion before, and when Kellad told him that he hadn’t, Sharen asked how Kellad could be sure that he, the prince, wasn’t an illusion, or his allies, or perhaps even all of Sharenian.
He told Kellad to look up at the sky, where Kellad was surprised to see that the halo around the sun had vanished, indicating that the spacetime of Sharenian and the outside world had fallen back in sync. Prince Sharen explained that Ergoth’s curse had weakened as the subjects of Sharenian died and revealed that Ergoth’s power wasn’t to turn back time, but rather to create a false reality in order to imprison Kellad and his knights, entrapping them in nothing more than a mirror that he had created of the real Sharenian.
He told Kellad that time had continued to pass at the same rate in the real world, meaning that it had been centuries since Ergoth had trapped them. In the real world, Sharenian had fallen the very same day that Ergoth had first been summoned. Atop the ruins of Sharenian, Ergoth had built a prosperous devil empire, though even that had fallen at the hands of a band of adventurers, leaving just Ergoth and the false Rubian that he guarded. (A/N: This is a reference to the events of the original Sharenian Guild PQ, which has now been removed from the game.)
He explained that King Sharen III had formed a contract with Ergoth to have him protect the Rubian, though Ergoth had betrayed him immediately after being summoned. Kellad then raised his blade at the prince, telling him that he wasn’t so foolish as to believe such a lie. Sharen then cited how he had once asked Kellad why everything beautiful faded. He recalled how Kellad had explained that just as the beauty of a fluttering petal was because of its fall, so too did the beauty of life stem from its brevity.
Sharen told Kellad that he had been right, as Sharenian and the lives of its people were beautiful because they had been fated to end. At the prince’s words, Kellad fell to his knees and asked what he and his knights had even been fighting for over the centuries that they had been trapped. Sharen then reminded Kellad of the promise that he had made to protect Sharenian until the very end, so long as a single soul remained.
With Prince Sharen still alive, Kellad’s oath required him to remain bound to serve Sharen, the sole survivor of Sharenian. Prince Sharen then gave Kellad the Rubian and told him that he could use it to revive his comrades. (A/N: I mentioned in an earlier section that the Rubian has no powers, but you’ll see why it does in a bit.)
Kellad then escaped the world of illusion, where the real Ergoth was waiting for him. Having fought Ergoth over and over for centuries, Kellad easily killed him and took the Rubian. Soon after, five Explorers - Mogg, Khalid, Juli, Coleman, and Freya - arrived at the ruins of Sharenian, intent on finding lost treasure.
There, Kellad greeted them and told them his story. He then used the Rubian on the Explorers and told them to claim the treasure that they had come seeking: the treasure of eternal life. With the power of the Rubian, Kellad fused the Explorers’ physical bodies with the souls of his fallen comrades:
Mogg the Warrior Explorer fused with Hardin to become Mogadin the Black Knight.
Khalid the Magician Explorer fused with Ain to become Khaliain the Mad Mage.
Juli the Bowman Explorer fused with Ryan and became Jurai the Vicious Hunter.
Coleman the Thief Explorer fused with Quieg, a robotic Arcane Construct of Sharenian, and became CQ57 the Rampant Cyborg.
Freya the Pirate Explorer fused with Ed and became Freyd the Bad Brawler.
Kellad fused with the fallen body of Ergoth Dunamis and became Guard Captain Darknell.
Darknell and his knights then pledged eternal loyalty to Prince Sharen, who revealed himself as the White Mage in disguise.
(A/N: As these events are now happening in the present day, the White Mage has already fallen, and so this is actually the Black Mage choosing to appear in the form of the White Mage. Since the White Mage looks pretty similar to Prince Sharen, I’m guessing that he was hoping to subliminally influence Kellad’s weakened mental state in order to manipulate him into servitude more easily.
Though we don’t know at what point he decided to start impersonating Sharen, the fact that the events of Sharenian predate his birth implies that he became aware of the time loop after becoming the Black Mage. He also infused his Transcendent powers into the Rubian, as otherwise, it really was just a common gem all along.
In KMS, Darknell’s name is actually Dunkel, which is the German word for ‘dark’. I feel like this fits better than Darknell, as it matches the portmanteau that all the Elite Bosses get by combining their names, with Dunkel coming from ‘Dun-’ in Ergoth Dunamis and ‘-kel’ from Kellad.)
Darknell and his knights then became known as the Elite Bosses, pledged to serve the Black Mage as his eternal servants. Some time later, Hilla and Will had a conversation about the purpose of the Elite Bosses. Hilla accepted that over the course of hundreds of thousands of battles and pledges, a soul could be refined into one of incredible power. However, by mixing in the power of a Transcendent, the Black Mage had created monsters and asked what use he could possibly have for such unthinking puppets.
Will told her that given the Black Mage’s ability to see the future, he had likely created such powerful monsters because he had anticipated that an enemy with similar strength would one day arise, to which Hilla told him that she could scarcely imagine such a foe. Though he didn’t tell her, Will also realized that it meant that the Elite Bosses would be unimpeachably loyal to the Black Mage, incapable of betraying him under any circumstances.
Soon after, the Black Mage discovered the dimension where Rhinne had hidden her successor. He then entrusted Will with overseeing Rhinne and her child, and ensuring that her successor would never awaken as the new Transcendent of Time. With full authority over Rhinne and her powers, Will decided to move Rhinne from her icy prison within the Temple of Time and transferred her over to the same dimension where her child and the priests hand-picked to serve them were trapped.
Inspired by Ergoth’s ability to create a perfect replica of Sharenian, Will used Rhinne’s powers to recreate the prison dimension into what he called Mirror World, a replica of Maple World. However, Will soon realized that he was unable handle the immense power of Rhinne’s child. In order to weaken them and to corrupt them with his influence, he split the child into two beings. He trapped the girl inside the Child of the Goddess’ own temple and brainwashed the boy into serving him and his Shadow Knights, who had been tasked with keeping the boy trapped inside Mirror World.
The Silent Crusade:
(A/N: The Silent Crusade that we have in the game was adapted by KMS, but the content originally came from JMS. The original JMS storyline is significantly different and even has its own blockbuster that expanded the story. The story focuses on the player working together with either Crow or Starling, depending on your gender. Male characters get Starling, while female characters get Crow, as your partner serves as both your rival and your love interest. Personally, I wish that we got the option to choose our partner, but I think that Nexon would sooner give out free Frenzy Totems than let us have a romance with a character of the same gender.
Everywhere outside of GMS, the Silent Crusade is known as the Cross Brigade, which is an organization that focuses on eliminating dangerous monsters around Maple World inside the Mystic Gates. The plot mainly revolves around fighting enemies of the Cross Brigade, including an enemy organization called the Black-Blooded Demon Brigade, as well as several traitors within the Cross Brigade itself. There’s a lot cooler worldbuilding about the organization and its function, such as how there are seven divisions led under seven captains that report to central headquarters, with patrons that financially back each member of the Cross Brigade in order to give the organization the funds to keep running their operations full-time.
Personally, I liked the JMS Silent Crusade a lot more than the KMS version, and I’m hoping to have a section about the original storyline one day on the lore site. The KMS story focuses on Arkarium, who originally used the Mystic Gates to go back in time and unseal the Black Mage. A lot of aspects about the Silent Crusade was removed in KMS during the revamp, including the Mystic Gates as a whole, and the story was shortened and streamlined into a small questline that serves as the new prequest for Arkarium.
Before the revamp, the story was explicitly set before the Black Mage’s unsealing, as Arkarium’s goal was to unseal the Black Mage shortly after the Heroes sealed him away. The revamp places the story after the Black Mage’s unsealing, which fits a bit nicer with the timeline that the story team has been setting up (by heavily retconning everything about the story since the Destiny update), although the story quality is another matter entirely. If you want to check out the pre-revamp story, I have them split up here and here (you’ll need to scroll a bit for the second link) on the pre-Destiny page.)
An Alliance member was contacted by Jake, a subway worker in Kerning City, who explained that a girl had followed several shady figures onto the subway. Worried about her safety, he asked them to check if she was okay and sent them a ticket that would immediately teleport them to the subway. (A/N: This is one of the worst setups for a storyline. Why would he contact us instead of asking literally anyone else in the area? Better yet, why can’t he just go himself?)
Upon arriving, the Alliance member found the girl, Starling, who explained that her leg had been injured. Just then, Black Wings henchmen appeared and began attacking the Alliance member, who dispatched them easily.
(A/N: It never really made much sense to me that the Black Wings would be involved with the Silent Crusade stuff. Although Orchid hasn't technically left the Black Mage's service, she's been busy trying to revive Lotus this whole time. It's possible that the Black Wings attacking Starling was unrelated to Arkarium's plot, since Orchid would have reason to get rid of them, and Starling just happened to use the attack as an excuse to test our strength and recruit us.)
Starling then got up and thanked the Alliance member, who was confused about how she could stand despite her injury. She casually dismissed it and asked them to find her bag, which had been taken by a monster. At the empty platform outside, the Alliance member fought a Crimson Rock, but found no bag upon defeating it. They told Starling that they couldn’t find the bag, but she dismissed that, too, and told them that she was impressed that they had been able to defeat the Crimson Rock. She then gave them a ticket and explained that it would allow them to meet her at the Relic Excavation Site in Perion before disappearing.
The Alliance member then used the ticket and met Starling at the Relic Excavation Site. There, Starling told them that she had heard from an excavator named Shawn that a strange crack in time had been found in the area, which she believed might be the reason why the monsters in the excavation site had grown unusually violent. The Alliance member agreed to help Starling investigate, and so the two entered the crack, which led them to an area that looked quite unlike the rest of the ruins.
Upon examining the area closely, the Alliance member realized that the bricks and columns matched the architecture of Sharenian. Starling explained that the same architecture could be found in the ruins, though she found it strange that the section of the ruins that they were currently in was so well-preserved when the other ruins were barely standing, especially with the kingdom of Sharenian having supposedly disappeared without a trace. The Alliance member wondered whether they had entered Sharenian of the past, to which Starling suggested that they continue investigating.
Suddenly, the ground began rumbling as a powerful monster named Lord Skeleton appeared, wounded Starling with a powerful attack. After the Alliance member defeated it, Starling thanked them for their help and explained that while she didn't know why they had entered Sharenian of the past, the kingdom had been known for its advanced magical knowledge, and so it was possible that Sharenian still had unearthed secrets which may have allowed its people to maintain the past.
However, the Alliance member pointed out that they had sensed devil-like energy from Lord Skeleton, noting that since the skeleton monsters in the Excavation Site were soldiers of Sharenian reanimated by the power of a devil, there should be no way that a skeleton monster could have existed before the fall of the kingdom. Starling noted to herself that their surroundings definitely indicated that they were in the past, with Lord Skeleton's clothing indicating that he was a Sharenian commander.
She then told the Alliance member that they ought to escape, as the space around them was breaking down. After they returned back to the Excavation Site, Starling asked if they were interested in protecting the peace in Maple World and instructed them to find Bastille in Edelstein. There, Bastille welcomed the Alliance member and took them to a hidden room. He explained that he needed to test their strength, and so he had them fight his puppy, Coco, which had the power to project a monstrous shadow of itself to fight.
After passing the test, Bastille welcomed them to the Silent Crusade, a special branch of the Alliance whose purpose was to collect information from the shadows regarding the Black Mage’s return, as well as to fight powerful monsters that appeared around Maple World. He told them that Starling had mentioned that they had investigated the strange crack in the Excavation Site together, to which the Alliance member explained that it had taken them to a past version of Sharenian, where they had fought a skeleton monster from the present day.
Bastille told them that he wasn't surprised and asked them whether they knew of the Black Mage's Commanders, who had once thrown the world into chaos. He explained that the Silent Crusade had always kept a close watch on them until their disappearance after the Black Mage had been sealed away, though with the seal now being broken, the Commanders were starting to return.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Bastille adds that the Silent Crusade is also monitoring him, for while they know that he had betrayed the Black Mage, he had still served as a Commander at one point. He explains that the reason why he hasn’t rejected the Demon from their organization is because the Alliance trusts him. As the Silent Crusade is a branch of the Alliance, he adds that he’ll trust the Alliance’s decision and accept the Demon as a member.)
The Alliance member then asked Bastille whether he believed that the Commanders were the cause for the strange crack in Perion. (A/N: The Demon and all the Heroes except for Aran and Evan get exclusive dialogue, in which they wonder whether it’s time to face such an ill-fated challenge such as the Commanders once again.) Bastille explained that as they may have guessed, the place which they had seen inside the crack was indeed Sharenian of the past. However, he explained that no matter how magically advanced the kingdom was, it was impossible to materialize monsters from the future.
Because of this, he believed that the rift had been created by a time magic practitioner, though he added that there were only a handful of people in Maple World powerful enough to bring back a kingdom that had disappeared long ago. Bastille told the Alliance member that the Silent Crusade had managed to track down a mage who was not only a powerful time magic user, but had also been in hiding for a long time. He then explained that the one responsible for the rift had been Commander Arkarium.
(A/N: Most classes say "Arkarium?" in confusion, but the Demon, as well as all the Heroes except Aran and Evan, say "Arkarium?!" in shock.)
Bastille explained that Arkarium had once been the snake-like High Priest of Goddess Rhinne, though he had betrayed her and joined the Black Mage. He told the Alliance member that they needed to investigate Arkarium's activities in Leafre, near the Temple of Time. The Alliance member then noted that though Arkarium had created a copy of Sharenian from the past, the fact that the monsters there were like the skeletons of present-day Perion made them believe that Arkarium's time magic wasn't perfect.
Bastille confirmed their theory, though he warned them not to grow complacent just because of that. He reminded them that they had taken on an important responsibility and hoped that they would do their best to protect the peace of Maple World, adding that he would call on them when the time came.
Soon after, Starling contacted the Alliance member and asked them to come to headquarters. There, Bastille told them that the monsters of Leafre were on a rampage, and that their intelligence pointed towards Arkarium being the culprit. He then asked the Alliance member to work with the other agents in order to remedy the situation. On Bastille's instructions, the Alliance member arrived in Leafre and met with an agent named Crow, who immediately dismissed them as weak and told them that their job was to defeat the powerful monsters around Leafre.
The Alliance member grew annoyed and told them that they already knew that without him saying so, to which Crow, in response to them talking back to him, ordered them to defeat Master Hoblin, adding that he wasn't the type to work with others, especially clueless rookies. The Alliance member then traveled to Master Hoblin's hideout and defeated him. As they began to leave, however, several of Arkarium's snake minions appeared and laughed that Arkarium's spell was now complete, thanking the Alliance member, whom they addressed as an “unknown hero”, for buying them time.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue, in which the snake minions note that since betraying the Black Mage, the Demon’s skills have gotten rusty, as he hadn’t even noticed that it had all been a trick to buy them time.
For most of the Heroes, the snake minions address them directly by name. For Evan and Shade, however, the snakes minions address them with the generic “unknown hero” title, as Arkarium forgot about Shade and he doesn’t know Evan from centuries ago.)
Upon hearing their words, the Alliance member immediately realized that they had walked into a trap. Claiming that the Alliance member had done their part, the snake minions declared that it was now time for them to lay down their life for the sake of Arkarium's plan. As the snake minions attacked the Alliance member, Crow suddenly rushed in and saved them. As the two retreated, the snake minions told them that it was too late to stop Arkarium, now that his spell had been activated.
Back in Leafre, the Alliance member told Crow that though they had managed to defeat Master Hoblin, the snake minions had unexpectedly arrived and attacked them. To their surprise, Crow offered a rare compliment and told the Alliance member that they must be strong, to which the Alliance member asked him why he had come to save them when he couldn't be bothered earlier. Crow stammered that he had come to watch them because it would’ve been harder for him to fix things if they had messed up, though the Alliance member immediately saw through his words. Crow then reluctantly admitted that they deserved credit for the way that they had handled things.
He told the Alliance member that the situation with Master Hoblin had merely been a trick in order to buy Arkarium time for his plans. The Alliance member gave him a scroll with Arkarium's eye-like symbol on it, which they had found after defeating Master Hoblin, adding that the snake minions also had the same symbol on their heads. Crow realized that it had to be related to Arkarium, noting that other agents had also found similar scrolls after defeating the powerful monsters around Maple World.
Just as he began wondering what Arkarium was up to, the ground suddenly began rumbling violently. Crow realized that it was coming from the Temple of Time and told the Alliance member that since none of the other agents had returned from their missions, he would need them to investigate the Temple of Time, as he couldn't trust the safety of the other agents to anyone but himself, especially since the Alliance member couldn't do anything to help when they couldn't even recognize the other agents by face yet.
The Alliance member traveled to the Temple of Time, where they met with Bastille, who had heard the situation from Crow. The Alliance member noticed another crack in time inside the temple, which Bastille speculated led to the past. In order to put a direct end to Arkarium's plan, Bastille asked the Alliance member to enter the crack in time alongside Starling and Lora.
Inside the crack, the Alliance member entered another part of the temple, where they encountered the spirit of Rhinne. Rhinne greeted them and explained that she was merely an echo created with a weak portion of her power. As she couldn't manifest long when she was so far from her physical body, she asked them to quickly listen to her story. She explained that Arkarium had created a crack in time to enter the past, from before the Black Mage had been sealed, in order to eliminate the Heroes. As they were running out of time, she asked them to stop Arkarium from succeeding.
After Rhinne's spirit disappeared, Bastille rushed in and asked them what had happened. After the Alliance member explained what Arkarium planned to do, Bastille wondered whether Arkarium planned to stop the Heroes from sealing the Black Mage, though he noted that it seemed pointless when the Black Mage had already returned. However, he also noted that the Heroes had been the greatest threat to the Black Mage, which made him wonder whether Arkarium was trying to kill the Heroes so that they wouldn't be able to seal the Black Mage again in the present day.
Though he couldn't be sure what the reason was, Bastille reaffirmed that Arkarium was still trying to harm the Heroes, and that he needed to be stopped. He then asked the Alliance member to travel into the past with Starling and Lora in order to confront Arkarium. The Alliance member entered the crack in time and traveled to Leafre of the past, where they encountered Lora, a Wild Hunter who rode a jaguar named Sun.
Lora noted how strange their surroundings were and explained that though she had come into the crack with Starling, the two of them had gotten separated. The Alliance member decided to search for Starling and proceeded ahead. They soon encountered an injured Starling surrounded by monsters. Starling explained that though she wasn't seriously injured, she still couldn't move for a while, and so she asked the Alliance member to help.
The Alliance member thought to themselves that whereas Starling had merely pretended to be injured when they had first met, she really had ended up getting injured now. Nevertheless, they agreed to help Starling by defeating the nearby monsters while she recovered, after which she asked them to go on without her. The Alliance member proceeded ahead and soon encountered an unconscious Aran, with the spirit of Maha floating beside her.
(A/N: Aran’s sprite was originally male until the revamp, which updated her appearance as female. I think this was the last place where Aran still appeared as male in the game, although one of Phantom’s animated cutscenes in his tutorial still has male Aran. I doubt they’ll go through the effort of remaking that scene for something that minor, although there are still a handful of lines in GMS where they need to change Aran’s pronouns.)
Maha was surprised that the Alliance member recognized Aran, adding that for some reason, it seemed as though the Alliance member wasn't from his world. Nevertheless, he decided to trust them, as the look in their eyes made him believe that they were a good person. Maha explained that he was the spirit of the polearm, and that he and his master had worked together to defeat the Black Mage and seal him forever.
However, he told the Alliance member that the Black Mage had used the last of his strength to curse Aran, which was why she was lying unconscious. As he feared that Aran might never awaken if she continued succumbing to the curse, Maha had decided to take Aran somewhere safe. The Alliance member was surprised to learn that they had arrived in a time after the Black Mage had been sealed, as they had been under the impression that Arkarium had intended to travel even further back in time. Nevertheless, they decided to help Maha first before stopping Arkarium.
Maha told them that he hoped to take Aran to Rien Island in order to seal her in the ice there, as he hoped that it would slow down the Black Mage's curse. However, as he had been weakened from unleashing his full power in order to protect Aran, he was unable to teleport her to Rien. In order to help repair Maha, the Alliance member collected his broken polearm pieces from the Corrupted Kentauruses and brought them back to him. Maha thanked them and added that he wished that he could give his regards to Afrien before he left, to which the Alliance member offered to speak to him on Maha’s behalf.
(A/N: The Demon and several Heroes get exclusive dialogue while talking to Maha that replaces the regular script.
For the Demon, Maha immediately recognizes him and asks him why he’s come before wondering whether he’s here to take advantage of the Heroes’ weakened state. The Demon tells him that he’s come from the future, and though Maha is dubious, he also notes that the Demon is exuding a strange energy. As the Demon doesn’t seem to be lying, Maha hesitantly decides to believe him. He explains that he needs the Demon’s help because of some trouble that had come up while fighting the Black Mage, to which the Demon immediately agrees to help.
The rest of the dialogue is the same as the regular script, with the exception of the ending. When Maha asks the Demon to speak with Afrien on his behalf, he notes that Afrien will likely believe the Demon’s story about coming from the future, especially since the Demon had genuinely helped him save Aran without causing any trouble.
For Aran, after encountering Maha floating over her unconscious past self, she expresses her shock at seeing him, while Maha is shocked to see two Arans and wonders whether it’s another trap of the Black Mage. Aran tells him that she’s come from the future after traveling back through the crack in time created by Arkarium. Maha is relieved to hear that she’s from the future, as it means that she won’t die from her injuries in the present.
Though Aran is surprised that Arkarium hasn’t gone back further, she decides to help Maha first. Maha tells her about his plan to seal her past self on Rien and asks her to collect the broken polearm pieces. After Aran collects them, he thanks her and jokes that it seems as though his master really can be useful once in a while. Aran retorts by asking him whether she needs to remind him who the boss is around here, to which Maha tells her not to get grumpy with him, adding that she’s just not seeing things from every angle.
After he asks her to find Afrien, Aran notes that what had been a brief moment in time for her must have been centuries to him. She then apologizes to him, regretting that things could’ve been different if she had been stronger. Maha then blesses Aran with one of her old skills, which you obtain after completing the quest. The skill is called “Regained Memory”, which increases your Attack Power by 5%, your Defense by 300, and your Speed by 10. You also get a chair called “Chair of Aran the Guardian”.
For Evan, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, he expresses his shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha mistakes Evan as Freud and wonders in surprise how he’s become so much younger. Evan explains that he’s not Freud and introduces himself and Mir, to which Maha notes that it seems strange, as their energies are nearly identical to those of Freud and Afrien.
Though Evan is surprised that Arkarium hasn’t gone back further, he decides to help Maha first. Maha tells them about his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. When Evan asks him whether there’s anything that he and Mir can do, Maha tells them that he knew that they were good people, just like Freud and Afrien, and asks them to collect his broken polearm pieces. After they collect the pieces, Maha asks them to find Afrien, adding that Mir ought to know Afrien fairly well.
For Mercedes, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, she expresses her shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha is relieved to see Mercedes safe and asks her how she had managed to escape the Black Mage’s curse. Mercedes tells him that it’s a long story, and that the short answer is that she hadn’t, as she’s been recuperating from the curse for some time now. Maha is confused by her words, though he dismisses it as her being cryptic as usual.
When he laments that Aran is still unconscious, Mercedes reassures him that Aran’s strength will return in time, as she’s seen it with her own eyes. Maha asks her why she keeps saying weird things as though she’s been to the future, after which he tells her that if she’s going to say things like that, then she might as well help him while she’s at it.
Though Mercedes is surprised that Arkarium hasn’t gone back further, she decides to help Maha first. Maha tells her about his plan to seal his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. Mercedes assuages him by telling him that everyone knows how much he loves Aran, to which he shushes her, explaining that he can’t have his reputation getting ruined. After she collects the broken polearm pieces, Maha asks her to see Afrien, explaining that Freud ought to be with him.
For Phantom, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, he expresses his shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha is relieved to see Phantom safe from the curse, as he didn’t know where Phantom had been during the fight against the Black Mage. Phantom tells Maha that he had indeed been under the curse, though he had come from the future where the curse had been lifted. Maha asks Phantom how Aran is in the future, and whether she’s alive, and he’s relieved to know that she’s safe.
Though Phantom is surprised that Arkarium hasn’t gone back further, he decides to help Maha first. Maha tells Phantom about his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. When Phantom asks him whether there’s anything that he can do, Maha asks him to collect his broken polearm pieces. After Phantom collect the pieces, Maha asks him to find Afrien, adding that everyone will be glad to see him back in action.
For Luminous, after encountering Maha floating over an unconscious Aran, he expresses his shock at seeing Aran knocked out, while Maha is relieved to see Luminous safe, though he immediately senses the Black Mage’s darkness inside Luminous and asks whether he’s been cursed by the Black Mage. Luminous simply tells Maha that it’s a long story, and that it’s all that he can say for now. Maha notes that Luminous seems well otherwise, adding that he wishes that Aran wasn’t in such bad shape. Luminous assures Maha that Aran’s strength will return in time, to which a confused Maha replies that it sounds as though Luminous has seen the future, though he dismisses it as the quirkiness of a magician.
Though Luminous is surprised that Arkarium hasn’t gone back further in time, he decides to help Maha first. Maha tells Luminous about his plan to seal Aran on Rien, as well as the fact that he’s too weak to take her there. When Luminous asks him whether there’s anything that he can do, Maha asks him to collect his broken polearm pieces. After Luminous collect the pieces, Maha asks him to find Afrien, adding that everyone will be glad to see him back in action.
Unlike the other Heroes, Shade doesn’t get any exclusive dialogue with Maha, although he does get some later on.)
The Alliance member then went deeper into the forest, where they discovered Afrien, along with an unconscious Freud and Mercedes. Afrien thanked the Alliance member for saving Aran and Maha, recognizing them as a traveler from the future. The Alliance member told him that Arkarium had opened a crack in time in order to kill the Heroes.
Afrien noted that such a plan befitted a former Guardian of Time, though he added that Arkarium hadn't yet appeared. He explained that he and the Heroes had stood against the Black Mage, and though he had sensed the Black Mage's strong malice, he had also noted that the Black Mage's power had been weakened because of the Demon, who had betrayed his master for killing his family.
Though the Heroes had managed to seal him away, the Black Mage had reversed that power and cursed all the Heroes, which Afrien had accepted in Freud's place, causing him to slowly start freezing. The Alliance member asked whether there was any way to break the curse, to which Afrien explained that only the Black Mage's unsealing could free the Heroes, though he believed that it would never happen, as Freud had designed the seal to last forever.
Afrien then used his powers to cast an enchantment around them in order to shield them all from Arkarium's eyes. He then explained that the Black Mage's curse had also affected all the Onyx Dragons, who had been cursed after they had refused to side with him. Because of this, the Onyx Dragons would slowly die out and go extinct. However, he explained that the Black Mage's curse wasn't perfect, which was why he had been able to redirect it towards himself in Freud's place, explaining that a king who had lost his entire race could have done nothing less without losing his honor.
Though Onyx Dragons lived near-infinite lives, many had been killed in the war, while the younger dragons had been killed by the Black Mage's curse. However, one egg had survived the curse, as it hadn't yet hatched. Afrien explained that the egg had gotten lost somewhere in Leafre during the final battle, and though he had originally hoped to ask Freud to recover it, with Freud still unconscious, he asked the Alliance member to recover it in Freud's place.
The Alliance member found the egg deep in the forest and brought it back to Afrien, who thanked them, explaining that Freud would later hide it in a safe place. Afrien then asked them to save Mercedes, who appeared even more injured than Freud. Afrien explained that with Mercedes carrying the fates of all the elves on her shoulders, the curse affected her more strongly than the others.
As Mercedes' death would spell the end of the elves, Afrien asked to borrow some of the Alliance member’s strength in order to save her. After extracting a portion of their strength, Afrien noted that their power was as strong as any hero that he'd met. Afrien then gave the Alliance member a crystal, which they used to restore Mercedes' vitality.
Afrien thanked them for their help, though he explained that he had also felt a dark presence for a moment, which he believed was Arkarium entering the Temple of Time. He told the Alliance member that he and Freud had set up a safety measure, such that space and time itself had grown twisted around the moment when the Black Mage had been sealed, preventing anyone from traveling back in time any further.
However, he explained that things were different when it came to Rhinne, the Transcendent of Time. Despite Freud's talents, Afrien explained that he was still a mortal, which meant that Rhinne's power could easily override Freud's time barrier, which was likely what Arkarium was after. He asked the Alliance member to travel to the Temple of Time, where Rhinne was sealed, in order to stop Arkarium’s scheme.
(A/N: Similar to the conversation with Maha, the Demon and several Heroes get exclusive dialogue while talking to Afrien that replaces the regular script.
For the Demon, Afrien immediately recognizes the Demon, who remains quiet. Afrien tells the Demon that he doesn’t have to feel sorry, as their efforts to seal the Black Mage would’ve failed if the Demon hadn’t broken the Black Mage’s defensive barrier. He also notes that since the Demon comes from the future, he must’ve been atoning for the past the entire time. The Demon notes that even the word atonement is too much for him, though he realizes that Afrien had immediately sensed that he had come from the future, to which Afrien merely smiles warmly.
The Demon then explains that he’s come at Maha’s request, and that he came back through a crack in time while following Arkarium, who planned to destroy the Heroes in the past. Afrien replies that it’s a plan befitting a Guardian of Time, though he adds that he hasn’t seen Arkarium around. After he casts a protective barrier around them, he explains that the Black Mage has cast a curse on the Onyx Dragons, which will slowly die out without any more descendants.
The Demon notes that the Onyx Dragons were the Black Mage’s greatest enemy, and that they had proven to be powerful, even for the Commanders. However, he expresses his shock that the Black Mage would wipe out the entire race of them. Afrien explains that one member of their race had been spared from the curse, as it had been protected inside its egg.
He reveals that due to the imperfect nature of the curse, he had been able to take Freud’s share of it in his place. Upon seeing the Demon’s grim expression, he tells him not to make such a face, explaining that he has no doubt that his choice had made the world a better place, and that he could see the proof of that in the Demon standing before him, working to save the past. He then asks the Demon for help in recovering the last member of his family, to which the Demon agrees, explaining that he understands the importance of family better than anyone.
After he recovers the egg, Afrien tells him that Freud will hide it somewhere safe and adds that he may even meet the child that hatches from the egg in the distant future. He then tells the Demon that he doesn’t have to look away in embarrassment, as his actions have helped the will of the Onyx Dragons continue. The rest of the dialogue is then the same as the regular script.
For Aran, Afrien recognizes her and notes that she looks well. Aran greets Afrien and replies that it’s been a while. Afrien agrees with her, adding that it’s been several centuries in her case, revealing that he knows that she’s come from the future. He asks her how she managed to go back in time, as he had believed that such a feat would be impossible.
Aran tells him that she had come through a crack in time created by Arkarium, and that she hadn’t expected to see him while working to stop Arkarium’s plot, which she explains is to eliminate the Heroes in the past. Afrien notes that it made sense, given that Arkarium was a Guardian of Time, though he adds that he hasn’t seen Arkarium around.
After he casts a protective barrier around them, he asks for a favor and explains that while she may already know, there was a young Onyx Dragon who had survived the Black Mage’s curse while inside its egg. As the egg had been lost during the battle, and as Leafre was filled with dangerous monsters, he asks Aran to find it and return it back to him.
After Aran brings the egg back, Afrien thanks her and explains that her courage provides a powerful shield. He adds that even after centuries, he finds himself in admiration of her, explaining that the Onyx Dragons owe her a debt that they can never repay. Aran tells him that there’s no need for such a sappy thanks, as friends naturally help one another. Afrien then tells her that the child was meant to be protected by Freud, though he fears that she and Freud may never meet again, as such events simply aren’t to be. However, Aran replies that it’s enough that she got to see him one more time.
He then tells her that they need to see to Mercedes’ safety, whose energy is fading. Aran offers to lend her strength to Mercedes, to which Afrien calls her noble as always. After Aran heals Mercedes with the crystal, Afrien thanks her and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks her to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.
For Evan, Afrien greets him as his future friend, explaining that his great knowledge as an Onyx Dragon had allowed him to determine that Evan was from the future. He then greets Mir and silently notes to himself that the last descendant of the Onyx Dragons has grown quite a bit. He then tells them that the hands of fate truly are out of their control for him to be asking his future successors for a favor. He then asks Evan to recover the missing egg, causing Evan to realize that inside the egg is Mir.
After Evan finds the egg, Afrien explains that he’ll give it to Freud to protect until it hatches. He then gives his blessing to Evan, which you obtain after completing the quest. The skill is called “Inherited Will”, which increases your Magic Attack and all stats by 10. Evan thanks Afrien for his gift, after which Mir notes that he gets a strange feeling while looking at the egg, as his heart beats faster each time that he does. Evan is also shocked to realize that he was the one who had saved Mir in the past, though he keeps it secret from Mir.
Silently, Afrien notes to himself that though it seems like a bizarre coincidence, such a great moment makes him believe that every struggle that they had faced in the past was worth it. He then passes on a chair that Freud had often used during his travels, which gives you a chair called “Chair of Evan the Guardian”.
After blessing Evan, Afrien adds that Evan’s help is still needed to save Mercedes, to which Evan notes that Mercedes seems to be in even worse condition than Aran and offers his strength to heal her. Afrien extracts some of Evan’s health and notes that Evan’s strength is incredible, and an easy match for Freud, adding that he can feel the power of the Dragon Master inside him. After Evan heals Mercedes with the crystal, Afrien thanks him and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks Evan to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.
For Mercedes, Afrien is shocked to see her and asks how she managed to travel back in time, as he had believed it to be impossible. Mercedes explains that she had come through a crack in time created by Arkarium, and that she hadn’t expected to see him while working to stop Arkarium’s plot. She tells him that Arkarium planned to kill the Heroes in the past while they were weakened, to which Afrien replies that it’s a plan befitting a Guardian of Time, though he adds that he hasn’t seen Arkarium around.
After he casts a protective barrier around them, he asks for a favor and requests that Mercedes save the last child of the Onyx Dragons, causing her to wonder whether the child is the dragon that travels with Evan. After she brings back the egg, she asks Afrien whether Freud will take over its safety. Afrien tells her that he hopes for Freud to awaken soon so that he can protect the egg, to which Mercedes reassures him that the will of the Onyx Dragons continues in the future.
He then explains that she will need to use her strength to reawaken, causing Mercedes to wonder what he means, as she’s already awakened from the curse. Suddenly, she realizes that Afrien is referring to helping her past self regain consciousness. Afrien asks her whether she remembers anything about the past from before she arrived, to which she replies that she doesn’t.
He then takes a portion of her strength and creates a crystal, which he asks her to touch her past self with gently without waking her, warning her that causing her past self to see her would create a ripple in time that would cause grave repercussions for her. After Mercedes heals her past self with the crystal, Afrien thanks her and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks her to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.
For Phantom, Afrien recognizes him and notes that he looks well. Phantom greets Afrien and replies that it’s been a while. Afrien agrees with him, adding that it’s been several centuries in Phantom’s case, revealing that he knows that he’s come from the future. He asks Phantom how he managed to go back in time, as he had believed that such a feat would be impossible, even for him or the other Heroes.
Phantom replies that as expected, nothing can fool the King of the Onyx Dragons. He explains that someone had once told him that he was a thief who couldn’t even steal time, and though he doesn’t like how that sounds, he can still protect that time, even if he can’t steal it. He then tells Afrien that he’s come to save their time.
The line about him being unable to steal time comes from the original KMS dialogue between Luminous and Phantom during Luminous’ tutorial, in which Phantom shows up late to the battle and Luminous snubs him by saying how the world’s greatest thief can’t even steal time. That line got changed in GMS to “You’re late. Typical. One would think that the greatest thief in the world could steal a watch, at least,” although the GMS localizers for the Silent Crusade revamp didn’t catch that and just translated Phantom’s dialogue with Afrien directly.
Afrien then realizes that if their enemy is one who can use time magic, then it has to be Arkarium. Phantom explains that Arkarium is trying to kill the Heroes, and that he’s come back through the crack in time that Arkarium had created in order to stop him. Afrien replies that it’s a plan befitting a Guardian of Time, though he adds that he hasn’t seen Arkarium around.
After he casts a protective barrier around them, he asks for a favor and explains that since Phantom already knows, he won’t give a lengthy explanation. He then asks Phantom to rescue the last Onyx Dragon, which had escaped the Black Mage’s curse inside its egg. As the egg had been lost during the battle, and as Leafre was filled with dangerous monsters, he asks Phantom to find it and return it back to him. Phantom agrees to help save his descendant, explaining that he knows the sadness of losing someone precious better than anyone. The rest of the dialogue is then the same as the regular script.
For Luminous, Afrien recognizes him and realizes that his inner darkness must be because of the Black Mage. He senses that it must be a long story, and so he decides not to probe too deeply about it. However, he asks Luminous how he had managed to go back in time, as he had believed that such a feat would be impossible, even for the greatest magician next to Freud.
Luminous explains that Arkarium had created a crack in time in order to go back and destroy the Heroes, and that he himself had gone back in time to stop him. Afrien replies that it’s a plan befitting a Guardian of Time, though he adds that he hasn’t seen Arkarium around. After he casts a protective barrier around them, he asks for a favor before noting that Luminous likely doesn’t know about the curse, having been sealed with the Black Mage.
Luminous replies that he understands the situation roughly, noting that the curse that the Black Mage cast on the Heroes had also cursed the Onyx Dragons as well. Afrien then tells him that since he already knows, he won’t give a lengthy explanation. He then asks Luminous to rescue the last Onyx Dragon, who had escaped the Black Mage’s curse inside its egg. Luminous agrees to help save his descendant, explaining that he knows the desire to protect loved ones better than anyone else. The rest of the dialogue is then the same as the regular script.
For Shade, Afrien doesn’t recognize him and asks him who he is. Shade is shocked to find Afrien so weak and explains that he’s come at Maha’s request. Afrien asks him whether Maha and Aran are well, to which Shade reassures him that both of them are fine, and that Maha had taken Aran to be sealed away on Rien. Afrien notes that Shade seems strange, and that while it may be because of his own weakness, he can’t sense anything from Shade at all.
Shade asks Afrien whether he’s okay, to which Afrien explains that he and the other Heroes have been weakened from the Black Mage’s curse. He adds that the curse will lift once the Black Mage breaks free, for which he prays that he and the other Heroes will stay lost forever, as they had made a tremendous sacrifice to seal him away.
After Shade finds the lost Onyx Dragon egg, he explains that Arkarium has come to kill the Heroes in the past, and that he’s followed Arkarium to the past in order to stop him. Afrien then tells him that Freud will hide it in a safe place, to which Shade thinks "Freud..." in his head before Afrien asks him to help Mercedes, whom Shade notes looks exactly as she had on the day when he had last seen her.
Afrien extracts a portion of Shade’s strength and notes that it’s quite astonishing, as the energy inside him is quite unique. Just as he begins to say more, he stops himself and gives Shade the crystal. After Shade heals Mercedes with it, Afrien thanks him and explains that the Heroes will awaken one day. He then asks Shade to investigate a dark presence at the Temple of Time.)
Before the Alliance member left, they began wondering why Arkarium had made no attempt to kill the Heroes when they were currently unconscious and at their most vulnerable. Afrien supposed that even if Arkarium couldn't kill Luminous, who had been sealed along with the Black Mage, Luminous' nature was such that he would likely have just disappeared quietly without a fight if he were to wake up in a world alone without his allies, meaning that attacking the Heroes now was the most reasonable. However, Afrien also added that Arkarium was like a snake, meaning that he must have ulterior motives.
The Alliance member then began heading towards the Temple of Time when they unexpectedly ran into Bastille, who told them that Lora had successfully saved Starling. When the Alliance member told him that Arkarium was on his way to the Temple of Time, Bastille noted that they had reached the truth faster than anticipated. Declaring that he couldn't let them reach Arkarium, Bastille unleashed Coco against them.
After the Alliance member defeated him, Bastille came to his senses and realized that he must have fallen under Arkarium's spell. After thanking the Alliance member for saving him, he asked them whether they remembered what he had told them about the Silent Crusade being a special branch of the Alliance. He explained that in reality, the Silent Crusade had been founded by the former Empress long before the Alliance had been created, in the hope of creating unity. (A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that though it’s surprising to hear, it’s just like Aria to have done it.)
However, the Empress had ultimately lost her life to the Commanders of the Black Mage's army, for which the Silent Crusade had vowed revenge. (A/N: Phantom says “…” after hearing how Aria was killed.) Though they had worked in the shadows for centuries, they had finally emerged publicly with the formation of the Alliance. He regretted having fallen victim to Arkarium's brainwashing when he was meant to be the head of the Silent Crusade, though he realized that other agents may have been compromised as well.
While Bastille checked on the other agents, the Alliance member proceeded ahead and soon encountered Tamil, who had the power to transform people into dragons. Tamil told them that she would transform them in exchange for defeating the monsters that were trapping her there. (A/N: Tamil is the grandmother of Corba, the NPC in present-day Leafre who transforms you into a dragon in order to get to the Temple of Time.) After defeating the monsters, Tamil transformed them into a dragon, allowing them to fly to the Temple of Time.
At the entrance to the temple, they encountered the spirit of Rhinne once again. As they were now closer to her physical body, Rhinne explained that she could finally tell them what she didn't have time to explain before. The Alliance member recalled that she had told them that Arkarium had been trying to kill the Heroes, though they noted that he hadn't made a move against them, despite now being the perfect time to strike. Rhinne explained that Arkarium intended to kill not only the Heroes, but also anyone who had helped them seal the Black Mage, such as the Demon.
(A/N: The Demon gets some slightly different dialogue here, in which Rhinne refers to the Demon directly, rather than referring to him in third person like she does in the generic script when she talks about Arkarium wanting to kill him.)
Though Arkarium was cunning and wicked, Rhinne told the Alliance member that he was also driven by jealousy, which made him short-sighted. She noted that Afrien must have told them about how Freud had warped spacetime in order to prevent anyone from traveling back further than when the seal had been created, to which the Alliance member replied that it was likely the reason why Arkarium was attempting to steal her powers.
(A/N: Most of the revamp is pretty decent, but I really hate what the story team chose to do with Arkarium. Killing the Demon might make some sense if you really want it to fit into the story that badly, but the whole point of Arkarium taking in Damien was because he wanted to use him as revenge by dangling him in front of the Demon to show him how he’s enslaved his brother.
Killing him doesn’t explicitly contradict anything outright, but I feel like it kills the spirit of Arkarium’s revenge with a generic revenge plan, rather than the insidious appeal of his original plan with Damien, which feels like a much better scheme than just killing him and the other Heroes without any of the psychological damage. I also don’t really see what he gains from killing the Heroes in the first place when the Black Mage is already free. His old plan to go back and unseal the Black Mage in the past felt like there was actually a purpose, whereas killing the Heroes now would just be a waste of time.)
As she was still sealed away, Rhinne asked the Alliance member to stop Arkarium from succeeding in his plans and returning the world back to darkness. The Alliance member rushed ahead and found Arkarium standing at the entrance to the Black Mage's throne room, which had been sealed shut. Arkarium cursed the Alliance member for interfering, noting that he had tried to steal Rhinne's powers before she would be passed over to Commander Will in the future.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue when he meets Arkarium. Arkarium recognizes him and calls him a traitor before adding that he has no business with him, unless it’s the past version of him. He then notes the irony that the Demon, who had once helped seal the Goddess, is now trying to save her.)
The Alliance member demanded to know what Arkarium was scheming, as they were under the impression that he wanted to kill the Heroes. Arkarium retorted that he was so close to succeeding, though he had been foiled by the Alliance member, whom he noted was just as irksome as the betrayer. As he didn't plan to let them live, he supposed that there was no harm in telling them his plans. He explained that while he had indeed tried to eliminate the Heroes who would pose a threat to the Black Mage, he was more interested in the Demon, whom he called a traitor.
As he had been unable to find the Demon alongside the unconscious Heroes, he had decided that he would instead steal whatever power that Rhinne still had left in order to go back even further into the past, believing that if he could kill the Demon before he turned on the Black Mage, the Black Mage's defensive barrier would be safe, and the Heroes would tire out even faster, which would make them easier to eliminate. However, he lamented that he had run out of time in the end, which he noted was the cost of him messing with time. The Alliance member then fought and defeated Arkarium, who then disappeared.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he curses Arkarium and asks aloud whether he’s escaped once again.)
Rhinne's spirit then appeared and thanked the Alliance member for stopping him. However, she explained that they had merely defeated a clone of Arkarium, while his real body had returned back to the Dimensional Schism where he hid. As he had consumed a great deal of power in warping time, and with his clone defeated, Rhinne told the Alliance member that now was the best time to strike.
The Alliance member then returned back to the present, where Bastille told them that he had confirmed that no other agents had been compromised. After hearing what had happened, he asked the Alliance member to defeat Arkarium once and for all. The Alliance member then traveled through the Dimensional Schism, where they confronted Arkarium and managed to defeat him, forcing him to retreat from his hideout.
(A/N: In Arkarium’s lair, you’ll see Rhinne frozen in ice. After defeating Arkarium, the ice cracks and lets Rhinne escape from her seal, but given that it wouldn’t make sense for her be there when she’s already in Mirror World at this point, I’m choosing to omit that detail. Making that assumption actually solves a continuity error from the original Silent Crusade story, which is Rhinne being sealed both here and in Mirror World simultaneously, as the revamp explains that she gets moved from the Temple of Time to Mirror World after Will gets recruited and placed in charge of the Transcendent of Time.
Like I mentioned earlier, the original Silent Crusade storyline had Arkarium try to break the seal on the Black Mage. Rhinne actually got some dialogue with us after we defeated Arkarium in the old story, in which she explains that even though we stopped him in the past, his clone nevertheless managed to weaken the seal, which is the backstory for why it began to degrade, allowing the Heroes to slowly unfreeze. Although this doesn’t get explicitly mentioned anymore, it’s still the most likely explanation for why the seal began weakening over the centuries.
Something interesting about the Arkarium prequest is that Zero gets to skip the entirety of it. Before the revamp, Zero could complete the regular Silent Crusade quests, but just like the post-revamp version, they get locked out of the Arkarium prequest completely. Instead, they get some exclusive dialogue at the start of the boss fight, in which Arkarium is amused to see them and tells them that they can talk about teaming up after proving themselves to him. The part about them teaming up is a reference to the offer that the Commanders give them at the end of their storyline to help the Black Mage in exchange for becoming the Transcendents of Time in both Maple World and Grandis.)
Shadow Alchemist:
(A/N: The events of this section are from the Shadow Alchemist chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, which serves as a direct prequel to Zero’s storyline. It’s actually very impressive how perfectly the events of this story transition into the start of Zero’s class story.
When you start this chapter in the Grand Athenaeum, Zero gets some exclusive dialogue. When Zero talks to Skylark Rita in order to be sent into the book, Skylark Rita tells them that it should be an interesting experience for them and adds that they’ll soon see when Alpha and Beta express their confusion.
The scene then cuts to a small sequence set towards the end of the chapter, in which Fang - the protagonist of this chapter - speaks to the Alpha in the story and calls him Eight, to which he’ll reply that his name is actually Nine. Alpha will then express his surprise that he’s seeing himself in Shadowvale and wonders why he doesn’t remember any of it.)
In Mirror World, the Child of the Goddess had been split into a boy and a girl. The boy served as part of the Shadow Knights under Will’s command, while the girl was imprisoned in the Umbra Temple, a corrupted version of the Child of the Goddess’ Temple. However, the boy soon encountered his counterpart in the Umbra Temple, where the Shadow Knights stopped him from freeing her and wiped his memories. This repeated seven times in total, with the boy being given a new name each cycle until he became known as Eight.
During a Shadow Knight meeting, Will and his second-in-command, Lyra, went over their strategy, which was to make Eight, whom they called the Impure One, believe that they were defending their town of Shadowvale, though their true goal was to stop him from getting close to the Umbra Temple.
(A/N: I’ve complained before about how unimaginative Nexon is with their names, like how they named the Sanctuary of the Ancient God similar to the actual Ancient Gods, or how they refer to both the Flora Civil War and the war between the Adversaries and the Ancient Gods as the Ancient War, but Zero’s storyline takes it to a ridiculous degree. We have three different Shadow Knights in the game: Will’s Shadow Knights, the Shadowknight guild from Masteria, and the Shadow Knight who serves the Black Wings. We also have Shadowvale from Mirror World and Shadow Vale Forest from Tynerum. Would it really kill them to try being original for once?)
After the meeting, a Shadow Knight alchemist named Fang asked the medic, Milo, about the outside world, as those memories had been lost to them after arriving in Mirror World. (A/N: Fang is the character you play as in the Shadow Alchemist storyline. Canonically, Fang is male, though the character who plays through his story in the Grand Athenaeum is the player’s gender.) Milo told Fang that Mirror World seemed more realistic than the real world, and though he felt that being a medic was boring, he still enjoyed Mirror World, except for having to deal with Keene, a fellow Shadow Knight.
Just then, Keene and another knight named Seamus arrived. Keene began to mock Milo for being useless in fighting, but Seamus told him to be quiet and asked Fang and Milo to return back to Shadowvale before the Darklings appeared. He also warned them to take their Shade Neutralizer in case they met the Darklings so that they wouldn’t get cursed and transform into Darklings themselves.
Milo was dejected that they wouldn’t be able to collect their quota, but Fang told Milo to return back while he collected the rest of Milo’s ingredients for him. Fang then collected Moonlight Mushroom Powder from the Darkling Stumps and put them in his backpack. Having finished his task, he decided to explore the area uninterrupted instead of heading back. Further into the forest, he encountered Eight fighting Darklings and marveled at how perfect his swordplay was, though he told himself that he shouldn’t idolize Eight, as he was the Impure One.
The next day, Fang finished crafting Shade Neutralizers and took them to the Shadow Knight meeting. There, Lyra gave Eight a mission and told him that he would be promoted to S-class if he succeeded. As everyone moved out, Eight asked Fang if he could hand over some neutralizers before he left. After giving them to Eight, Fang watched him walk away when suddenly, Will appeared and knowingly told Fang about the irony of the deceiver envying the deceived, adding that Eight’s work as a fighter must be glamorous compared to Fang’s role on the medical corps.
Though he understood Fang’s feelings, Will emphasized the importance of their mission and reminded Fang that there was no room to harbor doubt. He also warned Fang that the Shadow Forest’s curse was getting stronger and told him to stay away from local vegetation or wildlife. After Will left, Milo told Fang to meet him at Field 2-A.
Once Fang made his way there, Milo told him that they needed to clear out the Shadow Axe Stumps, as the monsters were making it difficult to harvest silk mushrooms. Fang defeated the monsters, but just as he was about to start harvesting, he found a rare floatstone butterfly and began to chase after it. He followed it to a pile of ruins with primroses growing all around them. Though he knew that Will had warned him to stay away from wildlife and vegetation, his curiosity got the better of him and he decided to examine some of the glowing golden fruit growing from the flowers.
He grew mesmerized by the aroma and, in a trance, he accidentally ate one of the fruits. Just then, Milo arrived and told Fang to return to the village. Fang, now lucid, realized that he had accidentally eaten one of the fruits and worried that he would transform into a Darkling. He went into the library, just as Keene called after him, asking for him to make him something to drink. Just then, Keene noticed Eight walking by and ordered him to make a cup of tea and to bring something to eat.
Inside the library, Fang began researching primroses and found that they bloomed at night and withered in the morning. He read that there had once been a girl who had thought that the moon was more beautiful than anything else. A kind fairy had noticed the girl’s devotion and had ensured that she would be reborn as a beautiful flower, which the fairy had named primrose, thus ensuring that the moon’s beauty would be reflected in every primrose blossom.
Just then, Eight entered the library and found Keene’s cup of tea, which he spat into in order to get back at Keene. He then noticed Fang watching him and jokingly threatened him not to say anything. He then made Fang find some peanuts for Keene, which he obtained from the Darkling Blobs in the basement. Eight then noticed that Fang was reading about primroses and began questioning him about it. When Fang began to behave suspiciously, Eight took the book and told him that he would think about whether he would tell anyone about it.
After he left, Fang decided to report to Will and went to his office. Just as he was about to confess what he had done, he noticed a detailed board and asked Will about it. Will explained that it was a schematic for a mirror that could show one’s true self outside of Mirror World, as he knew that Fang had lately grown curious about the outside world. He told Fang that it was a reward for his hard work and explained that it would likely be ready by the next cycle, though he added that it was conditional on Fang not making any mistakes. Hearing this, Fang lied and told Will that he had nothing to report.
Soon after, all the knights arrived at the briefing, where Fang wondered about what would happen, since Eight knew about the primrose. Just then, Eight requested to Lyra that Fang be paired with him for his next meeting, as he wanted a medic nearby in case his injury from his last meeting worsened. Fang and Eight made their way to the field, where Fang asked why Eight had really asked for him. Eight explained that Fang was the only one whom he could trust, since they both had secrets. With that, Eight forced Fang to complete the mission for him by hunting Darkling Boars.
After Fang returned, Eight showed him the plant guide from the library and asked if Fang could make a Potion of Truth. Fang was surprised to see that the page that detailed how to brew a Potion of Truth was filled, as it had been blank when he had last read it, making him wonder whether someone had written it in as a prank.
Dejected, Eight told Fang to put the book back in the library. The next day, Fang returned to the library in order to review the page on the Potion of Truth. As he read through it, he was confused by one of the ingredients: a handful of moonlight. (A/N: I believe that this is the origin of the name for the moonlight mechanic in Will’s boss fight.)
Just then, he realized that the text for the Potion of Truth was written in his own handwriting. Before he could investigate any further, Keene arrived and ordered Fang to make medicine for his sprained wrist. As Keene complained about how awful the taste of the medicine was every time he drank it, Fang realized that Keene had been repeatedly injured on every supply mission that he could remember. Keene was confused and asked when else he had gone on a mission, to which Fang reminded Keene that he had said that the medicine tasted terrible “every time” he drank it.
Just then, Eight arrived and told Keene that he was taking Fang on a new mission before sending Keene off on a fake task. He then asked Fang to bring him spiney puff bush sap before they left. Fang obtained some from the Darkling Bloons in the storage room and gave it to Eight, who then pranked Keene by having a bucket of sap fall on his head when he opened the door.
As they fled the library, Fang noticed that new information had appeared in the plant book. Before he could examine it, Will appeared and asked for Fang to meet him in his office. Just as Fang was about to leave, Eight asked Fang if he had ever noticed that no one in the Shadow Knights ever seemed to notice any strange occurrences like Fang had observed the night before and told him that they should pay close attention to anyone who did notice things out of the ordinary.
As Fang headed out, he wondered whether Will was one of the suspicious people that Eight had mentioned, though he told himself that he didn’t want to believe it. In Will’s office, Fang told him everything that had happened, including the recipe for the Potion of Truth. Will told him that he himself had encountered the recipe in his research, and that it had taken him a long time to find an alternative for the ‘handful of moonlight’ ingredient, though he added that he had never tried using it.
Fang wondered if Will had also considered using a primrose and asked why he had never tried it. Will replied that it seemed pointless after a while to use alchemy to reveal the truth and asked Fang if he thought the practice to be strange. (A/N: It seems like there are a bunch of different potions out there that force someone to reveal the truth. Both Xenon’s storyline and the Magatia town quests reveal that the most simple and effective method is to just use Homunculus' Blood.)
Fang then recalled how Eight had asked him to remain vigilant about whether anyone else had noticed unusual things. Before Fang left, Will reminded him that questioning their purpose on the mission was considered treason. He warned Fang that Eight would try to get to the Umbra Temple, and that he would use the Potion of Truth to bait Fang into helping him. After Fang left, Kyson and Lyra arrived and asked Will if they should be worried by Fang’s determination to get to the truth. Will told them that he would have been worried if it weren’t for the fact that primrose was only a flower, and that its connection to moonlight was merely a fairytale.
After Fang left, he encountered Milo, who told him that Eight had left a message saying that he would be expecting Fang at Field 2-C-1. Before Milo left, he confirmed with Fang about whether he was taking the Shade Neutralizer. After Fang arrived at the field, Eight told him to hunt Darklings for their mission. Fang wondered why Eight thought that he could handle it, to which Eight replied that he believed that Fang was strong enough to the point that he wondered why the Shadow Knights were wasting Fang’s strength on grunt work for the medical corps.
As Fang took the Shade Neutralizer, he wondered why it tasted strange. Nevertheless, he finished hunting the Darklings and returned to Eight. He then showed Eight that the leftover Shade Neutralizer had turned into water. Eight then realized that the primrose fruit which Fang had eaten served as a Potion of Truth, which had revealed the hidden truth that the Shade Neutralizer was nothing more than water, meaning that there was no danger of turning into a Darkling without it. Eight then led Fang to the primrose plant, where he revealed the other ingredients for the Potion of Truth.
As Fang finished brewing the potion, a horde of Darklings appeared and began attacking them. As the two fought them off, Eight noticed that the Darklings were after the primrose plant. Eight pressed forward, but Fang warned him that they needed Shade Neutralizer. However, Eight told him that the neutralizer was a lie meant to brainwash them.
After defeating the rest of the Darklings, they heard a woman’s voice calling to them and Eight asked Fang to accompany him into the Umbra Temple. Fang recalled Will’s warning about not trusting Eight, but he told himself that if the Shade Neutralizer was a lie, then Will might be lying about Eight being a threat as well.
Just then, he realized that a Darkling had taken the primrose plant. Though Eight told him to forget about it, Fang reached for the stem of the primrose. The moment he touched it, however, the shadow curse began to take over. He then decided to turn back, telling Eight that his threats wouldn’t work on him anymore. Eight apologized for making it seem as though he was trying to use Fang and told him that he wouldn’t force him to come to the Umbra Temple.
The two then returned back to town, where Fang reflected on Eight’s words and his affirmation of friendship. He then realized that their friendship was all that mattered, and that everything else was a lie. Just then, he noticed that the plant book was writing itself again. After reading it, he concluded that what had happened to his hand wasn’t a curse, and that the truth behind everything was in the Umbra Temple.
Fang headed to the temple alone and fought his way past the Darkling Guards. Once he reached the deepest part of the temple, he found that the so-called monster of the temple was nothing more than a sleeping girl. Suddenly, Will arrived and confronted Fang, who asked Will for the truth. Will then showed him the mirror that he had completed, which could show one’s true self outside of Mirror World. Upon looking into the mirror, Fang realized that he was actually a Darkling created by Will in Mirror World. (A/N: It can be assumed that all the other Shadow Knights are Darklings as well.)
Fang confronted Will about lying to them about the outside world, but Will reassured Fang that he could still make it happen if Fang followed his orders. A few hours later, Eight himself arrived and fought his way into the Umbra Temple before facing Will. Will then revealed the truth about Mirror World - that the Shadow Knights had been created in order to keep him trapped, and that the endless time-loops and monster hunts were all a ruse to keep him distracted so that he could never awaken as the Transcendent of Time.
Just then, Fang arrived and Eight asked him if what Will had said was true. Following Will’s orders, Fang hesitantly told Eight that it was all true, and that Eight needed to drink the brainwashing Shade Neutralizer. Eight told Fang that he trusted him and readily drank the neutralizer, causing him to lose his memories again. As he was unable to recall his own name, Will told him that his name was Nine, and that he was a member of the Shadow Knights.
Once they returned back to town, Will thanked Fang for his help once again. Fang was surprised to know that it had happened before, and so Will explained that though Fang’s choices varied each time, he always ended up helping Will reset the cycle. Fang then returned to the library, where he found a note from Eight telling him that he was going to the Umbra Temple.
Eight had also revealed that the reason why he was always able to tell when Fang was nearby was because he had an unusual scent, which Eight had eventually learned was primrose. He also found that Eight had left behind an evening primrose as a gift. Unable to handle his guilt, Fang decided to put the primrose in a nearby drawer. However, when he opened the drawer, he found several other primroses that he realized had been from previous cycles. Fang began to feel ashamed that Eight had called him a friend each cycle, and that he had betrayed Eight each time in response.
Resolved to fix his mistake, he headed to Will’s office, where he asked if Will had been responsible for the book. Will replied that he had planted the book, but that Fang himself had added the notes in previous cycles, except for the last page, which Will had written himself. Fang recalled what had been written on the last page: “Once the seed has been planted, doubt grows like a weed. In the end, it chokes the mind entirely. No potion in the world can stop it. But if you distract the mind with a single anchor of truth, the roots of doubt will never truly take hold.”
Fang realized that he himself served as the anchor for Nine, and that as long as Nine trusted him, he would drink the neutralizer every time. Fang called Will out on all his lies, including the lie that Will would make him real. Will asked if Fang truly believed that he would allow him to leave Mirror World. Fang replied that his plan wouldn’t work, as Will couldn’t even control his own illusion.
Will suddenly grew angry and shot out a long spider leg to crack the ground in order to intimidate Fang, threatening him to do exactly as he said. (A/N: This was a big jumpscare moment in the story with the way that the music abruptly stopped and a giant pointy spider leg slammed into the ground.) Like a switch, Will returned back to normal and apologized for letting his emotions get the better of him. He then told Fang to return back to his quarters, where Milo would bring the neutralizer. He added that Milo had made an especially big contribution in the last cycle, and that he would be rewarded for it.
Rather than going back to his quarters, however, Fang realized that he needed the Potion of Truth in order to figure everything out, and so he resolved to go to Moonflower Hill. As he attempted to make his way outside town, he was stopped by Seamus and Keene, who told him that they were under orders to eliminate him if he tried to leave Shadowvale.
However, Fang quickly defeated them both and continued towards the hill. There, he began to brew the Potion of Truth. Though he learned that the primrose itself wasn’t a proper substitute for moonlight, it gave him the clue that he needed to find the truth. (A/N: They don’t explicitly confirm what this ingredient is, but it’s implied that it might be water holding the reflection of moonlight.)
Just then, Will arrived and noted how impressed he was that Fang had learned how to harness moonlight. However, he asked Fang if he knew what would happen if he went through with his plan. Fang told him that he already knew that he would take on his true Darkling form, but added that he was still resolved to bring the potion to Nine. Will then used his magic to attack Fang, who was quickly defeated. As Fang collapsed on the ground, Will stood before him holding the red Shade Neutralizer and the blue Potion of Truth.
(A/N: This is a Matrix reference where Neo is offered a red pill that would reveal the truth or a blue pill that would allow him to remain ignorant. The colors are switched in what they do in this storyline, as the red potion brainwashes him and the blue potion reveals the truth.)
Will then laughed and smashed the bottle of Truth Potion on the ground before giving Fang one more chance to drink the neutralizer and starting a new cycle, promising that he would ensure that Fang would get everything that he wanted if he were to return to being his old self again, as long as it was limited to within Mirror World. Unexpectedly, Fang refused and crawled to the puddle of Truth Potion that had spilled on the ground. Upon drinking it, he transformed back into his true Darkling form before retreating in search of Nine.
Disturbed by Fang’s unexpected choice and his inability to have anticipated it, Will consulted with the Black Mage, who told him that it would now be difficult to keep Nine subdued. Though Will told himself that he had exceeded expectations in keeping the Transcendent of Time imprisoned, he couldn’t shake his sense of unease.
Meanwhile, in the forest, a Darkling Fang appeared before Nine, whom he called Eight, and told him to go to the Umbra Temple, just as he disappeared forever. Nine was shaken that he hadn’t been transformed into a Darkling after having come into contact with one without having taken the Shade Neutralizer. He then realized that the neutralizer was a lie, and so he resolved to find the truth in the Umbra Temple.
(A/N: The storyline ends with a quote that says that there’s a folktale about how no one can tell a lie while standing in moonlight, and so if there’s a secret that you want revealed, then you should seek out moonlight, which provides answers, no matter how cruel.
Zero gets some exclusive dialogue at the end of seeing this story in the Grand Athenaeum. Alpha realizes that Fang had been trying to tell him that the neutralizer was fake all along, and that thanks to him, they were able to escape Will. Alpha will then feel sad that he forgot the only friend that he ever had, but Beta consoles him and reminds him that it wasn’t his fault, and that there was nothing that he could’ve done.)
Mirror World:
Because of Fang’s warning, Nine began to grow suspicious about the Shadow Knights’ true motives. He secretly began dumping the Shade Neutralizer that Will gave him into the bushes, which helped him realize that the neutralizer was only meant to brainwash him. After going to the Umbra Temple on Fang’s instructions, he found that there was no Darkling master, but only a young girl who looked just like him.
Some time later, Nine returned from a successful Darkling hunt and was promoted from a cadet to an official Shadow Knight. He then asked if he could switch assignments with Keene and purchase supplies from the towns outside of Shadowvale. However, Will forbade him from doing so and explained that their mission to protect the world from the Darklings was too important for Nine’s combat skills to be wasted on supply runs. However, as an apology, he allowed Nine to take the rest of the day off.
Though Nine pretended to understand, he realized that Will and the other Shadow Knights were doing everything in their power to keep him from leaving Shadowvale. Soon after, Lyra reported a Darkling force arriving and assigned Nine to intercept them. (A/N: So much for our day off.) Nine then realized that the Darklings only seemed to appear when the Shadow Knights needed him occupied. After taking the Shade Neutralizer bottle from Will, he secretly dumped the potion into the bushes before heading out.
Nine quickly completed his mission and made his way to the Umbra Temple once again, where he marveled at how everything still looked the same since his last visit. He also wondered whether the Darkling who had led him there in the past was still around. (A/N: I like how cohesive they made the Shadow Alchemist prequel with the original Zero storyline, especially with how they made throwaway lines like this much more impactful.)
As he attempted to wake the sleeping girl in the temple, he noticed that one of the statues in the room had briefly twinkled. Upon examining it, he felt as though the statue were almost real, as if it had been a person who had been turned to stone. He then found a scroll at the statue’s feet and picked it up before heading back to Shadowvale.
In the library, he read the scroll and learned about the three Transcendents of Maple World. He also read that the world held a secret that even the Transcendents didn’t know, and while Rhinne and Alicia had been content in their roles, the Black Mage had been too curious for his own good, and the steep cost of digging into the secrets of the world had corrupted him, leading him to sow a path of destruction and pain across Maple World until he had been sealed away by brave Heroes. He then read about how Rhinne had attempted to create a new future by creating the Child of the Goddess, whom the Black Mage and his underling, the King of Spiders, were searching for.
(A/N: The secret of the world is the existence of the Overseers, whose existence the Black Mage had learned about upon entering the divine realm, after which he had fallen to evil in his attempt to free the world from their influence. While Zero’s story laid the groundwork for the Black Mage’s future goals, a few things ended up getting retconned over the years. The secret of the world is something that the Transcendents were said to be unaware of, but all the Transcendents are said to be able to hear the voice and will of the Overseers in the Esfera storyline.
Additionally, the scroll mentions that the King of Spiders is helping the Black Mage search for the Child of the Goddess, which suggests that Will was a Commander centuries ago. However, his Genesis Weapon liberation cutscene confirms that he wasn’t even alive centuries ago and only became a Commander after the Black Mage was unsealed.)
Overwhelmed and confused by the information, he realized that he needed to awaken the girl for answers. Once he went outside, however, he found the Shadow Knights in the middle of a meeting, where they told him that Will had ordered them to attack the Umbra Temple and destroy everything inside.
As the knights began to move out, Will pulled Nine aside and told him that he was planning to keep him on the sidelines for the battle. Nine protested that he was ready, and so Will agreed to allow him to join the mission, provided that he drank his Shade Neutralizer. Realizing Will’s plan, Nine relented and told Will that he would be content with staying on the sidelines.
Once the Knights headed out, Nine attempted to chase after them, but he was stopped by Keene at the town border. Nine easily defeated Keene and continued to the Umbra Temple, where he encountered Kyson, Seamus, and Lyra, who attempted to convince him to surrender. However, Nine easily forced his way through and attempted to wake the girl.
Just then, Will himself arrived and engaged in a battle with Nine. Their fight caused the glass container to shatter, making the girl fall to the floor. Defeated by Will, Nine desperately reached out towards the girl and touched hands, causing her to awaken. With both Children of the Goddess reunited, the power of time awakened within them, returning the Umbra Temple back to its original state and freeing all the priests from their stone prisons. The Umbra Temple then disappeared into a space between Mirror World and Maple World, preventing Will and the Shadow Knights from entering.
Now safe from Will, Nine and the girl learned from Pietta, one of the priests, about the history of the Transcendents and how both the Black Mage and Rhinne had been sealed away. She also explained that the limitation of the Transcendent of Time was that they could change the fate of anyone but themselves, and that Rhinne had created the Child of the Goddess in order to keep the power of time from the Black Mage. (A/N: Pietta actually incorrectly says that the limitation on the Transcendent of Time is that they can see the future of every world but their own, but she states the correct limitation in all future mentions of the topic.)
When Nine asked why there was a female version of himself, Pietta told him that Will had somehow found a way to split the Child of the Goddess into two in order to weaken them, though she couldn’t say why their genders were different. Knowing that they needed names, the girl decided to name him Alpha and called herself Beta. Alpha told her that he had already decided to name himself Zero as a way to represent him breaking free of the cycle of brainwashing, but Beta told him that their names were final, much to his annoyance.
Pietta then told them that they were in a prison created by the Black Mage called Mirror World, which cut them off from Maple World, the source of their power. However, she explained that their awakening had resulted in a portal to Maple World opening. Alpha and Beta attempted to enter Maple World, but they quickly realized that they were invisible there, as they hadn’t regained their powers.
(A/N: Zero is unique because they start out at level 100. When Zero first came out, you were stuck in Mirror World grinding in their special dungeons until the end of the story at level 180, as you couldn’t gain any EXP from the outside world. While I love how Zero’s skill chains get built upon over time and actually make it seem like you’re getting stronger, the bad map layouts in the Mirror World dungeons were such a chore to get through when your skill chains were still incomplete, which helped sell the idea of Mirror World being a prison. That restriction was modified soon after Zero’s release, and so all you have to do now is to complete Chapter 2 of the story (Mirror World Ariant) before you can start getting EXP in the outside world.)
Pietta told them that Will had shattered the Goddess Teardrop, which contained the power of time, and had spread its pieces across Mirror World. Though she wished that the priests could help them, she explained that they weren’t trained in martial combat, and that their extended lifespans were tied to the temple, meaning that they wouldn’t last long outside of it. In order to get a better understanding of where the Goddess Teardrops could be, Alpha and Beta decided to return to Shadowvale in order to find a map of Mirror World.
A priest named Benedict accompanied them to the outskirts of Shadowvale and taught them the basics of using their Transcendent powers in tag-team combat. They then fought their way through Shadowvale into the library, where they found Milo. Though he had been told that Alpha was a traitor, Milo believed that it was all a misunderstanding and allowed them to pass, claiming that they would see each other again one day.
The twins then found the map and brought it back to the temple, where Benedict’s brother, Cassius, used the power of dowsing in order to find the Goddess Teardrops. Using the dowsing technique, Cassius also discovered that the Goddess’ relic was somewhere in Mirror World. Pietta explained that Rhinne had used an hourglass relic to channel her powers and told them that the relic would allow them to double their strength. Cassius then sent them to search for the relic in Leafre.
(A/N: Mirror World is an imperfect replica of Maple World, and as such, the town storylines and the character dynamics of its residents are different from their Maple World counterparts. For example, Freud and Evan both exist in Mirror World, despite the fact that Freud had died centuries before Evan was born. I won’t be covering the Mirror World town storylines here, as they’re just filler quests used to help Zero level to 180.
I’m currently working on a new part of the website that covers every storyline in the game outside of the main story and GMS-verse, which will include all the Mirror World town quests. Once I finish, I’m anticipating that this site will cover virtually every single story in the entire game, including all town quests, theme dungeons, party quests, overseas-exclusive content like the original JMS Silent Crusade storyline, and as many event stories as I can find online, such as Strange Stories and Wondroid.
For obvious reasons, this is going to take a massive amount of time to finish. I’m about halfway done with it as of August, but I’ve been taking a break from it to work on other a few other personal projects, since I’ve been feeling the burnout from this site lately. I’m hoping to come back to it by the start of January and to try and get it released in the first half of 2023. Luckily, KMS only drops lore 2-3 times a year, and so I’m still planning to update the site with new story updates within a day or two of it being released in the KMS test servers.)
In Leafre, Alpha and Beta met with Chief Tatamo, who told them that he had never heard about such an object as the relic before. However, he explained that a baby dragon had disappeared from Leafre, and that the Halflingers had discovered a monstrous dragon when they had chased after it. He also told them that a young man had offered to fight the dragon, though he hadn’t returned since heading out to face it. With no other options, the Halflingers had decided to ask Afrien for help, and so Tatamo asked them to speak to Afrien on his behalf. He added that since Afrien was wise, he might know about the relic as well.
Outside Afrien’s cave, they encountered a baby Mir, who allowed them to enter after passing his test. (A/N: He just asks a random math question and asks you to say that he’s the best dragon ever.) Inside the cave, they encountered a slumbering Afrien, whom Mir explained was busy preparing to make a Spirit Pact. Because Afrien couldn’t be disturbed, Alpha and Beta asked Mir about the relic, which he explained was in the possession of Horntail.
Back in Leafre, Mir decided to test their strength before he would allow them to face Horntail by ordering them to hunt Beetles and Dual Beetles in the Western Minar Forest. After proving themselves, Mir directed them to Horntail’s cave, where they fought Horntail in order to obtain the relic. Suddenly, Freud appeared and ordered them to step away from Horntail, claiming that it was a baby dragon. Having spent the whole day trying to calm it down, Freud was upset that Alpha and Beta had ruined his hard work and ordered them to leave the cave until Horntail calmed down. Frustrated, they returned to the temple and told the priests what had happened.
Some time later, they returned to the cave and found Horntail still crying. Freud suggested that they sing Horntail a lullaby, as his sleep spells could give Horntail nightmares. However, Alpha and Beta began singing so terribly that Freud yelled at them to stop and checked to see if Horntail’s ears were bleeding. (A/N: This is me every time I try to sing. The priests later tell them that Rhinne had a melodic voice, which clearly wasn’t hereditary.) Freud then suggested that they ask a Halflinger named Pam to help them. In Leafre, Pam told them that she had once obtained a rare music box from the Fairy Queen, though it had since broken.
(A/N: This music box is the same one in Elluel which Lucid had made for Mercedes. Usually, people refer to Ephenia as the Fairy Queen, but I guess since elves are a type of fairy, Mercedes could be considered the Fairy Queen in Mirror World. Originally, my first thought was that Ephenia might have a similar music box. However, if you click on Pam’s music box, it says that it plays Elluel’s most popular tunes. Though this is likely because the asset was copied and pasted from Elluel, it does lend credence to the Mirror World Fairy Queen being Mercedes instead of Ephenia.)
Pam asked them to find Harp Feathers and Blood Harp Feathers, which they used to fix the music box. They then used it to put Horntail to sleep, after which Freud agreed to answer their questions. He introduced himself as a magician who had begun studying Horntail at the behest of the Halflingers. After melding with its mind, he had seen Horntail’s memories of when it had been a small baby. Horntail had discovered the relic in the forest, which had caused it to rapidly age into a full-grown dragon. Having absorbed the relic, Horntail had been chased out of Leafre until it had found the cave, where it had been hiding ever since.
The twins then returned to the temple and explained the situation to the priests. Pietta told them that anyone who touched the relic without the Transcendent of Time’s protections would suffer the Curse of Time. She told them that only the relic’s owners could lift the curse on Horntail, but the fact that the relic hadn’t immediately reacted to them meant that it was upset at them for having left it alone for so long.
(A/N: This sounds just like how Maha had behaved with Aran during her 2nd job advancement. It’s a neat connection because we later learn that just like Maha, their relics have spirits of their own, Lapis and Lazuli.)
Pietta told them that in order to lift the curse, they would need to offer a substitute sacrifice and suggested that they seek help from a magician, as doing so with only the power of time was nearly impossible. The twins sought out Freud and asked for his help in transferring the curse from Horntail to themselves. Though Freud warned that it could damage them, Alpha reassured him that they would be fine, as the curse had the same signature as themselves.
Freud asked them to bring him a Kentaurus King Horn and a Manon Feather, while he would provide a Leviathan Scale from his storeroom. Together, they were able to successfully absorb Horntail’s curse, turning it back into a baby dragon. Freud then told them that he would help assimilate Horntail back to its normal life before continuing his research.
(A/N: The baby dragon that Horntail turns into is an exact copy of the sprite used for Nine-Spirit’s child from the Leafre town quests. Nine-Spirit is one of the three Great Kings of Leafre alongside Horntail and Afrien. Horntail stole Nine-Spirit’s egg, which you have to recover from him in the Leafre town storyline and bring back home, after which it hatches and gives you a blessing that temporarily increases your stats, similar to how Shinsoo gives you a blessing if you talk to her in Ereve.
The only issue I have with them copying the sprite is that Nine-Spirit’s child has one head, while Horntail is supposed to have three. While I like how many Easter eggs they added in Zero’s storyline, I do wish that they would have actually made some new assets in places where it would’ve made sense to add them, like making an actual baby Horntail sprite.)
Having reclaimed the relic, the twins returned to the temple and wondered whether they might see Freud again in Maple World. (A/N: Yeah… about that.) Pietta then told them that the relic possessed its own ego, and so it would need its owner to prove their worth in order to be wielded. Alpha and Beta then entered twin parallel dimensions and met the spirits of their relics, which had split into two. While Beta fought Lapis, Alpha fought Lazuli. After defeating them, the spirits acknowledged their strength and possessed their swords, enhancing the strength of their weapons.
(A/N: It’s nice to see the concept of a spirit-possessed weapon reintroduced in the game. Up until Zero’s storyline, we only had Maha for Aran. Later on, we also get the Spirit of Vengeance inhabiting Damien’s sword.)
With the twins having obtained the relics, Cassius began the dowsing ritual and felt the power of time in five locations across Mirror World. The first location he sensed was Ariant, which he warned was a place whose people ostracized foreigners in its Maple World equivalent. They arrived at Ariant Castle, where they found Prime Minister Shah Mar welcoming Gold Richie and his gift of a blue, teardrop-shaped gem.
Shah Mar then told Gold Richie that the Queen had invited him to stay at the palace. The twins then learned from a dancer named Sirin that the queen had put the gem in the audience room, and so they decided to steal it, believing it to be the Goddess Teardrop. Sirin told them that they would need to bring a gift to the queen in order to gain access to the audience room and suggested finding Deo’s Fruit from Deo, as the queen coveted them for her skincare routine. They presented the fruit to the queen and saw the large gemstone in a display case, with Shah Mar standing nearby.
They returned to the temple and told the priests that they had located the Goddess Teardrop. In order to help them steal it, the priests suggested that they take advantage of Ariant’s political climate and asked them to observe their surroundings carefully. Back in Ariant, they learned from Sirin that Master Thief Phantom was planning to steal the blue jewel.
She told them that there was a group of sisters who worked part-time at the western Ariant tea house, and that they were extreme fangirls of Phantom. There, the twins met the three girls, who explained that they actually hated Phantom for stealing their family fortune, and that they were working at the tea shop in order to gather information on him.
They then asked Alpha and Beta to bring a Thief Crow’s Key in order to prove themselves worthy of being allies. (A/N: The Thief Crow comes from Aran’s 3rd job advancement, during which it steals the red gem on Maha.) After bringing them the key, the sisters told them where Phantom’s hideout was, as well as the password to enter: ‘Open Sesame’. Inside the hideout, they were surprised to find that it was actually a den of Thief Crows, with a man named Ardin trapped inside. After they defeated the Thief Crows, Ardin told them that they had been tricked by the sisters just as he had, and that the sisters actually worked for Phantom. (A/N: They’re actually his maids aboard the Lumiere.)
Ardin told them to meet him and the Sand Bandits at their hideout. There, their leader, Jano, told them to leave, claiming that Ardin had been foolish to invite outsiders to their group. During their argument, the twins learned that the Sand Bandits were planning to raid the palace. Alpha attempted to convince Jano that their goals aligned, and so Jano asked them to be tested by Sejan and Eleska. Sejan asked them to put up anti-queen posters in Ariant square, while Eleska told them to defeat a Desert Giant.
After proving themselves, they agreed to help the Sand Bandits in exchange for the blue gemstone, though Jano warned them that Phantom was also planning to steal it. While they were waiting for the raid to begin, they entered a scorpion hunting contest held by SagaT. After catching several scorpions, SagaT expressed his impressment and told them that Shah Mar had started the event in order to effectively deal with the scorpions when the king and queen had ignored the problem. He explained that he and Shah Mar used to be friends, and that he was intrigued how Shah Mar continued to appear young, even while everyone around him grew old.
When they went to Shah Mar in order to collect their reward, they learned from him that he was waiting for someone to visit Ariant one day, and that he had worked hard to become Prime Minister so that the person whom he was waiting for would be proud to know him when the time came. On the day of the raid, Jano told them that they would use Phantom’s arrival as a distraction to make their move. Once the time came for them to escape, a small team would start a small fire in order to create chaos. That night, the Sand Bandits infiltrated the palace while Alpha and Beta were on lookout.
Suddenly, Phantom appeared behind them, having already stolen the blue gemstone. They began to fight Phantom for the teardrop when, all of a sudden, the castle was set ablaze. They learned from Phantom that only Shah Mar had been in the palace at the time, and so Alpha and Beta had to make a choice to either save him or pursue Phantom.
Beta then sensed the power of time and realized that she was still sensing it back at the palace. They rushed back and found that the power of time was radiating from Shah Mar, making them to realize that he had been the Goddess Teardrop all along. Having been recognized by his masters, Shah Mar transformed into a gem, which Alpha and Beta brought back to the temple.
(A/N: At this point, Zero characters can start grinding in the outside world, although you still need to complete the storyline if you want to max out your link skill by collecting all the Goddess Teardrops.)
Cassius then performed the dowsing ritual again and discovered that the second Goddess Teardrop was in Henesys, though he explained that he wasn’t familiar with the area. (A/N: This is because all the priests were sent to Zero’s Temple centuries before Henesys was founded.) In Henesys, they met a girl named Rina, who told them that her friend, Maya, had a fever, and that she needed Mushmom Caps in order to make Maya a tincture.
After helping Rina, they asked her if there was anyone in town who never got older. Rina told them that there was such a boy named Larelle and asked them to speak with Chief Stan about him. However, Stan refused to tell them any more information, which confirmed their suspicions that Larelle was the Goddess Teardrop. From what it sounded like, Alpha and Beta believed that Larelle had done something to the town, which was why he had been ostracized. In order to get more information, they decided to speak to the children in the town and met Evan, who led them to the Henesys Fork away from the adults in order to talk freely.
There, Evan told them that Larelle had shown up in Henesys a long time ago, and that the townspeople had grown scared when he had continued to stay the same age. Additionally, strange events would always happen around Larelle, particularly with temperature. He told them that a few days ago, Larelle had summoned a monster, which had scared the townspeople, as the monster had injured several people, including Maya. They went to Larelle’s house, where they defeated an ice cube monster inside. Alpha noted that the monster had clearly been created by the power of time.
They then found Larelle’s diary, which revealed that he had spent many years waiting for Alpha and Beta to come. In their absence, the power of time had begun to grow uncontrollably inside of him, which had resulted in him accidentally creating the ice cube monsters. They realized that Larelle was likely being kept isolated somewhere in Henesys and asked Evan, who told them that Stan and Mark had been with Larelle the last time that Evan had seen him.
The twins went to see Mark, who asked them to hunt Mixed Golems, Icy Mixed Golems, and Flaming Mixed Golems in order to help him with his guard duties. He also asked them to find a pearl from a Pearl Oyster in Gold Beach. After bringing it to him, he accidentally let it slip that he was planning to use it to propose to Rina, though he asked them to keep it quiet from Chief Stan, who treated Rina like a daughter. In exchange for keeping his secret, Alpha demanded that Mark tell them where Larelle was.
Mark reluctantly told them that Larelle was in a cave near the Northern Forest Path. Inside the cave, the twins were shocked to find Shadow Knights guarding the area. Alpha immediately retreated, as he believed it unwise to reveal themselves to the Shadow Knights until they regained more of their power. However, Beta argued that Larelle needed their help, and that they couldn’t wait to save him. Back at the temple, Alpha vented his frustrations to Pietta, who told him that Beta felt kinship with Larelle, as they had both experienced isolation in their imprisonment.
He then learned that Beta had decided to go after Larelle herself and rushed after her. Alpha then apologized to Beta and agreed to help her rescue Larelle. Together, they defeated all the Shadow Knights, including Lyra, and made their way to Larelle. Larelle thanked them for rescuing him and explained that he had been the one who had asked Stan to take him away for the safety of the town. He asked them to give Stan his apologies for leaving, after which he willingly agreed to come with them. Larelle then transformed into a gem, which they took back to the temple.
Cassius then used dowsing to discover that the third Goddess Teardrop was located in Mu Lung. Upon arriving in town, they met So Gong, who mistook them for monk trainees and put them through an examination. For their first test, they met with Mr. Do, who tested them on their knowledge of Mu Lung. After receiving his Proof of Training, they returned to So Gong, who sent them to No Gong’s training center.
After receiving the next Proof of Training, they went through So Gong’s final test, which was an obstacle course designed by Do Gong, which had them make it across a river. Having passed the training course, So Gong recognized their skills, though he mentioned that Aran had finished the lesson in only half the time.
He then sent them to Wu Gong to be registered as official monks. There, they felt the power of time radiating from Wu Gong and realized that he was the Goddess Teardrop. However, he refused to come with them, claiming that he had made a good life for himself in their absence. Confused, they returned to the temple and told the priests what had happened. Pietta told them that the Goddess Teardrop should have been drawn to them like a magnet and suspected that it was a side effect of them being in Mirror World.
They returned to see Wu Gong, who told them to eliminate Tae Roon for their next test. After returning, they attempted to argue with Wu Gong to come with them, but the panda simply went to sleep. However, when Alpha attempted to kidnap him, Wu Gong awoke and told him that he was a light sleeper. The twins then went to see Mr. Do in order to ask him to make a sleeping draught.
After bringing him Ginseng Water and Bellflowers, Mr. Do brewed the sleeping draught for them. They returned to Wu Gong and tricked him into drinking the potion, but their kidnapping attempt was stopped by his friend, a cub named Tae Soo. In all the commotion, Wu Gong woke up and grew angry at the twins for what they had done to him. With no other choice, Alpha seized Tae Soo and Beta threatened to drip the young panda in a vat of hair-loss potion if Wu Gong refused to come with them. Wu Gong reluctantly agreed to come with them, but asked for some time to get his affairs in order.
When they came for Wu Gong, however, So Gong told them that both Wu Gong and Tae Soo had been abducted, adding that he believed that it had been the work of several tourists wearing red. Alpha and Beta went after them in the Misty Forest, where they encountered several Shadow Knights. After fighting their way through the knights, the twins found Wu Gong and Tae Soo tied up and knocked out.
Suddenly, Milo appeared and explained that he only wanted to talk. He attempted to convince Alpha to lead the Shadow Knights, as both he and several other Shadow Knights believed that Will had lost his focus after Alpha had defected. He released Wu Gong and Tae Soo and told Alpha to seek him out once he had made his decision.
Back at the temple, Beta asked Alpha what he was planning, as he still hadn’t told the priests about his encounter with Milo. Alpha confided to Beta that it seemed like a good idea to join the rebel Shadow Knights so that they could search for the Goddess Teardrops uninterrupted, or perhaps to even fight Will himself. However, when they returned to Milo, Alpha ultimately refused to join and told Milo that he had new allies that needed him. Milo then showed his true colors and brought backup, claiming that Will had offered to promote him to Chief Knight if he managed to capture Alpha.
After defeating Milo and the other Shadow Knights, Alpha briefly contemplated taking Milo’s life as punishment, but Beta convinced him to take the high road and hand Milo over to the infamously strict Mu Lung legal system. Some time later, they went to see Wu Gong, who thanked them for saving him. He agreed that it was best for him to leave Mu Lung, as Tae Soo had almost gotten hurt.
However, he wanted to leave something for Tae Soo to remember him by, and so he asked them to see Mr. Do. After bringing him a Thousand-year-old Bellflower, Mr. Do used it to create a strength potion. Wu Gong left the potion and a letter behind for Tae Soo and agreed to come with them, after which he transformed himself into a gem.
Soon after, Cassius located the fourth Goddess Teardrop in Edelstein. Alpha and Beta noted that all three Goddess Teardrops had blue hair, and so they were confident that that they would be able to recognize the next Goddess Teardrop on sight. Before they left, they noted that Cassius seemed rather depressed. (A/N: This is important later in the story. I also realized that I don’t mention his brother Benedict as much, but that’s mostly because he’s the temple’s resident himbo who mainly serves as comic relief.)
After arriving in Edelstein, they were stopped by Belle, who told them that she needed to inspect them because of the recent crimes in town. When they asked her if she had seen anyone with blue hair, Belle told them that the Council President’s daughter, Gabrielle, had been kidnapped by someone with blue hair.
They went to the council chambers, where they encountered Wonny listening in on the meeting. He told them to go to Streetlight Row in order to talk more, where they encountered Belle in her Resistance outfit with a horde of jaguars. After defeating the jaguars, they confronted Belle for having Wonny lead them into a trap. Belle accused them of being friends with the kidnapper, but Alpha convinced her that they only wanted to talk with the kidnapper. Belle agreed to let them talk with the kidnapper in exchange for helping the Resistance capture him.
Back in town, Wonny apologized for tricking them and explained that he needed to be sure of their loyalties. After learning how to get to the Secret Plaza, Alpha and Beta met with the Resistance and were briefed about the plan. First, they would get into the power station, where they would destroy the power generator, which would allow the Resistance to rescue Gabrielle and give the twins enough time to confront the kidnapper. After executing the plan, Wonny escaped with Gabrielle, while the twins confronted the blue-haired kidnapper, a man named Arsen.
Arsen refused to come with them, explaining that he was planning to obtain enough energy so that he could sever his ties to the Transcendents and live his own life as a human. Shocked, they returned to the temple and told the priests about Arsen’s plan. Pietta explained that since the Goddess Teardrop was part of the Transcendent of Time, it was impossible for him to separate himself unless the Transcendents themselves were to disown him completely. Suddenly, Beta noticed that Cassius was missing, though Benedict told them that he couldn’t have gone far, since the priests couldn’t stay outside the temple for long. (A/N: Cassius disappearing is also important later on.)
They returned to the Secret Plaza, where Checky told them that Arsen was absorbing a huge amount of energy. He asked them to find him Shining Rue Ore so that he could conduct a precise reading. With the ore, Checky learned that the power plant was sapping up all the energy in Edelstein, and that it would soon explode if left unchecked. Belle attempted to stop Arsen herself, but Alpha and Beta convinced her to let them handle it. They went to confront Arsen, who showed no signs of stopping his plans. Alpha then offered to disown Arsen in exchange for stopping the power plant.
Arsen was surprised at Alpha’s decision, but Alpha explained that Arsen wasn’t worth saving like the other Goddess Teardrops, who had all chosen to follow them because they had known that it was the right thing to do. As they shook hands to complete the separation, Alpha noticed a spider tattoo on Arsen’s wrist, just as an explosion occurred that severely injured Arsen. After taking him to the hospital, the twins returned to the temple and explained that Arsen had been human all along, and that the power of time which they had felt hadn’t been from inside him.
They returned to Edelstein to investigate Arsen and met with Surl, who was the first one to have seen Arsen when he had first arrived in town. Surl told them that he had noticed that Arsen had been covered in dust from Rocky Road, and so Alpha and Beta decided to investigate the area. There, they discovered Shadow Knights guarding the area. After dispatching the guards, they found an operations report that covered all the Shadow Knights’ activities in Edelstein.
From the report, they learned that Will had indoctrinated a test subject, Arsen, into believing that he was a Goddess Teardrop that hated the Transcendents’ hold over him. Will had released Arsen in Edelstein, where Arsen had kidnapped Gabrielle in order to draw out the twins. As Arsen’s mental state had appeared unstable, Will had injected a new dose of brainwashing serum to suppress his memories. However, when Arsen’s false power of time had come into contact with the real thing, an explosion had been triggered.
The twins then went to see Arsen in the hospital, but they were stopped by Claudine, who told them that Arsen wasn’t in his right mind, due to his brainwashing. As Arsen had received irreparable damage from the brainwashing, Claudine recommended that they erase his memories in order to save him. She asked them to obtain Poison Concentrate from the Poison Gas Generator in the Verne Mine, which she used to make a medicine that would erase his memories. After Claudine gave the medicine to Arsen, Alpha sadly wondered whether any of it would have happened if he had just stayed in Shadowvale.
They returned back to the temple, where they reflected on the difficult setback that they had faced. Nevertheless, they decided to move forward and asked Cassius where the next Goddess Teardrop was, which he determined was in Magatia. As the twins arrived in Magatia, Beta asked Alpha if he thought that it was strange that the Shadow Knights had known exactly where to find them.
Alpha grew concerned, realizing that Will likely wouldn’t have made a fake Goddess Teardrop if he hadn’t been certain that they would have gone after the one in Edelstein. As they wondered whether they were walking into a trap, a woman named Rachael approached them and introduced her as the Goddess Teardrop, though she told them that the locals called her the Time Alchemist.
She explained that she wanted to test them in order to determine whether it was worth going with them, and so she had them fight separately in a special dimension in order to test their individual combat skills. During their tests, she attempted to goad them into believing that they were better apart. Even after they passed, Rachael decided to test their intelligence. However, the twins first returned to the temple in order to tell the priests about the latest development. As they all believed that Rachael was a fake Goddess Teardrop, Alpha and Beta decided to keep their guard up when they returned.
For the next test, Rachael teleported them to a replica of Orbis Tower within her dimension. For each question they answered right, she would transport them to the next level. However, if they got the question wrong, she would summon monsters. She also added that she would send them to the top if they learned the secret of the tower. As the two struggled to reach the top, Beta figured out that the secret of the tower was that it was infinite, as it didn’t exist in a physical space.
Impressed, Rachel sent them to the top, where Alpha asked her to prove that she was real and told her to hold hands with him. Rachael then revealed a spider tattoo on her wrist and told them that Will had sent a message: “You never see what’s right under your nose”. She warned them that the mark of the spider signified one who had been corrupted by Will before vanishing.
The twins then returned to Magatia to speak privately, as they couldn’t trust that there wasn’t a traitor amongst the priests. Alpha noted that the priests could track their location by dowsing for the power of time, which might be how the traitor could have been telling Will about where they were. Beta noted that Arsen and Rachel both had tattoos of spiders on their wrists and decided to ask the priests to show their wrists.
Back at the temple, all the priests showed their wrists, which were completely clean. However, when Alpha found Cassius’ dowsing rod on the ground, he picked it up and discovered a spider mark on it. (A/N: This is why Cassius had been disappearing and why he had seemed unusually depressed, as he’s been sneaking off to work with Will.)
Cassius immediately fled the temple, thus cementing his guilt. Benedict went out in search of his brother, though unlike Cassius, he returned for regular check-ins, since the priests couldn’t exist outside the temple for long. Benedict soon returned, unable to find his brother, and was devastated by his betrayal. Alpha and Beta decided to return to Shadowvale in order to find Cassius, though the priests warned them about how dangerous it would be.
They found Cassius near the outskirts of Shadowvale and confronted him, telling him that they could have rewarded him once they arrived in Maple World if that was what he had been after. However, Cassius grew frantic and begged them not to go to Maple World, explaining that the danger of the Black Mage was too great.
When Beta asked if he believed that they couldn’t handle the Black Mage, Cassius truthfully told them that he believed so, as the Transcendent of Time had already once fallen to the Black Mage, even with the full power of time from the Goddess Teardrops. Realizing that there was no way for them to remain safe in Maple World, Cassius had betrayed them to Will in order to prevent them from returning to Maple World and being targeted by the Black Mage.
As the Shadow Knights approached, Cassius attempted to sacrifice himself in order to protect them, but Alpha and Beta fought the knights off themselves. However, as Cassius had spent too long outside the temple, he faded away. After returning to the temple, Alpha, Beta, and the priests mourned Cassius, but continued to move forward in his memory. Though he had his own dowsing rod, Benedict asked them to find Cassius’ dowsing rod as a keepsake.
After bringing it to him from the pile of Cassius’ things from when he had faded away, Benedict used it to find the next Goddess Teardrop, which was located in Ludibrium. Benedict explained that Ludibrium was built around a large clock tower, and that Rhinne had stopped time in the area at the request of its king. Pietta added that time had been shattered into fragments as a result, which had caused concern amongst the priests.
Upon arriving in Ludibrium, they were surprised to instead find themselves in the Temple of Time, where they viewed a memory of the past, in which Tigun the Advisor had requested on behalf of the King of Ludibrium that Rhinne stop time in the kingdom, though Rhinne had warned him that it would cause time to shatter, and that attempting to restart time would have dire consequences.
(A/N: Rhinne takes the prize for being the most useless Transcendent ever. Her one job was to keep the balance of her domain and she couldn’t even do that right. Her decision to freeze time in Ludibrium while knowing full well that it would put Maple World on the brink of temporal collapse is so bizarre to me. It’s later suggested that the reason why she caved in was because she loved Maple World and couldn’t say no to its people, but at the same time, my brother would also ask me for ice cream for breakfast when we were kids, and I still had the sense to say no. It says a lot about Rhinne when a twelve-year-old who still didn’t know how to how to tie his shoes would’ve made for a better Transcendent. Also, just in case anyone was wondering, I know how to tie my shoes now.)
Suddenly, time fractured and shattered the memory, causing them to fall deep below the clocktower into a strange space. There, they defeated a Thanatos, which they recognized as the gatekeeper. Beta realized that the many doors in the area likely led to spaces created by broken time. They entered the door that radiated the most power of time and began climbing the clocktower, where they met the final two Goddess Teardrops, Hera and Mera, who told Alpha and Beta that they would come with them, but that they still had important duties to fulfill.
They transported the twins to the town, where they explained that Mirror World’s Ludibrium was in danger of having its pieces of time collide with each other, which they had been using their fractional power of time to prevent. They asked Alpha and Beta to use their powers as the Transcendents of Time in order to stop time in Ludibrium, just as Rhinne had once done.
Alpha and Beta returned to the temple and explained the situation, as well as the memory that they had seen of their mother. When Alpha asked if they could see Rhinne in Maple World, Pietta sadly explained that once they awakened as the new Transcendents, Rhinne would disappear, as two Transcendents couldn’t exist in one world. (A/N: This poses an interesting question about the fates of Alicia and Darmoor, as well as Alpha/Beta and Chronica, since Maple World and Grandis are now one.)
Saddened by the revelation, Alpha and Beta returned to Hera and Mera, who instructed them to eliminate the flow of time in both the past and the future. They entered the east tower of the past and traveled to the Korean Folk Town, where they drew out the power of time from the people and contained it inside a bottle. (A/N: Cool detail: the monsters created by them drawing out the power of time are the same type of ice cube monster that Larelle summoned when he lost control of his time powers.)
Next, they went to the west tower of the future and arrived at Omega Sector, where they drew out the power of future time. With time having stopped, the Goddess Teardrops were free to join them. Before they did, however, Beta suggested that they visit Rhinne through the crack in time in order to speak with her. Mera agreed to lead them to the Goddess, though she warned them that it would be dangerous.
They then entered the past, where they found a memory of the Record Keeper telling the Goddess that history seemed to grow thinner. He then asked her if Maple World would soon end, to which Rhinne replied that her own future was set in stone, adding that not even the Transcendents lived forever. Next, they entered a memory in which Rhinne chose Benedict, Cassius, and Pietta as her priests who would serve the Child of the Goddess. Finally, they entered a memory of Arkarium attempting to attack Rhinne.
The two immediately rushed to her defense and managed to defeat Arkarium before speaking to Rhinne. They asked her why she worked so hard to save Maple World, to which she explained that she loved Maple World and hoped that they would care for it as she did. Alpha then asked if she regretted creating them, but Rhinne avoided the question and instead warned them that every being had the power to change their own future, except for the Transcendent of Time.
Forced out of the memory, they returned to Ludibrium and successfully collected the last Goddess Teardrops, which they brought back to the temple. Pietta then told them to activate their true powers with the Goddess Teardrops and escape Mirror World. However, they instead found themselves in the Dusk Temple and found Pink Bean nearby. Wondering if it was part of the ceremony, they defeated Pink Bean and noted that he wasn’t using the power of time, as though he had come from another world.
They returned back to the temple, where Pietta explained that the Dusk Temple was a place of old gods who had existed before Rhinne had become the Goddess of Time. She urged them to try again, which resulted in them being transported to the Mirror World Control Room, which had screens that displayed several persons of interest, including themselves and the Black Mage. There, they met Will, who explained that they stood in the same area where the Black Mage had sealed Rhinne. He revealed that he had constructed the control room in order to manipulate her powers and showed them a sealed Rhinne.
(A/N: Like I mentioned in previous sections, Rhinne and her sealing has always been a weird plot hole until the Silent Crusade revamp revealed that Rhinne was sealed in ice within the Temple of Time before she was handed over to Will and sealed in Mirror World. The line about the Black Mage sealing her in the Mirror World Control Room is still a little bit wonky, but you can loosely interpret it as the Black Mage moving her over to Mirror World before handing the keys to Will.)
Will explained that he had split them in two, not only as a matter of convenience, but also to subject them to his influence in order to corrupt one of them, which had thrown the powers of time out of balance. He also revealed that they could never awaken as Transcendents unless the corrupted one were to be killed.
Frustrated, they returned to the temple and explained what Will had told them. Pietta reluctantly told them that it was the best choice for the corrupted vessel to die. (A/N: Given how much she dotes on them both, this was such a shock to read.) When Benedict was shocked by her words, Pietta told him that she had been tasked with guiding the Child of the Goddess into becoming a Transcendent, and that she couldn’t waver.
Hoping not to face such a grim reality, however, Pietta entreated them to visit Mirror World’s replica of the Temple of Time and speak with the other priests there. At the temple, the Temple Keeper suggested that they speak to the Memory Keeper, who may know something about their corruption. When they explained the situation to him, the Memory Keeper told them that they needed to destroy the corrupted one and offered to help identify them. Though Alpha was furious with the Memory Keeper, Beta calmed him down and told him that they needed to understand the problem if they were to find their own way to fix it.
The Memory Keeper then told them to hunt Dodo and obtain its shard, which could offer a glimpse into the past. They used the Shard of Recollection to remember many of their happiest memories. However, the Temple Keeper told them that their dark past had been overwhelmed by nostalgia for the time that they had enjoyed, and thus, he couldn’t see far back enough to when Will had corrupted them.
They returned to the Temple Keeper, who suggested visiting the Sorcerer, as he had spent a lifetime trying to remove his regrets. The Sorcerer believed that their corruption stemmed from regret and asked them to collect a shard from Lilynouch. Using the Shard of Regret, they viewed their past regrets of not having been able to save Arsen, Rachael, and Cassius. However, they agreed that their regrets were because of the decisions that they had made, not because of the corruption. As their past regrets had been forgiven, the Sorcerer explained that he could no longer help them.
The Temple Keeper finally suggested that they visit the Record Keeper, who had recorded countless memories from ages past. The Record Keeper told them to find a shard from Lyka in order to find memories that they had lost to oblivion. After hunting Lyka, they obtained the Shard of Oblivion. Upon using it, Alpha viewed one of his forgotten memories.
In the Umbra Temple, he saw himself speaking with Milo, who called his past self Seven. Alpha watched Seven make his way into the deepest part of the temple, where he found Beta. Suddenly, Will appeared and convinced Seven to leave Beta, calling her a corrupted being. However, Alpha realized that Will had full intent to wipe Seven’s memories once they returned to Shadowvale. Alpha then returned to the Temple of Time, where Beta told him that she had only seen the empty flow of time. Alpha kept the knowledge that Beta was the corrupted one to himself, intending to purify her in order to prevent her from being destroyed.
Some time later, Beta took Alpha to the deeper parts of the Temple of Time, where she confronted him and explained that since she had been asleep in the past, she hadn’t been able to view the memory shown by the Shard of Oblivion, meaning that it had to have been Alpha’s. She surmised that Alpha was keeping the truth that she was the corrupted one and told him that for the good of Maple World, he needed to kill her.
When Alpha refused to fight her, Beta attacked him in an effort to force him to defend himself. Alpha managed to defeat her, but refused to finish her off. He then suggested that Will had manipulated them into thinking that she was the corrupted one when it was really himself, and that if she were killed, he would remain the sole corrupted vessel, unable to become a Transcendent.
United once again, they returned to the temple and told Pietta that they refused to hurt each other, regardless of who was corrupted. Alpha then suggested that they fight Will, believing that defeating him would lift the corruption. They arrived at the Mirror World Control Room, where Will amusedly told them to watch what happened when an unstable entity attempted to become a Transcendent.
Suddenly, Rhinne teleported out of her containment chamber and poised herself to attack. Will explained to the shocked twins that it was in her nature as a Transcendent to prevent incomplete and corrupted beings such as themselves from stealing her powers, adding that she was likely eating away at her own life force in order to move against her bindings. Suddenly, however, Rhinne attacked a surprised Will and explained that though it was in her nature to stop any corruption to her own power, it was a mother’s instinct not to harm her own child, which was far more powerful than the calling of the Transcendents.
After forcing Will to retreat, Rhinne cleansed both Alpha and Beta of their corruption and told them that they needed to escape Mirror World in order to become the next Transcendents of Time. She explained that the Black Mage had used her powers to create Mirror World, and that as long as it existed, she would remain the only one with access to the power of time. As two Transcendents couldn’t exist, Rhinne told them that she would need to die in order for them to inherit her powers.
They all returned to the temple, where Rhinne explained that Will was attempting to use her power to revert all time in Mirror World. She told them that it was their chance to defeat Will and destroy Mirror World, which would release her power for them to become the next Transcendents of Time. Before they left, Beta whispered a plan to Alpha that would save Rhinne, to which he agreed.
They then confronted Will, and after a fierce battle, they managed to defeat him, causing Mirror World to be destroyed and allowing them to awaken as the new Transcendents of Time. However, following Beta’s plan, they recreated Mirror World as soon as it was destroyed, allowing them to resurrect Rhinne in the form of a child. As Mirror World had been created through Rhinne’s power, they told her that she would be bound to stay there, although Rhinne gladly accepted the arrangement.
(A/N: Alpha and Beta awakening as the new Transcendents of Time is a weird issue in the game. While the game claims that they’re Transcendents, almost nothing in the lore actually supports this. At the beginning of the Convergence storyline, it’s said that there are no Transcendents left in Maple World after the death of the Black Mage, which directly contradicts Zero’s existence.
In Kao’s original timeline, we learn that Beta was killed by the Black Mage, leaving Alpha to travel back in time and become Kao. This directly contradicts the lore that Transcendents are incapable of killing other Transcendents. We can explain away Zero being the Adversary by saying that the Seal Stone, which has the power to defy destiny, can allow them to overcome their limitations as Transcendents and kill the Black Mage, but there’s no way that the Black Mage should be able to kill Zero if they really are fellow Transcendents.
The current working theory of the fandom is that Alpha and Beta being split is the reason why they don’t count as proper Transcendents. The way that the game presents Transcendent lore is that Transcendents don’t necessarily need to die in order to be counted as absent, but rather, they just need to be incapable of performing their jobs. All three Transcendents being sealed away centuries ago, for instance, triggered the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, despite the fact that all of them were still alive.
Because of this, people speculate that much like how Alicia’s life force was scattered across the world, Zero being split and weakened means that the universal laws governing Transcendent powers have determined that they’re not capable of performing their full Transcendent duties, which would explain why all the Transcendents of Maple World are said to be gone after Tenebris.
Nexon probably regrets making Zero a Transcendent now that the story direction has gone in such a way that all the Transcendents in the game are inevitably going to be killed. It would’ve been easy for them to have thrown in a line in Tenebris explaining why they don’t count as real Transcendents anymore just to clear things up, but they’ve remained silent on the matter for so long now that we just have to treat this theory as all-but-canon.)
Alpha and Beta then entered the portal to Maple World, but unexpectedly, they hit something between dimensions, forcing them to arrive in Pantheon instead. As Cartalion confronted them, they asked to know whether they were in Maple World, to which Fenelle told them that they were in Grandis, not Maple World. Suddenly, another intruder arrived and asked them to follow him, promising that it wasn’t a trap. He led them to a space between dimensions, where they were shocked to find the Commanders of the Black Mage: Arkarium, Damien, Hilla, Gelimer, Lotus, and Von Leon.
(A/N: Although Gelimer is standing with the others, he hasn’t been made an actual Commander. This is also the last time that we ever see Von Leon, as he’s sadly never mentioned again.)
The Commanders offered an alliance with the new Transcendents, claiming that they could help Alpha and Beta become the Transcendents of Time of both Maple World and Grandis. Arkarium explained that Maple World and Grandis were slowly merging, which was all according to the Black Mage’s plan. He told them that only a Transcendent of Life, a Transcendent of Time, and a Transcendent of Light could exist in a given world, with a new Transcendent being created as a replacement should one disappear, though Hilla added that the circumstances could be less than ideal, such as how Alpha and Beta had been split in two.
However, should a world lose all its Transcendents, it would become unstable and would fuse with another world in order to regain its stability. Because the Black Mage, Rhinne, and Alicia had all been sealed away, Maple World had attempted to restore its balance by seeking to merge with Grandis. Hilla explained that the world merge would have stopped if the Transcendents were to have returned early on, but after centuries, Maple World was moving on pure inertia, meaning that even the return of the Transcendents wouldn’t stop it. She also added that as Maple World was much larger than Grandis, their imminent collision would be interesting to watch.
She then explained that the Black Mage planned to become the Transcendent of Light of both Maple World and Grandis and asked if they would agree to join him. Alpha asked who the new Transcendent of Life would be if he and Beta were the new Transcendents of Time. Hilla told them that she didn’t want to spoil the fun, but added that the Transcendent of Life had already been chosen.
(A/N: As Damien stealing Alicia’s powers was a betrayal on his part, him becoming the next Transcendent of Life obviously wasn’t the plan, and so we never find out who the Commanders had chosen as their candidate.)
Hilla then told them that they only needed to oust Chronica, Grandis’ Transcendent of Time, in order to gain full power over that world. She also reminded them of Rhinne’s fate when she had refused to obey the Black Mage. In order to buy time, Alpha told them that they needed time to think on the Commanders’ offer, as they had only just become the new Transcendents, and so they wanted to learn more about Maple World and Grandis before they could make a decision.
Hilla accepted their proposal, claiming that it wasn’t a pressing matter. Though Damien called them arrogant fools, Arkarium assuaged him by joking that Alpha and Beta were merely living up their role as the Transcendents of Time by asking for more time. (A/N: Damien gets angry because Arkarium had him believe that the Black Mage would convince the new Transcendent of Time to use their powers in order to rewind time and bring his mother back to life.)
Alpha then asked why they weren’t angry at him and Beta for killing Will, to which Hilla explained that they operated on the principle of ‘survival of the fittest’, and hinted that Will wasn’t gone for good. With that, the Commanders disappeared and the twins returned to the guide who had met them in Grandis.
The guide then revealed himself as Cassius, who now possessed a spider-web mark on his face. He explained that the Commanders had brought him back to life, and that he had allied with them in an attempt to help Alpha and Beta, claiming that the Commanders wanted to give them a chance to achieve more than they could on their own by allowing them to become the Transcendents of two worlds, which would allow them to easily defeat the Black Mage. He then asked them to think on his words before sending them back to Maple World.
Having bought some time for themselves, Alpha and Beta began to explore Maple World and Grandis in order to gain allies and to prepare themselves to face the Black Mage. (A/N: Much like with Von Leon, the writers have forgotten that Cassius exists too. I really hope that he shows up and gets involved with all the stuff with Chronica in the Grandis story.)
As Alpha and Beta explored Maple World, Neinheart contacted them after hearing rumors of their activities.
(A/N: Neinheart mentions here that he heard stories about them from Lilin after they helped her at Riena Strait. Personally, I think this is a really weak justification for their Alliance quest, not only because there’s zero chance that Zero players will ever play a level 30-60 theme dungeon when they literally start out at level 100, but also because Illium has the exact same reason why Neinheart hears of him. However, this is most likely part of Nexon’s streamlining assumption that the player completes all their recommended questlines, including Riena Strait, in order once they’re able to.)
Neinheart invited the twins to Ereve, where he introduced them to Empress Cygnus and explained that she had created the Maple Alliance to stand against the Black Mage. He added that the Nova had also joined their alliance, with warriors from across Grandis lending support to their efforts on Maple World. He then requested for Alpha and Beta to join the Alliance and gave them time to discuss it amongst themselves.
Alpha was dubious about joining the Alliance, telling Beta that the two of them could defeat the Black Mage, even without the Alliance’s help. However, Beta noted that since they all had a common enemy, it would be better for them to work together. Alpha replied that he didn’t want to be tied down, to which Beta noted that many people had joined the Alliance, and that their lives would be at risk if the Alliance failed to defeat the Black Mage, leaving the two of them alone in a world swarming with monsters. Reluctantly, Alpha agreed with Beta’s point and met with Empress Cygnus, who thanked them for their support and welcomed them into the Alliance.
Gate of the Past:
(A/N: The placement for this section is a bit weird. Nexon’s streamlining attempts in the Milestone update have cemented level order as the intended chronology of the game, even though this story is almost certainly meant to be set before the Black Mage is unsealed, as it involves Kirston attempting to summon him with the Mirror of the Goddess. However, the wording is ambiguous enough that it can be wiggled into here because Kirston just wants to summon the Black Mage, rather than resurrect him. Because of this, I’ll be keeping this section here with the disclaimer that this isn’t an absolute placement. Additionally, I won’t be covering the Kao quests here, as it fits the story presentation better to have that be covered in 5th job.)
A traveler made their way into the Temple of Time and met the Temple Keeper, who explained that the temple was currently closed to the public, as an intruder had recently broken through the Gate of the Past. He told them that he wouldn’t stop them if they chose to go anyways, though he added that time flowed backwards through the door, meaning that they would be sent backwards to their starting point without the blessing of Goddess Rhinne.
Though getting permission from the Goddess was impossible, as she was still asleep, the Temple Keeper told them that he could give them permission as the representative of the Goddess. As the traveler seemed powerful, he struck a deal and offered to grant them permission in exchange for investigating the intruder. After the traveler accepted the offer, the Temple Keeper told them that he first needed to test their strength and asked them to defeat the monsters throughout Memory Lane.
Along the path, they encountered Dodo, the Whale of Time, who consumed some of the traveler’s memories. As this prevented them from proceeding any further into the temple, the Temple Keeper told them to see the Memory Keeper, who realized that Dodo had consumed their innocent, carefree memories of when they had just begun their journey. In order to recover them, he suggested that they speak with the one who had helped them at the start of their adventure.
(A/N: For most classes, you’ll need to see your 1st job instructor, although some classes just talk to themselves if they’re boring and have no friends.
Explorers and Cannoneer (and Jett, despite not sharing the main Explorer story) will talk to themselves and realize that their journey started when they first met Sugar at the Maple Tree. A cutscene will then play, in which we return to the Maple Tree, where we find Olive. Olive explains that she came on the off chance that Sugar might’ve somehow returned. Olive tells us that Sugar had really liked us, and that she would be proud of us.
The Explorer reminds her that Sugar had liked us all, to which Olive replies that the feeling was mutual. She then asks whether we think that Sugar is still watching over us all. We tell her that Sugar is probably watching us all every day, to which Olive smiles and replies that she should up her game, as she wants to keep Sugar proud. She then suggests that we meet up again with Tess and Rondo one day, which we agree to.
Before the Destiny revamp, Explorers used to visit their first job instructor on Victoria Island, who reminisces about how strong they’ve become since first becoming an Explorer. Even though he’s technically a Special Explorer, Cannoneer would talk to Kyrin and get the regular pirate dialogue instead of talking to Cutter or Monkey, similar to how he’ll get the regular Explorer cutscene post-Destiny. Unlike him, the other Special Explorers get their own unique dialogue.
Dual Blade will need to meet with Ryden outside the Secret Garden. Ryden will recall how excited he was to see such a skilled warrior enter the Secret Garden when we first met, and how he had high hopes for us. He adds that we didn’t let him down, and that we made him proud of being our teacher.
Pathfinder will need to meet with Athena Pierce in Henesys. Pathfinder will tell Athena that she recalls the day that she first ventured out into the world and how Athena had pulled her aside to have a chat. Athena remembers that she had lectured Pathfinder on the prudence of tempering her insatiable curiosity with a healthy measure of caution and restraint. She then adds that despite this, she can’t help but acknowledge how much Pathfinder has grown and wonders whether she was only half-right about the advice that she had given back then.
Athena explains that the world will always need people like herself who protect and maintain the path walked by many, though they’ll also need people like Pathfinder who venture into the unknown and discover new paths. She adds that she’ll keep doing her part and wishes Pathfinder good luck as she blazes new trails, though she reminds her not to hesitate, and to let her courage guide her.
Cygnus Knights will need to return to Ereve and talk to Neinheart, who’s surprised that they want to reminisce about good memories. Neinheart explains that he doesn’t know if there even are any good memories between them, though he recalls the first time that they came to Ereve. He tells us that we were merely an aspirant knight who was so sure that we’d defeat the Black Mage, which he found awkward to hear at the time. He then supposes that it counts as a memory of sort.
This dialogue was carried over from the pre-Ignition Cygnus Knight storyline, in which Neinheart acted much more like a snob with both the Cygnus Knight and with Mihile in their respective class storylines. His attitude was changed in the Ignition revamp and he behaves much more cordial with both the Cygnus Knight and with Mihile, which makes this interaction a lot more out-of-character.
Similarly, Mihile will need to seek out Neinheart, who tells him that he remembers when they first met in the remote forest. He adds that Mihile seemed rather pathetic and supposes that it could be considered a fond memory of sorts. Once again, this dialogue was carried over from the pre-Ignition story.
Neinheart’s dialogue was slightly modified to have him remember their first meeting being in Mr. Limbert’s shop - the place where Mihile was raised as an orphan - rather than the remote forest, but just like with the Cygnus Knight dialogue, Neinheart having the same script from pre-Ignition results in him behaving out-of-character, since he behaves a lot nicer with Mihile in the Ignition revamp.
The main Resistance classes will need to return to the Secret Plaza and speak with Claudine. Claudine recalls when we first came to the Resistance base and told her that we wanted to be part of the Resistance. She recalls how we were just a novice, and how strong we’ve now become. She then tells us that it’s not quite time to sit back and reminisce, as we still have a battle to fight. She suggests that we talk about our memories after the Black Wings are defeated and Edelstein is freed, when we can talk and laugh all night long.
Xenon will contact Roo-D and tells her that he wants to talk about the day that they escaped the lab, as he keeps tracing the events of his adventures back to that day. He explains that though he doesn’t remember anything that happened before that day, he still feels that it was the best course of action, as even if they never recover their memories, they’re still free. Because of this, he tells Roo-D that he hasn’t given up, even if he might never get the memories of his old life back. Roo-D agrees and tells Xenon that they can make new memories together. Xenon then feels warmth and wonders whether it’s a feeling of happiness.
The Demon will wonder which memories the Memory Keeper had been referring to, and whether it was when he served the Black Mage, when he battled with him, or when he awoke from his egg in the Verne Mine. He wonders whether he even has any happy memories before he recalls memories of his mother and Damien. He also notes to himself that he enjoyed sparring with Mastema and realizes that things don’t all need to be gloom and fury. After recalling his past memories, the Demon also gains a healthier outlook on life.
Aran will need to seek out Lilin in Rien, where Lilin will explain that the whole process of seeing Aran having lost her memories but still keeping her spirit as a hero, as well as her gradually regaining her abilities is a memory for her.
Evan will need to seek out Chief Stan in Henesys, where Stan will recall the day that Evan had come to town on an errand, and how he had never thought that Evan, who he affectionally calls Gustav’s shy little kid, would rescue Camila and go on to become a hero of Maple World.
Mercedes will wonder which memories the Memory Keeper had been referring to, and whether it was when she had battled the Black Mage with the Heroes, or when they had managed to seal him, or when she had become the Ruler of the Elves. She then wonders whether it could be when she first awoke from the ice to find all her powers gone. Unsure of which memories she should be focusing on, she’ll recall her entire past, which will fill her with warmth and renew her spirit.
Phantom will need to seek out Gaston aboard the Lumiere. Gaston will greet Phantom and ask if he should prepare a hot bath or some tea. Phantom replies that it’s strange to see him acting like a butler and recalls when they had first met in the old days. Gaston tells him that it was a long time ago, and that his memories aren’t as clear as Phantom’s. Phantom notes that when they had first met, he wouldn’t have trusted Gaston to put him out if he had been on fire, though now, he can’t imagine trying to get his shoes on in the morning without Gaston’s help.
Gaston recalls how Phantom used to be a young, rich braggart who believed that he had been setting off on a noble adventure. He adds that he might still have the wallet that he had lifted off Phantom while the thief had been berating him for his shabby clothing. Phantom retorts that he was never that naive, and that Gaston had certainly never gotten his wallet off of him. Gaston jokingly replies that Phantom has been a brat since they had first met, and that he can produce the wallet as proof if needed.
Phantom gets offended and notes that Gaston has turned a friendly reminiscing with an old friend nasty before calling him a hateful old man. Gaston jokes that Phantom has ever remained open to objective critique and sarcastically calls him a paragon of self-improvement before chuckling. Phantom realizes that Gaston is using his mocking laughter, and though he thinks to himself that Gaston will be the death of him, he hopes that he’ll never leave. I desperately need Phantom’s origin story with his old master Raven and how he met Gaston, but Nexon will sadly never make it.
Luminous will need to return to Lania back at her house. Lania will be pleasantly surprised to see him and notes that she would’ve made something for him to eat if she had known that he would be coming. Luminous replies that he doesn’t need anything except to know that she’s safe. Lania will thank him for his kind words and tells him to let her know when he’s coming next time, as it’s been too long since they’ve sat down for a meal.
Shade will think to himself that the beginning of his adventure was when Tumbleweed told him about Maple World, and though he notes that Tumbleweed won’t remember him, he believes that it’s a good excuse to visit Fox Point Village. He then travels to Vulpes, where he meets with Tumbleweed, who doesn’t recognize him but realizes that he’s human.
He explains that he was thinking of going to Maple World next, though everyone in the village wants him to stay for a while, as he’s just returned from his last trip. He tells Shade that he loves traveling, as staying in one place gets boring. He explains that one should always be moving forward, looking for where the road takes them. As Shade begins to head out, Tumbleweed wishes him good luck and hopes that he finds what he’s looking for.
Kaiser will wonder whether the Memory Keeper meant for him to remember when he became Kaiser, but he decides that those memories aren’t good enough. He then thinks back to his time with Tear and Velderoth and realizes that their time together was his beginning, as that was when he had learned to fight for what he loves. He then notes that no matter whether or not he and Velderoth can become friends again, he’ll never forget the time that they spent training together. After recalling his past memories, Kaiser also gains a healthier perspective on life.
Angelic Buster realizes that her adventure technically began when she met Eskalade, but her true beginning was with the Heliseum Force. She recalls that Kyle and Velderoth were the only ones who treated her like a friend, as everyone else had made fun of her for not having magic. She notes that everything used to be so worry-free back then, whereas the present is just a lot of fighting and anger.
She remembers how much fun they used to have chasing Limestone Tokkas and running away from Kaloongs and wishes that she could return back to that life. She reminds herself that her home will always be the Heliseum Hideout, and that no matter what paths she, Velderoth, and Kyle take, the memories of their youth will always remain.
Cadena will use her radio to contact Gen, who asks her why she’s reached out to him, as she’s supposed to be busy training in Maple World. Cadena notes that after meeting him, her whole life had become drastically different, as though she had been reborn. She tells Gen that he had saved her and helped her with her training, and even accepting her as a member of the Shadowdealers.
Gen jokes that her time away has made her sentimental and explains that when the Nova General had brought her to their hideout, they hadn’t even been sure that she would survive her injuries. He adds that the powerful medicine that they had given to her had been meant to help her sleep and eat, though it had also caused her to sleep for a long time.
When she had awoken, they had discovered that she had sustained more than just her physical injuries, as she would fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. Gen adds that it was all that they could do to keep her calm, to which Cadena points out that she had come a long way since then. Gen agrees and tells her that he hoped that it meant that she would be willing to help them in the future, though he’ll say goodbye for now. Before ending the call, he tells her that he’ll be waiting if she ever wants to come back.
Kain thinks about his lost memories and wonders whether he even has anywhere to return to. Thinking back, he recalls the memory of Luska begging Dr. Y to spare them. He then feels immense emotional pain as the memory continues to play, with Dr. Y claiming that their memories now belong to the Drakas.
However, he then recalls his memories of the Chameleon Siblings and Amos, as well as many other people whom he’s met on his travels, including Cadena, Gen, Fenelle, and Athena Pierce. As those memories start coming back to him, he realizes that they’re from after he left Toolen City, and that those memories don’t hurt his heart.
Illium realizes that the beginning of his adventures had been when he had left Sanctuary. He recalls exploring Savage Terminal with his friends, after which the Nova had helped them use the Interdimensional Portal to arrive in Maple World. He then returns back to their hideout in Sanctuary, where he asks his friends if they remember when they had first arrived in Maple World.
Morian explains he had been thrilled to have finally found it after all their hard work. Dean adds that it was when they had met the Nova, to which Illium nods and agrees that he was glad that the Nova had been willing to help. Carnelian then asks him why he’s asking all of a sudden, to which Illium replies that he had been thinking of when they had first begun their adventure. He notes that they’ve done very well for themselves since then, and that he believes that they’re on the right track.
Ark recalls his time with Albaire and how they even had a motto: “Best failures forever!!” He recalls how he never succeeded at anything, though he still never gave up, as they had promised him success at the military academy. He notes that despite him being so different from Albaire, they had always had a common goal, though they now walk different paths. He then opens a locket containing a small paper with some writing, after which he notes that while he’s just as determined as ever to achieve that goal, he hopes that Albaire still is too. I’m guessing that the paper contains their promise.
Adele recalls that her adventures began when she heard Jerome’s voice calling out to her from the Void. She wonders whether he’s returned to the hideout and decides to call Brook. Brook picks up and puts Jerome on the phone, who asks her why she’s reached out. Adele tells him that she’s been thinking about the day that they met, to which Jerome asks whether they really have to talk about something so cringey.
Adele asks him whether it’s an unpleasant memory for him, to which Jerome clarifies that he just gets embarrassed when he thinks back on how immature he used to be back then. He explains that he had done something to get the guards on his case that day, after which he had made his wish and she had appeared like magic.
He tells Adele that upon seeing her, it felt like the whole square had disappeared, which was how he knew. He then quickly clarifies that he had meant to say that it was when he knew that she was the legendary knight. Adele replies that she had thought him to be a bratty kid, and that it’s hard to believe that she would become his knight.
She then notes to herself that the more she worked alongside him, the more she could see why it was that the Uprising followed Jerome. She realizes that he wants the best for Ristonia from the bottom of his heart, and that he’ll make a fine king someday. She then asks him how his royal education is coming along, to which Jerome tells her that it’s going well, and that he has Boo to cheer him on for when it becomes difficult. He adds that he owes it to her to make the most of it, since she’s saved his life. He then tells her to take care before ending the call.
Khali recalls that her adventures began on the day that she received her scarf as a gift. She wants to go back to her family home, but as it would be too dangerous to go into the main street, she decides to instead visit Jad’s weapon shop. As she remembers the day that she got her scarf, she recalls her father, who had raised her with constant love, Jad, who had always looked after her from afar, Tasha, who had brought her into the world, Rasha, her one and only sister, and all those who had lost their lives as commoners. She then vows that she’ll get revenge for all of them.
Hoyoung recalls how he had first left the Hermitage with Taotie, thinking that he might be able to do some good as he tracked down the fiends. He then realizes that his whole journey started because he broke Taotie’s seal and decides to talk to Taotie about old times. He tricks Taotie into coming out by pretending like they’re under attack, after which he begins reminiscing about how their meeting had led to them traveling in another dimension.
Taotie replies that it’s unlike him to be sentimental and asks if he’s fallen under a spell. Hoyoung laughs that it’s good to stop and reflect every now and then, as running forward with one’s eyes set straight ahead only makes them tired and miss the scenery around them. Taotie then recalls how weak Hoyoung used to be, as he only had a big mouth and no strength to back it up.
However, he admits that Hoyoung has overcome his weakness and has become stronger through facing adversity, and that he’s become a halfway decent sage. Hoyoung asks him if he’s really only halfway decent, to which Taotie replies that he’ll categorize him on the bottom rung of “good” if he hunts down all the escaped fiends. After bickering and reminiscing with Taotie, Hoyoung feels warmth in a way that only traveling with someone as grumpy as Taotie could bring.
Lara notes that a lot has happened to her and asks the Mountain Kids if they remember when she first touched the bell. She tells them that she had trusted them then, and that she trusts them now, as she knows that they’ll never steer her wrong. She tells them that she had promised her grandmother that she would find the answers to her questions and remember her calling, adding that she’s learned so much since then, as she’s made friends with Gri and everyone else, and she’s learned more about the bell.
However, she adds that more than that, she’s learned how big the world really is, and how many different kinds of people live in it. She notes that it’s been a big ride, but she’s glad that she’s started her journey. She also adds that she knows that she’ll make the bell ring again. Thinking back on her experiences, she feels her heart grow with a gentle warmth.
Zero will need to return to Pietta in their temple. Pietta explains that she remembers every detail of meeting Alpha, even having dreamed of it while trapped as a statue. Benedict adds that he couldn’t believe that there were two Children of the Goddess. Beta notes that she hated being locked up, and that being outside is much better.
Pietta then notes that it must have been difficult for Beta, for while the priests had been unconscious as statues, Beta had been awake the entire time. Beta tells Alpha that she had always tried talking to him and asking him to save her, as she had known that he was part of her. Alpha apologizes to her for not saving her sooner, to which Beta replies that they’re together now, which is all that matters. Alpha thinks to himself that he hadn’t thought that he would be so happy because while all he used to see was the hurt and betrayal, he now feels okay.
Kinesis calls Jay and begins reminiscing about the good times that they had together. Jay notes that Kinesis never gets so sentimental and asks what’s happened. Kinesis merely laughs, to which Jay recalls the late nights that Kinesis had him pull, as his superhero duties were a full-time job for them both.
Kinesis asks him to think of the times before that, to which Jay recalls all the pranks that Kinesis had pulled on him when he had thought that Jay had merely been a computer geek. He also recalls how he had asked Kinesis to talk to a girl named Lin whom he had liked, only for Kinesis to end up dating her instead. Kinesis then laughs awkwardly and says that it might be better to focus on the future before hanging up. He then thinks to himself that it’s nice to talk to Jay every now and then.
Kanna will need to meet with Mouri Motonari in Momijigaoka, where he notes that her strength has returned. He explains that he’s nothing short of amazed at her fervor, adding that both Sokoku and Maple World will remember her name. He tells her that he’s thankful for her dedication, as her loyalty was unexpected, and that he’s glad that she’s on his side.
Hayato will also need to meet with Mouri Motonari in Momijigaoka, where he explains that he’s been watching him fight for Maple World, and that his dedication is impressive. He adds that he hopes that Hayato can call him an ally, and that the two of them have a great future together. He tells Hayato to continue his quest while he himself will ensure that they go down in history.
Beast Tamer will need to meet with Bluffing Tom in Arboren, where he’ll wonder for a moment who she is before smelling the Kobold perfume made by his mother that Chase had put on herself during her class storyline to infiltrate the Kobold stronghold. After noticing her ears and tail, he recognizes her as Chase and notes that she seems to be doing well.
Chase asks him whether she still smells that bad before Tom tells her that he’s sure that she must be aware about the rumors going around town that he’s been talking to the Kobolds. Chase asks him whether he’s still out there lying again, though Tom changes the subject and asks her whether she’s had any love interests lately. The two will then chatter away until Tom tells her to come back and tell him about her adventures. This entire dialogue was honestly really disjointed and made very little sense to me, but I’m guessing that it’s a byproduct of how butchered her storyline was.)
After speaking with their mentor, the traveler returned to the Memory Keeper, who confirmed that their memories had returned. The Temple Keeper then gave them permission to go down the Road of Regrets. At the end of the path, they defeated Lilynouch the Ice Knight and received permission to proceed down the Road to Oblivion.
However, the traveler found the path blocked once again, and so they returned to the Temple Keeper. He explained that Lilynouch was fiercely loyal to Rhinne, to the point that he had frozen his emotions so that regret would never cause him to fail a mission. The Temple Keeper believed that Lilynouch must have frozen the traveler’s emotions as well, and since those with frozen emotions could not feel regret, the Road of Regrets would not allow them to pass.
He suggested that they visit the Sorcerer, whose concoctions might be able to help them. The Sorcerer sold them a potion that could thaw their emotions, though he charged them a hefty fee. After paying him, he gave them the potion and warned them about the side effects. The traveler drank the potion, which immediately drained their health and mana. (A/N: That’s putting it mildly, it basically kills you.) After recovering, however, they found that their emotions had thawed, and so they proceeded down the Road to Oblivion. At the end of the road, they defeated Lyka, the Guardian of the Temple.
The Temple Keeper then gave the traveler permission to go into the deepest part of the temple, but the traveler found that they could not pass. They asked the Temple Keeper whether their oblivion had been burned away by Lyka’s flames, but the Temple Keeper told them that such a thing was impossible. He speculated that the only thing that could be wrong was that the Goddess’ Promise had been broken and asked them to see the Record Keeper in order to determine whether the Promise still held, explaining that they may need to wake Rhinne from her sleep if it had been broken.
(A/N: Do these people even know that Rhinne has been trapped in Mirror World all this time? They keep talking about her being perpetually asleep as though she’s just in her bedroom waiting for her alarm to ring. Also, why doesn’t he recognize Zero as the new Transcendent of Time?)
The Record Keeper explained that long ago, the Goddess had gifted humans with oblivion, the power to forget. He confirmed that the Promise had not been broken, and that the traveler still having their oblivion was proof enough.
(A/N: The Gate of the Past tells a pretty depressing story about the story of life. It starts out verdant and happy as we make happy memories in our childhood. Over time, however, our emotions freeze up as we lose our youth and become consumed with regrets. In the end, we’re overtaken by oblivion and forget everything in our old age. I was really creeped as a kid by how nihilistic it seemed, but as an adult, the concept of oblivion being the ability to forget now seems a lot less disturbing.
From the context of the human lifecycle, it’s almost like the idea of reincarnation, in which you forget everything about your past life so that you can make new memories and make up for old regrets. Within this game, cases like Lucia and Lania confirm that living things reincarnate in this game, making the Temple of Time’s story of life one about a cycle of rebirth, rather than eternal damnation. Also, this is unrelated, but when the game calls the Black Mage or Darmoor mortal, it means that they started out mortal at birth, but they still gain immortality upon awakening as Transcendents.)
The Record Keeper speculated that there must be another force preventing the traveler from accessing the deepest part of the temple and sent them back to the Temple Keeper, believing that he would know what to do. After the traveler explained what had happened, the Temple Keeper speculated that the Record Keeper had been intentionally vague, since he was forbidden from sharing the secrets of history. He then concluded that the reason that the traveler could go no further was because the intruder had set up a barrier to prevent anyone from entering. He then asked the traveler to collect materials from the Gate of the Past in order to construct a Marble of Chaos, which could break the force field.
After the traveler brought the materials, the Temple Keeper crafted the marble and explained that the barrier had been nullified, though he wondered what the intruder wished to do in the Gate of the Past, as the temple prevented the past from being changed. He then realized that the intruder could be trying to take the Mirror of the Goddess. He explained that the mirror could not be moved by humans, and that incorrect use would result in severe consequences. Because of this, he asked the traveler to stop the intruder at any cost. The traveler used the Marble of Chaos to enter the Dusk Temple in the Twilight of Gods, representing one of the earliest points of history.
(A/N: The Dusk Temple is explained in Zero’s storyline to be a domain of the old gods who had existed before Rhinne. It’s unknown whether these are explicitly Ancient Gods, as Zero’s storyline predates that lore, but it lines up with everything that we know about them.)
There, the traveler found the intruder, Kirston, speaking aloud to himself that with the Mirror of the Goddess, he could summon the Black Mage.
(A/N: Pathfinder gets exclusive dialogue right before the fight, in which she recognizes Kirston from the visions that she had received from the relic.)
Just then, Kirston felt a strange energy emanating from the mirror, which he realized was completely different than that of the Black Mage. Out of the mirror, a powerful monster named Pink Bean appeared, with Kirston vanishing.
(A/N: With the Milestone update, you no longer need to fight Pink Bean to finish the story, as you instead just return to the Temple Keeper.)
The traveler returned to the Temple Keeper, who was shocked by Kirston’s audacity to use the Mirror of the Goddess. He explained that the mirror allowed one to physically move the past, but that only the Goddess herself was capable of it. Nevertheless, he thanked the traveler for stopping Kirston.
(A/N: There’s a misconception that stemmed from GMS about Pink Bean being a Transcendent. In Zero’s storyline, there was a mistranslation of the original KMS dialogue about the Dusk Temple, which erroneously claimed that it had once been the sanctum of Transcendents of Time who predated Rhinne. Because of this information, along with the idea that Kirston was attempting to move the past with the mirror, people mistakenly assumed that he had inadvertently summoned Pink Bean, a past Transcendent, while trying to summon the Black Mage, a current Transcendent.
This misunderstanding ended up creating a mountain of erroneous information being spread around involving Pink Bean being a Transcendent of Bean World. Pink Bean is a non-canon class who was first released as an April Fool’s Day joke, and he occasionally gets re-released every so often as an event. His backstory involves him being tricked by his nemesis, Black Bean, causing him to be stranded in Maple World. Just to clear the record - there’s nothing to suggest that Pink Bean is a Transcendent, not even as part of his non-canon storyline.)
Stone Colossus:
An Alliance member was called by Chief Tatamo to Leafre, who explained that he was seeking an experienced warrior to aid the Halflingers with their recent troubles. In Leafre, Tatamo told them that though most Halflingers lived in the safety of their village, some of their more adventurous members had formed an expedition team to explore Minar Forest.
He revealed that the expedition team had recently discovered a rocky mountain in the south, which had turned out to be a large monster instead. Worried that the enormous creature could cause great damage to smaller creatures like themselves, Tatamo asked the Alliance member to use their battle experience in order to assist the expedition team and determine whether the creature posed a threat or not.
On their way to the expedition team, the Alliance member ran into Valerie, a pirate of the Nautilus, who recognized the Alliance member, though she was disappointed to learn that they didn’t remember her, despite her having been in Heliseum during the operation to retake the Nova capital. Nevertheless, she introduced herself as a pirate of the Nautilus and Captain Kyrin’s right-hand. Upon learning that they had come at Tatamo’s request, Valerie revealed that she herself had been dispatched by the Alliance, which had believed the rock creature to be a minion of the Black Mage.
The pair decided to investigate together and headed to meet Lavi, the expedition lead, at the base camp. Lavi explained that when the rock creature had first moved and rumbled the forest, they had been afraid that any further rumbles would have destroyed all of Leafre. To their surprise, however, the rock creature had remained still since then, though dark creatures had soon begun attacking the base camp, causing most of the expedition team to abandon the mission out of fear. Though he appreciated the Alliance member’s help, Lavi decided to test their strength by first asking them to defeat the Mantis monsters around them.
After the Alliance member proved themselves, Lavi gave them permission to visit the rock creature and directed them to Kupo, who showed them the vehicle that he had custom-built for reaching the creature. He offered to take them on a test run, speeding them through the forest and giving Valerie motion sickness. Despite Lavi warning that it would take three days and two nights to climb up the mountain on foot, Valerie decided that she would walk there and told the Alliance member to go on ahead in Kupo’s vehicle.
Kupo then told the Alliance member that they needed to refuel, and that the vehicle ran on vegetable oil from the nearby Flora monsters. (A/N: Not to be confused with the Flora race from Grandis.) The traveler collected seeds from the Flora monsters near the base camp and brought them to Kupo, who extracted the oil from within the seeds. With ample fuel, Kupo and the traveler made their way to the base of the mountain.
(A/N: Originally, there used to be a mini-game that you had to play in order to reach the mountain, although it was removed in the revamp.)
Just then, a massive earthquake occurred, causing Kupo to stop for their own safety. Worried that something major was happening, Kupo decided that they needed to stop and turn back. When the Alliance member resolved to press on, however, Kupo told them to go on ahead and meet with his friend, Chino, who could help them get up to the rock creature. He also recommended that they bring her a gift and suggested Hornet Honey and Large Poison Glands, as Chino hated hornets.
Sure enough, Chino was pleased by their gift and explained that she had been watching the traveler defeat the hornets from her sniper perch. She also explained that she had been working to make the area safe for the rest of the expedition, as the hornets were making it too dangerous for them to use the elevator that led to the top of the mountain. After the traveler helped clear out the hornet population, they traveled up the elevator with Chino. Upon reaching the summit, Chino told them to go ahead and speak with the rock creature.
The traveler approached the creature and began hearing his voice. The creature was surprised to learn that someone could hear him and explained that no one else had been able to understand him, adding that he was overjoyed that someone had come to listen to him at last. Believing that the creature didn’t seem evil, the Alliance member asked him what his name was, to which he replied that though he didn’t have a name, he had overheard someone calling him the Stone Colossus. He explained that he didn’t know what exactly he was beyond just a mountain, adding that he had existed for a long time and had only just woken up.
He told the Alliance member that he had no ulterior purpose, and that he was simply trying to stay still in order to keep the people below him safe. He also revealed that dark creatures had begun swarming around him when he had woken up, and that though he didn’t know where they had come from, he believed that it had something to do with his heart, which was being infected with darkness and causing his thoughts to turn violent. Terrified of his own thoughts, the Colossus told the Alliance member to leave, as he was afraid that he would accidentally hurt them.
(A/N: Before the Milestone revamp, Damien was the one responsible for corrupting the Stone Colossus, as evidenced by his mark on the Colossus’ forehead. The Demon’s storyline actually foreshadowed this by having Damien clone and corrupt the monster, Eliza, from Orbis in order to spread the corruption to the Colossus, although Damien’s involvement has now been removed, leaving Damien’s mark on the Colossus as just a residual element that they forgot to remove while revamping the storyline.)
Just then, Valerie reached the Colossus and prepared to attack it when the Alliance member called her off and explained the situation. After learning what had happened to the Colossus, Valerie wondered whether it had fallen under some sort of spell and asked the Alliance member what they should do. The Alliance member decided to help the Colossus and offered their aid to him. The Colossus was touched by their offer and asked them to first defeat the Corrupted Tree Spirits on his shoulder, which were whispering dark thoughts in him.
The Alliance member defeated the Corrupted Tree Spirits on the Colossus’ shoulder and returned back, but when the dark whispers still remained, the Colossus believed that those thoughts really were his own, and not just whispers from the spirits, for which he asked the Alliance member to leave before he lost control and accidentally hurt them.
Unable to help him any further, the Alliance member returned to Valerie, who told him that she had scouted out the area and located something on the top of the Stone Colossus’ head, which she believed to be the source of the spell upon him. At the Colossus’ head, the pair encountered a horde of dark spirits emanating powerful evil energy. After defeating them, Valerie wondered whether the dark energy had come from the Black Mage, and whether the Colossus really was related to the Black Mage after all.
Suddenly, a tremendous earthquake rumbled the land as dark energy emanated out of the Colossus, whose eyes had turned red. With the Colossus terrified of turning evil, the Alliance member attempted to calm him down, while Valerie asked him whether he was a minion of the Black Mage. The Colossus replied that though he had heard of the Black Mage and his acts of evil, he denied being affiliated with the Black Mage, claiming that he served no one.
When Valerie asked him about the creatures emanating the Black Mage’s energy, the Colossus told her that the dark energy had flowed into him centuries ago, and that it had been attempting to turn him evil. He explained that he had attempted to resist it by curling himself up, and that it had disappeared after some time, making him believe that it had gone for good. However, he told them that the energy had manifested once again, and that not even the Alliance member’s attempts to cleanse the corruption had stopped it.
Though he urged them to flee before he hurt them, both the Alliance member and Valerie refused to leave his side. Touched by their kindness, the Colossus called them true friends and allowed them to investigate inside his body. The pair then entered the Colossus and fought through the dark spirits inside his body before arriving at his heart, where they found Guwaru using his spirit energy to shield it from a dark Tarantulus monster.
(A/N: The Demon and all the Heroes except Aran and Evan get some exclusive dialogue, in which they recognize Guwaru as a Commander, which shocks Valerie, who notes that he nevertheless seems to be protecting the Colossus’ heart.)
The Alliance member quickly defeated the Tarantulus, after which Guwaru thanked them for their help, realizing that they hadn’t come to harm the Colossus. Valerie then asked him who he was, to which he introduced himself by name, causing her to quickly realize that he was a Commander of the Black Mage. (A/N: For some reason, Valerie will still ask Guwaru his name even if she recognizes him from the exclusive dialogue with the Demon and the Heroes.) Valerie was surprised to meet Guwaru, believing that he had disappeared long ago. She demanded to know whether he was the one responsible for corrupting the Colossus’ heart, though Guwaru pointed out that she herself had seen him trying to protect it.
Realizing that he had a point, Valerie asked him whether he had betrayed the Black Mage, to which Guwaru told her that he couldn’t have betrayed the Black Mage when he had never followed him willingly in the first place, asking whether she had thought that he was simply a corrupted Great Spirit. Valerie replied that the only thing they knew about him was that he had grown corrupted and joined the Black Mage, unleashing evil spirits upon the world until his disappearance after the Black Mage’s sealing.
Guwaru admitted that while he had become a servant of the Black Mage, it had all happened against his own will. He explained that he had been born from nature, and that amongst the spirits, he was considered the Great Spirit, though not even he had been able to escape the influence of the Transcendents. He revealed that as the Transcendent of Life and the Transcendent of Time had gradually lost their power, the corrupted Transcendent of Light’s power had grown in turn, shifting the balance of the world towards darkness. As his existence was tied to the world itself, the shifting balance had caused him, in turn, to grow corrupted as well, becoming a servant of the Black Mage in the process.
The Alliance member realized that Guwaru hadn’t wanted to become a Commander, to which he told them that while he had memories of his time as a Commander, it all felt like a distant dream to him. He explained that though he had come to his senses after the Black Mage had been sealed away, his power had been stolen by Magnus, who had plotted to take it from the very beginning. He told the Alliance member that he had spent centuries recovering his power, though he hadn’t yet fully regained his abilities, which was why he had barely been able to protect the Stone Colossus.
(A/N: Before the revamp, Guwaru wasn’t corrupted by the Black Mage, but rather, he joined the Black Mage out of anger at the humans who disrespected spirits and nature. The Colossus was originally formed when Magnus’ misuse of Guwaru’s powers had caused the spirits to band together out of fear, with Damien eventually corrupting the Colossus with the demon army.)
Valerie noted that his story made sense, though she then asked why he had been trying to protect the Colossus, wondering whether it was atonement for his time as a Commander. Guwaru admitted that it was his fault that the Colossus had been corrupted by the Black Mage’s power in the first place, revealing that the Colossus was comprised of countless smaller spirits which had fused together into a large entity. He explained that he had given the Colossus his spirit power so that it could move, which made it his child, in a sense. Because the Colossus had been made of spirits that had come from him, however, the Black Mage’s influence on him had also resulted in darkness corrupting the spirits that made up the Colossus.
Fearing that such a large being would wreak havoc on the world if corrupted, Guwaru explained that he had been trying to cleanse the darkness upon it, though the Tarantulus inside its heart had made it difficult for him to do so, as he had been exerting all his power into halting the spread of the corruption, even as the creature’s power had grown after the Black Mage’s seal had broken. With the creature defeated, however, Guwaru used his power to restore the Colossus’ heart back to its original state.
Though unable to do anything about the spirits which had already been corrupted, Guwaru told them that eradicating them would ensure that the Colossus would remain safe. Having finished his word, Guwaru also told them that he would leave the Colossus, promising that they would not need to worry about him losing himself to the Black Mage again. He then revealed that the Black Mage didn’t seem interested in growing his power, and that while he didn’t know the Black Mage’s true plan, he suspected that there was something going on beyond just Maple World itself. He asked the Alliance member and Valerie to take care, adding that he hoped to help them someday in the future.
After Guwaru disappeared, the Alliance member and Valerie returned to the Stone Colossus, who thanked them for their bravery in purifying his heart. The Alliance member told the Colossus that he had also been very brave by enduring tremendous pain to keep himself from hurting others, for which he called them his eternal friend and hero.
Valerie then noted to the Alliance member that they had achieved much on their mission, from befriending the Stone Colossus, stopping the Black Mage’s corruption, and even learning more about the Commanders. She added that with Guwaru having left the Black Mage’s service, his forces had grown even weaker, though she noted that it didn’t seem as though the Black Mage had been trying to strengthen his forces lately. She told the Alliance member that just as Guwaru had said, something else seemed to be going on, though she hoped that the Alliance would be able to find out more later.
While she left to report back to Ereve, the Alliance member returned to Lavi and informed him about what had happened. Lavi was grateful to the Alliance member for their help and resolved to have the exploration team defeat the remaining dark spirits to stop the corruption completely, adding that he welcomed them to join his team anytime.
Gate to the Future:
(A/N: The Gate to the Future is one of the biggest missed opportunities in the game. While I think that it’s a great concept for us to enter the future and realize that we’re going to lose everything, the storyline was added far too early into the game’s history for it to remain impactful after all these years. Henesys and its citizens had a higher significance to us when the game was smaller in scope, but in the present day, we have so many characters and storylines going on in parallel that seeing a ruined Henesys only works if you have the nostalgia factor from having spent a lot of time grinding and doing town quests there during the pre-Big Bang era.
The Gate to the Future and Twilight Perion both depict the corrupted Cygnus Knights and Resistance, but I feel like the writers failed to explore the concept to its full potential. This storyline was the perfect place for a lot of classes to get exclusive dialogue that reveals their fate. We could’ve had the Heroes be corrupted and explored the darker aspects of their personalities, like Mercedes becoming a second Ephenia who believes that elves are superior to humans, or a dark Aran whose moral code as a warrior has become warped into her attacking innocents and enemies alike just to prove that she’s stronger than anyone.
Aside from characters, I think that they really should’ve continued releasing more parts of Victoria Island instead of just stopping at Perion. The Gate to the Future revamp includes a very tiny look at future Sleepywood, but it would’ve been nice if they had fleshed out all of Victoria Island and given us a chance to fight an unsealed and overpowered Future Balrog. We’ve had some pretty interesting discussions about it on the lore server, so feel free to click the link and join if you’re interested as well!)
Centuries ago, Lucid had used her powers to erase her existence from the minds of all the elves and had decided to spend the rest of her life inside a perfect dream, oblivious to the passage of time. However, even she had been affected by the Black Mage’s curse on the elves, trapping her in ice. Unlike the other elves, Lucid’s powers had caused her to remain painfully aware that she was asleep, and she soon came to view her dreamscape as a prison. Though she longed to awaken from her dream, she felt the centuries slowly pass with no hope of escape. In desperation, Lucid projected her consciousness as far as it could go, allowing her to inadvertently stumble into the Black Mage’s subconsciousness.
Sensing Lucid’s presence, the Black Mage recognized her talents and promised her eternal life and the chance to see the new world that he would create in exchange for her loyalty. To hear that such a powerful being needed her was all that Lucid desired, and so she readily accepted his offer. The Black Mage freed Lucid from the ice and ordered her to create a false future in the Temple of Time, one in which he reigned victorious after Empress Cygnus betrayed the people of Maple World. Lucid broke into the Temple of Time and used her powers to manipulate the Gate to the Future, creating the dreamlike illusion which the Black Mage had asked her to make.
(A/N: While Lucid believed that the Gate to the Future was meant to demoralize the people of Maple World into ceasing their attempts at resistance, the Black Mage actually wanted to unite the people of Maple World against him by having them resist the idea of the predetermined future that awaited them. His master plan was perfectly engineered to pit the Alliance against his Commanders so that they and the Adversary would grow stronger through those tests of resolve, while simultaneously knocking the Commanders off the board before they would inevitably betray him.
This next portion is actually the Cygnus Knight’s 4th job advancement and a mount quest that takes place right before it.)
Soon after, Neinheart contacted the Knight and noted that they had grown very strong, with few Cygnus Knights being able to match their strength. He told them that rumors had been circulating that Cygnus and the Knights had betrayed Maple World and joined the Black Mage. Though he believed it to be absurd, he acknowledged that rumors grew stronger as more people talked about them, regardless of how ridiculous they were.
He also noted that since the rumors originated from the Gate to the Future, it was possible that someone had confused a hypothetical future with reality. He asked them to investigate the rumors, but as the Temple of Time was dangerous, he told them that they would work alongside their Chief Knight. He then sent them to meet with Della, one of their informants.
(A/N: This quest was originally the first part of the original Alliance prequest for the Cygnus Knights. Unlike this version, all you had to do originally was to collect Della’s report and bring it to Cygnus, after which she’d ask you to send invitations to the other factions of Maple World. Also, I love how Neinheart is cautious enough to have a Chief Knight accompany you to the Temple of Time at level 100 when Athena Pierce tells the Explorer to go in alone at level 25, even though they’ve probably been an Explorer for like 20 minutes.)
At the Temple of Time, the Knight and their Chief Knight met with Della, who told them that the rumors about the Cygnus Knights betraying Maple World in the future were true, with Cygnus being known as the Axle of Evil. However, she explained that a strange black fog was coming out of the Gate to the Future, preventing both her and the Temple Keepers from entering. The Chief Knight decided that they would need to look into it themselves and asked Della about the fog. She explained that the fog pushed people away the further they entered, preventing them from catching anything more than a glimpse of the future.
The Knight and their Chief Knight arrived at the Gate to the Future, where they discovered the thick black fog emanating from beyond the door. The Knight felt as though something was calling to them, and so they entered through the door and arrived in Future Ereve, where they encountered Future Cygnus and her corrupted Chief Knights. Suddenly, the Knight began to feel an unnatural drowsiness overtaking them and lost consciousness.
They soon awoke back at the Temple of Time to the sight of their Chief Knight attempting to wake them up. Suddenly, the black fog formed tendrils of darkness that attempted to grab at the Knight. Their Chief Knight immediately pushed them aside, but the tendrils instead ensnared the Chief Knight and dragged them into the Gate to the Future. The Knight rushed in after them, but they were soon engulfed by the same unnatural sense of drowsiness. As they felt their consciousness fade away, the Knight heard Cygnus' voice calling out to them and reminding them of who they were.
The Knight was able to remain awake and found themselves in a dreamscape, where they discovered a Wightmare placing their Chief Knight into an enchanted sleep. The Knight quickly defeated the Wightmare and took their Chief Knight back to the Temple of Time. The Chief Knight awoke and thanked them for their help, explaining that the Wightmare had been trying to brainwash them by planting images into their mind. Suddenly, Della rushed over to them and explained that there was an emergency in Ereve, as the Empress had fallen.
The Knight and the Chief Knight rushed back to Ereve, where they found that the black fog had engulfed the island. They found Neinheart and the others huddled around an unconscious Cygnus and asked what had happened. Neinheart explained that the black fog had suddenly appeared, causing Cygnus to pass out right after.
He noted that the black fog was no simple attack, as it had been able to bypass both Ereve's barrier and Shinsoo's protection. Kinu, one of the Piyo training instructors, noted that Cygnus had fallen into an enchanted sleep, which the Knight realized was just like what had happened to themselves. Oz noted that Cygnus’ power was fading, and that she was in grave danger, since she had not yet fully accepted Shinsoo's power.
As the Chief Knights argued about what to do, Shinsoo sensed that the Knight had learned something significant in the Gate to the Future and asked them to share it with the others. After the Knight explained how they had been ensnared by the black fog, Neinheart realized that since Cygnus' power and that of the Cygnus Knights were intertwined, the Knight being affected by the black fog may have inadvertently resulted in Cygnus experiencing the same. Neinheart told the Knight that just as they had saved their Chief Knight, they now needed to save Cygnus within her dreamscape as well.
Through the grace of Shinsoo, Neinheart sent the Knight into Cygnus' dreamscape, where they found her staring at her corrupted self through a mirror. Suddenly, Future Cygnus shattered the mirror, knocking the real Cygnus out, and emerged through the other side. The Knight immediately fought Future Cygnus and defeated her, sending both the real Cygnus and themselves back into the real world. Around them, the black fog dissipated as Cygnus awoke from her nightmare.
Some time after the incident, Neinheart thanked the Knight for their valiant efforts and noted that based on everything that he and their Chief Knight had observed, the Knight had risen to become the epitome of a Cygnus Knight, both in power and valor. He then explained that Oz had discovered that the power of the black fog had been entirely foreign, after which he asked the Knight whether they had found any clues while fighting the Wightmare and Future Cygnus. The Knight told him that they were certain that the mastermind wasn’t a Black Wings member, as the Wightmare's clothes had the pattern of a butterfly, not the Black Wings' symbol. (A/N: This explicitly confirms that the Wightmares are Lucid’s minions.)
Neinheart realized that they were likely facing a new enemy and resolved to look into them. He also told them that with the black fog having lifted from the Gate to the Future, he was planning on sending a full-scale investigation to investigate the rumors. He then told the Knight that Cygnus had something important to tell them.
The Knight went to meet Cygnus, who noted that they had grown stronger while holding true to their beliefs, never once losing their heart while protecting the weak. Because of their valor, Cygnus promoted them to Chief Knight. Soon after, their Chief Knight congratulated them for their promotion and added that they expected great things from the Knight.
(A/N: Just like before the revamp, Cygnus promotes us to Chief Knight here, and then promotes us to Chief Knight again at level 200. In the old storyline, the medal that we got at 4th job was called Captain Knight, and so I had originally used that as a stand-in title until we got promoted to Chief Knight in our level 200 quest. However, it seems like this medal has been changed to say Chief Knight in the Ignition revamp, and so it seems like being promoted to Chief Knight is what they intended after all.
I have no idea how to reconcile us getting promoted again at level 200 other than just pretending like it didn’t happen. I was never really a fan of having us be promoted to Chief Knight in the first place because it doesn’t make sense that there would be two Chief Knights of the same division.)
Henesys Ruins:
(A/N: The Gate to the Future storyline was revamped in Fall 2023 in KMS. Unlike a lot of the revamps that came before it, pretty much all of the core story remained the same, with just a few touch-ups to keep it up-to-date with the current iteration of canon, similar to the Cygnus Knight storyline revamp during the Ignition update. If you want to know what the old storyline was like, check out the pre-Destiny update page.)
Neinheart contacted an Alliance member and explained that he was assigning them a mission. He noted that they must have already heard the rumors about the Black Mage’s minions attacking the Temple of Time, adding that the Cygnus Knights had already completed an investigation, which had answered certain questions, but not the main ones. He then asked the Alliance member to go to the Temple of Time and speak with the Temple Keeper about the attack.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue that replaces this scene. Neinheart contacts the Cygnus Knight and notes that as they’ve grown stronger, he has a mission that he can only entrust to them. He asks them whether they remember the Empress’ nightmare, in which she had grown corrupted beyond recognition. Though the Knights had been able to quell her nightmare, rumors were continuing to plague the citizens of Maple World, who were beginning to believe that Cygnus would soon turn on them. With the rumors originating from the Gate to the Future, Neinheart asks the Knight to investigate, believing that they’re the best person for the job after saving the Empress from her terrible dream.
Mihile also gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this scene. Neinheart contacts Mihile and tells him that he has bad news. He explains that strange rumors are spreading of the Empress betraying Maple World in the future. Though he notes that such rumors are complete nonsense, he points out that those stories circulating would cause people to grow anxious and start believing in them. Suspecting that someone is deliberately spreading those rumors, possibly even for the Black Mage, Neinheart asks Mihile to investigate the matter. He then tells Mihile to go to the Temple of Time and speak with the Temple Keeper about the attack.)
The Alliance member met with the Temple Keeper, who told them that he wasn’t feeling well after the attack and asked if they had any medicine. After the Alliance member gave him an All Cure Potion, the Temple Keeper explained that the Black Mage’s minions had likely been after the Altar of Time at the end of the space beyond the door. Though the Temple Keepers had been able to repel the attack, the Gate to the Future had nevertheless been opened.
The Temple Keeper explained that the future was an unknown place that people could not - and should not - enter. He told the Alliance member that he was very concerned about the fact that the Gate to the Future had opened, as there were already strange rumors circulating around about the future. He added that the contents of the rumors were irrelevant, as he couldn’t say for certain whether it was even the real future or not. He explained that the real problem was the confusion and chaos that it was causing, which went completely against Goddess Rhinne’s will, as the future must not be known.
The Alliance member asked what could be done, to which the Temple Keeper explained that the Gate to the Future needed to be closed. However, he noted that even for him, a Temple Keeper, closing the door was quite difficult, as he likely needed more power in order to do so. The Alliance member then thought to themselves that the Temple Keeper’s next words were about to be quite predictable, with their suspicions being confirmed when the Temple Keeper asked them to use their strength in order to close the door for him.
The Alliance member then went to the Three Doors, where they wondered how they could close such an immensely large door. Despite pushing with all their might, the door refused to budge. Exhausted from their attempts, the Alliance member decided to rest against the door. Just then, however, a large rumbling resonated from the door, with a powerful force pulling the Alliance member into the Gate to the Future.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Alpha and Beta inspect the Gate to the Future and wonder whether it’s possible to close something so immense through sheer force. As Alpha wonders whether they’ll need to use the power of the Transcendents, Beta pushes the door and closes it halfway through force before it refuses to close any further. Just as Alpha attempts to help her, a large rumbling resonates from the door, with a powerful force pulling Alpha and Beta into the Gate to the Future.)
They soon awoke to find themselves in an ethereal space, in which they could no longer feel the tug of gravity. They noted to themselves that even if they tried exiting back through the door, they would likely be unable to do so. Just then, they heard an indistinct voice calling out to them, though they dismissed it as a hallucination. However, the voice continued calling out to them, with a mysterious light leading them towards a shattered mirror.
The Alliance member followed the light, which led them into the burning ruins of a town. The Alliance member noted that the atmosphere was far from peaceful, and that there was an acrid smell in the air, which meant that there was a war going on. However, they wondered to themselves why the town seemed so familiar. Upon looking closer, however, the Alliance member was shocked to realize that they were standing in the ruins of Henesys.
Just then, the Alliance member was stopped by Big Headward, whom they recognized as the hairstylist of Henesys. Big Headward demanded to know their identity, to which the Alliance member recalled the Temple Keeper’s words about the future. Realizing that they could cause great chaos by revealing themselves as someone from the past, the Alliance member introduced themselves as a simple traveler.
Suspicious about their story, Big Headward decided to take them to Chief Alex, surprising the Alliance member with the news that Alex was the new chief. Though Big Headward hadn’t recognized them, the Alliance member realized that it was possible that someone else could, for which they decided to hide their face with a hood.
The traveler then met with Chief Alex, who demanded them to reveal themselves. When the Alliance member refused to remove their hood, claiming that they had a scar, Alex decided to search their belongings. After looking through their belongings, Alex didn’t find any Cygnus Knight badge, which made him believe that the Alliance member wasn’t a spy.
(A/N: Evan gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this interaction. Upon seeing Alex, Evan whispers to Mir about how surprised he is that Chief Alex is the grown-up version of Alex from Henesys. Mir whispers back to Evan about how amazing it is that they really have come to Future Henesys. Evan then wonders how Alex became the new chief, as he used to be a runaway.
Alex demands to know what they’re whispering about and orders Evan to reveal his identity. Evan explains that he’s just a traveler, and that he’s been to Henesys before, which is how he recognizes Alex. However, Alex is suspicious about why Evan is hiding his face if they truly do know each other. When Evan tells him that he’s hiding a scar on his face, Alex decides to give him a chance to prove himself by quizzing Evan about their past, which the player has to complete by choosing the right answer amongst several options.
For the first question, Alex explains that though he was raised in Henesys, he had spent most of his time in another town, and he asks Evan to tell him which town it was. The player has to choose between Kerning City and Henesys, although I’m not sure what the point was in having Henesys as an option when he literally just said that the answer isn’t Henesys.
Evan correctly answers that it was Kerning City, to which Alex asks Evan why he was in Kerning City. The player has to choose between three options: the first is that Alex was a police officer protecting Kerning City, the second is that Alex was a botanist studying plants in the Swamp Region, and the third is that Alex was a runaway boy who wanted to make up with his father.
When Evan correctly answers that Alex was a runaway, Alex still doesn’t trust him and asks him to say who his father was. The player has to choose between Grendel the Really Old, Huckle – who, for those who don’t know, is the researcher who lives on the 16th floor of Orbis Tower – or Stan. After Evan tells Alex that his father was Stan, Alex notes that Evan did a lot of research on him, but he still doesn’t believe him.
For his final question, Alex asks Evan what object Stan had given him when he had asked him to come back home. The player then has to choose between an old map, an old golden watch, and some old bread. Evan correctly tells Alex that it was an old golden watch, to which Alex has no choice but to believe that Evan is telling the truth. He apologizes to Evan for not being able to recognize him and welcomes him to Henesys.
In the original Future Henesys storyline, Alex’s quiz was actually given to all characters, as the Gate to the Future was written long before we had such a huge inundation of classes from various places, and so it made sense for all the released classes at the time to have reasonably met Alex and learned his backstory during their travels.
I kinda wish that they kept the quiz for everyone because it would’ve implicitly shown that all classes, regardless of their backstories, really did explore Maple World and form friendships with its people, especially since that’s the entire core of MapleStory as a game, but I can understand why they’d turn it into an exclusive scene for Evan, since he’s the only class who was born and brought up in Henesys, which means that he would’ve known Alex since childhood.
Cygnus Knights and Mihile also get some exclusive dialogue here. After Alex searches through their belongings, he finds a badge containing the Cygnus Knights’ insignia. Though he’s surprised to find it, he notes that the current version of the Cygnus Knight badge is black and ominous, and so he decides that the Knight isn’t a spy.
The fact that we totally could’ve been a spy who just didn’t carry a badge in order to infiltrate Henesys is only overshadowed in stupidity by the fact that Alex has absolutely no issues with us having an older version of the Cygnus Knight badge. At the same time, this is also a huge illusion created by Lucid in order to demoralize us, and so it makes sense that she’d want the dream to ignore things like that so that we can spend more time in Future Henesys.
Later on, there’s a scene where Athena Pierce starts acting out-of-character when we begin to discover that the future might actually be an illusion, and so the idea of Alex not questioning something so obviously suspicious might just be deliberately constructed by Lucid to keep ensnaring us deeper into her false reality.)
Relieved that the Alliance member wasn’t an enemy, Alex welcomed them to stay in Henesys, adding that it would be nice if they could help the town while they were there. He explained that thought it had been a long time since any visitors had come after the attack, it would be remiss of them not to extend their hospitality.
The Alliance member asked Alex which attack he was referring to, to which Alex was surprised and asked whether they had come from some distant place, explaining that he was talking about the Cygnus Knights attacking Victoria Island. The shocked Alliance member asked if they were hearing things right, to which Alex explained that they were hearing correctly, as Henesys had been destroyed by Empress Cygnus, who had fallen under the spell of the Black Mage. He added that the attack had killed his father, which was why he had become the new chief of Henesys.
At Alex’s words, the surprised Alliance member wondered to themselves whether the Cygnus Knights had really destroyed everything. Alex replied that it must be hard to believe if they only knew about the Cygnus Knights of old, and so he asked them get more details from Athena Pierce, explaining that she was no longer the head of the Bowman Instructional School, instead working to prepare for any impending attacks.
The Alliance member then met with Athena Pierce, who was relieved to know that there were other survivors outside of Henesys. The Alliance member asked her why the Cygnus Knights had attacked Henesys, to which she explained that Empress Cygnus – deeply worried about the threat of the Black Mage – had attempted to seek out the World Tree, who had disappeared long ago, believing that she would be able to help them face the Black Mage.
However, when Cygnus and her Knights had finally discovered the World Tree, they had learned too late that it had all been a trap set by the Black Mage. As a result, Cygnus’ soul had been stolen by the Black Mage, who had turned her into his puppet. Having lost its divine power, Ereve had crashed onto Victoria Island, with Cygnus leading her Knights against Maple World, resulting in the destruction and isolation of Henesys. Upon hearing her words, the Alliance member was shocked and wondered whether this was really the future that they would be facing.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get some exclusive dialogue in place of the regular dialogue. Upon hearing Athena Pierce’s words, the Cygnus Knight is shocked and wonders to themselves whether Cygnus attacking Maple World is really something that happens in the future, as it was merely supposed to be a rumor. However, they refuse to believe it, noting that there’s no way that Cygnus would ever do such a thing. They then wonder what that would mean for themselves, and whether they had also attacked Maple World in the future.
Mihile also gets some exclusive dialogue in place of the regular dialogue. Upon hearing Athena Pierce’s words, Mihile is shocked and notes to himself that it’s unbelievable that Cygnus could be corrupted and attack Maple World. He wonders to himself what his future self had done, as well as what the other Chief Knights had done. Realizing that the fact that Cygnus’ corruption meant that his future self had failed to keep her safe, he wonders to himself how that could be, as his future self surely must have done everything to protect her, even if it had put his life in danger.)
Believing that there had to be some kind of misunderstanding, the Alliance member decided to speak with the other residents of Henesys. Near a gravestone dedicated to the late Chief Stan, the Alliance member encountered Chief Stan’s ghost.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here. Upon seeing Chief Stan’s spirit, Mir whispers fearfully to Evan that he can see a ghost. Evan whispers back and asks Mir why he’s so scared of ghosts, adding that it’s not a big deal. Upon seeing the ghost, however, Evan immediately recognizes him as Chief Stan’s ghost and notes that he hadn’t realized that Stan would become a ghost after dying.)
Stan then told the Alliance member that they were the first person to see him ever since he became a ghost. Stan noted that they seemed vaguely familiar, like someone who used to wander around Henesys. He then lamented how it was a shame that Cygnus’ attack had made Henesys unsafe and unfit for beginner Explorers to train. He then asked them to help make Henesys safer by defeating the Mutant Snails in Henesys Market and Henesys Park.
After the Alliance member defeated the snails, Chief Stan thanked them for their help, explaining that he had been unable to do anything as a ghost, as the townspeople were afraid of him. He noted that they were just as strong as the Explorers who used to train in Henesys in the past, and he requested that they use their strength to keep the town safe. The Alliance member then met with Alex’s older brother, Jay.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here. Upon seeing Jay, Evan notes that Jay’s expression has changed a lot, as not only has he gotten older, but he’s also gotten sharper than before. He then recalls that Jay was originally a gentle person who always used to smile.)
Jay told them that in order to defeat the Cygnus Knights, they needed powerful magic. He explained that he was trying to study the Black Mage’s magic, which had mutated the monsters around Henesys, for which he asked them to bring him Mutant Snail Shells. The Alliance member brought Jay the shells, to which Jay thanked them, explaining that he could feel powerful dark magic within the shells, adding that being able to sense that magic was one of the benefits of becoming a Dark Master. The Alliance member was surprised to know that Jay had become a Dark Master, to which Jay explained that he had worked to become stronger, as he had been too weak to prevent his parents from dying during the attack on Henesys.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he wonders to himself whether the threat of the Cygnus Knights really is that great for the future of Henesys to be this bleak.)
After helping Jay, the Alliance member met with Camila, who recognized them as the one whom Chief Alex had spoken of.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that Camila looks the same as before and wonders what she needs help with. Camila then notes that she feels as though she’s seen him somewhere before, as he looks a lot like someone she knows, especially with how he’s traveling with a dragon.
A surprised Evan tells her that Mir is a lizard, not a dragon, to which Camila realizes that there’s no way that Evan, whom she had lost contact with long ago, would suddenly show up out of the blue, though she hoped that he would be fine. Evan then notes to himself that Camila must have lost contact with his future self.)
Camila then asked the Alliance member for help in gathering food, which was scarce as a result of Henesys being cut off from other towns and farming being difficult. In order to help her, the Alliance member collected Mutant Mushroom Caps from the Mutant Orange Mushrooms. Camila thanked them for gathering the ingredients and asked whether they could check up on her husband, Utah, whom she hadn’t heard back from in a while after he had gone outside town.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he’s surprised that Camila got married and wonders who it could be. Upon learning that it’s Utah, he realizes that it makes sense, since the two of them had been close childhood friends. He then wonders what future Utah looks like and decides to find out for himself.)
The Alliance member then found Utah in the Creepy Humming Forest Trail. Utah initially believed the Alliance member to be a Cygnus Knight before realizing that they were merely a traveler. He apologized and explained that he had been a bit on-edge, after which he thanked them for coming out to look for them at Camila’s request.
(A/N: Evan gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that he’d never thought that he would see Utah this old, though he also notes that Utah looks to be as old as Camila, and that he doesn’t seem to be in any pain. Utah notes that he had initially mistaken Evan to be a Cygnus Knight, but upon looking at him closer, he explains that Evan looks just like his little brother. He explains that seeing them feels just like looking at his brother when he used to be a kid, jokingly adding that now that his brother is older, he doesn’t look as cute anymore.
He adds that his parents are worried about where his brother is, as they haven’t been able to contact him at all, to which a surprised Evan asks Utah how his parents are. Utah explains that his parents are in a safe place, far from the Cygnus Knights’ attacks, before asking Evan why he wants to know. Evan hesitantly replies that he had just been thinking of his own parents, and that he hopes that they’re safe.
In his head, however, Evan notes to himself that though he wants to know how they’re doing, he needs to finish his mission first before trying to see them. Utah then asks Evan whether he has any business with him, to which Evan tells him that he’s come at Camila’s request, which transitions back into the generic script.)
Knight Stronghold:
(A/N: Like I mentioned in the previous section, the Gate to the Future storyline was revamped in Fall 2023 in KMS, with most of the changes just being minor touch-ups to make the story more consistent with the current canon. If you want to know what the old storyline was like, check out the pre-Destiny update page.)
Following their report to Neinheart, the Alliance member returned back to the Gate to the Future in order to continue their investigation. In the Henesys Ruins, Chief Alex thanked them for aiding the town, adding that he hadn’t expected them to be such a strong adventurer. He explained that for a long time, their town had been oppressed by the Cygnus Knights, leaving them to lie helplessly as though they were pretending to be dead. However, he added that with the Alliance member’s arrival, he felt as though they could finally start moving again.
He explained that recently, there was little activity from the Cygnus Knights, who weren’t attacking the town, but rather, were simply staying within the Knight Stronghold. He then asked the Alliance member to help him learn what the Cygnus Knights’ true goal was. Realizing that the investigation would help them learn more about the Gate to the Future, the Alliance member agreed to help Alex, who asked them to scout the entrance to the stronghold.
The Alliance member traveled to Ereve and scouted out the Knight Stronghold before reporting back to Alex that security had been tightened. Alex realized that in order to learn the Cygnus Knights’ plan, they would need to infiltrate the stronghold, though he noted that with security tightened, they wouldn’t be able to enter through normal means.
However, he noted that it wouldn’t be impossible to enter through unconventional methods, as there were several such methods which had proven effective in the past. He told the Alliance member that they could easily enter the stronghold by taking a Cygnus Knight badge, which would allow them to disguise themselves as a Knight. Thought defeating a Knight and taking their badge would be difficult, Alex told the Alliance member that he had faith that they could do it.
At the entrance of the Knight Stronghold, the Alliance member defeated several Cygnus Knights guarding the entrance and obtained a badge from them, which they brought back to Alex. Alex instructed them to pin the badge onto their clothes, and to make it as visible as possible. He then asked them to thin out the Cygnus Knights’ numbers by defeating Official Knight A’s and B’s.
After the Alliance member defeated the Knights, they returned back to Alex, who asked them whether they recalled when he had told them that he had verified certain methods to infiltrate the stronghold, explaining that he had sent an informant into the stronghold in order to spy on the Knights. He then asked the Alliance member to meet with the informant in order to gather any new information that they had.
At Knight District 2, the Alliance member met with the informant, who was disguised as an Official Knight C. The informant noted that they hadn’t seen the Alliance member’s face before, which had led them to conclude that Alex had sent them. They told the Alliance member that Cygnus hadn’t shown herself at all, and that they had no idea why she had attacked Maple World in the first place.
They also added that the Cygnus Knights under her command were following her orders mindlessly, which made the informant believe that the Knights were being controlled by the magic of the Empress or the Black Mage. They then told the Alliance member that they were still investigating one more matter, and that they would reach out once they finished.
The Alliance member returned back to Alex and reported everything that they had learned. Alex realized that the Knights being controlled made sense, as they hadn’t spoken at all during the attack, and they had even cut down those who had tried to surrender, likely because they had lost their minds. In order to verify the Knights’ condition, Alex asked the Alliance member to defeat the Advanced Knight A’s. After the Alliance member defeated the Knights, they reported back to Alex that the Knights were indeed behaving mindlessly. Upon hearing their report, Alex wondered whether it might be possible that the Knights could be freed from their mind control.
Soon after, the informant contacted the Alliance member and told them that they had key information that they needed the Alliance member to deliver to Alex without the Cygnus Knights finding out. They revealed that Neinheart had been locked up in the Secret Grove inside the stronghold. Though they were unsure why Neinheart was imprisoned, they believed that it would be worth investigating.
The Alliance member informed Alex, who explained that he had heard rumors that Neinheart had been locked up because he had opposed Cygnus’ plans to invade Maple World. Believing that Neinheart may have important information, Alex sent the Alliance member to infiltrate the Secret Grove in order to find him.
Inside the Secret Grove, the Alliance member defeated the Knights guarding Neinheart’s cage before speaking with him. Neinheart immediately recognized the Alliance member’s face and realized that they were a member of the old Maple Alliance. He noted that he had never expected to see them in such a place, adding that they really hadn’t changed at all.
When the Alliance member asked what had happened to Cygnus, Neinheart explained that after the Empress had fallen into the Black Mage’s trap and been corrupted, he had tried and failed to stop her. He told the Alliance member that after Cygnus and her Knights had destroyed everything, he had barely survived with his own life.
He then asked the Alliance member what the situation outside Ereve was, relieved to know that there were still survivors, which meant that there was still hope. He explained that though he had thought that he had survived only by luck, it seemed as though his life still had some meaning. He then revealed that after the Empress had been corrupted, the Cygnus Knights had lost their reason, becoming totally obedient to her commands.
He explained that it was likely because Shinsoo – whose power the Cygnus Knights derived theirs from – had been corrupted through her bond with the Empress, warping her power into one that took away the free will of the Knights. Neinheart then told the Alliance member that the only way to save Maple World was to kill the Empress, though they would first need to defeat the many Advanced Knights guarding her. He asked the Alliance member to defeat the Advanced Knights, noting that if they were truly the same person that he remembered, they would be able to find a way.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. Upon seeing the Knight, Neinheart is overjoyed, as he had believed that they were dead when he hadn’t been able to contact them. He notes that they seem to be alive and appear just as they had before the invasion, and though he wonders how that’s possible, he nevertheless fills them in on the situation.
When Neinheart asks them to thin out the Advanced Knights, the Knight asks him whether there’s truly no way to bring Cygnus back. Neinheart explains that if there had been a way, he would have done anything to restore Cygnus back to her old self by now. He tells the Knight that the only way left is to kill Cygnus, adding that the role of the Cygnus Knights is to protect Maple World, even if it means killing Cygnus herself, though he apologizes for putting them in such a position. After the Cygnus Knight defeats the Advanced Knights, the rest of the dialogue is the same as the generic script.
Mihile also gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. Upon seeing Mihile, Neinheart mistakenly believes him to be future Mihile and asks whether he’s come to finish him off after all. He explains that if so, then he should get it over with, as Neinheart refuses to follow the Empress’ will. Mihile is surprised by Neinheart’s reaction and realizes that in this future, it doesn’t seem strange at all that his future self would actually try to kill Neinheart. Realizing that he can’t explain that he’s from the past, Mihile decides to pretend as though he’s someone else.
He tells Neinheart that he’s not Mihile, though Neinheart notes that it doesn’t seem possible, as his face looks just like Mihile’s face from the past. Nevertheless, Mihile insists that he’s simply a traveler who had been sent by Chief Alex, to which Neinheart reluctantly believes him, as he notes that the Mihile under Cygnus’ spell is in no condition to be talking in the first place.
Realizing that Chief Alex sent Mihile, Neinheart asks him whether there’s anyone still living in Henesys. Mihile confirms that there are, explaining that though much has been destroyed, the townspeople are still living on without giving up hope. Neinheart then replies that though he had thought that he had survived only by luck, it seems as though his life still has some meaning.
After he explains what happened to Cygnus, Shinsoo, and the Knights, he asks Mihile to kill Cygnus in order to put an end to things, to which Mihile pauses uncomfortably. When Neinheart asks him to thin out the Advanced Knights, Mihile asks him whether there’s truly no way to bring Cygnus back. Neinheart explains that if there had been a way, he would have done anything to restore Cygnus back to her old self by now.
He tells Mihile that the only way left is to kill Cygnus, adding that the role of the Cygnus Knights is to protect Maple World, even if it means killing Cygnus herself, though he apologizes for putting Mihile in such a position. After Mihile defeats the Advanced Knights, the rest of the dialogue is the same as the generic script.)
After thinning out the Advanced Knights, the traveler reported back to Neinheart, who was relieved to hear the news, explaining that security around Cygnus’ chamber would be laxer now. However, Neinheart explained that in order to enter her chamber, they would need to first pass through the Cygnus Garden, which was inaccessible without a key, though he admitted that had no idea where the key could be.
He then asked the Alliance member to first check if the garden was locked, and to consult with the people of Henesys if they might know anything about the key’s whereabouts. He explained that in the meantime, he would remain in his prison, as security would grow tighter if he were to escape. He also added that there was nothing that he, as someone who failed to stop the Empress, could do to change the situation. He apologized for burdening them with such a favor, though he begged them to stop Cygnus once and for all.
The Alliance member then returned back to Chief Alex and explained the situation. Alex explained that his father had told him about the key to the Cygnus Garden, thought it had been so long ago that he couldn’t remember anymore. Realizing that Stan might know more, the Alliance member visited Stan’s ghost and asked him about the key.
Stan explained that when he was alive, many Explorers had attempted to craft a Dream Key to enter the Cygnus Garden. He then asked the Alliance member to speak with Jay, who would often spend time with those Explorers. Jay told the Alliance member that in the past, many Explorers had gone into the Cygnus Garden, but none had ever come back.
He explained that he had only been able to recover their belongings, and that amongst their keepsakes, he had found a way to craft a Dream Key. He told the Alliance member that he had made a Dream Key, vowing to open the Cygnus Garden and defeat Cygnus. He then noted that the time had finally come to join the fight, promising that he would help them, despite being weaker, as he had been training hard with Anne.
He told the Alliance member to first speak with Alex before they headed out, as he needed to tell Anne that their fight was about to begin. While Jay left to speak with Anne, the Alliance member met with Alex and told him that they were heading to face Cygnus. Alex realized that the time had finally come and thanked the Alliance member for their help in putting an end to the war. He then asked them to defeat Cygnus and return safely.
Together, the Alliance member, Jay, and Anne traveled together to the entrance of the Cygnus Garden. Anne noted that despite watching the entrance to the garden for some time, it was her first time actually seeing it up close, adding that it was full of ominous energy. Jay then used the Dream Key to open the garden gate, allowing them to proceed inside.
Though he admitted that he was afraid, he explained that he had no intention of turning back. Anne added that it was all thanks to the Alliance member that she had come so far, and that she was grateful to them for all their help. She promised that she and Jay wouldn’t stand idle, and that they would do whatever it took to help them stop Cygnus.
After passing through the garden, the group encountered the fallen Empress in her chambers. Cygnus welcomed them pleasantly to Ereve, noting that it had been a while since she had been visited by guests. She then asked them to disappear for the sake of the Black Mage.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights and Mihile get some exclusive dialogue here. The Knight calls out to Cygnus with the Korean honorific ‘nim’, which is the highest form of honorifics in Korean, although this was just localized as ‘Cygnus’ in GMS, even though I’d have thought that they would call her ‘Lady Cygnus’ or ‘my Empress’ or something. Cygnus is surprised to hear them call out to her in such a way and notes that they still think highly of her. She asks them whether they know her from the old days, and whether they’ve met her back then. She explains that she’s been wondering because she can’t even remember who she used to be anymore, though she nevertheless prepares to fight.)
After a fierce battle, the Alliance member, Jay, and Anne together managed to defeat Cygnus, as well as the fallen Chief Knights and Shinsoo, once and for all. A gravely wounded Cygnus noted that she had never thought that she would be defeated, though she added that the Black Mage still had not been stopped. Before disappearing, she warned the Alliance member that in the end, Maple World would still be destroyed no matter what.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they once again call out to Cygnus with the Korean honorific ‘nim’, to which a surprised Cygnus asks them whether they would still call her that. She then tells them to channel their hatred towards her, as it sustained her, before disappearing, leaving the Knight to sadly call her name one last time.
Mihile also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he frantically calls out to Cygnus and begs her to come to her senses, revealing to her that he’s Mihile. Upon realizing this, Cygnus realizes that Mihile had definitely been following her before her corruption. Though she notes that he looks just like Mihile, she also realizes that it’s impossible. Nevertheless, she weakly thanks him for putting an end to her nightmare before disappearing.)
After Cygnus’ ominous warning and death, the distraught Alliance member wondered whether this bleak ending was truly what awaited their world.
(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue here. He notes to himself that there’s no way that it’s possible, as Cygnus isn’t that type of person. He vows that if such a future is what awaits them, he’ll do everything in his power to change it. He then swears that he’ll never let Cygnus end up like this, after which he bitterly decides to leave the garden.)
Just as the Alliance member began to leave, however, the same voice which had called to them when they had first entered the Gate to the Future began speaking once again. Upon hearing the voice more closely, the Alliance member was surprised to realized that it belonged to Shinsoo, who was relieved that her voice could be heard at last.
Twilight Perion:
(A/N: The Gate to the Future storyline was revamped in Fall 2023 in KMS. Compared to the previous two storylines, Twilight Perion received a more in-depth revamp, which even added a small portion of Future Sleepywood. Pretty much all of the original Twilight Perion storyline was preserved, and the revamp was just more story added in-between. However, if you want to know what the old storyline was like, check out the pre-Destiny update page.
The Milestone revamp established a chronological ordering to the story based on level, which means that Detective Rave’s Case Notes, as level 175 content, should be set before Twilight Perion, which is level 180. However, I shifted the two around because it makes more cohesive sense for the three Gate to the Future sections to be grouped together.)
Soon after the investigation into the Gate to the Future, the Alliance held an emergency conference, which was attended by the top leaders of the Alliance, as well as the Alliance member who had first entered the Gate to the Future. As Athena Pierce began the meeting, Claudine impatiently noted that the proceedings were taking forever, and that so many had not attended. As she wondered whether theirs could truly be called a proper meeting, Neinheart testily replied that everyone had their own work to do, and that it wasn’t as easy to gather all the warriors of Maple World in one place as she believed.
Claudine retorted that it was the duty of the Alliance to carry out the impossible, as otherwise, there was no point to their existence at all. Neinheart replied that Claudine was talking without thinking, reminding her that the Alliance had been created through the hard work of many people vowing to defeat the Black Mage, to which Claudine sarcastically asked him whether she was actually hearing a lecture about promises from the Cygnus Knights.
Athena Pierce then cut in and urged them both to stop their wasteful debate. Cygnus agreed and added that the purpose of the Alliance was to protect the future of Maple World, with internal bickering being inappropriate for their mission. She then explained that the reason why they had gathered was to discuss the grave events happening as of late – nightmares of the ruined future plaguing the people of Maple World.
Lady Syl noted that the Alliance had already proven that such a future was merely an illusion, which Neinheart confirmed, though Claudine pointedly added that the possibility wasn’t completely zero. Mihile angrily demanded to know how dare Claudine could insinuate that they would be involved, to which Belle asked Mihile what he planned to do about it. Athena once again ordered everyone to stop fighting, while Claudine added that she simply meant that they needed to keep all possibilities in mind. The Alliance member then noted to themselves that it would take some time before the Alliance could start working together properly.
Athena explained that the situation was quite serious, for while she had already warned the people of Henesys about the false rumors at Neinheart’s behest, she had never thought that she herself would experience such dreams. Neinheart added that the situation was much different from when rumors were merely circulating, as the false future within the Gate to the Future was actually flowing into the dreams of Maple World’s people.
Grendel the Really Old wondered whether such a thing was even possible, as that kind of dream control would be next-to-impossible for even the most highly-trained magician, which made him wonder how powerful their enemy really was. Cygnus then explained that it wasn’t just Henesys that was being affected, as the nightmare was spreading like a plague.
(A/N: There’s a cutscene here that shows different groups of people in Maple World being affected by the nightmares. One of those groups is the elves in Elluel, and it’s shown that many of the elves have been freed from the ice. However, this is a continuity error because the Heroes of Maple blockbuster confirms that only the elders and Moonie, the child who was kidnapped by Orchid in Mercedes’ storyline, have been freed. I’m actually a bit surprised that they didn’t fix that in the revamp.)
Athena noted that while the enemy’s purpose in spreading the nightmares throughout Maple World was unknown, they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. She added that Perion, in particular, had an unusual atmosphere, surprising Claudine, who believed that it would have been Henesys. Athena explained that the people of Henesys had already been prepared for the nightmares involving their ruined town, but the people of Perion had been having entirely different nightmares altogether.
Evan asked Athena what measures the Alliance was taking to remedy the situation, to which Athena explained that the Silent Crusade had already begun taking measures, though she feared that it wouldn’t be enough. Neinheart added that the Grendel - who was an expert on magic - was joining together with the Cygnus Knights, Claudine, and Athena Pierce to investigate the matter, adding that it was the least that they could do to justify the Alliance’s existence.
He then turned to the Alliance member and explained that the Alliance was still planning to continue investigating the Gate to the Future, and that he hoped that the Alliance member would continue lending their support. As the meeting concluded, Athena asked the Alliance member to speak with her about their mission, explaining that she hoped that in the meantime, the other Alliance leaders would take care of their respective regions and calm their citizens.
After the meeting ended, the Alliance member spoke with Athena, who told them that their first order of business was to calm their citizens from the nightmares plaguing them, and that Perion, especially, was their top priority. She explained that the people of Perion were steadfast and great warriors, and that they were especially sensitive to such omens. As their nightmares were different from the one plaguing the rest of Maple World, she believed that Perion would be even more on-edge than expected. She then asked the Alliance member to visit Dances with Balrog and hear his story about the nightmares.
In Perion, the Alliance member met with Dances with Balrog, who told them that while the warriors of Perion were fearless, the nightmare continually plaguing their minds was exacting its toll on them. He explained that though he had already received Neinheart’s warning about the false future, their nightmares were completely different, as they had been seeing a sunless, bleak Perion under the subjugation of the Black Mage, which was making them doubt whether such a future was truly an illusion or not. He then asked the Alliance member to help prove to their people that their nightmare of the future wasn’t real.
The Alliance member then reported back to Athena Pierce and told her what they had learned from Dances with Balrog. Athena realized that the only way to put Perion at ease was to return back to the Gate to the Future and see Perion’s future for themselves, as they could prove that the nightmare was false if it matched up with the illusion within the Gate to the Future. The Alliance member then traveled inside the Gate to the Future, which warped them directly into Twilight Perion.
The Alliance member noted to themselves that they must have reached the false future of Perion, which was filled with the sound of hard labor and pain echoing through the rush of cold wind. They also noted that the city itself was covered in soot and dust, causing them to wonder what had happened there in order to learn the truth, the Alliance member first met with an older, exhausted Christopher and asked him what had happened to the town, to which Christopher explained that the whole town was being forced to build an enormous statue of the Black Mage, which towered over them in the distance.
He told the Alliance member that Perion was the highest area in Victoria Island, and that the completed statue would be visible from anywhere. He also told the Alliance member that thousands of Perion citizens were working on it, and that he himself – though originally an Explorer – was helping its construction so that he could make enough to eat and scrape by. He then told the Alliance member to talk to someone else to get their questions answered, as he would be punished for slacking off.
The Alliance member then met with Stands with Bulls and asked him about what had happened to the warriors of Perion. Stands with Bulls noted that based on their phrasing, they were someone who remembered Perion when it used to be a town of warriors. As he began coughing, he apologized and explained that his tuberculosis made it difficult to speak. He then began telling the Alliance member that after the Black Mage had seized control of Maple World, the warriors of Perion had fought bravely until the very end.
Because of their resistance, the remaining townspeople had been enslaved as punishment, conscripted into hard labor by building the Black Mage statue, while the rest were living in shelters, barely surviving and attempting to keep the culture of Perion alive. He then revealed that Dances with Balrog had perished in the final battle, survived only by his young son, Wrestles the Wolves. Looking closely at the Alliance member, however, Stands with Bulls noted that they didn’t seem to be old enough to remember Dances with Balrog.
(A/N: A lot of Perion and its NPCs are based on the novel “Dances with Wolves”, which is where Dances with Balrog and Wrestles the Wolves’ names come from. The novel is about a soldier from the Civil War finding himself stranded in the wilderness before coming to live with a tribe of Lakota Sioux people, after which he takes the name Dances with Wolves. Dances with Balrog’s name in KMS and JMS is actually Stands with Open Fist, which is a reference to a character named Stands with A Fist in the novel.
Stands with a Fist is the white adopted daughter of the tribe’s medicine man and her story was actually adapted into Ayan’s backstory in the game. While the quests detailing Ayan’s backstory have now been removed, the gist of it is that Ayan is actually Bruce’s daughter in Henesys. At a young age, she was attacked and injured by a Golem, which caused her to lose her memories and forget her past. She ended up being found by the warriors of Perion, who brought her to live with the tribe, which is why she’s the only white person in Perion. Bruce came to believe that the Golems killed his daughter, which is why he decided to dedicate his life to researching the Golems in the Golem Temple.
This backstory was slightly modified several times through the game’s history, as an earlier iteration actually said that Mushmom attacked Ayan, and that Bruce was studying the wildlife of Henesys in general as a result, rather than just the Golems. Regardless, the rest of the backstory is still the same, which is that Bruce eventually discovers that his daughter is actually alive. He then asks you to give Ayan a toy sword from her childhood in order to jog her memories. After Ayan gets her memories back, she asks us to give Bruce a letter from her, after which she and her father end up reuniting.)
The Alliance member then headed to the Warriors’ Sanctuary and met with Wrestles the Wolves, who greeted them and explained that after Perion had been taken, the Warriors’ Sanctuary had been torn down in order to destroy the memory of Perion’s brave fighters. He told the Alliance member that he had been unable to protect the sanctuary, and that he hadn’t even been able to die honorably on the field of battle, as their destroyers had believed it more beneficial to let him live in shame than to kill him, adding that the Alliance member would see for themselves if they took a look around the town.
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PART III, CHAPTER 25: KNIGHT STRONGHOLD
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PART III, CHAPTER 27: DETECTIVE RAVE’S CASE NOTES
PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE
Chapter 26: Twilight Perion
(A/N: The Gate to the Future storyline was revamped in Fall 2023 in KMS. Compared to the previous two storylines, Twilight Perion received a more in-depth revamp, which even added a small portion of Future Sleepywood. Pretty much all of the original Twilight Perion storyline was preserved, and the revamp was just more story added in-between. However, if you want to know what the old storyline was like, check out the pre-Destiny update page.
The Milestone revamp established a chronological ordering to the story based on level, which means that Detective Rave’s Case Notes, as level 175 content, should be set before Twilight Perion, which is level 180. However, I shifted the two around because it makes more cohesive sense for the three Gate to the Future sections to be grouped together.)
Soon after the investigation into the Gate to the Future, the Alliance held an emergency conference, which was attended by the top leaders of the Alliance, as well as the Alliance member who had first entered the Gate to the Future. As Athena Pierce began the meeting, Claudine impatiently noted that the proceedings were taking forever, and that so many had not attended. As she wondered whether theirs could truly be called a proper meeting, Neinheart testily replied that everyone had their own work to do, and that it wasn’t as easy to gather all the warriors of Maple World in one place as she believed.
Claudine retorted that it was the duty of the Alliance to carry out the impossible, as otherwise, there was no point to their existence at all. Neinheart replied that Claudine was talking without thinking, reminding her that the Alliance had been created through the hard work of many people vowing to defeat the Black Mage, to which Claudine sarcastically asked him whether she was actually hearing a lecture about promises from the Cygnus Knights.
Athena Pierce then cut in and urged them both to stop their wasteful debate. Cygnus agreed and added that the purpose of the Alliance was to protect the future of Maple World, with internal bickering being inappropriate for their mission. She then explained that the reason why they had gathered was to discuss the grave events happening as of late – nightmares of the ruined future plaguing the people of Maple World.
Lady Syl noted that the Alliance had already proven that such a future was merely an illusion, which Neinheart confirmed, though Claudine pointedly added that the possibility wasn’t completely zero. Mihile angrily demanded to know how dare Claudine could insinuate that they would be involved, to which Belle asked Mihile what he planned to do about it. Athena once again ordered everyone to stop fighting, while Claudine added that she simply meant that they needed to keep all possibilities in mind. The Alliance member then noted to themselves that it would take some time before the Alliance could start working together properly.
Athena explained that the situation was quite serious, for while she had already warned the people of Henesys about the false rumors at Neinheart’s behest, she had never thought that she herself would experience such dreams. Neinheart added that the situation was much different from when rumors were merely circulating, as the false future within the Gate to the Future was actually flowing into the dreams of Maple World’s people.
Grendel the Really Old wondered whether such a thing was even possible, as that kind of dream control would be next-to-impossible for even the most highly-trained magician, which made him wonder how powerful their enemy really was. Cygnus then explained that it wasn’t just Henesys that was being affected, as the nightmare was spreading like a plague.
(A/N: There’s a cutscene here that shows different groups of people in Maple World being affected by the nightmares. One of those groups is the elves in Elluel, and it’s shown that many of the elves have been freed from the ice. However, this is a continuity error because the Heroes of Maple blockbuster confirms that only the elders and Moonie, the child who was kidnapped by Orchid in Mercedes’ storyline, have been freed. I’m actually a bit surprised that they didn’t fix that in the revamp.)
Athena noted that while the enemy’s purpose in spreading the nightmares throughout Maple World was unknown, they couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. She added that Perion, in particular, had an unusual atmosphere, surprising Claudine, who believed that it would have been Henesys. Athena explained that the people of Henesys had already been prepared for the nightmares involving their ruined town, but the people of Perion had been having entirely different nightmares altogether.
Evansked Athena what measures the Alliance was taking to remedy the situation, to which Athena explained that the Silent Crusade had already begun takig measures, though she feared that it wouldn’t be enough. Neinheart added that the Grendel - who was an expert on magic - was joining together with the Cygnus Knights, Claudine, and Athena Pierce to investigate the matter, adding that it was the least that they could do to justify the Alliance’s existence.
He then turned to the Alliance member and explained that the Alliance was still planning to continue investigating the Gate to the Future, and that he hoped that the Alliance member would continue lending their support. As the meeting concluded, Athena asked the Alliance member to speak with her about their mission, explaining that she hoped that in the meantime, the other Alliance leaders would take care of their respective regions and calm their citizens.
After the meeting ended, the Alliance member spoke with Athena, who told them that their first order of business was to calm their citizens from the nightmares plaguing them, and that Perion, especially, was their top priority. She explained that the people of Perion were steadfast and great warriors, and that they were especially sensitive to such omens. As their nightmares were different from the one plaguing the rest of Maple World, she believed that Perion would be even more on-edge than expected. She then asked the Alliance member to visit Dances with Balrog and hear his story about the nightmares.
In Perion, the Alliance member met with Dances with Balrog, who told them that while the warriors of Perion were fearless, the nightmare continually plaguing their minds was exacting its toll on them. He explained that though he had already received Neinheart’s warning about the false future, their nightmares were completely different, as they had been seeing a sunless, bleak Perion under the subjugation of the Black Mage, which was making them doubt whether such a future was truly an illusion or not. He then asked the Alliance member to help prove to their people that their nightmare of the future wasn’t real.
The Alliance member then reported back to Athena Pierce and told her what they had learned from Dances with Balrog. Athena realized that the only way to put Perion at ease was to return back to the Gate to the Future and see Perion’s future for themselves, as they could prove that the nightmare was false if it matched up with the illusion within the Gate to the Future. The Alliance member then traveled inside the Gate to the Future, which warped them directly into Twilight Perion.
The Alliance member noted to themselves that they must have reached the false future of Perion, which was filled with the sound of hard labor and pain echoing through the rush of cold wind. They also noted that the city itself was covered in soot and dust, causing them to wonder what had happened there in order to learn the truth, the Alliance member first met with an older, exhausted Christopher and asked him what had happened to the town, to which Christopher explained that the whole town was being forced to build an enormous statue of the Black Mage, which towered over them in the distance.
After exploring Perion, the Alliance member was shocked to find Claudine and Elex sitting at the top of the rocky mountainside, adorned in gilded clothes and overseeing the construction of the Black Mage statue. The Alliance member asked Claudine in surprise whether she was still part of the Resistance, to which Claudine laughed and noted that there was a time when it used to be called the Resistance, though in order to properly meet the demands of the changing times, she preferred to think of herself as a pioneer.
She explained that after the Black Mage had taken over, their world was finally changing for the better, pointing out how even Perion – which she described as a barbaric place, far from the reach of civilization – was also starting to evolve. She added that by betraying the Alliance early-on and siding with the Black Mage, they had been able to garner all sorts of special treatment, laughing that while the miserable laborers below aged away with such little dignity, she would stay young and beautiful forever. The Alliance member was shocked to realize that the Resistance had betrayed the Alliance by siding with the Black Mage, wondering how Claudine would react.
(A/N: Resistance classes (minus Xenon and the Demon) get some exclusive dialogue in place of the dialogue above. After talking with Claudine, they note to themselves that despite knowing that it’s just a dream, seeing the Resistance betray the Alliance and join the Black Mage is quite a strange sight. They then wonder to themselves whether this is how the Cygnus Knights must have felt after seeing Henesys being destroyed.)
With their investigation of the town complete, the Alliance member decided to look into the monsters around Perion in order to see whether they had mutated like the ones around Henesys. At the outskirts of town, the Alliance member fought the Swollen Stumps and realized that the monsters of Perion had indeed mutated like the monsters of Henesys.
With Perion enslaved and its monsters turned into vicious creatures, Alliance member realized that it was no wonder that even the brave warriors of Perion had grown afraid of such nightmares assailing them. They then returned back to the real Perion and met with Dances with Balrog in order to assure him that the future in his nightmares wasn’t real. In order to see whether Twilight Perion truly matched up with their nightmares, Dances with Balrog decided to quiz the Alliance member to make sure.
(A/N: Dances with Balrog asks us four questions to quiz us. He first asks us what was being built in Perion, and we have to choose between a giant Pig Statue, a giant Siege Weapon, or a giant Black Mage Statue. He then asks us what happened to the Warriors’ Sanctuary, with the three options being that it was destroyed, it was expanded, or that the Black Mage’s minions reside there. His third question is whether his child is a boy or a girl, and the last question is which group is occupying Perion, with the choices being the Resistance, the Black Wings, or the Commanders.)
After the Alliance member answered all his questions correctly, Dances with Balrog was convinced that they had indeed seen his nightmares, which finally put his fears to rest that the ruined future of Perion was nothing more than an illusion. However, he noted that even though they could be sure that the nightmare wasn’t real, the fact that the nightmares were continuing was still causing anxiety throughout the town.
(A/N: This is around where the revamped Twilight Perion story adds an expanded questline to give a proper conclusion to the story.)
Soon after, Athena Pierce contacted the Alliance member and thanked them for finishing their investigation into the Gate to the Future. However, she explained that the situation had taken a turn for the worse and asked them to meet her at the Magic Library in Ellinia. At the Magic Library, the Alliance member met with Athena, Neinheart, Claudine, and Grendel, who told them that while the Alliance member had been investigating the Gate to the Future, people all across Maple World had begun exhibiting serious symptoms of dream addiction, which left them unable to discern dreams from reality.
Athena explained that the people were repeatedly declaring that there was no future for them as long as the Empress still lived, and that they were convinced that the Resistance had betrayed them, as well as that the Alliance couldn’t be trusted. Neinheart added tha he had been concerned about such a phenomenon, and that he had been hoping that proving that the nightmare wasn’t real would prevent such symptoms from manifesting. Athena reassured Neinheart that it was likely because of his efforts that the symptoms had been delayed until now, though Claudine pointed out that the situation had reached a point that they could no longer stop it.
Grendel explained that dreams were the realm of the subconsciousness, and that no matter how actively one tried to reject it, the subconsciousness could become an effective tool in steering one’s conscious mind. He noted that by being inflicted with the same nightmare over and over again, many who didn’t possess strong mental fortitude could be hypnotized into believing things such as the Empress being evil or the Resistance being traitors.
Neinheart asked whether there was a cure for dream addiction, to which Grendel explained that the only cure was Lucid Matter, which could only be harvested in dreams. Athena then asked the Alliance member to return to the Gate to the Future, to which they immediately agreed. Grendel told the Alliance member that he would instruct them on how to harvest Lucid Matter, though he asked the other Alliance leaders to try and calm their people in the meantime.
Grendel then told the Alliance member to return to Twilight Perion and collect Lucid Matter from the monsters around the area, adding that he would reach out once they finished. After the Alliance member finished gathered the Lucid Matter, Grendel told them that it would help them treat the dream addiction. However, he explained that it was only a temporary solution, as the only way to truly stop the nightmares was to cut them off from the people of Maple World, though he admitted that he had no idea how to do so.
He told the Alliance member that if they had more information on the Dream Master, they might be able to learn more about the dream. However, as the Dream Master was neither a known Commander nor a member of the Black Wings, he had no clues as to their identity. Just then, Grendel had a realization that there may be some trace of the Dream Master within the dream itself. He explained that dreams were a reflection of the subconscious mind, such as how a scary experience with a sparrow in one’s childhood might result in sparrow monsters appearing in their dreams.
Because of this, he believed that the Gate to the Future – which was made from the dreams of the Dream Master – may contain their subconsciousness, for which he asked them to obtain Slumbering Fragments from the monsters around Twilight Perion. After the Alliance member obtained the Slumbering Fragments, they returned back to the Magic Library and gave them to Grendel. Using the fragments, Grendel crafted a Piece of Memory, which he explained would allow the Alliance member to see a small glimpse of the Dream Master’s mind, though he warned them to take caution, as accessing another’s subconsciousness was a dangerous technique.
Upon using the Piece of Memory, the Alliance member was transported into a dreamscape. Wandering through the area, the Alliance member though to themselves that it felt as though time and space were meaningless where they were. Suddenly, they began to hear the voice of a girl crying out, which they recognized as that of the Dream Master. The distraught girl wondered to herself how long she would continue sleeping for, lamenting that she couldn’t stand the frustration of being trapped any longer.
Suddenly, the Dream Master felt a powerful force guiding her somewhere. She called out to the presence and asked whether they had been watching her the whole time. The Black Mage’ voice then called back out and noted that the girl had an interesting talent. The Dream Master asked the Black Mage who he was, noting that he didn’t seem to be from her dreams. The Black Mage told the girl that she had accidentally stumbled upon his subconsciousness, to which the girl asked whether that meant that she had entered his dream.
The Black Mage then ordered the Dream Master to come to him, promising that he would grant her eternal life, infinite knowledge, and everything that she could ever want. The girl noted that his energy seemed ominous, but nevertheless, she wondered whether he was the one whom she had been waiting for. The Alliance member then watched as the Dream Master went deeper into the Black Mage’s subconsciousness, finally looking upon his towering form for the first time.
(A/N: When Twilight Perion first came out, the image of Lucid that we saw in this quest actually showed her as a human girl. This was the first iteration of what she was concepted as before they changed her to be an elf in Shade’s storyline. The concept of there being a follower of the Black Mage who could manipulate dreams was first established in 2010 during the Chaos patch, which released the Gate to the Future. Three years later, Twilight Perion came out in January 2013 during the Cygnus Awakens patch, which is when we saw the image of a human girl who had stumbled into the Black Mage’s dreamscape.
Interestingly, Lucid was first named and retconned as an elf in Shade’s storyline, which came out in December 2013 of that same year, meaning that the decision to make her an elf was fairly last-minute. Lucid’s appearance was quite different in Shade’s storyline, which actually featured her wearing a green and black checkered dress, as well as long lavender hair that covered her eyes with her bangs.
Three years later in 2016, Lucid’s design was updated to her current look with the release of Lachelein, which was also her introduction to the wider MapleStory community who hadn’t played through Shade’s story. The Gate to the Future revamp from 2023 finally made Lucid consistently appear as an elf in every appearance which she makes in the game. Here’s a picture of what Lucid originally looked like as a human if you’re curious:)
Suddenly, the memory was cut short as a Wightmare appeared and cursed the Alliance member for daring to trespass upon his master’s memories. The Alliance member then fought and defeated the Wightmare, who once again cursed them for looking into his master’s memories. The Alliance member asked the Wightmare whether his master was the girl from the memory, to which the Wightmare simply replied that it would back down for now, though it promised them that with his master putting her plot into motion, they would not sleep comfortably again, laughing that they could look forward to that in the future.
The Alliance member was then expelled from the memory and appeared back in the Magic Library, where they told Grendel everything that they had learned. Grendel explained that dream magic was a benign form of magic, though it was quite difficult, with only a few people being capable of handling it. He told the Alliance member that his theory was that the Dream Master had just been an ordinary girl who could use dream magic until the Black Mage had given her his dark power.
He explained that he had wondered whether the Dream Master was a being beyond their comprehension, such as the Black Mage, though from the sound of it, that didn’t seem to be the case. He noted that because of this, there had to be limits to the dream world created by the Dream Master, which meant that by identifying those limits, they might be able to break the link to the nightmares. He asked the Alliance member whether they had gone to any other places in the future aside from Ereve, Henesys, and Perion, believing that there had to be a clue to breaking the nightmare in a place yet unvisited within the dream.
Recalling their time in the Gate to the Future, the Alliance member recalled seeing a path to Sleepywood at the Six Path Crossway Ruins. Upon entering Future Sleepywood, the Alliance member found themselves in a barebones, disjointed version of Sleepywood, which was composed of just the entrance to the jungle, which led to a dreamscape, and a glowing, fragmented version of the Rememberer meditating at the top of the entrance. The Alliance member was surprised to find Sleepywood in such a state, as it seemed as though the area had just been made, causing them to wonder why this was the only place which appeared to be so.
They decided to speak to the Rememberer, who immediately realized that the Alliance member wasn’t a resident of the dream, though he nevertheless wondered how they had managed to arrive in Sleepywood, adding that he had never thought that anyone would come there. He explained that they were in the back of the dream, which was a part of the dream which had not yet been created. Because of this, residents of the dream could not enter such a place, which had led him to realize that the Alliance member was not a dream resident.
When the Alliance member asked why the back of the dream looked so fragmented, the Rememberer explained that it was because the dream world was limited in size because of its creator, who was only mortal, which meant that it was beyond their power to create an entire world by themselves. Because of this, they had only been able to replicate a small part of the world by drawing upon the subconsciousness of others, resulting in the back of the dream being highly imperfect.
The Rememberer told the Alliance member that he was a resident of the dream and explained that most residents had no idea that they were part of a dream, which made him believe that he was either lucid dreaming, or that his realization came from a manifestation of his subconsciousness from the outside world, adding that he was likely not the only one experiencing such a thing.
He noted that the fact that the Alliance member had come this far meant that they, too, wanted something from there. He noted that since there were things that couldn’t be achieved, even in dreams, it meant that that they had essentially reached the back of their own dreams. However, he was surprised to know that there was nothing that the Alliance member wanted aside from find a way to break the link between dreams and reality, which he noted was perhaps beneficial for all of them.
He explained that as the nightmare of reality grew, the dream world also grew worse off, for it wasn’t just reality being affected by dreams, but dreams being affected by reality. He told the Alliance member that if the link between the two were cut off, peace would return to both worlds. He added that while dreams and reality were connected and inseparable, it was still possible to weaken that connection without separating them. He noted now dreams, no matter what happened in them, were often forgotten like a fog in the morning.
He explained that there was a Fog of Oblivion between dreams and reality which made them forget each other, though that fog was not currently not present, which was why the dream world was affecting reality. He then asked the Alliance member to obtain the Fog of Oblivion so that those in the real world would forget their nightmares.
Believing that the Fog of Oblivion had something to do with time, the Alliance member traveled to the Temple of Time and met with the Temple Keeper, who was relieved to learn from them that the Gate to the Future hadn’t actually opened, and that the future within was merely a fabrication. When the Alliance member asked him whether he had the Fog of Oblivion, the Temple Keeper explained that the temple didn’t have it, as they had no need of it, though he added that he knew who could craft some for them.
He told the Alliance member that the Sorcerer was an expert in crafting things, particularly things related to oblivion, and suggested that they speak with him. The Alliance member met with the Sorcerer, who told them that he had Fog of Oblivion, and that he would be willing to give it to them if they helped him with his research. However, he was surprised to know that they needed enough Fog of Oblivion to cover several towns, adding that nobody had enough fog with that level of potency.
After learning that the Alliance member needed to spread it across the dream world, he explained that in order to create such powerful Fog of Oblivion, they would need to craft it from scratch. He then led them to his refinery, where the Alliance member began harvesting Pieces of Oblivion from the Eye of Time monsters in the smelting room. After placing the Pieces of Oblivion in the magic refiner, the Sorcerer crafted a highly-potent Fog of Oblivion, which he described as the Essence of Oblivion itself.
The Alliance member then returned back to Future Sleepywood and met with the Rememberer, who told them to spread the Essence of Oblivion throughout the dream world, adding that only someone who wasn’t part of the dream could handle touching the fog, as residents of the dream would simply forget. The Alliance member then spread the Essence of Oblivion across Future Henesys, Ereve, and Perion, after which they returned back to the Rememberer.
The Rememberer told the Alliance member that when those in the real world woke up, they would forget everything about the nightmare, including the residents of the dream. He added that though he wished that the Alliance member could forget them too, doing so would be difficult, as the dream world was like another reality to them. He then asked the Alliance member not to leave the dream behind, and to face reality. The Alliance member then met with Grendel, who congratulated them on breaking the link with then nightmare and invited them to attend another Alliance conference.
At the conference, Athena told the Alliance member that the nightmare was slowly fading away from the minds of everyone in Maple World and asked them how they did it. The Alliance member explained how they used the Fog of Oblivion, to which Grendel noted how impressed he was by their solution. Claudine told the Alliance member that they had gone through a lot of hardships trying to stop the nightmare, adding that their efforts had taken the Alliance one step closer to stopping the Black Mage.
Neinheart – and a reluctant Claudine – both admitted that it was fortunate that the Alliance had been able to successfully save Maple World, with Cygnus noting that their people could finally stop believing in the false future and suffering from nightmares. She added that she believed that she would have good dreams that night, thanking the Alliance member for all their help.
However, Neinheart noted that though the incident had been resolved, there was still the matter of the Dream Master, whom they could conclude was a new Commander of the Black Mage. He added that despite the Alliance forming and growing stronger, the Black Mage was also steadily gaining strength by recruiting new Commanders on top of his old ones. He added that the Alliance would continue looking into the identity of the new Commander and thanked the Alliance member for helping them with their initial investigation.
(A/N: This marks the end of the official Twilight Perion storyline, but just like the Henesys Ruins and the Knight Stronghold, there are a bunch of optional side quests which you can complete. These quests were originally the large bulk of the Twilight Perion story, with the parts involving gathering Lucid Matter and Dream Fragments being intermittently scattered throughout it all.)
In Twilight Perion, the Alliance member decided to try and help the townspeople suffering under the rule of the fallen Resistance. They first met with Christopher, who told them that he was quite dehydrated, as the guards refused to give him a drink until he finished his work. In order to help him, the Alliance member obtained Fresh Sap from the Swollen Dark Stumps.
Next, they met with River, who told them that Perion had gotten much colder since the Black Mage had taken over Maple World, which made it difficult for him to sleep. In order to feel warmer, he asked the Alliance member to obtain Giant Firewood from the Swollen Dark Stumps and Swollen Axe Stumps. The Alliance member brought the firewood to River, who thanked them, adding that he now wished only for dreamless sleep, as even his dreams about better days wore him out.
After helping River, the Alliance member went to see Wrestles the Wolves, who lamented that monsters continued attacking his people, while he remained unable to help. In his stead, the Alliance member fought and defeated the Swollen Axe Stumps and Pillaging Wild Boars terrorizing the townspeople. The Alliance member then met with Sophia, who apologized and explained that she didn’t have much in the way of hospitality, as they barely had enough food for themselves after the recent famine. She told the Alliance member that the Resistance kept them working night and day, never giving them enough to eat. To help the townspeople, the Alliance member obtained Giant Porkchops from the Giant Boars.
Soon after, the Alliance member caught the attention of Elex, who noted that he hadn’t seen them before. He began complaining about how the townspeople were making no progress on the Black Mage statue, but upon seeing that the Alliance member appeared to be able-bodied, he ordered them to obtain Strong Armor Fragments from the Pillaging Iron Hogs. When the Alliance member asked him whether he truly needed as much as he was asking for the statue, Elex began stammering about how it wasn’t for the statue before stopping himself and ordering them to hurry up.
After the Alliance member brought back the armor for Elex, they met with Claudine, who noted that their face seemed vaguely familiar. However, she decided to ignore it and told them that they would be of use to her in turning Perion into a tourist town, with the Black Mage statue as its crowing jewel. She explained that thanks to the foolish warriors of Perion, the Black Mage had destroyed the town for its resistance, because of which, there was nothing useful to make for decent souvenirs.
As there were plenty of ‘sentimental fools’ who still remembered the old Perion, Claudine believed that obtaining a stock of Strong Wild Boar Teeth from the Pillaging Fire Boars would sell well with those tourists, laughing that one of the Perion ‘savages’ could carve faces into them to make them more appealing souvenirs. After the Alliance member brought her the fangs, Claudine told them that she would put the tribeswomen to work on decorating the fangs, though she noted that having just one type of souvenir seemed rather pathetic.
The Alliance member soon met with Wrestles the Wolves, who told them that he was thinking about what he could do to help his people. He explained that his father, Dances with Balrog, knew how to protect his citizens, though his secrets had been lost in the final battle. As he began wishing that there was a warrior from that era whom he could speak with, the Alliance member realized that an elder from the Henesys Ruins might know something.
They traveled to Henesys and spoke with Chief Alex, who told them that he was unsure how Dances with Balrog protected his people, though he added that his father must have known. The Alliance member then spoke with Chief Stan’s ghost, who explained that monsters had once raided Perion when he had gone to visit, and that Dances with Balrog had chased them away by playing a flute.
The Alliance member returned back to Wrestles the Wolves and told him about the flute, which Wrestles the Wolves recognized from the elders’ stories as a tribal treasure called Pachamama’s Quena, which had been taken by Ghostwood Stumpy. The Alliance member fought and defeated Ghostwood Stumpy before bringing the flute back to Wrestles the Wolves, who thanked them profusely for helping him keep his people safe, adding that it was the first glimmer of hope which he had experienced since his father’s passing.
Soon after, Wrestles the Wolves asked the Alliance member for help in protecting the town once again. He explained that with the flute, Perion was relatively safe from monster raids, with the guardsmen setting up a better defensive position. He told them that he believed that the flute cloud be more useful in a more dangerous area, for which he asked them to bring the flute to Ayan at the Tribal Refugee Camp, which was home to the weak and old members of their tribe.
At the Tribal Refugee Camp, the Alliance member met with Ayan, who was grateful to them for bringing them the flute, which would finally turn away the monster raids on their camp. She explained that the camp was quite dangerous, as they had no idea when the nearby monsters would attack, causing them to live in fear. In order to better protect them, the Alliance member obtained Cursed Planks from the Sinister Wooden Masks to build fences around the perimeter.
The Alliance member then spoke with an elderly Blackbull, who told them that he used to easily destroy monsters in his prime. He then laughed that the Alliance member seemed quite scrawny, to which they replied that they were an experienced warrior. In order to have them prove their words, Blackbull told them to fight Sinister Rocky Masks. After the Alliance member returned, Blackbull noted with impressment that looking at them made him feel like he was staring back at his old self. He told them that they were a great warrior like he once was, and that they should be proud.
After proving themselves to Blackbull, the Alliance member met with Stands with Bulls back in Perion, who told them that his granddaughter, Hard as Stone, would be having her birthday soon, adding that his late son had named her. He explained that he didn’t know what to get her for her birthday, and as he wasn't able to see it, he asked them to speak with her at the Tribal Refugee Camp on his behalf.
The Alliance member met with Hard as Stone, who told them that she missed her grandfather dearly. She explained that for her birthday, she wanted to hear her grandfather’s bedtime stories about the great warriors of Perion. The Alliance member returned to Stands with Bulls and told him about his granddaughter’s request, to which he explained that before Perion’s fall, he used to tell her countless stories on his lap by the campfire until she fell asleep.
As he wasn’t permitted to visit the Tribal Refugee Camp while he was still able-bodied, he explained that he wouldn’t be able to see his granddaughter at all. However, he then realized that he could make a storybook for her, noting that there was a book containing tales of Perion’s greatest warriors, which had been stolen by the monsters in a raid.
The Alliance member then collected the missing War Journals from the Sinister Steel Masks and brought them to Hard as Stone, who looked crestfallen upon receiving the gift. She thanked them for the book, though she explained that she didn’t really want the stories so much as just seeing her grandfather again, as he was the only family he had left.
The Alliance member returned back to Stands with Bulls and told him what his granddaughter had said, to which he told them that he felt ashamed for being forced to work for the Black Mage, though he added that working was the only way that he could take care of her, as he needed to pay for her medicine. As he began crying, he told them that he had thought that he had shed his last tears while watching his allies fall in the final battle, though he thanked them for showing him that his heart was not yet turned to stone, though he began coughing once again from his sick lungs.
Soon after, Elex told the Alliance member that he needed more materials to complete the statue and ordered them to obtain Thick Cursed Plates from the Sinister Steel Masks, insisting that he only needed them for the statue. After the Alliance member brought the metal to him, Elex began admiring the plates, noting to himself that they would fetch him a handsome sum, though he quickly told them to leave, promising that he would make sure to tell everyone how much they loved the Black Mage in exchange for their service.
The Alliance member asked Elex whether the money was for Edelstein, to which a confused Elex asked them what Edelstein was before dismissing them. This caused the Alliance member to realize that Elex not knowing about Edelstein was because of him being a pawn of the Dream Master. The Alliance member then met with Claudine, who told them that she had decided that no one would want to visit a gift shop with just one souvenir, and so she told them that they needed to come up with a new item. She then ordered the Alliance member to obtain Radiant Ancient Rubble from the Ancient Golems, noting that decorated fangs and old rock fragments would be fitting souvenirs for a remote warrior settlement.
However, after the Alliance member brought back the Radiant Ancient Rubble, Claudine noted that the rock seemed more unpolished than she had expected, though she decided that she could put someone to work on it, believing that the tourists would enjoy the rustic look of it. She then had another idea and explained that they could sell the same product, but in different colors, which would drive up sales by having a limited quantity of each.
In order to stock up, she ordered the Alliance member to obtain Radiant Dark Rubble from the Dark Ancient Golems. After the Alliance member brought back the rubble, Claudine noted disdainfully that the rocks were quite boring, though she nevertheless resolved to find a way to earn money with them, after which she dismissed the Alliance member. The Alliance member asked Claudine what she was planning to do with the money, to which a confused Claudine asked them why that mattered before explaining that she didn’t need to think that far ahead. She added that they all had their roles, and that the less they thought about them, the better.
Some time later, Ayan contacted the Alliance member and told them that Manji had been protecting the Tribal Refugee Camp for some time by guarding the entrance to the Spirit Zone. As she was worried about his condition, she asked them to check in on him for her. In the Spirit Zone, the Alliance member met with Manji, who noted that they seemed to be quite powerful and asked them to help him with the area.
He explained that Stumpy used to guard and protect Perion until the Black Mage had corrupted it into Ghostwood Stumpy, which began threatening their borders. In order to protect the town, Manji asked them to defeat Ghostwood Stumpy. After the Alliance member returned, Manji noted with impressment that they seemed to be strong enough to help him further. He explained that the Golems in the area were endless, and that they needed to be eliminated regularly, for which he asked them to defeat the Ancient Dark Golems.
After the Alliance member returned, Manji told them that he had realized that the reason why the Golems were causing so much trouble was because of the spirits of Perion’s fallen warriors, which persisted after the final battle. He then asked them to obtain the Warrior Hearts of the fallen Perion warriors from the Ancient Mixed Golems, and to bring them back to Blackbull. The Alliance member brought the Warrior Hearts to Blackbull, who thanked them for their help and used the hearts to conduct a memorial service for the fallen warriors and put their spirits to rest.
Detective Rave’s Case Notes:
(A/N: This is one of those storylines that establishes conditional exclusive dialogue in the future. If the player completes this theme dungeon before Hotel Arcus, they receive exclusive dialogue in future Grandis storylines that reflects this.)
A traveler received a flyer from an Angler Company Lab Tech bot, which explained that they had won a luxury tour package and instructed them to claim it in Savage Terminal. Though they were suspicious, the traveler nevertheless went to Savage Terminal, where they were surprised to see how filthy the town was.
(A/N: Classes who have been to Savage Terminal in their level 1-30 quests get exclusive dialogue, in which they instead note how the city never changes. These classes are Cadena, Illium, Ark, Kain, and Lara.)
Just then, the Lab Tech bot arrived to greet them and asked them to press a button for the welcome event. Upon pressing it, the bot shot out a rocket that blasted a ship out of the sky, causing it to crash nearby. The traveler ran to the crash site, where they found an escape pod surrounded by several thugs led by a man named Toole, who began interrogating them about why they had attacked his office. (A/N: If the player is Cadena, one of Toole’s thugs will tell him that we’re famous around these parts, which surprises Toole.)
After the traveler explained the situation, Toole realized that they had fallen for his luxury tour scam. He then introduced himself as the head of the travel agency which had sent the flyer before charging them an exorbitant fee. When the traveler pointed out that the flyer had mentioned that the trip was free, Toole explained that though the trip itself had been paid for, the traveler still needed to cover the cost of repairing their building after they had destroyed it. When the traveler refused to pay the fee, the thugs came forward to attack, but the traveler soundly defeated them.
Just then, a girl named Senya climbed out of the escape pod and greeted everyone. She explained that she was worried about the precious cargo aboard the crashed ship. Upon learning that the cargo was valuable, the thugs determined that the ship had crash-landed in the Scrapyard. Toole decided to take advantage of the situation and ordered the traveler to recover the cargo, claiming that it was their fault for crashing the ship in the first place.
On the way to the Scrapyard, the traveler encountered Corbo, who warned them to keep away from the area, as she had seen several shady people there. The traveler explained their deal with Toole, to which Corbo expressed her amazement that they had fallen for the luxury tour scam. Nevertheless, she told them to use the garbage pile to climb over the metal fence in order to reach the Scrapyard.
There, the traveler found the crashed ship and began searching it when several hoodlums arrived to claim the ship as their property, as it had fallen in their territory. The traveler began to fight off the hoodlums when they were interrupted by Detective Rave. Exasperated by his usual antics, the hoodlums decided to leave. Rave greeted the traveler and learned that they were trying to open the ship door. He suggested that they use the nails on the Hedgehogs in order to pry it open.
Upon opening the door, they found that all the cargo had gone missing. Rave recommended that they give up, as missing items in Savage Terminal were usually unrecoverable. When the traveler refused to give up, Rave decided to help them with the case. Based on the clues present, he deduced that the culprits were several children or small-sized species and led the traveler deeper into the Scrapyard in order to find them. There, they encountered several young hooligans in their hideout.
After learning that the children had sold the cargo, Rave warned that they had stolen from the Angler Company and threatened to tell the Company that the children had lost the cargo if they didn’t tell him what they had done with it. The children agreed to tell him in exchange for the traveler defeating the Foul Ooze Waste monsters.
After defeating the Foul Ooze Waste monsters, they learned from the children that the cargo had been shipped to the Black Market, and so they decided to meet with Corbo before heading there. Corbo warned them against involving themselves with the Angler Company, but Rave refused to listen and asked Corbo to track down whoever had tricked the traveler into firing the missile, suggesting that she investigate any unlicensed, modified Lab Tech bots.
The two then continued on and met with an arms dealer named Plunk. They noticed that Plunk was surrounded by several mutant fish, which Rave recognized as Gloogers. He told the traveler that the Gloogers had come from the sewers, as their numbers had increased exponentially lately. The traveler then attempted to distract Plunk while Rave looked at his ledger, but they were caught almost immediately.
Just then, the Gloogers grabbed Plunk’s merchandise and ran away. Plunk ordered Rave and the traveler to recover his merchandise and the two set off after the Gloogers. They found the Gloogers captured by another group of thugs. In order to scare them off, Rave told them that the parts that they were stealing belonged to Plunk. The thugs ran off in different directions, and so the traveler had to track them down in order to recover the parts.
Rave then deduced that the parts they had found were part of Senya’s cargo, though the other parts had likely been sold off. They returned to Plunk and told him that the parts had come from the Angler Company in order to scare him. Though Plunk retorted that he himself had witnessed the end of the Company, along with the Angler family, he was nevertheless terrified by the prospect of their return. Rave convinced him to reveal where the other parts had gone so that the Angler Company wouldn’t intervene.
The traveler then asked about the Angler Company, and so Rave explained that it was a national-level arms dealer company that traded in advanced weaponry. (A/N: A lot of this advanced weaponry was created from technology stolen from Odium.) The company’s influence had been immense and their reputation for being cruel and ruthless had made them one of the most feared groups in all of Grandis. However, the Company had reportedly met their end with a cataclysmic explosion at their headquarters. Despite their disappearance, their technology resurfaced occasionally, along with rumors of their existence in the shadows, making their technology both expensive and hard to offload.
Rave then decided to visit Antuin and asked the traveler to find Gusto in order to recover the missing parts. Gusto agreed to hand over the parts in exchange for them finding the Scratched Cast Iron Plates that the Dangerous Nutrias had stolen from him. Rave and the traveler then brought the parts to Plunk, who began to assemble them together. Rave told the traveler that they would need to formulate a plan to rescue Senya, as neither Toole nor Plunk would cooperate with them. They returned back to Toole, where they reported to Senya that her cargo had gone missing, adding that they were on the case.
In order to help solve the case, Rave and the traveler asked Senya several questions. Senya explained that she belonged to an environmental organization called Sea Lantern, which traveled around the world to reclaim polluted places. (A/N: Sea Lantern, Angler, she really couldn’t have been any less subtle.)
She told them that the cargo was for a powerful cleaning device that could boil the impurities out of any substance. She also explained that her escape pod should have sent a distress signal to her colleagues, who had just responded that they were on their way. Rave then asked if Senya had any enemies, as it seemed that someone had planned for her ship to crash.
Senya divulged that she had received a few threats from people who didn’t appreciate the work that she did. Having finished their questioning, Rave and the traveler left to continue their investigation. Back in the city, Rave pointed out Senya’s mission to the traveler, explaining that her goal of removing pollution, while initially appearing to be noble, was actually harmful to Savage Terminal, whose power came from processing polluted sea water. He suspected that more than a few people would try to fight Senya’s efforts because of it. He also added that all the wildlife in Savage Terminal, such as the Gloogers, would go extinct without the pollution to which they had adapted.
Corbo then arrived and asked Rave to leave the culprits alone if he knew that their actions against Senya were for the best. However, Rave replied that Savage Terminal would be better off without the culprits in any case. Exasperated, she told Rave that she had finished investigating the Lab Tech bots in the area, and that she had been able to pinpoint a bot whose signals had dropped at the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club immediately after the incident.
Rave realized that Mr. Hazard’s cronies were behind the plot, as the club had once been Mr. Hazard’s headquarters, and so he decided to head to the Black Market, believing that the culprits would close in on Plunk after hearing that he wanted the parts back. At Plunk’s shop, several of Hazard’s old cronies, led by Maroni, closed in on Plunk and the device that he had assembled. Claiming that he would soon own the whole area, Maroni seized the device and walked away.
Rave and the traveler arrived at the Black Market, where Gusto told them that Maroni had already come by, though he had left without any altercation. Rave then began wondering whether Maroni would have crashed Senya’s ship just for the purifier machine, or whether he wanted the cargo because of its connection to the Angler Company.
They went to the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club, where they learned that a major arena match was happening, with Maroni using the prize of an Angler Company weapon to recruit more people to his gang. Maroni then approached them and suggested that they leave, as Rave had made many enemies throughout Savage Terminal.
The traveler asked what Rave had done, to which he explained that Rave had opened cages for the animals which Maroni had illegally captured and returned stolen goods to their owners. To make up for it, Rave offered the traveler as a brawler in the fight. Maroni accepted Rave’s offer, provided that the traveler pick a fight and win in the ring. The traveler entered the ring and fought off nearly every opponent that they encountered, impressing Maroni.
(A/N: Cadena has some exclusive dialogue here. When Rave offers up Cadena as a contestant, Maroni vaguely recognizes her and notes that she’s infamous enough to draw some attention to his arena match. The writers honestly did a pretty terrible job with Cadena’s exclusive dialogue in this theme dungeon. Since Maroni was one of Mr. Hazard’s subordinates, he definitely should’ve recognized Cadena immediately. Plus, wouldn’t he have some sort of grudge against Cadena, since she was the one responsible for taking down his boss?)
Maroni then told them to bring Wiggling Tails from the Specter Stray Dogs as an entrance fee, after which they were allowed in. Inside, they spotted the device under a cloth and Rave revealed that he had set bombs around the perimeter. He told the traveler to turn the device on and transmit it to Toole while he distracted everyone, as Toole would likely sell Senya on the black market if he didn’t receive it. (A/N: Well this got dark pretty fast.)
As the fight began, Rave distracted everyone and the traveler fought off Maroni’s cronies. Just then, Plunk arrived with several Lab Tech bots in order to get revenge on Maroni for stealing the device from him. Rave used the chaos in order to power on the weapon, which immediately vanished without him doing anything. He realized that someone else had planned it out, as the weapon’s disappearance would make Toole believe that they had taken it for themselves.
Just then, Corbo arrived to bail them out and Rave asked her to extract Senya before Toole sold her into human trafficking. When Corbo asked what was in it for her, Rave reminded her that when they had been brought to Savage Terminal as slaves, they had been saved by someone else. Corbo reluctantly agreed to save Senya while Rave and the traveler escaped into the sewers, where Rave believed the device was.
Upon finding the weapon, the traveler asked how Rave knew where it would be, to which he explained that Corbo had reported that the signal for the Lab Tech bot which had shot down Senya’s ship had been lost at the Brawl ‘n’ Bash Club, which had led him to deduce that the signal hadn’t stopped, but rather, it had disappeared when it had gone underground to the sewers, which matched with an entry that he had found in Plunk’s ledger.
The traveler realized that it meant that Plunk had sold the Lab Tech bot which had shot down the ship. Rave then noticed a mysterious man wearing a spacesuit and a helmet that contained galaxy patterns that obscured his face, as well as a bunny ear headband worn over the helmet. The strange man, Cosim, explained that the weapon had always been meant to arrive in the sewers.
(A/N: From the time of Cosim’s first appearance here to the Karote storyline, the writers consistently used gender-neutral pronouns to refer to him until he was revealed as male in the Odium storyline.)
Upon lifting the sheet off, Rave realized that the device wasn’t remotely close to a purifier. Cosim explained that Senya had been waiting for the device to be assembled in order to activate it. On the side of the device, the traveler found the symbol of the Angler Company and realized that Senya wasn’t part of Sea Lantern, but rather, she was Senya Angler, a member of the Angler family.
Rave then realized that Corbo, whom he had sent after Senya, was in danger. Just as Rave and the traveler resolved to chase after Corbo, the device suddenly activated. Cosim explained that if the gas within the device reacted with the polluted seawater, the entire ocean would become acidic and cause everyone to boil to death, effectively wiping out Savage Terminal.
Meanwhile, Corbo arrived at Toole’s office, where Toole learned that the weapon had disappeared. His thugs moved in to capture Senya, who revealed that she had a cybernetic arm, which she used to effortlessly defeat Toole and all his men. As Corbo moved to quietly escape, Senya noticed her and told her about the purpose of the device, explaining that it would leave behind a perfect source of energy after Savage Terminal’s destruction. With an hour before the device activated, she offered a cup of tea to Corbo while they waited.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium and Angler Company epic dungeon storylines. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
Earlier in this section, it was mentioned that the Angler Company headquarters were destroyed in a cataclysmic explosion. The Odium storyline reveals that the founder of the Company, was severely damaged in the explosion, with Cosim having stolen his power source before fleeing. Because of this, he’s been sending his children on missions to harvest large quantities of energy in order to create a new power source for himself, which explains Senya’s actions here.)
Meanwhile, Rave told Cosim that he would evacuate the people and save Corbo. He then asked the traveler to work with Cosim in order to stop the device. However, Cosim explained that the Gloogers had taken the buttons and parts off the machine, and so the traveler hunted down the Gloogers in order to recover them. As the water levels began rising, Cosim urged the traveler to escape while he dealt with the device.
Back in Toole’s hideout, a Lab Tech bot reported that Senya’s return ship had arrived. Just then, Rave arrived to save Corbo and Toole. He proposed an alliance with Toole to save Savage Terminal, explaining that Senya had a remote that could stop the device. Just as Toole agreed, Senya announced that she was running low on energy and asked the Lab Tech bot how many times the transporter could be used. Upon learning that it could be used two more times, Senya offered one of them a place in the Angler family in exchange for fighting the other two.
Toole immediately accepted, but Senya told him that she wanted to pick Rave instead. When Rave refused, she extended the offer to Toole, who told Rave and Corbo that Savage Terminal would be beautiful once it was cleaned. Rave then revealed to Toole that the weapon would actually turn the waters to acid. When Senya confirmed his statement, Toole realized the damage that she would do and refused to come with her.
Seeing an opening, Rave rushed forward and slashed her cybernetic arm. As the two began to fight, the traveler ran through the rising sea levels. The Gloogers who drank the water mutated into larger, aggressive variations and attacked the traveler. As the traveler made their way across town, they overheard the various thugs and hooligans of Savage Terminal realizing that Rave had been telling the truth.
Back in Toole’s hideout, Senya easily defeated Rave. When she asked why he had gone to such lengths, Rave explained that the person who had saved him and Corbo from slavery had once said, “No one is born evil. An evil world makes evil people, and evil people make an evil world. Only those who rise above it can break the cycle.” Those words had motivated Rave to never give up on the people around him.
(A/N: Given the Angler Company’s involvement in this storyline and its association with the realm of the sages, I have a strong suspicion that either Cosim or Tai Yu is the one who saved them.)
Just then, the traveler arrived and Rave claimed that they were now invincible. Though Senya wanted to test that notion, she told them that she was running low on power, and so she transported herself back to her new ship, taking the remote that controlled the device with her. However, the water levels suddenly began to recede as the traveler realized that Cosim had powered off the device, but to everyone’s surprise, they found the device being carried by a group of Gloogers towards them. The traveler remembered Cosim’s warning that the device would explode if moved.
Just then, Rave revealed that he had stolen the remote when he had attacked Senya’s cybernetic arm and used it to teleport the device onto Senya’s ship, which exploded in the sky. On the city skyline, Cosim noted that the Angler Company had returned, and that Gerand Darmoor's Apostles were making their move. He then wondered whether it was time to see the ‘oldsters’ above.
(A/N: This is a reference to the elders from the realm of the sages, which Hoyoung’s master, Tai Yu, is part of. Cosim actually says Disciples instead of Apostles, but I’m assuming that this was a translation error. Lara gets some exclusive dialogue in this scene, in which Cosim will also note that there’s a child in possession of the bell mysticant while noting the return of the Angler Company and the Apostles making their move. While it’s never actually said who scammed the player into shooting down Senya’s ship at the start of the theme dungeon, it’s strongly implied to be Cosim.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Karote and Odium storylines. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next section.
The Karote storyline reveals that Cosim is one of the Angler Company founder’s cybernetic children, while the Odium storyline reveals that Cosim has turned against his family by starting the explosion that destroyed Company headquarters. The explosion that injured his father also severely damaged him, and his injuries are described as being the human equivalent of broken lungs, which is why he wore the spacesuit and helmet in order to hide his damaged voice.
When we meet him unmasked in the future, we see that his hair is grey and his pupils are round, unlike the blue hair and diamond pupils of all the Angler children. This is a result of his injuries, which also freed him from his father’s programming. He continues to suffer through his severe wounds because he knows that repairing himself would put him back under his father’s control.
Cosim mentions that his siblings were also damaged in the explosion, though not as severely. He believes that his father has no regard for his children’s lives, as he’s selfishly sending them on missions to fix him, knowing full well that those missions will draw attention to them when they’re supposed to be underground, thus putting them in harm’s way when they’ve already been damaged and weakened from the explosion. Fairly soon, you’ll see that Cosim gets proven right.)
Fox Valley:
A traveler received a leaf airplane letter from a young Anima boy named Maru, who was hoping to recruit them as a Fox Point Ranger on Vulpes.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he wonders what could have happened to the fox Anima, who don’t normally welcome outsiders. Because of this, he decides to follow the letter to see what’s going on.)
The traveler arrived at Fox Point Village, where they overheard the villagers talking about how Maru had pranked them.
(A/N: A couple of classes get exclusive dialogue here.
When Explorers arrive at Fox Point Village, they notice that the Anima villagers look similar to Rondo.
Grandis classes see that the villagers have fox ears and tails, and they wonder whether they’ve stumbled across a hidden village of fox Anima.
Shade notes to himself that he’s returned to the village once again.)
At the top of the Fox Tree, they found Maru sleeping. In his dream, Maru was speaking to an Anima girl named Sino about the most recent prank that he had pulled. Sino told him that the Fox God must like him, even after all the pranks that he had pulled. Suddenly, Sino began to grow unnaturally tired and left to go fall asleep. Maru followed Sino across the clouds, where he found her missing. Just then, a great roll of thunder and lightning boomed, with the Fox God appearing before Maru just before he awoke with a start.
(A/N: Shade’s story heavily implies that the Fox God is an Ancient God. If true, she’s the only other god who’s awake during the era of the Transcendents besides Shinsoo. Incidentally, both Shinsoo and the Fox God have helped the Overseers’ cause, with Shinsoo watching over the birth of a new Transcendent, while Sino helped the elders of Grandis during their experiments to create Adversaries to defeat the Ancient Gods. I like to think that the Overseers gave them a free pass for their efforts when the other gods were sealed away. It’s also interesting to note that both Shinsoo and Sino sleep a lot, which does somewhat strengthen the idea that Sino is an Ancient God as well.)
After he woke up, he noticed the traveler watching him and learned that they had gotten his letter.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he introduces himself as a sage and explains that he had gotten Maru’s letter. Maru then sniffs Hoyoung and realizes that he smells familiar, causing him to realize that Hoyoung is a fellow Anima. He explains that Hoyoung is the first Anima that he’s met from outside the village, and so he decides to test Hoyoung’s strength. For some reason, Lara gets no exclusive dialogue here, and so Maru treats her like she isn’t an Anima.)
He then decided to test them by measuring their skills and transported them to Blossom Valley, where an Anima boy named Lumps was surrounded by Noxious Froggies. After defeating them all, the traveler approached Lumps, only to find that he was actually Maru in disguise. Maru then made them an official Fox Point Ranger and tasked them with carrying out the Fox God’s will to protect the village.
The traveler asked how Maru knew the Fox God’s will, and so Maru explained how he had been saved from Vicious Squirrels long ago by the Fox God, who had made him promise to keep himself and the village safe. Ever since then, he had been able to see the Fox God in his dreams, with whom he would often talk and play with. (A/N: Maru doesn’t know that Sino and the Fox God are the same person at this point in time.)
Maru then gave the traveler their first official mission, which was to collect Flutterbuzz Powder in order to create a sneezing powder to prank the villagers. Before the traveler set out, however, Maru told them that they needed fox ears so that they wouldn’t scare the villagers.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he thinks to himself that making ears sounds like something the foxes would do. Maru then explains that their village doesn’t like outsiders, which is why Shade will need fox ears, to which Shade recalls how he had once received fox ears as a gift from the villagers.)
When the traveler asked Maru why he couldn’t have asked a friend to help him, Maru explained that he had tried recruiting the other children, but he had been left alone, since they didn’t want to hang out with him because of his pranks, though he explained that the pranks were meant to be training for defending the village.
With no one to play with him, he had sent the leaf airplane and had asked the Fox God to let it reach someone who would be his friend. Feeling pity for him, the traveler agreed to collect Pom Puff Leaves in order to create fox ears for themselves. The two then spread the sneezing powder on the villagers, which angered them, but made Maru laugh.
Once they returned to the top of the Fox Tree, they heard thunder and saw that a massive storm was brewing. Maru attempted to warn the villagers, but they dismissed his words as another prank. The traveler and Maru then attempted to make their way across Fox Valley and fought their way past the Spiney Puff Bushes in order to get there. Maru then showed them a tiny tree, which he believed could act as an umbrella to shield the village.
He then had the traveler gather Nettled Squirrel Tree Nuts and Vicious Squirrel Tree Nuts in order to make magic fertilizer, which caused the tree to grow large enough to shield the village. However, the storm suddenly grew larger and a lightning blast completely destroyed the tree. Realizing that the town was going to be flooded, Maru decided to evacuate the villagers to the top of the Fox Tree. They led the frightened villagers to safety, who realized that Maru had been telling the truth.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue when they first meet the villagers, in which he and Moonbeam briefly recognize each other.)
However, the water levels continued to rise, threatening to drown the entire village. (A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that the Fox God would never have sit still in such a situation, causing him to wonder what’s happened to her.) Maru then decided to go see the Fox God in order to ask for her help.
He and the traveler encountered ferocious Snowy and Stormy Stjartmes while climbing up and fought their way past them. As they kept climbing, Maru lost his footing and hurt his hand, and so the traveler carried him the rest of the way until they reached the domain of the Fox God. However, they were stopped by the Sky Guardian and his Cloud Guardians, who refused to let outsiders through.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which the Sky Guardian recognizes him and notes his surprise that Shade had made it all the way up to the Fox God's domain.
Hoyoung also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that the domain of the Fox God has the same sort of smell as the Hermitage. The Sky Guardian is surprised to see him and asks him why he came down to the outside world. The Shangri-La storyline reveals that the Sky Guardian had momentarily mistaken Hoyoung for Baekyeon, one of the Four Symbols who guard the realm of the sages. Baeykeon is a white tiger Anima just like Hoyoung, which explains the Sky Guardian’s momentary confusion.
While we’re on the topic of the Sky Guardian and the Cloud Guardians, shortly after the end of the Black Mage update, a new animated short was released about Magnus in order to hype up the Darmoor arc. That short featured a battle that the former Kaiser and Magnus were fighting in together. What’s interesting is that the two of them were leading the Nova army in a battle against the Cloud Guardians. It was a bit hard to see because the scene was so dimly lit, but there was one shot that clearly showed dozens of dead Nova and Cloud Guardians lying in a pool of blood.
In that battle, Magnus was seen flying away and leaving Kaiser alone and surrounded by the enemy. I have no clue why the Nova were fighting against the Fox God’s forces, and I honestly have no speculations that come to mind, but I do feel like Magnus abandoning Kaiser might be the event that caused him to be exiled by the Nova.)
With no choice, they fought the Guardians and forced their way through. While the traveler held the Guardians off, Maru encountered the sleeping Fox God and woke her up. The Fox God was shocked that she hadn’t seen the storm coming and immediately used her powers to stop the flooding. Maru then thanked the traveler for their help and sent them back home. Meanwhile, Sino discovered a dark crystal belonging to Gerand Darmoor’s Apostles and realized that her blocked vision and the storm had been caused by the same thing. She then decided to go chat with the elders ‘up top’ in order to discuss what had happened.
(A/N: Just like with Cosim in Detective Rave’s Case Notes, this is a reference to the elders from the realm of the sages. The Arteria storyline picks up the plot point about the crystal that Sino discovered and explains that there are many such crystals in Darmoor’s possession. It’s revealed that these crystals are offshoots of the Godspheres, which are the first Seal Stones made by the elders, long before Freud made his own.
However, these crystals are different from the Godspheres, as they have the ability to absorb the power of higher beings, such as Transcendents and Ancient Gods. Given the lightning storm, it’s likely that Havoc, the First Apostle of Lightning, was sent to absorb Sino’s power, which might suggest that she’s indeed an Ancient God. Havoc’s lightning is red, but it could be that the writers hadn’t settled on that detail until the Cernium storyline.
Lara gets some exclusive dialogue the scene with Sino, in which she notes that the energy in Lara’s bell seemed very familiar. This is because the bell had been created by the elders.
Shade gets an exclusive scene at the end of this storyline, in which he wonders whether he has any reason to stay now that the crisis has been resolved. He notes to himself that he's worried about Moonbeam, and that now that the foxes aren't wary of him because of his association with Maru, he now has a chance to go and see her. While he's heading from the Fox Tree to the village, Maru is recruiting the other Anima children to the Fox Point Rangers. The children ask Maru where the stranger with no ears or tail is, to which he tells them that Shade has already gone back home.
Before Shade’s revamp in the Milestone update, there were two different scenes that could happen depending on whether he finished his level 200 quest. Unfortunately, I don’t have the dialogue for the case where he doesn’t do his level 200 quest, but I do have the one for when he does do it.
If Shade has finished his level 200 quest, Maru notes that Shade looks a lot like Moonbeam's guardian spirit, to which she happily notes that though she had wondered whether she had been mistaken, he really had come back. Maru asks her whether she knows Shade, though Moonbeam just laughs in response.
Regardless of whether Shade has completed the level 200 quest or not, however, the dialogue converges here and the kids head out in order to help the adults rebuilt the village. Shade then arrives as soon as Moonbeam and the others leave, after which he goes back to the Fox Tree and notes that though everyone else has forgotten him, it was still nice to see them again. However, he regrets that he hadn't been able to talk to Moonbeam, and with his business concluded, he decides to leave.)
Black Heaven:
(A/N: With the 20th anniversary update in KMS, the Evolution Lab has been removed and its story has been moved into the start of Black Heaven as a prologue. The Evolution Lab storyline chronologically takes place long before Black Heaven, and so I’ve already covered it in an earlier section. You can read the Evolution Lab storyline here.)
As part of a mission to spy on the Black Wings, 10 Boogies was dispatched to Edelstein in order to infiltrate the Verne Mine. When she didn’t return, however, Neinheart organized a rescue operation led by one of their most reliable Alliance members, who flew in an airship to Edelstein with three Piyo siblings, Dolphi, Gupi, and Lepi.
The group parachuted down near the entrance of the Verne Mine and fought their way through the Black Wings’ guard robots, as well as Dargoth the Giant. They opened a large electrical panel and scaled up the wires to the room where 10 Boogies was being held. After being freed, 10 Boogies revealed that they had walked into a trap. Suddenly, the lights turned on, revealing hundreds of androids and a gigantic Pulverizer that chased them through the Verne Mine. Barely making it out of the exit, they jumped off the edge of a cliff onto their airship and returned to Ereve.
The next day, the group was escorted by Neinheart, who congratulated them on the successful mission and explained that 10 Boogies had uncovered vital information about the Black Wings’ plan. At the Conference Pavilion, the Alliance member and Neinheart met with Cygnus and Athena Pierce in order to go over what 10 Boogies had unearthed. Athena confirmed to the Alliance member that while the news was classified, the Black Mage had indeed returned. When they asked why the Black Mage hadn’t made his move yet, Athena told them that it was the Alliance’s theory that the Black Mage hadn’t fully regained his powers.
As the Black Wings had been created to revive the Black Mage, she emphasized the importance of defeating them in order to delay the Black Mage’s rise to power. Neinheart then explained that in the past, the Alliance had been able to interfere with the Black Wings’ smaller operations. However, the Black Wings had recently begun to use codes in order to communicate through the Edelstein newspapers. 10 Boogies had managed to solve Gelimer’s latest message that said ‘Black Heaven is ready.’ Cygnus wondered what Black Heaven could be, to which Neinheart explained that there was only one person who would know.
Neinheart then arranged a meeting with the Resistance at the Secret Plaza in order to see Orchid, who was still in a coma after being attacked by the Evolution System. The Resistance members joked that perhaps hitting her would cause her to wake up, prompting an argument between them and Cygnus, who believed that Orchid deserved to be treated with respect. Claudine intervened and told Cygnus that everyone in the Resistance had last loved ones because of Orchid, and that they would not allow her any sympathy.
(A/N: This blockbuster is the beginning of how Cygnus’ character has been horribly mishandled by the writers. Throughout the story, Cygnus has been depicted as a paragon of goodness filled with kindness and compassion, which in itself isn’t a problem. The actual problem here is that the writers don’t understand that compassion and empathy are two different things. Compassion is feeling sorry from a distance, whereas empathy is a deeper understanding of someone else’s pain through having experienced it firsthand. It’s the difference between reading about something vs having lived it.
Throughout the first half of the story, Cygnus has been accused by the Resistance of being an observer, watching the suffering and injustice of the world from afar, and they’re not wrong to think this. Granted, she has perfectly good reason to keep her distance. Her body is extremely frail and she’s just too important of a figurehead to lose. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s never once left her perch of safety while children in Edelstein as young as her have been enlisting and getting killed for the sake of the Resistance.
However, Cygnus’ character hasn’t remained static - she’s experienced the feeling of loss firsthand when she thought that Damien killed Shinsoo. Her partial awakening as a Transcendent-in-reserve wasn’t just an awakening of her power, it was also her awakening to the harsh reality of the world and it symbolizes a loss of her childhood innocence so that she can grow into her role as a mature leader. By all accounts, her character arc has reached a point where she should be able to empathize with all that the Resistance has been through.
Cygnus getting up on her soapbox of a moral high ground and blindly preaching mercy to a person who doesn’t deserve it directly contradicts her character development. What Cygnus demonstrates here is a regression of her empathy back into generic compassion, and it strongly reminds me of the concept of toxic positivity.
Toxic positivity is the belief that you should always remain positive no matter what. It’s an unhealthy outlook because you’re basically telling people to repress their negative feelings, making it so that feeling anything other than positivity is their own fault for not “choosing” to be happy. It flatly denies any chance for you to process the valid negative emotions that you’re feeling, and it shames you not just for being unable to rise above those emotions, but for having experienced them at all.
Here, Cygnus is essentially telling the Resistance, “Hey guys, I know that Orchid placed your town under a dictatorship and ordered the slaughtering of all your loved ones, but we shouldn’t even think about the idea of wanting revenge, or even joke about it. In fact, we should always be golden paragons of virtue all the time and repress anything that would make someone think otherwise.”
The Resistance has honestly done way more for Orchid than they had to. From what we’ve seen, they’ve treated her with civility and there’s no indication that they’ve ever done anything more than joke about knocking her awake. I can perfectly understand why the Resistance would be pretty damn annoyed at a sheltered, privileged kid who’s never once gotten her hands dirty telling them what they should or shouldn’t be feeling about the leader of a militant cult that ruined their lives.
In contrast to Cygnus, JMS has created everything that Cygnus ought to be with Princess Sakuno, who has a perfect balance of empathy, compassion, and backbone. Cygnus and Sakuno are extremely similar in how they’re young leaders of their alliances, how they’re both kind and just, and how they have great mystical power hidden within them. However, Sakuno isn’t crippled by bad writing and actually acts like a leader instead of a preacher. In the Sengoku storyline, Akechi Mitsuhide is responsible for murdering her family and kidnapping her for Oda Nobunaga’s Demon King ritual.
Akechi and Sakuno strike a deal to work together during the Asura Crisis, and at the end of the storyline, he comes to visit Sakuno and asks if he’s been absolved for killing her family. Whereas Cygnus would’ve blindly forgiven him, Sakuno tells him that his crimes are unforgivable and swears that once Oda Nobunaga has been defeated, she’ll personally chop off his head herself.
This is the kind of development that I wanted Cygnus to have, and what her character arc should’ve been leading up to. Now, rather than her actually feeling and processing things like a healthy human being, she instead disrespects the Resistance by invalidating their feelings and experiences with her insensitive moralizing. Later on, her personality ends up doing a complete 180 in Tenebris and beyond, in which she almost starts to behave like a dictator, but I’ll complain about that when we get to those sections.)
Grendel the Really Old then arrived with a magic mirror, which would allow one to access another’s memories. The Alliance member entered through the mirror and arrived into Orchid’s psyche. There, they encountered a rabbit-like creature that served as Orchid’s memory guide. The guide led the Alliance member through Orchid’s memories, which were being guarded by Pop Jelly monsters.
The Alliance member first encountered the memory of Orchid and Lotus being granted human forms by the White Mage, in exchange for helping him in his research on darkness. The memory keeper explained that it was around then that things had started to go wrong, as Lotus had begun turning cold after becoming human.
They then entered the next memory, in which they witnessed Lotus and Orchid standing over a dying Aria. As they watched Aria slowly pass away, Lotus told Orchid that he had known all along that humans were weak. Orchid reminded Lotus that he had decided not to kill the Empress, to which he asked her whether he was feeling sorry for Aria, whom he called a ‘toy’. Orchid told him that she didn’t care about whether Aria died, though she pointed out that he wouldn’t be able to ‘play’ with her again if he killed her.
However, Lotus replied that he was getting sick of playing with Aria, adding that humans were far too fragile. Suddenly, Aria weakly spoke and asked them why they were helping the Black Mage when they had once been pure spirits. She told them that it wasn’t too late yet and asked them to stop their mischief and take care of the world. However, Lotus merely noted that it was impressive that she was still managing to talk. As the memory faded away, the memory guide told the Alliance member that Lotus had crossed the line by killing Aria under the guise of a peace conference.
(A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue after watching Lotus and Orchid kill Aria. While the memory keeper tells him about Lotus crossing a line, it suddenly stops and asks Phantom if he’s okay, noting that he’s starting to look a bit scary. Phantom pauses for a moment before apologizing and asking the memory guide to keep talking.)
The memory keeper then took the Alliance member through the next memory, which it explained was extremely painful for Orchid. They then witnessed the aftermath of Phantom’s battle against Orchid and Lotus in the Temple of Time. As Orchid attempted to revive a comatose Lotus, Phantom told her that Lotus had taken Aria’s life, and that he needed to pay. Furious, Orchid vowed that she would make him pay for what he had done to her brother.
However, Phantom merely replied that he didn’t have time for her, as his friends were still fighting the Black Mage. He then told Orchid to mark his words that the world wasn’t their playground, and that he would personally see to it that there would be no place left for them. After Phantom teleported away, Orchid continued checking on Lotus’ condition, vowing that she would bring him back, no matter how long it took.
As the Alliance member continued delving deeper into Orchid’s most painful memories, the flood of emotion caused her latent Wing Master powers to activate, causing many of the objects in the Secret Plaza to float with her gravity abilities, much to the shock of the Alliance. The memory guide then led the Alliance member into the last memory that they could view, explaining that it would be too dangerous to stay any longer than that.
Inside the memory, they witnessed Gelimer getting Orchid’s approval to build Black Heaven, a giant airship with the power to destroy Maple World. Upon reporting back to the Alliance, Neinheart and Claudine both agreed that they needed a robust defensive plan. However, Cygnus disagreed and told them that it was their chance to show Maple World that the Alliance could protect them. She then proposed that the Alliance meet Black Heaven in air combat.
Elsewhere, Gelimer finalized preparations with Arkarium and Hilla and petitioned to gain the coveted position of Commander upon the success of his mission. After Gelimer left, Hilla confided to Arkarium that though Gelimer had called Black Heaven a tiny airship, there was nothing tiny about it and she wondered what Gelimer, whom she called a madman, had in mind.
Soon after, messenger birds were sent to all corners of Maple World and heroes gathered to heed the Empress’ call. Hundreds of members of the Alliance boarded Phantom’s airship, the Lumiere, which had been upgraded to become battle-ready for the fight against Black Heaven.
(A/N: Each class gets a class-exclusive cutscene at the very start of Act 2. This was the second most traumatic experience for me while writing this guide, next to the Heliseum prequests. Barely a handful of people posted playthroughs of Black Heaven, and subtracting the duplicate classes and the people who unhelpfully held spacebar instead of showcasing the dialogue like a playthrough is meant to do, I ended up having to replay Act 1 twenty-one times in order to transcribe every class-exclusive cutscene.)
Explorer:
The Explorer met with Tess, Olive, and Rondo on Maple Tree Hill in order to catch up before the operation. They told the Explorer that as space was limited on the Lumiere, they wouldn’t be able to come and fight alongside them. However, the Explorer promised to fight harder on their behalf and received buffs from each of them.
(A/N: Unlike the original version of this cutscene from the RED update, Rondo doesn’t buff us because all his party buffs have been removed as of the Destiny revamp. In the original Explorer storyline, Sugar was also there to see us off. The others buffing us also used to have actual meaning in the original storyline because it was what they did in order to help us defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow.
Since we clearly didn’t need a single one of them to defeat the Black Mage’s Shadow this time because we’re the almighty Chosen One™, this just becomes a hollow reminder that once upon a time, our friends used to actually be friends instead of glorified background accessories for our nominal character development. If Sugar weren’t immortal, I’m sure that she’d be turning in her grave as we speak.)
Dual Blade:
In the Secret Garden, Lady Syl gave a speech to the entire organization. She told them that the Dual Blades had been born out of a simple misunderstanding, but since then, they had resolved the matter and were now on good terms with the Dark Lord. However, she reminded them that they couldn’t forget their roots, adding that the operation was their chance to show all of Maple World why the Dual Blades existed. She commanded them all to achieve victory, claiming that it was high time that they came out of the shadows.
Later on, she called the Dual Blade and gave them another mission. In the impending battle, she believed that their enemies were the same ones whom her parents had fought. Though she wanted to slay them herself, she didn’t know if she could endure their mental attacks, and so she asked them to strike her down if she became possessed. Hesitantly, the Dual Blade agreed to her request. (A/N: This is a reference to how Lotus possessed her and forced her to kill her father and Tristan, which led to her feud with the Dark Lord.)
Cannoneer:
The morning of the operation, the Cannoneer told Monkey that they had been fighting together for a long time, and that he knew that they would always remain best friends. However, as he couldn’t guarantee their safety on the mission, he offered to leave Monkey behind if it wanted. However, Monkey shrieked at the Cannoneer, who interpreted it as Monkey wanting to stay. When Monkey shrieked even more, the Cannoneer laughed that he was just kidding and told Monkey that he couldn’t fight without it anyways. He then decided to test their luck before heading off by rolling a die, which landed on 1, much to his dismay.
Pathfinder:
The Pathfinder went to visit Brie in the Karuppa Town, where Brie told her that she had explained the situation with the relic to the other townspeople. With all their misunderstandings cleared up, Brie told the Pathfinder that she was welcome to visit whenever she wanted. She also thanked the Pathfinder for all her help, as the town would have still lived in fear of the ruins without her intervention. The Pathfinder then headed out to Ereve, as she felt that she couldn’t turn her back on Maple World, even though she had initially felt as though the threat of the Black Wings wasn’t her problem.
Cygnus Knights:
The day before the operation, Empress Cygnus addressed her knights and told them that Gelimer was on his way to Henesys. Though she warned that the battle would be difficult, she also reminded them that they were the guardians of Maple World as Cygnus Knights, rallying them behind her banner.
Mihile:
(A/N: This scene for Mihile takes place a few hours after the events of the paragraph above.)
The night before the operation, Mihile found Cygnus standing atop a cliff, gazing at the sky. As he approached her, Cygnus noted that Mihile seemed anxious, though he denied it. She reminded Mihile that she knew him better than that and asked if there was anything that he wanted to talk about. Mihile told Cygnus that the Alliance had never been in an aerial battle before and he wondered whether they were sufficiently prepared. Cygnus told Mihile not to worry, as their Alliance was the strongest that Maple World had ever seen, having even the support of the legendary Heroes who had sealed the Black Mage.
She added that the real question was whether they were prepared to sacrifice in order to win. Mihile told her that the Cygnus Knights weren’t afraid of sacrifices, to which Cygnus told him that she was. She feared losing even a single person and asked Mihile to promise that everyone would return. Mihile, ever loyal, immediately promised and vowed that the Cygnus Knights would always be at her side. Cygnus then told Mihile that she was glad that she could always count on him.
Resistance and Xenon:
The night before the operation, Claudine gave a speech to all the members of the Resistance in the Secret Plaza that they would be fighting against Gelimer, whose forces were heading for Henesys. She gave everyone the choice to back out if they were afraid or unwilling to fight, but she reminded them that the battle would be a turning point in their struggle to free Edelstein.
In the name of freeing their city, all the members of the Resistance rallied together to fight. Later that night, Claudine told the Resistance member that they had already done so much for the Resistance and emphasized that their safe return was the highest priority so that they could all celebrate Edelstein’s liberation together.
Xenon:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Xenon that takes place after Claudine gives her speech to the Resistance forces, in place of the conversation she has with the Resistance member.)
Soon after giving her speech to the Resistance, Claudine met with Roo-D and Xenon. Roo-D told Xenon that she suspected that the battle would end things with Gelimer once and for all. When Xenon remained quiet, she asked what was on his mind. Xenon wondered what had happened to Beryl, adding that he didn’t want to hate her, no matter how many times she had attacked him. Claudine pointed out that Beryl had only been following Gelimer’s orders, and that she was a victim too.
Xenon supposed that if he hadn’t met Claudine, he would have been following Gelimer as well. He resolved that he would take out Gelimer himself, as he didn’t want anyone else to go through what he and Beryl had. Claudine warned Xenon to be careful, as Gelimer was likely planning something awful. Roo-D also added that Xenon wasn’t the brightest either. However, Xenon reassured them both that he had changed, and that he wouldn’t let things slide next time around.
Demon:
The day before the operation, Mastema found the Demon at the ruins of his old family home in Leafre. She asked whether it was true that he was joining the battle, which the Demon confirmed, explaining that he needed to free himself of his mistakes. Mastema told him that she wished that she could help him if only she had her old body back, though the Demon told her not to worry about it, as it was his burden to bear.
He believed that it was a good opportunity, as he would be able to save many lives on the front lines so that no one would have to suffer the loss that he had, even if it cost him his own life. Mastema cut in and told him not to say that, reminding him that she was like his family and asked him to come back safely. Taken aback, the Demon promised to return for her sake.
Aran:
The morning of the operation, Lilin was overseeing Aran’s training exercises. She told Aran not to stop, noting that the battle was the perfect opportunity to see how well her training had paid off, as well as to impress others by her heroic character. Though Aran agreed with Lilin, she added that she was just planning to do what she had to do, as she had no intention of being a hero alone.
Lilin then allowed Aran to stop practicing before adding that it was a shame that she couldn’t come with Aran and watch her fight. She then told Aran not to wear herself out, as it was her first aerial fight. Aran asked Lilin why she was worried, to which Lilin admitted that she would hate it if Aran got hurt. Aran teasingly asked Lilin what she had said, joking that she hadn’t been able to hear her. Lilin replied that it was nothing, and that she merely wanted to tell Aran to go slow before heading towards the farewell crowd.
After Lilin headed off, Maha appeared and asked Aran whether she was nervous, pointing out that Lilin had been right about her not having any experience in aerial combat. Aran told Maha that it had been a long time since she had been in such a big battle, though she added that she wasn’t nervous, as she had many friends around her, including him. Maha warned her not to make any mistakes, as he would hate for her to be embarrassed in front of so many people, to which Aran laughed and told him not to worry so much before suggesting that they head off.
Evan:
The day before the operation, Evan visited his family’s farm in Henesys, feeling bad that he would constantly show up and disappear, unable to even say goodbye to his parents most of the time. He met his family and decided to explain the truth about his constant absences, telling them that he had become a hero, and that he was going to war. However, his parents didn’t take him seriously and simply laughed it off as Evan being melodramatic about doing his farm chores.
Before he left, his mother gave him some steamed potatoes to share with his friends. (A/N: Evan and his steamed potatoes become a running joke in both Black Heaven and Heroes of Maple.) As he headed out, Utah caught up with him and told Evan how proud he was of him. He then gave Evan a limited edition copy of Angelic Buster’s first album and shamelessly asked him to get it autographed.
Mercedes:
The morning of the operation, Mercedes found Danika and noted that she seemed to be having fun. Danika told Mercedes that it was time that she did her part as the Elder of War and asked Mercedes if she was glad to be fighting alongside the other Heroes. Mercedes told her that she was, though she wished that everyone was as strong as before, as not only had the curse left them weaker, but Freud was also gone. Danika reminded her that they had Evan in his stead and asked what he was like.
Mercedes noticed Evan in the crowd asking Angelic Buster to sign the limited edition copy of her first album, as per Utah’s request. To answer Danika’s question, she hesitantly admitted that he resembled Freud, unable to find anything else to say about him. She added that she felt bad for Freud even just comparing him to Evan, which Danika noted seemed harsh. Just then, Evan found Mercedes and offered her steamed potatoes that his mother had made, much to her annoyance.
Phantom:
The night before the operation, Phantom found Cygnus standing atop a cliff, gazing at the sky. Phantom noted that Cygnus seemed nervous and asked if she was afraid that the Alliance would lose. Cygnus reassured him that she was confident that they would win, and though she admitted that she was afraid of how many they might lose, she also knew that she couldn’t afford to show weakness as the Empress.
Phantom told her not to burden herself with everything, telling her that her worried look didn’t suit her at all, and that he preferred to see her more relaxed, which made Cygnus laugh. He told her that they could rest after the battle and promised to come back and see her, before disappearing in a flash. (A/N: Because I sadly see this way too often, I’m gonna add a PSA here that Phantom isn’t flirting with Cygnus, and that she’s also a minor.)
Luminous:
The day before the operation, Luminous went to visit Lania, who was overjoyed to see him. She cooked Luminous’ favorite mushroom soup and Luminous decided to stay the night. The next day, Luminous began to head out when Lania stopped him and made him promise that he would return home safely. (A/N: Once again, I’m adding another PSA here that Luminous and Lania strictly have a familial relationship, and that he’s practically raised her since she was a child.)
Shade:
The night before the operation, Shade stood alone atop a cliff gazing at the sky. He lamented that he had no one to hang out before the final battle, even though he had expected as much. Even though the other Heroes didn’t remember him, Shade was grateful to be alive fighting alongside his friends. As dawn approached, his thoughts turned to Moonbeam and he wondered how she was doing.
Kaiser and Angelic Buster:
As Angelic Buster was about to board the Lumiere, she ran into Kaiser. After exchanging greetings, he explained that he had gone back to Pantheon in order to see Tear before the mission, but he had found that she was out. He asked Angelic Buster if she had gone to see anyone back home, to which she explained that she had a close friend, though her friend wouldn’t recognize her in her current form. Kaiser asked how someone couldn’t recognize the same person even with different hair and clothes, claiming that it only happened in comics.
Both she and Eskalade silently sighed at his cluelessness before she changed the subject and asked if he was disappointed that Tear wasn’t there. Kaiser told her that it was fine, as he had left something for her at their hideout. She asked if it was a sparkling rock, which got Kaiser’s attention, as only he and Tear knew about how he collected shiny rocks for her. He then noticed that Angelic Buster’s voice sounded like Tear’s, leading him to mistakenly conclude that she and Tear were secretly friends, believing that it explained why they had so much in common, much to Angelic Buster’s relief and annoyance.
Cadena:
The day before the operation, Cadena met Gen in the Back Alley. There, she told him that she was moving on, and that she wanted to say goodbye. Gen asked if she was still determined to go, to which Cadena replied that there were enemies to fight wherever she went, and that she believed that she could help people this way. She told Gen to consider it as the Shadowdealers expanding their territory, as there was a lot of potential in Maple World. Gen told her that it seemed like she could take care of herself, given her recent battles, and wished her luck, reminding her to take care, since he couldn’t save her a third time.
(A/N: The first time that he saves her is when he takes her in after Magnus conquers Heliseum, while the second is when he saves her from Magnus after they inadvertently meet during a trade right before she leaves for Maple World.)
Just then, Coney arrived with the Papyrus Brothers and the Popoh bird. Coney asked Cadena why she hadn’t told them about her leaving, as they were supposed to have each other’s backs. Regardless, he told Cadena that she would do great in the battle, as she was the hero of the day. Cadena simply laughed and explained she was just looking for a worthy opponent, to which Coney told her that it didn't seem as though she had found one yet. With that, the Shadowdealers bid Cadena farewell.
Kain:
As Kain was about to board the Lumiere, he ran into Cadena, who asked him whether he had any friends to meet up with before the battle. Kain curtly told her no, which annoyed Cadena. She reminded him to pull his weight, to which Kain simply told her to do the same. As he walked away, an irritated Cadena thought to herself that she knew that she didn’t like the look of him.
Illium:
On the day of the operation, Illium was about to board with Ex and Machina when Dean, Carnelian, and Morian caught up with him. Illium told them that he had hoped to sneak away without anyone noticing. Carnelian told Illium that she had been paying too much attention not to notice and asked him to be careful.
Dean asked if he was sure that the Verdant Flora ought to get involved in someone else’s war, but Illium told him that he couldn’t ignore the Alliance’s call for help, adding that they would need the Alliance’s help eventually too. Ex also chimed in that Illium’s magical skills would be further improved through the experience. Illium’s friends then told him to come back safely and to bring back food. Illium laughed and told them to contact him if they learned any more about the Sanctuary of the Ancient God.
Ark:
As Ark prepared to head back into battle, he was happy to feel his determination to protect others return. His thoughts then turned to the caravan and how they considered him a friend, making him hope that they had found the paradise that they were searching for. Recalling how Salvo had told him to follow his heart, he returned back to Savage Terminal and used the communication device that they had given him.
He was able to contact Salvo, Ferret, and Zippy, who told him that they were near the area. The entire caravan came to greet Ark and spent hours talking. Ark learned that they had yet to find their paradise, though they promised to let him know once they did. After saying their goodbyes, Ark was happy that they were doing well, and that between them and his friends from Maple World, he had much to protect.
Adele:
Feeling homesick before battle, Adele let Jerome know that she was returning to Ristonia, as she was feeling unsure of herself. Back at the Uprising hideout, Jerome told her that the Alliance was lucky to have her on their side, and that he trusted that whatever Adele decided was the right choice. Hearing Jerome’s voice and the lively chatter at the hideout lifted Adele’s spirits.
Jerome told her that if she ever needed help, he was always available for her. Adele thanked him, she but told him that she didn’t want him getting involved, since it wasn’t his battle to fight. However, she told him that speaking to him had given her strength and told everyone to take care. As she left, she vowed to herself that she would return safely, as she was still honor-bound to protect Jerome once he became king.
Khali:
Nile saw Khali off as she boarded the Lumiere and wished her luck, reminding her that she was in a position to help the people of Maple World. Khali replied that she had joined the Alliance with the intention of using them to get her revenge. She explained that ever since leaving Erimos, she had kept repeating that to herself, adding that avenging her family and killing Ypsilon was the only reason why she was alive, which she believed was the destiny that she had been condemned to.
However, she told Nile that she had spent last night thinking what Rasha would have done in her place. She explained that Rasha would undoubtedly have tried protected Maple World with all her heart. She added that unlike herself, who did nothing but rush ahead, Rasha was someone who would stop and appreciate the roses along the way. She admitted that though getting to one’s destination was important, it was just as important to treasure those that one met along the way.
Upon reflecting, she told Nile that if she were to ever turn away or sacrifice those in need while getting her revenge, then she would be no different from Ypsilon, who used the other races and powerless people for his own purposes. She explained that it was only once she protected the world with her own hands that she would be able to take a different path from Ypsilon. A proud Nile told her that he known her ever since she had been a baby and noted that she had grown up. He then promised that he would always follow her until the end and asked her to take care of herself and protect the world.
Hoyoung:
Before the battle, Hoyoung returned to Cheong-woon, feeling nostalgic for the town where he had first made a name for himself. There, he ordered a large bowl of rice soup before he committed himself to defending Maple World. He asked the tavern keeper if she had seen Farasi, or if she had received any notes from her, but the tavern keeper told him that she hadn’t. Hoyoung was dejected that their paths wouldn’t cross that day, as it was difficult for him to visit frequently.
Just then, Farasi arrived and greeted him. As they ate lunch together, they caught up and Hoyoung learned that Farasi had been traveling the seas, looking for a new dream to spark her passion. After explaining that he was about to protect Maple World, Farasi warned him to be careful, though she laughed at Hoyoung’s bravado. As he set off, he recalled how it was because of Farasi that he had learned the joys of helping others and hoped to eat lunch with her at the tavern again one day.
Lara:
As Lara was about to board the Lumiere, Gri arrived to see her off. As they exchanged pleasantries, Gri asked if she was okay with everything going on, as she had gotten involved in heavy stuff. He asked her about her calling to make the bell ring, to which Lara explained that though making the bell ring was important, she had realized that helping people was part of her calling as well. Gri laughed and told her to take care of herself before she climbed aboard.
Zero:
Alpha and Beta arrived in Ereve in order to watch the Alliance board the Lumiere. Alpha then told Beta that they should head back, as he believed that it wasn’t a fight that they should join. A surprised Beta asked whether he really didn’t want to fight, causing a disbelieving Alpha asked her whether she really wanted to ride aboard such a large airship. Beta eagerly affirmed that she did, to which Alpha suggested that they ride on it after the battle, noting to himself that they didn’t need to help the Alliance with every matter, especially if it had nothing to do with the Black Mage.
However, Beta told him that the Alliance may lose without their help and reminded him that they would be stuck alone in a world with only monsters, just as she had told him when they were deciding whether to join the Alliance in the first place. Begrudgingly, Alpha agreed to help, though he quickly realized that Beta only wanted to help so that she could ride the airship.
(A/N: Zero’s Black Heaven cutscene was modified during the KMS Spring 2024 update, which also created a new Alliance quest for them. Originally, Zero was the only class that didn’t join the Alliance, as unlike the Transcendents of Grandis, the Transcendents of Maple World don’t get involved in the affairs of mortals, much like Rhinne and Alicia. However, the spring update standardized Alliance prequests for all classes to level 75, which is why Zero ends up getting an Alliance quest.
The main change to this cutscene was really just that Alpha’s original justification for not joining the battle was because they had nothing to do with it as non-members of the Alliance, rather than it being because the fight against the Black Wings had nothing to do with the Black Mage. Beta’s line about being alone in a world full of monsters was also the first time that she said it, as she now chronologically says that earlier while convincing Alpha to join the Alliance in the new Alliance prequest.)
Kinesis:
The night before the operation, Kinesis returned back to the hideout and met with Jay, who asked him whether he was really planning to participate in a war to protect Maple World. Kinesis replied that he was, pointing out that showing up in dangerous situations and saving people was exactly what a hero did. Jay asked whether he had already told Yuna, to which Kinesis laughed awkwardly.
Kinesis then called Yuna, who was surprised to hear that he had returned to Friends World and began chiding him about missing school. Kinesis amusedly noted that she seemed to be worried about him, to which a flustered Yuna stammered that she was simply concerned about student council, reminding Kinesis that he was supposed to be president. Kinesis merely laughed and told Yuna that a hero was always busy before hanging up on her mid-sentence. Jay then told Kinesis to be careful, to which he nodded before heading out.
(A/N: Originally, Kinesis was the only class who didn’t have a Black Heaven cutscene. The implication of this was that Kinesis’ class story takes places after Black Heaven, although this doesn’t make sense because Kinesis being the Adversary can’t happen if he doesn’t get to Maple World until after Black Heaven. Eventually, Kinesis ended up receiving a cutscene during the KMS Fall 2023 update.
Moving ahead, although the classes below aren’t canon, I’ll still include them for the sake of completion. I’ve also added these to the GMS-verse section of the lore site.)
Jett:
The night before the Black Heaven operation, Jett returned aboard her spaceship and met with her crew. Kelm told Jett that there were rumors of a war happening in Maple World and asked whether she was getting herself involved. When Jett was surprised that they had heard about it, Abbes added that they routinely intercepted transmissions from across the planet, allowing them to be even more informed than her about what was going on.
Jett confirmed that she was planning to fight, as the ones pushing the war were the Black Wings, who had forced Burke to betray her. However, Kelm pointed out that since she had recovered the full power of the Core, she ought to go back to clearing her name. Abbes agreed, adding that since they had just come to Maple World for Burke and the Core, there was nothing keeping them there anymore.
Jett pointed out that Burke was the only one who could’ve proven her innocence, adding that she didn’t want to return to being a fugitive with a high bounty on her head. Abbes then asked why she would want to draw attention to herself in that case, as many people would notice her if she were to join the war, with the possibility of rumors spreading off-world. Kelm conceded that he sympathized with her desire for revenge, but noted that it would be bad for her image if people on Cerberus were to learn that all her actions on Maple World had been solely for vengeance.
Jett agreed that the bounty hunters of the universe would all converge on Maple World, but explained that she wasn’t acting merely out of revenge, but because she viewed Maple World as the home that she never had, as she had never felt like Cerberus or her ship were where she truly belonged. She added that the people of Maple World had been incredibly kind to her when she had been powerless without the Core, but Kelm and Abbes pointed out that there were other ways to repay their kindness without involving herself in the war.
Jett retorted that there would be nothing left if the Black Wings won the war, and that her duty to uphold justice across the galaxy was still valid on Maple World. Hearing her conviction changed her crewmates’ minds, who promised to support her decision and intercept anyone who might learn about her location if she were to be discovered during the war. They then claimed that if Maple World was her home, then it would be their home as well.
Kanna:
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.
In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Kanna aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon her.
She told Kanna that Cygnus valued her spirit and powers, and so the Empress wished for Kanna to join her on the front lines. Though Kanna was grateful, she began asking whether her place was Sakuno, though the princess reminded her that it was a great opportunity for her to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Kanna then swore on her family name of Ayanokouji that she would bring victory.
Hayato:
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.
In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Hayato aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon him. She told Hayato that Cygnus valued his courage and skills, and so the Empress wished for Hayato to join her on the front lines.
Though Hayato was grateful, he began asking whether his place was with Sakuno, though the princess reminded him that it was a great opportunity for him to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Hayato then swore by the name of Battoujutsu that he would bring victory. Sakuno approvingly noted that he wouldn’t let her down.
She then admitted that her heart was beating faster ever since the Empress had called upon him and wondered whether it was jealousy. An embarrassed Hayato began spluttering as Sakuno laughed at his expression, telling him that Shingen had suggested that it would help relieve his tension. She then told Hayato to travel safety, reminding him that he was her sword.
Beast Tamer:
The day before the Black Heaven operation, Chase and the Critter Champs returned home to Arboren, as Chase wanted to meet her friends and family from Canopy Town before the battle. The town was overjoyed to see Chase after so long and greeted her as a hero. Chase was surprised to see everyone prepared for her arrival and asked her grandmother how everyone knew that she was coming. Granny Rosanna explained that Eka occasionally flew in and told the town about her adventures, though Eka had warned them to keep it a secret. Eka was irritated with Rosanna divulging how much she secretly cared about Chase and dismissed Chase’s gratitude.
(A/N: Right after this, there’s a dialogue error where Eka accidentally gets Rosanna’s line. When Chase says that she needs to get going, Eka says, “I know you do, my precious baby. Don’t let anyone get the better of you out there!” and it’s hilarious to see Eka say this with her tsundere personality.)
After saying her farewells, Chase had Eka fly her straight to Ereve for the Lumiere’s launch.
(A/N: Interestingly, Beast Tamer is the only class in which we skip the tiny scene where we board the Lumiere, instead just cutting to the cutscene of the airship taking off and continuing with Act 2. It’s likely because Eka probably just flew us directly aboard to Lumiere, but it’s still a bit sad that we don’t get to walk past the cheering crowd.)
Paths Converge Here:
On Cygnus’ command, the Lumiere took off and headed to intercept Black Heaven. The Alliance member ran into Athena Pierce, who told them that Neinheart was looking for them on the main deck. On the way, a Resistance soldier asked them to help recover the hardtack and star sugar rations which had been stolen by Scrounging Sparrows, for which he blamed the Cygnus Knights for leaving the rations on deck. While hunting down the sparrows, the Alliance member ran into Brighton, who asked them to help diffuse an argument between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights about the stolen rations.
After recovering the rations, they arrived at the main deck and delivered them to Kyrin, hoping that it would be enough to restore peace between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights. Kyrin noted that the fog around them was unusually thick and felt that it was unnatural. In the conference room, they found Claudine and Cygnus discussing the fog and how the Black Wings would likely attack in the cover.
After reporting to Cygnus, she told them that Neinheart had warned her earlier about Baroq the Master of Disguise, who would likely be up to his old tricks in order to cause chaos. He recommended that they play along and try to get him to slip up. Having not seen Neinheart since then, Cygnus asked the Alliance member to check up on him. While searching for Neinheart, the Alliance member encountered Neinheart standing over a wounded doppelgänger of himself, along with several unconscious Cygnus Knights.
The Alliance member immediately recognized that the standing Neinheart was the fake one, as the real Neinheart couldn’t win a straight fight on his own. Realizing that he had been caught, Baroq immediately transformed back into himself and engaged the Alliance member, who managed to defeat him. However, Baroq then transformed himself into Cygnus in an effort to prevent them from hitting him. As they struggled to decide whether to hit the fake Cygnus, Hiver teleported behind them and knocked them out before tying them and Neinheart to a barrel.
(A/N: You get to choose whether to hit her or not. The dialogue box will keep prompting you a couple more times if you click on the option to hit her, although you’ll ultimately just continue to debate on whether to hit her on not, after which Hiver hits you.)
After they awoke, the Alliance member worked with Neinheart to break the barrel and hurried to warn the rest of the Alliance. In the hallway, they found that the Lumiere had already been boarded by Black Wings androids, which had defeated the soldiers posted in the area. As they fought through the androids, they encountered Athena Pierce fighting the androids alone and regrouped with her.
Athena sensed an evil energy in the next corridor, where they ran into Eleanor the Black Witch. After fighting her off, they arrived at the deck, where Cygnus told them that the Black Wings were dropping androids onto the deck from above. The Alliance member grouped with the Piyo siblings and began to fight off the androids on deck.
(A/N: Each class gets a unique line of encouragement from Athena Pierce as they rush into battle.
For Explorers, including Special Explorers and Jett, Athena tells them to show their enemies their skills as an Explorer.
For Cygnus Knights, Athena tells them to show their enemies the power of the Cygnus Knights.
For Mihile, Athena tells him to show their enemies the power of a Chief Knight.
For all Resistance classes, including the Demon and Xenon, Athena tells them to show their enemies the power of the Resistance.
For Aran, Athena tells her to show the enemies the power of a hero.
For Evan, Athena tells him to show the enemies the power of a Dragon Master.
For Mercedes, Athena tells her to show the enemies the majesty of the queen of elves.
For Phantom, Athena tells him to show the enemies what happens when they touch a thief's property.
For Luminous, Athena tells him to show the enemies the power of light.
For Shade, Athena tells him to make the enemies remember his name.
For Kaiser, Athena tells him to show the enemies the will of his sword.
For Angelic Buster, Athena tells her to show the enemies the power of an idol of the battlefield.
For Zero, Athena tells Alpha and Beta to show the enemies their strength.
For every other class - Cadena, Kain, Illium, Ark, Adele, Khali, Hoyoung, Lara, Kinesis, Hayato, Kanna, and Beast Tamer - the default dialogue is Athena telling them to show the enemies their power. In GMS, Kanna actually gets a unique script, in which Athena tells her to let the spirits take their enemies. There’s also a bug in GMS that has Hayato get the same line, even though Athena explicitly calls the player “Kanna” during that script.)
From the sky, Baroq returned in his own fighter plane and engaged the Alliance member, who was able to crash his ship. Just then, Hiver arrived in a large airship, which they recognized as Black Heaven, and began firing rockets at the group, who struggled to dodge the firepower. As more androids landed, the group continued fighting them off while directing all their own firepower at Hiver’s ship, which they eventually succeeded in destroying.
They returned back to the main deck and reported their victory to the Alliance leadership. Just as everyone began celebrating the destruction of Black Heaven, a dark shadow loomed over their heads as they looked up, horrified, at the real Black Heaven, which was hundreds of times larger than both the Lumiere and the airship that they had struggled to take down.
With hundreds of the smaller airships that Hiver had been flying surrounding Black Heaven, Athena ordered the Lumiere to immediately pull back and retreat into cloud cover. That night, Claudine pointed out that the Alliance had been reckless, and that they should have had clearer plans. Neinheart remarked that their plan had been sound, based on the given information, and snidely asked what the Resistance had been doing all the time while Gelimer had been constructing Black Heaven.
As tensions continued to rise, Athena attempted to maintain the peace. Just then, the Alliance member heard a noise and began to investigate. They discovered dozens of puppets sent by Francis the Puppeteer, who had infiltrated the Lumiere in order to search for Orchid. After engaging Francis, the Puppeteer managed to escape to the deck.
As the Alliance member reported to the leadership about Francis’ infiltration, they discovered him attempting to flee in a barrel on deck. After getting captured, Francis demanded that they release Orchid, claiming that she was helpless after her powers had been stolen by Lotus, and attempted to trade the blueprints for Black Heaven in exchange for her release. Neinheart accepted the offer and took the blueprints, though he told Francis that he could only see Orchid after the war was over. He then ordered Francis to be detained.
Throughout the night, the Alliance leadership developed a strategy to combat Black Heaven. With the blueprints they had obtained from Francis, Neinheart was able to identify two critical weaknesses in Black Heaven: first, its massive size would inevitably create blind spots to attack; second, it only had one centralized power source. Neinheart was curious to find out what exactly could be powering such a large airship. With those two weaknesses in mind, he devised a plan to infiltrate Black Heaven and destroy the power source.
While the Cygnus Knights protected the Lumiere and the Nautilus handled the head-on air attack to draw the Black Wings’ attention, Belle, Brighton, Checky, and the Alliance member would infiltrate through the blind spot on its side. Just then, Mihile rushed into the meeting room to warn them that the Black Wings had launched a wide-range ballistic attack. As the entire airship shook and received heavy damage, Cygnus asked the Alliance member to assess the situation on the deck. There, they met Brighton and Belle, who told them that they had received a direct hit to the underside.
To help the soldiers on the lower deck, the Alliance member and Belle left Brighton to handle things on the upper deck before heading downstairs. There, they rescued the Alliance soldiers who had been knocked out from the heavy smoke in the room while also holding off the androids that had infiltrated the ship. After the soldiers left, the Alliance member decided to head up to the deck when they discovered that enemies had taken over the Pilothouse, causing the ship to list. They defeated the Black Wings henchmen attacking the soldiers before struggling to get the ship back in control until Kyrin arrived to take over.
The Alliance member then went to the top deck, where they rendezvoused with Belle, Brighton, and Checky for their mission. Claudine gave them a signal flare to fire off once they landed on Black Heaven so that the main force could be sent in. Upon arriving at their vehicles, however, they found that the Black Wings had destroyed them.
Checky asked them to bring him Dented Steel Plates, Junky Bolts, and High-Efficiency Fuel from the androids in order to make the necessary repairs, as well as to make a few upgrades. The four then flew through the enemy combatants and managed to arrive at the landing point on Black Heaven. (A/N: To this day, I have never successfully completed this dumb minigame.) Just then, Gelimer’s voice rang out to let them know that he had been expecting them. Belle, Brighton, and Checky suddenly crashed into the shields around Black Heaven, immobilizing them in place, just as several cannons shot them down.
The Alliance member rushed back to the Lumiere and informed Claudine about the missing Resistance leaders. She immediately ordered all missions to be aborted so that they could find their missing allies. The Alliance forces scattered out and located Belle and Brighton falling, just as a large Black Wings airship shot them down, much to Claudine’s horror. Aboard the control room of Black Heaven, Gelimer laughed at the foolishness of the Alliance as Lotus’ operating system efficiently targeted and shot them down. Back in Edelstein, Orchid was able to feel Lotus’ immense pain from being forced to obey Gelimer, causing her to awaken from her coma.
At the Pilothouse, the Alliance member and Claudine returned to Neinheart and Cygnus. Though Claudine wished to continue searching for her allies, Neinheart gently told her that it was unlikely that anyone could have survived such a fall. Nevertheless, he left the choice to save her allies to Claudine, who ultimately realized that she couldn’t afford to sacrifice any more of the Resistance. Because of this, she decided that she would commit her forces to stop Black Heaven and save Edelstein, trusting that her friends were strong enough to survive and return.
She then asked Neinheart what his plan was, to which Neinheart explained that their plan was still to infiltrate Black Heaven. However, he noted that based on their first failed attempt, it seemed that Black Heaven had defenses that weren’t covered in the blueprints, which meant that they would need someone who knew the airship well. Because of this, Neinheart and the others visited Francis in his cell in order to interrogate him further about Black Heaven and its design.
In the prison, they found Francis’ cell on fire, with a Resistance soldier explaining that Francis’ escape attempt had caused the fire. Francis begged the Alliance to save him from the fire, to which Neinheart and Claudine told him that they would help him in exchange for information, noting that such a small fire didn’t pose any immediate danger at all.
Francis reluctantly agreed and explained that Black Heaven was being controlled by Lotus, who had been turned into a Xenoroid by Gelimer. Lotus’ own powers, along with the other half of the Wing Master powers that he had stolen from Orchid, allowed him to effortlessly maintain control over Black Heaven, which was like an extension of his body. Because of this, there were no weaknesses or blind spots anywhere in the ship. However, he also revealed that there were no troops stationed aboard Black Heaven, as they were being summoned from somewhere else.
After interrogating Francis, the Alliance decided to let him loose from his burning cell. Immediately, however, Francis disappeared and set out to rescue Orchid. Knowing what his target was, Claudine decided to deploy additional troops to guard Orchid in Edelstein. Cygnus then realized that if the troops aboard Black Heaven were being teleported, it meant that there was a way to infiltrate Black Heaven. Claudine noted that though she wasn’t too sure, it was possible that the androids were being teleported from Edelstein’s Scrapyard.
(A/N: This portion of Black Heaven was changed during the Dreamer update. In the original storyline, the player saves Francis from his burning cell right as the ship starts tilting, allowing him to escape. Later on, after Brighton and the others are shot down, Claudine blames the Cygnus Knights for her friends’ deaths, claiming that the Knights never put themselves at risk like the Resistance. She also blames the player for freeing Francis, believing that Francis was the one who warned Gelimer about the Alliance’s attack.
As she can’t withdraw the Resistance’s support on such an important mission, she puts the player on tribunal, in which we have to play a mini-game to defend ourselves before a jury. Successfully completing this mini-game results in us being placed on probation instead of being found guilty, which prompts further arguments between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights. Realizing that our presence will only make things worse, we decide to exile ourselves and return back to Ereve.
There was originally some exclusive dialogue for Resistance classes and Phantom during this part, with Claudine having a short conversation with Resistance classes about how she’s disappointed in them, while Phantom has a conversation with Cygnus about how he’s giving the Lumiere to her for the remainder of the mission. The generic script just has a regular conversation with Cygnus, who tells us how worried she is about us.
On our way back, we find that the Alliance soldier escorting aboard our small airship is one of Francis’ puppets in disguise, with Francis telling us all the information about Lotus and the androids being teleported as thanks for us freeing him earlier, which prompts us to turn our airship around towards the Scrapyard, leading into Act 4.
Personally, I’ve always hated the Resistance and Cygnus Knight feud, and so I’m not too upset about the changes to the story. However, this tension is pretty important for Claudine’s character arc, and removing it makes it feel a bit less impactful when the Alliance starts to work together by the end of the blockbuster. However, I’m very happy about the removal of our exile, since many people (including me) hated the idea of Phantom having to leave his own airship.)
Neinheart dispatched the Alliance member to investigate the Scrapyard, where they found the Piyo siblings tailing them on Cygnus’ orders. Together, they made their way deeper into the Scrapyard, where they found several androids searching for a fugitive android. Though they attempted to sneak past the androids, the group was caught and they were forced to stand off against the enemies.
Suddenly, the fugitive android named One-Eye helped them escape and brought them to a hidden camp. He explained that he was on the run because he had human feelings, which was grounds for being scrapped. One-Eye then introduced them to his wife, Three-Hands, who asked them how they had come to the Scrapyard.
After learning about the situation, One-Eye told them that the only way to enter Black Heaven was by scaling the central tower in the middle of the Scrapyard, which teleported androids straight onto the ship. However, he explained that the teleporter scanned for a special computer chip that only androids possessed. One-Eye agreed to make an android helmet for the Alliance member, just as their daughter, Bitterbot, came to tell them that their efforts were futile, though she reluctantly agreed to help them.
The Alliance member collected the necessary parts for the helmet, just as the enemy androids discovered them, forcing the group to abandon the refuge. One-Eye finished constructing the helmet, allowing the Alliance member and the Piyo siblings to scale up to the teleporter. As One-Eye and his family watched them, Bitterbot claimed that they still had no hope of defeating her father and took off her helmet, revealing herself to be Beryl. (A/N: I thought that this was a cool way to show what happened to Beryl after she lost to Xenon. It’s sad how Gelimer just threw her away after how much devotion she showed to him.)
At the inspection station on Black Heaven, the Black Wings immediately discovered that the Alliance member wasn’t an android. As the Alliance member continued to fight off the Black Wings forces, Dargoth himself arrived to capture them. However, the Alliance member proved to be too strong and defeated him. With his defeat, Eleanor arrived to finish them off, though she was also defeated.
With no choice, the Black Wings brought in a Demolisher, though they were shocked when the Alliance member seized control of it and blasted through the defenses. (A/N: The Demolisher is the final boss in the Riena Strait storyline. We encounter a lot more of them in this story.) Having created a hole in the shields, the Alliance member fired the signal flare. Aboard the Lumiere, the Alliance had sustained substantial damage and Neinheart asked a demoralized Cygnus whether to press on or turn back. Suddenly, they all saw the signal flare and realized that the Alliance member had given them an opening.
Aboard Black Heaven, the Alliance member was being chased by an immense Pulverizer, which cornered them at the edge of the ship. Suddenly, Claudine arrived aboard her flying vehicle and began shooting at it. She told the Alliance member to flee while she covered them, just as cannons began firing at her. Claudine struggled to keep her craft afloat until the cannons were destroyed by Checky, Brighton, and Belle, who had miraculously survived Gelimer’s attack.
With their combined firepower, the Pulverizer was easily destroyed. The Alliance member, who had been knocked out in the explosion, awoke to find that the Alliance had boarded Black Heaven with the help of Pilot Irvin. Claudine told them that the Piyo siblings had explained how the Alliance member had risked their life to give an opening and apologized on behalf of everyone for doubting them. Meanwhile, Francis managed to infiltrate the Secret Plaza in Edelstein and successfully rescued Orchid, who immediately set off to save Lotus and destroy Gelimer.
Cygnus told the Alliance member that the advance team had already boarded Black Heaven in order to secure access to key areas. Though she wished that she could say that the Alliance member had done enough, Cygnus acknowledged that they were the Alliance’s best chance at winning the battle. Promising to return safely, the Alliance member entered Black Heaven with Irvin and Neinheart, who had already plotted the most direct route to the core. They met up with Claudine, Belle, Brighton, Athena Pierce, and the Piyo siblings and took the elevator down.
Along the way, Irvin told them that over fifty years ago, he had been an officer in Edelstein’s air force, working alongside Admiral Martini and Gelimer, who had been a military scientist. After learning that Martini had commissioned experiments on living subjects, Irvin had left the military in protest, though Gelimer had stayed behind in order to pursue his dream research. Belle asked if his dream was to construct Black Heaven, but Irvin explained that Gelimer specialized in medicine and biotechnology and had little interest in machines. Irvin felt responsible for not doing more to save Gelimer and asked them to do their best to stop him.
The group continued traversing through the labyrinth of Black Heaven and eventually ran into Orchid and Francis. The Alliance was shocked to see Orchid, whom they had believed was still in a coma. Likewise, Orchid was furious to see the Alliance member, to which Francis asked her whether she knew them. Orchid angrily claimed that she recognized them as the one who had looked inside her mind.
Neinheart and Claudine were both confused by Orchid’s extreme reaction, causing them to wonder what it was that the Alliance member had seen. Though the Alliance member tried to explain that they had merely seen her memories, Orchid refused to believe them and angrily ordered Francis to fight them on her behalf, as she had no powers left.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here. When Francis asks Orchid if she knows the Demon, she explains that she knows him very well and calls him a traitor to be fighting on the Alliance’s side. She asks him whether he has no pride left and declares that they’re now enemies. She then orders Francis to fight him on her behalf.
Phantom also gets some exclusive dialogue here. When Francis asks Orchid if she knows Phantom, she asks how she could ever forget Lotus’ archenemy, to which Phantom points out that Lotus is also Aria’s archenemy. Orchid notes that they’ve finally met again, sarcastically adding that their reunion is as pleasant as she had expected. She then orders Francis to fight him on her behalf.)
Neinheart attempted to keep the peace when Gelimer appeared on a monitor and showed Lotus to Orchid in order to rub in the fact that her brother was now his puppet. Lotus, detecting the intruders, manifested a Pulverizer to drop down onto the elevator, scattering the group on different levels. The Alliance member and Orchid both fell on the same level together, after which Orchid got up and noted with distaste that the Alliance member had survived, angrily wondering why she was always stuck with them.
The Alliance member got up and noted that it was just the two of them, to which Orchid once again asked why she was stuck with them, of all people, adding that everything seemed to be going badly. She then ordered them to stay behind, as she didn’t want to deal with them. She then proceeded ahead and pushed a red button that opened the glass panel in her way. Upon letting go of the button and moving forward, however, the panel immediately slid back down.
The Alliance member pointed out that two people were needed to open it, as there was another red button on the other side of the panel. Orchid snapped at them that she had already known that, to which they explained that at the moment, they both had the same goal to escape, reminding her that she needed to get to Lotus. After a pause, Orchid relented and ordered them to push the button.
With the Alliance member holding the button down, Orchid made it to the other side. The Alliance member patiently waited for her to push the button on her end, adding that trusted her. Orchid stopped and considered for a moment, after which she pushed the button and allowed them to follow. After the Alliance member crossed over, she demanded to know what they were looking at before telling them to lead.
(A/N: Phantom gets a completely different scene for this part. After Orchid notes with distaste that Phantom survived, she angrily wonders why he, of all people, is here. She then orders him to stop where he is if he doesn’t want to make her mad. After she presses the button and finds that it doesn’t work, Phantom tells her that she’s being ridiculous, as it’s obvious that two people are needed to open the door.
Orchid gets annoyed at Phantom, who asks her whether she wants to settle their score right then and there, adding that he wouldn’t mind. Orchid asks him whether he’s going to attack her, to which Phantom replies that though he wants to, he’s not the type to pick on the powerless. She then replies that he’ll regret it if he doesn’t attack her now, vowing that he’s next after she finishes dealing with Gelimer.
However, Phantom angrily tells her to stop acting like she’s in charge, reminding her of the state that she’s in. He then warns her not to push his patience any further, adding that she should be grateful that Aria had forgiven her. He then tells her to hurry up, as they both have business to attend to. After a pause, Orchid relents and orders him to push the button.)
The two continued traversing their way to the core until they found another glass panel blocking their way. Just then, however, a Repairoid began taking portions of the pipes for the mechanism and flying away. The Alliance member and Orchid chased after the Repairoid and encountered a horde of them. With Orchid unable to fight with no powers, the Alliance member defeated the Repairoids and took back the pipes, which they used to repair the mechanism. The pair then opened the door together and continued forward.
As they walked along, Orchid demanded to know what the Alliance member had seen inside her memories. The Alliance member explained that they had seen her and Lotus in the past, from when they had been spirits up until the present. Orchid asked them whether they had seen anything strange, to which they replied that they hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, Orchid remained convinced that they were lying, adding that she was only staying with them until they escaped.
(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. When Orchid asks him what he had seen inside her memories, he tells her that he had seen Aria’s last moments, adding that he had seen her, Aria, and Lotus in the memory. After a pause, Orchid tells him that he’s the worst for invading her mind, adding that there was no one who wouldn’t be mad about being violated in such a way.
Phantom replies that they had no choice, though Orchid retorts that she doesn’t believe him, which Phantom dismisses. As they reach the end of the juncture, Orchid warns him she’s watching him, and that she’s only staying with him until they escape. Phantom retorts by asking her who’s watching whom, to which Orchid sarcastically calls him a cheeky thief and tells him to lead.)
After reaching the next juncture, they discovered that another Repairoid had stolen the pipes for the mechanism of the next door. After the Alliance member recovered the parts and repaired it, the two worked together to open the door and move ahead. Orchid joked that she could get used to them doing her bidding, to which the Alliance member jokingly asked her whether it meant that she was starting to trust them. An annoyed Orchid then asked them what they were starting at before ordering them to lead on.
(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. When Orchid tells him that she could get used to him doing her bidding, Phantom tells her that she should be at least a tiny bit grateful, to which Orchid sarcastically laughs and retorts that he ought to be a comedian. When Phantom deadpans that he’s not joking, Orchid replies that she’s not in the mood and orders him to just keep moving.)
The pair then continued through the juncture and soon reached the next door. The Alliance member pressed the button to open the door, allowing Orchid to reach the other side. As they waited for her to let them through, however, Orchid paused for a moment before unexpectedly declaring that they were through. Suddenly, Francis rushed over, grateful that he had found her at last. Francis was surprised to find the Alliance member, who was surprised by Orchid’s sudden betrayal.
Orchid reluctantly told them that she was going to save Lotus, and that she wanted them to stay out of it. She explained that she couldn’t trust the Alliance when they treated Lotus like some kind of monster. (A/N: Can’t imagine why.) She then ordered Francis to follow her, to which Francis apologized to the Alliance member, explaining that his heart belonged only to Orchid. As the Alliance membered called after her, Orchid hesitated for a moment before admitting that they hadn’t been half-bad during their time together, after which she left them with hordes of androids that began surrounding them.
(A/N: Phantom gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this conversation. After Orchid crosses to the other side, she declares that they’re now done and tells him to be on his way. Phantom yells Orchid’s name in frustration, to which she tells him not shout, reminding him that they both knew that they only needed each other until one of them didn’t. Phantom notes that this is how Orchid returns favors, adding that he should have known.
After Francis arrives, Orchid tells Phantom that when she thinks of Lotus, she feels like she should tear Phantom apart, though she adds that she’ll hold back, at least for now. She then tells Francis to follow her, to which Francis apologizes to him and tells him that his heart belongs only to Orchid. As Phantom calls after her, Orchid hesitates for a moment before telling him that she has one more thing to say, which is that he hadn’t been half-bad during their time together, after which she leaves him with the horde of androids.)
The Alliance member was left overwhelmed by the hordes of androids attacking them until the rest of the Alliance arrived to save them. As they chased after Orchid and Francis, Neinheart began to wonder what Black Heaven had been built so largely for, as it didn’t hold the android army, which was being teleported as needed from the Scrapyard. As they arrived near the core, Neinheart’s question was answered when they found that thousands of large bombs were being stored in the area, guarded by Xenoroids modeled after Xenon and Beryl.
(A/N: Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that the Xenoroids guarding the area are like his brothers. However, Athena Pierce tells him not to be swayed.)
As they proceeded deeper into Black Heaven, the Alliance member, Neinheart, Claudine, and Athena Pierce fought past the Xenoroids that attacked them. Claudine and Athena also used their whip and arrows, respectively, in order to bring down several platforms that had been raised up, which was cutting off their route forward.
(A/N: When Athena brings down the platform with her arrow, Claudine will normally say that they should’ve used her arrows from the start to bring down the platforms, to which Athena will tell her that her whipping had been quite amazing, too. If the player is Mercedes, Mercedes will instead praise Athena as the greatest bowman of Elluel, to which Athena will proudly say that she’s learned from the best.)
Deeper into the ship, the group noticed that strange green gas was permeating the further in they went, requiring them to wear gas masks. They soon found themselves in Gelimer’s lab, where a dying Admiral Martini begged them to stop Gelimer and his mad plans. He explained that he had been dying from an incurable illness, and that Gelimer had offered a solution. However, he told them that he now saw that Irvin had been right to leave. As Martini passed away from the toxic fumes, Neinheart noted that Gelimer must be quite ruthless to backstab an ally.
The group then began searching Gelimer’s lab and obtained several research notes. They learned that Gelimer had been researching the Seal Stones after learning that Orchid had ordered the Black Wings to find them. Upon learning about the incredible power of the Seal Stones, and the fact that the Black Wings had collected all the Seal Stones except for the Seal Stone of Ereve, he had attempted to use them as an energy source. However, he had failed to harness their power, as the Seal Stones would only grant the wish of a population.
His research had also led him to conclude that as long as even one Seal Stone existed, the Black Mage couldn’t fully regain his powers, as the collective desire of the people of Maple World to keep the Black Mage from regaining his strength was being channeled through the Seal Stones, acting as a restraint on his power. He had also learned that Freud had created the Seal Stones centuries ago and noted that the more that he learned about the Seal Stones, the more nonsensical it sounded that the desire of human beings could somehow be turned into power.
(A/N: In the Cernium storyline, it’s revealed that the Seal Stones are holy relics that contain the power of the Overseers, which explains why it seems incredible to Gelimer that Freud could’ve created such powerful objects that operated outside the realm of logic.)
They also found Gelimer’s research on Lotus and how Gelimer had coveted the powerful body that Lotus had been granted by the Black Mage. It detailed how he had lied to both Orchid about promising to return Lotus to her, and to the Commanders about promising to alter Lotus’ body to serve as a vessel for the Black Mage. In order to power Lotus and Black Heaven, Gelimer had taken over the Verne Mine and ordered Admiral Martini to obtain coolant from Riena Strait.
After Lotus had been completed, Gelimer had forced him to steal Orchid’s power in order to obtain the complete Wing Masters’ power so that he could launch Black Heaven. He also detailed how he had created the Evolution System to imprint combat data onto Lotus, making him stronger as he received more data.
They also uncovered information on the bombs aboard Black Heaven, which contained a chemical agent called Retoxin that could turn humans into obedient puppets, all of whom would be controlled in a hive mind by Lotus. They then found a map that listed the targets that Black Heaven would bomb and realized that Gelimer’s goal was bombardment, rather than invasion.
Neinheart realized that Cygnus had been right to make the Alliance meet Black Heaven in the air, rather than form a ground defense like they had originally planned, as she had experienced a vision of the future, in which she had seen a giant whose head had blocked the sun and whose foot had crushed entire towns. However, she had also foreseen shining birds charging at the giant, whose bright lights wiped it away.
Neinheart then told the Alliance member and Athena Pierce to stop Gelimer while he returned with Claudine in order to formulate a plan. Athena and the Alliance member took the elevator up to the core, but Gelimer anticipated their arrival and broke the elevator, causing Athena to fall many levels below.
Though separated, the Alliance member pressed on alone and found Lotus hooked up to Black Heaven. They engaged in a fierce battle, with their fight causing Lotus to break free from his connections to Black Heaven and use his full Wing Master powers against them. Nevertheless, the Alliance member managed to defeat him. Furious, Gelimer ordered Lotus to get up and continue fighting. As Lotus continued powering up, the Alliance member realized that he was overexerting himself to breaking point.
Just then, Orchid arrived and hugged her brother in order to calm him down. She asked Lotus to go back to becoming a Spirit of Darkness with her, explaining that the Black Mage could give them back their original forms once his full power returned. Lotus told Orchid that his soul had spent centuries roaming Maple World trying to get his voice to reach her.
Though, at first, he had only wanted revenge against Phantom for what he had done to them, he had begun changing after Gelimer had forced him to hurt her. He asked Orchid if she would continue living as a human for a bit longer together when Gelimer, unable to abide his creation rebelling against him, used his kill switch on Lotus.
(A/N: This blockbuster tried really hard to get me to care about Orchid and Lotus, and somehow I think they succeeded in making me hate them even more. These two helped wage a war of terror on the entire planet, were responsible for the murder of millions of people, assassinated the head of state under the pretense of peace negotiations, subjugated an entire town under authoritarian rule for years, ordered the kidnapping, torture, and mutilation of countless children for unethical experimentation, and somehow all of that is just supposed to get swept under the rug because Orchid is sad.
I don’t hate Orchid and Lotus as characters in and of themselves. I think that they make for excellent villains specifically because of how evil they are. Despite being in human bodies, they still consider themselves spirits, and so they feel absolutely nothing when they kill ‘lesser’ life forms like humans. In fact, they even seem to derive some pleasure in toying with their prey.
The Wing Master webcomic showed how Orchid and Lotus slowly tortured Aria to death and expressed disappointment when she died too quickly. The only feeling that Orchid expresses after watching Aria die is that they didn’t get the chance to ‘play’ with her more. The two of them are absolute sociopaths who don’t have a shred of empathy for anyone except each other, which makes them great, complex antagonists.
However, I just can’t just get behind the idea of them as tragic figures because everything bad that ever happened to them was literally just the consequences of their actions. There’s nothing unfair or tragic about terrorists who killed thousands of people getting exactly what was coming to them. It feels so tone deaf on the writers’ part to have Gelimer be based on Nazi scientists, and to be coded as a pedophile with the teddy bear that he carries and how he kidnaps and experiments on the bodies of children, but then somehow the person who ordered him to do all of that gets a narrative free pass.
I will say that Orchid post-Black Heaven is a much better character because after she’s lost everything that mattered to her, it feels like she’s actually paid for her actions, and so allying with her doesn’t feel as jarring. However, the writers even managed to mess that dynamic up with the way that Orchid starts lowkey flirting with the Adversary at the end of Limina, although I’ll complain about that when we get there.)
As Orchid continued holding onto her dying brother, the Alliance member made their way to the control room in order to stop Gelimer. However, Gelimer released Retoxin gas into the room, poisoning the Alliance member and leaving them unable to fight. He then showed them a view screen of Black Heaven looming over Edelstein as he released his bombs.
(A/N: This is likely a continuity error because both the Cygnus Knight and Resistance class-exclusive cutscenes in this blockbuster said that Gelimer’s first target was Henesys. I personally rationalize it by thinking that the Alliance met Gelimer near his launch point at Edelstein, thus preventing him from leaving Edelstein airspace and forcing him to change his plans.)
In the air, the Alliance struggled to detonate the bombs, but they found that there were too many for them to handle. Just as the bombs were about to fall on the city, Orchid used the last of the Wing Master power that Lotus had given to her before his death in order to levitate the bombs back into the air around Black Heaven before causing them all to detonate at once. Meanwhile, in the control room, the Alliance member struggled to stand as Gelimer mockingly dangled the antidote in their face. Though the Alliance member struggled to fight, Gelimer easily managed to defeat them.
(A/N: The main Resistance classes gets some exclusive dialogue here. After Gelimer defeats them, he asks them what it is that makes fools like them struggle so much. He explains that he had only wanted to make them better, and to raise them up from their primitive ways. However, the Resistance member calls him out and tells him that he had made Vita cry. However, Gelimer merely asks them whether he’s supposed to know a ‘Vita’, causing the Resistance member to curse him for his callousness.
Xenon also gets some exclusive dialogue here. After Gelimer defeats him, he notes that emotion had gotten the best of Xenon, who had charged in like a fool. He adds that he had built Xenon to be better than that and asks him why he had betrayed him, as Xenon was supposed to be his masterpiece. Xenon retorts that neither he nor Beryl are his toys, to which Gelimer asks who Beryl is.
Xenon is shocked by his words, and after a moment, Gelimer laughs and notes that Xenon is referring to the failure that used to call him ‘father’. He jokes that at least she had known how to follow orders, though he begins laughing once again at the thought of Beryl calling him ‘father’, claiming that she couldn’t even see what a failure she was. Upon seeing Xenon’s face, Gelimer tells Xenon not to look at him like that, explaining that if there was anyone worthy of calling him ‘father’, it would have been Xenon himself, though he emphasizes that Xenon no longer has that right anymore.)
Gelimer then told the Alliance member to beg him for the antidote, though he then laughed and shattered the antidote on the floor.
(A/N: You get the choice to beg him for the antidote, or to refuse. Regardless of your choice, Gelimer will shatter the antidote on the floor. Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue when he makes his choices. If you choose to beg, Gelimer will call you pathetic to the very end. If you refuse, Gelimer will tell you that there is no cure, and that there’s no hope for him, either.)
Declaring that he would never stop until his great work was finished, Gelimer ordered his Xenoroids to restrain the Alliance member and self-destruct as he began boarding his escape pod. Unexpectedly, however, the Xenoroids developed survival instincts as they realized that Black Heaven was about to crash. They climbed onto the escape pod and begged their father to save them as he attempted to get them off. Using the last of their strength, the Alliance member crawled to a lever and pulled it, causing the escape pod to take off. In the sky, Gelimer attempted to cancel his self-destruct command, but the Xenoroids soon exploded and killed Gelimer in the process.
(A/N: Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue when he pulls the lever, in which he apologizes profusely to his fellow Xenoroids, whom he calls his brothers, as he knows that they’re going to die once they self-destruct.
Personally, I think that the writers did a fantastic job with handling Gelimer’s death. Him dying in the same way that he killed Vita - in a confined space rigged to explode - is perfect poetic justice.)
With the Retoxin flooding their system, the Alliance member struggled to escape Black Heaven, which was slowly breaking apart. Unexpectedly, Orchid arrived and carried them outside, though she was angry at them for having defeated Gelimer without her. They reached the upper deck, where Athena Pierce, having survived her fall, took over for Orchid.
Orchid told Athena that it was likely too late for the Alliance member, who would become an emotionless zombie if the Retoxin didn’t kill them. However, she confided to them that Lotus had been happy in his final moments to be free of Gelimer before she walked away. Athena and the Alliance member hopped off Black Heaven and landed on the deck of the Lumiere.
Elsewhere, Francis found Orchid and begged her to escape with him, though Orchid silently watched the wreckage as she bid farewell to her brother. Black Heaven finally crashed atop the Scrapyard as the Alliance escaped triumphant. However, their celebration was short-lived when they learned from Athena that the Alliance member would most likely die from the Retoxin, causing the Piyo siblings and many others to mourn.
(A/N: The Resistance classes, including Xenon and the Demon, get some exclusive dialogue, in which Claudine yells out their name in mourning alongside the Piyo siblings.)
Just then, however, Cygnus declared that the Alliance member would be fine and pulled out the Seal Stone of Ereve, the final Seal Stone in existence. (A/N: The Seal Stone of Ereve being called the final Seal Stone in existence implies that the others were destroyed by the Black Wings.) Cygnus explained that though no power was strong enough to bring back the dead, there was still hope for the Alliance member, who was still breathing. Neinheart cautiously asked Cygnus if she understood what it meant to use the last Seal Stone. Cygnus affirmed that she knew that its destruction would remove the final limitation on the Black Mage’s power.
However, she reminded them all that Freud had created the Seal Stones in order to help them protect what was most precious to the people and asked whether they all valued the Seal Stone more than the Alliance member. With the full support of the Alliance, Cygnus used the final Seal Stone in order to save the Alliance member. Unbeknown to them all, however, the Seal Stone recognized the Alliance member as one who represented the will of the people, causing it to choose them as its Vessel.
In the aftermath of the battle, the Alliance member spoke with the leaders of the Alliance as they returned back to Ereve. Athena told the Alliance member that she would return back to Henesys, as she needed to train more bowmen to defend Maple World. She told them that she looked forward to everyone gathering again, though she hoped for it to be under happier circumstances. The Alliance member told her that they would stop by the next time they were in Henesys, to which Athena jokingly told them that elves never forgot a promise.
(A/N: Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces the last part of the conversation. When she tells Athena that she’ll come visit, Athena tells Mercedes that she’ll be waiting.)
The Alliance member then spoke with Claudine, who told them that the Black Wings were done for, as their leaders and their power base had been demolished, with a free Edelstein being only a step away. The Alliance member asked her what she would do once Edelstein was freed, to which she told them that she had never thought of it before.
Claudine explained that she was considering listening to what Irvin had once told her to start dating before telling the Alliance member that she had told Irvin about Gelimer and Martini’s deaths. She explained that he had simply noted that it had been quite appropriate, adding that he likely needed time to process. She then thanked the Alliance member for everything before saying goodbye.
Next, the Alliance member spoke with Neinheart, who told them that he was glad that they were safe. The Alliance member began pointing out that he didn’t look happy, to which Neinheart cut in and told them that his expression was his happy face. However, he then reminded them that the Seal Stone had been final restraint on the Black Mage’s powers, and that its destruction meant that the Black Mage was completely free, meaning that the final battle for Maple World was drawing near.
The Alliance member began to apologize, to which Neinheart told them not to be sorry, as after thinking about it, he agreed with the Empress' decision. He told them that they could no longer rely on seals and barriers, as they needed to settle things once and for all, for which the Alliance needed them. The Alliance member joked that it sounded like he was planning to keep ordering them around, to which Neinheart merely laughed.
Finally, the Alliance member spoke with Cygnus, who told them that though she was glad that the war was over, she was sad that they would have to say goodbye again. However, she added that she had a feeling that their goodbye wouldn’t last long, for while Gelimer was gone, the Black Mage was still a looming threat to Maple World. She then told them that whatever the reason, she looked forward to meeting them again.
(A/N: Mihile gets an exclusive script with Cygnus that replaces the regular dialogue. Cygnus tells Mihile to have a safe trip, to which he tells Cygnus that he’ll be back soon, once he learns of their enemy’s plan. He then pauses, causing Cygnus to note that he seems sad. Mihile explains that he may be gone for awhile, causing Cygnus to agree that it is indeed sad. However, she replies that they’ll be together again, if Maple World is in danger, as she knows that they can always count on him, just like during the Black Heaven crisis. She then tells Mihile that she looks forward to having their great knight back again before affectionately calling him her great knight.)
The Alliance member then climbed aboard their airship, and with the Piyo siblings sending them off with many tears, they returned back home. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the battle, the defective androids who had once been hunted down by Gelimer created a new home for themselves called Haven amidst the ruins of Black Heaven in the Scrapyard.
As the people of Maple World celebrated the Alliance’s victory, Arkarium reported Gelimer’s defeat to the Black Mage, though he added that Gelimer’s death had been assured when he had approached them with deceit. However, the Black Mage ignored his words and instead told him that the shape of destiny had been twisted, and that a new Adversary had appeared with the power of the Seal Stone.
(A/N: There are two variations to what the Black Mage says. In the original Black Heaven cutscene, he says “The axis of destiny has been twisted. A new Archenemy has been born, with the Seal Stone in their arms.” However, in a different promotional cinematic for Tenebris, he instead says, “The shape of destiny has been twisted. A new Adversary has appeared with the power of the Seal Stone.”
The word ‘Archenemy’ is the direct translation of the Adversary in Korean, but the GMS localization later chose to use the word ‘Adversary’ during Esfera and beyond, which is the term that they’ve decided to stick with. I’m hoping that they change the Black Heaven text to say ‘Adversary’ in order to have it match with the current usage. For the purposes of this section, I’ve decided to use the quote from the Tenebris promotional video because it sounds a lot cooler and uses the term ‘Adversary’.)
Arkarium offered to handle them personally, but the Black Mage forbade him from intervening, instead tasking Damien and his demon army to carry out their next move. Meanwhile, deep in the Forest of Spirits, Orchid and Francis sought out Guwaru. Orchid then asked Guwaru to give back her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness, as she had used up her Wing Master power that the Black Mage had given her.
Shortly after, Gerand Darmoor became aware of the Adversary’s creation. In the shadows, the Angler Company founder continued sending his children on missions to harvest energy to make up for his lost power source after the explosion at the Angler Company headquarters. Their frequent excursions soon attracted the attention of Darmoor, who followed rumors of the Company’s return and discovered that it was still operating in secrecy. Darmoor then arranged a meeting with the Angler family and revealed to them that a new Adversary had been created, and that he planned to destroy the Seal Stone within them.
The Company founder realized that without the Seal Stone, the Adversary would have no choice but to seek out Odium in order to obtain a new one. As Guardian Kalos would only allow a true Vessel to complete Karote and enter Odium, he hoped to have his children manipulate the Adversary into entering Karote after Darmoor would shatter their Seal Stone. The Company founder then became business partners with Darmoor and his Apostles.
Soon after, the Company founder moved his memory chip and heart into a new body, as his previous body had been severely damaged in the explosion at Company headquarters. In order to prepare for his plan to invade Odium, the Company founder chose to use a body in the image of the Constables of Odium: robotic dolls with mechanical Anima features that maintained the laboratory in the elders’ absence. He reconstructed himself as a Constable with mechanical rabbit ears and a tiger tail, hoping to use his new body to infiltrate Odium undetected as soon as the Adversary completed Karote and opened the path.
(A/N: With the end of Black Heaven, I also wanted to talk about a couple of Easter eggs that you can find. These Easter eggs can be obtained by accessing secret areas throughout Act 5 during a repeat playthrough. If you’re interested in where they are, PirateIzzy made a handy guide for where to find them, which you can take a look at here.
The first three Easter eggs are Gelimer’s research diaries. The first entry talks about him successfully making a miracle drug created from Orange Mushroom extract and Stone Colossus saliva. With clinical trials being a complete success, he believes that all of Maple World will fall into his hands.
In the second entry, he’s frustrated because the drug - which is supposed to cure baldness - doesn’t work on him, even though it worked on everyone else. He briefly considers selling the drug and making a fortune, but he then realizes that if he does, he’ll be the only bald person left, which causes him to curse the world. GMS actually omitted the part in which he considers selling the drug when they were localizing it.
In the final entry, he realizes that the side effect of his miracle drug is that it causes people to lose their emotions. He takes his immunity to the drug as a sign that he’s meant to weaponize it and rule a world of perfect rationality. More importantly, he believes that doing so will ensure that he’ll never be mocked for being bald again. The drug is pretty obviously supposed to be Retoxin, although it makes you wonder why Gelimer needed a gas mask if he was immune to its effects. I like to think that he needed it because of the massive quantities of gas, which would be lethal to anyone.
The next four Easter eggs are notes from a Black Wings boss. The first entry has him note that Black Heaven is quite large, and he wonders what he should do during the hour-long elevator ride just to go to the cafeteria.
The second entry has him realize that he should use the opportunity to get closer to Bonnie, who works in the next lab over. As he had been thinking about how to strike up a conversation with her, he decides that spending an hour together in an elevator should be enough for them to get closer to each other.
The third entry has him fume that Gelimer, whom he calls ‘Baldie’ had been in the same elevator as them, causing them to stand awkwardly in silence for a whole hour. He also notes that Gelimer had been eyeing his luscious fur, speculating that Gelimer has a fur complex because of his baldness, especially if he knows that everyone calls him ‘Baldie’ behind his back.
The final entry has him repeatedly spam the word ‘Baldie’ and express his anger that Gelimer had made Bonnie get off the elevator when it had gotten full, even though it was common courtesy that Gelimer, as someone who had gotten on later, should have been the one to get off in order to make room. He then notices that there’s a camera on the ceiling monitoring what he’s typing.
The last three Easter eggs are recordings from an android. The first entry has the android note that he had been plucking fur from one of the Black Wings rabbits. It notes that he feels bad for doing so, adding that the rabbit was crying and mumbling ‘Bonnie’ over and over again. The GMS localization used female pronouns to refer to the rabbit boss, who’s supposed to be the one who made the notes from the last Easter egg.
Since Korean doesn’t really have gendered pronouns, the rabbit boss technically never had their gender specified in the text, and so it’s entirely possible that the rabbit boss could’ve been a woman simping for Bonnie. However, this is KMS we’re taking about, and I’d be fairly surprised if they would ever explicitly have gay romance outside of queerbaiting.
The second entry has the android note that he doesn’t have any hair, and neither does his father, Gelimer, which makes him wonder whether this is what they call hereditary.
The final entry has the android note that he can’t stop thinking about the female android that he had seen, with a smooth face and soft LED lights. He wonders whether this feeling is love, adding that he regrets discovering emotions. He recalls the boss rabbit who had been crying and saying “Bonnie”, which makes him wonder whether “Bonnie” is the name of the emotion that he’s feeling.)
Heroes of Maple:
(A/N: With the release of the Dreamer update, Heroes of Maple received a significant storyline revamp. Please note that some terms that I’ve localized in this translation are subject to change once the GMS localization comes out, which means that you might find that the names which I’ve used here are different from other sources that you might’ve seen. If you’re curious about the original Heroes of Maple storyline, check out the pre-Destiny page.
Personally, I have very mixed feelings on the changes made, because while some of them were definitely great - such as finally giving a conclusive answer to the difference between Tynerum and Friends World - a lot of the story was, in my opinion, significantly made worse than how it was originally. To give a succinct review of each, the original Heroes of Maple had a lot of out-of-character moments and questionable writing decisions, but its highs hit really high.
Meanwhile, the revamp played it extremely safe - to the point that it’s downright boring. A lot of Evan’s original character arc, for example, involved the Heroes comparing him to Freud and believing that he doesn’t measure up, which hits a culmination where Evan has to overcome his insecurities after being possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance in Damien’s sword.
All of this was completely thrown out the window, and Evan’s character arc rings pretty hollow when everyone around him is constantly reaffirming that he’s good enough, which makes it really difficult to actually feel any sort of connection to his character arc, or even to feel catharsis at the end, because there’s just literally no tension whatsoever when all his negative feelings are overshadowed by overwhelming waves of fluff and positivity the instant that he expresses them.
I have a mountain of thoughts about the details of the revamp, but I’ll put those aside for now and pick them back up in the actual writeup. Personal reviews aside, Heroes of Maple was a pretty-hyped up event at the time of its release, since the Heroes were - pretty obviously - the most popular characters in the game. There were two small prequels that were released during the lead-up to the blockbuster’s release. The blockbuster is divided into four acts, along with Act 1.5, which is a bridge between Acts 1 and 2. The first prequel that was released for Heroes of Maple was Act 0: Freud, The Last Record. It was a short animation that Nexon commissioned from a webtoon artist.
While the animation was never adapted into English, the summary is that after the Black Mage was sealed, Freud divined the future with the last remaining Shamanesses of Azwan and created a prophecy: “As the final battle approaches, the unshackled wolf will devour the World Tree.” Freud believed that the other Heroes would be able to stop the impending threat, and so he decided to leave the future in their hands. He was also certain that his successor would be stronger than him, and so he decided to seek out the Sanctum of Abraxas in order to help them.
With the Dreamer update, Act 0 has been made non-canon, along with the prophecy about the unshackled wolf devouring the World Tree. Instead, there’s a new prologue in-game that takes place at the start of Act 1, which has Freud meet with Alicia shortly before she seals herself in Root Abyss, in which he asks her for her help in restoring balance to Maple World. Alicia points him to the Sanctum of Abraxas in order to get his answers, and she asks him to ensure that the Heroes will help her in the future. If you want the full writeup for that, I have it towards the end of this section here. The prologue also contained a short sequence with Damien kidnapping Alicia in Ereve, which I’ve covered here.
Along with Act 0, there was also a second prequel released before the blockbuster in the form of an event called “Dark Decree”. The event starts out with Neinheart calling us to Ereve, where he explains that the Alliance has intercepted some messages from the demons of Tynerum. He tells us that the demons have been dormant for so long that it worries him that they’re starting to resurface.
After helping him decipher the first message, we learn that the demons are planning to attack Elluel in order to keep Mercedes distracted from what they’re really doing. Because of our warning, Mercedes and Danika intercept and defeat the demons near Ellinia, since the demons don’t know exactly where Elluel is. Mercedes notes that the demons were trained warriors and fears that something bad is about to happen.
The next message reveals that the demons are planning to trick Aran, whom they call a ‘simple meathead’ in their letter, by leaving behind an ancient grindstone and setting up a trap. For some reason, GMS also uses male pronouns to refer to Aran in this letter, which is a bit ridiculous at this point when Aran is literally being established as female in this blockbuster. But regardless, thanks to our warning, Aran is able to avoid their trap and defeats them, and she makes it clear that she’s annoyed about being called a meathead.
The third message reveals that the demons have become aware of Phantom and his skills, and so they’ve set a trap for him by making up a story about the rare Death Jewel of Nihal Desert. Even though we warn him, Phantom is already aware that it’s a trap because there’s no jewel in the world that he doesn’t know about. After he defeats the demons, he tells Gaston that he only took the bait because he wanted to know why the demons wanted to lure him. His information network then deduces that, based on their other attacks, the demons are after the Heroes.
The fourth message reveals that the demons are planning to attack Lania, as they’ve learned that she’s close to Luminous. Because of our warning, Luminous is able to put up an illusion around Lania’s home to protect her. However, he realizes that the demons might not be after the Heroes, and that it’s possible that the Heroes are just obstacles between them and their real goal.
The fifth message reveals that the demons are after Evan and Mir, as they’ve sensed the power of the Onyx Dragons in Henesys. Evan rushes home to his farm, only to find that the demons got caught in the wolf traps that Utah had left out. Utah, who doesn’t know that the soldiers are demons, tells Evan that the demons’ faces are so pale that they almost look blue.
Because of this, he mistakenly believes that they’re starving, and so he decides that he’ll give them a stern talking-to about trespassing before giving them some eggs and potatoes. He then begins lecturing the demons and asks them if they even understand how much effort goes into making those eggs and potatoes, to which the demons beg him to stop talking, as this is the 178th time that he’s repeated the same line. They believe that Utah is a master interrogator and start begging for mercy. Meanwhile, Evan realizes that if the demons have reached his home, then something bad must be happening.
The sixth message reveals that the demons have become aware of Shade. Though they don’t know who he is, they do know that he’s someone with significant power that’s on-par with the Heroes, as well as the fact that he trains in Mu Lung. The message orders the demons to meet Shade in Mu Lung and persuade him to join them, and to destroy him if he refuses. Neinheart is surprised because he realizes that the demons have expanded their focus to people outside the Heroes and wonders whether they’re just after powerful people, rather than the Heroes themselves.
In Mu Lung, Shade defeats the demons and wonders whether their appearance is an opportunity for him to be able to finally reunite with his friends. However, he then berates himself for dreaming of a reunion when the world is being threatened and calls himself selfish. Nevertheless, he can’t help but think to himself that he misses his friends very much.
The seventh and final message reveals that the demons have been ordered to go to a specific area in southern Leafre, which the “great one” had said is where everything had begun. The message then orders them to secure that location because the “great one” will be visiting it soon. Neinheart immediately realizes the significance of the location, after which the Demon contacts him and requests that he be allowed to handle the matter personally, as the location marked in the letter is his old family home.
The Demon then returns to his ruined family home and sees that there are signs that someone has already come and gone. He then wonders who else would come there when the house is only significant to him. He decides that he’ll come back to visit again because he has a bad feeling about it all, unaware that Damien is secretly watching him in the distance. The Demon later does return back to his family home during Act 1.5, where he also reunites with Damien.)
Through his connection to Afrien, Mir felt that something was wrong on Turtle Island. Evan and Mir went to investigate, where they found Damien’s demon army in the area. As they snuck past the demons and headed to Afrien’s cave, they fought past Murukuns with Damien’s curse mark on their foreheads. (A/N: Murukuns are monsters native to Rien, which Aran fights during her tutorial.) They continued to push forward and scaled a large cliff, where they found a cave at the top. Looking down from the precipice, they were shocked to find an entire encampment of demons below.
The two then entered the cave and fought through the demon soldiers before encountering Afrien trapped in a net of icicles and corrupted by Damien’s mark. Afrien greeted them, and though Evan attempted to reassure him that they would find a way to free him, Afrien told him that he knew that it was too late. However, he assured Evan that he would end things on his own terms before revealing that the reason why he had been holding out for so long was because he needed to share a memory that he had originally planned to show when Evan was older, though he added that there was no time to delay any further.
Through Afrien, Evan heard a pre-recorded message from Freud, who explained that he had placed several of his own memories inside Afrien’s mark of the Spirit Pact. He told Evan that the fact that Afrien was sharing his message meant that the Black Mage had returned. However, he added that Evan wouldn’t have to face the threat alone, as he was certain that his five friends who had faced the Black Mage with him were still fighting for Maple World. He then asked Evan to reunite the Heroes and told him that he would be waiting before the message ended.
After relaying the message, Afrien explained that his final task was now complete. Just as Mir entreated him not to speak as though these were his last minutes, Damien suddenly appeared and confronted Evan and Mir, using his powers to activate his mark of corruption on Afrien, who screamed in pain.
(A/N: We encounter Damien’s mark of corruption several times in previous storylines, such as Stone Colossus. The mark of corruption allows him to control the beings whom he places it on, as well as to augment his own power with theirs. Given the sheer number of beings with his mark of corruption, you can imagine how powerful Damien has become, similar to how strong Lotus had become with the massive amounts of energy that the Black Wings had harvested over the years for him.)
Upon seeing Damien’s eyepatch and scarlet sword, Evan immediately recognized him as the Commander who had attacked Ereve and kidnapped Alicia. Evan demanded to know how Damien how he could commit such atrocities for power, to which Damien told him that it was humans who had taught them that weakness was a sin when they had driven out the demons from their homes.
He then turned to Afrien and noted that he was impressed by his resilience, claiming that he was the first to have endured so much suffering at his hands. An angry Evan and Mir yelled that Afrien was a proud Onyx Dragon, and that he wasn’t someone who Damien could corrupt as he pleased, to which Damien smirked and used his mark of corruption to further torture Afrien, who cried out again in pain.
He then turned back to Evan and ordered him to reveal the memory which he had seen from Freud, warning him not to drag out his resistance. Evan was shocked and asked Damien how he knew about Freud’s memories. As he and Mir frantically attempted to figure out what to do, Afrien weakly told Evan that it would be alright and asked him to carry out his duty as a Dragon Master.
Upon hearing Afrien’s reassurance, Evan refused to tell Damien about Freud’s memories, claiming that those memories were Freud and Afrien’s legacy. Afrien then told Damien that if he had thought that their will would be so easily broken, then he was sorely mistaken. Amused, Damien told Afrien that he would then change the deal and offered him new vitality in exchange for striking down Evan and Mir, which Afrien immediately refused.
Damien laughed and told Afrien that he had expected as much, after which he activated his mark of corruption and caused Afrien to roar in agony. Furious, Evan and Mir unleashed an enormous barrage of dragon fire at Damien, who blocked the attack with his sword. Damien then laughed that he was disappointed and asked Evan whether Freud’s successor was truly so weak.
Evan was surprised by the strange power of Damien’s sword, with Afrien realizing that there was no way that they could defeat him. As Damien prepared to finish them off, Afrien used the last of his power to sacrifice himself in order to teleport Evan and Mir close to the cave entrance, though the effort ultimately killed him. Fighting through the demon army, the pair managed to escape the cave, which was collapsing as a result of Afrien releasing his full power. After reaching safety, Evan swore that he would avenge Afrien and carry out Freud’s will by reuniting the Heroes and stopping the demon army.
(A/N: In the original Heroes of Maple storyline, Aran and Shade arrived to help Evan, as the demon army had attacked Rien and kidnapped Lilin and several penguins from the island. In the original story, it was revealed that Aran and Shade had met during Black Heaven, after which they had become sparring partners.
Personally, I loved Aran and Shade’s dynamic together, and I was convinced that Aran and Shade were secretly dating because it just feels too perfect for the guy who no one remembers to not be dating the girl who remembers no one. I’m also convinced that Shade had a thing for Freud, and since he’s clearly not over him, I can imagine how awkward date nights might get:
Shade: “So, what do you like to do?”
Aran: “I love training, and fighting the Black Mage.”
Shade: “Oh… Freud used to love fighting the Black Mage.”
Aran: “Oh… neat. What about you?”
Shade: “I like stargazing. Freud used to love stargazing too.”
Aran: “Wow, that’s… pretty interesting.”
Shade: “…”
Aran: “…”
Aran: drinks water
Shade: “…Freud used to drink water.”
Aran: “Okay, check please.”)
Meanwhile, back at the demon camp, an injured Damien returned to his tent and seethed over what a waste of time it had all been. He then used the power of his sword to heal his injuries. A captured Alicia then noted that it seemed as though Damien had encountered something that he couldn’t handle. Damien reminded Alicia that she was bound by his power, to which Alicia told him not to be cocky, reminding him that it was his sword’s power, not his.
She then told him to stop his foolish plan now that Freud’s successor had already received Freud’s message, to which Damien amusedly asked whether she was hoping that Freud’s successor and the other Heroes were coming to rescue her. He then derisively remarked that she was an unworthy vessel for the power of a Transcendent and told her to stop resisting, as soon enough, he would devour everything. After Damien left the tent, Alicia silently noted to herself that there was still hope left.
Soon after, Evan and Mir traveled to Ereve and met with Cygnus, Neinheart, Claudine, and Athena Pierce. After being informed about the situation, Neinheart noted that Damien’s plans not only included attacking Ereve and kidnapping the World Tree, but also going after Freud’s memories. He explained that it was likely that a full-scale war may break out against the demons, to which Athena wondered what the Commanders could be planning, as it hadn’t been that long since Black Heaven.
Neinheart replied that there wasn’t enough time to prepare for the threat that they faced, as the demon army was already moving into Maple World as they spoke. After a pause, Cygnus offered her condolences to Evan and Mir for Afrien’s death, apologizing for not being able to do more to prevent it. Evan bitterly noted that his weakness was the reason for Afrien’s death, believing that he may have been able to prevent it if his connection to Mir as a Dragon Master had been stronger, which would have allowed him to detect Afrien’s pain sooner.
However, he told Cygnus that he knew that it was no time to blame himself, vowing that he would no longer allow anyone else to sacrifice themselves. He explained that Freud had instructed him to reunite the Heroes, and that he planned on doing just that in order to learn Damien and the Black Mage’s true purpose. He then asked Cygnus to mobilize the Alliance to face the demon army while the Heroes carried out their mission.
Neinheart asked Evan whether it would be possible for them to succeed with just the Heroes, who had all been weakened from the Black Mage’s curse. He also noted that since Damien already knew about Freud’s memories, it was possible that he was baiting the Heroes into isolating themselves and working alone. Evan replied that it was precisely the reason why he had come to Ereve, as he already knew that they had no hope of succeeding without the Alliance.
After considering it, Neinheart admitted that it would be more effective for a small, elite team to gather information, rather than a large-scale operation. He then asked the Empress for her decision, to which Cygnus told him that the Alliance would defend Maple World from the demon army while Evan and the other Heroes gathered more information. With their strategy finalized, Neinheart gave Evan the location of the Heroes, as well as a small airship piloted by a guide named Kiriru.
(A/N: You can visit the Heroes in any order that you want, but I’m ordering them based on how they appear on the list.)
Evan first traveled to Rien, where Aran was furiously attacking a large block of ice in frustration. Aran bitterly wondered aloud why the demons had attacked Rien, causing Maha to manifest himself and tell Aran to calm down, pointing out that nothing had happened. He then told her to stop taking out her anger on a block of ice, to which Aran heatedly retorted that it was the only way for her to feel better, adding that Damien – who hid behind his subordinates as they attacked helpless innocents – infuriated her.
Though Maha agreed with her, he told her to calm down, noting that a guest had arrived. Aran then turned to find that Evan and Mir had arrived. Aran greeted Evan, who told her that he had heard the stories about how the demons had attacked Rien. He then told Aran about what had happened on Turtle Island, causing Aran to seethe in fury at what had happened to Afrien. She then apologized to Evan, noting that she should have tracked down the demons after they had fled Rien.
However, Evan told her that it was no one’s fault, adding that the demon’s goal hadn’t been Afrien in the end. He then told her that they may be able to learn more from Freud’s memories and asked her to lend her strength. After a pause, Aran admitted that her memories and strength hadn’t yet come back fully, and that she may not be as helpful as he believed. Nevertheless, she agreed to help him however she could, promising to meet him in Ereve soon. After Evan and Mir left, Aran noted to herself that seeing Evan was exactly how she remembered feeling upon seeing Freud, which was something that she could look forward to.
(A/N: Evan meeting Aran was added into the revamp, as she and Shade had already agreed to help him after the fight at Turtle Island.)
Evan then traveled to Ellinia in order to meet Luminous. In the forest, Evan watched from a distance as a dispatch of demon soldiers attempted to attack Luminous, who defeated them effortlessly. Luminous then called out to Evan to reveal himself, causing him to wonder in surprise how Luminous had detected him. Luminous explained that a mage shouldn’t rely solely on magic, as they also needed to have the judgement to know when to use magic, the composure to always think ahead, and the ability to concentrate in order to find solutions.
He then noted that Evan’s visit likely had something to do with the demons and asked him to explain what had happened. After Evan told him what had happened to Afrien, Luminous remained silent for a moment before noting that Afrien had kept his oath to Freud until the very end, and that he had met a noble end for an Onyx Dragon. He then told Evan that it was now his turn to fulfill his oath, to which Evan admitted that though he wished to fight, his abilities simply weren’t enough, for which he asked Luminous for his help.
Luminous, in turn, admitted that he wished to help, but just as he trailed off, Lania opened the door to their home and invited them in. Mir sighed in relief, explaining that they had just been getting lectured by Luminous, causing Lania to reproachfully tell Luminous to be nice to their guests before Evan and Mir gratefully came inside.
Later that night, Lania found Luminous looking through his notes on magic. Lania noted that Evan and Mir had good hearts, to which Luminous replied that a good heart didn’t necessarily make for a good mage. Lania then pointed out that he seemed to be particularly strict with Evan. Luminous explained that Evan had been learning magic all on his own without a teacher until now, and that it would be difficult for him to grow without someone to help him.
Lania replied that Luminous and his friends could simply help Evan, to which Luminous protested that he couldn’t leave her side. However, Lania told him not to worry about her, as he would be back before they knew it. After considering it, Luminous agreed to leave and help Evan after strengthening the Light Barrier around their home. Lania then laughed and told him that she would pack lunches so that he could share them with everyone.
(A/N: This is one of those places where the revamp changed the story for the worse. In the original story, Luminous didn’t want to help Evan - not only because he didn’t think that Evan was worthy of replacing a master magician like Freud - but also because he believed that Freud’s vague plan to find an ancient ruin in order to save the world from an unknown threat was too far-fetched to have any merit.
Admittedly, there were certain things that I didn’t like in that conversation, such as Luminous pointing out that Mir’s small size compared to Afrien was because Evan’s magical power was significantly weaker that Freud. At the time of the blockbuster’s release, the writers changed certain details of Evan’s storyline to suggest that he was magically weaker than Freud, even though all past storylines explicitly stated that Evan was quickly on the road to becoming Freud’s equal in terms of power.
I wasn’t a fan of the way that the writers had to specifically go out of their way to tear Evan down by removing references to his strength and inventing “proof” that he’s not good enough to be Freud’s successor through retcons like the size of Onyx Dragons being proportional to their masters’ strength, which wasn’t mentioned anywhere in Evan’s class story. Evan feeling like he’s not good enough would’ve worked perfectly fine with him being canonically just as strong as Freud - imposter syndrome can happen to anyone, even if you’re one of the most talented people in the world.
On the other hand, I feel like the way that the writers handled it here isn’t that great, either. Like I mentioned earlier, Evan’s inferiority complex is supposed to be the central focus of his character in this blockbuster, and the moment where he overcomes it is meant to be the culmination of him overcoming all these littles jabs that build up over the course of the story. With all the Heroes being overly saccharine and coddling him about it, it doesn’t feel as earned anymore, and the story definitely suffers as a result.)
Evan then traveled to Elluel in order to find Mercedes, where the elders asked him to wait until she returned. Mercedes soon arrived with Leaves of Winter, hoping that it would help the elders lift the Black Mage’s curse on the elves. The elders noted that Mercedes had been working relentlessly without rest and asked her to take a break, adding that they were worried about her. They then told her that a guest had arrived, causing her to turn to see Evan trying to stop Mir from eating a bush filled with strange plants.
Mercedes took them to the Fairy Fountain in order to talk, where Evan told her about Afrien and Freud’s message. Mercedes was saddened to hear about Afrien’s fate and asked Evan whether he was okay. Evan told her that he was fine, though he added that Afrien wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully without him carrying out Freud’s will by reuniting the five Heroes. He then asked for Mercedes’ help, to which she told him that she couldn’t refuse, promising that she would fight by the Dragon Master’s side once again.
After Evan and Mir left, Mercedes spoke aloud to Freud and noted that it seemed as though they were all gearing up to jump into the fight that he had prepared for, though she solemnly noted that it would be without him this time. Nevertheless, she smiled to herself and declared that she had no regrets, as she would do her duty now, just as she had done before, as befit the Ruler of the Elves.
(A/N: Similar to Luminous, Mercedes in the original story didn’t want to help Evan because she wanted to put all her focus onto helping her people. However, just like Luminous ultimately changes his mind after Evan leaves, Mercedes also decides that she can’t sit back and do nothing.)
Next, Evan and Mir traveled to Magatia, where it was said that Phantom would be. As they began searching for him on foot, Phantom observed them from the rooftops, noting that Evan – despite being Freud’s successor – was rather clumsy. He then decided to test Evan by appearing before him and disappearing once again, causing Evan to give chase. As they continued searching the town, they spotted a man who looked just like Phantom. Knowing that Phantom was a master of disguise, Evan had Mir roast the man with his fire breath. Upon realizing that the man wasn’t Phantom, Evan began apologizing profusely.
As Mir turned away to look somewhere else, Phantom covertly appeared and teleported himself and Evan away. Atop a tall roof, Phantom amusedly noted that Evan wouldn’t be able to catch him with his level of skill, causing Evan to realize that Phantom had been testing him. However, he then declared that they didn’t have time for it, as he had something important to share. Phantom explained that he already had a rough idea, as his intelligence network had learned that the demon army was closing in on Maple World.
After Evan filled him in on the rest with Afrien and Damien, Phantom noted that it would be a lot of hard work to carry out Freud’s will, adding that the true test would begin now. He then told Evan that he was free to run away from it if he wanted, though Evan refused, vowing that he wouldn’t run from the task that he had been given, as Freud and Afrien were believing in him to see it through.
Phantom was pleased to see his resolve and declared that it was good that he was committing to it, as Master Thief Phantom couldn’t be left out of something so important. After Evan left, Phantom sighed amusedly and contacted his intelligence network, explaining that something important had come up that he needed to involve himself in.
Colette sarcastically asked Phantom whether he was planning to blow up the airship again, requesting that he let her know beforehand so that she could prepare herself for it, to which Phantom laughed and told her that in order to win big, one needed to bet big. Gaston then interrupted and told Phantom that the ship was ready for his return. As Phantom vanished in a flash of cards, he noted to himself that the title of ‘hero’ still didn’t suit him, though he would still step up if needed, just as Freud would have wanted him to.
(A/N: Like Mercedes and Luminous, Phantom in the original refused to get involved because he had no reason to fight alongside the Heroes anymore. In the end, however, he decides that he’ll return to the fold because he wants to see if Evan is truly Freud’s successor, or merely a pretender.)
Soon after reaching out to the Heroes, Evan and Mir returned back to Ereve, where they awaited the others to arrive on the day of the mission. When no one seemed to appear, Mir jokingly wondered whether they had all gotten lost on the way to Ereve, to which Evan replied that the Heroes weren’t like himself. Just then, Phantom appeared and told Evan not to make self-deprecating jokes about himself, as he needed to be more confident in himself if he was going to be Freud’s successor.
Looking around, Phantom noted in amusement that he seemed to be the first one there, just as Mercedes arrived on Sylvidia. Mercedes greeted Phantom warmly and asked him whether he had finished repairing the Lumiere after the battle of Black Heaven. Just then, Luminous appeared and sardonically told Phantom that it would be better for him to just get a new ship. Phantom sighed theatrically and told Luminous that his impression of him has gotten worse since they had last seen each other, to which Luminous replied that the same could be said of him.
Mercedes then smiled and told Evan not to pay any mind to them, explaining that they always bickered like that. Just as she began wondering where Aran, was, Aran crash-landed hard on the ground in a flash of ice before asking sheepishly whether her entrance was too flashy. Phantom laughed and noted that even with her memories gone, her personality was still the same as before, to which Aran told him that she was slowly getting her memories back.
With all five of them together, Mercedes noted that it felt strange for them to all be in once place, as they had all been on separate missions last time, which meant that this was their first proper reunion after hundreds of years. However, she then recalled how Evan had mentioned gathering five of Freud’s old friends together, which meant that one of them was missing. Evan told her that she was correct, as there were six Heroes that needed to be gathered.
Phantom wondered whether it meant that Freud had a friend which they didn’t know about, though Luminous replied that it was impossible, as there had only been five of them on the day of the decisive battle against the Black Mage. However, he also noted that he felt a strange sensation when he thought about the battle – as well as his time with the other Heroes throughout the war – as though a piece of his memory was missing altogether.
Aran agreed and added that she felt uneasy while thinking about it, as though she had made a promise to someone that she couldn’t recall anymore. Mercedes added on that she had also felt the same way, though she had believed it to be her imagination until now. Phantom admitted that even he had been feeling similarly before asking Evan whether he knew anything more about it. Evan explained that he had learned something important in Freud’s memories about the Black Mage’s seal. He then asked Luminous what he remembered about the Seal of Time.
Luminous noted that he couldn’t forget the seal easily, as it had been Freud’s greatest piece of magic. He explained that the seal warped time and trapped the target inside the distorted field, and that even using the sealing spell had come at a cost. Evan asked whether he remembered what the price had been, causing Luminous to immediately realize what Evan was implying. Evan then told the others that the cost of activating the Seal of Time had been the time of a living sacrifice, who would be erased from existence entirely – even from the memories of others.
As Mercedes realized that one of their friends in the past had sacrificed their existence to seal the Black Mage away, Phantom noted that whoever had made that sacrifice deserved the title of ‘hero’, though he wondered who it could have been. Evan explained that he believed that the Heroes already had an idea of who it could be, and that Freud had likely believed the same thing, which was why he had left those memories in the first place.
Though Luminous told Evan that the price of time magic couldn’t be nullified so easily, he also admitted that he had a few guesses as to who it might be. Mercedes then recalled how there had been someone during the battle of Black Heaven who had given her a strange feeling. Aran agreed and explained that though she hadn’t seen his back during the battle – which only a warrior who trusted their ally would show – she had nevertheless felt safe at his side. Realizing that they were all thinking of the same person, Phantom voiced aloud that they were all thinking of Shade.
(A/N: Just like with Aran, this scene didn’t happen in the original because Aran and Shade had already agreed to help. Personally, I think it’s a bit stupid how they all just conveniently happened to remember Shade. The original story had them know Shade as just Aran’s friend, and it was only after they got together that they learned from Freud’s message that Shade was the sixth hero.)
Soon after, the Heroes traveled to El Nath, where Shade had just received an order to gather with the Alliance. Just as he began heading out, he was surprised to find all the Heroes arriving to see him. Upon arriving, Evan noted happily that it was fortunate that Neinheart knew the location of all Alliance members. Phantom then told Shade that it was clear that after seeing his unusual fighting technique, it was clear that he was no ordinary fighter, with Aran wondering whether his skillset had changed from what she last remembered.
Mercedes then greeted him uncertainly as Shade, with Aran asking him whether that was his name, as she wasn’t sure whether it had been different in the past. Upon seeing that his friends remembered him, Shade began blinking back tears as he smiled broadly, explaining that ‘Shade’ would be fine. Evan then told Shade everything that had happened, with Shade noting that Freud had wanted them all to be reunited. Mir then pointed out that their reunion had all been made possible thanks to Evan, with Mercedes replying that if it hadn’t been for Evan, they might not have had a chance.
Phantom then asked Evan to show them Freud’s memories, to which Luminous began coaching Evan in linking their minds with the power of the Dragon Master. Using his power, Evan bridged the Heroes’ minds, allowing them to access the memories that Freud had given to Evan. However, they learned that his memories only contained basic information – the location of Abraxas, the Ruins of Memory, deep in the Nihal Desert, where Freud had made preparations to protect the balance of the world.
As the Heroes prepared to head out, Luminous pointed out that they still needed to remain wary of the demon army, which appeared to be tracking them, as they had attempted to ambush him in Ellinia. Aran agreed and pointed out that they had also attacked Rien, though she wasn’t sure whether they had been targeting her specifically. Evan then proposed splitting up into two teams, with one team searching for the ruins, while the other went after Damien.
In order to divide their forces, Phantom used his powers to magically place a card in each of their pockets, with each team being composed of those who shared a card with the same design. Based on the division, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous were assigned to find the ruins, while Phantom, Aran, and Shade were tasked with finding Damien. The Heroes then wished each other luck before heading out on their missions.
(A/N: This is a new addition to the revamp, as the original had Evan arrive at Nihal Desert alone, with him being sad that none of them wanted to help him until Mir encourages him to push through anyways. Over the course of the mission, the other Heroes slowly trickle in to help him as the change their minds from their initial stance.)
Meanwhile, the Demon returned to his burned family home in southern Leafre while tracking down the new Commander of the Black Mage. After defeating the demon soldiers, he cornered the Commander and demanded to know what they were doing on his family’s private land. He then noted that though the Commander was a demon, the power which had consumed him was one that should not be used. Drawing out his weapon, he pointed it at the Commander, declaring that he would unmask them at last.
(A/N: The Demon’s storyline has him chase after Damien upon learning that the Black Mage has a new demon Commander, though he has no idea that the Commander is his brother. This event is the culmination of that plot point.)
To his surprise and horror, the Commander removed his hood and revealed himself as Damien. The Demon was shocked to learn that his brother was alive and asked him how he had come to possess the Sword of Destruction. Damien revealed that hundreds of years ago, his latent powers had awakened, which had resulted in their mother’s death. However, he told the Demon not to worry, promising to restore everything to how it once was.
(A/N: I’ve said this before, but it was actually Arkarium who killed his mother, which caused Damien’s powers to awaken and destroy the building. Arkarium just tricked Damien into believing that it was his fault.)
As the horror-struck Demon realized that Damien had become a Commander in order to undo the tragedy which had befallen their family that day, Damien asked the Demon to become a Commander alongside him once again. However, the Demon warned Damien not to trust the Black Mage, claiming that in the end, his minions would only be cast aside like pawns.
However, Damien declared that the reason why the Demon had been betrayed was because he had been too weak, promising that they could turn everything back around if they stood together. The Demon hotly warned Damien that all demons who pursued power eventually walked the path of destruction. He then asked Damien whether he had forgotten what had happened to Tynerum.
Damien angrily retorted by asking the Demon whether he had any idea how he had been living for the last few centuries, revealing that because the Demon had served the Black Mage, the half-blood demons who had fled Tynerum had been forced back to their homeland by the people of Maple World. He explained that in Tynerum, all the half-blood demons without wings had been killed, with their souls ripped out, except for himself, who had survived and been chosen by the Sword of Destruction.
(A/N: A bit of a dumb plot point introduced here is that all the half-bloods in Tynerum were killed except for him, yet Damien’s entire army is filled with all the half-bloods that he led out of Tynerum. There are two ways that I imagine they could go about to fix it - one being that more half-bloods arrived in Tynerum after the sacrifice, or that Tynerum has other races like Maple World and Grandis whom the demons could have families with, resulting in half-blood demons with non-human ancestry that exist in the present day.)
However, the Demon warned Damien that the sword’s power was something that he would not be able to handle, to which Damien replied that he sounded exactly like Alicia, whom he simply called ‘that girl’. He then declared that after understanding the Demon’s choice, they would now walk separate paths.
He reminded the Demon about their people’s laws – that demons were not permitted to get involved in each other’s fights – and then used his powers to attack his brother. As the Demon fell unconscious, Damien told the Demon that the war was his fight and warned him to stay out of it. After a pause, he told the Demon that it was the only path left to him, after which he disappeared.
Soon after, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous set out to find the ruins of Abraxas. Using Freud’s memories as a reference, Evan led the others deep within the Nihal Desert, where they began wondering where the ruins could be. Luminous realized that the ruins would most likely be underground, as he had been unable to find any records of Abraxas during his research, indicating that the ruins were well-hidden.
As they moved ahead, Luminous and Evan began detecting faint traces of magical power before them. Just as Luminous attempted to warn him, Evan accidentally walked into a pile of quicksand, which pulled him down into a cavern deep underground. Mir, Luminous, and Mercedes quickly went after him, where they all began marveling at the ancient ruins around them.
They then began moving forward and fought past several monsters in their way. Mercedes wondered whether the monsters were the gatekeepers of the ruins, though Luminous explained that the monsters had simply been formed from the magic around them, and that the gatekeeper would be up ahead.
Soon enough, they arrived at the entrance to the sanctum, which had been sealed by powerful magic. Though Mercedes believed that Freud had sealed it, Evan inspected the door and noted that it had no traces of the Dragon Master’s power. He speculated that it had perhaps been sealed by the magic of the ruins, though Luminous observed that it was more correct to say that the seal was linked to the magic of something else.
Suddenly, Kapus the Gatekeeper awakened and began fighting the Heroes. After some time, however, Kapus stopped himself upon determining that the Heroes held no ill-will. Recognizing Evan’s magic as being similar to that of Freud’s, Kapus allowed them entry, welcoming Evan ‘back’ as the Dragon Master. Mir laughed that even the stones of the ruins recognized Evan as Freud’s successor, with Luminous agreeing and noting that it was beyond dispute that Evan had inherited the will of the Dragon Master.
However, he then added that what concerned him more was that he had never seen such materials as the ones used in the construction of the sanctum, which made Mercedes wonder how old the ruins were. Luminous noted that though he didn’t know, it did confirm that Freud wasn’t the one who had created them.
The Heroes then proceeded inside the sanctum, which Evan noted was overflowing with magic. Luminous noted that it almost felt as though the ruins themselves were alive, causing him to wonder what Freud possibly could have left behind for them. Looking around the ruins, Mercedes pointed out that it was entirely possible that they were the only visitors to the ruins besides Freud.
Just then, Evan pointed out several stone tablets infused with magic. Though Mercedes warned that they could be dangerous, Evan nevertheless approached the tablets in order to inspect them. However, upon looking closer, Evan found that they had been written in an archaic language, which Mercedes speculated had gone extinct with an old civilization long ago.
Luminous told Evan to instead focus his mind on the magic within the tablets, revealing that they were devices which could transfer information into their heads. Evan realized that the tablets operated on the same mechanism that Freud had used to transfer his memories into Evan through the Spirit Pact, causing him to wonder whether Freud had created the tablets as well. However, Luminous explained that it was the opposite – that Freud had observed the technique within the tablets and applied them into his own magic.
Mir was surprised to know that Freud had been able to replicate such powerful magic at a single glance and wondered whether there was truly such a difference between Freud’s power and Evan’s. However, Mercedes reassured Evan not to worry, reminding him that he and Freud were different people with different skills. The Heroes then began reading the stone tablets with their minds, causing them to realize in shock that the tablets documented the entire history of Maple World and all its people.
Luminous wondered in surprise who could have possibly recorded down the entire history of Maple World, to which Mercedes explained that according to the legends passed down between the elven rulers, there were stories of places in Maple World which self-recorded their own history. She noted that it was likely that the ruins of Abraxas were one of those places. However, Luminous noted that as the older the records went, the more history was missing altogether.
Evan realized that if Freud had indeed wanted them to come to the ruins, it meant that there was something within the compiled historical records that he had wanted them to see, with Luminous speculating that perhaps there was something that would help them thwart the Black Mage’s plans. Mercedes then noticed that there was a space up ahead that led to a new passage within the ruins.
In the next corridor, the Heroes arrived to find a large space filled with many murals. Luminous noted that there appeared to be an encryption spell upon the murals that prevented their information from being magically transferred. After breaking through the spell, the Heroes were able to properly view the mural, which Evan deciphered to be a representation of the three laws of light, life, and time, referring to the three Transcendents of Maple World who maintained the balance of the world.
From the information magically stored in the mural, the Heroes began learning about the birth of the Transcendents. They learned that in the beginning, there had been 365 laws born from 365 creations, such as the sun, the moon, stones, trees, wind, rivers, and seas. From those 365 creations that made up the world, powerful beings had been brought into existence that mortals would one day know as the Ancient Gods. However, the Ancient Gods had brought about immense chaos with their influence, for which the Overseers had sealed them away in the name of their Creator. (A/N: This is a reference to the Primordial God, who created the Overseers in order to restore order to the universe.)
Following this, the Transcendents had been born to create a new order, and to maintain the balance of the world. After reading the mural, Mercedes asked Luminous how much he knew about the Transcendents, noting that he had inherited the power of the Transcendent of Light. However, Luminous clarified that he hadn’t inherited the power of the Transcendent of Light, as he had simply been born from the light cast out by the White Mage when he had become the Black Mage.
A confused Mercedes asked him what the difference was, to which Luminous explained that he wasn’t a Transcendent, as it was the White Mage who had awakened as a Transcendent and faced the will of the Overseers, rather than himself. Because of this, he explained that he had little knowledge about the Transcendents themselves.
Evan then wondered who the Ancient Gods were, noting that he couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful such beings who had existed from the beginning of creation were. However, Mercedes then wondered whether the gods had even existed, as such powerful beings must have left some sort of trace behind if they had truly been real.
Suddenly, Luminous realized that there had been undoubtable traces of someone’s influence in recording history within the ruins. Evan asked Luminous whether he believed that it was the influence of the Ancient Gods, to which Luminous replied that it was highly likely. He then noted that if the information recorded in the mural was true, it meant that the power of the Ancient Gods was chaos itself.
(A/N: The revamp created a few significant changes to the lore about the Ancient Gods. The blockbuster was where the concept of the Ancient Gods was first introduced, and it revealed that all the gods were sealed away except for one - Abraxas the Watchful God, whose purpose was to watch over the graves of the primal forces who had come before.
This lore was significantly contradicted in the Arteria storyline, which revealed that Shinsoo was an Ancient God who remained awake in the age of the Transcendents. Following this, the Heroes of Maple revamp removed the detail about Abraxas being the only god permitted to remain awake, and while it’s still not explained how Shinsoo is awake, her existence at least doesn’t contradict the lore about Abraxas anymore.)
Luminous explained that from the standpoint of maintaining order, it was perhaps better for humanity that all traces of such power be removed from the world altogether, though Mercedes noted that his conclusion was simply his best guess from the information which they had been given. The Heroes then proceeded ahead and encountered another mural with an encryption spell, which they deciphered to reveal a mural of the White Mage awakening as the Transcendent of Light.
By reading the magic within the mural, the Heroes learned that the White Mage had forsaken his duty as a Transcendent, growing corrupted as a result. As a corrupted Transcendent, the Black Mage had abandoned the power of light and had chosen to use only the power of darkness. From his awakening as a dark Transcendent of Light, the Abyss Crystal had been created, which contained a dark power that could devour anything, even one who had transcended time.
(A/N: The Abyss Crystal replaces the role of the Transcendence Stone from the original storyline. Before the revamp, the Transcendence Stone was an object of unknown origin with the power to control or destroy a Transcendent. For unexplained reasons, the Transcendence Stone existed in Friends World, and the Heroes planned to obtain it before Damien could, which also happens in the revamp.
Following the revamp, the lore about the Abyss Crystal was created, and an actual explanation was given about its origins, even though there are still questions that get raised, such as whether Darmoor’s awakening could have created a similar crystal. As a matter of fact, the continental Grandis storyline does feature ‘draining crystals’, which have the ability to steal the power of a god, almost as a small-scale World Heart, which was the original relic created by the Overseers and used as a template for the weaker Godspheres and Seal Stones. It’s possible that draining crystals may have some sort of relationship to the Abyss Crystal, which we’ll likely find out as the Grandis story progresses.)
Evan immediately realized that the mural was referring to the Black Mage’s attack on the Temple of Time, in which he had likely used the Abyss Crystal to steal the power of the Transcendent of Time from Rhinne. The Heroes then read that as a result of the Black Mage’s corruption and Rhinne’s defeat, the balance of the world maintained by the three Transcendents had begun to break down.
Mercedes then wondered what happened when the Transcendents began to disappeared. Evan noted that according to the mural, the Transcendents maintained the balance of the world, which would mean that their disappearance signified a collapse of order itself. Mir pointed out that the collapse of order was a huge deal and asked what it would mean, though Evan was unable to provide an answer.
However, Luminous observed that the balance of the world had begun to break down from the moment that the Black Mage had been corrupted, though not all of the Transcendents had disappeared yet. Mercedes realized that it was possible that it was the reason why the Commanders had targeted the World Tree, with Evan speculating that perhaps the Black Mage intended to seal Alicia, just like he had once sealed Rhinne, by using the Abyss Crystal.
Luminous wondered whether the knowledge about the Abyss Crystal was what Freud had wanted them to know. He then noted that there was one more mural left and suggested that they read it quickly. After undoing the encryption spell, the Heroes found that the mural depicted the six Heroes sealing the Black Mage away, with the image of Shade cracked beyond recognition. Mercedes realized that the cracked portion must have been Shade, causing her to note in surprise that the ruins even had records of the magic which had sealed away a Transcendent.
After looking through the information in the mural, Mercedes noted that it was for the best that they had sealed away the Black Mage, though it meant that the balance of the Transcendents would not return back to normal. Luminous replied that he couldn’t imagine what would happen if the balance of the Transcendents broke down even further, with Evan grimly adding that the last Transcendent of Maple World was now in the hands of the Commanders.
Evan declared that they had to stop the Black Mage from using the Abyss Crystal on Alicia, though Mercedes wondered where the Abyss Crystal even was, as there was no way that the Black Mage had it. Suddenly, the ruins began shaking, causing the Heroes to realize that the ruins were reacting to something. Luminous then noted that the encryption spells on the murals must have been created by Freud in order to keep the knowledge of the Abyss Crystal hidden from the unworthy, with the spell breaking for Evan as the Dragon Master. Just then, Mercedes began hearing countless footsteps closing in, with the demon army arriving to stop them.
Elsewhere, Phantom, Shade, and Aran infiltrated Turtle Island in order to find Damien. Shade noted that it was fortunate that Phantom’s information network had allowed them to slip through undetected, to which Phantom told them that it was more fortunate that they had willingly followed his instructions, laughing that things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly if Luminous had been with them.
Shade immediately realized with amusement that Phantom had rigged the cards which had determined their teams, to which Phantom pointed out that it would have ultimately resulted in the same thing if they had decided on their teams through discussion. Moving back to their objective, Phantom explained that the demon army was moving quickly, to which Shade noted that it was possible that Damien wouldn’t be at the base.
However, Phantom replied that it was more probably that Damien – after being injured from Afrien’s attack – would stay at the camp for treatment, rather than moving hastily while wounded, which made conditions ideal for a surprise attack. Aran added that even if Damien wasn’t at the camp, they had no choice but to attack, and so the Heroes began moving out to infiltrate the demon base.
As the Heroes fought their way through the demons at the outskirts, Alicia continued persuading Damien to give up his quest for vengeance. She warned him that he was heading towards destruction and pointed out that his plan was reckless before asking him whether the other Commanders knew about his plan. She then noted that even though Arkarium had betrayed the Transcendent of Time, he had known his limitations as a mortal and had never tried to absorb her powers.
(A/N: The only reason why Arkarium didn’t try to do it is likely because the Black Mage was literally standing right next to him and ready to take it for himself. He had no problems trying to do it during the Silent Crusade storyline, or even taking Tana’s Transcendent powers in Morass for himself when the Black Mage wasn’t there to stop him. To be fair, though, he had no idea that she was a Transcendent, although I doubt that would have changed anything, even if he had known.)
Damien then asked whether she was trying to say that he was limited, though he quickly laughed and declared that it didn’t matter, as it wasn’t just his fight anymore. He then left to get a report from his officer, Alchetto, who reported that they were still at a standoff with the Alliance, while the Heroes had split into two teams, just as Damien had anticipated. (A/N: Alchetto is the demon officer who gives us dailies in the Dark World Tree.)
Damien then told him that they would move with caution, promising that the war wouldn’t last much longer. He then turned to address his entire army, reminding them about his promise when he had led all the half-blood demons out of Tynerum that he would lead them away from the persecution of the pure-bloods and create a new world to rule.
He declared that though they had been born weak, they would not die weak. Raising his sword, he issued a rallying cry for the demons to join him as their time approached. Using his powers, Damien created several portals to teleport himself and his aerial forces away, just as Phantom, Aran, and Shade arrived at the edge of the camp to watch them leave.
As Aran noted in frustration that they had been too late, Shade wondered where Damien and the others had gone. Phantom – who had kept the Lumiere on standby over Ossyria – received a report from his information network that the demons were heading to the Nihal Desert, where an elite demon squad was closing in on Evan, Luminous, and Mercedes.
Just as they began to head out reinforce Evan and his team, the Demon appeared and stood before them, asking them to wait. Recognizing the Demon as a former Commander, Aran immediately pointed Maha at him, wondering whether he – despite joining the Alliance – had ulterior motives on the demons’ side. However, Shade told Aran to wait, pointing out that the Demon was injured.
The Demon then told the Heroes that he was the only one who could stop Damien, to which Phantom – noting the Demon’s condition – wondered whether Damien was the one who had attacked him in the first place. He asked the Demon whether there was infighting happening between the demons, to which the Demon revealed that his fight with Damien hadn’t happened because they were demons, but because they were brothers.
The Heroes were surprised at his words, with Aran lowering Maha before asking him why he had sought them out. The Demon explained that Damien had kidnapped the World Tree, and that he was now trying to take her powers, to which Phantom asked whether he was following the Black Mage’s orders. The Demon replied that though it was possible, he doubted that Damien would quietly hand over the World Tree’s power to the Black Mage.
Aran asked the Demon whether he had a plan in mind, to which the Demon explained that Damien was currently seeking Freud’s legacy, and that he had been using Turtle Island as a base to lure half of them away, leaving Evan’s team cut off and weakened. Shade declared that whatever Freud’s legacy was, they couldn’t afford to let Damien have it, for which he suggested that they move out immediately.
When Aran asked the Demon what he planned to do, the Demon replied that he would work alone to find a way to stop Damien in his own way, for which he asked them to ensure that Freud’s legacy remain safe. Phantom told the Demon that they wouldn’t get in each other’s way before teleporting himself and the other Heroes back to the Lumiere. After the Heroes left, Damien quietly spoke aloud to Damien and asked him to wait, declaring that he would save his brother no matter what.
Meanwhile, Evan, Mercedes, and Luminous escaped from the ruins and emerged into a large ravine within the Nihal Desert, where they discovered a massive airship. As they began wondering whether Freud had left it behind for them, the demon army emerged and surrounded the group. Just then, Aran and Shade appeared and launched themselves into the demon soldiers.
Luminous then wondered where Phantom was, just as Phantom appeared in a flash of cards and asked Luminous whether he had missed him. Luminous flatly replied that he had thought that Phantom had gotten lost, to which Phantom retorted that he was overjoyed to know that Luminous had been so worried about him. He then explained that he had gotten late while dealing with the demon soldiers inside the ruins.
Mercedes asked Aran whether they had learned anything on Turtle Island, to which Aran told her that they needed to hurry and enter the airship, as the demon army was closing in on their location. While Aran and Shade covered them, the other Heroes pushed through the incoming wave of demon reinforcements from Turtle Island.
Evan then used his Dragon Master powers, focusing his willpower on protecting Freud’s legacy, in order to activate the airship. The Heroes then boarded the airship and took off, escaping the demon army in the air. Safely aboard, the Heroes marveled at the fact that they were standing on a flying ruin, with Phantom noting that all their hard work had finally paid off, though Luminous snapped that Evan was the one who had done all the work, while Phantom had shamelessly shown up late.
Just then, a projection of Freud appeared and laughed upon seeing that Phantom and Luminous were still arguing like always. The Heroes were shocked to see Freud, who apologized to them for making it difficult for them to access the ruins, explaining that he had to take precautions to ensure that not just anyone could come across them. Luminous immediately asked Freud whether he was really alive, to which Freud apologized and explained that he was only a sort of message in a bottle left behind by the real Freud, who had possibly passed away long ago.
Shade lamented that he hadn’t imagined a future where Freud wouldn’t be with them, despite having been the only one of them to escape the curse. Freud then apologized and told Shade that he didn’t remember his name before asking what he ought to call him. Shade asked Freud to call him ‘Shade’, explaining that the name had been given to him by a dear friend.
Mercedes was overjoyed for the six of them to be reunited again, with Phantom noting that Freud must have gone through a lot of trouble to make preparations for them, to which Freud laughed and replied that he had desperately wanted to see them all again. He then noticed Evan and immediately recognized him as his successor.
(A/N: One thing that I think was a nice change in the revamp is that Freud no longer calls Evan his ‘descendant’. In the original, Freud calls Evan his descendant, even though he adds in the very next sentence that Dragon Masters aren’t bound by blood. This created a level of ambiguity because you could make the argument that Freud was saying that even though Evan is his descendant, that’s not the reason why he’s Dragon Master, just as you could argue that ‘descendant’ was meant to say that Evan is Freud’s descendant in the Dragon Master lineage, rather than by ancestry.
Honestly, I really hate the implication that Evan is related to Freud because no matter how much the story tries to deny it, there’s still the unspoken suggestion that the reason why Evan is so powerful is all thanks to Freud’s superior genetics, with the whole ‘linked by fate’ thing being a hasty way of trying to blanket that. With Mir already being Afrien’s child, Evan being Freud’s genetic descendant would definitely make me feel like the whole idea of Evan being his own separate person means nothing when the Dragon Master position is just destiny being nepotistic.)
Evan told Freud that he had something important to say before thanking him for all the hard work that he had gone through to protect Maple World. After a pause, Freud expressed his gratitude and explained that it warmed his heart to hear those words. Mir also enthusiastically thanked Freud, who laughed and joked that Mir – whom he recognized as Afrien’s child – was much cuter than Afrien himself.
Noting that they still had time, Freud and the Heroes spent a long time conversing with each other, telling each other the stories of their journeys. Freud was deeply saddened to hear of Afrien’s passing, though he was the first to comfort Mir. He then shared his own story with the Heroes, revealing everything that he had learned about the Transcendents and their world.
Freud explained that the Abyss Crystal no longer existed in Maple World, as it needed time to recharge after being used to take Rhinne’s powers. In order to keep it safe, the Black Mage had stored it within a subspace where no one from Maple World could ever access it. Evan lamented that if Freud had been unable to access the subspace, then there was no chance that they would be able to.
However, Freud revealed that they would be able to enter the subspace, as the barrier between their worlds had already broken down. Furthermore, he explained that the airship would be able to track it down, as the airship itself was Abraxas, the Watchful God – which was the true form of the ruins which the Heroes had entered.
Luminous was shocked to learn this, with Freud revealing that Abraxas was one of the Ancient Gods who had been sealed away long ago. However, he explained that Abraxas wasn’t ‘alive’ in the proper sense, as his body was just the ruins, which had been infused with the power of a god. Freud admitted that he didn’t know much about the power of the Ancient Gods, except for the fact that they demonstrated a power that defied order.
He explained that Abraxas’ power was the ability to observe and record history, including the history of the Abyss Crystal, and that he had hoped to find the Abyss Crystal through those records. Phantom then joked that Freud had gone through much trouble to make preparations just to find a rock. Aran explained that though she didn’t quite understand too much, it seemed as though Abraxas could help them find the Abyss Crystal.
Shade added that nevertheless, it was the thought that counted, with Evan noting that perhaps their journey may take them even further than they had imagined. Freud then smiled and explained that his own journey was at an end, surprising the Heroes. He revealed that the magic powering his projection was coming to an end, much to the Heroes’ disappointment. Aran told Freud that she still had stories that she wanted to tell him, while Phantom exasperatedly told Freud that he never changed, from coming out of nowhere to disappearing while leaving so many things behind.
Shade sadly asked Freud whether they would ever see each other again, to which Freud apologized and explained that it would be their last meeting, as there were no more traces left of him. Though Mercedes was disheartened, she decided that it would be better for them to part smiling, and so she smiled before telling Freud that she would never forget him. Freud also smiled and thanked her before adding that he would never forget this meeting, either.
Though Evan frantically asked him to wait, Freud asked him to take care of the Heroes for him, adding that he could leave it all to him. Evan replied that there were still many things that he wanted to ask, to which Freud smiled and explained that long ago, when he had fought for Maple World, he had though that better days would surely come. He then told Evan that he was his hope for the future, reassuring him that he could accomplish anything, as he was his undisputed successor.
The projection of Freud then faded away, leaving the Heroes to briefly mourn his departure before preparing for their next mission. Nevertheless, Evan and Mercedes remained where they stood, with Evan asking Mercedes whether she was okay. Mercedes reassured him that she was fine, as she had already decided that she would send Freud off with a smile. She then told Evan that they should get ready to depart and see where the Ancient God that Freud had left behind for them would take them.
(A/N: In the original story, there was a scene that took place after Freud disappeared, in which the Heroes unanimously acknowledged Evan as their new leader after noting that he was the one who had reunited them all and led the mission to uncover Freud’s legacy. Although it was removed in the revamp, it was spiritually added back at the end of the story, which has the Heroes acknowledge Evan as Freud’s successor and one of the Heroes.)
Meanwhile, Damien was called by Arkarium to the Dimensional Schism at the Temple of Time, where Arkarium claimed that the Black Mage was interested in his progress. However, Damien called his bluff and told him that the Black Mage had more important things to do than to follow up with him. Declaring that he didn’t have the time to be plotting anything, Damien told Arkarium that he would continue with his task of handling the World Tree and ordered Arkarium to stay out of his way.
Annoyed at Damien’s insolence, Arkarium conjured Damien’s mother, frozen in time, and reminded Damien that he was the only thing keeping her from oblivion. Damien then furiously threatened Arkarium to keep her preserved if he valued his life, to which Arkarium seethed at being threatened by Damien. However, Damien merely laughed and replied that he was more in the Black Mage’s favor than Arkarium was, as he was the one in possession the World Tree, which meant that Arkarium was the one who would be killed if the Black Mage’s plan failed.
(A/N: I wonder what kind of leverage Arkarium even has over Damien at this point. He kept Damien under control all these centuries because he claimed that the Black Mage would convince the new Transcendent of Time to turn back time on his mother’s corpse, but since Alpha and Beta have clearly sided with the Alliance as of Black Heaven, I don’t know why he expects to be able to keep Damien in his pocket by bringing this up. Damien is also well aware of this fact, as it’s the reason why he chose to betray the Black Mage and become the Transcendent of Life himself.)
After Damien walked away, Arkarium fumed at Damien turning on him, realizing that despite having taken Damien in for his own uses, it seemed as though Damien was now a liability, for which he planned to eliminate him once the matter with the World Tree was settled. He then smiled sadistically as he imagined revealing the truth to Damien about his mother.
Following the battle at the Sanctum of Abraxas, tensions rose as the threat of war loomed over the horizon. Meanwhile, the Heroes began using Abraxas to locate the Abyss Crystal in the subspace where the Black Mage had hidden it. Soon after leaving Ossyria, however, Abraxas halted and froze in midair. Mir wondered whether the airship had run out of fuel, to which Evan retorted that there was no way that Ancient Gods ran on fuel. (A/N: I bet Archelon took that personally.)
Aran wondered whether the subspace’s barrier hadn’t actually collapsed, while Shade wondered whether it was out of range. Just then, Phantom and Luminous returned from exploring the airship after feeling it stop. Luminous explained that he had been researching everything that he could about the power of Abraxas and the Abyss Crystal, which had helped him learn why they had suddenly stopped. He revealed that while the barrier leading to the subspace had indeed collapsed, the subspace existed between Maple World and a parallel world on the other side of the barrier.
Luminous explained that while both Maple World and the parallel world stemmed from the same root, each of them existed in separate, independent locations. At the Heroes’ confusion, Luminous clarified by explaining that it was impossible to traverse between their world and the parallel world while the balance of the original world remained preserved, though the barrier had naturally begun weakening with the disappearance of the Transcendents.
Phantom then recalled hearing rumors of a portal somewhere in Maple World that could take one to a different world, to which Luminous noted that it was likely impossible to access that world during Freud’s time, which was why he had guided them to Abraxas, which was an Ancient God. He explained that if the Abyss Crystal was a substance capable of stealing the power of a divine being, it would naturally be able to attract another such divine being like Abraxas towards it.
Upon hearing Luminous’ explanation, Evan realized that the Abyss Crystal had fallen from the subspace into the parallel world, which was why Abraxas had stopped, as the airship was unable to enter. Though Shade noted that there was a portal that led to the parallel world in Henesys, Mercedes pointed out that the portal was barely big enough for one person, and that it wouldn’t be able to fit Abraxas.
She then added that even if they were to go on foot, they wouldn’t be able to find the Abyss Crystal without Abraxas’ tracking mechanism, to which Phantom noted that Freud hadn’t thought of that while making preparations. However, Luminous revealed that there was still a way and explained that Grendel the Really Old was a mage just as capable as Freud, and highly knowledgeable about parallel worlds.
(A/N: I’m sorry - Grendel? The same Grendel who went and fused Maple World and Grandis without thinking, which resulted in a wave of Sol Erdas nearly erasing the universe, and then giving the High Flora premier access to invade Maple World and wreck its leadership? What part of Grendel implies competence and knowledge, other than the fact that every other character is just that much stupider in comparison?)
The Heroes then contacted Grendel aboard Abraxas and asked him whether there was a way to take the airship to the parallel world. Grendel explained that it was certainly possible by using the power of Abraxas, though it wasn’t a force that they could easily handle. He revealed that the portal would be incomplete, to which Luminous replied that he believed that they would nevertheless be able to manage a round trip.
Though Grendel warned that they wouldn’t have much time, he added that he would be able to create a temporary portal by using the force of attraction between the Abyss Crystal and Abraxas, likening it to creating ripples in a calm lake. However, he explained that the portal would grow smaller over time and eventually disappear.
Shade then asked Grendel whether the parallel world was in a separate dimension, to which Grendel explained that it wasn’t. He told the Heroes that the name of the parallel world was Friends World, and that it was a sort of mirror that reflected Maple World, with both existing in the same dimension. He explained that while there were clues about the existence of other dimensions, the only three confirmed dimensions were Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum. (A/N: Big round of applause to the writers for finally clearing that up after, *checks watch*, six years.)
Mercedes recognized Tynerum as the homeland of the demons, though she was surprised to hear that it existed in its own dimension, as her understanding was that Tynerum existed to the south of Maple World. Grendel explained that though scholars in the past had believed Tynerum to be a parallel world to Maple World, it was indeed its own dimension separate from Maple World.
He revealed that the reason why the demons had been able to enter Maple World was due to a portal between the two dimensions located in the south of Maple World, which had existed for quite some time. Phantom asked who had connected the two dimensions together, and for what purpose, to which Grendel admitted that he had no idea. However, he speculated that it may have something to do with Tynerum being on the verge of extinction.
(A/N: It’s very likely that the portal between their worlds is an Interdimensional Portal created from one of their Transcendents stealing another Transcendent’s powers. Given that the Black Mage is a corrupt Transcendent of Light and Darmoor is a corrupt Transcendent of Life, I’m very much hoping that Tynerum’s main villain is a corrupt Transcendent of Time.)
Aran noted that the demon who had kidnapped the World Tree was from Tynerum, and that he was working on the Black Mage’s orders. However, Mercedes pointed out that it was entirely possible that he was acting independently. Evan noted that either way, their mission was still the same, as they had to do whatever it took to get the Abyss Crystal and save the World Tree.
However, he admitted that he had never been to a parallel world before, to which Shade noted aloud that if it existed in the same dimension, he would be able to avoid his curse. When Evan asked in curiosity about the curse, Shade dismissed his words and told Evan not to worry about it. Grendel then told the Heroes that the portal to Friends World would last about a day and wished them good luck before opening it.
(A/N: In the original storyline, Shade remained behind on Maple World because Friends World was originally a separate dimension, which caused even more confusion about whether Friends World or Tynerum was the third world.)
As the Heroes entered the portal with Abraxas, Damien and his flying reinforcements observed that the portal had opened, just as Damien had anticipated. He then ordered his unit to pursue the Heroes through the portal, declaring that the Abyss Crystal would be his.
(A/N: Before the revamp, Damien was able to track the Heroes because he had branded Maha with his curse mark when he and Aran had fought on Turtle Island. Personally, I thought that was a much cooler way for him to track the Heroes, although this version makes more sense with the way that it explains how both the Heroes and Damien were able to cross over into Friends World in the first place.)
Soon after arriving in Friends World, the Heroes began devising a strategy to obtain the Abyss Crystal. Though Aran believed that taking it by force would be the most efficient way, Luminous suggested that they avoid any unnecessary confrontation, as they had nothing to do with the parallel world. Evan agreed with Luminous and added that they also didn’t want to reveal their location to the enemy.
He suggested that they negotiate with the people of Friends World, as Grendel had some connections with several of them. However, Shade pointed out that they had nothing nearly as valuable as the Abyss Crystal to offer in exchange. Without being able to take it by force or negotiate, Phantom told them that their only option was to steal it.
The Heroes then discovered that the stone was inside the recently built Cosmic Museum in Seoul, whose opening gala was taking place in a week. Over the next several hours, Evan formulated a plan that involved Phantom, Mercedes, and Luminous disguising themselves as party attendees in order to locate and extract the Abyss Crystal.
On the night of the gala, Mercedes and Luminous moved into place, while Phantom began conversing with the attendees in order to learn where the Abyss Crystal was. While speaking to them, he learned about the recent sinkhole incident, and how everyone had already learned about the existence of a separate world, as well as the fact that several unique objects were going to be displayed in the museum through the work of Dr. Lim.
Phantom then made his way to Mercedes, just as Dr. Lim appeared on stage and began giving a speech for the museum’s inauguration. He explained how he had first proposed the theory of alternate dimensions, which had been proven correct with the sinkhole incident. His words caused Phantom to wonder whether the imbalance on Maple World was also affecting the parallel world, just as Freud had theorized.
Dr. Lim then showcased several objects from Maple World, which had proven the existence of another world, and revealed that his greatest discovery was an object that he had named Infinitasium, which caused radio waves and magnetic fields to distort in its presence, as well as having its mass change each time that it was measured.
He concluded that it was an object which defied the laws of physics, and that it was a demonstration that their world’s natural laws were not the absolute truth, as their world was simply a part of something bigger. Declaring that Infinitasium held the secret to the origin of the world, Dr. Lim explained that he had decided to put it on display in the Cosmic Museum for the public.
(A/N: Some of Dr. Lim’s speech was changed in the revamp in order to reflect changes to the lore about the three worlds, such as him stating that Friends World and Maple World had once been the same world before a higher power had split them apart, which had originally suggested that the Overseers had separated the two into their own dimensions, just like they had done with Grandis.)
Though the Heroes were unsure of whether Infinitasium was the Abyss Crystal, they nevertheless decided to investigate, as it was the only lead that they had. Based on Shade’s earlier investigation of the museum, the Heroes learned that they needed two access cards in order to enter the secured area where the Abyss Crystal was being held. Phantom intuitively realized that Director Oh and Dr. Lim each had one, as security was always the same, regardless of which world they were in.
Phantom then had Mercedes flirt with Dr. Lim in order to keep him occupied while Phantom used his disguise kit to impersonate Dr. Lim. He then approached Director Oh and asked for his access card so that he could see the Infinitasium. Next, he disguised himself as Director Oh and approached Mercedes and Dr. Lim in order to swipe it from Lim’s pocket.
After Phantom obtained the cards, Evan gave Luminous the all-clear to begin the next phase of the plan. In the utility tunnel, Luminous dodged through laser beams and reached the power supply in order to kill the lights. He then rendezvoused with Phantom and Mercedes before they all slipped into the high-security room amidst the chaos.
(A/N: There’s a Crimson Balrog skeleton on display there as well. It’s cool because it shows the actual proportion between our characters and the Crimson Balrog, which is about as large as a T-Rex.)
As they moved closer, Evan told them that there was a problem with the signal because of the way that the Abyss Crystal interfered with radio waves. Cut off from communications with Abraxas, the trio fought their way through the security drones and reached the Abyss Crystal. Phantom immediately sensed a unique aura emanating from it, with Mercedes wondering whether it was the power of darkness.
As Phantom began disabling the security devices around it, Luminous suddenly reacted to the power of the crystal and grew consumed by dark energy. Mercedes immediately rushed to his side and asked him what was wrong, noting that his complexion had been pale for some time since arriving. As the aura of darkness around him began growing stronger, Luminous yelled at Mercedes and Phantom to get back.
Meanwhile, aboard Abraxas, Aran noted that Phantom and the others hadn’t contacted them in some time and wondered whether there they had run into complications with extracting the Abyss Crystal. Though Evan worried that Phantom and Luminous were fighting, Shade reassured him that though the pair always bickered, neither of them were stupid enough to fight in the middle of a crisis. Aran also pointed out that Mercedes was also with them to mediate, and that they had nothing to worry about.
Just then, the demon army surrounded the airship, causing the shocked Heroes to realize that the demons had used the portal to follow them. As they began making their stand, the airship began rumbling violently, causing the Heroes to realize that the demons were targeting Abraxas itself, which quickly began crashing down.
Back at the museum, Phantom fought against Luminous in order to knock him back to his senses. In an effort to snap him out of his darkness, Phantom attempted to goad Luminous by declaring that his determination, as well as the determination of Aurora, was nothing special after all. Mercedes quickly rushed to assist Phantom and raised her bowguns at Luminous, urging him to remember the people that he was fighting to protect. Her words caused Luminous to recall Lania, using the memory of her to fight and overcome his darkness.
(A/N: The revamp fixed possibly the worst part of the whole blockbuster, which was Phantom and Luminous fighting after getting into a stupid name-calling argument. It was the most out-of-character thing that I’ve ever seen in my life, and a vast majority of people hated the blockbuster just for this one scene. The part where Shade talks about Phantom and Luminous not being stupid enough to fight when things are serious is an in-universe wink and nudge about how the writers have fixed this moment.
However, there’s one thing that I really hate from the removal of this scene, which is the deletion of Freud’s radical tendencies. The reason why Phantom and Luminous’ fight starts is because when they find the Transcendence Stone, Luminous wants to destroy it and Phantom wants to keep it as a weapon against the Black Mage after learning that it can destroy Transcendents, although this quickly devolves into personal attacks that completely ruins the initial intrigue of their ideological opposition.
During their conversation, Luminous reveals that he would often get into debates with Freud, who believed that the concept of the Transcendents as beings who monopolized an immense amount of power was inherently unjust. Though Luminous would liken it to a king ruling a kingdom, Freud believed that the world should be governed by the courage and wisdom of everyday people, rather than a single entity whose power could be corrupted, claiming that the day would soon come when people would grow capable of ruling themselves.
This was one of the most important concepts in the story, as Freud’s belief is essentially the central thesis of the game itself. The idea of people coming together to fight for their world is embodied in the Seal Stones, which are divine miracles that only grant the collective wish of a population, making them impossible to monopolize with the greed of any one person. Freud’s theories were highly radical in-universe, but they were also meant to be the basis on which the themes and messages of the game ran.
In the revamp, Freud has turned into some watered down version of his original self, seeking out Alicia in order to protect the Transcendents, rather than working with other human beings like the Shamanesses of Azwan to foresee the future and entrust its protection to his friends. There’s very little complexity to Freud when he just blindly believes that the Transcendents are necessary for balance, rather than his much more interesting beliefs before the revamp that ultimately proved true when the courage and wisdom of everyday people defeated a god.)
After a moment, Luminous came back to his senses and revealed that from the moment that they had entered the museum, he had felt an ominous energy flowing through him. He explained that it was likely because his darkness had been reacting to the Black Mage’s power within the Abyss Crystal. He admitted that the reason why he had kept it to himself was because he hadn’t wanted to burden them, to which Mercedes told him that it was alright.
She explained that she could tell that he was feeling uneasy about Freud’s departure, as she and all the other Heroes were feeling the same way. However, she added that it was precisely why they all needed to work together and told him not to shoulder everything himself, reminding him that Evan needed a good teacher as well.
After a moment, Phantom jokingly added that he would overlook what had happened out of generosity, adding that it had been a good warm-up before facing Damien. However, he warned that he wouldn’t go easy next time and told Luminous to be prepared, to which Luminous smiled and replied that there was no way that Phantom could beat him.
Suddenly, the roof of the museum caved in as Damien arrived at the scene and began gloating about how they had led him right to the Abyss Crystal. Phantom quickly realized that Damien had allowed them to escape from the Nihal Desert, declaring that he and the other Commanders were just as despicable as he had always imagined them to be.
Though injured from the collapsed roof, Mercedes and the others declared that they would have no problem fighting, to which Damien laughed and declared that he had no intention of fighting. He then seized the Abyss Crystal, claiming that with it, he would have no power taking the power of a Transcendent.
Luminous and Mercedes then realized that Damien had orchestrated everything from the beginning, including killing Afrien, as bait to have Evan unite the Heroes and locate the Abyss Crystal for him. Declaring that they would never forgive him, the Heroes unleashed their most powerful attacks, though they were unable to stop Damien from escaping with the crystal. Though Phantom and Luminous wished to pursue him, Mercedes noted that they were in no condition to go after him. They decided to regroup with the other Heroes aboard Abraxas and fought through the demons in the museum. Outside, however, they were shocked to find the airship crashing down.
With Abraxas lost to them, the Heroes quickly regrouped and began planning their next move. Luminous blamed himself for what had happened at the museum and apologized, though Phantom reminded him that it wasn’t anyone’s fault. However, Aran noted that Damien would soon absorb the power of the World Tree, which would make him unstoppable.
Shade then wondered whether Damien could even truly absorb the power of a Transcendent, causing Mercedes to speculate that it was possible that he might simply self-destruct in the process. Luminous noted that it was likely, as no matter how much of the Black Mage’s power was used, it was impossible for a mortal to fully absorb the power of a Transcendent. Realizing that they had a chance while Damien was highly unstable, the Heroes decided to move together in Maple World, with one team at the front and the other at the rear.
Meanwhile, Damien returned back to Turtle Island with the Abyss Crystal and confronted Alicia, who asked him whether he planned to absorb her power into the crystal and present it to the Black Mage. Damien merely laughed and instead asked her whether she had wondered why she had become a Transcendent, and whether she was worthy of its power, to which Alicia urged him not to let higher powers control him, reminding him that he controlled his own destiny.
Inflamed, Damien declared that he was sick of hearing about destiny and fate before absorbing the Abyss Crystal into his sword. Laughing maniacally as the power flooded into him, Damien declared that Alicia was right, and that he would prove that he decided his own destiny. As Damien absorbed her powers, Alicia wondered where it had all gone wrong, and she then wondered to Ryude whether things would have been different if she had believed in human beings more.
Meanwhile, the Alliance began to mobilize in response to Damien and the demon army’s imminent attack. As Cygnus and Neinheart oversaw preparations, Athena Pierce rushed to Ereve and warned them that the demons had already begun their attack. Though Neinheart believed that they could handle the demons, Cygnus suddenly felt the power of the Transcendent of Life fluctuating with Maple World’s vitality. She asked Athena whether there was anything else to report, to which Athena replied that Maple World’s trees were beginning to wither away. Suddenly, the sky grew dark as the World Tree began growing from within Root Abyss and towered over Sleepywood.
As the Heroes returned to Maple World and set sail aboard the Lumiere, Shade told the others that the spirits of Maple World had told him that the World Tree was growing larger by absorbing the life force of their world. With the Alliance battling the demon army, the Heroes flew towards the World Tree in order to confront Damien and force him to regurgitate the power that he had stolen.
Back at Turtle Island, Arkarium and his minions arrived to confront Damien, with Arkarium revealing that he had already been aware that Damien had planned to betray the Black Mage and absorb Alicia. As he began berating Damien for his treachery, Damien cut him off and told him to get to the point. Arkarium then ordered Damien to hand over the Sword of Destruction and the power of the World Tree absorbed within it.
Damien immediately began laughing, claiming that Arkarium had really come to take the World Tree’s power for himself. Furious at Damien’s insolence, Arkarium used his powers to freeze Damien in time, explaining that it was a failsafe that he had set up a hundred years ago when he had taken Damien in. He then mocked Damien by declaring that no matter how much power he had absorbed, he was still mortal in the end, and that he would never be like the Black Mage.
He also revealed that Damien’s mother’s body was an illusion created to blackmail Damien, claiming that he would never have used his power to preserve a mere human. He also explained that he himself had killed her, rather than her death resulting from Damien’s awakening. As Damien seethed in rage, Arkarium told him that he had only taken Damien in as a tool to break his brother. Though he conceded that Damien had been useful over the past centuries, Arkarium had realized that Damien had outlived his usefulness, and so he had decided to end him, but not before forcing him to surrender the Sword of Destruction.
To his surprise, however, Damien began laughing and revealed that the sword was meaningless to him now, as he had already absorbed Alicia’s powers within himself and become the new Transcendent of Life. With his new powers, Damien effortlessly broke free from Arkarium's binding spell and utterly destroyed him, severing his head completely.
(A/N: Despite Damien’s claim, he’s not actually a Transcendent at any point in this story. Just like Luminous said, it’s not possible for a mortal to fully claim a Transcendent’s power, and all that Damien really did was absorb Alicia’s powers inside the Abyss Crystal, which only allows him to use them as long as he’s in possession of it. Even though he believes that the sword is meaningless to him, losing access to it would mean losing access to Alicia’s powers, as the sword is the proxy through which her powers can flow through his body.
I mentioned in the last section that there was a possibility that Gelimer could’ve turned Lotus into an Adversary and had him kill the Black Mage. Damien taking the Abyss Crystal is another example of an alternate timeline in which he could’ve stolen the Black Mage’s powers and destroyed him. In Limina, it was revealed by Grendel that Gloom’s core contained potential futures that would’ve led to the Black Mage failing to create a new world, with most of those futures coming about as a result of the Commanders themselves interfering with his plans, which we can see through these alternate possibilities for Lotus and Damien’s life choices.
Lotus and Damien actually have quite a number of parallels to each other - their respective close sibling relationships with Orchid and the Demon, the way that Lotus is a spirit with the body of a human and Damien is a demon with a fully human body, the way that they amass large quantities of energy via the Black Wings or the mark of corruption, and the way that they respectively lost their free will to Gelimer and the Spirit of Vengeance.
These similarities highlight how, despite the fact that these two came from very different walks of life, both of them had their destinies altered such that they ended up suffering the exact same fate. Just like how there were alternate timelines in which they could’ve killed the Black Mage, there were also timelines in which Orchid and Lotus could’ve lived happily together as spirits if the White Mage had never met them, and how Damien could’ve lived happily with his family if the Black Mage had never started the war that led to his family being torn apart.
The Demon being the Adversary explores this idea by showing how he and Orchid, the last survivors of these two parallel sibling pairs, work together to defeat the Black Mage and face the spirits of their departed brothers in the Labyrinth of Suffering. It also highlights the narrative of the Black Mage manipulating destiny and erasing every possible outcome in which the Demon and Orchid could’ve been happy.
It makes it so that Damien and Lotus have their individuality and feelings erased - first by being artificially placed on the same life path headed towards their own destruction, and then by being ultimately reduced into stepping stones for sufficiently traumatizing their siblings into playing right into the Black Mage’s plan. This especially hurts for Damien, whose attempts to break free of his destiny by taking Alicia’s powers was all part of the destiny that the Black Mage had laid out for him.)
Meanwhile, the Heroes began scaling up the Dark World Tree, which was growing at an alarming rate as it absorbed the vitality of Maple World. Fighting their way past the corrupted spirit of the World Tree, the Heroes scaled atop its poisoned branches and soon ran into the Demon, who realized that they had failed to protect Freud’s legacy.
However, he told them that he didn’t blame them, as it was his job in the end to stop Damien. Phantom recalled how the Demon had told them that he was searching for a way to stop his brother and asked whether he had learned anything. The Demon revealed that he had been looking for a way to disable Damien’s sword.
Aran noted how Evan had mentioned that the sword had been radiating strange energy, to which Evan explained that though he had originally believed that the sword contained the Black Mage’s power, sensing the Black Mage’s power within the Abyss Crystal had caused him to realize that the sword had a completely different energy signature, with the Demon revealing that the sword had a power similar to that of the Transcendents.
The Heroes were shocked at this revelation, with Luminous retorting that there was no way that the sword contained the power of the Transcendents. The Demon then explained that the sword was the product of an experiment conducted long ago in Tynerum, which had resulted in the destruction of their homeland.
Though the Heroes were dubious, the Demon told them that it didn’t matter if they didn’t believe him, as time as growing short. Evan asked the Demon to join forces with them, but the Demon told them that the battle was one between demons, and that he would put an end to things himself. The Demon then left to confront Damien, while the Heroes continued scaling atop the Dark World Tree, rushing to stop Damien before all of Maple World’s vitality was drained.
Meanwhile, the Demon reached the top and confronted Damien, who immediately pointed his sword at his brother. The Demon then decided to reveal the truth about the sword and their father, explaining that Damien wasn’t the first demon to try and take the power of a Transcendent, as their people had been conducting terrible experiments for thousands of years in order to claim that power for themselves, resulting in Tynerum becoming a desolate wasteland.
The Demon explained that the Sword of Destruction was one such failed experiment, to which Damien retorted that he had been chosen by the sword, and that had used that ‘failed’ sword to take the power of the World Tree. However, the Demon told Damien that he hadn’t been chosen by the sword and entreated him to open his eyes.
He asked Damien whether he knew what power the sword contained before revealing that it held the vengeful spirits of all the half-blood demons which had been sacrificed for thousands of years, adding that Damien was also being swallowed by that Spirit of Vengeance. At Damien’s surprise, the Demon noted that Damien’s knowledge of their father was likely limited to him being a pure-blood, though there was more to the story. He explained that their father had known that the Transcendent experiments would only bring disaster, for which he had attempted to put a stop to them, though he had ultimately been left isolated and killed.
(A/N: Before the revamp, their father was said to just have been banished. The revamp confirms that he’s dead, which will hopefully kill the theory that Havoc is the Demon’s father, which I always thought was stupid because the sole basis for the whole thing is that Havoc is a pure-blood demon like their father, which is true for the countless other pure-bloods that we just haven’t met yet.)
The Demon urged Damien to see that their people’s tragedies had all come from them attempting to seize too much power, which was why Tynerum had been ruined, leaving them as wanderers. Declaring that the tragedy had to end with their ancestors, the Demon told Damien to give up his quest for power, noting that his body was unable to hold any more of it.
After a moment, Damien told the Demon that he had spent hundreds of years living for just one thing and asked whether the Demon was truly asking him to abandon all of it. The Demon apologized to Damien, noting that he had only been criticizing him and ignoring all his pain. Damien paused before admitting that he had failed to save their mother, to which the Demon retorted that it hadn’t been Damien’s fault, and that he could never hate him for that. At Damien’s surprise, the Demon once again reaffirmed that he didn’t hate his brother, and that he never had.
However, after a pause, Damien merely scoffed at the Demon’s display of brotherly affection before cutting him down. Consumed by the Spirit of Vengeance, Damien declared that their ancestors’ mistake hadn’t been that they had sought ultimate power, but only that they had failed in the process. Just then, the Heroes rushed to the scene and found Damien towering over his fatally wounded brother. Vowing that they would stop him, the Heroes fought against Damien in a fierce battle and managed to defeat him.
(A/N: The revamp removed the Phase 2 fight for Story Mode Damien, and I’m not really sure why.)
Nevertheless, Damien refused to be beaten, with the Spirit of Vengeance emerging out of the sword as Damien began losing control over his power. Suddenly, the wounded Demon approached Damien and noted that the vengeful spirits of countless souls who had died in pursuit of power had formed the Spirit of Vengeance. Cursing the Black Mage for dragging his brother into the same fate as the rest of their people, the Demon declared that he would put an end to their tragedy once and for all.
As he approached the sword, an injured Damien looked up and told the Demon to end things. The Demon told Damien that he was his younger brother, to which Damien replied that he wasn’t, as all his precious memories were fading away, including the memory of their mother’s face and name. He then urged the Demon to finish him while he still had some vestige of his humanity left. Mournfully, the Demon destroyed the Spirit of Vengeance and Damien once and for all before taking Damien’s body away to bury at their ruined family home.
(A/N: Possibly my least favorite part of the revamp is the removal of the scene where Evan is possessed by the Spirit of Vengeance after Damien’s defeat. The scene involved the Spirit of Vengeance taking on the form of Mir in order to convince Evan to accept its power, claiming that Evan could go from being the least of the Heroes to even stronger than Freud. However, the real Mir uses their Spirit Pact bond to reach out to him and convince him not to listen, and Evan ultimately rejects the Spirit of Vengeance’s power.
It was supposed to be the culmination of Evan’s character arc, in which he overcomes his insecurities and criticisms about him not being anything compared to Freud, and his rejection of the Spirit of Vengeance - which embodied the generational trauma of countless tragedies brought about by an inability to let go of the past - represented his growth as someone who rejected those constant comparisons to Freud and put an end to them by affirming that he and his bond with Mir were enough.
Without all that in the revamp, it feels like there was no point at all to Evan or his character development, as his resolve is never actually tested in any meaningful way. There are still a couple of moments towards the end of the storyline here that touch on Evan’s feelings of inadequacy, but those moments feel completely hollow because he’s been constantly told by the Heroes that he’s enough, and so him finally accepting that is so narratively unsatisfying as a result.)
With the battle ended, Alicia emerged from the Sword of Destruction, which faded away and disappeared. Alicia thanked the Heroes for saving her, to which Evan told her that it had all been thanks to the combined efforts of all of Maple World’s countless heroes working together. Alicia noted that things had gone just as Freud had assured her, adding that they could now stop her.
Just as the Heroes expressed their confusion, Luminous suddenly asked Alicia where the Abyss Crystal was, noting that Damien must have used it to absorb her power, even as it was impossible for an unqualified mortal to fully absorb a Transcendent’s power. Though Mercedes told Luminous that he could check on that later, Luminous replied that it was both important and urgent, as the darkness of the Abyss Crystal was still within Alicia’s body, with his own darkness reacting to it.
Alicia told Luminous that he was right, adding that she didn’t have much time left. Just as she warned everyone to get back, Alicia was consumed by the Black Mage’s darkness, transforming her eyes scarlet, her hair silver, and her clothes purple, with her body engulfed within a dark tree imbued with Damien’s mark of corruption.
Shade was shocked to see Alicia consumed by darkness, as he had believed that the Spirit of Vengeance had been vanquished. However, Luminous explained that it wasn’t the power of the demons, but rather, it was the Black Mage’s will working through the darkness of the Abyss Crystal. Just as he wondered whether it had been the Black Mage’s plan from the beginning, Alicia suddenly declared that as the mother of all life, she would recall all the life which had begun with her.
Alicia then unleashed a powerful wave of energy that knocked Evan off the top of the Dark World Tree. As he began falling, Alicia spoke to Evan within his mind and warned him that a dark force was attempting to corrupt her with endless hatred. With the last of her energy, Alicia asked Evan to save her with his vitality before she was completely taken over.
Evan then awoke to the sight of Mir, who asked Evan whether he was alright. Evan frantically asked Mir where the Heroes were, to which Mir explained that he had no idea, as he had only seen Evan after waking up. He recalled a large explosion at the top of the tree and speculated that they had likely fallen to the lower depths.
Evan told Mir that the World Tree had been consumed by the will of the Black Mage after Damien had eroded her mental resistance. Feeling the Dark World Tree shaking from the top, Evan realized that the Heroes were likely attempting to subdue Alicia. Though Mir urged Evan to hurry and help them, Evan was consumed with guilt and exhaustion, noting that he had been unable to do anything.
He then began wondering whether he could even do anything at all, as he came simply from an ordinary farming family. Just as he declared that he didn’t have what it took to be a hero, Mir unleashed a breath of fire to snap Evan out of his self-doubt. He told Evan to listen to the sound of fighting and reminded him that he himself had said that there were heroes all across Maple World fighting together. He then reminded Evan that he was the Dragon Master, and that they were partners together.
Realizing that Mir was right, Evan apologized before admitting that though he was only a farmhand, not a hero, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t save the world. Just as they prepared to fly up, Evan suddenly noticed a flower blooming with vitality for a moment before withering away. Realizing that the power of darkness was too strong for Alicia to handle, Evan formulated a plan to save her from the Black Mage’s will.
As Evan and Mir flew back up to the top, the other Heroes unleashed their most powerful attacks upon Alicia in order to stop her, though Alicia simply absorbed their blows. Luminous realized that if Alicia wasn’t stopped, all of Maple World’s vitality would be depleted. Mercedes vowed that they would find a way, admitting that she was more worried about Evan and Mir. Aran reassured her that Evan would be safe, noting that he had survived far worse before.
She then told the Heroes that they needed to find a way to break through Alicia’s barrier, though Shade warned that their life force would be absorbed if they continued to attack recklessly. Growing more corrupted by the minute, Alicia told the Heroes to stop their pointless resistance, declaring that the world would soon return back to the beginning.
Suddenly, Evan arrived at the scene and told the Heroes that he had an idea. He explained that he had heard Alicia’s voice in his head, and that he had learned that there was a limit to the amount of life force that she could absorb. Because of this, he told the Heroes that if they could stop her tree trunks from spreading any further, she would eventually hit her limit.
The Heroes then worked together to contain Alicia, who eventually broke free from the Black Mage’s power after reaching the limit of her absorption. Alicia thanked the Heroes for helping her regain her senses, to which Evan noted that Damien had done something unforgivable. He then asked her how long it would take for Maple World’s vitality to return.
Alicia explained that she didn’t know, adding that it wasn’t simply because of Damien, as it had also been her fault for being unable to overcome the Black Mage’s will. Suddenly, Luminous realized that Alicia was losing her power as a Transcendent, to which Alicia noted that as Luminous had been born from a part of the White Mage, he was able to feel her power fading. She explained that her power had grown deeply intertwined with the Abyss Crystal, and that she would soon lose her ego entirely and become part of the crystal.
Shade noted that Maple World would never return back to normal if the World Tree were lost, to which Evan asked whether anything could be done. Alicia revealed that there was one way, explaining that just as her powers were tied to the Abyss Crystal, she could also use the power of the Abyss Crystal herself. Because of this, she planned to scatter her power contained within the crystal across Maple World in order to restore its vitality.
Though the Heroes worried that it meant that she would cease to exist, she reassured them that she would only be in a different place. She explained that Damien had inflicted his misfortune upon Maple World in the most piteous way and asked them to take care of the world so that the same misfortune wouldn’t befall it again, ensuring that hope for the future would always remain.
With that, Alicia scattered her life force across Maple World, restoring vitality to the withered lands. As she faded away, Alicia noted to herself that her duty had come to an end, with the mother of life returning to the embrace of the earth. Disappearing, she wondered what Ryude would say if he saw her now, sacrificing her existence to protect human beings.
As life began returning to Maple World, Phantom noted that the crisis had finally passed. However, Evan admitted that the sacrifices had been too great, with both Afrien and Alicia disappearing. He told the Heroes that he felt as though he had lost too much, to which Mercedes told him that there was no battle without loss, pointing out that they had come this far with many sacrifices. She noted that a hero, in the end, could be defined as someone who had lost much.
Phantom then added that even so, neither Freud, Afrien, Alicia, or even Aria would have regretted it. Luminous told Evan that Alicia had done her duty to preserve the balance of the world, and that her life force now permeated everything in Maple World. Aran added that Alicia had given them a future, to which Evan asked whether they would keep losing things while fighting in that future. Shade replied that though it was sad to hear, they would indeed lose a lot in the process. Luminous then added that even so, they had to keep fighting in order to defeat the Black Mage.
Mercedes asked Evan whether he was afraid, to which he admitted that he was. Mercedes explained that she was also scared, but that she couldn’t back down, as she was fighting to protect those that she wanted to keep safe. Evan then asked whether Freud had done the same, to which Mercedes told him that he must have.
After a moment, Evan explained that Freud had called him his hope for the future, for which he – just like Freud – would keep fighting to protect those whom he loved, with Mir enthusiastically adding that he would do the same. Phantom then smiled and asked whether they should start heading back, as he needed to give his report to the Empress.
However, Shade asked him to wait one moment and pointed out that Freud had first brought them all together, and that Evan – who had inherited Freud’s will – had done so again. Phantom laughed and noted that they could call it great history repeating itself. Aran praised Evan for his hard work, while Luminous told Evan to have more confidence, reassuring him that he was strong enough. Mercedes agreed, adding that no matter what anyone else said, he was Freud’s true successor. As Evan brimmed with pride, Mercedes welcomed Evan once again as one of the Heroes of Maple, affectionately calling him ‘Dragon Master Evan’.
Several days later, Neinheart and Cygnus traveled to the Sanctum of Abraxas with the Alliance, where Cygnus noted that she had learned a lot about the Ancient Gods, the Overseers, and the Transcendents by reading the history of Maple World inscribed in the ruins, adding that the information would undoubtedly prove useful in the future.
Neinheart noted that the Heroes had played a pivotal role in the conflict, to which Cygnus agreed, adding that despite the Alliance’s efforts, victory wouldn’t have been possible without the Heroes’ help. She noted that the Heroes who had saved Maple World in the past had saved their world once again. After a moment, however, she recalled how Neinheart hadn’t believed in the Heroes, which made her wonder whether seeing them in action had felt different for him than it had for her.
Neinheart admitted that initially, he had believed the Heroes to be merely legends, and that those who waited for them were afraid to take responsibility for their own lives, to which Cygnus noted that it was why he had decided to become her tactician. Neinheart explained that his aim had been to create a force equal to the Heroes if they wouldn’t come back, and though his initial position hadn’t changed, he admitted that he had come to realize that no matter how much time passed, it would always remain a fact that the world needed heroes. The two then gazed upon a new mural depicting the six Heroes saving the World Tree.
(A/N: One last revamp criticism for this section - the original storyline had Neinheart speak to Lilin, who came to visit the ruins after the Heroes saved her at Turtle Island, as the original story had her get kidnapped by the demons. This conversation was much, much more meaningful when Neinheart was talking to Lilin, since it was literally their resolution to the conflict that started their stories, with Neinheart leaving because he lost faith in the Heroes, and Lilin staying behind and resenting him for abandoning her because he wouldn’t believe in her faith.
They shoehorned Cygnus into this scene instead because they condensed the Turtle Dragon scenes, and also because they wanted to have an acknowledgement that the Alliance is now aware about the Ancient Gods and the Overseers, but having this blockbuster close out with a peaceful resolution of two estranged siblings tied so much better into the theme of breaking generational trauma than whatever we have now with Cygnus.)
Meanwhile, Arkarium slithered back to headquarters, having transferred his life force to a snake form before Damien had destroyed his body. Upon seeing him, Hilla laughed and told him that things were going smoothly without him. Arkarium demanded to know if there was a plan that he was not aware of being put into motion, though Hilla merely asked if Arkarium had really thought that the Black Mage hadn’t been aware of what he had been planning.
She told him to consider his snake form a punishment for his jealousy before reporting to the Black Mage that his plan was continuing smoothly, and with the Transcendent of Time imperfectly split and the Transcendent of Life scattered across the world, they were ready for his next orders. The Black Mage then told them to allow the Alliance to enter the Gate of the Present, where he awaited them on the other side.
Soon after, Arkarium slithered up the stairs to the Black Mage’s throne, fuming at Hilla’s declaration that he was being punished, rather than the Black Mage merely allowing him to rest. Gathering his power, he transformed back to his human form and appeared before the Black Mage, who ordered Arkarium to bring Tana to him. Arkarium protested that Tana couldn’t even control her own powers, but the Black Mage told him not to presume to judge what he couldn’t understand. As he turned to leave, Arkarium seethed that he would not allow that ‘stupid girl’ to go anywhere near the Black Mage, vowing to finish things for good.
(A/N: This scene of Arkarium getting his new orders is shown after you defeat him in the Genesis Weapon liberation questline. The rest of the section below comes from the Black Mage: Origin webcomic that was commissioned by Nexon.)
Some time later, Evan was helping his family harvest potatoes. When his attempts to use magic to harvest the potatoes resulted in them being set aflame, Evan realized that he needed to practice his magic in order to become strong enough to face the Black Mage. Luminous agreed to tutor Evan and began teaching him the complex theory behind magic. However, Evan, being unable to keep up, began wishing that he had been born with natural talent. However, Luminous warned him that overwhelming talent could corrupt a person.
To demonstrate his claim, he took Evan to the ruins of the Aurora Great Temple in the Forest of Peace and told him the origin of the Black Mage and how he had fallen to darkness. Evan asked Luminous what the point of even trying was if such a powerful mage could fall to ruin. Luminous reassured him that if humans could turn from brilliance to shadow, then even a regular child could attain greatness, pointing out how Evan had ascended from a simple farmhand to the Dragon Master. His faith renewed, Evan eagerly agreed to continue studying under Luminous in order to become stronger.
Return of Kritias:
(A/N: Although this is a level 170 questline, the reason why I placed this section here is because the Black Mage orders Arkarium to bring Tana to him at the end of Heroes of Maple, and so I’d assume that this is the point in time that Kritias would return. While making this website, I’ve found that ordering the chronology by level is highly unreliable before the Arcane River storyline.
For example, the Gate to the Future storyline is level 160-180 content, but the lore suggests that it’s set immediately after the Alliance is formed, which is level 75 for most classes. The Tower of Oz storyline was originally set at level 140, and now at level 200, but it’s said that the Tower of Oz takes place at the same time as the events of Root Abyss at level 125. All this goes to show that the only time you should rely on levels as a guide for story placement is for the Arcane River and beyond.)
Neinheart contacted an Alliance member and explained that a kingdom had suddenly appeared near Leafre, where a castle was floating upside down in the kingdom’s sky. He asked them to investigate the area in order to determine what kind of place it was and why it had suddenly appeared. The Alliance member arrived at the southwestern barracks, where they encountered Commander Isaac.
Isaac believed that the Alliance member was a spy and asked them to prove their loyalty by defeating the floating weapons around the area and bringing them back to him. After returning with the weapons, Isaac received a message from General Blundell requesting the Alliance member’s presence. In the northern barracks, Blundell told the Alliance member that he was being extra cautious of the floating weapons because of their sudden appearance, as well as a large golem who had taken over the floating castle.
(A/N: This golem is actually King Hekaton fused with the castle after the interrupted Ascendency ritual, which made him immortal, though at the price of losing his humanity. KMS, MSEA, and JMS used to have him as a massive boss that a hundred players could fight together before the content was removed. Personally, I wish that Hekaton was reintroduced as the final boss of this theme dungeon on a smaller scale, maybe even by making it similar to the Gollux fight.)
Learning that the Alliance member had come from Ereve, Blundell asked if the priestess had sent reinforcements to Kritias. However, he was surprised to learn that the Alliance member had come to investigate on behalf of Ereve what the kingdom was, as Empress Aria had personally visited Kritias several days ago. This, in turn, surprised the Alliance member, as they believed that Cygnus was the priestess of Ereve. They noted to themselves that the idea of the Empress gathering support to fight the Black Mage sounded right, but everything else was all wrong, as though Kritias was from a completely different era.
(A/N: Priestess seems to be another term to refer to the Empress. Orchid also referred to the Empress as the Castellan in the Demon’s tutorial, as did Mercedes and Athena Pierce in Mercedes’ storyline.
Several classes get an alternate script in response to Blundell’s explanation that Aria had visited Kritias several days ago.
Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue, although his dialogue is pretty much just identical to the generic script, with the exception that he’ll use the word “Empress” instead of “priestess”. There are also some exclamation marks wrapped around parentheses in his dialogue that look like this (!!), and I’m assuming that it’s meant to suggest that his heart skipped a beat when he heard Aria’s name.
He and all the other Heroes except for Aran and Evan then get some more exclusive dialogue, in which they think to themselves that they’d been having doubts ever since hearing the name “Kritias”, but after hearing the whole story, they’re now sure that this place is the same kingdom that the Black Mage had annihilated hundreds of years ago. They then wonder why the kingdom that had vanished into thin air centuries ago has appeared now all of a sudden.
The Demon also gets an alternate script, in which he recognizes Kritias as the place that the Black Mage had attacked alongside Leafre centuries ago. However, he’s confused by why it’s here now because Kritias was meant to have been completely wiped off the map. General Blundell mentions that Aria had visited Kritias several days ago, which means that there’s no way that Leafre and Kritias’ destruction could refer to the Black Mage’ final orders to destroy all of Ossyria, as this would mean that Phantom joined the Heroes less than a week before they sealed the Black Mage.
We know that the Black Mage had explicitly promised the Demon that he would spare southern Leafre, where the Demon’s family lived, and so we could interpret Leafre and Kritias being attacked as all of Leafre except the southern part being destroyed. This would make it so that it’d be possible for Aria to have visited several days before Kritias’ fall, and there wouldn’t be a bottleneck on how long Phantom would’ve been with the Heroes. The Demon being surprised that Kritias hadn’t been wiped off the map could just be because he saw the Black Mage sealing it away and assumed that its disappearance meant that it had just been destroyed.)
Blundell suggested that they talk to a scholar in town named Beatrice, who was a professor at Ranheim Academy. At the academy, they told Beatrice about how Kritias felt like it had come from another era. Beatrice explained that Kritias had seemed chronologically off ever since the Black Mage had invaded, after which the castle of Trueffet had begun floating upside down in the sky.
While Beatrice investigated the cause, the Alliance member spoke to an academy student named Chen, who was paranoid that the fall of Kritias had happened because he had forgotten to do his homework. In order to finish his work, he asked the Alliance member to help him collect Basic Magician’s Cloth from the Basic Magicians outside, after which he suggested that they talk to Bianca.
Bianca gave them an anti-magic container and asked them to collect anti-magic fragments from the burning weapons. After collecting the pieces, they brought it back to Bianca, who decided to create a weapon with the anti-magic and gave them the container as thanks. She then suggested that they ask Hirrel, the town clerk, about Kritias’ history.
In the town square, they explained the situation to Hirrel, who incorrectly concluded that the Alliance member had come from the future before realizing that the Black Mage had frozen Kritias in time. He gave them a copy of Kritias’ history and asked them to take it to Ereve, as well as to bring back a history of Maple World in order to find out what they had missed.
In Ereve, Neinheart was intrigued that the textbook seemed new, though its contents were centuries out of date. He explained that nearly all references to the war against the Black Mage had been destroyed, including all records of Kritias. He told them that he could only recall one mention of Kritias in Ereve’s library, which had simply stated that the Black Mage had removed Kritias from existence in order to make an example out of it.
(A/N: The records of the war against the Black Mage being destroyed is likely because of Lotus, who had been erasing all historical mentions of the Black Mage in the centuries that his soul had wandered outside his comatose body.)
Neinheart then gave them a copy of the history of Maple World to bring back to Hirrel and asked them to continue investigating what the Black Mage wanted with Kritias. After receiving the book, Hirrel asked the Alliance member to learn more about the floating castle by speaking with the people who had fled from it before the castle had begun levitating. After learning that the royal family and their servants were staying at the inn near the marketplace, the Alliance member decided to head over there and investigate.
Inside the inn, they encountered the royal princess, Miriam, who seemed to be in discomfort. Just then, her maid, Parma, stepped in and told them that they needed to request an audience with the princess in order to speak with her. Parma then put the Alliance member through a rigorous screening process by asking them to bring Intermediate Magician’s Cloth from the Corrupted Intermediate Magicians and Broken Shafts from the Burning Rage monsters, though they quickly realized that Parma was making up the screening process as she went. Though she admitted that they had passed, Parma told them that the princess was tired, and so she couldn’t hold an audience.
As they began to leave, Ian the serving boy suggested that they buy a Fancy Handkerchief for the princess so that Parma would run off, allowing them to speak with Miriam. Sure enough, Parma went to place the handkerchief on the princess’ bed, leaving the Alliance member alone with Miriam. The Alliance member was surprised to find that Miriam spoke in an undignified accent, which was quite unbefitting of a princess.
Miriam then asked them to find her Worn Wooden Comb that she had dropped in the forest, as it was a gift from her father. They obtained the comb from the Burning Vanity monsters and brought it to Miriam, who then decided to tell them the truth. She explained that she was a maid who was pretending to be the princess in order to keep the real princess safe. (A/N: This reminds me a bit of Padmé’s handmaidens from Star Wars.)
The Alliance member realized that though Miriam wasn’t the real princess, the maids wouldn’t have let the real princess out of their sight, meaning that she had to be somewhere nearby. They decided to speak to the other women in the town and interrogated Parma, Nita the armor seller, Beatrice, and Bianca, all of whom denied being the princess. Just as they reached a dead end, Michelin the court chef asked them to bring a famous cookbook called 100 Palace Dishes from Hirrel. Hirrel asked them to obtain Black Spellbooks from the Corrupted Advanced Magicians in exchange for the book, which they brought to Michelin.
Michelin thanked the Alliance member and told them that the princess was right about them being a true hero. They questioned Michelin about the princess’ identity, and though Michelin would not reveal the truth out of regard for the princess’ safety, he pointed them to a man named Bernhardt. Bernhardt told the Alliance member that according to Beatrice, the monsters outside Kritias were people’s darkest feelings given physical form. He asked them to defeat the Permeating Terrors and Permeating Anxieties outside, after which he told them that he was on a top-secret mission to guard the princess.
Now sure that the princess had to be close, the Alliance member went to speak with a masked person named Cantor, who was the only one with whom they hadn’t spoken yet. Cantor gave them a flower vase and instructed them to pour it on Bernhardt in order to uncover the truth. Upon pouring the water onto Bernhardt, Parma and Ian appeared to see what the commotion was about. Ian gave Bernhardt a handkerchief to dry himself with, and the Alliance member immediately realized that it was the same handkerchief that they had given to Parma for the princess.
Ian then revealed herself to be Ione de Kritias, the true princess. She apologized for not having revealed the truth earlier, explaining that she didn’t know who to trust. She told them that when the Black Mage had invaded Kritias, her father had ordered an evacuation of the city when a dazzling light had engulfed the castle, causing it to lift into the air and vanish in the clouds. She explained that she had no idea where her father was and suspected that the Black Mage was holding him prisoner.
Ione wondered why the Black Mage had invaded Kritias and why the castle was floating in the sky. The Alliance member suspected that the Black Mage wanted something unique to Kritias, to which Ione began to suspect that he may have been after Kritias’ magic, as the kingdom was famous for Ranheim Academy. She then asked them to speak with Hirrel and Beatrice about Kritias’ history and magic.
At the town hall, Hirrel told the Alliance member that he couldn’t read the Black Spellbooks that they had given him earlier because of an encryption spell. In order to decipher the text, he asked them to bring the books to Beatrice. Beatrice asked them to bring Magic Orbs that the Corrupted Advanced Magicians carried, which she used to learn that the spellbooks made references to a powerful pentacle. She suddenly had an epiphany and asked them to bring her Tower Fragments from outside of town to confirm her theory.
With the fragments, Beatrice was able to confirm her suspicions that the floating castle of Trueffet was the center of a large pentacle created by the Black Mage, believing that it was the reason why he had invaded Kritias and why he had returned Kritias back into the present. Knowing that Kritias wasn’t ready to face such a threat, Beatrice asked them to return to Ereve and ask for reinforcements.
The Alliance member explained the situation to Neinheart, who was surprised to learn the truth about the Black Mage’s plans for Kritias. Believing that the Black Mage planned to use the pentacle as a weapon against Maple World, Neinheart resolved to mobilize the Alliance in order to prevent it from being completed. He then asked the Alliance member to investigate more about the pentacle.
(A/N: There originally used to be this thing called Kritias Invasion that you could do after finishing this storyline. It involved the Alliance defending Kritias from the Black Mage’s Commanders and their forces, with two Commanders being chosen at random between Magnus, Hilla, Arkarium, and Von Leon. From a story perspective, it never really made sense for Magnus to be there when he had already left the Black Mage’s service centuries ago.
The thing about the pentacle originally had no relevance to the story, and was most likely a dropped plot thread. Kritias was released during the RED patch, which was also the same patch that released the original Explorer storyline and Zero. These three storylines laid a lot of the groundwork for the Black Mage’s ultimate plan, as the Explorer story introduced the Goddess of Maple World, depicted the Black Mage’s resurrection, and expanded the lore on the Seal Stones.
Zero’s storyline revealed that the Black Mage had discovered the “secret of the world”, which had led to his fall, and it also revealed that he planned to fuse Maple World and Grandis in order to become a Transcendent of two worlds. The secret of the world was later revealed in Tenebris as the White Mage learning that the Overseers kept the world anchored to a fixed destiny, which I think was probably always intended, since the concept of the Overseers had existed for a couple of years before the RED patch came out.
Given that these two storylines had major plot points that factored into the final story, I’m strongly convinced that Kritias was meant to play a larger role in the overarching lore. The RED Explorer music video, as well as the promotional animation for Morass, both showed the Black Mage using the castle of Trueffet as his stronghold. Based on that, I have a strong suspicion that Kritias and the spell circle were meant to tie into the Genesis Ritual, and that this was later changed to take place in Tenebris some years after Nexon came up with the 5th job advancement and the Arcane River storyline.
However, the Milestone update added a small set of quests at the end of the original Kritias storyline in order resolve the plot point about the pentacle, as well as to tie into the Morass storyline.)
The Alliance member returned to Kritias and first spoke with Parma about the pentacle and King Hekaton, though Parma told them that she had no idea where the king was. However, she revealed that on the day of the disaster, Hekaton had gone somewhere, though he had returned to evacuate everyone when the fall of Kritias had happened. She explained that he had gone there with a small number of attendants as usual, and that no one had been allowed to ask about their destination, though she then revealed that Hirrel knew where he had gone, as he was the king’s right-hand, just as General Blundell had been the king’s sword.
However, Parma emphasized that Hekaton’s disappearance had nothing to do with the pentacle, insisting that the king was a benevolent and wise man, with his evacuation being the very reason that they were all alive. She added that though there were rumors of immortality and eternal youth spreading around in regard to the king, there was nothing unusual about it, as the king was a very old man.
With nothing else to learn from Parma, the Alliance member met with Hirrel and asked where the king had gone. Though he noted that the information was classified, Hirrel admitted that it was unavoidable to speak about it now. He explained that Hekaton’s disappearance was an important matter, though it was impossible for them to conduct a search in their current situation, as General Blundell was doing all he could to protect them, with the floating castle of Trueffet being inaccessible as well.
He then revealed that one the day of the disaster, Hekaton had gone to a top-secret area beneath Kritias, which – despite several rumors about its existence – was a place that was forbidden to mention or acknowledge. With Hekaton having gone missing there, and Kritias being gone for centuries, Hirrel noted that it was possible that the king might even be dead by now. He explained that there was something in the top-secret area that he suspected was the cause of everything.
The Alliance member asked whether there was anyone who had gone there, to which Hirrel revealed that General Blundell had gone there once while transporting “it”. He explained that though Blundell had never spoken of it to him, he knew because he had processed Blundell’s report on the incident. The Alliance member then met with Blundell, who was shocked to learn that they knew about the top-secret area. Realizing that it was a matter of great importance to finding the king, Blundell decided to share what he knew about it.
He told the Alliance member that he had been responsible for bringing the “Angel of Death” there, explaining that she was a seemingly ordinary girl who had survived an accident involving an exploding anti-magic stone. However, Blundell noted that the girl was an inhuman creature with unearthly powers, and that she had been brought to the top-secret area and bound in chains, with Hekaton ordering for the matter to remain completely secret. He added that though the king’s researchers would know more, it was unlikely that the Alliance member would find any, as most of them had perished in the disaster. However, he believed that Princess Ione may know more about it and directed them to speak with her.
The Alliance member met with Ione, still disguised as Ian, in the inn, and asked her about the top-secret area. Ione was confused about why the Alliance member was questioning her in regard to her father’s disappearance, as she believed that the Black Mage’s invasion had been responsible for Kritias’ fall, though the Alliance member quickly told her about the stories they had gathered from the others.
Though Ione noted that her father had never spoken to her about such matters, she revealed that he was the highest-ranking magician in Kritias, which itself was a kingdom renowned for its advanced magic. She explained that while she herself had never held an aptitude for magic, her father was an excellent magician, and that she believed the Black Mage would want to target him.
The Alliance member asked Ione whether she believed the Black Mage had invaded Kritias with the intention of capturing Hekaton, to which Ione replied that she couldn’t be sure about that. However, she noted that she sometimes suspected that her father had delved too deeply into the study of magic, for there were times that he sometimes behaved unlike himself, with his benevolent and wise demeanor sometimes giving way to fits of rage and outbursts, particularly on the day of disaster.
She explained that Hekaton had seemed unusually pleased on that day, which had made her believe that something good had been about to happen. The Alliance member then asked her about the so-called Angel of Death, to which Ione replied that there was one person in the town who had seen the girl, though she refused to reveal their identity, as they had hidden their face and name to take on a new life, for which she would not betray their confidence. However, she did tell the Alliance member to meet with Cantor, adding that it was all that she would say on the matter.
The Alliance member met with Cantor, who realized that the fact that they had found him meant that they already knew most of what had happened to Subject No. 618. The Alliance member noted that Cantor’s whole body was shaking in fear, to which he told them that they he was a priest who had witnessed all of King Hekaton’s twisted experiments, which had birthed grotesque monsters in the dungeons. He explained that he couldn’t speak on the matter without shivering in fear, adding that he had taken on a new life to forget the deplorable acts that he had committed there.
He then revealed that Hekaton wasn’t dead, and that he had evacuated the people before extinguishing them, after which the castle of Trueffet had slowly risen into the sky. The Alliance member was shocked to realize that Kritias’ fall hadn’t been because of the Black Mage’s invasion, to which Cantor revealed that it was quite the opposite, as the large pentacle was Hekaton’s magic. He suspected that Hekaton’s failed ritual had drawn the Black Mage’s attention, and that it had all been related to Subject No. 618. He explained that the test subject, known as the Angel of Death, was a mysterious being from whom Hekaton had wanted to take the power of eternal life.
The Alliance member noted that it sounded like a ridiculous notion, which Cantor agreed with, noting that such absurd ambitions and acts of cruelty had resulted in the fall of Kritias itself. The Alliance member then asked where Subject No. 618 was, to which Cantor replied that he didn’t know. He explained that “it” had vaporized right before their eyes, which was why Hekaton’s ritual had failed, with the Black Mage invading amidst the chaos.
He told the Alliance member that when he had come to his senses, he had found himself in their current situation, and that he had no idea where Subject No. 618 had gone. However, he added that he couldn’t speak any more about it, though he noted that perhaps there may come a day when he might be able to talk about it without shaking in fear. He then entreated them to leave him, declaring that his name would remain Cantor from now on, having already died once in the kingdom’s fall.
Realizing that they had uncovered all the information they could, the Alliance member returned back to Ereve and informed Neinheart about what they had learned. Just like the Alliance member, Neinheart was surprised to learn that Hekaton had been responsible for Kritias’ fall, and that he had done it all in the pursuit of eternal life. Based on all the information the Alliance member had gathered, Neinheart suspected that Subject No. 618 had been the Black Mage’s target. He decided to keep the information secret, as he believed that since the worst had already happened, and with it appearing difficult to find Hekaton’s location, it would be better for them to focus on the current situation and hope that they someday learn the truth.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Morass storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next section.
We find out in the Morass storyline that Subject No. 618 is actually Tana, Grandis’ Transcendent of Light, whose immortality Hekaton had coveted. It’s strongly suggested that Cantor is actually Shey, a researcher whose body we inhabit while trapped in Tana’s memories of Kritias.)
The Last Crusade:
(A/N: Officially, this storyline is called the Silent Crusade 2, and it serves to wrap up the Silent Crusade storyline and lead into the start of the Arcane River storyline. It’s practically guaranteed that the protagonist of this storyline is the Adversary, and so I’ll be switching over to referring to them as such, rather than just an Alliance member.)
The Adversary received a mysterious letter from an anonymous source who claimed to have been watching their progress. They asked the Adversary to meet them at the Edelstein City Hall in order to tell them something important. Though suspicious, the Adversary nevertheless decided to investigate and headed to the city hall.
Inside, they found the room to be completely empty, causing them to believe that it had all been a prank. Just as they turned to leave, however, a dimensional crack appeared and pulled them inside a dark void. As they began searching for a way out, the Adversary quickly noticed a mysterious woman with blue hair named Rachael, who was covering her face with a fan. Wondering whether she had sent the letter, the Adversary decided to meet with her.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which Alpha and Beta immediately recognize the woman as Rachael and wonder how a resident of Mirror World can exist outside of it. Wondering whether the letter was a trap that she had arranged, the twins decide to confront her.)
Rachael told the Adversary that she hadn’t expected to see anyone in such a place and asked whether they had received a mysterious letter. The Adversary noted that she seemed to be trapped as well and asked how she had ended up in the void. Rachael revealed that she was a Time Alchemist who could magically navigate spaces, and that the reason why she hadn’t left was because there was something important that she needed to do.
She explained that her younger brother was sick, and that she had ended up in the void while following the mysterious letter’s invitation, where she had discovered that she could find medicine for her brother inside the strange dimension that she had found herself in. However, she told the Adversary that she wasn’t strong enough to obtain the medicine herself, for which she requested their help as an experienced warrior, promising to help them escape the strange dimension in exchange for their help.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which Rachael tells Alpha and Beta that she hadn’t expected to see anyone in such a place and asks whether they had received a mysterious letter. Alpha immediately tells Rachael to drop the act and demands to know what sort of trickery she had used, and why she had brought them in the void. Rachael laughs and tells him that she hadn’t known whether they would still remember her, which was why she had pretended not to know them, though she adds that she’s glad to see them again, especially in such a place as the one where they are now.
She then tells them that they’re mistaken if they believe that she had invited them, though the twins are dubious. Rachael tells them that though she can’t blame them for being suspicious, she reveals that the only reason she had followed Will in the past was because he had been holding her brother hostage. She explains that she no longer follows him, and that the lack of a spider tattoo on her hand is proof of this.
Alpha asks Rachael what she means by her brother, to which she explains that she has a precious younger brother whom she had tried protecting from Will. She tells them that her brother is very sick, and that she had broken free of Will in order to find a cure for him by wandering Maple World, which was when she had ended up in the void after following the mysterious letter’s invitation. She then offers to help the twins escape in exchange for them helping her save her brother, explaining that the two Children of the Goddess helping her would make things go much faster. Realizing that they have little choice, Alpha agrees to help her.
However, Beta whispered to Alpha and asked him whether he really believes her story. Alpha replies that there’s no way that Rachael’s story is true, to which she asks him why he had agreed to help. Alpha explains that they need Rachael’s help in order to escape, and that playing along might help them learn more about the space which they’ve arrived in, as he notes that its energy feels quite unusual. Beta agrees and tells Alpha that she’ll play along as well.)
After the Adversary agreed, Rachael transported them to Mu Lung, which she claimed was home to many medicinal herbs. However, the Adversary began to wonder whether they had really arrived in Mu Lung, as there were no people around at all. Rachael noted that the energy of the area felt strange and revealed that they were actually in a replica of Mu Lung, though she added that she had no idea how that could be.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which Alpha asks Rachael whether they’re really in Mu Lung, to which she asks them where else they would be. Beta then whispers to Alpha and tells him that she believes that they’re in Mirror World. Alpha agrees and notes that it seems that Rachael had been lying, and that she still serves Will. However, he wonders how Will could have created a new Mirror World without Rhinne’s power, to which Beta suggests that they continue to observe Rachael.)
Rachael then told the Adversary that the monsters nearby were quite powerful and asked them to collect Broken Deer Horns and Bellflowers from the Cute Reindeers and Bellflower Roots. After the Adversary brought the ingredients back, Rachael noted that the powerful monsters’ energy would make the ingredients even more potent, which would go a long way in curing her brother.
The Adversary then noted to themselves that they were definitely in a different dimension altogether, as the scenery around them was different from the Mu Lung that they knew. They began wondering where they really were, and why someone had brought them there. (A/N: Zero doesn’t get this line, as they already know that they’re in Mirror World.) They also noted that Rachael was quite suspicious, as she seemed far too calm in their situation. Though they wondered whether she was trying to remain calm for her brother’s sake, they nevertheless decided to keep a close eye on her.
(A/N: One detail that you notice here in these maps is that there are purple spiderwebs dripping with venom.)
Rachel then asked the Adversary for another favor, explaining that she had discovered that there was a King Centipede whose jawbone was a powerful medicine. The Adversary defeated the King Centipede and brought its jawbone to Rachael, who thanked them for their help and lauded them as a powerful warrior. In accordance with their deal, Rachael used her powers to send the Adversary back to the real world, where they collapsed in the middle of Perion, right next to Starling, Elwin, and Lily.
A surprised Starling immediately recognized them and asked how they had suddenly appeared. After hearing their story, Starling realized that they must have gotten trapped inside a dimensional crack. The Adversary asked Starling whether the cracks had started appearing again, which Starling confirmed, revealing that something strange was going on in Maple World, and that the Silent Crusade had been dispatched to investigate the sudden reappearance of the dimensional cracks. However, she told the Adversary that the new cracks had a different energy signature from Arkarium, and that they felt even more dangerous. She explained that they were the first person to have entered and escaped a crack, for which she asked them for their help in investigating the situation.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, as they skip the Silent Crusade storyline. Starling recognizes Alpha and Beta as members of the Alliance and asks them how they had suddenly appeared. A confused Beta asks Starling who she is, to which Starling introduces herself and notes that she’s heard that the two of them had played a major role in stopping Arkarium. She explains that the fact that they had just appeared out of thin air makes her wonder whether their appearance is related to the latest investigation of the Silent Crusade.
Alpha asks Starling what’s going on, to which she explains that strange cracks have begun appearing across Maple World, and that the Silent Crusade – after determining that their energy was different from Arkarium’s – had move in to investigate further. Alpha then tells Starling about what had happened to them inside the crack. Starling realizes that it must have something to do with a Commander of the Black Mage, and with the twins being the only ones who had entered and escaped a crack, she asks them for their assistance. Believing that the Silent Crusade, as a branch of the Alliance, might have information that they didn’t, Alpha and Beta agree to help.)
Starling then introduced Elwin and Lily as apprentices of Grendel the Really Old, with Elwin introduced himself as a Barrier Master, and Lily introducing herself as a Manipulation Magician. Elwin explained that the space which the Adversary had seen – an imperfect replica of Maple World – had to be a manipulated world. Starling asked whether such a thing was possible, to which he replied that it was almost unheard of, though the cracks – while small – were leaking powerful monsters from the other side. Lily added that while some cracks closed on their own, the only reliable solution was to close the cracks themselves.
The Adversary then traveled with the others to Sleepywood, where another crack had recently appeared. Elwin explained that with no monsters having come out yet, they could begin to stabilize the crack. He added that they would need to enter the crack and quickly defeat the monsters inside, warning them to hurry, as there was a chance that the crack could close on its own and trap them inside. Starling asked the Adversary to enter the crack, while she remained outside and handled any monsters that leaked through.
Inside, the Adversary defeated the monsters inside a replica of the Cursed Temple beneath Sleepywood. After they emerged, Elwin and Lily used their magic to seal the crack. Just then, Starling received an urgent message from Crow, who had requested assistance in dealing with a new crack which had appeared in Herb Town. Starling asked the Adversary, Elwin, and Lily to handle the situation while she continued to investigate Rachael and the mysterious letter. In Herb Town, Crow greeted the Adversary and noted that the situation may be easier than he had thought with them and Grendel’s apprentices backing him up.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which Crow notes that it’s his first time seeing their faces and asks whether they’re the ones who had played a role in the Arkarium crisis. He then tells them that he doesn’t like to be bothered, and that they need to take care of themselves.)
Crow led the group to the site of the crack, where monsters with a strange, red eye-like symbol were pouring out of the rift. The Adversary noted that the energy was unlike anything they had seen inside the crack, though Crow quickly told them to focus on handling the monsters, while Elwin and Lily dealt with closing the crack. After the Adversary defeated the invading monsters, they looked around to find that Lily and Elwin had disappeared. Fearing that they may have accidentally been pulled into the crack, the Adversary entered inside, only to find that they weren’t there.
Just as they began wondering whether the siblings had gone somewhere safe with Crow, the Adversary spotted a King Centipede with the strange symbol over its head. After they defeated the creature, Rachael suddenly appeared and thanked them for their help, claiming that she had been too weak to defeat the monster on her own.
She revealed that she had returned back to look for more medicine for her brother, who was showing signs of improvement. She then asked them why they had returned, to which they replied that they were looking for someone. Rachel told them that there was no one around, though she added that they were truly a good person for blindly jumping into danger for them. She then asked them to help her once again collect ingredients for her brother, promising to help them escape if they did.
Using her powers, Rachael created a portal that led them both to a replica of the Cursed Temple, which she noted must feel both familiar and different. The Adversary realized that, just as Elwin and Lily had said, the area appeared to be a manipulated space. However, they also realized that it must be difficult to freely move between such spaces, which made them wonder who exactly Rachael was. Nevertheless, they decided to hide their suspicions from Rachael, who asked them to collect Taurospear Hooves, Tauromacis Hooves, and Wild Kargo Eyes.
(A/N: After Rachael notes that the replica of the Cursed Temple must feel both familiar and different, Zero gets exclusive dialogue, in which Alpha whispers to Beta that they’re definitely in Mirror World. Beta notes that she can’t feel Rhinne’s power, meaning that the copy of Mirror World that they’re in was created by a different force altogether. Wondering whether Will has gained new powers, Alpha and Beta decide to continue investigating.)
After the Adversary returned with the ingredients, Rachael agreed to send them back, though she added that she would also answer any one question that they had for her. The Adversary asked Rachael who she was and how she could travel around so freely within the crack. Rachael revealed that she had once been a subordinate of the person who had created the space, which was how she was able to move easily around it. However, she assured them that she no longer worked for him, though she acknowledged that the Adversary had no reason to believe her. Nevertheless, she claimed that she was now just an older sister trying to protect her younger brother, after which she opened a portal to send them back.
(A/N: For Zero, Alpha instead asks Rachael why the creator of the space had invited them in. Rachel replies that though she isn’t too sure, she believes that it’s because he wants to see what kind of people they are. Beta asks her what she means, to which Rachael clarifies that he had wanted to see whether they’re noble enough to help someone trying to save her younger brother. However, upon seeing the twins’ expression, Rachael notes that they don’t believe her, though she insists that she’s no just an older sister trying to protect her younger brother, after which she opens a portal to send them back.)
The Adversary returned back to Herb Town, where they met with Crow, Elwin, and Lily. After they told everyone about how they had gone into the crack to find the siblings, Elwin apologized for not telling the Adversary earlier that he and Lily had gone to investigate the monsters emerging from the cracks. Lily explained that they had noticed that only monsters with the eye-like symbol were able to cross over into Maple World.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Alpha notes that since ordinary Mirror World monsters couldn’t leave, it was likely that the ones which had escaped had been specially modified, which Beta realizes is what the eye-like symbol is for.)
Crow then noted that Rachael seemed quite suspicious and asked them to bring him the next time they entered a crack. Though the Adversary noted that it seemed strange to confront her without any evidence, Crow replied that Rachael was dangerous no matter how they looked at it. Just then, Crow received a distress call from Lora, who had requested for backup in investigating a crack in Ariant. The Adversary, Elwin, and Lily were sent to reinforce Lora, who told them that while she could normally handle the monsters, the ones emerging from the crack had suddenly gotten much stronger.
The Adversary then entered the crack and defeated the monsters inside before returning to Lora, who thanked them and explained that Elwin and Lily had gone to investigate another crack. She then noted that her jaguar, Sun, had gotten unusually restless. Suddenly, another crack appeared, which the Adversary and Lora entered in order to investigate.
After defeating the powerful monsters inside, the pair attempted to leave the crack, only to find that it had already closed up behind them, trapping them inside. As they began searching for a way out, Rachael appeared before them and asked the Adversary whether Lora was a friend of theirs. She then laughed that she seemed to see them in the space quite often and asked whether they liked being stuck inside it.
The Adversary asked Rachael what she was doing, to which she replied that it ought to be obvious to them now that she was searching for a way to cure her brother. At Lora’s confusion, Rachael explained how her younger brother was ill. After a pause, Lora asked Rachael whether her brother was very sick, to which Rachael told her that her brother’s life was in danger, which was why she had come seeking Cactus Stems and Scorpion Venom, which could be used as a potent medicine if used properly.
Once again, Rachael offered to use help the Adversary and Lora escape if they acquired the ingredients for her. The Adversary asked Lora what they should do, noting that it might be better to wait for Elwin and Lily to free them, rather than helping Rachael. However, Lora noted that Rachael’s brother was sick, adding that while it was most likely a lie, she would feel uncomfortable about ignoring Rachael’s situation if there was a chance that it was true. Reluctantly, the Adversary agreed and collected the ingredients, which they brought back to Rachael.
Rachael thanked the Adversary and turned to Lora, who revealed that the reason why she had wanted to help was because she herself had lost her younger brother, who had disappeared in the Verne Mine while fighting the Black Wings, leaving behind his jaguar, Sun, for her to inherit. When the Adversary told Lora not to believe Rachael’s story, Lora replied that it wasn’t that she believed Rachael, but rather, it was because she wanted to give peace to herself by helping. She then told Rachael that she didn’t require gratitude either, claiming that she would have taken Rachael into custody if she could.
Offended that they still didn’t believe her story, Rachael offered to show her younger brother to them, surprising both the Adversary and Lora. She then created a portal that brought them to a dark laboratory, where she presented her brother floating inside a large tank. Though the tank was dark and opaque, making it impossible to see inside, the Adversary was able to see a grotesque shape floating inside it, causing them to wonder whether the thing inside it was really a person. Rachael revealed that thanks to the ingredients that the Adversary had brought her, she had been able to slowly reconstruct her brother, to which the Adversary asked Rachael whether she was creating a chimera by fusing together parts of different creatures.
Rachael was offended to hear the Adversary calling her brother a chimera and flatly denied their accusations before sending them and Lora back to the real world. Back in Ariant, a disturbed Lora noted that the creature which they had seen was definitely a chimera and wondered whether it was really Rachael’s brother. Though she didn’t wish to jump to conclusions, she noted that what was certain was that Rachael was extremely dangerous.
Just then, she received a call from Sodane, who had requested backup in Ludibrium. Lora told the Adversary that all the cracks in Ariant had been closed, and that Elwin and Lily were already on their way to Ludibrium. She confessed that she felt disturbed by Rachael’s actions and wondered whether she had been targeting the Adversary from the beginning. She then sent the Adversary to Ludibrium, where they met with Sodane, Lily and Elwin. At Sodane’ request, the Adversary entered the nearby crack and eliminated the monsters before returning back.
After Elwin closed the crack, Sodane explained that there had been many cracks which had appeared in Kritias, with droves of monsters appearing from within. Because of this, the legendary Crusaders, Krag and Wence – the latter of whom had come out of retirement – had personally dealt with the situation, alongside Grendel himself. He added that the monsters in Kritias had been even more powerful, and that several Alliance warriors had also gone to Kritias to help put an end to the attack.
He told the Adversary that the cause of the cracks had not yet been identified, and neither had Rachael, who appeared to have no traces in Maple World at all. Lily then asked whether Rachael was the woman with blue hair and a fan, revealing that she had spotted her inside the crack in Ludibrium while the Adversary had been fighting, and that she had picked up a piece of a Timer monster. Elwin explained that he believed that Rachael had been the one creating the crack monster with symbols on them, to which the Adversary revealed that she had been experimenting with chimera to save her brother.
Elwin concluded that her brother must have been an experiment for creating the crack monsters, while Lily noted that it was rather disturbing that she would call a chimera her brother, with both siblings doubting that the creature really was related to her. Lily explained that only monsters with symbols were able to cross over into Maple World, and that she suspected that Rachael was experimenting to create a stronger chimera in order to send even more powerful monsters to attack.
Realizing that the situation had gotten quite serious, Sodane brought the group to meet with Bastille and the other Silent Crusade officers in Magatia. There, Bastille summarized the situation before turning to Lora and asking her whether she believed that the chimera was indeed Rachael’s brother. Though Lora admitted that she couldn’t be sure, she noted that it was possible that if Rachael’s brother really was sick, Rachael may have wanted to save him at any costs, even by turning him into a monster. She added that if the chimera really was Rachel’s brother, she believed that they ought to save him, as he was an innocent party in the whole affair.
Suddenly, a crack opened up and pulled the Adversary inside. As the shocked Crusaders wondered what had happened, Lora noted that just as she had suspected, Rachael had been targeting the Adversary all along, though she wondered for what purpose. Meanwhile, the Adversary was brought before Rachael, who had lowered her fan to reveal a red spiderweb mark on her face. (A/N: This mark is identical to the one that Cassius has after he’s revived by Will in Zero’s storyline.)
Rachael revealed that repairs on her brother had almost completed, thanks to their efforts. She then presented her brother, who emerged from his tank and revealed himself to be a chimera created from a fusion of the many different parts that the Adversary had collected for her. Rachael explained that her brother was nearly complete, and that all he needed to be fully functional was a mechanical heart and core from Magatia.
The Adversary then wondered whether the fact that the chimera needed mechanical parts was the reason why Rachael has said that it had been nearly ‘repaired’, rather than ‘healed’. The Adversary demanded to know how she could have done such a terrible thing, to which Rachael laughed and asked whether they thought that her brother was hideous, adding that she found him to be cute. She then asked whether they believed that it was the result of her experiment, and whether he really was her brother, causing the Adversary to wonder what she meant by that.
She explained that her brother had been sick from a young age, and that she had needed to replace his body with stronger parts, eventually leading him to appear as a monster. However, she claimed that he was nevertheless her precious little brother, even as his sense of reason had been lost after being replaced with the body parts of so many mindless, vicious monsters. She revealed that the creature was nothing more than a monster now before asking the Adversary what they planned to do now.
After thinking for a moment, the Adversary decided to defeat the chimera, to which Rachael asked them whether they were really raising their weapon at her brother. However, the Adversary declared that there was no way that the creature was her brother, claiming that she had been lying to them from the beginning. Realizing that she was the one who had sent them the letter, the Adversary demanded to know what her plan was by creating the cracks and monsters, to which Rachael laughed and congratulated them, declaring that her prediction had been correct.
At the Adversary’s confusion, Rachael revealed that her master had arranged for everything in order to test them and see what choice they would make in such a situation. Having seen their decision for herself, she told them that she would now step back and let them deal with that ‘horrible’ chimera before disappearing, leaving behind a horde of monsters to attack them.
(A/N: For Zero, when Rachael asks them whether they’re really raising their weapon at her brother, Alpha declares that there’s no way that the creature is her brother, claiming that she had been lying to them from the beginning. Realizing that she was the one who had sent them the letter, Alpha notes that Will was the one who had created the copy of Mirror World and demands to know what their plan is. Rachael realizes that the twins had likely known from the beginning, since they were the Children of the Goddess. She then reveals that Will had arranged for everything in order to test them and see what choice the Children of the Goddess would make in such a situation.
A furious Alpha and Beta demand to know why he would go to such lengths, to which Rachael laughs that she feels sorry for them because of how much they hate her, though she adds that it had all been quite necessary. However, she tells them that they had both made a good choice, and that she would now step back and let them deal with that ‘horrible’ chimera before disappearing, leaving behind a horde of monsters to attack them. Alpha decides to fight the creatures, with Beta noting that she feels at ease knowing that the chimera isn’t really Rachael’s brother.)
After defeating the monsters, the Adversary emerged back in Magatia, just as the Crusaders, Elwin, and Lily had prepared to charge in after them. Relieved to know that they were safe, Bastille brought the Adversary back to headquarters, where the Silent Crusade treated their wounds. Bastille then asked the Adversary what had happened. After hearing their account, Bastille realized that based on Lora’s report, it seemed apparent that the enemy had been planning everything to test them on the choice that they made.
Starling began wondering why anyone would want to test such a thing, to which Bastille noted that there seemed to be some sort of larger plot that they were all unaware about. However, he noted that Rachael’s master was almost certainly a Commander of the Black Mage. Starling pointed out that they had no record of any Commander with such power, causing her to wonder whether it was the work of a new Commander, with Bastille noting that they should consider it in the realm of possibility.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Beta whispers to Alpha and asks him whether they ought to tell them about Will. However, Alpha believes that it’s better not to say anything, as they would then have to explain everything else about how they had acquired that information.)
Lily then spoke up and told them that there was one possible person that came to mind. She revealed that a scholar had once approached Grendel in order to find out whether it was possible to create a world with spatial magic. She explained that when Grendel had claimed that it would be difficult with human strength, the scholar had not been dissuaded and had claimed that it would be possible if one had power that transcended human strength. She also noted that the scholar had left behind notes about creating a new world through pieces of another, just like the manipulated world inside the cracks. When Starling asked what the scholar’s name was, Lily replied that it was Will.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which a disturbed Alpha notes that Will seemed to have been on the move, even back then.)
Bastille thanked Lily for the information and resolved to look more into Will, noting that with one new Commander who could manipulate dreams, and another who had just been revealed, they would need to change their investigation methods, as it was no longer sufficient to simply just track the actions of past Commanders. He then thanked the group for their report and assured them that he would pass down the information that they had gathered to the Alliance.
After the meeting ended, Bastille spoke to the Adversary and thanked them for their time as a Crusader, adding that their mission had likely been their last. At the Adversary’s confusion, Bastille told them that it was a long story and began explaining. He told the Adversary that the reason why the Silent Crusade hadn’t been able to provide them with much support on their mission had been because they had been busy investigating a powerful and enormous force flowing through the Temple of Time.
He revealed that while they had initially believed it to be another crack that led into another space, the size of that energy flow had been on an unfathomably immense scale, as though it hadn’t just been leading into another space, but rather, a small world in its own right. At the Adversary’s shock, Bastille confessed that the only person capable of such a feat had to be the Black Mage himself, and that it seemed as though his plan was about to be put into motion.
He explained that with new Commanders appearing and the Black Mage’s plan on the move, the Silent Crusade had decided that they needed to become one united front, which was why their organization was being officially absorbed by the Alliance, rather than being an independent subset. However, he assured them that since they were already part of the Alliance, it was nothing more than a name change, and that he hoped for them to continue lending their support in the future, as the beginning of the end with the Black Mage was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, in Mirror World, Rachael met with Will, who asked them how it had felt to meet the Adversary in person. Rachael laughed and told Will that she hoped that he had watched it all, to which he replied that it was different seeing it in person. Rachael then asked Will whether he believed that the Adversary was truly capable of reaching the Black Mage. Will replied that he believed that everything had happened within the expected range.
He then thanked Rachael for her hard work, adding that with Mirror World having served its purpose, it needed to be recalled. Using his powers, he absorbed Rachael before noting that it was about to slowly start. Though he didn’t know how long it would take to unfold, he added that he would wait patiently, as waiting was one of his favorite pastimes.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Esfera storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next section.
The purpose of Will’s experiment was to ensure that the Adversary would choose to kill Tana in Esfera, which is the pivotal moment that would ensure the Black Mage’s success in creating a new world. Similar to how the Adversary was asked to kill the chimera at the risk of potentially killing an innocent person, their choice in Esfera was to either kill Tana and stop the Black Mage from taking her power, or to spare her and allow the Black Mage to obtain everything he needs for the Genesis Ritual.
As we find out in Kao’s timeline, the Adversary did make the choice to kill Tana in the original timeline, although the circumstances that led to it resulted in them being unable to kill the Black Mage when the Genesis Ritual was enacted, prompting him to send Kao back in time in a last-ditch attempt to redo things. However, in this timeline, we instead make the choice to spare Tana’s life, which - along with a few other factors - eventually leads to us killing the Black Mage without the Genesis Ritual being enacted.)
Pinnacle of Power:
(A/N: As I’d mentioned in a previous section, this is just a consolidation of all the level 200 quests for every class. As always, this isn’t to say that every class reaches level 200 at the same time, but it’s easier to just have them all lumped together in the same section, since there’s no way of knowing where their absolute placement in the chronology is. There are several references to a new power awakening in each of the classes, which is just the Hero’s Echo skill for Maple World classes and the Exclusive Spell skill for Grandis classes. While not every class has an explicit mention of them awakening with a new power, they still get the skill regardless.)
Explorer:
The Explorer grew to reach the highest level of power and soon heard the Statue of the Goddess calling to them in Orbis. There, the Goddess spoke to them and bestowed her blessing upon them in order to help them protect Maple World. Soon after, the Priests of Leafre recognized the Explorer’s strength and gifted them the Red Draco, a mount which only gave its loyalty to those who were strong enough.
(A/N: The Goddess mentioned in this quest isn’t the Goddess of Maple World. The Goddess of Maple World was created for the Explorer storyline in the RED update, but there were always references to some sort of deity called the Goddess, even before the Big Bang update. It seems that the people of Orbis worship someone named Minerva, who’s depicted as a Nymph in all her statues.
The pre-Big Bang lore suggests that characters like Minerva and Lakelis, both of whom instigate various party quests in the game, are part of the Goddess race, but despite Minerva appearing as a Nymph in her statues, all the members of the Goddess race have identical human NPC sprites, with the only difference being their color palettes. The Goddess race has literally never once come up in the main story, which is why I was surprised that this pre-Big Bang quest was left untouched in the Destiny revamp instead of being reworked into the Goddess of Maple World lore.
I have this headcanon that the Orbis Goddess is the Nymph form of the Goddess of Maple World. During our 5th job advancement, we see that the Goddess of Grandis has three different forms, each being one of the three major races of Grandis - the Nova, the Flora, and the Anima. I like to think that the Goddess of Maple World can also present herself in a different form for each of her races, such as humans, fairies, etc. If I had free reign on deciding the lore for myself, I would retcon the Great Spirit whom Mercedes speaks with during her job advancements into the elf form of the Goddess of Maple World.)
Pathfinder:
(A/N: This is an additional quest that Pathfinder gets on top of the regular Explorer stuff.)
After attaining full power, the Pathfinder thought to herself that a long time had passed since she had become completely free of the curse, meaning that she could now freely control the power of the relic. Believing that it had the power to protect everyone, the Pathfinder hoped to one day become the true owner of the relic’s full power.
Cygnus Knight:
Cygnus reached out to the Knight and told them that despite Shinsoo having left Ereve, the divine bird had told her about the Knight’s exploits and strength. She invited the Knight to Ereve, where she reminisced about how clueless they had been during their first day of training in Ereve, and how they had now become on par with the Chief Knights.
She then explained that she and Shinsoo were both in agreement to have them become the sixth Chief Knight. She told the Knight that they were a star in a world of darkness. When the sun shone, the stars hid, unneeded, but when darkness bloomed, as it did with the threat of the Black Mage, the stars became their guide. Cygnus then asked the Knight to visit her more often, as Ereve felt lonely with Shinsoo gone.
(A/N: Something that I thought the Ignition revamp would fix was Cygnus promoting us to Chief Knight at both 4th job and at level 200. They did update the dialogue for this quest, which makes it even weirder that they didn’t catch this.)
Mihile:
(A/N: While Mihile obviously reaches level 200 before the Cygnus Knight, this quest is explicitly set after Cygnus’ awakening, as Shinsoo is said to be in Leafre during this quest.)
Shinsoo’s voice reached out to Mihile, telling him that he had proven his place besides the Empress as her protector. She explained that though the light inside him had grown from a spark to a brilliant star, there was still something that he needed to learn about the connection between the Knight of Light and Shinsoo’s Teardrop. Through her power, Shinsoo summoned Mihile to her hidden resting spot in Leafre, where she began telling him the truth.
She explained that before the invasion of the Black Mage, when Empress Aria had still lived, Freud had come to Ereve in order to make a request. He had shown her the Seal Stone of Ereve, which he had explained held the power to restore the world as a failsafe in the event that the Black Mage succeeded in destroying it.
With the Seal Stones imbued with the power of time, Freud had hoped that they would be able to restore Maple World to the way it was, and so he explained that he had been hiding several all over the world, with the one that he had been presenting to Shinsoo being meant for Ereve. (A/N: This flashback confirms that Freud had distributed the Seal Stones before Phantom joined the Heroes, since Aria is still alive at this point in time.)
Shinsoo explained that she had accepted the Seal Stone from Freud and had agreed to become its keeper. She then explained that soon after, Empress Aria had lost her life to Lotus and Orchid, who had also killed many of the Noblesse, as well as her protector, the Knight of Light, and had destroyed his Soul Shield. In the tragedy, however, the light had still persisted in the form of the Knight of Light’s protégé, who had taken on his master’s mantle as the next Knight of Light.
As Shinsoo had grown too weak to protect the Seal Stone without a living Empress to claim her power, she had instead reforged the Soul Shield and had placed the gemstone inside of it. Having shed many tears for Aria on that sad day, Shinsoo had also given the Seal Stone a new name - Shinsoo’s Teardrop - in memory of Aria’s death.
Since then, it had been the Knight of Light’s duty to guard the Seal Stone, until Chromile’s death had broken the chain. However, centuries later, a new Empress had returned to lead Ereve, with Mihile’s actions securing the Seal Stone’s safety as well.
(A/N: If the player has completed Black Heaven before this quest, Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue. Shinsoo tells Mihile that he carries Shinsoo’s Teardrop within him now, with its power touching him, blessing him, and becoming a part of him. In response, Mihile tells Shinsoo that it changes nothing, as he’s still the Knight of Light, and he’s still committed to protecting the Empress, Ereve, and Maple World. Otherwise, Mihile’s response is the regular dialogue below.)
Mihile told Shinsoo that with or without the Seal Stone, he was still the Knight of Light, and that he was still committed to protecting the Empress, Ereve, and Maple World. Shinsoo was pleased by his dedication and sent him back to Ereve, where Cygnus gave him a token made from Chromile’s broken Soul Shield.
(A/N: The token is just his level 200 medal. This quest actually made me really like the idea of Mihile being the Adversary. The Knight of Light has always protected the Seal Stone of Ereve, and after Mihile relinquishes the Seal Stone to Cygnus, it’s poetic that it still finds its way back to him after Cygnus uses it to revive him during Black Heaven. The Seal Stone goes from being cradled within the Soul Shield to within Mihile’s own soul, allowing him to serve as a protector of not only the Seal Stone, but all the people whose hopes are channeled through it.)
Resistance:
Headmaster Ferdi contacted the Resistance member and thanked them for their dedication and hard work since the start of their Special Training. He then asked them to come back to Edelstein for one last session. There, Ferdi reminisced with them about how they had been a clueless rookie at the start of their training. However, Ferdi told them that since then, they had proven themselves time and time again. Though they had nothing left to learn from Special Training, he reminded them that they still had much to learn, not from a teacher, but from the world. As thanks, he taught them a powerful skill to aid them until the day that Edelstein would be freed.
Xenon:
Claudine reached out to Xenon and asked him to return to Edelstein. There, the Resistance instructors gave him a formal welcome party to make up for their awkward first meeting.
Demon:
The Demon soon returned to full power and vowed to destroy the Black Mage, believing that it was his responsibility to ensure that no one would ever experience the pain that he had. As he felt his desire to protect and atone for his sins, new power flooded into him.
Aran:
Maha reached out to Aran and told her that it was time to get back the rest of her memories and a final skill. He instructed her to come to Rien, as it would require her to make physical contact with the polearm directly. There, Maha reminisced that despite having lost her old memories and power, watching her train diligently to get them back had made him convinced that no matter how much had changed, she was still her old self. He noted that she had grown even stronger than before, with her ability to use his power without directly wielding him being proof.
However, he told Aran that in order to unlock her final skill, she would need to touch the polearm. Upon doing so, Aran had a recollection of the day of the final battle, when she had gotten injured just before the Heroes had left for the Temple of Time. In her memory, she witnessed all the Heroes – including the empty shape of someone whom she knew had been there, despite being unable to remember him, supporting her weight on his shoulders.
She recalled how the Heroes had urged Aran to keep herself safe after she had thrown herself into danger to protect the refugees. Aran had apologized to them, to which they had told her not to, instead telling her to remember that they all had each other’s backs, rather than Aran always being the one to put others behind her as she protected them. Having internalized that final lesson, Aran was given one final skill by Maha, who asked her to use it to defeat the Black Mage once and for all.
Soon after, Maha told her that he could sense an incredible force trailing her and asked if there was someone extremely powerful with her. Aran returned to Rien and Maha immediately recognized that the energy was coming from Ryko, who had grown strong as a Silver Wolf alongside its master. He told her that the wolf was ready for its awakening, but when Aran told him that she didn’t remember how to do so, Maha used his powers to awaken the wolf for her. He then told her that Ryko was the strongest wolf in history, even stronger than the one that she had ridden centuries ago. He explained that the wolf that she had ridden in the past was also called Ryko, and that he had thought that she had given him the same name deliberately.
Evan:
Mir soon felt Evan’s soul growing stronger and resonating with his own. Through the power of the Spirit Pact, they gained a new power that signified that they had become the true successors of Freud and Afrien.
(A/N: Before the Heroes of Maple update, Evan and Mir would meet Afrien, who would explain that Onyx Dragons were only at half their strength when the bond between master and dragon wasn’t in harmony, although their power would skyrocket when they do grow in sync. He tells them that they’re a lot stronger than he and Freud were at their age, which shows just how tightly they’ve bonded. He then gives them the Hero’s Echo skill, explaining that their strong spirits qualify them to use it, just as Freud once had.)
Mercedes:
Mercedes was summoned by the Great Spirit, who bestowed her blessing to signify that Mercedes had returned to full power. Her return to strength also meant that Sylvidia grew much stronger.
(A/N: They make no references to any of the elves awakening after she returns to full power, which is a bit dumb when it was literally said that the elves would awaken after she regains her full strength. If they ever end up revamping her storyline, I wish that we’d see a few more elves awaken. This plot point gets resolved in her Aftermath cutscene, which shows all the elves stopped being popsicles after the Black Mage’s death.)
Phantom:
In celebration of Phantom’s return to full power, Gaston ordered a new car for Phantom called Royce, which was an upgraded version of his old car, Rolls.
Soon after, Cygnus asked Phantom to visit her in Ereve and told him that while organizing the things left behind by Empress Aria, she had found Aria’s diary, and that she had felt that Phantom ought to have it. Though most of the diary had been damaged, Phantom learned that Aria had also resented the selfish royals of Maple World and had been glad to hear whenever Phantom targeted them. He was surprised to learn that she had wished to meet him, but as Ereve had no real treasures to offer, she had made up the rumor about Skaia in order to draw him out.
Luminous:
Lania called Luminous back home, where she jokingly asked him why he only came when she invited him. Before he could respond, she laughed and told him that she already knew that it was because he was on an important mission. She then explained that she had been remembering some old memories of when she had been Lucia, and how they would stroll together through Harmony.
Shade:
The Fox God brought Shade to Vulpes, claiming that she had a gift for him. Shade immediately noticed that it wasn’t raining, though he wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or saddened by it. He then met with Moonbeam, who recognized him from his last visit, and eagerly showed him her new guardian spirit, which took on Shade’s appearance, causing him to wonder whether it was a gift from the Fox God. Moonbeam explained that her guardian spirit had suddenly taken on a new form before asking him where he came from, and why her spirit looked like him.
Shade explained that he came from a place with only one moon, and that he had no idea why her spirit looked like him. Moonbeam replied that according to her grandfather’s stories, some guardian spirits took on the appearance of the person one missed the most, and that such spirits were more powerful than any other. She then wondered in bemusement whether she had been missing him all the while, despite having only seen him once.
Moonbeam then explained that she didn’t have any close friends, and that her parents had died at a young age, even as the fox Anima lived closely with their families all their lives. Because of this, she had never been able to relate to her peers when they had talked about their family ties, which had made her feel estranged from the other foxes. However, she smiled and told Shade that her guardian spirit would now be her close friend at her side, which meant that she wouldn’t have to be lonely anymore.
Upon hearing Shade’s relief, Moonbeam noted that his scent was of the wind, which meant that he would likely be leaving soon. Though Shade thought to himself that he didn’t want to leave Moonbeam, he noted that he still needed to honor his promise to keep Maple World safe. Moonbeam then asked him to at least tell her his name, to which Shade told her that his name had been given to him by someone that he missed dearly, and that he would share it with her on the day that he could be with that person again.
As he left, Shade noted to himself that if the legend was true, his guardian spirit would gradually begin to resemble Moonbeam as well. Soon after, the Fox God reached out to him and asked whether he liked the gift. Shade thanked her and explained that Moonbeam’s new guardian spirit looking like him had put her at ease, and that it had ensured that she wouldn’t be lonely. The Fox God then gave Shade one more gift, transforming his guardian spirit to take on Moonbeam’s appearance in response to his longing for her.
Kaiser:
The spirit of the former Kaiser reached out to Kyle and asked him to come to the Great Temple. There, he congratulated Kyle on achieving the rank of Grand Kaiser even faster than he had. He then bestowed his blessing upon Kyle, granting him the final piece of Kaiser’s power.
Angelic Buster:
Eskalade congratulated Angelic Buster for reaching a new height in her power, to which she happily noted that she felt more confident than ever. Eskalade noted that thanks to her diligent training and his excellent guidance, she had mastered his powers. Angelic Buster agreed and told him that it was only because of him that she had come so far, for which she thanked him sincerely. She then noted that, having unlocked all his power, it was now up to her to keep growing stronger. Eskalade then explained that thanks to her unexpected growth, he had managed to create a new power to bestow upon her, which he presented to her as a final gift.
Cadena:
Through her vigorous training, Cadena felt her power getting stronger. However, she still felt as though there were powers still inside her that were yet to be unlocked. By concentrating on her past experiences, new power flooded into her body as she felt herself grow stronger through those experiences.
Kain:
Gen contacted Kain and told him that they had found a lead on someone who could take care of the choker on Illin. However, he explained that Illin had rushed off to meet with them before the Shadowdealers could vet the source. Believing it to be a trap, Kain rushed to the old Drakas headquarters, where the meeting was supposed to take place. There, he found Illin dead on the roof. To Kain’s shock, he saw Luska approaching him silently. Aghast, he asked her how she could still be alive after she had died in his arms, but Luska ignored his question and merely identified him as her target.
Kain realized that her memories had been stolen once again, but Luska corrected him and explained that she herself had requested for them to be erased, as it was the only way to escape death. She told him that her past self had been too weak to survive, and so she had killed her in order to grow stronger. (A/N: “I’m sorry, but the old Luska can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ‘cuz she’s dead.”)
Kain reminded her that they were family, and that she had made the ultimate sacrifice to protect him. However, Luska interrupted him and explained that she already knew that she had died for Kain and asked if he would die for her. When Kain told her that he obviously would, she asked him to prove it and raised her sword to attack him.
Suddenly, Dr. Y arrived to stop her and told her that that would do, congratulating her for passing her condition check. Luska ordered him to move, but Dr. Y told her that he couldn’t allow her to kill Kain, as her post-mortem Malice condition was an entirely new field of study, and that Kain was as essential as she was to study it.
After Luska walked away, Kain demanded to know who Dr. Y really was and what he had done to his sister. Dr. Y responded that for her own personal reasons, Luska had requested the change in order to become stronger. He then told him that between Luska, who had abandoned her past, and Kain, who chased it, he wondered which sibling would come out stronger.
Illium:
Ex told Illium that something was happening to the Elder Crystal and suggested that they move back to Sanctuary. There, a sudden flash of light emanated from the crystal and imbibed new power into Illium, marking him as the true owner of the Elder Crystal.
Ark:
As Ark returned to full power, he felt the Specter’s power flowing through his arm. The pain knocked him unconscious and transported him to the Abyss. There, the Specter asked Ark whether he had enjoyed using its power, claiming that he was much stronger because of it. It explained that the intoxication of bloodlust on the battlefield was what sustained it. Ark asked the Specter why it had summoned him, to which the Specter told him that as they were now one, it grew stronger when Ark’s power grew.
Because of this, the Specter finally believed that it was ready to confront him so that it could seize control of his body in order to prevent Ark from endangering both their lives, as Ark constantly forced them into dangerous situations that could kill them both. Ark then faced off against the Specter and managed to best it.
The Specter was surprised by Ark’s strong will and decided to back off, though it promised to return the next time that Ark’s will wavered. As Ark returned from the Abyss, he felt a new power and a vague memory returning to him, though he couldn’t fully recall the details. (A/N: This is likely a memory that he gained of the Abyss and the infinite knowledge inside of it.)
Adele:
As Adele continued regaining her powers, she grew more confused and wondered why she had been called to take up her blade after having spent so long in the Void. She decided to return to the knight statue in Ristonia for answers, but the statue remained silent. Suddenly, she saw a paper airplane sailing down to her and opened it to find a letter that asked her to meet atop the tallest spire at the bell’s sixth toll.
There, she encountered Veronica and several High Flora soldiers. Veronica reminded Adele that at the masquerade ball, she had promised that they would meet again. Now that Adele recognized her and had returned to full strength, Veronica invited her to face off again. Suddenly, Adele found herself being dragged back into the Void, where she felt the magic that had carved her soul into a hundred and seven pieces. There, she found the 108th sliver of her soul, which told Adele that it was her fate to stay in the Void for eternity as punishment for having failed their lord.
Adele then raised her blades and fought the phantom, but no matter how many times she defeated it, the other Adele told her that her imprisonment was the only way to atone. Adele told the phantom that she couldn’t stay, as she had made an important promise. However, the Void began wiping away her memories and she soon discovered that she couldn’t recall what that promise was.
As she collapsed on the ground, the pendant that Jerome had given her clattered on the floor. Seeing the pendant, Adele was able to recall memories of Jerome and the oath that they had sworn together. Suddenly, the fountain’s voice rang through the darkness and triggered another of Adele’s hidden memories, allowing her to recall that it was Veronica, not herself, who had betrayed the God-King.
She then used all her strength to pull herself out of the Void. Veronica was shocked and angered that Adele had freed herself and used her magic to deflect Adele’s blades. Laughing that Adele was still no match for her, she declared that her business was over. Just then, Jerome arrived, and Veronica told him to look after Adele before vanishing.
Adele and Jerome then went to the fountain, where she told him the full truth behind the death of the God-King. Adele warned Jerome that Darmoor was committed to unearthing the ancient power that Jerome’s key unlocked and asked him to be careful. They then parted ways, leaving Adele to wonder whether she had unearthed all the memories because of the mysterious statue. She then sensed that its light had awakened a new power within her, granting her greater strength.
(A/N: The way that the game frames Adele’s realization about the events of how the former God-King died was honestly really stupid. Throughout all her flashbacks, we see that the God-King was a terrible person and even Adele herself recalls feeling a great deal of confusion about whether her oath is more important than the lives of countless innocents, to the point that she was imprisoned for refusing to follow him.
But the first and only thing that Adele cares about throughout her whole story is whether she had betrayed the God-King or not, and when she breathed a sigh of relief that she protected him until the very end, I had to stop and do the blinking guy GIF at my screen. For the entirety of this quest, I was waiting for her to put two and two together, but the way that the game framed it, they make it seem like it’s a point of celebration that Adele chose to go down fighting to protect a genocidal maniac.
To be honest, I don’t think that Adele had even a tiny bit of character development throughout her entire story. All that her storyline did was establish her as an extremist who might’ve had some moral qualms about having to commit ethnic cleaning herself, but when it came down to it, she was perfectly willing to defend space elf Hitler, knowing fully well what he was about to do.
Despite her cute interactions with Jerome where she starts believing in him and his mission to help people, the majority of her quests after level 30 are the same repetitive thing, where a Grandis class makes a cameo and tells her that she has to pick a side, with literally nothing coming out of it. Her class story culminates in her rejoicing that she defended a fascist tyrant with her last breath, and at no point does she ever stop and reflect on what that must have said about her as a person.
You’d think that there would be a scene at the end of this where she resolves to atone for what she did, or even her realizing that an oath to a leader isn’t as important as her duty to protect the people, but nope, she just goes on without having learned a single thing. It really makes me question what the writers were hoping to do with her character. I’m sure that they might’ve intended to make her relationship with the God-King be more like, “I can fix him if I can just talk to him,” except they forgot that they already had her talk to him and he threw her in prison.
The whole coup that Darmoor led against his father seemed like it happened when they were on the cusp of war and there was no chance left to change the God-King’s mind. The writers might not have intended for it, but the fact still remains that they made it so that when push came to shove, when the only choices were to stop the God-King or allow him to destroy Grandis, Adele chose to defend a fascist over countless millions, with her not even feeling an ounce of regret about it, which is a bit disturbing when she’s supposed to be a protagonist.)
Khali:
Nile contacted Khali and explained that with the help of some new investigators, they had increased their scope of investigation to outside Erimos. Because of this, he told Khali that they had come across someone interesting and asked her to meet with them. In Toolen City, Khali and Nile met with Kain, who explained that he had heard her story from Nile. Nile told Khali that Kain was interested in Ypsilon, who had the power to extract things.
Kain revealed that in Toolen City, he had met someone - Dr. Y - who had the same power to extract. A surprised Khali asked Kain what kinds of things Dr. Y had extracted, to which Kain explained that he could extract everything – memories, Malice, and even death. Upon hearing that Dr. Y could extract death, Khali explained that everything that Ypsilon had extracted had been absorbed into him, and that regardless of what it was, it would still have an effect on him, even if he were to quickly store it somewhere else.
She told Kain that she found it hard to believe that Ypsilon would save someone by extracting death, knowing that he would have to risk dying himself. Kain explained that he believed that rather than extracting death itself, Dr. Y had been extracting the damage which would have led to death instead, adding he had hadn’t seen the revived person die with his own eyes.
(A/N: GMS was a little nebulous about the idea of Luska dying, as they had Dr. Y erroneously claim that because memories and Malice could be extracted, it meant that death could be extracted too. However, in the KMS dialogue, Dr. Y claims that extracting death would be too much for him to accomplish. Nevertheless, the fact that Dr. Y had attempted to extract something out of Luska in order to bring her to life always made me think that he had underestimated his abilities, and that he had actually succeeded in extracting death out of her.
There were a bunch of things that happened in Kain’s story that suggested Luska dying, such as her choker falling off as she dies in Kain’s arms, as well as Dr. Y himself saying that Luska had died, which makes part of me think that Luska dying was supposed to have happened, and they later changed it when people began complaining that Dr. Y was far too broken, since truly reviving someone in a way that’s more than just summoning their souls like Hilla is supposed to be a Transcendent-level power. Although it’s highly likely that Darmoor gave Ypsilon part of his Transcendent powers, similar to what he did with Kaling in Shangri-La, I think that the writers wanted to add some definite limits to the kind of power that Ypsilon has.)
Khali told Kain that Ypsilon had extracted life force and magic, which had made her believe that his goal was to become strong enough to challenge Darmoor, the God-King, himself. However, she noted that if Dr. Y was the same person as Ypsilon, then it meant that the purpose of his extracting wasn’t simply to live longer or to become stronger.
Kain agreed, adding that Dr. Y’s goals wouldn’t be so simple. He also pointed out that Dr. Y wouldn’t need something like someone else’s memories in order to grow stronger. As they were facing many uncertainties, Khali asked Nile to keep investigating. Meanwhile, Dr. Y arrived in Erimos and removed his mask, revealing Ypsilon’s face underneath.
Hoyoung:
Hoyoung traveled to the Temple of Time, where the final fiend awaited him. After Taotie consumed it, his full power and original form returned. As Hoyoung cautiously asked what came next, the ground began rumbling and Taotie told Hoyoung that they weren’t alone. Hoyoung asked if it was another fiend, which Taotie confirmed, though he admitted that it wasn’t one that he had consumed, and that it felt strangely familiar.
Unexpectedly, Kaling appeared before them and told them that she was a collector of monsters, and that she had her sights set on a particular monster in the possession of someone else. Hoyoung realized that she was referring to him and told her that Taotie had already swallowed the monster that she wanted.
Kaling grew irritated and told him that it was Taotie himself that she was after, claiming that he deserved someone who wouldn’t hesitate to unleash his destructive powers. However, Hoyoung refused to hand Taotie over, claiming that despite Taotie’s destructive powers, he was still Hoyoung’s friend, which surprised Taotie.
Frustrated, Kaling used a mysterious power to create a demonic hand that engulfed Hoyoung and began draining his life force. Taotie asked Hoyoung why he didn’t just let her take him, to which Hoyoung replied that he couldn’t afford to let Kaling seize control over his destructive power. He asked Taotie to help him, but Taotie explained that he was still bound inside Hoyoung, and so he couldn’t use his powers against her.
However, he recognized that Kaling was using another one of the Four Perils against them and told Hoyoung that he could cancel out its power, though he couldn’t guarantee that Hoyoung would survive the process. Nevertheless, Hoyoung told him to do it, and so Taotie used his powers to free them from Kaling’s grasp. However, Kaling recognized that Hoyoung was barely able to stand after Taotie had used his powers, and so she decided to press her advantage and moved to attack.
To everyone’s surprise, however, Hoyoung’s Master appeared as an astral projection and blocked Kaling’s attack. Kaling was shocked and angered that a true sage had appeared. She declared that she could easily defeat his astral projection, to which Hoyoung’s Master used his powers to teleport Hoyoung to the Hermitage.
After Hoyoung awoke, he asked his Master what he was doing there. His Master explained that before leaving on his journey, he had implanted a copy of his soul inside Hoyoung in case his apprentice ran into real trouble. Hoyoung asked his Master where he was, to which his Master explained that it was confidential information. He apologized for leaving Hoyoung to fend for himself, but he explained that there was a great darkness that loomed over the outside world. He then asked Hoyoung whether he would choose to leave the Hermitage to face that darkness, or to remain safe inside.
After considering it, Hoyoung told him that he couldn’t stand by when people were in danger anymore. His Master was pleased by Hoyoung’s answer, though he added that their time was growing short before his apparition would disappear. Before he left, he gave Hoyoung a special spellbook and told him to give Taotie his best regards.
After he left, Taotie revealed that Hoyoung’s master was actually Tai Yu, the legendary sage who had sealed away the Four Perils. Hoyoung was awed to know that his master was the same sage whom he looked up to. Though Taotie was irritated to know that Hoyoung was the apprentice of the man who had sealed him away, he begrudgingly agreed to continue traveling with Hoyoung, as a small part of him had secretly grown fond of the boy as well.
Hoyoung then opened the spellbook and read that his master had written, “I look forward to the day I get to hear all the tales of your journey,” and that his Master had also included a strange spell that augmented Hoyoung’s power.
Lara:
Through Lara’s adventures, she was able to strengthen her connection to the spirits. Suddenly, she sensed a strange energy emanating from the bell, sending her into the memories of someone in pain. She witnessed a tormented shade lamenting that it couldn’t feel anything anymore. The shade berated itself by asking if it had really thought that someone who could make the bell ring would appear, answering its own question by saying that it hadn’t.
The shade told itself that though they may have won the war, they had all been unable to preserve themselves in the process. It then noted that if having humanity meant having empathy for others, then it wasn’t even human anymore. Just then, another shade appeared to console the tormented shade and told it not to think like that, promising that they could still do it.
However, the tormented shade pointed out that the consoling shade’s eyes had changed, with several rings appearing around the shade’s iris. The tormented shade realized that the contamination had reached the consoling shade as well. As the consoling shade began to cry in hopelessness, the tormented shade noted that it was right after all, and that their plan had failed.
It lamented that the bell would never ring, and that they would be devoured by the despair that they had created. However, it spoke aloud that if someone who could make the bell ring really did appear, then it requested that they help make them all see why they should continue to believe. Suddenly, Tai Yu broke through the dark memory and noted that it seemed that someone had broken their promise. Lara immediately sensed a holy power inside Tai Yu and wondered who he could be.
Tai Yu told Lara to step aside, claiming that she could not withstand the power of the bell. However, Lara replied that she had a message to give him and explained that she had made the bell ring. She then addressed the shades and told them that though she didn’t know what it was that had hurt them so badly, she vowed that she would save them from it.
Tai Yu then took Lara back to safety and admonished her for her recklessness, explaining that she had been trapped inside a memory filled with hatred, and that the power of the bell could have gone sideways and consumed her. Lara apologized and asked who he was, to which Tai Yu replied that he was just a simple wanderer, and that he had come from the realm of the sages.
He then asked her why she had done something so reckless, to which Lara explained that the bell had spoken to her, and that it had felt incredibly sad. She added that in the depths of all that despair, she had sensed definite sadness, and that she hadn’t wanted to turn her back on the shades. Upon hearing her explanation, Tai Yu realized that her innocence was likely why the bell had responded to her in the first place.
Realizing that Tai Yu knew about the bell, she asked him to tell her who had created it. Tai Yu explained that according to legend, the bell had been created by the Sinners. Lara recalled that the sanctuary writings had mentioned the Sinners when she had discovered the bell: “One bright day, this bell will ring… to wash away the Sinners’ wrongs.”
Tai Yu then explained that the Sinners had committed an irredeemable sin, for which they had been imprisoned in the realm of the sages. Lara asked what sin they had committed, and who had imprisoned them. Tai Yu replied that the Sinners had committed the crime of forsaking their humanity, and that they had chosen to imprison themselves in the realm of the sages as atonement. He added that the bell was their only chance to cleanse their sins, though many had given up hope that it would ever ring.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Shangri-La storyline confirms that the Sinners are the elders of Grandis. The war that the tormented shade spoke about was the war to defeat the Ancient Gods eons ago. The elders had created Odium as a laboratory where they conducted experiments to create Adversaries as weapons to destroy the gods. These experiments were atrocities that took away the Adversaries’ free will and humanity, stripping them of their memories, their love, and their goodness, reducing them into empty shells devoid of anything except a desire to fulfill their given purpose.
This lack of humanity that the Adversaries suffered from was known as contamination, which slowly began spreading to the elders themselves. In order to stave off the contamination, the elders created the bell mysticant, which would only ring for someone with an immeasurably pure heart. When no one could make the bell ring, the elders sequestered themselves in Shangri-La, the realm of the sages, in order to stop their corruption from spreading. Before they left, they gave the bell to Lara’s village in order to find someone who could ring the bell and wash away their sins. At the end of the Shangri-La storyline, you also learn that the memories that Lara had viewed in this quest belong to Wushuai, the horse Anima elder.)
Lara told Tai Yu that if there were people out there who saw her as a ray of hope, then she wanted to become that hope for them and respond to their faith. Upon seeing that the bell had turned warm in response to Lara’s words, Tai Yu was amused that she was just as incorrigible as his apprentice. When Lara asked who his apprentice was, Tai Yu told her that he was a wanderer as well, and that she would likely cross paths with him one day.
He then decided to take his leave and allowed her to keep custody of the bell. Lara asked if she would meet him again, to which Tai Yu told her that they would, once she gained more skill with the bell. After leaving, Tai Yu noted to himself that his interference was sure to cause an uproar in the realm of the sages, though he admitted that there was plenty of blame to go around and shook his head at the ‘old codgers’ there.
Zero:
(A/N: Zero doesn’t have a level 200 quest.)
Kinesis:
Three Moon reached out to Kinesis in order to congratulate him for achieving full mastery over his powers. To commemorate the occasion, he gave Kinesis a blessing imbued with the power of the guardians of Maple World, hoping that it would aid Kinesis in his journey.
The Arcane River:
(A/N: From here on out, the story presentation of the game shifts from a series of parallel stories into a singular journey made by the Adversary. I have some very strong thoughts about the Adversary storyline, so apologies in advance for what’s inevitably gonna be a long, drawn-out rant. If you just want the stuff that’s actually relevant to the story, feel free to skip to the last paragraph of this author note.
I think that the Adversary storyline is the stupidest thing that Nexon has ever come up with in its long history of stupid decisions. When I say the Adversary storyline, I don’t mean the concept of the Adversary as it exists in the lore. My issue is the way in which the writers have chosen to present the Adversary as the singular protagonist of the entire overarching story.
The Adversary and their journey through the Arcane River is the culmination of nearly two decades worth of story buildup. We’ve followed the journeys of dozens of characters, each of them having their own personal struggles, characterizations, and motivations, and this fight with the Black Mage was supposed to be the final crucible through which all these characters are meant to be pushed to their limits. The entire point of the Alliance’s siege on the Black Mage was that they’ve mobilized every single asset and every single hero that they’ve ever gathered in order to have them work together to save the world.
The Adversary storyline summarily killed any chance of giving a proper conclusion to these characters by creating a generic template of a protagonist, effectively sweeping the personal journeys of every single class under the rug, as though none of it mattered. Not only that, but every class is now subjected to the same canned dialogue that doesn’t even fit the personality of the vast majority of classes. We get characters like Kain talking like they’re twelve years old, saying things like, “Hi, Mr. Fishy!” and completely killing any sense of immersion that might’ve existed.
My biggest question to Nexon is this: what exactly is the point of classes even existing as characters if you’re just gonna act like every class except the one that we’re playing as just as well might not even exist? If I decide to make an Evan, for example, I sure as hell expect to keep playing as an Evan throughout the game, not have him be spiritually killed off and overwritten by someone who functionally has no backstory, no personality, and no proactiveness to do anything beyond what he’s been told.
To an extent, this is a problem even in class stories, but at least in those class stories, it feels like we’re playing as an actual person. Here, our character is so vacant and unresponsive that it feels like we exist solely to be talked at by other characters and react to their instructions by killing things, with no semblance of having any thoughts or opinions of our own.
If my hypothetical Evan goes to Sellas, he’ll just sit there and vacantly listen to Ollie talk about how she had to overcome people’s low opinions of her through hard work and perseverance, because at no point did the writers think it appropriate to have him actually bond with her in a meaningful way through his own experiences with the Heroes thinking him to be unworthy of succeeding Freud. A good 70% of the Adversary storyline is exactly like this, with the other 30% admittedly being a decent character arc for the generic protagonist that we’re now playing as for the rest of our lives.
On top of that, unlike what we occasionally get in class storylines, the Adversary goes through their journey without interacting with a single class in the game. In fact, other classes don’t even exist as far as the Adversary narrative is concerned. My hypothetical Evan defeated the Black Mage all on his own and every other class in the game just sat there twiddling their thumbs on the sidelines, or at least that’s what I’m assuming, since we don’t even get told whether all these other people got to make any meaningful contributions in the most important fight of their lives.
If only one character can be the Adversary, then at that point, why not just pick and choose two other classes to accompany us as NPCs? Evan could’ve gone through the Arcane River journey alongside Kaiser and Illium, since all three of them are supposed to be chosen one type leaders inheriting a great legacy. Luminous and Ark could’ve been grouped together because they both have corruptive forces that they’re fighting to keep under control. All these different class pairings would’ve let our characters actually feel like organic people, not to mention that their dynamics and backgrounds can play off of one another for character development and worldbuilding.
You don’t even need to have those groupings be consistent, either. If Evan gets Kaiser and Illium, then Illium could get the Explorer in his own team for when he’s the player. The writers already made it so that there’s no true canonical Adversary anyways, that means there’s no need to maintain canonical groupings, either. That way, they wouldn’t need to be locked into only grouping certain characters with one another, allowing for a variety of permutations for a particular character, as well as ensuring that new classes can still get paired with older classes.
It’d be more work to do something like that, but if this is a culmination of close to twenty years’ worth of so many other people’s time and effort in laying the groundwork of this conclusion, I think it’s only fair and respectful to them that the current writers honor the work put into it by taking ownership of the story and giving at least some sort of proper conclusion instead of taking the easiest possible way out.
Writing scripts for different group pairings might be a bit of an ask, but making unique scripts for individual classes definitely isn’t. And if they still can’t do that, the barest minimum is at least writing out three or four different generic scripts for the classes with overlapping personalities so that edgy classes will at least stop acting out-of-character with peppy and positive dialogue.
Instead, they opted to make a generic protagonist and their terrible solution to sprinkling in traces of individuality is by adding exclusive dialogue. When classes get exclusive dialogue in the Adversary storyline, it’s like they suddenly switch back into themselves for a couple of sentences, and then abruptly switch back to the Adversary script like they’re two completely different people, because for all intents and purposes, they practically are different people.
My other main problem with exclusive dialogue is how inaccessible they’ve made it, despite the fact that it often holds very important bits of lore. For example, they revealed that Havoc, Darmoor’s Apostle of Lightning, is a pure-blood demon in a single line that only the Demon gets in Burning Cernium. Similarly, Lara gets almost the entire plot of Odium revealed to her in her exclusive dialogue in Burning Cernium too. For people who enjoy the story, speculation is pretty damn important when this game releases updates so sparsely. Being a fan of MapleStory’s story is literally like having a TV show that releases an hour-long episode twice in a whole year.
It’s not like they won’t eventually reveal this information once it becomes relevant, but given how slowly Nexon puts out its story content, we’d be lucky if half the story threads introduced get resolved, or even acknowledged, ten years from now. It’s really because of that, more than anything else, that it seems ridiculous to me that they gatekeep lore by expecting us to get several dozen classes to level 260+ for a small breadcrumb.
It makes me even more frustrated that they act like they can just pass up that job of sharing lore to the community when so many high-level players just hold spacebar, which only makes it a dozen times more difficult for people interested in the story to even access the regular story, let alone all the exclusive dialogue.
That’s primarily the reason why I created this site to begin with, and why I’m so committed to maintaining it with as much detail as possible, as I want the complete story, or at least as much as I can get my hands on - exclusive dialogue and all - to be available to everyone so that they don’t have to scour the depths of the Internet for it like I did.
I’ll still give some credit to Nexon here, though. Their implementation of story replay has made it a lot easier to go back and access exclusive dialogue, especially since you can access the highest level content that you’ve unlocked with any class, not just the one that you played it on. They’re slowly letting us replay class stories as they implement it, but I do wish that that they’d let us replay theme dungeons too, since there’s exclusive dialogue in some of them as well.
And now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, back to the main point. I’m starting this section out with the amnesiac Temple Keeper storyline. While it can be done much earlier, I’m placing it here because the Adversary needs to be the one who completes this quest. Also, even though we don’t realize that we’re the Adversary until Esfera, I’ll continue referring to us as such in order to distinguish us as the specific protagonist of these events.)
While exploring the Temple of Time, the Adversary encountered a Temple Keeper who asked them for help, as they had gotten lost.
(A/N: They use male pronouns for Kao in the amnesiac Temple Keeper storyline, but they use gender-neutral pronouns during the events of Vanishing Journey, since Kao’s gender is the same as the player’s gender. I’ll continue to use gender-neutral pronouns to refer to them both, so apologies in advance if it sounds confusing.)
The Adversary gave them directions to the Three Doors and soon encountered them standing near the head Temple Keeper when they returned. The head Temple Keeper thanked the Adversary for helping the amnesiac Temple Keeper. The Adversary asked him whether the amnesiac Temple Keeper was new, to which the head Temple Keeper explained that the amnesiac Temple Keeper kept getting lost in the temple while trying to find their old memories. He told them that the Temple Keepers had found them in the Gate of the Past with their memories missing and had decided to take them in. The Adversary then agreed to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper’s memories back.
The Temple Keeper sent the Adversary to the Memory Keeper, who explained that the memories which the amnesiac Temple Keeper had lost were the innocent childhood memories that defined who they were, and that the amnesiac Temple Keeper would need to retrieve those memories on their own in order to get the rest of their memories back. The Adversary returned back to the amnesiac Temple Keeper and told them what the Memory Keeper had said. After realizing that they would need to find the memories on their own, the amnesiac Temple Keeper dejectedly thanked them.
Just as the Adversary was about to leave, the Temple Keeper pulled them aside and told them that he had a plan to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper’s memories back. He asked them to visit the Sorcerer, a greedy man who was adept at making potions. The Sorcerer offered to sell them Tinglebrain Potion, which he believed could help the amnesiac Temple Keeper get their memories back. The Adversary brought him Shards of Recollection and Pieces of Memory and paid the fee in exchange for him brewing the potion. They brought the potion to the amnesiac Temple Keeper, who eagerly drank it, though they were disappointed when they were unable to recall anything more.
(A/N: Before the Ellin Forest revamp, Kao used to recall their time in Ellin Forest, although all references to Kao existing in Ellin Forest have now been removed. Originally, Kao recalled a dark forest, tents, fairies with beautiful wings, and someone with glasses scolding them. The person scolding them was actually Loha, who also scolded the player for being lazy during the original Ellin Forest storyline after mistaking them for Kao.)
Frustrated, the Temple Keeper asked the Adversary to see the Record Keeper, who had recorded all events of the past. The Record Keeper explained that he had been awaiting their arrival, but he added that he couldn’t help. He told them to return to the Temple Keeper and to tell him precisely that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had ‘lost their time’. The Adversary told the Temple Keeper what the Record Keeper had said, but the Temple Keeper was confused by the Record Keeper’s words and decided to give up.
The Adversary asked him what the Record Keeper had meant, to which the Temple Keeper replied that he wasn’t sure, though he wondered whether it might mean that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had actually come through the Gate of the Past, rather than merely being a vagrant whom he had found wandering in the halls.
As the Adversary approached the amnesiac Temple Keeper to tell them about their failure, the amnesiac Temple Keeper excitedly told them that they now remembered their name - Kao - which had been given to them by the Guardians of Time. They then removed their hood and, to the Adversary’s shock, revealed that they had the exact same face.
(A/N: Kao’s backstory was reorganized during the Ellin Forest revamp, and it was explained that the Black Mage sent Kao back in time after they failed to defeat him. This caused Kao to emerge from the Gate of the Past, but forcing one’s way through the gate without permission causes them to lose their memories. Kao was eventually found by the Temple Keepers, who named them Kao, which means “chaos”, in order to represent the undefinable meaning of time.
The line that Kao has about their name being given to them by the Guardians of Time was added in the revamp, which also retroactively renamed all the Temple Keepers in the Arcane River to the Guardians of Time, possibly to make it more consistent with Arkarium being described as a Guardian of Time. Before the revamp, it was suggested that the player’s canonical name is Kao, but the revamp confirms that Kao’s real name is still the player’s name. For a complete timeline of Kao’s journey, see the notes at the end of the Limina section.)
Some time later, the Adversary was contacted by the Memory Keeper, who told them that those who served the Temple of Time had figured out a way to transcend one’s limitations, and he invited them to see him in order to learn how. After they arrived, he asked them whether they were aware of the Erda Flow, the energy that made up the world.
After the Adversary voiced their confusion, the Memory Keeper explained that Erdas were the basic building blocks of reality, constantly undergoing a cycle of creation and destruction. However, he told them that the Erdas had lately been disappearing from the world. He then taught them how to perceive Erdas, allowing their consciousness to meld with that of the Erda Flow.
Suddenly, the Adversary heard the voice of the Erdas, who explained that they had once flowed through the World Tree in their cycle of creation and destruction until her life force had been scattered across Maple World. With her disappearance, the Black Mage had been able to steal the Erdas from their natural flow, pulling them into the Gate of the Present. They suspected that the Black Mage wanted to use the Erdas to create a new world, though they warned that it would mean that Maple World would be destroyed in the process.
(A/N: This is a pretty major inconsistency in the writing for the Arcane River storyline, as the knowledge that the Black Mage was planning to create a new world was meant to be a secret until Esfera. Although the Arcane River was marketed as the final chapter of the Black Mage arc, it’s pretty clear that there was no overarching plan for its writing, as seen with how pointless two-thirds of the whole thing was.
Morass and Esfera were really the only areas with any actual substance to their story, and I’m pretty sure that they were also written alongside Tenebris by a different writer, which explains why it seems like the knowledge about the Black Mage’s plan to recreate the world was retroactively treated like some sort of secret revelation, since I doubt that the new writer who took over would’ve paid attention to a 10 second conversation in a job advancement.)
In order to accept their power, the Erdas told the Adversary to seek out the Goddesses of the three worlds. After returning back to the Temple of Time, the Adversary told the Memory Keeper that they had spoken to the Erdas. The Memory Keeper was surprised to learn this, as he had never been able to communicate with the Erdas in all the time that he had observed them. He realized that the Adversary had a grander fate than he had initially suspected and believed that the Erdas wished to bestow their power upon them.
As the Goddesses acted as the conduits between the Erdas and the people of their respective worlds, he explained that they would be able to help. He then told them that according to legend, the Goddesses had used the Erdas in the darkness of the beginning to sculpt a soul, and that it was said that their ability to manipulate the Erdas could be passed down.
(A/N: Before the Destiny update, the Memory Keeper actually explained that after the fall of the Ancient Gods, the Goddesses had used the Erdas to sculpt the three worlds, and that they had taught a select few humans, elves, demons, and dragons how to use the Erdas as well. The writers likely removed the part about the different races in order to avoid restricting themselves, since the Flora and Anima are also major races that weren’t mentioned.
The part about the Goddesses creating the three worlds has always been a plot hole because every other storyline in the game states that the Overseers were responsible for separating the three pre-existing worlds - once existing together as a mega-world - into their own dimensions. Worlds like Grandis were said to have existed during the time of the Ancient Gods, and so it would be impossible for the Goddesses to have created them after the Ancient Gods’ fall. I have no idea what they mean by sculpting a soul, but I’m assuming that it’s meant to be a plot point in the future.)
In order to speak with the Goddesses, the Adversary first went to the Bowman Instructional School, where they found a Horizon Portal that sent them to the Goddess of Maple World in the Erda Flow. The Goddess told them that few had come this far and explained that if they learned to control the Erdas within themselves, they would unlock a new power. Before she aided them, however, the Goddess asked what it was that they cherished most in the world.
(A/N: Each class gets two options to choose between, although neither affects the overall story.
Explorers get to choose between their friends or the people of Maple World.
Cannoneer gets to choose between Monkey or his fellow adventurers. Before the Destiny update, he originally got to choose between Monkey or his true love, whoever they end up being. I think that the reason why this got changed is because the writers wanted to standardize the choices for all Special Explorers to be between something unique to their story and their friends. Both before and after Destiny, Monkey will point to himself when Cannoneer is choosing. Before Destiny, he would either shriek happily or angrily depending on whether Cannoneer chose him or not. After Destiny, even if Cannoneer chooses his fellow adventurers, he’ll still include Monkey as part of that list, and so Monkey will shriek happily in either case.
Dual Blade gets to choose between the Secret Garden, where he first learned the art of the sword, or his friends whom he’s journeyed with.
Pathfinder gets to choose between the promise that she made to Athena Pierce to explore undiscovered places, or the new friends that she’s met while exploring.
Cygnus Knights get to choose between Empress Cygnus or the Chief Knight who trained them.
Mihile gets to choose between Empress Cygnus or his fellow Chief Knights.
The main Resistance classes get to choose between Edelstein and the Resistance, or the promise that they made to Vita to make a better world.
Xenon gets to choose between Edelstein and the Resistance, or his old friends from his hazy memories.
The Demon gets to choose between his old family home - the place where he made his only happy memories of Maple World, or Mastema. Mastema gets very flustered if you choose her.
Aran gets to choose between the other Heroes or Lilin.
Evan gets to choose between the people of Henesys or Mir. He’s also the only member of the Heroes who doesn’t get the option to pick the other Heroes, probably because he’s barely interacted with them outside the Heroes of Maple blockbuster.
Mercedes gets to choose between the other Heroes or Elluel and the elves.
Phantom gets to choose between the other Heroes or Empress Cygnus. His reasoning for Empress Cygnus is that the most important thing to him is preserving the Empress’ bloodline, and with Aria gone, Cygnus is the only one left to carry it on, for which he vows that he’ll do anything to help her.
Luminous gets to choose between the other Heroes or Lania.
Shade gets to choose between the other Heroes or Moonbeam.
Kaiser gets to choose between Tear or those whom he protects as Kaiser.
Angelic Buster gets to choose between Kyle or everyone whom she helps as Angelic Buster. After the player makes their choice and finishes explaining their reasoning to the Goddess, Eskalade will interrupt and ask if he’s one of the choices. Angelic Buster will reassure him that he’s precious to her, although she’ll think to herself that she completely forgot about him. This dialogue is a remnant from her original storyline, in which Eskalade was a lecherous pervert. Although he fully deserved it in her old storyline, it’s a bit sad that he’s forgotten in the new one, especially since he and Angelic Buster have a much better relationship in the revamp.
Cadena gets to choose between her old memories of her castle and her family, or her fellow Shadowdealers.
Kain gets to choose between his childhood memories of Luska or his new memories made from adventuring. For the second choice, he explains that the more that he tried recalling his past memories, the more pain and Malice came with them. However, after leaving Toolen City, he’s made new friends and all his memories of his time in Maple World are happy, and so he wants to protect the world in order to ensure that those memories won’t turn to into regret or loss like his old ones.
Illium gets to choose between Morian, Ex, and Machina, or the people of Maple World. Despite only naming those three people for his first choice, his dialogue if you pick that option has him also mention Dean, Carnelian, and Sinaria.
Ark gets to choose between his new friends or his promise to an old one to end the tragedy in the world. For the second option, he tells the Goddess that even though Albaire may have given up hope, he vows that he won’t, and that before they meet again, he’ll prove that determination can make all the difference when it comes to protecting the ones that he cares for. They’re hyping up Ark and Albaire’s reunion so much and I can already guarantee that it’s going to absolutely devastate my fragile psyche.
Adele gets to choose between her promise to Jerome or her commitment to chivalry. For the second choice, Adele tells the Goddess that as a knight, she won’t abide corruption and wrongdoing before her, and that nothing can justify sacrificing innocents for one’s ambitions. Didn’t really seem to matter to her a few sections ago when she celebrated defending a man who was literally ready to do exactly that, but go off, I guess. Then again, Darmoor also organized a coup to kill his own father because he was about to wipe out all life, and then Darmoor goes and does the exact same thing, and Veronica and the other Knights of the Einherjar also seem to be totally chill with Darmoor’s war, but not his father’s, so maybe hypocrisy is just a High Flora tradition.
Khali gets to choose between her family or the people that she met in her adventures. For her family, she explains that she had thought that she had lost everything when Rasha and her father were killed, leaving her only with fierce vengeance. However, she tells the Goddess that vengeance wasn’t the only mission left to her, as she also wants to ensure that what had happened to Rasha wouldn’t happen ever again. She adds that she doesn't want anyone to feel the guilt that she had when she had run away at the expense of leaving her father behind to be killed.
Hoyoung gets to choose between dreaming of the blue sky or the bond of the outside world. The description for both is a bit vague, but the first option is basically his dream to become a sage and surpass even Tai Yu, while the second option is basically all the things outside the Hermitage that he’s come to love, like food, people, etc.
Lara gets to choose between her calling to ring the bell or helping all the people that she’s met.
Zero gets to choose between Alpha/Beta or the priests who helped them at the temple.
Kinesis gets to choose between Yuna and Jay, or himself. Even the Goddess is shook if you choose the second option and she asks him about his reasoning. Kinesis tells the Goddess that he’s learned that he can’t protect others if he can’t protect himself. Kinesis is an absolute legend for deviating from the usual protagonist script.)
After hearing their response, the Goddess gave them the Arcane Stone of Maple World, which she explained would help them gather the ambient Erdas within their own body once the stone was awakened.
(A/N: This next portion takes place only if you’re an Explorer. I personally view it as additional proof that the Explorer really is intended to be the canonical Adversary.)
Before leaving, the Explorer asked the Goddess why she didn’t come back as Sugar anymore. The Goddess explained that she would answer their question by explaining why she had appeared as Sugar in the first place. She told the Explorer that it was the duty of the Goddesses to protect their worlds, and that she had been waiting for someone with the power to sense the Gate of Darkness, and to rid Maple World of it once and for all. (A/N: The Gate of Darkness is likely her referring to the Gate of the Present behind which the Black Mage was sealed.)
The Explorer was surprised to learn that they were the one whom she had been waiting for, to which the Goddess told them that she had come to witness the goodness not only in their heart, but the hearts of multitudes from around the world joined together for the sake of the world that they loved. She explained that mortals didn’t need someone to intervene for them, as they had always had the power to save themselves, and that she merely helped them where she could. She then asked the Explorer not to forget the goodness that lived within before sending them on their way.
After speaking with the Goddess of Maple World, the Explorer heard the mysterious voice calling out to them. The voice explained that the Explorer was the incarnation of his will, just as they were representative of his will, adding that it would be their final meeting, as the Explorer had awakened their full potential. The voice explained that he was a man who had given his heart to calm the chaos of his time, just as the Goddess had willed it. He then wondered aloud whether history remembered him.
The Explorer asked the voice whether he was the legendary First Explorer, to which the First Explorer expressed his surprise that the people of the present saw him as a legend, as he had been born merely as an ordinary human child. Though he had been an orphan, he had never been alone, as Sugar had always been beside him.
He explained that eventually, he had realized who she really was, but no matter how much they had enjoyed spending time together, she had always seemed sad, as though she were consumed with guilt. Eventually, he had realized that she had created him to save the world, and that she would have to watch him die in order to do so - a cruel fate that the Goddess herself had laid out for him.
(A/N: The GMS translation team has been doing a pretty bad job ever since the Destiny update. Whereas the KMS text has the First Explorer talk about the “cruel fate” that the Goddess had laid out for him, the GMS text merely says that they were both intertwined in their tragic fate. The GMS dialogue fails to properly capture the nuance of what the First Explorer is saying, as the original text suggests that he blames Sugar on some level for his destiny.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Shangri-La storyline expands on the First Explorer’s words, as it reveals that the fate of every Adversary is to die after fulfilling their purpose by killing a god. It explains that the Overseers had believed that the Adversaries - beings who held unchecked and immense power to influence the shape of destiny - were a threat to order itself, as unleashing such powerful, uncontrollable beings into the world and allowing them to live after fulfilling their mission would plunge the universe into a second age of chaos, as though the Ancient Gods had never left. In order to circumvent this, the Overseers ordained that the Adversaries would meet their end after they fulfilled their purpose, ensuring that they would not be allowed to keep living after they were of no further use to the Overseers.
In regard to the First Explorer, Sugar had deliberately led him into fusing with a Godsphere, knowing full well that he would be killed after his purpose was fulfilled. The fact that he seems to blame Sugar in the original KMS text makes me think that he likely felt betrayed by her, since she probably glossed over the fact that choosing to fuse with a Godsphere would result in his premature death. Personally, I like to think that his problem wasn’t that he would be killed, since he was a hero who would’ve made that choice anyways, but rather, it was the fact that Sugar felt the need to lie to him in the first place and took away his right to choose his destiny for himself.
Given how close they both were, I can definitely see how the First Explorer might’ve taken the fact that even after knowing him so well, Sugar couldn’t even trust him to make the right choice on his own without sugarcoating (no pun intended) what would happen to him. However, this is all assuming that she didn’t tell him the truth until after the fact. It’s also very possible that she didn’t tell him until right before he became an Adversary, which is still technically lying, although it’s more understandable why she wouldn’t have told him before that. Somehow, I doubt that coming up to an orphan and asking them to die for the world in your very first meeting is gonna go the way you want it to.
There are a lot more questions to be asked about the whole thing, like where Sugar even got the Godsphere from when the Godspheres and the Adversaries themselves were all created by the elders in Odium, whether the First Explorer was created outside Odium, whether he was able to retain his humanity and sense of self, and whether he was the only Adversary that fought in Maple World, but those are questions that Nexon probably won’t be answering for a couple more years.
On another note, I’ve said in the past that the Goddesses are more like the spirit manifestations of their world, but I actually wonder whether they’re like the interfaces between the Overseers and mortals. The Overseers are abstract, formless beings who’ve been shown to look like giant nebulas in space, and so it would make sense that the Overseers, also described as the will of the world, would use the Goddesses, described as the spirits of their worlds, as mouthpieces to make their will known to humanity.
At the same time, the fact that the Goddesses seem to have some capacity to directly interfere in the world, such as the Goddess of Maple World manifesting as Sugar, likely means that the Goddesses are also their own beings with their own free will. If the Goddesses are the interface between the Overseers and mortals, then the Transcendents would be the interface between the Overseers and the physical plane.
Since the Transcendents were the only things created by the Overseers, they’re also the only beings that the Overseers can completely control like puppets, whereas they can’t directly override the free will of mortals, for which their only option is to ask nicely through the Goddesses in order to convince mortals to do what they want, like how Sugar aids the First Explorer and the Explorer, and how the Overseers were said to have somehow blessed the elders of Grandis and asked them to conduct their experiments in Odium, which I’d suspect is through the Goddess of Grandis.)
The Explorer asked about their power, to which the First Explorer explained that the power within them was a portion of his own power, which had been granted to him by “the ones who keep order”. Regarding their fate, the First Explorer told them that they were the one who had inherited his fate and asked that their good will be a torch to light the way.
(A/N: In the GMS dialogue, the First Explorer will instead tell us that our power flows from him, just as it flows to those who desire a safe, stable world and have the heart to bring it about. I have absolutely no idea why this was changed because “the ones who keep order” is a reference to the Overseers, whose power dwells within the Seal Stones. You’ll see in future sections that GMS has some stupid obsession with omitting important bits of lore in their translations.)
When the Explorer asked if their fate was to defeat the Black Mage, he told them that if the chaos of their time had begun with him, then it was. However, he told them that how their fate transpired depended on them, for while his will was their will, his choices were not theirs. Having answered all their questions, the First Explorer told them to walk the fated path with awakened power, as the chaos that had long since faded was gathering again.
(A/N: From here on, the story returns to being class-agnostic.)
Next, the Adversary traveled to Pantheon and used the Horizon Portal inside the Great Temple to meet the Goddess of Grandis.
(A/N: Her form varies depending on your class. For all non-Grandis classes and Nova classes, she appears as an ancient Nova, which is more dragon-like, similar to how Eskalade appears. For Anima classes, she appears as a rabbit Anima. For Flora classes, she appears as a Verdant Flora, although her blue wings are natural, not mechanical.
Each of the Grandis classes also get some exclusive dialogue with Goddess of Grandis.
For Kaiser, the Goddess greets him and asks if he’s come to raise his power to the next level.
For Angelic Buster, the Goddess explains that she’s been watching her progress intently and notes that she’s done well to protect and grow her power.
For Cadena, the Goddess greets her and notes that though Cadena was born to royalty, she’s chosen a darker path, adding that she knew that Cadena would come to her seeking more power.
For Kain, the Goddess greets him and notes that he’s survived his tribulations and has emerged from the darkness.
For Illium, the Goddess greets him and asks if he’s come to unlock more of his mytocrystal’s power.
For Adele, the Goddess greets her and notes that she’s overcome her hardships and has discovered a new calling.
For Ark, the Goddess notes that his determination is strong, even in the face of chaos.
For Khali, the Goddess greets her as the one who has overcome her vengeance in the tragedy of the desert.
For Hoyoung, the Goddess greets him and explains that she’s been monitoring his performance for some time. She notes that it seems that he and Taotie have developed what she can only assume to be some tentative form of friendship.
For Lara, the Goddess notes that she’s the one who will wash away the wrongs of the Sinners and bring unending goodness.)
The Goddess greeted the Adversary and asked them to prove their strength by defeating Magnus. She sent them into an illusion of Tyrant’s Castle, in which the Adversary successfully bested the conjured Magnus before returning back to her. Impressed by their strength, the Goddess gave them the Arcane Stone of Grandis.
Finally, the Adversary returned back to Maple World and went to the base of the Dark World Tree, where the remnants of Damien’s army who had accepted defeat fought against the rest of their comrades, who had become possessed by the vestiges of the Spirit of Vengeance. They took the Horizon Portal at the Deserted Camp and found the Goddess of Tynerum, who told them that if Maple World was a world of rules and order, then Tynerum was a world of chaos and uncertainty. She explained that the demons had played as shadows did in candlelight for a very long time.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue, in which she notes that he should know what she’s talking about well, since he’s a demon himself.
I really hope that they move the Goddess of Tynerum to Tynerum, rather than Maple World, once Tynerum is released as an area. Currently, Crimsonheart Castle is the only accessible part of Tynerum, but you can only access it through the Dimensional Mirror in towns.)
She added that though she had no interest in the affairs of Maple World, the balance between the worlds had to be maintained by defeating the Black Mage. She then tested them by sending them to the Dark World Tree and having them defeat the demon soldiers that she summoned. After defeating the corrupted demon soldiers, the Adversary returned to the Goddess, who gave them the Arcane Stone of Tynerum.
(A/N: Originally, she used to kick you out and move the Horizon Portal to one of the three top branches of the Dark World Tree, after which you had to find her within five minutes. Literally everyone hated this because many classes simply couldn’t survive with the level 220 mobs and the anti-AFK mob that locked your potion use. Thankfully, it was changed with the Destiny update.)
The Adversary then returned to the Memory Keeper, who activated the Arcane Stones and used them to awaken a new power within the Adversary. The Memory Keeper then asked the Adversary if they remembered Kao, the amnesiac Temple Keeper. He explained that the priests of the Temple of Time had entered the Gate of the Present in order to explore the Arcane River, a river created from pure Erdas, and that Kao had gone with them in search of their memories.
Because of the purity of the Erdas, he told the Adversary that only those who possessed Arcane Power could fight the Erda monsters. When the Adversary expressed their confusion, the Memory Keeper told them to see for themselves and instructed them to fight the Happy Erdas.
(A/N: Yeah no, I’m good, I’d rather throw myself off a building. There’s a whole damn timeline where us not having Arcane Power led to the world being destroyed, and yet this Temple of Time employee - whose literal job is to observe those exact moments in time - is really gonna do me like this. Where’s the option for me to say “I believe you” and he gives me the stupid symbol without requiring my squishy mules to die before we even take one step towards the Black Mage? It gets to the point that random strangers will offer to carry me because the sight of me charging in and dying for the seventeenth time in a row like I’m a level 10 noob stuck in Orbis is too pathetic for anyone with dignity to watch.)
The Adversary found that the Happy Erdas were extremely difficult to fight and returned to the Memory Keeper, who explained that the reason why they were struggling to face the Erdas was because the power of the body and the power of the soul were different. He told the Adversary that only by tapping into the Erda Flow could they wield the Arcane Power to face high-purity Erda monsters.
He explained that by forging the Erda within themselves into an Arcane Symbol, they would be able to use the symbol as a protective mark, which would allow them to call upon the Arcane Power within the Erda Flow without their energy being sapped away upon contact. He gave the Adversary a basic Arcane Symbol and explained that strengthening it would allow them to wield more Arcane Power and deal more damage to the monsters of the Arcane River.
Vanishing Journey:
(A/N: Something cool that you can see is that the Vanishing Journey contains objects from Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World. This is because the Arcane River was created as a result of the Erdas that rubbed off from the collision of these three worlds, allowing elements from each of them to manifest across the Arcane River.)
Upon visiting the Nameless Town, the Adversary was surprised to find that it was inhabited by Erdas that took humanoid forms, all of whom mistook the Adversary for Kao and cursed them for destroying their memories. They found Kao nearby, who explained that it was because of them that the townspeople had lost their memories. (A/N: English needs better gender-neutral pronouns. I meant to say that Kao believes themselves to be responsible.)
Kao also warned the Adversary not to fall into the Lake of Oblivion at the outskirts of town, as it would cause one to forget all their memories. They explained that the townspeople had been slowly losing their memories due to their proximity to the lake. Because of this, they had created the Tree of Memory, where they hung precious memories so that they wouldn’t be forgotten.
Kao explained that they had approached the tree, hoping that they could find their own memories there, but upon touching it, all the memories hung on the tree had been scattered. As a result, the townspeople had stopped their daily activities and had even halted the boat that could cross the Lake of Oblivion.
The Adversary then met with Legato, the chief of the village, and offered to help restore the villagers’ memories. Legato told them that the Erda monsters in the area held their memories and asked them to collect their happy, sad, raging, and joyful memories. After collecting the memories from the Erdas, the Adversary hung them back on the Tree of Memory.
With their memories back, the villagers were able to resume their normal lives and the oarsman returned to ferry people across the lake. Legato told the Adversary that he had been curious about whether Kao’s memories were amongst the recovered ones, but he had found no trace of them when he had checked. However, he explained that the Fountain of Reflection, somewhere beyond the Nameless Town, had waters which reflected one’s past, though he wasn’t sure whether the fountain was still there, since everything within the Vanishing Journey seemed to fade away in time.
Kao decided to accompany the Adversary across the lake after learning about the fountain. They met Kima the oarsman, who ferried them across the lake on a large paper boat. On the other side of the lake, they climbed a large cliff and found themselves in a desolate forest with burning blue flames all around them.
Just as they were about to cross an enchanted bridge, they were stopped by a girl named Rino, who told them that the bridge was an illusion created by the blue flames of the Extinction Zone in order to trick them into falling off the cliff. She then offered to guide them to both the Fountain of Reflection and the end of the Vanishing Journey.
In order to cross the Extinction Zone, she told them that they would need to ride the Flame Birds and asked the Adversary to collect Solid Claws from Stone Erdas, Sticky Oil from Blazing Erdas, and Hard Shells from Soulful Erdas in order to prepare themselves to ride the birds. While the Adversary collected the materials, Rino escorted Kao to the Fountain of Reflection.
At the fountain, Kao regained their memories and learned that they were the Adversary from the future, and that they had fought the Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River, but had ultimately lost because they didn’t have the ‘crucial power’. In order to change the future, they had used all their power to travel back in time to warn their past self, but they had lost their memories in the process.
(A/N: Although Kao believes that they went back in time on their own, it was actually the White Mage who sent them back in order to ensure that the Adversary succeeded in killing him. Most likely, the White Mage modified Kao’s memories in order to ensure that no one knew that he wanted to lose before the time was right. Regarding Arma, just like the monsters in Arcana, Arma was created as a result of Tana’s influence in reshaping the Erdas across the Arcane River and transforming them into corrupted monsters.)
They also recalled that Rino was a follower of the monster, Arma, and that she was planning to feed the Adversary to her master. Kao attempted to warn the Adversary, but Rino pushed them off a cliff and created a doppelgänger to take their place.
Meanwhile, the Adversary returned back with the materials and asked Kao if they had recovered their memories. Kao told them that their memories were slowly resurfacing, though the Adversary noticed that Kao didn't appear to feel any excitement about it. The Adversary then blew on the Hard Shells to summon the Flame Birds, fed them Solid Claws to tame them, and applied the Sticky Oil so as not to fall. The Adversary took off first, followed by Rino. As the fake Kao began to climb aboard their bird, the real Kao managed to climb back up the cliff and defeat the doppelgänger before climbing aboard the bird.
The three then began to fly across the Extinction Zone and Rino, believing that Kao was still a doppelgänger, told them that she could escort them back home before she escorted the Adversary to the end of the Vanishing Journey. Suddenly, Kao swooped toward Rino on their Flame Bird and pushed her off. The Adversary swooped after Rino and managed to stop her fall before they landed at the entrance to the Cave of Repose. Rino told the Adversary that the end of the Vanishing Journey was at the end of the cave.
The two then pressed on, with the Adversary harvesting Tranquil Solvent from the Tranquil Erdas and Lantern Erdas in order to dissolve the Slaws blocking their path. Just as they reached the end of the cave, an injured Kao suddenly appeared and told the Adversary that Rino was leading them into a trap.
Kao revealed that they had learned the truth about Rino from the Fountain of Reflection, as well as how they had lost their memories in the first place. However, Rino smiled sinisterly and summoned Arma to finish them off. As Arma launched his attack, Kao jumped forward and took the attack in the Adversary’s place. Their sacrifice allowed the Adversary to defeat Arma once and for all, after which they carried Kao’s fading body out of the cave.
(A/N: In the same update that released Kao’s original timeline and the Ellin Forest revamp, many classes got unique dialogue with Kao as we carry them through the cave. Me and several other people on the lore server spent a good few days playing through Vanishing Journey on each class in order to compile all the dialogue.
We were pretty annoyed when we found out that the writers had a generic script for almost all the non-Maple World classes, with just one or two random exceptions. Nexon really did less than the barest minimum in acknowledging that characters have a story outside the generic Adversary template and made us run around for hours to hunt it all down, only to find out that they had just given up halfway through.
For Explorers, Kao talks about how they had lived a long, free life with Sugar’s help. However, they had found out too late that it wasn’t easy to protect what they love, though they tell the player that there’s hope now because of them.
This dialogue is shared with all Special Explorers and Jett, which is dumb because Pathfinder and Jett don’t share the main Explorer storyline and they’ve literally never met Sugar in their lives for them to be talking about her. Despite many other classes talking about their companions, such as Evan and Mir, Cannoneer doesn’t get any unique lines about Monkey, which is the biggest travesty of them all.
For Cygnus Knights, Kao tells the player to seize the opportunity and to carry out the Empress’ will to protect the world. Kao explains that they had lost their memories in the fight against the Black Mage and had forgotten the promise that they had made to the Empress, because of which, they believe that they no longer have the right to call themselves a Knight. This dialogue is shared with Mihile, once again disregarding the opportunity to give him a unique script. This script also wasn’t changed in the Ignition update, just in case anyone was wondering.
For the main Resistance classes, Kao asks the player if they remember when Edelstein was freed from the Black Wings at the end of Black Heaven, noting how they had risen up from the despair of losing Vita and had attained freedom, after which they had promised to help others achieve that freedom as well. They tell the player that the same promise is engraved in them, though Kao regrets that they themselves have forgotten all of it.
That last sentence was a bit ambiguous, but I meant to say that Kao is the one who’s forgotten it. They also don’t mention Vita by name at all and instead just call her a friend. I’m sure you can already tell how done I am with Nexon, and we’re not even halfway down the list.
For Xenon, Kao asks if he remembers the day when he broke free from Gelimer’s lab. He explains that even after being changed into a machine, his heart had still remained human. Though he had lost his past, he had thought that it would be fine because he had made new memories. However, he had lost his memories once again and wonders if things would have been different if he had been stronger. This dialogue was really short and really incomplete. They completely missed the opportunity to mention his closest friend, Roo-D, or even Beryl, his own sister.
For the Demon, Kao explains that he had known that he couldn’t beat the Black Mage when he had faced his old master centuries ago, though he had hoped desperately for just one more chance to face him again, which he had miraculously gotten. For his people, his mother, and Damien, he had focused all his rage in order to face the challenge, though he had soon forgotten everything, including his rage. He explains that he doesn’t think that someone like him will ever be given another chance, though he says that it’ll be different for the Demon.
Demon Avenger really should’ve gotten slightly different dialogue because the whole rage thing is unique to Demon Slayer and his Demon Fury, while Demon Avenger has a bigger focus on vengeance. They gave Demon Slayer and Demon Avenger different scripts in one of the Limina dialogues, which makes this distinction when they’re talking about the source of their power.
For Aran, she asks where Kao has left Maha. Kao says that thought she can’t be sure, she believes that Maha has ceased to exist. She recalls how Maha was there with her for her entire life, but after losing him and seeing how she’s fallen after losing her memories and her power, she believes that she no longer has the right to fight anymore. They missed the chance to have her talk about Lilin and how disappointed she must be that all the time she’d spent training Aran had been a waste when it had really mattered. How is Nexon so bad at coming up with sad dialogue when they’re normally so good at it?
For Evan, he realizes that if he and Kao are the same person, then that must mean that Kao has his own Mir. When he asks where Kao’s Mir is, Kao apologizes and says that he wasn’t able to protect Mir because he wasn’t strong enough, which had hindered Mir’s growth in turn. He believes that if he had been more careful, he could have saved the world and Mir as well. Evan’s Mir then speaks to Kao and calls him by the player’s IGN, after which Kao thanks him and says that he had never thought that he’d ever hear Mir call his name again.
For Mercedes, Kao asks her if the people of Elluel are alright. After Mercedes says that they are, Kao tells her that it’s a relief to hear. Kao then laments that she had caused her people to be frozen in the past, and that she couldn’t save the world either. She regrets that not only had she been unable to save the world, but she had also been unable to secure a better future for her people and their home. Without her memories or her power, she notes that it means that she no longer has the chance anymore. She then asks Mercedes to gift their people a hopeful future in her place.
For Phantom, Kao apologizes for being unable to protect the world that Aria loved. He explains that when he sees Aria again in the afterlife, he doesn’t know what she’ll say to him. He wonders if she’ll forgive him for his failures before supposing that she’d be kind and say that he had done his best, after which he says that the only person who isn’t ready to forgive him is himself. I think that this is tied with Zero’s as my favorite dialogue.
For Luminous, he notes that he can’t sense the power of light or darkness inside Kao. Kao explains that he himself isn’t sure, but when he had come to his senses, the power of darkness had dissipated and only a faint power of light remained. He asks Luminous if Lania is doing alright, to which Luminous says that she’s doing fine.
Kao is relieved to hear it, explaining that she had sacrificed herself for him in her past life, and that she hadn’t resented him when she had learned the truth in her current life. He recalls how he had given thanks to her and had promised to do better, though he had ultimately failed to protect both the world and Lania. He then wonders what she had thought when the world had been destroyed and supposes that since she’s kind, she must have pitied him for his failures. He then tells Luminous not to let Lania down like he had.
For Shade, Kao asks to let his sacrifice be enough. He then wonders if it would be arrogant of him to hope that his sacrifice will save the world. Shade then asks Kao where he kept Moonbeam’s guardian spirit, to which Kao explains that when he had regained his memories, he couldn’t sense the spirit’s energy anymore. He recalls how, despite being a stranger, Moonbeam had trusted him without hesitation and had given him her power that he had to eventually return.
He notes that Moonbeam’s spirit and her world don’t exist anymore, despite how much he had wanted to protect them. He then asks Shade if Moonbeam is doing alright, after which he apologizes, as he had forgotten about the curse for a moment. He adds that he’s sure that she’s doing fine before telling Shade that he needs to protect the world, adding that they both will remember the charge that had been entrusted to them, even if the memories fade away.
For Ark, he notes that he can’t sense the Specter’s energy in Kao and asks if something had happened. Kao explains that the Specter has ceased to exist, as he suspects that going back in time might have affected it. The dialogue here is criminally short and it’s really stupid that Ark doesn’t even mention Albaire, the most important person in his life, just like how Xenon doesn’t even acknowledge Beryl’s existence.
On one hand, I think that it’s dumb how Luminous and Ark get a factory reset and lose their corruptive forces by losing to the Black Mage, even though they’re stuck with it even when they win. On the other hand, it does make logical sense why they shouldn’t have those forces inside them, as Luminous struggled with his inner darkness before the Auguries purified him, and Ark’s Specter is constantly trying to take over his body.
If they were to have lost their memories, their corruptive forces would attempt to take them over, which would’ve interfered with the Black Mage’s plan to have Kao help the player, and so it makes sense that he would’ve gotten rid of it. In Kao’s case, they were always meant to die after fulfilling their mission, but for the Adversary, they still have other threats to face, and so it would make sense that the Black Mage wouldn’t remove their corruptive forces after Tenebris.
For Hoyoung, he asks Kao where he’s left his Taotie. Kao notes that his Taotie must have sacrificed himself. Hoyoung’s Taotie then emerges from him and calls Kao a buffoon before telling him to stop it with his sob stories. Kao smiles sadly at hearing Taotie calling him a buffoon, adding that it’s been a while since he’s heard that. There’s absolutely no mention of Tai Yu, the man who literally raised him since infancy.
For Zero, the script is the same no matter whether the player was Alpha or Beta at the time of accepting the quest. Zero asks Kao, who’s revealed to be Alpha, where Beta is. Kao explains that she was with him until the last attack on the Black Mage. When he had woken up and come to his senses, he had found that he was alone. He believes that Beta was killed because there’s no way than anyone could walk away unscathed after losing to the Black Mage.
He notes that Beta had always helped him, and that she had always been hurt because of him, from the time that he had been Alpha to when he had become Kao. He recalls how Beta used to tell him that if the two of them cooperated, their combined strength would be unstoppable. However, he laments that he’s lost all his power, and now, he’s also lost his sister.
Every other class in the game - Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, Kain, Illium, Adele, Khali, Lara, Kinesis, Hayato, Kanna, and Beast Tamer - get a generic script for classes not from Maple World. Since this is gonna sound weird with only gender-neutral pronouns, I’m gonna add a disclaimer here that Kao is talking about themselves throughout this script, not the player.
Kao asks the player if they remember when they had awoken with the power of the Seal Stone. Kao recalls how they had shouldered the responsibility to save another dimension instead of their own. Though they hadn’t shown it, Kao notes that it must have weighted on them, and for good reason, as it was someone else’s world and not their own.
However, Kao notes that they had taken their responsibilities seriously, and though Kao wants to say that their heart was true, they find that they’re not sure anymore. They then wonder whether there’s someone better than them who can actually save the world. Kao then supposes that they had lost their worthiness the moment that their faith had wavered.
I don’t particularly hate the generic dialogue because it works well for classes like Kinesis or the Sengoku classes, but there’s absolutely no reason why the Grandis classes shouldn’t have gotten unique dialogue. Lara, for example, could’ve definitely had a line about her connection to the land spirits disappearing because losing to the Black Mage and watching all her loved ones die had irreparably broken her faith.
I don’t even think it’s particularly difficult to come up with some meaningful dialogue when half of it just writes itself if you’re familiar with their story and characterization. It also makes no sense why Ark and Hoyoung, out of all people, would get unique dialogue. If this is Nexon’s way of implicitly suggesting that they’re candidates for being the Adversary in the Grandis story, Illium and Kaiser, or even Lara, are much better choices for that role.
What’s even dumber is that Beast Tamer gets the generic dialogue about saving another dimension from her own, despite the fact that she’s literally from Maple World. Once again, the writers get to get away with being lazy and the players have to waste hours of their time hunting for scraps, hoping that maybe the next class we grind to 200 will have something meaningful instead of just the same carbon copy dialogue when they’ve promised exclusive scripts “for all classes”. I’m very well aware about how salty I sound, but if you had to replay Vanishing Journey on a bunch of different classes and get absolutely nothing to show for it, I’m sure that you would be too.)
As the Adversary continued carrying Kao’s body through the cave, they were surprised to find that Kao was fading away. Kao explained that their body would soon lose its form and scatter into Erda. The Adversary apologized and blamed themselves for allowing Kao to get attacked by Arma, but Kao told them not to be sorry, as their regrets had faded away because of the Adversary. Kao then noted that it was the end for them, and that, if they could, they would pinpoint the exact moment when they had lost. Though Kao wanted to come with the Adversary and see the future with their own eyes, they regretted that there was nothing more that they could do after losing their power.
Kao noted that they were sure that they had made more mistakes aside from being tricked by Arma, but they found that they were unable to remember anymore, as their memories were fading away by the minute. They then apologized to the Adversary for not being able to warn them about any other fatal mistakes that they had made before asking the Adversary to take their body to the waterfall up ahead.
At the waterfall, Kao explained that they had one last important thing to say. Kao explained that both of them had succeeded in changing the future through the Adversary surviving Arma with their power intact. Kao told the Adversary that they needed to obtain the Arcane Symbols, the crucial power needed to defeat the Black Mage that Kao had failed to obtain. Kao also explained that the Adversary would encounter Erdas of all shapes and sizes across the Arcane River. Though many threats existed in the shadows, there were also just as many allies who would help them on their journey. Kao then vanished, leaving behind their Arcane Symbol.
(A/N: This fulfills Kao’s mission to warn their past self about Arma. In Kao’s original timeline, a chunk of their power was drained by Arma, and this weakness makes them unable to protect Ollie in Esfera, leading to her death and catalyzing the events which would lead to their defeat at the hands of the Black Mage. For a complete timeline of Kao’s journey, see the notes at the end of Esfera.)
Reverse City:
(A/N: Reverse City was retroactively added to take place between Vanishing Journey and Chu Chu Island, likely to bridge the level gap between the two areas. The Arcane River storyline began the tradition of having new story areas released every five levels, and so Reverse City being set at level 205 creates an intermediary area between Vanishing Journey, which is level 200 content, and Chu Chu Island, which is level 210 content.
Reverse City was added three years after Vanishing Journey in the RISE update, which was the beginning of the first phase of the continental Grandis storyline. Along with Yum Yum Island and Sellas, Reverse City was made to set up future Grandis content by introducing T-Boy as an antagonist, as well as to remind people that Friends World is sadly still a thing.
One thing to keep in mind is that Reverse City, along with Yum Yum Island and Sellas, isn’t actually a required story area to keep progressing through the game, meaning that it’s functionally similar to a theme dungeon more than anything else. Because of this, future storylines are set up so that they trigger conditional exclusive dialogue depending on whether or not you cleared these areas, which is also true in the case of several other theme dungeons like Detective Rave’s Case Notes.
While this means that it’s not absolutely canon that the Adversary completed these storylines, for the purposes of this site, I’m running with the assumption that we did. In future sections, I’ll be sure to put in the author notes what exclusive dialogue plays out in those specific moments if you didn’t happen to do these optional theme dungeons or story areas.)
Before the Adversary could continue on their journey, Chief Legato asked them to return to Nameless Town. He showed them an old walkie-talkie emitting garbled sounds and static and explained that it had washed up on the riverbank from a nearby city. The Adversary recognized that the city didn’t come from Maple World, though it looked familiar nevertheless. Legato told them that the flow of the river had been disrupted in the city and asked them to investigate. (A/N: Kinesis has some exclusive dialogue here, in which he realizes that there might be someone from Friends World who needs his help there.)
Upon entering the city, the Adversary realized that everything was upside-down, with even the ceiling having become the floor. A stranger with a computer screen face welcomed them to Reverse City and introduced himself as T-Boy, the most normal person in Reverse City. However, he added that no one would argue if he introduced himself as the city’s most dangerous person and used his gauntlet to levitate the Adversary in mid-air before crushing them with strong gravitational force.
As his gauntlet began to overheat, the gravitational force increased in power, though T-Boy was completely unconcerned, merely claiming that there was something appealing about uncontrollable power. He told them that power and control weren’t so important as something else, but before he could explain what it was, a girl named Rasol arrived and told T-Boy to leave.
However, T-Boy merely laughed and asked what she planned to do in order to make him go. Just then, the gauntlet announced that it was about to overheat. As it began counting down, Rasol begged him to shut it down, though T-Boy only laughed as the countdown reached zero. At the last possible minute, T-Boy shut the gauntlet down and claimed that it had merely been a prank.
(A/N: T-Boy: “Calm down, it’s just a prank, bro! God, you’re so dramatic, can’t you take a joke? You’re fineeee. You don’t even have a scratch on you. It’s not like you’d get hurt anyways. You wanna know what would hurt? If your dad called you a dispensable object and an absolute disappointment of a son. Haha yep… still waiting for him to tell me that it’s just a prank.
The Adversary, nervously dialing their therapist: “…Hey, Lara? I found another one for you. Yep, daddy issues. Do you think you could fit him in sooner? He wants to blow himself up and level a whole city. I don’t think the friendship talk is gonna cut it with this one.”)
As the Adversary fell unconscious, T-Boy declared that he saw great things in their future before leaving. After T-Boy left, Rasol carried the unconscious Adversary back to her town. Upon awakening, the Adversary saw that the people in the town were all Erdas, though they had many more human features than the ones in Vanishing Journey.
A man named Alamo explained that one day, T-Boy had shown up out of the blue and had turned the entire city upside-down, forcing them to live like sewer rats in the subway tunnels, where they didn’t get even a single ray of sunlight. Alamo then asked why the Adversary had come, and so the Adversary showed the townspeople the walkie-talkie that had washed up.
Rasol realized that it belonged to Barr Granger, a man who had helped the people of Reverse City. Rasol began to escort the Adversary to Barr, explaining that he was an overworlder who had come from another world, though he had gotten trapped along with the city when it had been sucked into the Arcane River. (A/N: Kinesis has some exclusive dialogue here, in which he realizes that Barr comes from the same world as him.)
Thanks to Barr, the people of the town had learned to survive after T-Boy had forced them into the subway tunnels. She showed them one of Barr’s books, entitled “Surviving in the Jungle” with the author blurb stating, “What matters most to the survivor isn’t skills or knowledge. It’s the will to live.”
(A/N: This can be interpreted as foreshadowing for Limina, in which the Adversary is only able to awaken the Seal Stone after abandoning the mindset that they need to sacrifice themselves, and instead focus on their will to survive.
Kinesis gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that he’s never heard of the book before, and that the cover doesn’t inspire confidence, either.)
On the way, they encountered Erda Rats, which Rasol explained were normal Erdas that had changed shape after encountering the rats in the tunnels. The Adversary wondered whether Rasol and the others in the town were also Erdas that had changed shape to resemble the humans from Friends World. Rasol asked them to hunt the Erda Rats for their Blue Rat Meat and Montos for their Purple Rat Meat in order to bring it to Barr. She then showed them a flickering screen that depicted a sunset, explaining that since she had been born in the tunnels, it was the closest thing that she had to seeing a real sunset. Just then, Barr arrived and the Adversary showed him the walkie-talkie.
(A/N: If the player is Kinesis, Barr will note that Kinesis comes from the same world as him, although he also notes that Kinesis isn’t like him, likely referring to the fact that Kinesis has superpowers. He asks Kinesis if he’s come to return the walkie-talkie, to which Kinesis tells him that it’s not the only reason, as he’s on a mission to return people from their world back home. Barr then replies that Kinesis has wasted a trip by coming all this way, which transitions back into the generic script below.)
However, Barr told them that he didn’t need it anymore and refused to take it back. Suddenly, the tunnels began to shake and Rasol realized that it was T-Boy working on something. She asked Barr if she could borrow his map, but he refused to give it up. She and the Adversary then went into the tunnel system alone and found that it was a giant labyrinth.
Rasol explained that Barr’s map was the only thing that could help them navigate the area, adding that he was keeping it safe from T-Boy. Inside the trains, they found several machines that appeared to be part of a laboratory. Just then, a T-Drone detected their intrusion and summoned attack drones. Rasol was impressed by how easily the Adversary took down the drones and wondered why T-Boy had been able to defeat them if they were so strong.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Karote storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
It’s revealed in the Karote storyline that T-Boy was modified by his father using Angler Company technology that had been stolen from Odium. The entire Angler family was enhanced with cybernetic augmentations in a way that made them nearly indistinguishable from the Vessels that the elders had created. Since the Vessels created in Odium had been designed to face the Ancient Gods, it makes sense that the technology used to enhance them would make them significantly stronger.)
Continuing on, they found several sensitive materials that the drones were attempting to wipe. The Adversary hunted down the drones and collected T-Boy’s research notes. They then proceeded deeper into T-Boy’s laboratory, where they found what appeared to be a gravity machine that burned Erda for fuel. According to the research notes, they learned that T-Boy planned to harvest Erda from the upstream of the Arcane River and use extinction accelerators to create more Erda upon depletion of the river. With the Erdas, he planned to concentrate gravity above the city in order to create a black hole.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Odium storyline reveals that T-Boy was planning to create the black hole generator in order to generate energy for his father, whose power source was destroyed in the explosion at Angler Company headquarters. If you look closely at some of the monsters in Reverse City, you’ll notice that some of the robots are using the Erda rats as power sources, just like what T-Boy mentioned in his research notes about using Erda as fuel.)
Just then, a T-Drone appeared and started a video call, showing T-Boy’s computer face on its display. Rasol asked T-Boy why he was attempting to create a black hole, but he refused to answer and instead ordered the T-Drone to turn on the prototype extinction accelerator. T-Boy then sealed the doors and ended the video call, trapping them inside.
The Adversary prepared to bust down the doors when Barr appeared and told them that the doors were specially reinforced. However, he explained that the train cars had manual door overrides and managed to open the door for them to escape before the extinction accelerator exploded. After they escaped, Rasol asked Barr if he had already known about T-Boy’s plan.
Barr admitted that T-Boy sometimes visited to borrow his books and frequently talked to himself while doing so. He told them how T-Boy was the only one who read and appreciated his survival books, and that he had suggested that Barr’s next book should be about how to survive a black hole, which was how he had indirectly revealed his plans.
Upon learning what T-Boy was about to do, Barr had raised his gun at T-Boy, but had found that he was unable to muster the courage to pull the trigger. Rasol asked Barr how he could have let T-Boy walk away after learning that T-Boy was about to effectively trap them in the city forever and ensure that Barr could never return home. (A/N: Kinesis has some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that though he could just send Barr back home himself, he decides to let things play out for now.)
Barr told them that the surface wasn’t as good as they believed, but Rasol was determined to stop T-Boy and headed back to the town. Barr then called the Adversary much braver than he was after learning that they were going to help Rasol. The Adversary gave Barr back the walkie-talkie and told him that they had heard human voices from it.
(A/N: You also get to choose how you motivate Barr by telling him either that you’ve run away from fights before, but that you choose to be brave now, or that you’ve never run from a fight, and though that might make you brave, there’s more to be afraid of in life than just fighting.)
The Adversary returned to the town and found the townspeople debating about whether they should stay or head to the surface. Many believed that they couldn’t fight T-Boy without Barr’s help, but Rasol told them about the Adversary’s power and how they could help the town. Though Alamo told Rasol that she couldn’t expect a stranger to fight for them, Rasol revealed she had grabbed some of the many Arcane Symbols in T-Boy’s research lab and offered them as payment.
Just as the Adversary agreed to help, Barr arrived and offered his map of the subway. However, Barr told Rasol to stay out of the fight. He then told the Adversary that they could ignore the extinction accelerators, since the only thing that they needed to destroy in order to win was the gravity machine. Barr then told Rasol that he needed her help in order to defeat T-Boy. He taught her how to disable the extinction accelerators and gave her T-Boy’s research notes and the map, asking her to also evacuate the townspeople before T-Boy found their refuge.
The Adversary and Barr entered the train system, where they encountered a T-Drone and many combat bots. Barr explained that some of the bots even had their own anti-gravity units, powered by living creatures like the subway rats. From the T-Drone, T-Boy’s computerized face appeared and told them that he had cut power to the train and switched the tracks to have the train crash. However, Barr revealed that he knew how to restore power, outwitting T-Boy once again. Barr asked the Adversary to collect drone parts in order to build his override. After obtaining the parts, the Adversary defended Barr while he continued building.
As they continued onward, they found that it was nighttime on the surface. Barr told them that he and his friends used to watch the sunsets while the gate between the Arcane River and Friends World was still open. He explained that when the gate had first opened, he and his friends had worked together to find survivors and send them back to Friends World, and that they had planned to go back themselves after saving everyone. However, he told the Adversary that there had been an accident that had prevented him from returning along with them.
(A/N: Kinesis has some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that it’s always nice to remember that he’s not the only one sending the people of Friends World back home.
This line was actually changed from what it was originally, although I’m not sure when exactly that change happened. In the original line, Kinesis notes to himself that sending the displaced people of Friends World back home is supposed to be his job, almost in a guilty sort of way. I’m guessing that the reason why they changed it was for the sake of his characterization, since there isn’t really any reason why he should feel guilty about not saving the humans in Reverse City when he didn’t even know that they were trapped in the first place.)
Just then, a T-Droid arrived and T-Boy laughed, telling Barr that the truth was that he had been left behind. He then told the Adversary that they and Barr were two of a kind, as the townspeople had abandoned them, just as Barr’s friends had left him, asking whether the townspeople even cared about them. (A/N: Here, you can either say that they do, or you can say nothing.)
T-Boy claimed that while the townspeople called the Adversary a hero, they were simply using them. However, he reassured them that he understood both the Adversary and Barr, as all three of them were outsiders to their very core, adding that it was lucky that they had found each other. Laughing that he had even brought them a gift, T-Boy summoned a wave of battle drones before disappearing.
After fighting through the enemy drones, the pair began hopping to the next car when T-Boy himself arrived to confront them, rather than through his T-Drone, explaining that he had only found the empty refuge after sending his drones to find the townspeople. Barr then revealed how the townspeople had already deactivated his extinction accelerators and escaped.
Though T-Boy was surprised, he claimed that it would make no difference, as he would simply make more once he eliminated them both. Barr retorted that it wouldn’t be easy to get rid of them both, to which T-Boy asked him what he meant by ‘both’, and whether it was him trying to prove a point that he finally had a friend whom he could trust. He laughed and claimed that it would simply end as it had before, with Barr being left alone and abandoned by his new so-called friend.
Sticking up for Barr, the Adversary retorted to T-Boy’s provocations by pointing out that he kept going on and on about how they and Barr had no real friends, but they then claimed T-Boy was the real lonely one, adding that even if they and Barr were losers, it took one to know one. Stunning T-Boy into silence, the Adversary continued on that they were starting to understand his plan, explaining that if he were to turn the whole world upside-down, then that would mean that he would finally get to be the normal one. They then added that his plan was so childish that it was bordering on pathetic.
(A/N: The way that this dialogue is presented is that we can pick and choose one of the two retorts to say first, although we’ll automatically continue on with the second one no matter what. I wrote them in the order that they were presented, since we end up canonically saying both of them anyways.)
Irritated, T-Boy decided to start up the gravity machine without supplying sufficient power, which would cause it to go critical and explode as if it were a giant extinction accelerator, resulting in the destruction of the entire city. The shocked Adversary retorted that T-Boy was insane, as the explosion would kill him too, to which T-Boy merely laughed and replied that it sounded like a fun time, adding that the three of them were about to have a real blast.
The Adversary realized that they needed to take T-Boy out immediately, but Barr replied that it wouldn’t help, and that they needed to dismantle the gravity machine. T-Boy then laughed that they ought to hurry to the tower and offered to help by causing the train to speed up to three times its original velocity. As the T-Drone issued a warning to decelerate in order to avoid derailing from the impending track curvature, T-Boy claimed that according to his calculations, they would crash straight into M Tower.
Barr immediately told the Adversary to grab seat cushions to lessen the impact, as they had no time to stop the train. T-Boy then told them that he had told them before that power and control didn’t matter, as the only thing that was important was sending a message. The Adversary asked him what he was talking about, to which T-Boy told them that he was telling them to remember his name, adding that he was T-Boy, and that he was the one who was about to turn their whole world upside-down.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Karote and Odium storylines. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Angler family is honestly one of my favorite parts of the Grandis story just because of their dynamics. You can very clearly see not only how each of the Angler children’s personality has been shaped by the abuse that their father inflicted on them, but you can also see aspects of their father’s own personality that he unconsciously programmed into them, making them all a fractured mosaic image of his own damaged psyche.
Senya has a level of perfectionism that she shares with her father, who demands nothing but perfect results from all of his children and physically harms them if they don’t meet his expectations, either by arranging for their deaths or killing them himself. She has a cheerful persona that she uses as a façade, not only to manipulate other people to take advantage of their lowered guards, but also as a defense mechanism for herself in order to hide her pain from her father so that he won’t discard her as weak and useless.
We don’t really see much of Cosim, since he’s completely free of his father’s programming when we see him in the story, and while we also don’t see much of Laha, we still get to see that she’s inherited a lot of her father’s cruelty, ruthlessness, and tenacity. Unlike Senya, Laha has very little sense for subtlety, which is likely an aspect of her own personality, not her father’s. But like all the Angler children, Laha is quite afraid of her father and is ready to throw anyone under the bus if it means avoiding being physically and psychologically abused by him.
On the other hand, T-Boy, to me, seems like he’s the most like his father. I like to view T-Boy as the black sheep of the family, even more so than Cosim, because unlike Senya’s perfectionism or Laha’s cold efficiency, he shares what I think is the core element of his father’s personality - a crippling sense of isolation and a desperate need to be recognized, to the point of being ready to kill himself for it.
You can see from his behavior in Reverse City that he feels like he doesn’t fit in anywhere, not with his family and not with the world, and his loneliness, combined with his trauma, manifests in self-destructive behavior and a complete disregard for how own life, which is something that a lot of children in abusive homes develop. He has a penchant for theatrics and jokes, and quite often, the punchline of his jokes are him teasing the fact that he’s ready to kill himself when his machines go critical and blow up, and it makes me really sad to see someone who’s just a kid regard his own life as so dispensable.
Later on in the Karote storyline, it’s revealed that at least a portion of his self-destructive and risk-seeking behavior was programmed into him by his father. I like to imagine that this kind of behavior is what makes T-Boy the most like his father out of anyone else in their family. In the Karote storyline, we learn that his father was a Vessel who underwent experiments in Odium in order to become an Adversary, although he was deemed a defective Vessel and thrown out of Odium, after which he was sent plummeting from the sky to what the elders had likely intended to be his death.
However, his father survived his fall because of his cybernetic enhancements, and as a result of the experiments, his father experienced what the elders called contamination, which was an erasure of his ego and his sense of self. His humanity, his emotions, and his morals were erased from him, leaving him with a singular drive to become an Adversary. Since the Company founder was a defective Vessel, it likely means that his ego couldn’t be completely erased, leaving him in this state where he still retained a portion of his original self, while having everything else erased from him.
While the successful Adversaries of Odium were functionally machines, the Company founder can still feel pain and experience trauma. While he couldn’t be a successful Adversary, the experiments took away all his free will and hardwired him with a singular desire to fulfill his purpose, even though he’s incapable of becoming an Adversary. As a result, he spent ages trying to reach Odium in order to not only carry out his mission, but because he himself carries all the trauma and abuse that the elders inflicted on him by desecrating his mind and body and then discarding him like he was a worthless piece of garbage.
The Company founder shares a lot of his isolation and self-destructive behavior with T-Boy, which we can see from his actions. He built Karote endlessly in order to prove that he’s not useless, and all his efforts were met with more abuse at the hands of the elders, who had Guardian Kalos repeatedly throw him over thirty thousand feet from the sky, once again reinforcing the fact that even in spite of all his painstaking efforts, nothing that he does will ever be good enough for them if he’s incapable of being the one thing that they want him to be, which is the one thing that he’s physically incapable of - a fact which I’m sure causes him considerable distress, since the failed experiments still left him with enough emotions to feel just how much of a failure he is.
But no matter what, he continues risking his life like he doesn’t matter because he was programmed to fulfill his purpose by the elders, meaning that his ability to care about himself was taken away from him. However, since he still retains a portion of his ego, he still experiences pain and loneliness from all his failures, with each of them reminding him that he was thoroughly ruined by the very people whose validation he’s hardwired to crave, which was similarly programmed into T-Boy, manifesting for him as self-destructive behavior and a need to be validated by the abusive man who made it so that he has no choice but to see himself as a dispensable object.
This parallel between T-Boy and his father can be seen most clearly in how T-Boy’s fate echoes the generational trauma shared with his father. Just like how his father was deemed a failure and thrown off Odium by the elders, T-Boy is deemed worthless by his father, who arranged for him to fall to his apparent death from Karote. The dynamics of the Angler family are honestly so interesting to me because of how morally grey everything is. The Company founder suffered an immense amount of trauma from the elders, and since he had his free will and morality stripped from him, you fundamentally cannot hold him accountable for his actions because he has no ability to distinguish right from wrong, and he has no choice but to behave as the elders made him.
At the same time, however, the Company founder’s children have also undergone horrendous abuse at the hands of their father, including an impairment of their own free will, and even if the Company founder can’t be held responsible from an objective lens, his children absolutely aren’t required to see it that way, which leads to an interesting question about how the Company founder should be viewed as a person, since the abuse that he’s inflicted was done because has no agency of his own, but the trauma that his children have to carry can’t just be waved away and forgotten simply because their father wasn’t responsible for his actions.)
After the train crashed into M Tower, the Adversary struggled to stand up, just as an injured T-Boy appeared and used his gauntlet to begin crushing them, just like when they had first met. Suddenly, Barr appeared and pointed his gun at T-Boy, claiming that he had realized that T-Boy wasn’t really there, and that the person standing before them was just another drone, while his real body was somewhere safe and far away, which would explain why T-Boy wasn’t being affected by the city’s reversed gravity.
Barr then called T-Boy a coward, claiming that he didn’t even have the guts to face real danger with his life on the line. After a pause, T-Boy, with his damaged vocoder, asked him what difference it made, to which Barr explained that it meant that he wouldn’t feel any guilt about pulling the trigger, now that he knew that he was only shooting a drone. Barr then shot T-Boy in the face, shattering his computerized helmet.
As the Adversary recovered from T-Boy’s attack, Barr came over to check on them, explaining that the real T-Boy was never in Reverse City to begin with, which was why he had been so unconcerned about destroying the place. The Adversary noted that it was easy to play the daredevil from the comfort of one’s secret lair, after which they headed off to destroy the gravity machine.
Meanwhile, a wounded T-Boy addressed Barr and told him that it wouldn’t change anything, as the gravity wouldn’t come back, and the sun wouldn’t rise, with the entire city going up in flames. However, he claimed that he could still help, revealing that there was a personal teleporter in his chest compartment that had enough power to send one person back to Friends World. (A/N: This teleporter is the same model that Senya had in Detective Rave’s Case Notes, which Rave used to teleport the exploding purifier device onto Senya’s ship.)
Barr asked T-Boy why he would make such an offer, to which T-Boy told him that he had seen footage of the day when Barr’s friends had left, and that he had learned that Barr had chosen not to go back home because of the overwhelmingly negative reviews that his survival books had received. (A/N: Some of those reviews were straight up cyberbullying. One person said, “I hear the author got sucked into another dimension. Good riddance!”) T-Boy laughed at Barr’s indecision, claiming that even though he now finally had a way back home, there was no one there who wanted him back.
Meanwhile, the Adversary reached the gravity machine and managed to destroy it. However, they were surprised to find that the countdown had not stopped. T-Boy then laughed and asked if they had really thought that attacking the machine would be enough to stop it. (A/N: As the gravity machine continues counting down and the Adversary attempts to stop it, Illium and Mechanics have some exclusive dialogue, in which they’ll say that their mechanical expertise is more general, rather than the specialized knowledge needed to stop the gravity machine.)
To T-Boy’s surprise, however, Barr chose to help the Adversary, rather than go home, because Rasol had managed to contact him and had helped him to conquer his fears, reminding him that even if his friends didn’t like his books, they must still like him as a person, adding that it took courage to open up to others. Barr had then recalled the advice that the Adversary had given him about being brave, after which he had decided to go back and help them.
Barr told the Adversary that he would take the machine and jump, and with the city being upside-down, he would reach the sky, so that the machine would be high enough that the explosion wouldn’t kill anyone. As he jumped off with the machine, he heard the voices of his friends speaking to him through the walkie-talkie, telling him that they were still awaiting his return. Just as the machine exploded, he used the teleporter to return back to Friends World. With the explosion of the gravity machine, the dimensional gate to Friends World opened up once again.
Some time later, the townspeople found a newspaper that had washed ashore, which showed that Barr had returned safely back to Friends World, and that his new survival book on Reverse City was poised to become a bestseller. Because of this, even his earlier works were beginning to get noticed and Barr was growing famous. (A/N: Kinesis wonders whether Jay will pick up a copy of Barr’s book for him.)
Though the city remained upside-down, Rasol was relieved that Barr had managed to return home. She also added that with T-Boy’s defeat, they could safely view the sunset. She then gave the Adversary her Arcane Symbols as payment for their help, though she added that T-Boy’s robot body had gone missing. She also explained that she had found a broken piece of his mask stained with blood, causing them to realize that T-Boy had been there in person all along.
Elsewhere, T-Boy was escaping in his spaceship when he was contacted by his sister, Senya Angler. He warned her not to tell their father about his failure, though Senya merely laughed and told him that she would consider keeping his secret. Senya then told him to take off his mask, which she found ridiculous, revealing T-Boy’s wounded face from Barr’s gunshot. Senya asked T-Boy what he thought of the Alliance’s pet hero, to which T-Boy told her that he believed that they’d be able to use the Adversary.
(A/N: When Senya asks T-Boy about the Adversary, her dialogue will change depending on the player’s gender. If the player is female, she’ll ask T-Boy whether he fell for us. If the player is male, she’ll just ask whether he thought that we were cool.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the section.
T-Boy means that they’ll be able to use the Adversary in order to have them open the way to Odium for their father.)
Chu Chu Island:
(A/N: As much as I love how cute Chu Chu Island is, it’s a colossal waste of time that could’ve been better spent building up the overall story. Most of the other regions of the Arcane River do something to test the Adversary by putting them in situations that force them to strengthen their determination and resolve. Vanishing Journey, for example, sets up the idea that the Adversary has already once failed to save the world, which eats away at the back of their mind and culminates in their choice to save Tana in Esfera, in which they have to decide whether to risk repeating history by saving her or giving the world its best chance at survival by taking her life.
Other regions like Lachelein are a literal nightmare that we have to break free from, while Morass makes us relive the fear and pain of Tana’s most traumatic memories. In contrast, the biggest stakes in Chu Chu Island are whether the friendly giant is going to like our sandwich or not. Chu Chu Island does absolutely nothing for the overall story, and it’s honestly a complete waste of an area that could’ve instead been used to improve the pacing of the Arcane River storyline.
One of the biggest problems with Tenebris is that it haphazardly rushed into a mediocre conclusion and forcibly made everything wrap up in an inorganic and contrived manner. The story that they presented was very clearly half-baked, not to mention that they didn’t even bother to address the dozens of unresolved plot threads that, even to this day, are still being completely ignored. Given that the writers made the moronic decision to turn not one, but two whole areas - Chu Chu Island and Arcana - into filler content, it’s not hard to see why. I really don’t mind having filler areas as breathers from the constant tension of the story, but if a full third of your story is filler, to the point that you have to severely compromise the quality of your decades-in-the-making finale, then that’s obviously a glaring problem.
If they wanted to keep some of the light-hearted atmosphere, it would’ve been nice if they’d explored the idea of the Erda fusions by adapting some of the ideas introduced in Yum Yum Island and showing us some of the fallen Commanders and other villains of Maple World, which would’ve given an excuse for cute character designs, and it would’ve gotten us to reflect on all the enemies that we’ve faced in order to get here. It also would’ve flowed nicely into the idea that later gets introduced in Limina about the Black Mage using and discarding them as tools.)
After helping the townspeople of Reverse City, the Adversary continued on their journey to the end of the Arcane River. At the cave exit in the Vanishing Journey, they jumped down a waterfall, where a Flying Fish caught them as they were about to fall into the water. They thanked the Flying Fish and wondered if they were one of the allies that Kao had spoken of.
They then asked the Flying Fish to lead them straight to the Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River, but they soon found the path blocked by a large stone giant. The Flying Fish then dumped them onto the ground before flying off. The Adversary approached the stone giant, Muto, who declared that he was hungry. When he refused to step aside, the Adversary gave him several sandwiches, which Muto found delicious. Though he was still hungry, the Adversary had no more food left to give him, prompting Muto to throw a temper tantrum.
Just then, a large lion theatrically jumped in and accidentally knocked the Adversary out with his staff. He then took the Adversary back to the village, where he hit them again in order to wake them back up. After they awoke, he introduced himself as Chief Lyon of Chu Chu Island. The Adversary asked who the people of the village were, but Lyon couldn’t remember, nor did he know who the Black Mage was when the Adversary accused him of being the Black Mage’s servant. He explained that the townspeople had no recollection of their past, and that he had volunteered to lead them as chief.
(A/N: Most of the life forms in Chu Chu Island are fusions of different types of Erdas, such as animals and food, or animals and monsters. You learn this later on, but Chief Lyon is a fusion of Damien and a lion. You can infer this even before we’re told in Yum Yum Island because his cape bears Damien’s curse mark. This is because the Erdas, which normally get recycled and reincarnate into new life, have been taken out of their natural lifecycle, forcing them to fuse inside a smaller pool of Erdas that flow within the Arcane River.
There’s one interesting interpretation based on this that I do like about Chu Chu Island as an area, although not enough for me to change my mind on its existence being completely pointless. Someone on Discord pointed out that Chu Chu Island can be taken to symbolically represent Damien and his endless hunger for power, with the monsters being food fusions, as well as Chu Chu Island itself being named after chewing food, which is made more apparent in how other regions spell Chu Chu as Chew Chew.
In a way, Chu Chu Island can be viewed as Damien’s hunger for power finally getting sated after he broke free from the Spirit of Vengeance’s control and made the choice to allow the Demon to end his life at the Dark World Tree. In the wake of him choosing to turn away from his obsession with power, he finally gets the chance to know peace, as he enters a spiritual form of heaven in the form of Chu Chu Island - a land of plentiful food and happiness where his hunger can finally be sated, which lies in stark contrast to how Damien had been starved and tortured for most of his life as a slave in Tynerum.)
Lyon then told the Adversary that Muto was the protector of their village against a giant monster named Gulla, who resurfaced every ten days in order to eat anything in sight. In exchange for being protected from Gulla, the townspeople would regularly prepare food for Muto. However, Muto had recently grown picky about his food and had stopped fighting Gulla. As the Adversary’s food had been accepted by Muto, Lyon proposed an alliance to help feed Muto so that the giant would move aside and allow the Adversary to continue through the Arcane River.
The Adversary then met Master Lyck, an anteater wearing a broccoli hat. Lyck was the master chef of Chu Chu Island, though his personality left much to be desired. (A/N: Master Lyck is basically the Gordon Ramsey of MapleStory.) In order to create his signature dish, Lyck ordered the Adversary to obtain Sweet Hooves from the Pinedeer. After obtaining the hooves, Lyck created the dish, but the Adversary was repulsed by the taste.
Upon learning that Muto had liked the Adversary’s sandwiches, Lyck took the remainder of the sandwich and tasted it before declaring that it was a travesty. After the other townspeople also agreed that the sandwich was disgusting, the Adversary attempted to argue that they and Muto had different tastes from the others. Lyck then told them that they should make their own dish for Muto if they were so confident.
As the Adversary began thinking of how they could make a meal with the ingredients around the island, they suddenly smelled something delicious and found a girl named Simia cooking a dish for three chicks named Pibik, Pimi, and Pidol. The chicks explained that they had been exiled from the village for having unusual taste, and that they had eventually met Simia, who would cook dishes that they loved. Simia told them that she worked as a kitchen hand for Master Lyck, though he never let her cook anything.
The Adversary asked Simia if she would help prepare a dish for Muto, who had developed unusual taste like the Pi siblings. Simia decided to make a sandwich, as Muto had seemed to like the last one, and asked the Adversary to collect ingredients after they named the dish. (A/N: You get to make up the name of the dish by choosing three adjectives amongst the prompts.) With the natural ingredients around the island, they were able to create substitutes for the original ingredients and even added special ingredients to give it extra dimension. For their special seasoning, Simia asked them to obtain a Slurpy Fruit from the dangerous Slurpy Tree.
On the day that Gulla was set to attack, Simia and Master Lyck brought their dishes before Muto, who loved Simia’s food enough to protect them from Gulla. He then revealed that even though he had hated Lyck’s dishes from the beginning, he would still eat them in order to protect the townspeople. Lyck then apologized to both Muto and Simia for his arrogance and promoted Simia to an official chef. Muto then agreed to move aside so that the Adversary could face the Black Mage.
Before the Adversary left, Pidol gave them an Arcane Symbol and explained that though the people of Chu Chu Island had lost the memories of their origins, he could sense that the Adversary was under the guardianship of a great power. He also told them that when he had sensed that they possessed an Arcane Symbol, he knew that he had to give them the one that he had found. (A/N: There’s a running joke in this storyline that ever since Pidol hit his head, he frequently cycles between talking intelligently and acting dumb.)
Simia revealed that they occasionally stumbled across Arcane Symbols, which appeared more frequently in the wake of Muto’s fights with Gulla. (A/N: This is likely because their fights stir up Erdas, allowing them to coagulate into Arcane Symbols.) The townspeople explained that they were unable to leave the town, as an invisible barrier held them back. However, they were satisfied with their lives in the village and bid the Adversary farewell.
Yum Yum Island:
(A/N: Like Reverse City, Yum Yum Island was retroactively added to the Arcane River in the RISE update as level 215 content in order to bridge Chu Chu Island at level 210 and Lachelein at level 220. Yum Yum Island continued setting up Kaling as an antagonist in the Grandis storyline and established a timeline regarding when the Alliance sent their advance guard that caught up with the Adversary during the events of Esfera.
Similar to Reverse City, Yum Yum Island is technically an optional area, which means that future content is set up so that it’ll create conditional exclusive dialogue depending on whether or not you completed this area. However, I’ll be treating it as canon that we did go to Yum Yum Island, and I’ll add all the conditional dialogue for both completing and not completing this region in the author notes of those relevant sections.)
As the Adversary began preparations to leave Chu Chu Island, they were contacted by Chief Lyon, who asked them to come back to the village. He explained that behind Chu Chu Village, there was a forest where the mushrooms grew wild. Because of its distance, the townspeople stayed away from the area. However, a few days ago, they had heard an incredibly loud roar, along with a quake which had made them believe that all of Chu Chu Island was sinking.
He asked them to go to Yum Yum Island to investigate the source and to determine if Chu Chu Island was in any danger. As the Adversary began wandering around Yum Yum Island, they encountered a chameleon with a chicken-like comb and wings, which seemed vaguely familiar to them. The chameleon, Caster, saw that the Adversary didn’t have a blue button that identified them as a resident of Yum Yum Island.
(A/N: These buttons are the same as the one worn by Kaling, who’s responsible for the events of Yum Yum Island. Hoyoung has exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that the button seems familiar. Taotie adds that the energy in the button feels familiar, though he can’t recall what it is. At the time that this story was released, people believed that it was because the button contained the energy of another one of the Four Perils.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The Shangri-La storyline reveals that the familiar energy is actually because these buttons are imperfect Godspheres. The Godspheres, also known as the “spear of god” in KMS, are the Seal Stones that the elders created in Odium to create Adversaries in order to face the gods. Eons later, Freud used their scattered power to create the Seal Stones, which are identical to the Godspheres, except that he gave them a different name. Kaling is trying to create a Godsphere in order to complete her experiment for Darmoor involving the Four Perils being combined with a Godsphere to create an immensely powerful Adversary.)
Suddenly, a horde of Bunshrooms and Monkeyrogs surrounded them. Though Caster told the Adversary that he would hold them off, the Adversary replied that they would fight alongside him. After defeating the enemies, one of Monkeyrogs told Caster to give up his pointless ways and live according to his instincts before retreating. The Adversary asked Caster what had happened between him and the others, as they all wore the same buttons. Caster began explaining that he had a greater goal when he suddenly stopped to look at a small flower about to bloom.
Upon blooming, a small three-headed puppy appeared out of it and Caster wondered if the puppy was the match that Bappy had been waiting for. He explained that Bappy was one of the residents of his village, and that he was searching for his match made in heaven. He also told the Adversary that he had a distant memory of a sun, which he believed had created them all. He pointed out that their buttons were round like the sun as well, and that he was searching for his sun while helping Bappy find his match. (A/N: For anyone who watches Boruto, this sounds exactly like Mitsuki simping for Boruto.)
Caster brought the Adversary and Puptail to the village, where they met Bappy, a parrot dressed as a clown who loved fancy parties. The Adversary suddenly realized that all the residents of Yum Yum Island were based on dangerous monsters that came from Maple World, with Bunshrooms coming from Mushmoms, Monkeyrogs coming from Jr. Balrogs, Puptail coming from Horntail, Bappy coming from Pierre, and Caster coming from Von Bon. They also realized that Lyon was made from Damien’s Erdas, though they recalled that Lyon didn’t wear a button like the others.
(A/N: The Demon has some exclusive dialogue here that adds on to the generic script. He notes that Lyon is nothing like Damien and realizes that after Damien died at the Dark World Tree, parts of him trickled into the Arcane River as Erda, which resulted in the creation of Lyon
Later on, we also encounter a couple of other monster fusions. Piabees come from Pianus, Lytones come from Lyka, Stonepy come from Stumpy, Kumpiders come from Zakum, and Squirrelnons come from Manon.)
The Adversary began to suspect that the ones wearing buttons had been artificially created by someone mixing powerful creatures of Maple World. Despite the fact that those monsters had once been quite fearsome, the Adversary noted that the creatures of Yum Yum Island didn’t have the same strength, and so they decided to let things play out, as there was no sense in making enemies of them needlessly.
They then asked Caster about the strange roaring from a few days ago. Caster told them that it had likely originated in Fungos Forest, and so the Adversary resolved to go there and investigate. Bappy then asked them to find his match made in heaven there while he prepared the welcoming party for his match.
The Adversary then asked Caster about the instincts that the Monkeyrog had mentioned. Caster explained that while the other monsters only wanted to create chaos, he and Bappy were able to repress their base instincts so that they could find what they were looking for. Caster then suggested that they go to Illiard Field, as there were no flowers left in Mushbud Forest.
In Illiard Field, Caster asked them to eliminate the Lytones in order to prevent them from interfering with the flowers blooming. However, when none of the flowers there bloomed, Caster suggested that they move on to a different area. They then checked the area full of Stonepy monsters, though they didn’t find any blooming flowers there, either. They continued on and soon found a field full of flowers, though they first had to fight the Piabees that surrounded them.
Eventually, they found a blooming flower, out of which emerged a blue version of Bappy named Muppy. Muppy was pleased to know that his other half was looking for him. He asked Caster whether he was the one who had visited him while he had been inside the flower, although he added that Caster’s button was smaller than the one that he had seen the person wearing.
Believing them to be his sun, Caster asked what the person had said. Muppy recalled that the person had said, “Such a failure.” Caster was distraught to learn that the sun hadn’t created him because he was needed, but rather because he was merely an attempt at a bigger masterpiece. He was suddenly engulfed by a wave of anger, forcing the Adversary to knock him out. When Caster awoke, he immediately ran off towards Fungos Forest.
The Adversary, Muppy, and Puptail followed him and found that Fungos Forest was completely devoid of light. They fought through the monsters, which seemed like they had only been created to fight, and soon reached a fork. They decided to head left and fought through Kumpiders and Squirrelnons until they reached a humongous flower. The flower soon bloomed and revealed a giant, dragon-like monster. The Adversary wondered whether it was a Nova or a dragon of Leafre before realizing that it was Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons.
(A/N: The Heroes have some slightly different dialogue in the way that they realize that the creature is made of Afrien’s Erda. It’s nothing significant, but the wording is changed enough to make it clear that they personally recognize Afrien. For Evan’s dialogue, Mir will address the creature as ‘ancestor’, just as he does with Afrien, and asks if it’s really him.
Nova classes also get some exclusive dialogue, in which they first mistake the creature for a Nova before realizing that its energy is completely different from normal Nova, as the creature has a dragon face, whereas the Nova have human faces. Afrien’s fused form actually does look pretty humanoid, with the exception of his dragon face. His armor and color scheme make him look similar to Magnus, and it actually makes me wonder whether this was the fusion of Afrien and a past Kaiser.)
As they began to fight, the Adversary quickly found that a portion of Afrien’s immense power had carried over into this creation. (A/N: Once again, the Heroes have some slightly different dialogue that has them note that despite the fusion’s power, it’s still nowhere near Afrien’s strength.) As Afrien launched a powerful attack, Caster jumped in front of the Adversary and took it in their place. Afrien then declared that yet another insignificant being appeared, angering Caster once again, as he refused to be called a failure. With an enraged Caster and the Adversary working together, Afrien was defeated, leaving behind only his button.
As the Adversary picked up the button, it crumbled into dust in their hands. They were disturbed to know that both their allies and their foes could be revived in such a manner, with no way of telling which side they would be on, nor how powerful they would be. They then saw that Caster was still consumed by anger and attempted to calm him down when suddenly, Chief Lyon appeared and knocked him out, causing the button that Caster wore to fall. From the button, a massive claw appeared with ominous energy, though it was destroyed by a swift strike from Lyon’s staff.
(A/N: The claw attack is the same one that Kaling uses, powered by one of the Four Perils. Hoyoung and Lara both have exclusive dialogue, which has them recognize the hand. For Hoyoung’s dialogue, Taotie also adds that he now remembers the energy as being what Kaling had unleashed at the Temple of Time during Hoyoung’s level 200 quest. Both Hoyoung and Lara then wonder what Kaling is scheming.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
It’s later suggested in the Shangri-La storyline that only someone who can fuse with a Godsphere can destroy the buttons, which contain a trace of its power. The creations on Yum Yum Island that Kaling made were intended to be Vessels who can hold a Godsphere’s power, although all her Godspheres and Vessels were failures. However, the fact that Lyon could destroy one might mean that he’s a successful Vessel, although the funny thing is that he was created naturally in the Arcane River, rather than through Kaling’s experiments.)
Lyon explained that he had heard a roar from Afrien and had come to help. Caster then saw Damien’s sun-like mark on Lyon’s cape and realized that Lyon was the sun whom he had been looking for. (A/N: Caster recognizing Chief Lyon as his sun, aka his creator, is because Lyon was created from Damien, who originally created the Root Abyss bosses that Caster, Bappy, and Muppy were made from.)
Just then, Puptail barked at them and led them to an even larger flower, which had already bloomed. The Adversary noted that whatever had hatched from it had been gone for a while, and that not a single trace of it remained. Caster noted that as the flower was much larger, it likely meant that whatever had hatched from it must be far stronger than the monster that they had faced.
The Adversary immediately had a bad feeling about whoever was using Erda to create and control new beings. Though the Afrien fusion hadn’t been mature enough to control its powers, the Adversary noted that its potential had been incredible. They realized that something similar could happen again at any time, and that such creatures could easily become powerful enemies.
(A/N: The giant creature that hatched from this flower is likely the same one whose roar had prompted Lyon to ask the Adversary to investigate Yum Yum Island. Hoyoung and Lara both have exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they hadn’t expected Kaling to go so far. For Hoyoung, Taotie adds that Kaling is really something else and suggests that they be more careful.)
With no more leads, they returned back to the village and introduced Muppy to Bappy, who threw a party in both their honors. Caster then thanked the Adversary for their help and gave them several Arcane Symbols as a reward. Believing that they had no time to inform the Alliance about what they had learned, the Adversary hesitantly decided to move on.
(A/N: The Demon has a few exclusive lines of dialogue before he leaves, in which he silently says that if he ever sees Damien again, then he hopes that Damien will be able to live a better life like the people of Chu Chu Island do.)
Though the Adversary continued on their journey without informing the Alliance, Neinheart was nevertheless able to learn about the Erda experiments on Yum Yum Island told Cygnus that they had no record of any of the Black Mage’s Commanders or followers having the kind of power. (A/N: Most likely, the Temple Keepers exploring the Arcane River have been keeping the Alliance in the loop regarding what’s been happening.) Cygnus replied that they couldn’t do anything about identifying the unknown enemy, but they could send the Alliance to the Arcane River as soon as possible in order to help the Adversary.
Neinheart decided to inform the Resistance and the Nova about their discovery, hoping that their allies could help them gather additional information. Cygnus asked if the advance party was ready, which Neinheart confirmed, adding that they had one Cygnus Knight and one Resistance member ready to head out. Just then, Ollie of the Thunder Breakers arrived to report in. Neinheart then told Ollie and Cygnus that Pantheon was scheduled to send in a magician so that the advance party could find a way to move through the Arcane River soon.
Meanwhile, Kaling arrived at Fungos Forest and saw that the Afrien fusion had both hatched and been defeated while she had been away. She then decided to wrap up her experiments there and move on to her other plans.
(A/N: At the time that this storyline came out, people assumed that Kaling wanted to create a substitute Peril after she lost Taotie to Hoyoung. However, as I said, the experiments on Yum Yum Island were meant for her to create a Vessel and a Godsphere for her experiments, although all of them were failures in the end.)
Lachelein, the Dreaming City:
Having finished investigating Yum Yum Island, the Adversary decided to continue on their journey. Climbing aboard the Flying Fish, they headed deeper into the Arcane River and eventually found themselves floating in a canal. Suddenly, they felt a wave of drowsiness come over them, causing them to fall asleep atop the Flying Fish. They soon woke up in a vibrant nighttime city with music and fireworks. They were surprised to find other humans in masquerade masks and decided to talk to them. The masked people seemed abnormally thrilled to be taking part in the festival and emphasized just how much fun they were having.
Just then, a person in a plague doctor mask, Protective Mask, realized that the Adversary was from the outside world and warned them that the city was dangerous. Suddenly, two Dreamkeepers appeared out of nowhere and dragged the Adversary away. They brought the Adversary before Lucid and put them in line behind another citizen, whom Lucid transformed into a butterfly with a snap of her fingers.
She then greeted the Adversary and welcomed them to Lachelein, the city of dreams and illusions, where there was no sadness or pain. (A/N: Lachelein comes from the German word ‘lächeln’, which means ‘smile’.) She then snapped her fingers to transform the Adversary into a butterfly, but she was surprised when nothing happened, causing her to realize that they were the honored guest whom she had been awaiting.
(A/N: Mercedes has a slightly modified version of this scene. Since Lucid recognizes Mercedes, she already knows that Mercedes isn’t part of her dream, and so she snaps her fingers already knowing that nothing will happen. When Mercedes realizes that she didn’t get transformed, Lucid mocks her for being surprised. Mercedes then wonders who Lucid is, noting to herself that it feels like she ought to remember Lucid, despite being unable to.)
Just then, Protective Mask arrived and created a distraction to help the Adversary escape. As punishment for allowing them to get away, Lucid transformed the Dreamkeepers into butterflies. Protective Mask then took the Adversary back to the hideout, where they met Protective Mask’s ally, Gray Mask. Gray Mask told the Adversary that the girl whom they had met was Lucid, who had the power to manipulate dreams.
He explained that Lachelein was a giant prison created from her dreams in order to keep everyone inside, where they were forced to enjoy a festival that never ended, brainwashed into believing that none of it was strange. He told the Adversary that he and Protective Mask were the ‘awakened ones’ who had awoken from Lucid’s dream. Knowing that their existence put her dream in jeopardy, Lucid had sent her Dreamkeepers to hunt them down.
The Adversary asked if they could escape the city, but Gray Mask explained that the fog surrounding the city prevented anyone from leaving. He told the Adversary to try it for themselves, but warned that falling into the river would tear them into their component Erdas. Sure enough, the thick fog pushed the Adversary back to the city’s edge no matter how many times they attempted to get through.
(A/N: The properties of the Arcane River seem to change from area to area. The waters in the Vanishing Journey cause you to lose your memories, while the waters in Lachelein tear you apart. However, the other parts of the river seem to be perfectly safe, as the Morass and Sellas allow you to even breathe underwater.)
After they returned back to the hideout, Protective Mask told the Adversary that they needed a mask in order to blend in. Gray Mask told them to obtain materials from the Paper Bag Alley Citizens. The Adversary collected the materials and gave them to Gray Mask, who began to work on making the mask for them. However, he asked them to fight the Wood Board Alley Citizens, who were disturbing his work with their noise.
After the Adversary returned, Gray Mask handed them the finished mask. Protective Mask then offered to form an alliance, as freeing the people of Lachelein from Lucid’s dream would also allow the Adversary to continue along the Arcane River. After accepting, Gray Mask told them that their mission was to protect the awakened ones and liberate the city from Lucid. He asked the Adversary to return to the city and locate the other awakened ones in order to bring them back to the hideout.
After speaking with the townspeople in the main street, the Adversary determined that Shrimp Mask was an awakened one. They began persuading Shrimp Mask to come with them when the Dreamkeepers arrived. The Adversary grabbed Shrimp Mask and fled back to the hideout while Protective Mask ran in the opposite direction to trick the Dreamkeepers.
The Adversary then calmed Shrimp Mask down and asked if he remembered anything from the time that he had been brainwashed. Shrimp Mask told them that he could recall a sound that had come from an old music box, which he had last heard in the Noisy Market. Gray Mask believed that awakened ones couldn’t hear the music box because the device maintained the dreams of the townspeople. Just then, Protective Mask arrived and told them that he would take care of the music box.
(A/N: They use male pronouns to refer to Protective Mask in the Lachelein storyline, but you find out later during the Convergence storyline that Protective Mask is actually a projection of Mercedes that Lucid subliminally created in order to save her from her nightmare. I originally used gender-neutral pronouns for Protective Mask at first, but it became really messy, since I’m also using gender-neutral pronouns for the Adversary. I’ll use male pronouns for Protective Mask in this section, since that’s what he and everyone else seem comfortable using, but just bear in mind his true identity while it’s going on.)
The Adversary began gathering information about the music box while Protective Mask kept watch for the Dreamkeepers. They learned that Circus Mask was lamenting about the disappearance of his true love, a chicken named Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s owner, Stylish Mask, told them that chickens returned back to their friends when threatened, and so the Adversary began attacking the nearby Gallinas and Galluses in order to lure out Elizabeth.
Soon enough, they were able to get Elizabeth to return home. Having helped Circus Mask, the Adversary asked him if he had heard the music box, to which he gave a nonsensical answer, although Protective Mask was able to determine that Circus Mask was telling them that the music was coming from the direction of the river’s source.
Along the way, they met Huge Watermelon Mask, who asked them to shatter Angry Victory Plates and bring back their pieces in exchange for the music box’s location. He then told them that the sound had come from Pie Mask, who asked them to shatter Crooked Victory Plates and bring the pieces back as proof. After they returned, Pie Mask suddenly turned into the music box and Dreamkeepers began arriving at the scene. While Protective Mask held them off, the Adversary destroyed the music box, breaking the dream and causing the Dreamkeepers to fade away.
All the people in the Noisy Market then awoke from Lucid’s dream and Protective Mask was filled with a surge of memories. He recommended that they keep the awakened ones in the Noisy Market, as the Dreamkeepers couldn’t exist in the area, since the dream had been broken there. They decided to head back to the hideout and Huge Watermelon Head also volunteered to come along with them.
Meanwhile, a Dreamkeeper reported to Lucid that the Adversary was breaking the illusion of Lachelein, though he was quickly transformed into a butterfly for failing to stop them. Lucid wondered whether the Adversary was the one chosen by the Black Mage, or if they had come for her. However, she believed that it changed nothing and invited them to continue clinging onto their false hope.
Back at the hideout, Protective Mask explained that the dream would collapse once enough citizens escaped, and that they needed to destroy the remaining music boxes for that to happen. He explained that Lucid’s memories had flooded into him when the first music box had been destroyed, from which he had learned that the music boxes kept Lucid’s dream from collapsing upon itself.
He then asked Huge Watermelon Head if he remembered anything before he had awakened. Huge Watermelon Head told them that he remembered seeing Lucid, who had been saying “Where is the nightmare?” Gray Mask realized that even though Lachelein was a dream that she had created, there had to be elements that even she couldn’t control and believed that it was the key to defeating her. Huge Watermelon Head added that he had heard a second music box near Lachelein Ballroom just before he had awakened.
As they made their way to the ballroom, Protective Mask asked the Adversary who they thought the residents of Lachelein really were, as the Arcane River was a newly-born world. Protective Mask believed that the people of Lachelein were Erdas shaped into human form and blinded by a dream of being human.
He wondered whether Erdas had souls, and whether struggling to live was proof of a soul, before telling the Adversary to forget about it and instead focus on the mission. Just like before, the Adversary attempted to interrogate the citizens, but they were stopped by Piper Mask, who told them that they needed a flashy mask to pass the dress code. They collected materials from Angry Masquerade Citizens for Piper Mask, who created a fancy mask for them.
While speaking with the townspeople, Stylish Youth Mask asked them to defeat the Insane Masquerade Citizens for him. As thanks, he suggested that they speak to Dark Mask. Dark Mask revealed that he was an awakened one, though he still felt trapped, since they were all still inside Lucid’s dream. He refused to help them and instead tried to leave, ignoring Protective Mask’s suggestion that he blend in amongst the ones still dreaming. Protective Mask then went off after him and the Adversary ran after the two.
The Adversary quickly found Dark Mask and Protective Mask being surrounded by waves of Dreamkeepers. Dark Mask explained that Protective Mask had gotten injured trying to protect him. Though Dark Mask believed that they were done for, Protective Mask told the Adversary that the Dreamkeepers around them seemed weaker because of the destroyed music box at the Night Market. The Adversary told him that they would hold the Dreamkeepers off, prompting Dark Mask to ask if they were the nightmare that Lucid was looking for. He explained that though he didn’t know where the music box was, Masquerade Mask often talked about hearing music.
While the Adversary held off the Weakened Dreamkeepers, Dark Mask was able to escape. Protective Mask then told them that they needed to return to the Lachelein Ballroom. Regarding their conversation about whether Erdas had souls, Protective Mask told them that it didn’t matter, as he needed to face Lucid, even if it meant that he didn’t come back. The Adversary asked what the nightmare was, to which Protective Mask explained that the Adversary was immune to Lucid’s power, since they weren’t part of her dream, meaning that they were the only one who could stop her.
They then arrived at the ballroom and found Masquerade Mask, who told them that she wanted to impress everyone with her dancing skills. Protective Mask noted how Lucid’s subconscious thoughts were reflected in the characters that she had created in Lachelein, including her strong need to be appreciated by others. The Adversary then hunted the Red Dancing Shoes in order to bring a pair to Masquerade Mask. After giving them to her, she transformed into the music box. Immediately, Dreamkeepers arrived to apprehend them. The Adversary quickly destroyed the music box, causing the Dreamkeepers to vanish and allowing everyone in the ballroom to awaken from Lucid’s dream.
Protective Mask was then consumed by more of Lucid’s memories, which weakened him as Lucid’s hold on the dream slipped further. At the clocktower, Lucid decided to take drastic measures and sent her butterflies across Lachelein. Protective Mask felt her power and realized that Lucid was causing Lachelein to rapidly expand and consume the entire world. One by one, the citizens of Lachelein began transforming into Dreamkeepers, including Gray Mask and the other awakened ones.
With no other choice, Protective Mask pushed himself and the Adversary into the Arcane River, where the Dreamkeepers would not follow. Lucid was pleased to see them fall, believing that they would decompose into Erdas. (A/N: If the player is Mercedes, Lucid will say, “Goodbye, my queen,” after we fall in. For male Mercedes, Lucid will instead say, “Goodbye, sweet king.”) However, when Protective Mask saved the Adversary from touching the river at his own expense, Lucid witnessed how Protective Mask had survived unscathed and realized that he was the nightmare that she was searching for.
Protective Mask also realized this and told the Adversary that since he was neither human nor Erda, he had survived the fall into the Arcane River. He also realized that it was the reason why he alone could peer into Lucid’s memories and why he was the only one who grew weaker as the dream weakened. Dejectedly, Protective Mask told the Adversary to leave him alone to grapple with the revelation that he was a soulless illusion created by Lucid.
However, the Adversary told Protective Mask that the way he had worked to save people and his drive to keep living was proof that he was alive. Protective Mask, after a pause, told the Adversary that the final music box was at the clocktower. The Adversary raced up the clocktower and fought through the Dreamkeepers and Gargoyles, whose defeat helped turn the transformed awakened ones back into themselves. Along the way, they received an Arcane Symbol from Gray Mask, who had discovered it while transformed as a Dreamkeeper.
At the top of the clocktower, they faced Lucid herself and demanded that she free the enslaved people of Lachelein, who were unhappy no matter how many times they went through the motions of enjoying themselves. However, Lucid refused, claiming that the gesture would be enough if she could change the Black Mage’s mind.
(A/N: Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue right before demanding Lucid to free the people of Lachelein. Mercedes tells Lucid that she’s certain that she’s met Lucid somewhere before and wonders why she still can’t remember. Lucid replies that it doesn’t matter, as Mercedes means nothing to her anymore.
Mercedes then asks whether this is all part of the Black Mage’s plan and demands to know how Lucid can still follow him, as his victory would mean the end of the world as they know it. She then points out that no one in Lachelein is happy and asks Lucid if this is the world that she wants, which transitions back into the generic script that has Lucid say that she doesn’t care if they’re happy, as the gesture is enough if it’ll change the Black Mage’s mind.)
The Adversary was taken aback, as they believed that Lucid was a loyal Commander. They asked what the Black Mage was planning, but Lucid merely told them that they couldn’t begin to comprehend his plans. She then sent several butterflies at them, but Protective Mask arrived to warn that Lucid’s dreams were carried on the dust from the butterflies. However, Lucid told them that it was too late and dragged the Adversary into her dream world.
From the real world, Protective Mask explained that he was immune to Lucid’s dream because of his gas mask and helped walk the Adversary through breaking free of Lucid’s dream. With Protective Mask’s help, the Adversary was able to defeat Lucid in her dream world, causing it to collapse. Furious, Lucid unleashed her true power and created butterfly wings for herself, shattering the clocktower.
Within the air, the Adversary faced Lucid, and after a fierce battle, they managed to defeat her once and for all. Protective Mask explained that with Lucid’s defeat, the dream of Lachelein would fade away and the fog surrounding the city would lift, though it would mean that he would also disappear. However, he told them that he had no regrets, as he had fulfilled his purpose of protecting the Erdas of Lachelein.
As the fog slowly began to clear, the Adversary found several Subconscious Cracks, which had formed as a result of Lucid’s dream breaking. (A/N: The memories in these cracks can be viewed as they appear intermittently throughout the storyline, with the final crack appearing after you defeat Lucid. However, I’m covering them all at once here so as not to break the flow of the story.)
By stabilizing them with Dream Fragments, the Adversary was able to view Lucid’s memories of her past. In the first Subconscious Crack, the Adversary witnessed a young Lucid and Athena Pierce being trained by Danika in Elluel. After their training session, Athena asked Danika whether she could show off what she had learned to Mercedes, who would be returning back soon. Danika told her that Mercedes would see them tomorrow, after which Athena and Lucid began heading off. Though Athena was quite excited to show her skills to Mercedes, Lucid was rather nervous.
Later that night, Lucid began practicing her archery skills, though she grew frustrated when she was unable to shoot properly. Wishing that she were gifted like Athena, Lucid began growing tired and fell asleep. In her dreams, she found herself hitting every target perfectly, with Mercedes acknowledging her skills.
Blushing from the praise, Lucid felt pride in herself as Mercedes commended her for her progress, adding that she couldn’t wait to see what Lucid could do with Dual Bowguns. Lucid noted to herself that she felt incredibly happy, and that she never wanted to wake up. Suddenly, however, she awoke and found herself back in the training field.
Though she knew that she had only been dreaming, she also felt that everything had been too real to be an ordinary dream. She then realized that she herself had woven the dream, and that she had been in complete control of everything. She proudly noted that though archery was a skill that anyone could learn, the ability to control dreams was something that she alone possessed.
The next morning, Lucid presented a beautiful music box to Mercedes, which she claimed would give sweet dreams to the listener. As the other elves gathered to listen to the music, Mercedes was impressed by Lucid’s creation and told her that it may just become Elluel’s greatest treasure. However, Lucid was frustrated upon seeing everyone else enjoying the music, as she had intended for it to be a gift only for Mercedes. As she had been hoping for an even bigger reaction from Mercedes, she decided that she would create something even more spectacular and perfect, as she wanted it to be something exclusive between herself and Mercedes.
In the second Subconscious Crack, the Adversary saw all the elves seeing Mercedes off as she left to fight the Black Mage. Lucid grew worried that she might be seeing Mercedes for the last time and decided that she would go with her. Just then, Athena stepped up and declared that she would accompany Mercedes, causing some of the other children to speak up as well. Mercedes thanked them for their bravery, though she told them that it was her duty to protect them, not the other way around.
That night, Lucid followed Mercedes and Danika as they headed off, intent on joining them. To her shock, however, she discovered that Athena had gotten there first. Lucid watched in horror as Mercedes agreed to let Athena accompany them, even giving her the Mistelteinn for protection. Filled with despair, Lucid ran off in tears, feeling as though no one in the world cared about her.
In the third Subconscious Crack, the Adversary found Lucid somewhere remote, deciding that if no one cared about her anymore, then she would remove herself from their memories, declaring that she didn’t need any of them. After erasing herself from the minds of the elves, Lucid immersed herself in a dream world of her own making, completely isolated from the outside world.
Oblivious to the passage of time, Lucid was unaware of the Heroes finally sealing the Black Mage away, as well as his final curse upon them. With the destiny of the elves being tied to Mercedes, all the elves were frozen in ice, including Lucid. Because of her abilities, Lucid’s mind remained awake, and her dream world quickly became a prison. Though she attempted to weave happy dreams for herself, such as ruling the elves as their queen, she remained aware that it was merely an illusion. Crafting one dream after another, Lucid soon began wishing that she wouldn’t wake up again.
In the fourth Subconscious Crack, the Adversary saw how, over the centuries, Lucid grew increasingly desperate to be saved from her prison and eventually projected her mind as far as it could go. Unexpectedly, Lucid touched the consciousness of the Black Mage, who promised her eternal life, infinite knowledge, and a new world. As a child who had never even left Elluel’s borders before, Lucid grew enticed by the Black Mage’s offer.
To hear that such a powerful being needed her was all that Lucid desired, and so she took his hand without hesitation. Feeling like her mind was about to burst from all the new things that the Black Mage had offered to show her, Lucid used her augmented powers to break free from the ice and become one of the Black Mage’s Commanders.
In the fifth Subconscious Crack, the Adversary watched the Alliance bicker amongst itself, with Claudine confronting Cygnus, claiming that her scouts had entered the Gate to the Future, in which they had seen Cygnus and her knights turn on the people of Maple World. Cygnus attempted to remind Claudine that the vision of the future was a fabrication created by the Black Mage, though Claudine remained unconvinced.
While Athena Pierce attempted to keep the peace, Lucid watched in amusement as the Black Mage’s plan to waver the Alliance’s willpower continued smoothly. Though the Alliance had realized that it had just been an illusion, the seeds of doubt had been planted in their minds, which she hoped to further reinforce with the nightmare that would soon come forth.
In the Black Mage’s throne room, Lucid reported to the Black Mage that a new world was about to unfold. Curious about what sort of a world he was planning to create, Lucid asked him to show her a glimpse of what he was hoping to bring about. The Black Mage then showed her a vision of ultimate darkness, causing a shocked Lucid to realize that there was absolutely nothing in the new world that the Black Mage planned to make - and most importantly, not even the Black Mage himself would exist.
(A/N: This is another case where it was shown to the Adversary that the Black Mage is planning to create a new world, even though we’re surprised to learn it in Esfera. I guess you could technically interpret the concept of a new world loosely by having the Adversary take it as the Black Mage turning Maple World into a realm of darkness, rather than him literally making a new world from scratch.)
Upon realizing that the Black Mage sought to end his own existence through the Genesis Ritual, Lucid grew shocked and saddened, as the Black Mage was the center of her world. Hoping to change his mind, Lucid chose to betray the Black Mage and created Lachelein in the Arcane River. By creating a festive city with no sadness or pain, Lucid planned to grow her dream beyond the Arcane River and envelop the world, believing that showing the Black Mage the joys of life would be enough to convince him not to end his own life.
(A/N: Lucid simping for the Black Mage made me immediately think of that one meme with the dudebro on Snapchat.
Black Mage: vents about how much he wants to die
Lucid: “Nooo don’t kill urself ur so sexy aha”
Lucid might actually be the messiest person I’ve ever seen, like even more so than me, which is saying a lot. Between her unresolved abandonment issues, her infatuation with people five times her age, her own coded suicidal ideation, her trying to bait people into killings themselves, and her trying to fix a mass murderer’s suicidal tendencies with “don’t be sad, be happy :D”, like girl, come on - pick a struggle.
Originally when Lachelein was released, people thought that Lucid’s plan to change the Black Mage’s mind was because she wanted to convince him not to destroy everything and instead make a world filled with happiness and joy. After the Genesis Weapon storyline was released, it was revealed that Lucid was shocked not because the world that the Black Mage would create was empty, but because he himself didn’t exist in it. However, the Adversary doesn’t have that context when they see these memories, and so they just think that the Black Mage wants to make a world of darkness.
Also, for the record, GMS localization is actual garbage that completely omitted Lucid’s motivations with a bad translation. I feel like I complain every other section about how bad the localization is, but it really is the worst thing ever. The fact that you have to go to KMS and somehow have the means to translate the original Korean text in order to learn important lore things is an embarrassment to the quality of GMS.)
In the sixth and final Subconscious Crack, the Adversary watched Lucid holding a glass of wine as she celebrated the completion of Lachelein. (A/N: I guess we can add on “underage drinking” to Lucid’s list of evil, heinous crimes too.) Suddenly, however, Lucid felt a wave of drowsiness, causing her to collapse and fall unconscious. Inside her dreamscape, Lucid sensed that something was wrong and decided to leave. Suddenly, several Wightmares appeared and amusedly asked where she was going, laughing that they were the ones who had called her.
Lucid dismissed them as fragments of her imagination and attempted to banish them, though she was shocked when nothing happened. The Wightmares laughed that she wasn’t in control anymore, and that she was now trapped inside her own dream. As the Wightmares cackled that she would be trapped inside a nightmare forever, Lucid fell to her knees in horror.
Suddenly, she awoke back in Lachelein, feeling chills running down her spine. After realizing that she had lost control of her own dream, she suddenly began laughing maniacally and invited her nightmares to swallow her whole, though she entreated them to follow her obediently until she could successfully change the Black Mage’s mind. She then added that until the whole world was shrouded in sweet dreams, the festival needed to go on.
Meanwhile, back in the present, Lucid grew increasingly consumed by her nightmares as she continued trying and failing to reach the Black Mage’s mind. Nevertheless, she persistently attempted to reach her master, who had once saved her from despair, as she believed that it was her turn to save him from his own despair, even if she became trapped in her own nightmare as a result.
Within the darkness, Lucid cried out and apologized to him for her betrayal, explaining that she had only acted because she had been afraid of losing him. Suddenly, Lucid managed to reach the Black Mage’s subconscious, and though she didn’t know whether it was because her heart had reached him, or whether it had simply been pure coincidence, she was overjoyed at having finally reached him nevertheless.
Before the Black Mage was able to detect her presence, Lucid quickly sensed that there was a disturbance inside his unconscious mind. Peering deeper inside, Lucid sensed a faint, yet intense memory filled with sadness and relief, which had soon turned into unbridled hatred. Just then, however, the Black Mage became aware of Lucid accessing his memories and pushed her out of his mind, leaving her trapped in her own nightmare forever with the knowledge that the person who had meant everything to her had abandoned her for good.
(A/N: The scene of Lucid being abandoned by the Black Mage is seen after you defeat Lucid during the Genesis Weapon liberation questline. The memory that Lucid accessed was the moment that the White Mage had entered the divine realm, with his emotions corresponding to how his pain and sadness had turned into relief upon reaching the ultimate light, right before his relief had turned into pure hatred for the Overseers and what they had done to humanity.)
Mysterious Forest of Arcana:
(A/N: Just like with Chu Chu Island, this storyline is also mainly filler and could’ve instead been removed and replaced by something that would’ve helped the pacing of the Arcane River storyline as a whole. Arcana seems to be based on the Forest of Spirits that Orchid, Lotus, and Guwaru come from, making it possible that it was created from the Erdas of spirits from Maple World and Grandis.)
With the fog around Lachelein slowly starting to lift, the Adversary was able to make it past the edge of town, where the Flying Fish awaited them. Hopping aboard its back, the Adversary left Lachelein and began flying over the Arcane River. Soon, however, they ran into a large Vortex of Light that pulled them in and threw them in the middle of the forest of Arcana.
There, the Adversary encountered a mysterious light and began following it. They soon encountered a Small Spirit crying by himself. They approached the spirit to comfort him when suddenly, dark Water Spirits appeared and began attacking. The Adversary defeated the spirits and returned to the Small Spirit, who told them about the large Spirit Tree in the center of the forest, which had once resonated with the Song of the Forest and had sheltered the spirits from danger.
However, the Song of the Forest had grown silent, causing the Spirit Tree to wither, after which discordant spirits had begun to manifest. As the tree withered, it had become shrouded in an evil stench, and the Vortex of Light had appeared shortly afterward. The Adversary asked about the Song of the Forest, which the Small Spirit explained had been created by the Songblooms that grew around the forest.
The Small Spirit believed that the Spirit Tree would restore itself if the Song of the Forest were to play once more, but he explained that he had been unable to restore the Songblooms. Just then, a mysterious Wind Spirit appeared and offered his help. The Small Spirit asked him to carry them down the cliff to the Floral Flute. After gently setting them at the foot of the cliff, the Wind Spirit flew off.
The Small Spirit told the Adversary that they would need to collect the life force from the wild spirits in order to breathe life back into the shriveled Floral Flute. The Adversary collected Essences of Water, Sunlight, and Earth from the nearby spirits, which briefly revitalized the flute before it shriveled up again. They attempted to revitalize it once again with more essence, though it still had no effect.
The Small Spirit then began crying, causing the Wind Spirit to appear once again. The Wind Spirit told them that one of the Whispering Flowers might know how to help before vanishing once more. After searching through the forest for the right flower, the Adversary found a Whispering Flower, which told them that the Floral Flute thrived on moonlight, and that the greatest amount of moonlight fell on the highest place in the forest.
The Adversary told the Small Spirit what they had learned, but the Small Spirit explained that the Floral Flute was too big to carry. He instead suggested cutting a trimming from the Floral Flute plant and planting it at the spot with the most moonlight. After planting the cutting atop the highest point, the moonlight revitalized the withered cutting and allowed it to bloom, creating a beautiful sound.
The pair then went to the Spirit Tree in order to see its status, though they discovered that it still remained silent. Undeterred, the Small Spirit led the Adversary to the heart of the forest, where he told them that they would need to ask the Tree Spirits for their help in navigating through the maze. As they proceeded deeper into the forest, they found the same mysterious light that had led the Adversary to the Small Spirit and followed it until the light split into two paths.
The pair decided to split up in order to cover both paths, and as the Adversary continued alone, they soon felt their strength being drained. Several Tree Spirits then appeared and demanded that the Adversary return their friend, believing the Adversary to be the same stranger who had appeared some time ago.
Just then, the Small Spirit appeared and created a bright light to distract the Tree Spirits, allowing the Adversary to escape. They returned to the heart of the forest, where the Wind Spirit returned and told them that he had seen the missing Tree Spirit somewhere nearby before vanishing once again. They began to search for the Tree Spirit and found him being corrupted amongst the wild spirits.
The Adversary took the lost spirit and fought through the corrupted Snow Cloud Spirits and Thunder Cloud Spirits in order to bring him back to the other Tree Spirits. There, the Tree Spirits transferred some of their energy into their comrade in order to stop the corruption. The Small Spirit then told the Tree Spirits about his mission to revive the Songblooms in order to restore the Spirit Tree and asked about the Bramble Harp. However, the Tree Spirits told him that his efforts were pointless, as they believed that the corruption was too deep to undo.
Just then, the trail of light reappeared and the Adversary followed it to the withered Bramble Harp. The Wind Spirit then popped in and told them that a large tree that responded to sound was blocking the Bramble Harp from feeling the starlight in the sky. The Small Spirit believed that the tree might move if they made enough noise on the other side.
In order to do so, the Adversary collected the crystallized Deathcries of the Toxic Spirits and Volatile Shrieks of the Volatile Spirits. By smashing the crystals, they were able to create a large noise that caused the tree to move aside. Just then, the Tree Spirits arrived and demanded that they stop, claiming that there was no hope of reviving the forest. When the Adversary and the Small Spirit refused to give up, the Tree Spirits created vines in order to trap the pair as punishment for ignoring their warnings.
Just then, the Tree Spirit whom they had rescued arrived and told the other Tree Spirits that the Bramble Harp was beginning to bloom. The rescued Tree Spirit freed the Adversary and the Small Spirit and thanked them for rescuing him. He explained that the other Tree Spirits were behaving aggressively because they felt guilty for failing their duty to protect the Spirit Tree.
He apologized on their behalf and noted that the Adversary was nothing like the stranger with the terrible aura who had passed through the forest earlier. He explained that a calm yet powerful aura of immense evil had appeared not long ago from the stranger. As the stranger had passed through, everything in her wake had vanished and transformed into something else. Though she had only been walking by, her mere presence had resulted in the corruption that plagued the forest. He added that others had followed behind her, though he didn’t know how many.
(A/N: The corruption in the forest was caused by Tana, who’s being escorted to the Black Mage by Arkarium. This corruption is just like how she corrupted Arma in the Vanishing Journey.)
The Adversary and the Small Spirit then went to Marimba Lagoon, which they found had completely dried up. The Small Spirit explained that when the lagoon used to be full, the dew that collected on the blossoms would drip onto the surface of the lagoon, creating a calm concerto of water. At the base of the lagoon, they found a large rock obstructing the water flow. They broke through the rock and found a new passageway.
Upon entering, they discovered a vast cave, where a Rock Spirit was trapped under brambles. After being freed, the Rock Spirit told them that he had been swimming underground with his brothers when a large wave had swept them away. They found the Rock Spirit’s brothers trapped in brambles up above and realized that they were blocking the water.
The Rock Spirit told them to find seven of his ten brothers scattered throughout the cave so that the Adversary could stack them on top of another and climb up to free the other three. After rescuing the scattered brothers, the Adversary was able to save the trapped ones, allowing the water to flow back into the lagoon. Just then, they heard a rumble as the Wind Spirit returned and warned them that the Spirit Tree was in trouble.
They fought their way out of the cave and found the Spirit Tree completely engulfed by the evil aura. The aura began to spread outward, creating corrupted spirits that began attacking them. As they fought the spirits off, a massive spirit with much darker energy appeared. After the Adversary defeated it, the massive spirit shrank in size and revealed itself as the spirit of the Spirit Tree, the Spirit of Harmony.
The Spirit of Harmony’s memories revealed how he had tried to reach out to the other spirits during the time of peace, and how he had been too shy to talk to them. When the corruption had begun to spread, the Spirit of Harmony had attempted to seal the corruption in order to protect the other spirits, causing him to become corrupted himself and lose his strength, which had resulted in the Spirit Tree withering.
As all the spirits gathered to apologize to the Spirit of Harmony for not noticing how he had sacrificed himself, the Song of the Forest began to play and restored life throughout the forest. In the distance, the Adversary noted that the Vortex of Light had disappeared, meaning that they could continue on their journey. Before heading out, they said goodbye to the Small Spirit, who thanked them for helping him restore the Song of the Forest and gave them an Arcane Symbol as a token of his gratitude.
Morass, the Swamp of Memory:
Having restored balance to the forest of Arcana, the Adversary continued riding the Flying Fish across the Arcane River. Unexpectedly, however, the Flying Fish began swimming towards the bottom of the Arcane River into a strange coral reef. The Adversary wondered where they had gone, to which the Flying Fish explained that they were at the edge of the Arcane River.
The Adversary expressed their shock that the Flying Fish could suddenly talk, to which the Flying Fish explained that he had gained the ability to speak, since they were near the Morass, where the Erdas were more concentrated. He then introduced himself as the Will of Erda, a proxy for the Erdas created to save the world, just like the Adversary.
(A/N: In a sense, the Flying Fish is almost exactly like Sugar, who was created as a proxy by the Goddess of Maple World in order to help the Explorer stop the Black Mage. Since the Erdas are what make up everything in the world, including Sugar, and since it’s been hinted that the canonical Adversary is a Hero, it almost feels like in a symbolic way, Sugar is still standing by our side through the Flying Fish. It also opens up an interesting question of whether the Goddesses of Grandis and Tynerum are able to create mortal avatars of themselves in order to help the people of their respective worlds.)
As they headed closer towards the Morass, the Adversary was surprised to find Xenoroids around them, which were much stronger than the ones that they had fought before in the past. The Flying Fish explained that the Erdas in the Morass could mimic the memories of others as a survival technique, adding that they could become their enemy’s greatest fear if needed. Because of this, the Erdas were able to manifest themselves as Xenoroids from the Adversary’s memories of Black Heaven. The Adversary then fought past the Xenoroids, though they found that the Erdas would simply manifest anew upon being defeated.
(A/N: Although it would’ve been cool if each class got a unique enemy based on their own worst fears, I like the idea that Black Heaven is the thing that gives every class more PTSD than anything else in their individual storylines. It makes total sense why, since we were in a high-stress environment filled with heavy casualties, Francis, getting publicly court-martialed, mandatory jump quests and minigames, fighting a fully-powered Lotus, replaying Act 2 two dozen times for exclusive dialogue, and literally being on the verge of death before being revived with the Seal Stone.
If I were in the Morass, the Erdas there would probably manifest as a stack of several hundred pages that still need to be proofread and edited. One day, this site will be free of spelling and grammar mistakes. Sadly, today is not that day. Fortunately for me, Sacrix does a great job of being my unofficial editor by catching a good number of typos during his lore readings, at the cost of outing my inability to spell to the wider universe.)
The Flying Fish then told the Adversary that Tana was nearby, whose power was strong enough to affect even him. They quietly proceeded ahead and found Tana standing with Arkarium. Tana’s hair began oscillating between dark and light, and Arkarium noted that her mental state was deteriorating. In extreme pain, Tana asked who she was and why she was hurting. Arkarium reminded her that her name was Tana and explained that the Black Mage was waiting for her, and that he was offering to stop her pain in exchange for sharing her power with him.
Tana was able to recall that the Black Mage was the one who had sealed her away, though Arkarium told her that it had been for her own safety, as freezing her in time had stopped her from feeling unbearable pain and eventual madness. He then told Tana that they had gone over the same information many times, adding that they didn’t have time to go over it again.
The Flying Fish urged the Adversary to get Tana away from Arkarium, promising to explain later. As the Adversary confronted Arkarium, Tana lost control of her powers, causing the river current to grow stronger. Just as Arkarium shielded himself, Tana’s powers resulted in a widespread explosion, which the Adversary and the Flying Fish barely managed to escape. In the distance, the castle of Trueffet from Kritias manifested, causing Tana to grow shocked at seeing her old prison. As she wondered how it could have appeared, Arkarium told Tana that her powers had allowed it to manifest.
Some distance away, the Adversary was surprised to see Trueffet, to which the Flying Fish explained that it was a distorted plane of existence created from Tana’s memories. Though they were able to see it as it existed in her mind, it was really just a living coral reef that had been transformed. He explained that Tana’s memory had overridden everyone else’s, which was why the Xenoroids had disappeared.
He also revealed that Tana’s power exceeded that of the Black Mage. Because of her unparalleled ability to control the Erdas, the Black Mage had ordered Arkarium to bring her before him so that he could exploit her powers. The Adversary asked if Tana truly wanted to help the Black Mage destroy the world, to which the Flying Fish explained that she likely didn’t know what she was doing, as the Black Mage was taking advantage of her weakened mental state.
The Flying Fish then cautioned the Adversary not to lose themselves in Tana’s memories while inside the Morass. Immediately upon entering, however, they were both swept away into Tana’s memories of Trueffet in Hekatonian Year 52. In Trueffet Square, the Adversary’s body was changed to match that of Shey, a young man hoping to become a priest at the Temple of Time. Though the Adversary was able to remember their true self, they noted how their body and voice continued playing automatically through the memory. (A/N: I’ll refer to Shey whenever the memory loop is playing and refer to the Adversary whenever their mind overrides their body from the Morass.)
Just then, a thief named Jean stole Shey’s money and ran off. After getting caught, Jean threw the money to the alley cats, laughing that he always had a backup plan. While Shey collected his money back, Jean headed back to town, where he saw Tana watching a large anti-magic stone being lifted on a pulley. Deciding to pickpocket her, Jean snuck up behind Tana, but just as he reached out his hand, Tana grabbed him and told him that she hadn’t expected him.
(A/N: She says this because she becomes aware of the memory loop and is surprised to see Jean again, as he was killed by King Hekaton in the actual timeline. You’ll see that some events here are changed as a result of the Adversary’s influence in the memory loop, though it’s important to note that none of the events that are changed here actually influence the past, as this is just an imprint of Tana’s memories, not actual time-travel.)
Tana pushed Jean aside, just as the pulley rope broke, causing the anti-magic stone to shatter and vaporize everyone in the vicinity. Jean and the other survivors then watched in horror as Tana’s form rematerialized into a figure with white hair and glowing eyes.
(A/N: The symbol that appears in her eyes while she channels her powers is actually the Equilibrium symbol for Luminous, which is also the insignia of Aurora and the diamond-like pattern on both ends of his Shining Rod. When Tana was first revealed in a teaser image for Arcana, this symbol was what first led people to theorize that she had some connection to the Transcendent of Light, with many guessing that she was either Aeona or created from Aeona, similar to how Luminous was created from the Black Mage.)
The memory loop then flashed forward two years, and the Adversary suddenly heard the Flying Fish’s voice urging them to snap out of it. The Adversary quickly regained their senses, though they were temporarily dazed from having been immersed in Shey’s memories. The Flying Fish explained that they were inhabiting someone from Tana’s memories. He told them that Tana was a prisoner of the Morass, just as they were, and warned that those who became trapped in the Morass would remain stuck in the memory loop, eventually becoming Erdas themselves. Just as he began telling the Adversary how to escape, his voice faded away and the memory loop resumed, set two years later.
(A/N: At this point, the Adversary retains full control over themselves, but I’ll continue referring to them as Shey when they’re participating in the memory loop so as not to break the immersion, and switch back to calling them the Adversary when something outside of that happens, such as the Flying Fish communicating with them. Shey is now a fully-fledged priest, having spent the last two years studying at the Temple of Time.)
Back in Trueffet, one of the researchers asked Shey to pick up a late shipment for the memorial service created for those who had been killed two years ago by the anti-magic stone. At the market, Shey found the merchant being harassed by gangsters. The merchant loudly proclaimed that Shey was a priest from the Temple of Time and advised the thugs to leave. The gangsters decided to back off, but not before stealing the merchant’s apples.
After Shey recovered the apples, he asked the merchant whether he knew anything about the crystal disaster and its survivor. The merchant wondered why Shey was asking about it, as the event had happened while Shey had still been in town, before he had left for his studies. However, he told Shey that he didn’t know anything and advised him to ask someone else.
Shey then met a woman selling pottery, who asked him to teach the gangsters a lesson first. After beating them up, Shey returned to the woman, who told him that the people of Trueffet called the survivor an Angel of Death, and that the soldiers had taken her away, never to be seen again. She mentioned that Jean had also been asking about her, though he hadn’t been seen in several days. Suddenly, Shey noticed that there was a glowing journal in his bag and decided to look at it later.
(A/N: His journal glows and updates with new information periodically, but just like the cracks of memory in Lachelein, I’ll cover all the details at the end of this section so as not to break the flow of story.)
The woman then told him that a researcher was looking for him. After meeting the researcher, Shey was told that the High Priest had arrived, and that he had gone to the observatory. There, Shey was surprised to meet Arkarium, the High Priest. (A/N: At this point in time, Arkarium is much younger and still remains loyal to Rhinne.)
The memory loop then flashed forward and the Adversary found themselves in a dungeon. They realized that Tana and Arkarium had to have known each other from centuries ago and suspected that they must have been connected to the sealing of Kritias. Inside one of the research labs, they found Tana shackled inside a large spell circle, with researchers conducting tests. Tana asked Shey if he knew who she was, as no one remembered her and she remembered no one, with all that was left to her being her name and a faint memory of wanting something. However, she noted that Shey seemed vaguely familiar before crying out in pain.
(A/N: Once again, this seems to be the result of her partially being aware of the memory loop and recognizing Shey from when they had briefly met in the actual past. The line about there being something that she had wanted was omitted in the GMS dialogue, which is really dumb because what she wanted was like one of the most important parts of her character development, and it was meant to tie into the Adversary’s pivotal choice in Esfera.)
One of the researchers explained that they were testing her daily in order to see if they could transfer her regenerative power to others. They told Shey that upon failure, the test recipients vanished, though Tana’s power enabled her body to restore itself perfectly every time. Shey expressed that it seemed inhumane, but the researcher told him that regardless of how Tana appeared, she wasn’t human, but rather, she was merely an inanimate object with no emotions, desires, or memories. In order to explain it better, he told Shey to obtain his research journal from the lower dungeons, where another researcher had dropped it while running out in fright.
Inside the dungeons, Shey fought the strange shadows in the room and obtained the research journal, from which they learned that Hekaton had ordered for hundreds of test subjects to be experimented upon in order to learn the secret of immortality, with Tana being Subject No. 618. Believing that Tana held the key to overcoming death, the researchers had eagerly believed that they had begun the ascent to reach the divine.
While experimenting, the researchers had learned that memories were tied to the body, rather than the soul, as Tana kept losing her memories each time that she repaired the injuries that the researchers had repeatedly inflicted on her body, leaving her with only the faint memory that there was something that she had wanted. After a year of experimentation, the researchers had grown frustrated that their efforts had yielded no results. They had believed that there might have been a clue in her memories, though she couldn’t even remember her name anymore.
With no other choice, the researchers had risked using more extreme methods by forcing Tana beyond her regenerative capacity through fatally wounding her. During the experiment, however, Tana had gone berserk and had unleashed a flash of light, just as she had done on the day that the anti-magic stone had broken, causing six of their best researchers to vanish without a trace. After she had regenerated her body, she had then spoken aloud and told them that she remembered that her name was Tana.
Shey returned to the lab and learned that the former High Priest had written the entries before resigning, claiming that they had overstepped their bounds as mortals. Arkarium then entered the room and began a new test, which he deemed as a success after the test recipient received only moderate damage during the transfer process. The Adversary then wondered whether Arkarium was aware of being trapped in the memory loop.
After the experiment, the memory loop flashed forward and the Flying Fish’s voice told the Adversary to hide. Shey witnessed Jean break into Tana’s prison and attempt to rescue her. When he found that he couldn’t break her chains, he continued returning to her each night, reading to her and attempting to befriend her, though Tana’s lost emotions had made it difficult to read whether she was being positively affected by his efforts. However, Shey had noted a single, particular change in Tana, which was that she would occasionally look up at the ceiling from time to time, waiting for Jean to climb down and visit her.
The memory loop then flashed forward again, and one of the researchers asked Shey to bring Red Reagent from the dungeons for the experiment. As Arkarium conducted the experiment, King Hekaton himself arrived and berated him for his slow progress, ordering the researchers to raise the intensity. Tana’s power levels quickly reached critical as she unleashed a flash of vaporizing light, which King Hekaton miraculously survived, though the researchers noted a strange distortion in his spirit, causing them to realize that his body was no longer human.
(A/N: The implication here is that Hekaton has experimented on himself so much that his body is no longer human, which had allowed him to survive Tana’s vaporizing light when normal people couldn’t.)
Hekaton then ordered Arkarium to succeed in his experiment by tomorrow, which he declared would be the day of his Ascendancy. One of the researchers then noted that tomorrow would be their last day in the dungeons, as no matter what the outcome of the Ascendancy ritual would be, it was assured that Tana, one way or another, would disappear. The memory loop then flashed forward to that night, where the Flying Fish told the Adversary that the next memory was important.
The Adversary watched as Jean entered Tana’s prison, but uncharacteristically, Tana told Jean to stop visiting her, claiming that she had lost interest in the book that he normally read to her. However, Jean merely laughed and told her that she was terrible at lying. Tana, who had been lying to Jean in order to drive him away so that he wouldn’t miss her when she disappeared, then recalled the words of the researchers - that tomorrow, she would die no matter what.
As the realization sunk in, Tana’s psychological state began deteriorating as she repeated the researchers’ words about her not being human. As her powers began spiraling out of control, Tana’s eyes and hair oscillated between their glowing and normal states as she began screaming in pain. A shocked Jean asked Tana whether she was okay, to which Tana incoherently replied that she was in excruciating pain and begged for it to stop. Though Jean continued reassuring her that she would be fine, Tana’s power continued building up as she warned him to get back.
Though the Adversary attempted to intervene, the Flying Fish told them to stay back, explaining that Jean was fated to survive until the day of the Ascendency. As Tana’s mental state continued deteriorating, she suddenly recalled the faint memory of what it was that she had wanted so desperately that it was the only thing that she could remember, other than her own name. As the memory came back to her, she realized that what she had wanted more than anything else was to die.
Upon realizing this, however, Tana immediately grew terrified at the thought of dying, for while her death was assured to happen tomorrow, it wasn’t what she wanted anymore. As Tana’s power threatened to overwhelm her, Jean pulled Tana into a hug and promised that he would stay by her side no matter what, claiming that he needed her as much as she needed him, and that they should always be together. Tana told Jean to stay back, as she didn’t want to hurt him, but as Jean continued holding her close to him, promising to always keep her safe, Tana was gradually able to regain control over herself and calm down.
He then made Jean’s presence known, causing the guards to immediately arrest him. Realizing that Jean was the key that Arkarium had told him about, Hekaton ordered his guards to kill Jean. At the shock of Jean being stabbed, Tana’s resistance levels plummeted as Hekaton prepared to become immortal. Just then, one of the guards noticed that Jean was still alive and told Hekaton that he could still be saved if they treated him. However, Hekaton declared that he didn’t matter and ordered the guards to drag Jean’s body out and throw him away.
Unexpectedly, however, Tana instead shattered the anti-magic necklace that Jean had given her in order to stop the ritual. Though the Adversary attempted to stop her, warning that she would face eternal pain if she were to interrupt the power transfer, Tana replied that it didn’t matter and told Hekaton that she would gladly take an eternity of torment if it meant cursing him and depriving him of everything that he had worked for. Nevertheless, Tana told Jean to stop visiting her, as it wasn’t safe for him. However, Jean replied that she didn’t know how the story that he had been reading to her ended. He explained that the princess was rescued by a brave knight, to which Tana told him that he wasn’t a knight, though Jean pointed out that she wasn’t a princess, either. He then told Tana that he would get her out of her prison, as it was now his turn to save her, just like how she’d saved him from the anti-magic stone years ago.
To the Adversary’s surprise, Tana gave Jean a small smile that the Adversary, in their mind, noted had warmed Shey’s heart with her first display of emotion. However, Shey had also noted that fate was cruel, as though it had been purposely designed to act in such a way, with each story and each person fitting into each other like individual cogs in a machine. He then thought to himself that the final product was slowly taking shape, appearing in an unbelievable form as the end of Kritias closed in.
The Flying Fish then told the Adversary that Jean’s rescue attempt would fail in the end, triggering the fall of Kritias. He urged the Adversary to help Jean successfully escape, as changing the story was the only way to draw out Tana’s consciousness. He added that he would soon become trapped in the Morass of Tana’s memories and told the Adversary that it was up to them to break everyone free.
In order to change the memory, the Adversary asked Jean to meet them in the dungeon, telling him that they needed his help to save Kritias. Jean asked them to first find a special gift that he had lost in the dungeons. After searching, they found a necklace made with an anti-magic stone. Jean told the Adversary that he planned to unchain Tana and use the stone in order to break their way out. As the researchers normally dropped the magical barrier over the castle during their experiments, he believed that they could use that moment to break Tana free.
They fought through the monsters in the dungeons and arrived at the Restricted Area in order to obtain the key to Tana’s shackles. The Adversary then asked Jean how he had managed to enter the dungeons, to which Jean told them that he had assumed that it was they who had left a note about the secret passageway. The Adversary wondered whether Shey had left the note in between the flash-forwards, and so they lied and confirmed that they had indeed left the note for him, despite knowing nothing about it.
Just then, Arkarium approached them and proposed that they work together to free Tana, as his powers as a Guardian of Time allowed him to foresee that Hekaton’s Ascendency would unleash untold horrors upon Kritias. They entered Tana’s prison, where Arkarium told her that she would not survive the Ascendency, as failure meant that she would be trapped forever in an endless loop of disintegration and reconstitution.
Shey, with his own limited precognition as a Priest of Time, was able to see that Jean’s plan would work, though the Adversary knew that Shey was wrong. As the Ascendency preparations began, Jean infiltrated the lab and told the Adversary that the purple eye on their head was getting darker. When they voiced their confusion, Jean noted that it was the same mark that they had left on the note.
The Adversary realized that it was Arkarium’s mark and turned around to find Arkarium in his present-day form, who then trapped the Adversary inside a magical prison. He revealed that as a former Guardian of Time, he was strong enough to not be trapped in the past. Explaining that he had possessed Shey in the past in order to interrupt Jean, he decided that he would do it himself this time, since the Adversary was in control of Shey’s body.
He then made Jean’s presence known, causing the guards to immediately arrest him. Realizing that Jean was the key that Arkarium had told him about, Hekaton ordered his guards to kill Jean. At the shock of Jean being stabbed, Tana’s resistance levels plummeted as Hekaton prepared to become immortal. Just then, one of the guards noticed that Jean was still alive and told Hekaton that he could still be saved if they treated him. However, Hekaton declared that he didn’t matter and ordered the guards to drag Jean’s body out and throw him away.
Unexpectedly, however, Tana instead shattered the anti-magic necklace that Jean had given her in order to stop the ritual. Though the Adversary attempted to stop her, warning that she would face eternal pain if she were to interrupt the power transfer, Tana replied that it didn’t matter and told Hekaton that she would gladly take an eternity of torment if it meant cursing him and depriving him of everything that he had worked for.
Arkarium told the Adversary that he had only allowed the memory loop to play through in order to learn why the ritual had failed centuries ago. He then trapped the Adversary inside a pocket dimension before kidnapping Tana. After breaking free, they found Jean collapsed alone upon the floor. He then revealed himself as the Flying Fish, who had been inhabiting Jean’s body throughout Tana’s memories. He told the Adversary that there was still one more magical seal where Arkarium was taking Tana in order to steal her powers for himself.
Upon going outside, they found Hekaton transfigured into a giant monster, having become immortal at a terrible price. They felt Shey’s mind registering how Kritias had been swept forward in time by a dark force. (A/N: Shortly after stealing Rhinne’s powers, the Black Mage used the power of time to drag Kritias of the past into his present.) The Adversary then fought through the soldiers, who had been transformed by Tana’s influence, and arrived at the magical seal where Arkarium was. (A/N: The soldiers’ weapons are the same disembodied weapons that you fight in present-day Kritias.)
Arkarium revealed that his past self had thought that Tana’s powers were eternal youth and immortality, but the Black Mage had taught him that her true power was the ability to manipulate the Erdas. Claiming that Tana’s shell of her former self wasn’t worthy of the Black Mage, Arkarium planned to steal her powers for himself.
The Adversary fought Arkarium and his minions, but they were unable to defeat him fully. Suddenly, Jean appeared and hugged Tana, helping her control her powers. Though Arkarium scoffed at her abilities, he soon found himself a victim of his own hubris as Tana effortlessly vaporized Arkarium and all of his forces.
Tana then realized that Jean wasn’t truly himself, which the Flying Fish sadly confirmed. However, he warned them that Black Mage of the past, created from Tana’s memories, would soon arrive in order to seal Kritias in time. The Adversary asked why the Black Mage’s forces had invaded Kritias centuries ago, to which the Flying Fish explained that it was to cover up any evidence of Tana’s existence. He advised that they leave immediately, since the Black Mage created by the Morass, though not as powerful as the real one, would still be incredibly dangerous.
The three of them finally escaped the Morass and arrived at the bottom of the Arcane River. To the Adversary’s surprise, the Flying Fish was still stuck in Jean’s form. The Adversary began searching for Tana in order to convince her not to join the Black Mage, but Jean told them that it was no use, as only the destruction of the world would bring an end to her pain.
Just then, Jean felt something in his pocket and found an Arcane Symbol, which he gave to the Adversary. In the distance, Tana briefly considered stopping them in order to prevent them from thwarting the Black Mage, but when she saw the Flying Fish in the form of Jean, she decided against it and walked off.
(A/N: Tana’s story makes me really sad in the same way that Shade’s does. There are a lot of parallels between her and the White Mage as the Transcendents of Light of their respective worlds, and amongst some of their shared traits is the fact that both of them had wanted to die in order to escape their fates. The White Mage’s death, for him, was quite impersonal, because he saw himself and everyone else as just cogs in a grand design, and so he never viewed his own life as something particularly meaningful beyond the salvation that it could offer the world through ending it.
Tana, in contrast, lived a very small, intimate life that was only ever filled with herself and few others. She spent most of her life alongside her sister, Aeona, and she had to go through the trauma of having to accept that her sister had gone insane, and then killing her, and in doing so, killing the only person in the world who ever cared about her. After that, just like the White Mage, she learned the truth about the Overseers and their chains of law that threatened to drag her down into slavery, just as they had done to her sister.
Similar to the White Mage, Tana’s strong willpower allowed her to resist the Overseers and rebel against them, but unlike the White Mage - who had his convictions and a strong drive to see them through - Tana had nothing except the pain and suffering that continued haunting her no matter where she went. It’s a bit ironic that the White Mage, having awakened with the power of destruction, sought to create a better life for the world, whereas Tana, who awakened with the power of creation, sought to destroy her own.
For me, Tana’s life - and the Morass storyline as a whole - is a metaphor for trauma and mental illness. The Morass reshapes itself to become your greatest fear - for the Adversary, it was their traumatic memories of Black Heaven, and for Tana, it was her traumatic memories of her imprisonment and torture in Kritias. Everything about the Morass, from the music, to the atmosphere, to the monsters, conveys a sense of hidden fear. A morass is a marsh or a swamp, but it’s also a word that refers to a confusing and overwhelming situation, similar to the moments that shape our trauma.
Inside the Morass, we’re confronted by shadows on the wall, monsters that represent our hidden fears - with the disembodied Kritias weapons, such as the Permeating Terrors or Frozen Anxieties, being our darkest emotions, like anxiety, rage, and terror, given physical form - and Erdas that shape themselves into things from the most horrifying moments of our lives. Within that Morass, Tana continues this theme of mental illness through a lot of the subtext in her life, specifically in regard to her powers and her relationships to others, which opens up a different interpretation of her life through that lens.
On one level, Tana hearing the voices of the Overseers and feeling compelled to obey them sounds akin to auditory hallucinations, but that idea of feeling compelled to obey their commands can also be interpreted as a feeling of being trapped in an inescapable destiny and all the pain that it brings. Mental illness can quite often make it feel as though you have no power or agency over your life, as though the universe or the gods or some higher power is working to keep you trapped, similar to the Overseers attempting to take away Tana’s free will and control over her own life.
Her instability and her inability to control her powers can also be taken as a metaphor for some of the more destructive aspects of mental illness. When she loses her grip on her sanity, she quite literally explodes and takes anyone in the near vicinity with her, which is something pretty relatable to people who experience things like anxiety or manic episodes, who often end up saying or doing things that hurt others.
In the immediate aftermath of Tana’s explosive bouts, she also starts losing her feelings and memories, which sounds a lot like the haze of numbness and difficulty thinking associated with low moods following those anxious or manic episodes. After the loss of her memories, Tana ended up getting completely dehumanized by the mages of Kritias, who viewed her as an object instead of a real person, and that idea of not feeling like a living thing sounds very reminiscent of feelings associated with depression.
Going by this interpretation of Tana being mentally ill and self-destructive, it adds up with the idea that she had come to Kritias with the intention of killing herself. When she arrives in Kritias and saves Jean, she deliberately chose to stand in the way of the anti-magic stone in the hope that she might finally be able to die and put an end to her suffering. When Hekaton imprisoned her and ordered his mages to experiment on her, she likely didn’t resist because she knew that if Hekaton stole her Transcendent powers, it would finally allow her to become mortal and die.
During those years, she was trapped in a nightmare and experimented on by being tortured and injured, and it came to the point that she lost everything that made her a person. What’s important to note is that she didn’t simply have a desire to die - she only had a faint memory of wanting to die. Her agency was stripped from her so completely that she wasn’t even allowed to have the capacity to want anything anymore - she was left with just a brief memory of a time when she still had that fundamental right to have opinions about her own existence.
In the midst of all that darkness, Jean was able to shine as a light in her life when she needed it most. When she thought that she would never be saved, Jean came into her life at the most unexpected moment and changed everything by making her care about herself again. Jean spending time with Tana gave me the same vibe as someone helping a person who’s going through a very rough patch, and what I really loved to see was that even in spite of her being emotionless and unresponsive, he never once gave up on her in all those years.
Despite the mages of Kritias stripping her of her humanity, Jean was able to counteract that by treating her with dignity and love. Even though the other mages didn’t notice, Shey was able to see Tana’s emotions slowly returning with the way that she’d look up at the ceiling to see if Jean was coming, which shows that she was slowly able to start having wants and feelings like every living thing deserves to have. With her memory of wanting to die erased in her mind, Jean was slowly able to help her find meaning in her life again, and she started believing that being alive was worth something.
The night before the Ascendency ritual, Tana starts having a mental breakdown upon realizing that she’s going to die tomorrow. In spite of barely having any memories or emotions, she starts feeling terrified because after all the time that she’s spent with Jean, she’s realized that she doesn’t want to die anymore - because for the first time in her life, she’s met someone who genuinely cares for her and wants nothing in return.
I think that there’s something very raw and powerful in the idea that in spite of wanting to die so badly, when you’re finally faced with the real possibility of it happening, the terror that you feel is something both unexpected and liberating because it shows that in spite of all your pain, there’s still a small, resilient part of you that still keeps alive our natural instinct to hope and to choose to persist.
Jean then stays with Tana through her breakdown and promises that he’ll stay with her no matter what, and that he won’t let anything happen to her, which gives her the strength to finally care about herself again after spending countless years of having given up on herself and any chance of thinking that she’ll be anything other than an object for someone else to use. That, more than anything else, made me really sad, because it’s clear that Jean was the best thing to ever happen to her, which makes it even more tragic and unfair that Tana had to watch the only source of happiness in her life bleed to death on the floor right in front of her.
Overall, I think Tana might’ve had one of the worst lives in the game and I really hope that the writers give her a decent ending because there’s nothing that I hate more than characters who solely exist as narrative punching bags just to squeeze out emotions from the audience. Even Shade, who had a similarly tragic life, ended up getting a happy ending, which means that there’s no reason why Tana shouldn’t, either.)
Meanwhile, Arkarium, whose body had been destroyed, transferred his life force into his backup snake body, just as he had done when Damien had used Alicia’s powers to destroy his body. Badly damaged, Arkarium awaited the Black Mage of the past, believing that Rhinne’s power would allow him to enter Kritias of the past and restore his powers. Just then, the Black Mage of the past appeared and told him that the real Black Mage had commanded him to say, “You have done well. Rest.” The Black Mage’s echo then killed Arkarium, who had finally outlived his usefulness.
(A/N: Arkarium also has a really bad habit of thinking that he’s stronger than literal Transcendents and then getting utterly demolished as a result. In fact, Arkarium’s story can basically be summed up in a single line: “How many times do we have to teach you this lesson, old man?!”)
Meanwhile, in the distance, the Adversary noted that Trueffet hadn’t disappear as expected. Jean noted that he still had to find a way to restore his true form in order to take the Adversary to the Black Mage. He decided that he would return to the Morass in order to find a solution, believing that there had to be a clue to reverting his form there.
(A/N: I mentioned earlier that I’d cover all the parts of Shey’s journal at the end, which I’ll do here.
The first entry has Shey talk about Tana reforming after the anti-magic stone shattered.
The second entry has Shey talk about Jean after first seeing him visit Tana. Shey recalls the last words that Jean had said to him before he left to study at the Temple of Time: “If I had died in that accident… would anyone have missed me?” Shey speculates that as an orphan with no home or family, Jean’s greatest fear was being forgotten, which is likely what had sparked his compassion for Tana, who remained forgotten and imprisoned in the dungeons.
The third entry has Shey explain that the people of Kritias viewed Hekaton as a benevolent king, whose strength, wisdom, and compassion surpassed even his extensive magical knowledge. Under Hekaton’s leadership, Kritias had entered a grand renaissance. Over time, however, Hekaton had grown weak and frail with age, causing his mind to grow warped by fear, turning his benevolence into cruelty. As even the advanced magical knowledge of Kritias couldn’t stop his aging, Hekaton’s lust for immortality turned him into a monster. Shey adds that he could scarcely recognize Hekaton after returning back to Kritias and seeing him in the dungeons.
The fourth entry talks reveals that every test subject that they had used as recipients of Tana’s magic had rejected her power, causing them to vanish. Later on, one of the researchers had discovered the monsters in the dungeons, and he had learned that though the test subjects’ bodies had been destroyed, their souls had remained, with the monsters being those souls’ vain attempts at reforming bodies that they could never again inhabit. The researchers had been sickened, but they had nevertheless chosen to seal the dungeon and continue experimenting for many years, creating countless more monsters doomed to eternal suffering.
The fifth entry is written right after the failed Ascendancy ritual, which had nearly destroyed all of Kritias. Soon after, the power of time had pulled Kritias into the future by the Black Mage, who had decided to invade after learning about Tana’s existence. Hekaton, in his final moments, regained his humanity and ordered the evacuation of the castle of Trueffet, after which the castle had lifted into the sky.
The sixth and final entry has Shey explain that with Kritias in ruins and countless lives sacrificed, he can’t call himself a priest anymore. Because of this, he chooses to exile himself and spend the rest of his life atoning, adding that while he knows that atonement is impossible, he believes that spending his life consumed with sorrow is the only fate that he deserves. It’s strongly implied in the Kritias storyline that Shey becomes Cantor by hiding his face and identity.
This is the end of the actual Morass storyline. Everything below is a prequest to unlock Morass dailies.)
Some time later, Jean called the Adversary back to the Morass. At the town square, he told them that he was planning to store his power while looking for a way to regain his old form. He asked them to collect Memory Slivers from the monsters around Trueffet, as the Memory Slivers were capable of gathering and clarifying scattered memories. After obtaining them, the Adversary returned to Jean, who thanked them for their help. He explained that the Memory Slivers felt like a buzz from an energy drink, but on a galactic scale. (A/N: I’ll have what he’s having.)
The Adversary joked that they should find wings for Jean so that he could carry them on his back. They then wondered how Tana had been able to move on, to which Jean supposed that she had used her power to control the Erdas in order to push herself along on an Erda path or an Erda tugboat. The Adversary suggested following her trail of Erdas, as they may be able to pick up clues with their own basic command over the Erdas.
(A/N: I really like that the writers remembered that our 5th job skills are just basic Erda manipulation. Although we can’t manipulate Erda on the same scale as a Transcendent, we still have the ability to do some pretty cool things. Kaiser can temporarily manifest his past lives by drawing out their Erda, while Hoyoung can summon weakened echoes of beings that might possibly be Ancient Gods.
It seems that our ability to use skills is restricted only by our imagination. As a Hero main, while I love how awesome Worldreaver is, it does feel a bit lame that while other classes can summon literal gods, my primary ability is to summon one, singular extra sword. At least let me summon a couple dozen like Adele can. Just because I’m the canon Adversary doesn’t mean that my imagination is as lackluster as theirs.)
The Adversary and Jean went to the Leaning Tower, where Tana had last been seen when Arkarium had tried to steal her powers. They fought through the thralled soldiers in their way and reached the broken magical seal. There, Jean felt Tana’s overwhelming power, though he noted that it was merely an echo. He doubted that she had gone through that way, as the tower was merely a haven for her displaced rage. They returned back to the town square, where Jean believed that they could track her down by finding the traces left by her.
In order to find traces of Tana, they went to the research lab, where Jean believed that they would find a clue, as she had been there the longest. Just then, a researcher appeared and told them that no one ought to be in the lab anymore. He explained that he was the only survivor of the failed Ascendency, and that he had been there ever since. In order to atone for his sins, the researcher looked after the bodies of everyone else so that the failed experiments didn’t corrupt them. (A/N: Shey also survived the Ascendancy ritual, although I guess the researcher probably didn’t see him after he went into exile.)
In exchange for helping him, the researcher offered to tell them about that fateful day. The Adversary fought the Red Shadows and Experiments Gone Wrong in order to make the laboratory quiet once more. During a final sweep of the area, they found a sealed door with strange light streaming through it. Just then, several shadow monsters appeared and the Adversary fought them off before turning back to the door.
Unable to force it to open, they returned to the researcher in order to ask him about it. The researcher had never heard of such a door, but noted that pieces of the anti-magic stone that had exploded had been gathered and sealed nearby. Jean wondered whether Tana had passed through it, but the Adversary doubted it, explaining that it was covered in cobwebs, as though it hadn’t been touched in years. (A/N: This is the door that later takes us to Esfera.)
Moving back to the main topic, Jean asked the researcher about what he had seen. The researcher explained that he had seen Tana heading towards the outskirts of Trueffet. Jean feared that she might have met the Black Mage of the past, who may have pointed the way to the real Black Mage to her. Asking if they intended to follow Tana, the researcher requested that they give her his apologies for the unforgivable crimes that he had committed.
At the outskirts, they found several thralled soldiers along the way. After fighting past them, Jean asked the Adversary to collect Memory Glass in order to examine the traces of memory around them. With the Memory Glass, Jean was able to discover where she had gone and led the Adversary to a large dimensional gate that Tana had created. They attempted to enter the gate, but were forced back to the outskirts of the Morass. After recovering from the blast, the Adversary was shocked to find Jean lying face down nearby and gathered Memory Slivers from the Xenoroids in order to revive him.
After waking up, Jean noticed that Trueffet was slowly disappearing, as everything was slowly returning back to the way it was in the absence of Tana’s influence. As it would mean that they’d lose Tana’s trail, they rushed back to the outskirts of Trueffet, where they fought past the evaporating Erdas, which were remnants of the thralled soldiers. Back in the town square, Jean asked the Adversary to help keep the Morass together until they found where Tana had gone, explaining that he would naturally return to his Flying Fish form after Trueffet disappeared.
(A/N: Unlike most dailies in the Arcane River and mainland Grandis, it seems like the dailies in the Morass canonically happened, which might be why we had a whole prequest backstory to unlock them.)
Esfera, the Origin Sea:
Some time after Tana’s disappearance, Jean contacted the Adversary and explained that several suspicious people had arrived in the Morass looking for something. He added that the group had been heading towards the dungeons, and that he would look into what else they had been up to. The Adversary went to the dungeons, where they found a Cygnus Knight, a Resistance member, and a strange magician trying to open the sealed door with light pouring out that they had found earlier.
The Resistance member offered to blow the door open, but the Cygnus Knight argued against it, reminding him that their priority was to meet the Adversary first. The Adversary then approached the group, who all introduced themselves. The Cygnus Knight introduced herself as Ollie, a Thunder Breaker assigned to the Arcane River in order to protect and provide guidance.
(A/N: Chronologically, we were first introduced to Ollie at the end of the Yum Yum Island storyline, in which she reported to Neinheart and Cygnus before leaving with the expedition team, but this was her first actual appearance in the game. Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue here, in which Ollie tells us that it’s an honor to be able to help us, adding that we’re someone that she’s only heard of before. She then says that she’s been practicing hard in order to distinguish herself.)
The Resistance member introduced himself as Shubert, who had been tasked with keeping the communication lines open to HQ and keeping their gear running, as well as providing demolition services.
(A/N: Shubert is a Blaster. It’s a bit ironic, given that he used to work underwater in a submarine. The main Resistance classes and Xenon get some exclusive dialogue here, in which he explains that he’s heard a lot about us whenever he’d go to the Resistance headquarters, and so he’d been hoping to get the chance to work with us even just once.)
He then woke up the sleeping magician, who introduced himself as Melange, which was short for Melangioruiana.
(A/N: They used to refer to Melange with female pronouns until they went back and corrected it during the release of Tenebris.
Grandis classes have exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they’ve never seen anyone of Melange’s species before in Grandis. Adele gets some additional dialogue, in which she wonders whether Melange’s species appeared during her time in the Void.
Personally, I think that Melange’s race was wiped out either by Aeona or Darmoor himself. Based on how powerful Melange is, it’s highly likely that he’s an Apostle of Darmoor. The Apostles draw inspiration from the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, and since we all know what ended up happening with Judas, it’s highly likely that one of Darmoor’s Apostles is fated to betray him in a significant way.
My personal headcanon is that Melange is working for Darmoor with the intention of betraying him as revenge for wiping out his race. I have no idea whether that’s how it’s gonna pan out, but regardless, it should be pretty interesting to see which one of Darmoor’s Apostles is gonna turn out to be the Grandis version of Judas.)
Ollie explained that Melange was a magician from Pantheon who could create a dimensional gate back to HQ. The Adversary was surprised to know that the Alliance had even sent out someone from Pantheon, adding that they hadn’t expected this kind of support.
(A/N: Grandis classes get exclusive dialogue in place of this line, in which they instead note that they hadn’t expected to see Alliance soldiers in the Arcane River, and especially not from Pantheon, as they know how bad the situation over there currently is.)
Ollie told them that in Maple World, the Alliance was gearing up for a full-scale operation against the Black Mage, which she added had been years in the making. The Adversary then looked at the sealed door and asked if it was the reason why they had come to the Morass. Ollie clarified that though the team had been looking for the Adversary, Melange had examined the door and had learned that the power of the Transcendents was sealed behind it.
Suddenly, the door opened, causing a powerful force to start drawing them in. Shubert barely managed to call their airship before they were all sucked inside. Their ship was quickly pulled into the currents and began ascending vertically, causing it to launch out of the Arcane River and float in the air above Esfera. (A/N: Esfera is the Spanish word for sphere, referring to the Black Sun and White Moon that will eventually fuse into Tenebris.)
In the distance, a masked figure clad in black and white saw the ship resurface and used their powers to blow it up, scattering the group. The Adversary and Ollie were separated from the rest of the team and wondered what had caused their ship to explode. The Adversary suspected that some sinister force was behind it and wondered if it was linked to the large Black Moon in the sky, where they could sense the Black Mage’s presence. The Adversary then noted to themselves that their long struggle against the Black Mage was finally coming to an end.
(A/N: Grandis classes get some exclusive dialogue, in which they note to themselves that defeating him will also take them one step closer towards defeating Gerand Darmoor, which will allow Grandis to know peace once more. Khali gets a slightly modified version of this dialogue, in which she notes that defeating the Black Mage will bring her one step closer to Darmoor and “him”, which is a reference to Ypsilon.)
Before they headed out to search for Shubert and Melange, Ollie gave the Adversary a letter from Neinheart, which she hoped would answer a few of their questions. However, Neinheart had simply written that he would only be able to answer their questions by linking to the secure Alliance communication network. The Adversary wondered how Neinheart knew about the Origin Sea, to which Ollie explained that Neinheart had grown obsessed with learning about the enemy’s plans after the World Tree incident.
In order to regroup with the others, Ollie planned to fire off a flare until she realized that she had dropped it. They then saw an Ahtuin monster running off with it, and so the Adversary hunted down the flare from the flock of monsters. After getting the flare back, they realized that it was wet and unusable, and so they collected white firewood that grew off the backs of the Atus monsters in order to dry it. Ollie then fired the flare and received a response from Shubert and Melange.
They found Shubert and a sleeping Melange setting up a base camp in the ruins of their ship. Shubert began telling them that the uplink had been damaged in the fall, just as Melange awoke and told them that something was wrong with the sky. He pointed out that there was no sun, which bothered him.
Ollie was confused by his words, and so Melange gave her his staff, which was able to play back memories. They followed the staff’s magic towards an area rich with memories, where Ollie told the Adversary that as per the instruction manual that came with the staff, they needed to charge it by defeating monsters so that it could absorb the magic released by them.
(A/N: Someone on the lore server described Melange’s staff as a “violence powered murder staff”, which is how I’ll be mentally calling it in my head from now on. We also learn here that Ollie had always wanted to be a magical girl ever since she was little, with her yelling out, “In the name of love and justice!”, right before using the staff.)
The Adversary hunted Bellalions in the area, activating the staff and allowing them to see a memory of Will with a captured Tana, whose memories and sanity had finally returned. Ollie was surprised to see Will, as he was the only Commander whom the Alliance knew nothing about, since he had never been seen in Maple World. She added that the only records of Will had been obtained in a special library, meaning they had no intel on his actions or abilities.
(A/N: Most likely, the library that she mentions is the Grand Athenaeum, which has the Shadow Alchemist story that serves as a prequel to Zero’s storyline.
The Heroes get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that the closer they get to the Black Mage, the more Commanders they find that hadn’t been there centuries ago. All the Heroes except Evan wonder how long the Black Mage has been laying the groundwork for all this and note that they need Freud now more than ever. Evan instead wonders whether they’ll be able to make it through and asks himself what he would’ve done at a time like this if he were Freud.
The Demon has similar dialogue, in which he notes that new Commanders are appearing one by one as he gets closer to the Black Mage. He realizes that the Black Mage has grown stronger, but he also notes that things will be different this time, vowing to succeed for Damien’s sake.
Zero also has some exclusive dialogue, in which Alpha and Beta tell Ollie that they know Will personally. They note that Will looks different from how they remember, as he used to hide behind a friendly façade, though he’s now taken off that mask. Alpha and Beta then think to themselves that they’ve always wondered where Will had gone ever since the day they escaped Mirror World before they start wondering what he’s scheming.)
They then watched as Will cast a spell on Tana in order to transform her into the sun of the new world. Just then, a mysterious portal appeared, from which a powerful laser beam was shot at Will. Just as Will dodged it, he lost his hold on the glass coffin containing Tana, which fell into the Origin Sea. Ollie and the Adversary realized that Tana was the sun that Melange had been talking about and wondered what Will was up to.
Just then, Will himself arrived and launched an attack on the Adversary. Ollie immediately came between them and blocked the attack with her sword. Will merely laughed and told Ollie that he had come to see the Adversary, adding that he was reminded of the words which had inspired him, “The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness.”
He told them that they could only face him after learning the truth behind his words, after which he disappeared. After he left, Will thought to himself that he didn’t expect ‘the child’ to have gotten involved, though he believed that it would change nothing. Nevertheless, the experience brought back unpleasant memories for him.
(A/N: Zero also gets some exclusive dialogue while encountering Will. When he first appears, Alpha and Beta start threatening him to back down, to which he laughs and says that he had only come to say hello. When they demand to know what he’s planning, Will tells them not to be impatient and jokingly suggests that they catch up over a cup of tea. The dialogue then transitions back into the generic script that has him talk about the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness.
After that, he tells Zero that though he normally enjoys the anticipation, this time feels special to him, adding that it might be because of them. He then calls Zero an incomplete Transcendent split in two and tells them not to make him wait for too long before disappearing. That last line adds more weight to the idea that Zero isn’t a proper Transcendent.
I mentioned it before in Zero’s section, but the story direction shifted during the Arcane River storyline such that the endgame of the overall story is heading in the direction of all the Transcendents being destroyed. It’s almost certain that Zero was never originally intended to be considered a defective Transcendent because of their division, as Rhinne never says anything about it, but given that the Black Mage’s plan to destroy the Transcendents was said to have succeeded with his death, I really can’t see any other way around reconciling that fact, other than accepting that Zero isn’t a real Transcendent.
The Heroes also get some exclusive dialogue here. After Will disappears, all the Heroes except for Luminous consider Will’s words about the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness, after which they wonder whether Luminous knows anything about it. However, Luminous has nothing intelligent to say on the topic, as he just wonders aloud, “Ultimate light and ultimate darkness…” and leaves it at that.
Please note: the following text reveals the identity of the masked figure. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The child that Will is referring to is Orchid, the masked figure. The unpleasant memories that he’s experiencing are most likely from when he failed to prevent Alpha and Beta from awakening as the Transcendents of Time. Will really can’t catch a break from handling Transcendents, first with Zero, and now with Tana. Ironically, he’s faced this same situation before with Fang. Just like how Orchid is a Spirit of Darkness, Fang was a Darkling, with both of them intervening at different points in time to stop Will from succeeding in carrying out his plans with Zero and Tana.
I remember back when Esfera first came out, people had a lot of different theories about who the masked figure could be. A lot of people correctly guessed that it was Orchid because the way that the masked figure destroyed the Alliance ship was exactly like how Orchid destroyed the Retoxin bombs in Black Heaven.
However, there was also a popular theory going around that the masked figure was Cassius from Zero’s storyline, as Cassius had been revived by the Commanders and it would’ve made a lot of sense for him to show up in Esfera with Will. Honestly, I really wish that the masked figure had ended up being Cassius just so that his story could’ve been resolved. I think that if they wrote it well enough, they could’ve had both Cassius and Orchid show up in Esfera, which would’ve let them kill two birds with one stone.)
The Adversary asked Ollie if she was alright, as she had been wounded by Will’s attack. Ollie quickly told them that she was fine before changing the subject and asking what Will had meant by the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness.
(A/N: Luminous just says “…”, while every other class notes that Will must be trying to tell them something, as Commanders don’t just speak nonsense. You’ll find that a majority of Luminous’ exclusive dialogues in Esfera don’t reveal anything meaningful, which is very frustrating when he should’ve had the most amount of dialogue with all the lore being dumped about the Transcendent of Light in this storyline.)
Just then, Shubert called and asked for a status update. After hearing about the situation, Shubert told them that he had fixed the transmitter for short-range communication, though he needed lubricant for the long-range array. The Adversary collected Animal Fat from the Bellalis monsters nearby and returned to Shubert, who was able to patch together a barely working array. They connected with Neinheart at HQ, who asked them for a status update. Ollie told them that only the Black Moon appeared in the sky, and that Tana had sunk into the Origin Sea. Just as the communication uplink fizzled out, Neinheart managed to tell them to protect Tana and stop Will’s ritual.
Before they headed out, the Adversary asked Ollie about her injury. She showed them that she had patched it up with bandages and then told Shubert that should the situation turn dire, he needed to prioritize saving the Adversary. The Adversary began to protest, but Ollie told them that they were the one fated to fight the Black Mage. They then headed out and found that the waters had slowly grown dark and purple.
Just then, Melange caught up and explained that Tana had touched the power of the mirror, causing it to flow throughout the Origin Sea. He also told them that creating a sun through the power of Mirror World made it hard to break from the outside, but since Will’s ritual had been interrupted by the masked figure, the power was flowing out with the Erdas.
Melange decided to head back, but he reassured them that they didn’t need to worry about Will for the time being, as he was threatened by Tana’s Mirror World. Ollie was confused by what he meant, and so he clarified that as long as Tana continued exerting her power, Will couldn’t access the power of the mirror himself, as the two powers opposed each other.
Shubert then chimed in through the communication device and told them that it sounded similar to radio interference, in which two signals broadcasted on the same wavelength. Melange warned them that even though Will was weaker without the power of the mirror, he still possessed enough strength to be a formidable threat. After Melange left, Ollie felt her injury sting, though she hid it from the Adversary.
As they continued onward, the pair encountered several Aranya spiders sent by Will. (A/N: Along with Esfera being the Spanish word for ‘sphere’, 'araña is the Spanish word for ‘spider’. Aranya, as well as Aranea, are spelled the same way that the word is pronounced.) After thinning out their numbers, the Adversary found Ollie listening to something in the distance. She told them that it sounded like a fight, and so they headed over to find several Aranea spiders fighting Keepers of Light and Darkness. As they watched the Keepers pull back, Ollie supposed that they were Tana’s creations.
The Adversary then noticed a grave below them in the water and wondered if it was also a fragment of Mirror World. They suggested to Ollie that they use Melange’s staff on it in order to see if they could learn more about Tana from the memory. They then hunted the nearby Aranea spiders in order to charge it. Using the staff, they saw a memory of Tana and her sister coming into existence inside the Radiant Temple, being told to only follow the voice. They also witnessed Tana’s sister hearing the voice of the Overseers and being granted the title of Aeona, with Tana being passed over as the reserve.
(A/N: Grandis classes have some exclusive dialogue here, in which they recall rumors that Aeona had once faced Gerand Darmoor, although we can’t be sure whether they’re referring to Tana or her sister, as Tana later claims the title of Aeona.
Both Tana and her sister have honestly had it rough from the very beginning. The mages of Kritias viewed Tana as an object after she lost her memories and emotions, but right from her very creation, both she and Aeona were dehumanized by the Overseers. Their names - Aeona and Tana - aren’t even names, but rather, they’re just titles that label them as the Transcendent of Light and a Transcendent-in-reserve. From the moment that they were brought into existence, their identities were basically just the purpose for which they were made. To the Overseers, they’re not even real people - they’re things that were assigned identifiers based on what utility they serve.)
Ollie immediately recognized the name ‘Aeona’ as that of Grandis’ Transcendent of Light. She told the Adversary that they had just seen the Temple of Light, adding that she couldn’t believe that she had seen Transcendents with her own eyes. She noted that both of them had seemed just like normal girls and asked whether the girl on the right had been Tana. The Adversary recalled that Tana had power over Erda itself and wondered whether that was the power of the Transcendent of Light.
(A/N: There are a few minor changes to this script for the Heroes. For Luminous, Ollie omits the line about it being incredible that she had seen Transcendents with her own eyes, instead just noting that both girls had looked normal and wondering if the one on the right had been Tana.
The following line, in which the Adversary speculates about Tana’s power over the Erdas, is very slightly changed for Luminous, who notes that Tana has incredible power over Erda and wonders if it’s connected to the power used by the Transcendent of Light, rather than wondering if her power over the Erda itself is the power used by the Transcendent of Light.
All the Heroes except Luminous then get exclusive dialogue, in which they wonder whether the light that Tana uses is different from the light that Luminous uses, although Luminous, once again, has nothing to say on the topic.)
Just then, a Light Executor appeared and explained that light and darkness were merely analogies. He led them closer towards the mirror’s power, where Keepers of Light surrounded them. The Light Executor told them to charge the staff with the Keepers of Light, but when Ollie asked whether it was okay for them to attack his own people, he merely told them that he followed only the voice.
After charging the staff, they used it on a bookshelf in the ocean, where they saw a memory of Tana reading a book about the Transcendent of Light. As she got to the part that detailed why an awakened Transcendent could only wield one of the two powers of light and darkness, Aeona appeared and destroyed the book.
Aeona told Tana that she was tired of the Executors, who put her on a pedestal as a Transcendent, though she claimed that they really just used her instead. She then sarcastically told Tana that the reason why they only get one of the two powers was so that no one would be able to recreate such a boring book again.
She noted that Tana’s life as a reserve seemed much nicer, as she wasn’t stuck with a power that she never wanted, and she wasn’t forced to do anything against her will, as she could simply live as herself. Though Tana was confused, Aeona asked her sister to enjoy her share of life as well before leaving. After she left, Tana used her powers of creation to restore the book and read that the reason why an awakened Transcendent only held one of the two powers was because their reserve held the other.
(A/N: This would have been the perfect place for Luminous to have exclusive dialogue that reveals him to be the reserve for the Black Mage.
The way that Aeona was presented in these flashbacks made her seem like she was an antagonist, given the way that she behaved, which is an interpretation that never really sat right with me. I’ve always seen her bitter and cutting personality as a result of her being heavily traumatized from having her free will stripped from her and being forced to wipe out countless races, including children, and the fact that there wasn’t a single person in the world that she could talk about it with, as Tana had no idea what she was doing, and the Executors couldn’t care less about how she felt or what she wanted.
You can tell from the way that she spoke just how much Aeona hated her existence, especially with the way that she’d seen through all the pomp and glamor of being worshiped as a Transcendent and realized that she was little more than a slave. I think that looking past her superficial resentment, you can see that she really did care about Tana in her own way. Destroying the book and telling Tana to keep enjoying her life for both of them seemed like her just trying to keep Tana safe from getting caught up in the Overseers and their manipulations, rather than because she had a bad attitude.)
The Adversary and Ollie then understood that the Transcendent of Light had the power of either creation or destruction. Based on that information, Ollie figured out what Will had meant about the ultimate light and the ultimate darkness, realizing that the Black Mage’s goal of achieving the ultimate light through the ultimate darkness was destroying the world and recreating it.
(A/N: Like I’d mentioned previously, the Adversary should’ve already known this when the Erdas told them about it, as well as when they witnessed Lucid’s memories in Lachelein. This is most likely an oversight on the writers’ part, but it’s kinda funny how shocked our reaction is at something that we’d been told multiple times before. We can be sure that the Adversary isn’t a mage because we clearly have no stats put in INT.)
Having served his purpose, the Light Executor told them where to find Tana. Ollie asked why he was helping them, to which he explained that it was Tana’s will, as the enemy of an enemy was his friend. He then led them closer towards Tana, where he told them to defeat the Keepers of Darkness in order to weaken the forces of Mirror World. Ollie was concerned that Will would be able to use his powers if Tana’s power was weakened, but the Light Executor reassured her that the Keepers were only a portion of Tana’s power, while the Executors held the most substance.
After getting past the Keepers, Ollie contacted Shubert and told him that they had reached the area where Tana had sunk into the ocean. The Adversary operated a pulley system tethered to Ollie, allowing her to dive deep into the Origin Sea and recover Tana, who was sleeping inside a glass coffin.
As they prepared to take Tana back to the base camp, Ollie’s bandages came off from the water, revealing a spider mark from Will’s attack. The Light Executor immediately recognized Will’s mark and, believing Ollie to be a threat, summoned more Light Executors to destroy her. The Adversary managed to defeat them all and began to help Ollie up when Will arrived.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which they recognize the spider mark on Ollie.
In Kao’s original timeline, the power deficit created from Arma draining a portion of their power resulted in Kao being unable to protect Ollie, who succumbed to both her injuries and the poison. I’ve covered part of Kao’s timeline at the end of this section, with the rest covered in Limina and Aftermath.)
Ollie contacted Shubert and told him to extract Tana while she held off Will for the Adversary to escape. Though the Adversary told him to instead extract Ollie while they defended Tana, Ollie told the Adversary that her real mission was to protect them. Nevertheless, Shubert listened to the Adversary and extracted Ollie back to the base camp.
Will then launched a powerful attack on the Adversary, which surprised them, as they had believed that Will was weaker because of Tana’s power. However, Will explained that they themselves had weakened Tana’s power when they had fought off the Light Executors attacking Ollie, as the Executors held more of her power than the Keepers. He then laughed that Ollie was merely a pawn to sacrifice in the Adversary’s place. When the Adversary expressed confusion, Will explained that they were the great Adversary, the only one with the power to face the Black Mage, and that the obvious choice was to sacrifice others to save them if necessary.
He then called out for the masked figure, who was hiding in the shadows, to reveal themselves. He told the masked figure that he had seen through their plan of trying to have him use the power of Mirror World by fighting with the Adversary. He then gave the masked figure a choice between saving the Adversary and stopping the ritual before throwing the Adversary into the Origin Sea.
The masked figure immediately moved to save Adversary, allowing Will to escape with Tana. The Adversary asked the masked figure why they had saved them, rather than Tana, to which the masked figure replied that in order to destroy the Black Mage, they needed an Adversary.
(A/N: To absolutely no one’s surprise, GMS once again did a bad job with localization and mistranslated this line as Orchid instead saying, “To destroy him… I need to create an Adversary,” which makes no sense when the Adversary was already created during Black Heaven.)
The masked figure then teleported them back to the base camp. In the sky, they saw that Tana had become the White Sun next to the Black Mage’s Black Moon. Shubert told them that though Ollie had been recovered, the poison in her system was spreading. Melange added that it was an enchanted poison that only the creator could cure. He told them that Will was inside the White Sun, and that the only way inside was through a mirror that Will had created, though Melange warned them that it was a trap.
Just then, Neinheart contacted them and, despite the static, they were able to make out that he was warning the Adversary not to act hastily, and that support would be there soon. He also emphasized that the Adversary’s survival was the main priority. Remembering Will’s words about Ollie being a pawn, the Adversary asked Neinheart if he had ordered Ollie to protect them. When Neinheart didn’t reply, they decided to go after Will themselves. Neinheart managed to convey that there was still a way and asked them not to hesitate when the time came to make a choice, just as the signal cut out.
The Adversary and Melange then went into Mirror World, where they found that Tana’s power had transformed the whole place into a replica of the Radiant Temple. In order to learn the purpose of the ritual, Melange told them that they needed to examine the memories in the space. They soon encountered Light Executors, which Melange explained had lost their names and forms. He told the Adversary that the Executors were a minor race of Grandis that had left in search of the domain of the gods, though they had been mocked by the other races for it.
(A/N: Grandis classes get exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that Melange’s explanation is completely new to them, and that they don’t think that anyone alive has ever seen the Executors before.)
After charging the staff, the Adversary witnessed a memory of Tana confronting Aeona for having destroyed seven races of Grandis. Aeona had replied that she couldn’t help it, as it had been her job. Believing that her sister had gone mad with power, Tana had decided to stop her.
Melange told the Adversary that unlike the Transcendents of Maple World, the Transcendents of Grandis were actively involved in shaping their world, and that Aeona specifically had left no trace of her actions, making it possible that even more than just seven races had been destroyed. He was also curious about her word choice, which implied that she seemed to have destroyed those races against her own will.
(A/N: All Grandis classes will ask Melange if there were more races in the past that they never knew about. When Melange tells them about the Transcendents of Grandis, he also precludes his explanation with a disclaimer that they might already know what he’s about to say.
Kain get some more some exclusive dialogue during this part, in which he wonders whether it’s possible that the Black Nova might have been one of the people that Aeona had wiped out. This line is interesting because it introduces the possibility that the Overseers sending Aeona to destroy those races might not have been random after all.
The Black Nova were technically just a cult, not a separate race from the Nova, but the cultists worshiped Satiras, who gave them a portion of his own power in the form of Malice. We know that the Overseers wanted to get rid of the Ancient Gods because their power and influence created chaos and unpredictability, and we also know that the Overseers weren’t just satisfied with defeating the gods - they wanted absolute certainty that the gods would never be able to influence the universe again, which is why they created the Transcendents to suppress them.
Since we know that the Black Nova kept a portion of their Malice, even after Satiras was sealed away, it’s possible that the Overseers sent Aeona to destroy them in order to ensure that not a single trace of the Ancient Gods or their power would remain in the world. If that’s the case, then it might just be that the other races that Aeona destroyed had also been given power from other Ancient Gods, similar to Satiras and his Malice, and that the Overseers had wanted to get rid of them entirely, which is why Aeona was said to have left no traces of her actions, as she had likely used her powers of destruction to completely and utterly wipe them all out, with the rare exception of the hidden Black Nova village where Kain and Luska were later born.
It also reframes the context of why the Transcendents of Maple World were said to have played a passive role in shaping their world. From what we know, the Ancient Gods didn’t seem to have had much influence on Maple World in the past, as the only gods that we know about are Abraxas and the god of the Karuppa, whose sacred tree was used to carve Pathfinder’s relic. Abraxas is a special case because he was just the embodiment of ruins that silently recorded history, while the god of the Karuppa’s relic lost its power until Kirston partially restored some of it by rewinding time until he hit Freud’s time barrier, which corrupted it with Kirston’s curse magic.
In both cases, the gods never left any tangible trace of their power after their disappearance, and so it makes sense why the Transcendents of Maple World were passive, as there’s nothing for them to actually do. When the White Mage reached the divine realm, he was angry when he learned that the Overseers were actively trying to force him to do nothing to help the world. His belief was that the Overseers were apathetic to the suffering of the people, but when you consider that the Overseers’ definition of order is just maintaining a predictable future, rather than stopping war and death, it makes sense why they would be trying to keep the Transcendents from doing anything, as they’ve already achieved their ideal future without the gods.)
They then moved on to charge the staff on the Dark Executors and witnessed the final memory of Tana having killed her sister, causing the Transcendent of Light’s power to flow into her - the Transcendent-in-reserve. Because of this, the Executors proclaimed that they had made a mistake, and that Tana was actually Aeona, the Transcendent of Light. Tana immediately began to hear the voice of the Overseers and realized that her sister was correct when she had told her that it was impossible to free herself of those chains. However, she vowed that she would still live as herself no matter what, even if it destroyed her.
(A/N: Given the fact that Aeona couldn’t properly explain what she meant by it being her job, it’s likely that she was physically incapable of explaining that the Overseers were forcing her to obey them, especially if she couldn’t properly clarify the fact when she was right about to be killed because of it. The fact that Tana was able to kill a Transcendent suggests that she exists on a comparable level of power to one, as Darmoor mentions during Cernium that only gods have the power to kill other gods. It does bring up the question of why Luminous doesn’t have the power to kill the Black Mage if he does happen to be a reserve, although that can probably be explained away as him being mortal, while Tana was created to be immortal.
A bigger plot hole that opens up is why the Overseers would allow someone like Tana to exist as a reserve in the first place when they can’t control her. The reason why they removed the Ancient Gods and killed the Adversaries that they commissioned was because they wanted to remove every variable capable of influencing the universe on a large scale. With the Transcendents having their free will overridden, the Overseers effectively became the only beings capable of shaping destiny, which is exactly what they had wanted from the beginning.
As a reserve, Tana exists outside the Overseers’ control, as she’s not a Transcendent and her free will can’t be overridden. If Tana had really wanted to, she could’ve gone rogue and killed all the other Transcendents in the universe, which would’ve completely destroyed the Overseers’ system. The reason why the powers of light and darkness are separated is likely because giving a Transcendent the power to both create and destroy at once is too risky, as seen with what the Black Mage is planning to do.
It makes sense to separate out the powers, but that runs the risk of giving half the power to a being who can’t be controlled, which goes directly against the Overseers’ modus operandi of having absolute control over everything. The likely answer is that the Overseers were relying on the Executors to keep Tana trapped in the Radiant Temple, as we can see from the flashback that the Executors tried to stop her from killing Aeona after she learned the truth about the seven races, suggesting that they were capable of turning against Tana if she went against the Overseers’ will, despite being her servants.)
With the final memory, Melange was able to conclude that the Black Moon and White Sun would fuse, allowing the Black Mage to gain the power of both creation and destruction. The Adversary then vowed to stop the ritual by defeating Will. Melange told them that Will was inside a Mirror World within Mirror World, though he added that he couldn’t come with them, as he didn’t have the power to fight Will inside the mirror.
(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here. Alpha notes that they can finally take on Will face-to-face. Beta adds that it had taken quite a while for them to reach this moment and asks Alpha if he’s nervous. Alpha admits that he is, as he’s gone through the cycle of brainwashing so many times at Will’s hands. However, he notes that he’s not alone now, to which Beta agrees and says that they’ll always be together.)
The Adversary then entered the mirror alone and confronted Will, who was impressed that they had actually come to face him. However, he added that the ritual had gone too far, and that the only way to stop it now was to kill Tana. The Adversary realized that killing Tana was what Neinheart had meant about the choice that they would have to make. However, they resolved to both defeat Will and save Tana, and engaged in battle against the Commander.
As the Adversary continued fighting Will, their battle took them deeper into Mirror World, finally leading them straight into its heart. After a fierce battle, the Adversary successfully bested Will, who was impressed by their strength. As a reward, he cured Ollie of the poison and asked what they would do next. The Adversary then turned to find that Tana was unconscious and in terrible pain.
Though the Adversary knew that they needed to kill Tana in order to stop the Black Mage, they nevertheless struggled to take her life. As they battled between their reason and their instinct, Tana suddenly called out to Jean in her dream to save her. Upon hearing Tana begging to be saved, the Adversary, against all odds, chose to spare her life instead.
Will, for once, was utterly shocked and asked the Adversary if they understood what the consequence of their actions would be. The Adversary told Will that they understood that the Black Mage would gain the power of the Transcendent of Light from two worlds, but they nevertheless reaffirmed their belief that they could still save everyone, including Tana.
(A/N: The Adversary’s choice to save Tana here strongly ties into the events of the Morass storyline, especially with the idea that Tana had been suicidal for a long time before meeting Jean. By now, the Adversary has had a significant glimpse of Tana’s life. They’ve seen the tragic way in which she was forced to kill Aeona, believing that she’d gone mad with power and needed to be put down, only to find that in doing so, she lost not only her sister, but her freedom as well.
They’ve also seen the way that the price of her resistance to the Overseers led to a lifetime of excruciating pain, as well as the fact that for the entirety of her life, she’s been used and exploited by everyone around her - first by the Overseers, then Hekaton, and now the Black Mage. All the while, she’s kept losing everything and everyone who matters to her, and at this point, she’s lost so much that there’s no one left in her life who still cares about her.
When Tana calls out to Jean in her dream, it’s because he’s the only person in her life who’s ever stayed and tried to help her. It was because of him that she was able to care about herself again, and his promise that he would make sure that she wouldn’t disappear is something that stayed with her long after his death. Even her being asleep right now in a glass coffin and begging to be saved is meant to parallel Snow White and her prince, which mirrors the fairy tale that Jean would read to her about a brave knight rescuing a trapped princess.
Her calling out for him to save her, even though he’s dead, is what ultimately makes the Adversary realize that they just can’t take her life when that’s all that she has left to take. At this point, Tana, in spite of all the trauma and suffering that she’s experienced in her life, has nothing left except her will to live, but she also knows that there’s no one left who can help her when she can’t help herself. Here, the Adversary’s choice isn’t just sacrificing one person for the many, it’s their choice to stay true to their commitment to protecting everyone, no matter the cost.
During Black Heaven, Mihile gets an exclusive scene with Cygnus, who makes him promise her that every single person will make it out safely in the battle. While this line isn’t common to every class, it’s an idea that gets thematically echoed throughout the Adversary’s journey. In Tenebris, we see this idea that the Adversary harbors the weight of what being a hero truly means, which is their belief that they have to save everyone no matter what. While that’s not presented as something erroneous, what is erroneous is that the Adversary is convinced that they have to be ready to end their own life so that everyone else can live.
The way that I personally see it, the Adversary sees a lot of themselves in Tana. The destiny of being an Adversary was forced onto us when the Alliance made a wish on the Seal Stone to save our life, which is something that we never asked for. This isn’t to say that we’re unhappy about this, because for one thing, we don’t even know that we’re the Adversary yet, and for another, even when we do learn about our destiny, we accept it gladly because it means that we have the power to save the people we love.
But the problem is that somewhere along the line, we’ve come to believe that it’s our duty to be the embodiment of a perfect hero who can save every single person on our own. The Labyrinth of Suffering storyline and Kao’s memories expose a lot of the burden that we’ve been secretly carrying, which is that we’ll do absolutely anything to keep the people we care about from getting hurt - we’ll throw ourselves in harm’s way as a body shield, we’ll irreparably traumatize ourselves, we’ll even force ourselves to stop wanting to be alive if that’s what’s keeping us from giving up everything that we possibly have for the sake of everyone else.
Even though our desire to be a hero is something that we truly believe in, ever since we were saved at Black Heaven, we’ve been psychologically rewiring ourselves to stop feeling like we matter. We’re charging in from area to area completely alone, hurting ourselves over and over again without caring about what happens to us, all because we think that it’s worth it if it means that we can stop the Black Mage before he hurts anyone else. But as we find out in the labyrinth, there’s a part of us that resents us for what we’re doing to ourselves, and we start pushing back against this toxic mentality that our destiny as a hero has to end in our self-destruction, eventually culminating in us finally abandoning this belief and awakening the Seal Stone.
In regard to Tana, we’ve seen that she’s struggling to escape a destiny that she never wanted either, and we’ve seen that her only desire left is to stay alive. All around her, everyone has their own selfish agendas about how they want to use her. The Black Mage wants to take her powers for himself, and the Alliance only cares about putting itself and its own survival over whatever happens to her. In choosing to save her life, the Adversary is making the choice to advocate for her right to live when no one else will.
Our decision to spare her life is an affirmation of our commitment to not only embody the ideals of a savior and an Adversary, but it’s also us implicitly recognizing the pain of having our choices taken away from us and choosing to give one back to someone in the same position. We see ourselves and our feelings of helplessness in her, and just like how the Alliance made the selfless choice to save us at the cost of letting the Black Mage return to full power, we’re now making the same selfless choice to save her at the cost of letting the Black Mage double his strength, giving her the chance to live just like we were. And just like her, we also have that same desire to live, but whereas we’ve suppressed it and accepted that we have to die in order to save the world, we believe that just because that’s our destiny, it doesn’t have to be hers.)
Suddenly, Tana disappeared as Will laughed that though he admired the Adversary’s conviction, the ritual could not be stopped anymore. As Tana’s power had faded, Will regained full control over Mirror World and summoned a horde of spiders to destroy the Adversary before disappearing.
As the Adversary struggled to face the endless onslaught, Ollie appeared to defend them. She explained that it was Cygnus, not Neinheart, who had tasked her with protecting them. She told them how Cygnus had told her that the Adversary was strong, though they tried to shoulder the burdens of the whole world. Though no one in the Alliance was as strong as the Adversary, Cygnus believed that their numbers gave them strength, and that even the weakest member had an important role to play.
Just then, a dimensional portal appeared in Mirror World and Neinheart arrived with the Chief Knights in order to finish off the spiders. The Adversary apologized to Neinheart for their reckless decision, but Neinheart told them that there was no need to apologize, as he already knew what the Adversary would have done.
Melange then found a book that Will had left behind and picked it up before creating a portal to the base camp, allowing the Alliance forces to escape the White Sun before it fused with the Black Moon. (A/N: This book contains key information about the Black Mage, his prophecies, and his goals, which Melange later takes back to Darmoor at the end of Limina.)
Meanwhile, Will retreated into the deepest recesses of Mirror World in order to prevent Melange from following him. Though Will wished that he could have presented the Adversary to the Black Mage, he took comfort in the fact that he would be able to witness the time of Genesis. He eagerly expressed his excitement to be able to witness the creation of a perfect world free of shackles and unchecked powers with his own eyes.
Just then, however, the masked figure arrived and confronted Will, who was shocked that they were able to follow him into the deepest part of Mirror World. The masked figure told Will that he could not escape, to which Will, realizing that he had no choice, decided to settle their feud once and for all. As the two began fighting, the White Sun was absorbed by the Black Moon, transforming it into the Black Sun, Tenebris, and creating a massive storm that slowly began to grow throughout the area. Having gained the power of both creation and destruction, the Black Mage sent massive chains into the waters, pulling Maple World closer into the Arcane River and absorbing the Erdas within the Origin Sea in order to begin the Genesis Ritual.
(A/N: After you finish the Esfera storyline, you can start encountering Dimensional Cracks throughout the area that reveal the details of Kao’s timeline. Originally, I had all of Kao’s timeline in an author note at the end of the Limina section, since it felt easier to consolidate everything there, but after thinking about it, I realized that there were a few things suggesting that the Adversary was aware about certain details of Kao’s memories when they fought the Black Mage, and so I thought that it would be better to include it here. Most of Kao’s memories can be viewed in Esfera, but the rest of them can only be accessed after finishing Limina.)
After the mission to Esfera, the Adversary encountered a Dimensional Crack. Upon hearing voices from the other side, they proceeded inside and encountered the memory of their past self and Ollie using the staff to learn how the masked figure had interrupted Will’s ritual, causing Tana to fall into the Origin Sea. They then watched as Will himself appeared before the pair and told them about how the ultimate light could only be found in the ultimate darkness.
The Adversary noted that though the memory seemed familiar, there were certain differences, such as their past self putting themselves between Ollie and Will, rather than the other way around, as well as the way that Will had greeted them. Suddenly, they realized that the memory must belong to Kao. As much of their memories had been the same, they began wondering where it was that Kao had gone wrong.
Proceeding further into Esfera, they found another Dimensional Crack and entered inside, wondering whether this memory would be as similar to theirs as the first. They then watched as Kao and Ollie recovered Tana from beneath the Origin Sea, after which the Executors had noticed the spider mark on Ollie, causing them to see her as an enemy. To the Adversary’s surprise, however, Kao was unable to protect Ollie from the Executors, who fatally wounded her, after which Shubert teleported them back when Will arrived.
Upon seeing what had happened, the Adversary realized that Kao had been weakened by Arma, and that the effect of this had first begun to show for Kao in Esfera. They then sought out the next Dimensional Crack and entered inside, where they watched as Kao was teleported back to the base camp, where they found Ollie slowly succumbing to the poison. Kao rushed to her side and apologized to her for their weakness, to which Ollie told them not to, as her mission had been to protect them all along, and that she had been prepared to die from the moment that she had received her orders.
She asked Kao not to cry, telling them that if her sacrifice would let them save the world, then it was good enough for her. She then asked them whether she had been helpful, to which Kao immediately told her that she had, thanking her for protecting them. Satisfied, Ollie asked Shubert and Melange to carry on in her place, after which she passed away. Kao immediately began blaming themselves for her death, lamenting that if they hadn’t been so weak, they would’ve been able to protect her.
Both Shubert and Melange reassured Kao that they were powerful, but they reminded Kao that they couldn’t protect everyone. Kao replied that they knew that, but they explained that people like Ollie were completely willing to die for them, simply because of who they were, which they could not allow anymore. Upon finishing watching the memory, the Adversary began understanding that the difference between themselves and Kao had been Ollie’s death, which had severely affected Kao’s mental state.
They then entered the next Dimensional Crack hesitantly, knowing already that they wouldn’t like what they were about to see. Inside the memory, they watched as Neinheart contacted Kao right before they were about to enter Mirror World. However, Kao told Shubert to cut the signal, completely disinterested in what Neinheart had to say.
As Neinheart protested amidst the static and asked them to listen, Kao curtly told Neinheart that Ollie was dead, and that they already knew that Neinheart must’ve been the one who had given her the order to die for them. Neinheart began telling them that he understood their anger, though he asked them to promise not to hesitate when the time came to make a choice. After the signal faded, Kao vowed to never fail again and proceeded to enter Mirror World.
After the Adversary entered the next memory, they witnessed Kao confronting Will, who told them that they would need to kill Tana in order to stop the ritual. The Adversary felt Kao’s thoughts dwelling on Ollie’s death, as well as how they had already jeopardized the fate of the world because of all their mistakes. Vowing not to make the same mistake again, Kao challenged Will, who merely laughed and told them that it was when faced with a difficult decision that a person’s true self was revealed, adding that he was eager to see what kind of ‘hero’ they truly were.
The Adversary then entered the next memory, noting that everything was weighing down on Kao at that point - their lack of power, Ollie’s death, and all their mistakes. They thought to themselves that they were afraid for Kao, as they knew all too well that hesitation only led to more pain. They then witnessed Kao defeating Will, who amusedly told them that there was only one thing left to do.
(A/N: I think it’s really funny how we were able to defeat Will after being drained by Arma, but somehow stopping a few extra Executors to save Ollie was too much of a struggle. It’s probably because we couldn’t defeat them fast enough to extract Ollie before the poison spread, but even then, I can’t imagine that we would be so weak that we can’t handle a dozen mobs when we could beat Lucid and Will without it turning into a protracted battle.)
Kao then turned to face Tana, preparing themselves to end her life, though they felt sorry for her upon realizing just how much she had suffered. As they raised their weapon, hoping to free Tana from her pain, they heard her call out to Jean for help. Kao began struggling in their convictions, while Will asked whether they were thinking about sparing her life. He pointed out the consequences of making such a rash decision, explaining that he didn’t care whether they were an enemy or an ally, as he simply wanted to see them think things through and make their choice.
He told them to think about Ollie, how she had risked her life to cross the Arcane River in order to protect them, and how, when the moment had come, she had sacrificed herself without hesitation, all just for their sake. He asked Kao whether, after having allowed her to die, they were truly prepared to throw her sacrifice away, pointing out that Ollie wouldn’t be the only sacrifice, as the Black Mage would hold the power of two worlds’ Transcendents, for which the Alliance would need to bear countless sacrifices in order to send them anywhere near him.
The Adversary began hearing Kao’s thoughts, how they had regretted allowing Rino to trick them, and how their weakness had prevented them from stopping Ollie’s death. Realizing that they couldn’t give in to hesitation, Kao attacked Tana and attempted to kill her. Will immediately began laughing at how they had chosen to stab Tana simply from a small nudge on his part.
Kao angrily asked Will why he was laughing when they had just ruined everything for him by stopping the ritual. However, Will explained that far from thwarting him, they had been dancing to his tune the entire time, explaining that they were in his web, no matter what they did. Suddenly, Kao turned to find that Tana was reforming herself. Will asked whether they were seeing the power of the Transcendents for the first time, adding that the grimace on their face told him that it was.
He explained that they didn’t have the power of the Adversary at the moment, laughing at whether they had thought that simply having a Seal Stone would be enough to kill a Transcendent. As Tana channeled her powers, she painfully asked to be saved, to which Will told her that he would, using the Black Mage’s power. He then turned to Kao and thanked them, explaining that their actions had removed the final variable, thereby clearing the way for the ritual to begin.
As the memory began fading, the Adversary realized that everything finally made sense, as Arma stealing Kao’s power and Ollie dying had started a domino effect, resulting in Kao turning angry both inwardly and outwardly, which had resulted in them making the decision to stab Tana. They noted to themselves that it explained why Kao’s memories had appeared so fuzzy, as Kao must have been attempting to subconsciously hide and erase those moments of guilt and shame.
Suddenly, they realized that Tana hadn’t died, which meant that the ritual had taken place, just as it had in their own timeline. They wondered whether it had anything to do with the variable that Will had mentioned, as well as what the power of the Adversary was. They noted to themselves that even after learning so much, there were still more questions left unanswered. They then began wondering whether they were about to become the variable that would be removed next.
(A/N: While I hate the Adversary storyline as a game mechanic, I really enjoy the Adversary as a narrative concept and how they directly exist as a foil to the Black Mage. The Black Mage wanted to deliver salvation to the world by making the Overseers lose their hold on the universe, such that they would never again be able to cause widespread suffering in the name of balance by allowing humanity to destroy itself helplessly, or to incite mass death by enslaving the Transcendents and forcing them to wipe out entire races.
In order to do this, he was willing to sacrifice the lives of millions for the sake of creating a future where no one would ever have to die needlessly again, and in doing so, he lost sight of the value of the very life that he sought to protect. In contrast, the Adversary has consistently prioritized saving everyone, pulling out miracles in order to do so every single time. Unlike the Black Mage, who distanced himself from the world and worked in the shadows, the Adversary has always put themselves on the front lines and risked everything for the people whom they protect.
The Black Mage’s defeat at the hands of the Adversary is a symbolic victory of the human spirit, demonstrating that those who deserve to pave the future are the ones who put others first and refuse to sacrifice their morals, even in spite of how the odds are stacked against them. In Kao’s timeline, everything that makes the Adversary special is slowly stripped away from Kao bit by bit. In this way, Kao ends up bringing themselves down to the Black Mage’s level by compromising their values and losing sight of the value of life, just like the Black Mage did.
Because of this, Kao was fated to lose the moment that they chose to kill Tana, not because of the physical circumstances surrounding their situation, but because they’ve fallen from grace in the same way that the White Mage did when he embraced the ultimate darkness and cast away his light. The White Mage chose to give up everything that made him human for the sake of becoming a Transcendent, believing that he had no choice but to become a god in order to defeat another god. Similarly, Kao threw away their commitment to saving everyone, no matter the cost, and in this way, they symbolically severed their ties to their humanity, and in doing so, they lost their right to be an Adversary.
With all that being said, however, the Adversary as a game mechanic still manages to ruin all the strong points of this narrative by overriding every classes’ individuality with the same carbon copy personality of a generic protagonist. This analysis of the Adversary works really well from the perspective of a blank slate character, but there’s not enough money in the world that Nexon can shell out that would ever convince me to believe that Lara would murder an innocent person with her own hands. I don’t care what the circumstances were, there’s nothing that could possibly justify the writers’ claim that someone like Lara could ever slaughter a defenseless girl.)
Sellas, Where the Stars Rest:
(A/N: Following Reverse City and Yum Yum Island being added in the RISE update, Sellas was retroactively added to the Arcane River in the Awake update as level 240 content in order to bridge Esfera at level 235 and Moonbridge at level 245. While Sellas doesn’t seem to have any significant connection to the rest of the story at this time, I personally feel like it’s one of the best-written stories in the game.)
Some time after the fusion of the Black Moon and White Sun, Neinheart contacted the Adversary and told them that the Alliance was running an urgent, special operation before advancing on Tenebris. On the way to the base camp, they ran into Shubert, who seemed to be dropping something into the water.
(A/N: Shubert is dropping the dog tags of his fellow crewmates, who all perished long ago in a diving accident. The writers did an impeccable job with the details in this story, all of which add a lot more meaning to the story without saying a single word. You can hear three plops in the water, one for each dog tag.)
As Shubert murmured a solemn goodbye, the Adversary approached him and asked what he was doing. Shubert hesitantly told them that it was nothing before explaining that he was taking care of something before returning back to Edelstein, as the operation in Esfera was now over.
He then led them to the base camp, where Neinheart and Ollie told the Adversary that they were planning a recovery operation for a shiny, unknown object that Tana had dropped while Ollie had pulled her out of the Origin Sea. As it belonged to the Transcendent of Light, Neinheart believed that it had some significance, and so he wanted to recover it in case it would help them in the fight against the Black Mage.
Neinheart asked Shubert if he would reconsider helping them, but Shubert told them that he had experienced enough of the sea. However, he was unhappy to know that Ollie was joining the expedition, as she had barely recovered from Will’s attack. Neinheart then led them to the Jellyfish, a submarine that Shubert had once been stationed on, which had been recovered by the Resistance.
The Adversary was surprised that they needed a submarine, as they had been able to go on foot in the Morass at the bottom of the Arcane River. Neinheart explained that the environment in the Origin Sea was changing, which necessitated a submarine. Unexpectedly, Shubert agreed to pilot the Jellyfish. Neinheart was pleased by his change of heart and gave him command of the mission, as he was a veteran of Edelstein’s diving unit.
As they dove into the waters of Sellas, the team was surprised at how clean the waters were, unlike what Ollie had experienced while pulling up Tana. Over the comms, Neinheart explained that the sea had been murky because of Tana, and that the waters were now clear because she had been extracted some time ago. He then explained that they had installed a sonar system that was calibrated to search for high-energy points.
Upon checking the sonar system, they detected a high-energy point nearby and put on diving suits in order to search on foot. Shubert noted how the older models of diving suits were heavy and made his arms hurt while practicing hand signals. Ollie was interested in learning the hand signals, and so Shubert asked the Adversary to clear out the Veritate monsters while he taught her. (A/N: You can already tell that this entire storyline is just gonna be us third-wheeling Shubert and Ollie.)
After the Adversary returned, Shubert was still unable to pinpoint the signal. He suspected that the echolocation that the monsters used was interfering with their sonar, and so he asked the Adversary to take out more monsters while he taught Ollie signals with light. After the Adversary took care of the monsters, the signal cleared up, allowing them to head to the source, which they found to be a piece of debris that had come from a propeller broken off from an Alliance transport plane.
As Shubert looked at the sonar, several Volar monsters began grouping together. Shubert asked the Adversary to chase them off before the monsters began to attack. After clearing them out, the Adversary boarded the Jellyfish and Shubert prepared to return to the base camp, as the sonar was coming up empty.
Ollie then asked Shubert about how he had mentioned that he could boost the signal power. Shubert told her that he wasn’t willing to do so, as it would waste valuable oxygen and battery power while they were in uncharted territory. However, he conceded that Ollie had a point in that the object that Tana had dropped could be useful and agreed to search a bit longer. However, he gave them the caveat that if he boosted the sonar and still didn’t find anything, they would immediately return back to the base camp.
He explained that in order to boost the signal, they needed to attach an antenna on the top of the Jellyfish, for which one person needed to boost the others up. Ollie found a cup full of sticks made for drawing lots, which Shubert uncomfortably recognized from his time on the Jellyfish. He hesitantly explained that they were made to decide who was stuck with cleaning duty, with the person who drew the red-marked stick being the one who lost. After drawing lots, Shubert was chosen as the one on the bottom, but as he was the only one who knew how to install it, the Adversary and Ollie both hoisted him up.
(A/N: The sticks were also used when the Jellyfish was sinking during Shubert’s last mission, in which the crew drew lots to determine which of them would board the only escape pod. Obviously, we know that Shubert was the one who was chosen to live, while everyone else drowned, which gives a new meaning to what he says about the person who draws the red-marked stick losing.)
Shubert attached the antenna on top of the Jellyfish to boost the signal and immediately detected multiple contacts swarming around them. Suddenly, they were hit by an unknown object, causing the lights to flicker on and off, during which time, Shubert momentarily saw an unknown diver standing in the cockpit. Around him, he saw ship debris and began having a panic attack, unable to breathe.
(A/N: Panic attacks are in my top five of least favorite feelings ever. While this is all happening, we get a look into Shubert’s thoughts about his past. He recalls his three crewmates: a sailor who was an excellent cook, another who was an expert with harpoons, and one who had been looking forward to meeting his newborn triplets. He then wonders what their hopes and dreams meant to the monster which had consumed them. These three crewmates were the ones whose dog tags Shubert dropped into the sea at the beginning of the storyline.)
After he recovered, Ollie pointed out the sinking ships and proposed that they attempt a rescue. However, Shubert vetoed her idea and told her that aside from the fact that there were no other Alliance operations planned for that day, any airships falling from the sky wouldn’t sink so deep that fast. He conjectured that the sinking ships operated similar to how the Erdas manifested as illusions in the Morass, though Ollie pointed out that Tana’s influence had created the Morass, which made her wonder how the Alliance ships were being created.
Shubert decided to end the mission and return to the base camp, as the submersible was under enough stress already. Just then, the Jellyfish broke down and Ollie suggested salvaging parts from the debris.
(A/N: GMS added some extra dialogue that wasn’t part of KMS, which had the Adversary mention that the ships outside are just illusions, to which Shubert says that the ships in the debris field are, in a sense, more ‘real’ down in Sellas, which doesn’t really make any logical sense at all. As Ollie pointed out, Tana is the only person who’s ever influenced the Erdas on such an immense scale as creating an entire fleet of sinking ships. It’s possible that Tana’s relic, which the team was sent to find, was able to channel some of her powers of creation in order bring Shubert’s memories to life.)
While Ollie and the Adversary hunted down parts, Ollie told the Adversary that she was worried about Shubert and believed that he was hiding something. However, she decided against asking him, as she had faith that he would tell them if it was critical to the mission. The Adversary asked Ollie if Shubert had ever talked about his past in the diving unit.
Ollie told them that she hadn’t heard anything about his past before Neinheart had mentioned it, and that she found it disappointing that he had never shared things with her in the same way that she had with him, wondering if it was because he didn’t trust her. Recalling how Shubert had only volunteered to join the mission after learning that Ollie was part of it, as well as how he had taught only Ollie critical hand signals, the Adversary believed that Shubert wanted to keep her safe.
As the Adversary continued clearing monsters for Ollie to recover debris, Ollie told them that she had made up her mind, explaining how, after the Black Heaven incident, she had seen the Adversary standing next to the Empress, and how she had promised herself that she would fight by their side. Though people had laughed when she had told them about her dream, she had continued persevering until she had been specially picked for the advance party to the Arcane River, which was when people had started noticing her.
(A/N: Ollie is one of my favorite characters in the game specifically because she’s both remarkable and ordinary. Throughout this game, we’re so used to being powerful and being surrounded by powerful people that everyone else is just seen as a background extra. Ollie is a refreshing take on characters who aren’t inherently powerful but become important because of the sheer amount of dedication and hard work that they put into what they do.
At first glance, she isn’t someone that you’d expect to be significant because she doesn’t have the charisma or the abilities of the player, but after hearing about how she had a dream and realized it through her own hard work and effort, you can’t help but root for her as an underdog. As players, we can relate to her because most of us in real life are ordinary just like her, not prodigies like the Adversary. I’ve only known Ollie for one and a half storylines, but if anything happened to her, I would kill everyone in this world and then myself, which is why I fully support the Black Mage destroying the world in the timeline where Ollie died.)
Ollie believed that if she continued doing her best, Shubert may see her differently, just as the others had done, and that he might decide to share his thoughts and feelings with her. Back on the Jellyfish, Shubert had been overhearing everything that Ollie had been saying through the radio. He began wondering whether he had been too on edge during the trip and told himself that the past wouldn’t repeat itself again.
Meanwhile, Ollie and the Adversary returned with several parts, among which Shubert found an old battery that they could use for the submarine. He also told them that a stationary object had been sending steady pulses while they had been gone, and that he suspected that it was the object that Tana had dropped. He then approved one final expedition to find the object and asked Ollie to tether herself to the outside of the Jellyfish in order to scare off the monsters who could break their searchlight.
The Adversary told Shubert that they felt like they should be the one doing Ollie’s job, but Shubert told them to save their strength for later. Though monsters weren’t a threat to the Adversary, Shubert explained that the sea was a threat to them all. He added that he was also teaching Ollie an important lesson, as one only understood their true size when facing something huge.
He then told the others that their backup plan was to transfer the backup battery’s power to the escape pods in case of an emergency. Just then, a distorted distress signal reached the Jellyfish’s comms, claiming that they were the Jellyfish, and that their unit had been wiped out. Outside, Ollie told them that she could see the target, and that she was heading towards it, despite Shubert’s protests.
Just then, a massive quake damaged the ship, and when they looked outside, they found that Ollie’s line had been cut. Shubert was furious that the past was repeating itself, believing that the same creature which had destroyed his diving unit had gotten Ollie and turned her into a star. When the Adversary asked what he meant, Shubert explained that when divers didn’t return, they were called ‘stars’, though Shubert had never known the reason behind the name until he had seen the lights from the apparatus of all his friends sinking into the abyss.
He believed that unlike himself and the other divers who all faded like the plentiful, common stars, the Adversary was special and had the power to save Ollie. The Adversary put on diving gear and headed into the abyss, where they were swallowed by an enormous glowing whale, which they believed to be the personification of the sea itself. Inside the whale, they encountered a figure in a diving suit and decided to follow them.
As they fought through the monsters nearby, they picked up several dog tags scattered across the ground and felt the memories of the Edelstein diving unit. They were able to witness how the team had drawn sticks to determine who would be the sole survivor, with Shubert being sent to safety in the only escape pod. (A/N: We pick up exactly three dog tags, which are the same ones that Shubert dropped at the beginning of the story. During the flashbacks, we also see Shubert holding four dog tags: three of his crewmates’ and one of his own.)
The Adversary eventually reached Ollie and the two found the mysterious diver. From the diver’s hand signals, Ollie was able to determine that they were asking the pair to come closer, where they found a copy of the Jellyfish created from Shubert’s memories. Using its communication channels, they were able to contact Shubert aboard the real Jellyfish and asked for help, explaining that the monster which had swallowed them was a whale, not the sea itself as he had believed.
Shubert then unleashed a powerful attack with his Arm Cannon to destroy the whale, revealing that it had merely been thousands of jellyfish that had come together to form a whale as a defensive tactic. As they rose to the surface by riding the jellyfish, the Adversary found a glowing red necklace that had belonged to Tana and took it back to the base camp.
(A/N: Going by Shubert’s explanation about stars, stars are basically just the souls of those who got consumed by the sea. As the whale is meant to be a manifestation of the sea, the glowing whale that we encounter in Sellas is symbolically countless small souls that became part of the sea by forming the whale, including the souls of Shubert’s crew, whose echoes help us survive.
What’s even cooler is that the glowing stars are actually just tiny jellyfish, which help us escape the sea. In a sense, it’s like the souls of Shubert’s crew are helping us rise up to the surface in order to save us from dying like they did. While this is all happening, the comm system activates, replaying the last message that the crew had sent about sending its best and brightest to the surface before asking for him to be taken good care of, just as we reach the surface as well. I really love how this storyline respectfully handled Shubert’s PTSD and how it reframed the whale from being the manifestation of Shubert’s trauma into it being a happier memory of his crewmates breaking the cycle of history from repeating itself inside his head.)
Back at the surface, Neinheart determined that the jewel on the necklace had been broken from a larger piece. He realized that Tana had cherished it so preciously that she had taken it with her, even as she had wandered without her memory. Based on that alone, he believed that it had significance enough that the Alliance would continue to investigate it. He noted that the necklace was glowing brightly and speculated that if it was emitting light in response to its owner, then there was hope that they would one day be able to reach her.
(A/N: The necklace is almost certainly the same one with the anti-magic stone that Jean gave to her in Trueffet, which Tana broke in order to disrupt the Ascendency ritual. I mentioned this earlier, but it’s possible that it’s been imbued with the power of creation, similar to how the Genesis Weapon has been imbued with a small portion of the Black Mage’s powers of creation and destruction. It’s likely that it’ll come back into play with Darmoor ordering Melange to find Tana and the Genesis Crux at the end of Limina.
Neinheart’s line about how they might be able to reach Tana if the light of her necklace is in response to its owner might be a reference to something that Eskalade tells Angelic Buster in her class storyline, which is that the only thing known about Aeona is that she lives in the Sanctum of Light, which is a place where only light can reach.)
Moonbridge:
(A/N: During the 20th anniversary event in KMS, there were several minor quest removals made to the Tenebris storyline. Pretty much all of these were meant to streamline the story presentation, as well as to make clearing the questlines faster. For the sake of maintaining accuracy, I’ve modified this section to reflect those quest removals, although I’ll make a mention of what originally happened in the author notes.)
With the fusion of the Black Moon and White Sun, a storm zone was created over the Arcane River that grew stronger with each passing day, eventually making its way to the Esfera base camp. Knowing that the time had come, Neinheart ordered all Alliance forces in Esfera to return to Ereve in order to prepare for the final battle against the Black Mage. As the moment of destiny approached, a divine light spoke to the Adversary, telling them that only the hope of heroes could stand against evil. It then asked them to be the one who stoked the flames of that hope.
Meanwhile in Esfera, Shubert contacted the Adversary and Ollie and told them that he and Melange had finished evacuating the Temple Keepers. As they began their next mission to clean up the monsters in the area, Ollie told Shubert to focus on the outskirts while she and the Adversary took care of the inner area before rendezvousing at the base camp.
After they all began heading towards their assignments, Ollie told the Adversary that they were likely wrapping up the investigation because preparations for the final battle had been completed. She noted that conditions around the Black Sun seemed dangerous as well, and that the storm would reach them at any minute. She shuddered at the thought of the Black Mage being so close before suggesting that they head back to the base camp, where Neinheart would be waiting.
(A/N: Ollie’s conversation with the Adversary replaced the original quest in Moonbridge, which was to defeat Will’s spiders before heading back to the base camp. It’s a bit funny that they still kept in the reference to cleaning up the remaining monsters when we don’t actually do it anymore.)
At the base camp, the pair regrouped with Shubert, Melange, and Neinheart. Neinheart told them that the Alliance forces had been moved to the Outpost, and that he had remained behind in order to escort them there. He asked Shubert to teleport them to the Sky Ferry in Ereve, but Shubert’s miscalculations resulted in the group being scattered across Ereve instead. Neinheart and the Adersary awoke on the far side of the island, where the Adversary was taken aback by the enormous chains that had shot down from the sky into the ground. Neinheart explained that not long after the Adversary had departed for the Arcane River, immense chains had begun to appear across Maple World, pulling their world closer into the Arcane River.
Before he could continue explaining, several Wandering Soot Glare monsters appeared and began to attack. Together, the Adversary and Neinheart fought through the monsters, with Neinheart using a heavy book to whack the monsters away. (A/N: This fight now happens off-screen, rather than us having to physically defeat the monsters.) After defeating them, the pair encountered Kiriko, Kizan, and Kidan patrolling the area. They reported that the Soot monsters that had begun appearing around Maple World had finally reached Ereve.
Before he could continue explaining, several Wandering Soot Glare monsters appeared and began to attack. Together, the Adversary and Neinheart fought through the monsters, with Neinheart using a heavy book to whack the monsters away. (A/N: This fight now happens off-screen, rather than us having to physically defeat the monsters.) After defeating them, the pair encountered Kiriko, Kizan, and Kidan patrolling the area. They reported that the Soot monsters, which had begun appearing around Maple World, had finally reached Ereve.
As they continued onward, Neinheart resumed his explanation. He told them that the Arcane River had been created from the collision of three worlds, which drew them all ever closer, and that dimensional collapse had reached critical levels, which had resulted in the chains and monsters appearing. As all of existence would cease to be if the Black Mage succeeded, he emphasized how imperative it was that they stop the Black Mage once and for all.
He then led them to the Conference Pavilion, where he explained that after he had resolved to look deeper into the Black Mage’s past following the Black Heaven incident, the Alliance had recovered the Scroll of Destiny from the Black Mage’s laboratory in Magatia.
(A/N: Ollie says during the Esfera storyline that Neinheart had grown obsessed with learning about the Black Mage’s plans following the World Tree incident, not Black Heaven, although it could be that Neinheart decided to start his investigation after Black Heaven and grew even more obsessed after the World Tree incident.)
The Scroll of Prophecy had led Neinheart to believe that the Black Mage had the power to predict events before they happened, as he had foreseen not only the creation of the Adversary, but also the birth of the Arcane River and the fusion of the Black Moon with the White Sun. Recalling how their actions had led to the Black Mage’s ritual succeeding, the Adversary fell silent in guilt, but Neinheart told them not to blame themselves, as he respected the lengths that they would go to in order to save a life. Reminding them not to get caught up in the past, he showed them the final prophecy written on the scroll:
They who cross the breath of twilight and turn towards the sun,
on broken wings will be crushed and undone by despair.
A light whose brilliant glory is lost
will face the soul of the world whilst steeped in mire and rot.
A crimson tear will spawn a giant that swallows hearts,
and when determination is swallowed by the deepest dark,
a new destiny will be written, a destiny apart.
(A/N: The first stanza refers to Moonbridge, the second refers to the Labyrinth of Suffering, and the rest is for Limina. There’s also an alternate version of the prophecy written in the Black Mage: Origin webcomic:
The first adversaries will be lost to time.
When the fallen throne rises once more
the final adversaries will reach the sea of beginnings.
Once darkness swallows all and the end approaches
A new destiny shall be written!
The original line in Korean was actually, “The first adversaries will be encased in ice”, referring to the Heroes. The word ‘adversaries’, as written here, is meant to be taken as a word that just means ‘opponent’, rather than the in-universe title of Adversary with a capital A, as the actual title of Adversary refers to someone who’s bonded with a Seal Stone, which isn’t the case with the Heroes at the time when they fought him centuries ago.)
Neinheart explained that he had been able to interpret most of the other prophecies in the scroll based on what the Alliance knew of the Black Mage, but he added that the final prophecy was still unclear. He also added that he was uneasy about the prophesied new destiny, as a destiny written by the Black Mage could only end in disaster. He explained that after finding the scroll, he had sent letters to summon the leaders of the Alliance, who had all agreed to make a final stand against the Black Mage, though he added that the Empress had been uneasy about the decision.
(A/N: There was originally a quest that happened right here, in which you had to fight more Soot monsters that would appear and interrupt Neinheart.)
As they headed to the Empress’ Resting Spot, Neinheart explained that Cygnus had been having dreams of the Alliance’s destruction ever since finding the scroll, though no one knew whether it was because of stress or her ability to see the future. He admitted that he had been surprised to see her strong will collapse, after which she had decided that she needed to meet with Shinsoo before resuming her duties. The Cygnus Knights had then set out towards Leafre - Shinsoo’s last known location.
(A/N: Shinsoo was last seen in Leafre after she calls the Cygnus Knight to her resting spot during their level 125 quest.
Cygnus’ nightmare was part of a promotional animation for Tenebris. It starts out with her running through a clearing in the woods, which leads into Esfera. There, she’s horrified to find hundreds of Alliance soldiers lying dead on the ground. Ahead of her is the White Mage, who has his back turned towards her as he gazes up at Tenebris. He tells Cygnus that everything that she’s seeing right now is her destiny, adding that the future has already been written and can’t be changed.
He then tells her to accept her fate, and as he turns to face her, he morphs into the Black Mage and tells her that the only salvation for their world lies in destruction before launching his chains at her, causing her to wake up in terror. The cutscene ends there in the Moonbridge storyline, but the full promotional animation goes on to include the Alliance meeting, in which Neinheart and Cygnus explain that the Black Mage is going to end the world. They then send letters to call all the various heroes across Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World to action.)
After finding Shinsoo, Cygnus had told her about the prophecy and her nightmares, as well as her fear of leading the Alliance to its destruction. Shinsoo had helped Cygnus realize that their efforts hadn’t been for nothing, and that the Black Mage’s prophecy wasn’t certain. She had then bestowed the jeweled diadem upon her forehead to Cygnus, which had shrunk to fit on her wrist like a bracelet.
Shinsoo had explained that though she had the power to protect the weak, she no longer had the strength to use it. Because of this, she had believed that Cygnus was the only one who could use that power to protect the Alliance. She had also reminded Cygnus that she was the light of hope who could pull others from the depths of despair. Immediately after returning from Leafre, Cygnus had sent letters to all members of the Alliance, announcing the great expedition into the Arcane River.
Just as Neinheart finished explaining, they arrived at the Sky Ferry, where the Adversary cleared up the remaining monsters before they flew to the Outpost. At the Outpost, a large floating island in its own right, Neinheart showed them the White Spear, a massive airship that would serve as the Alliance’s flagship, modeled into a spear to symbolize their will to carve out their own destiny. He also told them that a mysterious divine light had appeared at the center of the Outpost, and that Shinsoo had told them that they would be ready to face the Black Mage once the divine light transformed.
At the Outpost, a large floating island in its own right, Neinheart showed them the White Spear, a massive airship that would serve as the Alliance’s flagship, modeled into a spear to symbolize their will to carve out their own destiny. He also told them that a mysterious divine light had appeared at the center of the Outpost, and that Shinsoo had told them that they would be ready to face the Black Mage once the divine light transformed.
He explained that with the final battle approaching, the light had recently reacted to the determination of the Alliance and had formed the three Goddess Statues, depicting the Goddesses of Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum.
(A/N: I have no idea what the divine light is, but given that it forms the Goddess Statues, it might be the combined will of the Goddesses formed to help drive the Alliance to victory. The light also talks to us periodically throughout the Tenebris storyline, particularly in the Labyrinth of Suffering, and takes on the voice of someone close to us.
During the original Tenebris event, the progression of the divine light’s transformation into the Goddess Statues, as well as the expedition to Tenebris, was all part of the Journey of Destiny, which progressed with the amount of determination collected by the players on their respective servers. Neinheart’s explanation about the transformation of the divine light alludes to the original story event, although the permanent area storyline skips straight to the formation of the Goddess Statues for the sake of story progression.)
Just then, Shubert, Melange, and Ollie found them and apologized for the mishap in teleporting them to Ereve. After they headed back to their delegations, Neinheart took the Adversary to meet Cygnus, who was dressed in full battle armor and carrying an ornately-crafted sword. She thanked the Adversary for their instrumental role in pushing forward through the Arcane River and asked them to lend their strength once again for the Alliance.
After reaffirming their dedication to the Alliance, the Adversary was escorted by Neinheart back to the center of the Outpost in order to wait for Athena Pierce to arrive. While waiting, they went over the Adversary’s journey through the Arcane River, and how they had bested Commanders Lucid, Arkarium, and Will in their travels.
He also told them that there was one more thing that the Alliance had found in the Black Mage’s laboratory: a writing that said, “Only the Adversary can counter immortality’s fate with the strength of a Seal Stone.” Though Neinheart didn’t want to immediately trust it, given who had written it, he felt that they needed something to believe in while waging war against a god.
(A/N: The game has always been pretty loose with throwing around the word ‘god’, but in this case, it’s being used more poetically to say that the Black Mage has gotten immensely powerful, rather than making any sort of lore revelation about him becoming an Ancient God or something. In the continental Grandis storyline, they’ll sometimes use ‘god’ as a catch-all term for both Ancient Gods and Transcendents, and sometimes they’ll just use the term ‘higher being’. It’s just one of those side-effects of having a ridiculously convoluted pantheon.)
Just then, Athena Pierce arrived from helping with the disasters affecting Maple World, with their world - and others - suffering from dimensional collapse. Because of this, Neinheart had assigned her to remain on Maple World in order to protect the people, rather than having her accompany them to Tenebris. He then told the Adversary that the divine light, which had transformed into the Goddess Statues, responded to the collective determination of the Alliance, and that it also activated the gems in the Goddess’ hands.
Athena Pierce told the Adversary that she planned to distribute emblems of the Alliance to each ship before departing in order to boost morale. She gave the Adversary their own emblem and asked them to give one to Kyrin aboard the Nautilus before returning to the White Spear. Aboard the Nautilus, they gave Kyrin the emblem, as well as a letter from Athena Pierce reminding her that they were all in the fight together.
(A/N: This was a nice callback to Athena and Kyrin’s shared history, as Athena raised Kyrin after the deaths of Destonen and Yuris, since Tess had gone in search of a way to break their blood curse.
Pathfinder gets some exclusive dialogue when Athena asks her to give the emblem to Kyrin. Athena realizes that the Pathfinder is about to embark to save the world and explains that it’s a new feeling entirely. She notes that the Pathfinder always manages to surprise her each time that she shows up looking more mature. She then adds that she’s looking forward to reuniting once the fight is over.)
Meanwhile, Athena found Edea arriving and gave her an emblem, thanking her for the Nova’s help. Edea replied that she should be the one thanking Athena, as the Alliance had played a major role in retaking Heliseum. She then confessed her worries about the Black Mage’s influence in Grandis and added that she needed Athena to remain in Maple World and lead the soldiers in her place while she was away at Tenebris. Elsewhere, Neinheart gave Claudine an emblem, to which Claudine told him that though they’d had their differences, they were all committed to fighting together.
Back at the White Spear, Cygnus told the Adversary that the emblem of the Alliance represented their mutual trust and the courage to stand against evil. She showed them the jewel on her wrist that Shinsoo had given her and explained that as commander, it was her duty to nurture that trust and courage, adding that she was determined to do just that. (A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue here, in which they vow that they’ll protect the Empress with that same determination.) Cygnus then announced that it was time to launch all Alliance ships to Tenebris. Hundreds of smaller ships launched alongside the White Spear, including the Lumiere and the Nautilus, and headed straight into a large portal that would take them into the Arcane River.
Soon after, Neinheart reported that they were passing over the Esfera base camp, which had vanished without a trace. He told the Adversary that they would soon be arriving at Moonbridge, which was the Alliance’s name for the path that had bridged Esfera with the Black Moon, before it had become the Black Sun. As they entered Moonbridge, Kyrin reported that the Nautilus had encountered heavy fog.
Neinheart suddenly realized that the “breath of twilight” from the prophecy referred to the dense fog, from which enemies were emerging. Edea sensed a powerful soul in the fog and recommended that they wait and prepare. Cygnus then ordered all the ships to hold while they investigated the new threat. In order to assess the nature of the threat that they were facing, Neinheart asked the Adversary to obtain samples from the Soot Beasts and Soot Talon monsters. The Alliance member returned with Wicked Soul Remains, which Edea analyzed, allowing her to learn that a dark entity within the fog was crafting the monsters from pure Erda.
Edea also told them that the fog was surrounded by a powerful barrier, as though the entity had formed a shell around itself. Claudine suggested focusing their firepower at a single point, but Edea told her that they would need to clear the enemies between them and the barrier, or else the blast wouldn’t be strong enough.
Claudine decided to launch a surprise attack, which she explained was the Resistance’s specialty, so that the Nautilus could spearhead the attack while the Nova defended the rear. Neinheart asked the Adversary to help the Resistance forces, which were planning to draw the enemy’s attention to one spot by setting off massive explosions.
While Checky and the Adversary snuck past the enemies, the rest of the Resistance herded the monsters towards a central area. Checky then set off an explosion to destroy the monsters. (A/N: In the original quest, we had to defeat monsters while Checky set off the explosions, although this now just happens off-screen.) With the Resistance ships safely out of the way, Cygnus ordered the White Spear to send out a massive blast that pierced a hole through the fog.
As the airfleet pressed forward, more monsters began appearing, and Claudine feared that they would be overtaken before reaching the fog. The Adversary helped the Resistance clear up their ship deck and returned to the White Spear to report their status before heading back to the Resistance airship again.
As the airfleet reached the fog, a Nova soldier saw a giant chain flying straight toward them. He attempted to defend himself, but found that the chains had disappeared. He then saw dozens of eyes staring at him before they, too, disappeared, leaving him to wonder whether it had all been an illusion. Unbeknownst to him, a strange substance fell onto the deck of his ship.
On the Resistance deck, a soldier reported similar incidents to Claudine, who sent Belle, Checky, and Brighton to investigate before receiving a report that the White Spear had ordered reinforcements to defend the Nautilus. Claudine told the Adversary that the Nautilus had requested for them specifically, and that they had claimed that the Adversary’s presence alone would be sufficient.
(A/N: We’re basically a one-man army at this point, although one-man deck swabber would probably be more appropriate, given than 90% of this storyline is just us running around from ship to ship cleaning up monsters and fetching drops with no interesting plot to make it worthwhile. This whole area feels like atmospheric filler and I really wish that they would’ve reworked this storyline to find a better way to integrate the Alliance subplot. It’s the final battle for Maple World and all its many people’s survival and all we do is interact with the same three NPCs that bounce us around the map like a pinball. I’m really feeling the emotional stakes here, Nexon.)
Aboard the Nautilus, Kyrin told them that Edea was analyzing the situation, adding that their presence would help speed things up. (A/N: Kyrin originally asked us to defeat Soot monsters while Edea worked on her analysis.) Kyrin then decided to recommend to Cygnus that they take a more defensive formation with the fog thickening. Kyrin asked the Adversary to help escort the ships nearby and sent them to the main deck. (A/N: There was a quest that originally took place here, in which a Cygnus Knight asked us to take charge of a convoy to help defend an escort ship in trouble by defeating monsters.)
As the fog grew even thicker, a Resistance soldier reported a large collision between ships. The Adversary saw that a massive chain had wrapped around one of the ships and rushed to save them. There, they saw several injured soldiers and decided to sever the chain holding the ship. After finding a weak spot in the chain, they began attacking it and managed to free the ship. (A/N: Originally, we had to fight off monsters before breaking the chain.) However, the Adversary was surprised, as the soldiers had mentioned thousands of chains and eyes, none of which the Adversary had encountered.
Aboard the White Spear, Neinheart recommended that they maintain their current speed in order to make it out of the fog. Several hours later, the White Spear emerged out of the fog and found Tenebris floating ominously above the clouds. A soldier reported that the chain attacks had stopped, and that they had heard positive reports from the other airships. Neinheart then told Kyrin to pull the Nautilus into the clouds and set sail straight ahead toward Tenebris, after which the White Spear would follow.
The Adversary then returned to the Nautilus, where Kyrin thanked them for their help and asked them to return to the White Spear. There, Neinheart told Cygnus that he estimated that they would reach Tenebris in an hour. However, Cygnus’ thoughts turned to the prophecy as she wondered whether they had truly defied fate.
Just as the Adversary returned, the storm began to grow and caused the White Spear to tilt. Kyrin reported that there was something up ahead, to which Cygnus ordered the White Spear to take point in order to provide cover for the fleet. Edea reported that she sensed a great evil just beyond the fog, where the giant monster Gloom appeared. From its eye, a large laser beam shot out and destroyed the majority of the fleet. Cygnus immediately used Shinsoo’s gemstone to create a giant shield, which repelled Gloom’s attack enough for the White Spear and a few nearby ships to survive.
After Gloom laid waste to the fleet, it closed its eye and retreated back into the fog. Most of the Alliance fleet was destroyed from the attack and was swept away into the void, with only the White Spear and a handful of other ships surviving. As the soldiers’ morale began dwindling from fear, the Temple Keepers rushed to heal the wounded, though they soon assessed that many would need to return home.
The Adversary surveyed the damage and listened as the soldiers were consumed by fear. At the deck, they met Cygnus, who told them to prepare for a new mission to save their allies before the fleet could press on. Realizing that the pressure of command was taking its toll on Cygnus, they provided encouragement, hoping to boost her spirits.
Neinheart then arrived with Edea’s report, which stated that Gloom’s next attack would happen in twelve hours, giving the remnants of the fleet enough time to reach Tenebris. However, Cygnus pointed out that they would be ill-prepared to fight the Black Mage with their meager forces and resolved to regroup with the others in order to face Gloom together.
Neinheart asked the Adversary to search the nearby wreckage for survivors, and to help as many heroes as they could. Aboard Edea’s ship, the Adversary watched her take care of the chain monsters. Using fragments from the monsters, Edea triggered a reaction with the chain remnants attached to the ship, allowing her to learn that the chain remnants were acting as homing beacons for the enemy to pursue them. (A/N: The quest in which we obtained these fragments was removed, with Edea now having them already with her.) They then destroyed the remnants, thus preventing the enemy from learning their location, after which they returned back to the White Spear.
(A/N: Originally, we had to fight through monsters in order to reach the chain remnants. There was also a quest in-between destroying the remnants and returning back to the ship, in which we rescued survivors in the wreckage by defeating monsters. I’m actually a bit confused why this quest got removed when the entire reason that Neinheart sent us out here in the first place was to check the wreckage for survivors.)
With Gloom’s next attack nearing, the Alliance formulated a plan to amplify the White Spear’s laser with magic in order to break the barrier protecting the core. The Adversary then volunteered to destroy the core once it had been exposed. Just then, Gloom sent a wave of monsters to attack the White Spear, preventing it from focusing its laser on Gloom’s eye. Aboard the deck, the Adversary and the other soldiers fought off the monsters with powerful determination. (A/N: The actual fighting has been removed and goes straight to a cutscene of everyone facing off against the monsters.)
As the Alliance continued defending the White Spear, Cygnus resolved to be the one to protect others, rather than being protected, and her powerful determination allowed her to summon a large shield to defend her allies. However, Gloom’s attack easily shattered the shield, and she found that she was unable to summon a new one. Though she prayed to be granted the strength to protect everyone, the shield had lost its light as Cygnus fell into despair. Around her, she saw the morale of the soldiers dwindling as Gloom came closer to the White Spear.
Just as she lost hope, she recalled the Adversary’s encouragement and remembered the sacrifices which had led the Alliance to where they currently were. By inscribing those sacrifices upon her heart, Cygnus regained the determination to use her power. She then created a powerful light that served as a beacon for the ships lost in the fog. (A/N: There was a quest in-between Cygnus awakening her powers and creating the beacon that got removed, in which we fought more monsters.)
Meanwhile, the Adversary reached Gloom and weakened its eye as the White Spear fired its laser, opening the path to the core. Upon destroying the core, the Adversary was consumed with the malevolent thoughts of Gloom, preventing them from moving, just as the core began to collapse. Cygnus then personally headed to the core, where she found the Adversary and rescued them before the core exploded.
Back on the White Spear, the Temple Keepers healed the Adversary as Ollie came to congratulate them. She showed them a box, inside which a fragment of the core rested, and explained that she had been tasked with bringing it back to the Outpost for analysis. As it had been formed from the Black Mage’s soul, Ollie hoped that they could learn something from it. Several hours later, however, the Alliance was preparing to advance upon Tenebris when a soldier reported that the core fragment had exploded during transport, and that Ollie was missing.
(A/N: At the end of the Moonbridge storyline, Cygnus Knights get an extra quest with Neinheart, who asks them if they had seen the light that the Empress had wielded to block Gloom’s attack. He notes that her power was much stronger than what she had used to save Shinsoo after Damien’s attack. He reminds us that the Cygnus Knights’ power is directly linked to that of the Empress, to which we note that we can feel a surge of strength within us. Neinheart explains that though he doesn’t know what this means for the future, the boost in power is nevertheless helpful for their current situation. Following this conversation, Cygnus Knights’ 5th job skill “Empress Cygnus’ Blessing” gets upgraded into “Transcendent Cygnus’ Blessing”.
The scene between Shinsoo and Cygnus early in this storyline, as well as its connection with this exclusive quest, is somewhat recontexualized by the Arteria storyline, which reveals that Shinsoo is an Ancient God. Putting aside the ridiculous amount of mental gymnastics required to make sense of this and all its continuity errors, it elaborates a bit more about the kind of power that Cygnus wields throughout the game, whether it’s Shinsoo’s Ancient God powers, her own partially-awakened Transcendent powers, and sometimes a combination of the two.
Based on everything we know from past storylines, combined with the Arteria storyline and a bit of headcanon, Shinsoo was tasked by the Overseers with watching over the Empress’ bloodline until the day that a new Transcendent is needed to replace one that’s disappeared, whether that’s Rhinne or Alicia (or possibly the Black Mage, but the mechanics for mortal-born Transcendents have gotten pretty wonky over the years, so I’m not sure how the specifics for that would work.)
Since Zero replaced Rhinne and Alicia is still technically alive, Cygnus’ unexpected awakening at a moment when all the Transcendents are around puts her in a limbo state as a Transcendent-in-reserve until Zero or Alicia die, allowing her to replace them as a fully-awakened Transcendent. Zero dying is never gonna happen for obvious reasons, and Alicia dying may or may not happen depending on what Darmoor has planned, but given that he’s harvesting the power of higher beings, rather than killing them outright, it’s unlikely that Cygnus fully awakening is in the cards at this time.
In regard to Cygnus and her powers, the only power that the Empress is meant to wield is Shinsoo’s, which Shinsoo can’t manifest on her own, likely because the Transcendents suppress her powers as an Ancient God. As a result, each Empress spends years in a state of weakness until their adult body can handle the power of the gods flowing into them. Through Cygnus as a medium, Shinsoo can manifest her powers in order to strengthen the Cygnus Knights and create the protective barrier around Ereve.
After Cygnus prematurely awakened as a Transcendent-in-reserve, the Knights got an added power boost through Cygnus’ new abilities, which is independent of Shinsoo’s. After Shinsoo left Ereve, Cygnus likely stopped absorbing Shinsoo’s powers without the two of them being in close proximity to each other, until Shinsoo gave her the diadem that contains a portion of her Ancient God powers. Because of this, Cygnus - who’s now reached adulthood - can fully command Shinsoo’s powers, on top of the Transcendent powers that she’s awakened, allowing her - and the Knights, by extension - to grow even more powerful.)
Labyrinth of Suffering:
(A/N: Similar to Moonbridge, the 20th anniversary event in KMS deleted several quests in the Labyrinth of Suffering storyline. While these changes made completing the storyline faster, I personally hate them because of how they took away from the atmosphere and tension of the plot. Just like with Moonbridge, I’ll put what originally happened in the author notes.)
As the fog around Moonbridge lifted, Ollie was rescued from the core fragment explosion by the Flying Fish, which had regained its original form after being stuck as Jean in the Morass. After dropping her back off at the White Spear, the Flying Fish told Ollie that it would be back when it was time before it flew off.
Soon after, Ollie met with the leaders of the Alliance aboard the deck of the White Spear. Claudine asked Ollie if she was alright, as she had been exposed to the souls pouring out of the core fragment. Neinheart told Claudine that their examinations had found no lingering effects, though he added that Ollie had something important to say.
Ollie told them that exposure to the core, which had been formed from the Black Mage’s soul, had allowed her to see the Black Mage’s past, back when he had still been the White Mage. She described how the White Mage had stepped into the divine realm, beyond the horizon of awareness, as he had reached for the ultimate light. She explained that his heart had been filled with indescribable joy at the prospect of moving forward, at last, to a world complete and free of irrationalities and evil, which he called the Divine City.
(A/N: The Divine City is a reference to a book called The City of God, written by the philosopher Augustine of Hippo in the fifth century. It’s one of the most influential works of Christian philosophy and explores pivotal themes like human suffering, free will, good and evil, and the original sin. The Divine City is something that was introduced way back in the White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum, in which the White Mage explained that his goal was to replicate the Divine City on Maple World, except GMS made the dumb decision to omit what’s essentially the central thesis of his life’s ambition.
Before I jump into it, I want to give the disclaimer that I have absolutely no knowledge or background in philosophy, and so everything that I’ve written is through me spending the better part of two days trying to understand the main concepts, which means that while I’m fairly confident in what I’m about to say, there’s a chance that some of this might be inaccurate. I’m always looking to keep everything on this site as accurate as possible, so if you happen to find any mistakes, don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know.
Jumping back into the City of God, the context for its writing is that after the sack of Rome in 410 AD, many Romans believed it to be a punishment from the gods for forsaking their traditional Roman religion in favor of Christianity. Augustine wrote the book in order to reassure them that converting to Christianity wasn’t a mistake.
The first half of the book was a scathing critique of paganism and an assertion that the fall of Rome had been because of moral decay, while Christianity had actually been one of the few things that had helped them. The second half of the book outlines two conceptual societies - the City of God and the Earthly City, which have been interlocked in conflict from the beginning of time until the end. The City of God is described as a state of salvation for those who place their faith in God, while the Earthly City is one in which people revel in superficial pleasures.
A lot of the concepts regarding the White Mage and his personal journey can be found in Augustine’s principles. He explains that the two cities are in conflict not just spiritually, but through politics and military as well, with God intervening to guide the actions of the people of His city to victory against the Earthly City and those who’ve sided with the Devil. He believes that as a result of the original sin, humans are fundamentally evil and need to be ruled by government to prevent them from selfishly hurting other people.
However, he also believes that even people from the Earthly City inherently desire peace, and since there are so many different people with different needs and desires, the role of government should be limited in order to not trample on people’s lives, and that it should only exist to guide people towards peace. At the same time, however, he also believes that in order to achieve peace, violence is both needed and justified if it means stopping a greater evil from taking over, citing how the sack of Rome was needed to purge the moral decay by the roots so that it could become part of the City of God. However, he adds that committing violence can only be justified through a holy war, and only if God has commanded for it to happen.
Within the context of the game, the Earthly City corresponds to Maple World in the time of the White Mage, in which the world was filled with violence from monster attacks, insular nations ruled by selfish aristocrats who profited off suffering, and endless civil wars that killed and displaced countless innocents. It was suggested that during this time, humanity was on an imminent course for annihilation, as the moral decay of the world was too deep to repair through conventional efforts.
Because of this, the White Mage sought to save the world by bringing them to the City of God - which isn’t a physical city, but a state of mind that eschews hedonistic pleasure in favor of wisdom and knowledge. He believed that this knowledge would complete humanity and evolve them into beings that could finally know the peace and freedom of the gods.
However, this is where the game subverts Augustine’s thesis by showing that the City of God never existed to begin with. The framework of his assertion is still there - that there are higher beings that intervene in the world for the sake of maintaining their divine will, but the nature of those beings is nothing like the benevolence of God that Augustine knows. Far from acting to bring people to the City of God, the Overseers actively manipulate the world to deny it salvation by keeping it anchored to the Earthly City. When the White Mage declares that there is no ultimate light, he’s saying that there fundamentally is no City of God because the existence of an absolute good can’t exist when God himself is corrupt.
Augustine’s belief in evil is that it was created through humans corrupting themselves with the free will that they were given by God, as God being a source of absolute good means that nothing in creation can inherently be evil, and so evil was created by the human soul through warping its own nature. However, bringing this into the context of the game, if the Overseers are the absolute authority of the universe, and if their purpose is to actively keep humanity anchored to evil, then accordingly, it would mean that ultimate light doesn’t exist, ultimate darkness does exist, and everything in creation is inherently flawed because of this, which is what led the White Mage to believe that salvation lay only in the destruction of God.
Even after he awakens as the Black Mage, you can see some of Augustine’s principles in play through his actions - borrowing the power of the gods in order to hold their authority, thereby allowing him to grant himself the permission of God to initiate his holy war against evil, embracing and justifying violence for the sake of stopping a greater evil, purging humanity in a war of genocide to wipe out the moral rot, and a high regard for the free will of mortals by using the Seal Stone as his tool to destroy the Overseers.
The absence of a City of God in the game brings up an interesting question of how humans can find salvation after rejecting the divine. Personally, I think the key difference in the game is that unlike real life, there was no original sin in the story, which means that humans aren’t fundamentally evil in accordance to Augustine’s reasoning. Augustine’s work actually inspired another philosopher named Thomas Aquinas, who ironically came to the exact opposite conclusion - that humans are inherently good, and that it’s possible to be happy and peaceful in the Earthly City, even if absolute happiness isn’t possible, which, in the context of the game, is a direct rebuttal to the White Mage’s philosophy and something that he admits to the Adversary in Limina.
Between 1259 and 1265, Aquinas wrote a series of four books as part of a collection called Summa contra Gentiles, in which he explained that absolute happiness isn’t possible because the world is filled with too much selfishness. He believes that God had created humans with the intent that they would come seeking His perfect knowledge and be completed, giving them absolute happiness and pleasure on an incomprehensible level.
However, he makes a distinction between perfect happiness, which he calls beatitudo, and imperfect happiness, which he calls felicitas. This is a refutation of Augustine’s principle that humanity is inherently evil and incapable of natural goodness. He cites Aristotle’s natural virtues and explains that along with the virtues of God, humanity is capable of attaining happiness on the mortal plane. However, he emphasizes that people have a natural drive to become complete, and that felicitas will eventually stop feeling like it’s enough, as no matter how happy people are, they’ll always feel like there’s something missing, which is their desire for beatitudo.
In context of the game, Aquinas’ writings acknowledge the White Mage’s belief that the world is imperfect and even goes as far as to justify his search for the ultimate light as a natural instinct of a being who seeks to be completed. However, his belief that humanity is inherently good refutes the idea that people are relegated to misery because an imperfect happiness, while not absolute, is founded on the basis that human beings choosing to be virtuous can create a worthwhile existence, even while trapped in the Earthly City.
Within the context of Augustine’s writing, Cygnus and her government in the Earthly City are actually the perfect form of authority. Just as he had outlined, the Empress is very hands-off and allows each nation to rule itself for the most part, thereby avoiding infringing on people’s wills. However, when it comes to defending the world from darkness, she utilizes all of her authority to wage war against the moral corruption that threatens her people. Taking the ideas that humans are neither inherently pure good or pure evil, and given the existence of the divine as corrupt, it supports the idea that humans should have the capacity to govern themselves in adherence to their virtues, rather than live under the rule of murderous gods, and the fact that Maple World’s government adheres to Augustine’s ideals supports this principle that humanity already has everything it needs in order to evolve itself into a better existence.
The Adversary’s victory over the Black Mage is a refutation of Augustine’s belief that humanity is sinful because of their free will, and the existence of the Seal Stone as a relic created by humanity through reclaiming the corrupt power of the Overseers inside the World Heart, the original relic upon which the weaker Godspheres and Seal Stones were made, remodeling it to awaken on a new set of conditions that embrace collective willpower, and creating a new type of demigod in the form of the Adversary, who exists as a unique amalgam of mortal and god, is a redefinition of divinity by placing its value in being flawed, rather than in an absolute good or evil to strive towards.
It adopts Aquinas’ belief that imperfect happiness and peace is possible to replicate in the Earthly City, and goes further to show that its imperfection is, in itself, an attainment of their ideals, as the drive to seek greater happiness - when applied with virtue - is what drives humanity closer to completing itself on its own merits, rather than by placing importance on abstract, unattainable, and flawed ideals like ultimate light or a City of God, as there’s no truth to be found in the constructs of a god without sanctity.)
Just then, however, he had found himself being held back by an unknown force that Ollie described as the world itself, or something beyond that. When Edea asked her what she meant, Ollie replied that she found it difficult to describe, though she attempted to explain it as the force of order, an essence of balance, principles, and rules. She explained that it was shapeless as fog, conceptual and abstract in nature, though she knew that it was real because of the way it had wrapped around the White Mage like an unbreakable chain, colder and heavier than any metal in existence.
(A/N: Something interesting is that Aeona described the voice of the Overseers as beautiful and cold, similar to how Ollie describes their influence as cold and metallic. In the Black Mage: Origin webcomic, we get to see another rendition of the White Mage entering the divine realm, which shows him standing on a large chessboard in the middle of space, with a large, eye-like nebula staring back at him, suggested to be the Overseer of Light.
The aesthetic of the Overseers being beautiful, cold, abstract, and synthetic is probably the closest thing that we have in the game to a true, omnipotent god compared to both the Transcendents and the Ancient Gods. Their existence is something that goes beyond the physical plane, melded as one with the universe itself. They’re imperceptible and unknowable, which adds a layer of intrigue and uncertainty to them because they’re forces of nature that behave mechanically and methodically, making them quite different to the villains that we normally face who have bodies, emotions, and desires of their own.)
The White Mage had demanded to know why the Overseers refused change, and why they allowed the world to remain stagnant and incomplete forever. Furious at the Overseers for deliberately leaving humanity to suffer without end, he had chosen to reject them, vowing that he would break free from the chains that kept the world anchored to darkness, even if he had to destroy the world itself in order to change it. In that moment, he had embraced the ultimate darkness and had awakened as the Transcendent of Light.
(A/N: I was talking to someone who plays in KMS, and they were telling me about one interesting nuance in the Korean dialogue that couldn’t get carried over in the English text. In the KMS dialogue, the White Mage has consistently used the highest form of honorifics to refer to every single person that he’s ever spoken with, but the one time that he ever drops his respectful way of speaking is to yell at the Overseers after learning what they’ve done to the world. I really like the added nuance in the Korean dialogue because it does an even better job of showing just how angry he was at the Overseers for indolently abandoning the world and its people.
There are a few other cases with honorifics that they were telling me about as well, but my favorite thing ever is that in Kinesis’ storyline, the White Mage talks to Kinesis very politely, and meanwhile, Kinesis talks to the White Mage with the same honorifics that he’d use to talk to an underclassman, which goes beyond disrespectful, as it’s basically him, a teenager, talking to an adult as though they were a little kid. It really adds a lot to Kinesis’ personality and goes to show just how much he hates the White Mage for what he did to Friends World and Yuna.)
Though Claudine and Edea were disturbed to know that the Black Mage wasn’t merely a madman out to destroy the world, Cygnus asked them to focus, as they were fighting to ensure the survival of their worlds. Neinheart agreed, reminding them that the Black Mage’s means were ruinous, regardless of how noble his ideals were. Ollie then told them that the final thought that she had felt from the Black Mage had been his goal to build the Path to Genesis.
Just then, an Alliance soldier reported that they were about to reach Tenebris. Neinheart told the Adversary that it would be their responsibility to serve as the vanguard of the Alliance and to forge their path through the darkness as they reached the heart of Tenebris. However, Cygnus told Neinheart that the White Spear would be the vanguard and instead asked the Adversary to provide cover from the rear until the entire Alliance fleet reached Tenebris. Neinheart protested, telling Cygnus that the Alliance would collapse without its leader if she were to fall during the front charge, to which Cygnus then asked Neinheart why he was so willing to put the Adversary at the front if it was so dangerous.
(A/N: At this point in time, Cygnus has reached adulthood and has claimed the full power of Shinsoo. Her new personality lies in stark contrast to her happy, compassionate childhood self. There are quite a number of jaw-dropping moments like these where she acts out-of-character in both Tenebris and beyond. I’m sure that the writers probably wanted to demonstrate her being older and more mature, but it still feels really weird to see Cygnus behave like this. There’s one moment in Limina, in particular, that I absolutely hated, which you’ll see fairly soon in the next section.)
Cygnus reassured Neinheart that she wasn’t scolding him, but she pointed out that she could most effectively lead the fleet from the front, as well as provide better support, since she knew more about the fleet’s capabilities. She also added that if she used her command to keep herself safe, the Alliance would lose its trust in her. Neinheart reluctantly agreed to her plan and told the Adversary to watch their flank.
(A/N: Several classes get exclusive dialogue here, although sadly, Explorers, Adele, Khali, Hoyoung, and Lara got nothing. Those Grandis classes were released after Tenebris, which might be why they don’t get their own script. Kain was technically released after Tenebris as well, although he probably got dialogue because his is shared with the rest of the Nova, while the Flora classes at the time - Illium and Ark - had unique scripts and the Anima classes didn’t exist at all. Nexon was probably just too lazy to come up with unique scripts for Adele, Khali, and the Anima classes.
Cygnus Knights and Mihile note to themselves that the Empress has grown much stronger, and that they’ll support her as best as they can.
Resistance classes and Xenon sense the Empress’ determination and recall how Edelstein had escaped the Black Wings by stopping Black Heaven. However, they realize that this fight is bigger, as everyone is at risk. They think to themselves that they should renew the resolutions that they’ve made with their allies, noting that Claudine has joined everyone to help fight in the monstrous battle that they’re now facing.
The Demon notes that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about her determination, he looks back on when he had watched his family home burn with his own eyes, and when he had killed Damien with his own hands. He recalls that the determination and rage that he had felt back then was just as intense as it feels today. He then steels his resolve, reminding himself that it’s nearly time to face the Black Mage.
Aran, Mercedes, Luminous, and Shade sense the Empress’ strong resolve and note to themselves that though it’s been a long journey, they’ll finally meet the Black Mage soon. Shade gets some additional dialogue, in which he thinks to himself that he still remembers the decision that he made on that day. He recalls the determination that he’d had when he had left everything behind and had risked his life to stop the Black Mage, vowing that he’ll remember that determination when he faces the Black Mage again. The decision that he’s talking about is his vow that he’ll do anything to stop the Black Mage, even if it means that he’ll fade out of existence completely as a result.
Evan senses the Empress’ determination and notes to himself that it’s almost time to face the Black Mage. Though the thought makes him nervous, he vows to gather his strength, after which he and Mir reaffirm that they’re in it together.
Phantom senses the Empress’ strong resolve and wonders to himself whether it was how Aria had felt back then.
For Zero, Alpha and Beta both sense the Empress’ resolve and note that it’s nearly time to face the Black Mage. Beta asks Alpha if he’s shaking, which he vehemently denies. He tells her that he can’t leave Maple World, a place that Rhinne loved so much, in such a state, adding that as Transcendents of Maple World, they’re responsible for defending it. Beta agrees and vows that they’ll protect their world.
Nova classes note to themselves that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, they realize that if they don’t win the war, then Grandis won’t be safe either. They then resolve themselves to defend Maple World and Grandis.
Illium notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, he realizes that if they don’t win the war, then Maple World will end up just like the Verdant Flora, which would also mean the end of Grandis. He then resolves to defend Maple World so that others won’t have to go through what the Verdant Flora had.
Ark notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about the upcoming battle, he realizes that it’s a battle to survive, which is quite unlike the wars of the High Flora. He thinks to himself that he can’t stand seeing others disappear like they had in the High Flora purges, and he resolves to help defend Maple World so that what had happened on Verdel won’t happen again.
Kinesis notes to himself that the Empress is more resolved than ever. He reminds himself that this is just the beginning, and that if they don’t win the war, then he won’t be able to go back to Seoul. He then resolves to defend Maple World the same way that he had defended Seoul so that he can get back to his friends.
Additionally, while these classes aren’t canon to the main story, I’ll still list them here in case anyone was interested. I’ve added these lines to the GMS-verse section as well. I currently don’t have anything story-related on Mo Xuan as of now, since he’s neither part of the main story nor GMS-verse, although I’m planning to add him to the Maple Anthologies section one of these days. Zen is technically part of GMS-verse, but his storyline had such little coverage online that any chance of grabbing his exclusive dialogue has now been lost, as he’s unfortunately been removed from the game.
All the GMS-verse classes note to themselves that the Empress is more resolved than ever. Thinking about her determination, Beast Tamer and the Sengoku classes remind themselves that they need to defend Maple World, while Jett reminds herself that she’d better get back to them all.)
After the Adversary left, Cygnus confided to Neinheart that she had sensed a darkness hanging over the Adversary, which was the real reason why she had wanted them to stay back. Recalling the Black Mage’s prophecy, “A light whose brilliant glory is lost will face the soul of the world whilst steeped in mire and rot,” Cygnus had a terrible feeling that they would never see the Adversary again.
As the Adversary headed to the rear, they encountered Melange, who had been assigned to the same battleship. They thanked him for his help in dealing with Will, though Melange told them that he was unsure whether he could help them in the same way again. As they approached Tenebris, the darkness quickly began consuming their vision. Neinheart attempted to contact them about the lack of enemy movements, but the communication device soon stopped working. As the darkness grew even more intense, the Adversary was filled with an unusual sense of hopelessness and wondered why their thoughts had changed so suddenly.
(A/N: The Heroes get some exclusive dialogue here. As the darkness begins consuming everything, all the Heroes except Luminous wish that Luminous were there with them. As someone who hates the Adversary storyline, I also wish that the conclusion of this almost two decades-long story weren’t reduced to a one-man show. Phantom gets some additional dialogue when he says this, in which he says, “Never here when I need him… I’m telling you, he’s useless!”
The Heroes then realize that if Luminous had cast a light, then it would be visible ahead, making them realize that something might have happened on his end, which heavily suggests that all the classes in the game were technically present at Tenebris, and that the writers made it so that we not only don’t talk to a single one of them, but also that they did absolutely nothing significant, just so that the writers could make their generic protagonist more important than anyone else in the universe. Was it really that hard to add just one exclusive scene for each class where they meet another class NPC?
Luminous gets some alternative dialogue, in which he starts feeling like his own light is fading. He wonders whether it’s because of the Black Mage’s power, but he then realizes that no matter how strong the Black Mage is, even he can’t expel light itself. He then wonders what it is that the Black Mage is planning.
Illium also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that even the light of the Elder Crystal is fading.)
With no communications and no clear line of vision, a Resistance soldier reported that there was no way to signal the rest of the fleet. As the airship was pulled down, Melange ominously told them that they were already in ‘her’ clutches. He then told the Adversary, “Her sword is trapped in the haze of the Black Sun until the lying hand that blinds the eyes vanishes and the red thread that binds is cut. We have no choice but to dance with her.” Outside, a flash of lightning revealed a massive labyrinth until the darkness returned to cloud their vision. As everything disappeared, Melange cryptically told the Adversary to remember that "all roads exist inside your heart.”
(A/N: GMS is very inconsistent with the exclusive dialogue that references what Melange says here later on. Some characters will hear “mind” instead of “heart”, or even “paths” instead of “roads”. Based on the original KMS dialogue, I think that “all roads exist inside your heart” is the intended phrase, and so I’ve standardized it as such throughout this section.)
The ship then crashed in the Labyrinth of Suffering, where the Adversary awoke to find that several crewmembers, including Melange, were missing, and that communications were still down. The Adversary decided to climb up the wall to find their bearings and saw that all of Tenebris was an immense maze.
Suddenly, the walls began growing even taller, knocking the Adversary back on the ground. With few options, they decided to headcount the members present in order to find who was missing, after which they would recover any supplies from the destroyed ship before heading out to search for the others.
They picked up several barrier stones and placed them at natural choke points in order to defend against unknown threats. They were also able to salvage rations and flares, though one of the Resistance soldiers noted that damage to the ship had been focused on the most critical parts. The Adversary then tried to use one of the flares to signal the fleet, but found that they were unable to light it.
In order to kindle a small fire, the Adversary decided to find flint and tree branches in the labyrinth. The group then obtained a long rope, which they planned to tie to the ship while holding the other end in order to prevent themselves from getting lost in the labyrinth. The Adversary organized three groups and warned them not to stray too far from the ship.
(A/N: Anyone who’s ever seen a horror movie knows that this is a terrible idea. The quest to find the flint and tree branches got removed, and the scene instead fades out to black before fading back in to show us returning back from collecting the materials off-screen.)
After finding the materials inside the labyrinth, the Adversary returned back to the crash side, where they found that the other groups hadn’t returned. In order to signal the groups to return, the Adversary decided to use another flare. As the flare reached the sky, it mysteriously vanished, as did the next one that they used. With no more flares and no other options, the Adversary decided to look for the groups themselves.
Suddenly, one of the barrier stones activated, signaling an enemy attack. The Adversary and the other soldiers defended the camp from the Dark Miscreations, though two soldiers were lost. Frustrated at how fast their ranks were disappearing, the Adversary decided to search the area with two of the remaining soldiers and ordered a Temple Keeper to guard the wounded Nova soldier. (A/N: The Temple Keeper tells us that she’s scared to be alone, and so we get the choice to have someone stay with her or make her stay by herself.) The Temple Keeper also asked to have the Nova soldier tied to a barrel for her own safety, as he appeared delirious from fear.
The Adversary then entered the labyrinth once again, though the two soldiers accompanying them were quickly lost while inside. Wandering alone, the Adversary found a door that unexpectedly led back to the crash site.
(A/N: Originally, we wandered around the 5x5 grid maze and eventually found a blue Labyrinth Core, which we had to destroy before finding the door that leads us back to the crash site. I’m not sure why the parts with the Labyrinth Core got removed, since it was a somewhat important plot point.)
Back at the crash site, they found only the wounded Nova soldier tied up, with the Temple Keeper assigned to watch over him gone. (A/N: If we chose to have someone stay with her, they’re also gone.) The soldier chuckled, telling the Adversary that everyone had trusted them and asked how they expected to save the world when they couldn’t even save their friends. The Adversary accused him of being the reason why everyone kept disappearing, but the soldier told them that it was their own fault for bringing them there, splitting them up, and putting them in danger.
He asked if they had started believing that they were special simply because others had said so, declaring that they couldn’t even protect the people next to them. As his voice kept growing louder with accusations and insults, the Adversary instinctively lashed out at the soldier, who vanished in a puff of smoke.
(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, which is slightly different depending on whether you were Alpha or Beta at the time of this cutscene triggering. Regardless of who you were, you call out to your twin and wonder why you’re getting no answer. You note that your twin feels strange, as it feels like they’re not there, despite you being able to see them next to you.
If you’re currently playing as Alpha, you’ll say that it feels like the time that you saw Beta bound in the Umbra Temple. Meanwhile, if you’re playing as Beta, you’ll say that it feels like the time that you saw a vision of Alpha when you were bound in the Umbra Temple.
Evan also gets some similar exclusive dialogue here, in which he calls out to Mir and wonders why he’s getting no answer. He notes that something isn’t right with Mir, as it feels as though he’s not actually present, even though he’s right next to him.)
Suddenly, they heard a mysterious voice asking the Adversary to save them. They then entered the labyrinth and found a new region, which had previously been blocked by a wall. There, they found light emanating from a cave blocked by tree roots. After destroying the roots, they headed toward the light, just as tree roots magically grew to block the entrance behind them. They arrived in a deeper section of the labyrinth and proceeded deeper inside, where they found an unconscious Alliance soldier ensnared in roots.
(A/N: Before finding the Alliance soldier, we originally had to fight through Despairing Wing and Despairing Blade monsters. These monsters are meant to be fallen Nova and Cygnus Knight soldiers, which have been revived by Hilla. Throughout the deeper parts of the labyrinth, we encounter a lot more monsters meant to be dead Nova, Resistance, and Cygnus Knight soldiers, and while it may seem like all these Alliance soldiers are dead, all the fallen soldiers that we fight in the labyrinth are just illusions that Hilla created to break our spirit.
From the very beginning, we’ve been the only member of the Alliance actually inside the labyrinth, with even the crewmembers that we crash-landed with being illusions. One thing that clues us in on this is that Melange is nowhere to be found, despite having been on the ship with us. We, most likely, got tossed overboard from our ship because of the turbulence, causing us to fall into the labyrinth alone. The rest of the Alliance is still outside attempting to land the fleet past the monsters flying around the skies of Tenebris.)
After cutting the Alliance soldier free, the Adversary found more Despairing monsters chasing after them. The Adversary picked up the Alliance soldier and managed to outrun the monsters. (A/N: The quest where we kill monsters was replaced by a cutscene of us killing monsters.) After losing them, the Alliance soldier introduced herself as a Night Walker named Azalin. She immediately recognized the Adversary and noted that they had done many great things throughout their journey.
(A/N: You can easily tell that Azalin is Hilla with brown hair. One plot hole that opens up because of this is that every class who witnessed Hilla’s scheme to dethrone Cygnus with the fake Skaia should’ve immediately recognized that Azalin’s appearance matched Hilla’s noblewoman disguise from that conference. In particular, this should include Aran, Mercedes, and Phantom, who were all present when it happened.
A lot of classes also get some exclusive dialogue when they speak with Azalin. Unfortunately, Explorers (including Jett), and the Anima classes don’t get anything. I was a bit surprised that the Anima don’t get any exclusive dialogue, since all the other Grandis classes get the same exclusive script. I’m guessing that the developers probably don’t have an internal grouping for Grandis classes in their codebase, but instead, they have groupings based on class groupings, like the Nova, the Flora, the Heroes, etc.
Since there were no Anima classes at the time of Tenebris, they likely had flags included for the Nova and Flora class groups, which would trigger the exclusive dialogue when the code checks to see if the player falls under the category of the Nova or the Flora, since they don’t internally group by Grandis classes or Maple World classes. That would explain why Kain got dialogue with Cygnus earlier, since he’d be grouped together under the Nova, and why Adele and Khali got dialogue here, but not with Cygnus, since the Cygnus dialogue was individual for each Flora class, but the Azalin dialogue is the same for all the Flora.
For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, she tells them that as a Knight, she’s always looked up to their example, and that she’d always wonder if it was even possible to be like them. Upon finally meeting them, however, she laughs that they’re more ordinary than she’d expected. The Knight gets offended and wonders to themselves what she’s implying, to which she asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.
For the main Resistance and Xenon, she tells them that despite the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance being at odds for years, it looks like they’re in it together now. However, she coyly adds that she’s sure that they don’t completely trust her yet.
For the Demon, Azalin tells him that it’s funny how he seeks to destroy the Black Mage after having once been his right-hand. She then wonders who could have predicted something like that. She notes that the Alliance still accepts him, despite knowing what he’s done for the Black Mage, adding that she was surprised, asking who would’ve thought that someone could defect a second time and side with the Black Mage again. The Demon asks her what it is that she wants to say, to which Azalin merely says that she hopes that he’s made the right choice. The Demon notes to himself that something is off, after which Azalin says that what’s important is right now.
For Aran, Mercedes, and Luminous, Azalin notes how incredible it is that all the legendary Heroes who had once sealed the Black Mage away have returned, adding that she’s honored to be with them as they make history. She tells them that they seem as energetic as ever, despite how much time has passed, which surprises her, as she would’ve imagined that the long fight would be exhausting for them.
She then jokingly asks if they’re feeling rested because they’ve been sealed away for so long. They demand to know what she means by that, to which she interrupts and asks if she’s touched a nerve before saying that she had merely been thinking out loud. They then angrily wonder to themselves whether she’d really had the audacity to cut them off.
For Evan, Azalin notes how impressive it is that he’s the descendant of a great mage like Freud, despite being so young. She adds that Freud was truly incredible, and that she doesn’t know how anyone could match such a master of magic. She then apologizes and claims that she’s not saying anything about Evan specifically, as she’s simply making observations.
For Phantom, Azalin notes that he had even managed to stop Hilla from claiming the throne, adding that he must be pretty sharp to see through her tricks. She then adds that though everyone else was fooled, nothing got by him, although I guess that doesn’t include him getting fooled by the exact same disguise that he saw through the first time.
For Shade, Azalin notes that it’s strange that despite him not having any large, stand-out achievements, he had just happened to have one day fallen in with the legendary Heroes. She adds that while she doesn’t know whether he’s just well-connected, there has to be some reason why the Heroes let him hang out with them. She then asks if she’s touched a nerve before saying that she had merely been thinking out loud.
For Zero, she tells Alpha and Beta that she’s heard that they’re the new Transcendents who would succeed Rhinne as the Transcendent of Time. She adds that she can believe it, as she can feel the power shared between the two of them, and notes that it’s no wonder that the Black Mage’s Commanders have been after them. Alpha and Beta then wonder to themselves how Azalin knows that they’re Transcendents, and how she knows that they’ve faced the Commanders.
Just as they begin to ask her, Azalin interrupts them and says that since they’re a Transcendent split in two, she wouldn’t think that their powers actually match those of a real Transcendent. Just as they start getting offended that she cut them off, Azalin adds that the person next to them seems odd, referring to their twin, which is a reference to the earlier dialogue about our twin disappearing.
For the Nova, the Flora, Kinesis, Hayato, and Kanna, she tells them that she had always been surprised to hear that they had helped Maple World so much, since they’re not from around there.
The Nova and Flora classes get some additional dialogue here, in which Azalin, under her breath, snidely wonders how they could ever save Maple World when they can’t even protect their own. When the player asks her what she had just said, Azalin tells them that she had merely said that they seem a little distracted.
The Sengoku classes also get some additional dialogue, in which Azalin tells them that in any event, she knows that there are two sides, and so she asks them which one they’re on, laughing that they’ll need allies who can help them out in a pinch. She then asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.
For Beast Tamer, Azalin notes that Chase is from Arboren, and that she’s heard that Chase is also a big fan of the Heroes who had sealed the Black Mage. She adds that heroes who can save the world are amazing people, though she then points out that Chase hasn’t actually met the Heroes, adding that she had expected more from her. She then asks if she’s hit a nerve before adding that she didn’t mean it, and that she’d just been thinking out loud.
For context, when Beast Tamer was first released, she had an extremely long, tedious, and borderline torturous storyline to complete. However, the storyline itself was perfectly fine, it was just the arduous fetch and kill quests that were the problem. But since Nexon hates putting in effort to fix anything, they just decided to scrap her entire storyline after level 30, which now ends in the most random and abrupt way.
Her original storyline focused on her meeting the Heroes and proving herself to Neinheart and Cygnus in order to join the Alliance, while a Team Rocket knockoff called Triple Volt attempted to capture her animal companions. With over 80% of her storyline removed, the only remaining parts are her beginning quests in Arboren, her ten-second meeting with Evan in Henesys, and then a final quest at level 140 that has her officially join the Alliance while all the Heroes look on proudly at her.
The questline about her joining the Alliance in the first place has been completely scrapped, which makes it feel extremely jarring to see the Heroes in her level 140 quest talk about all her adventures that don’t happen in the game anymore. But that aside, the problem with this exclusive dialogue is that even though most of her storyline has been removed, she still technically does meet the Heroes at the end of her storyline, which makes Azalin’s claim incorrect.
After all the class-exclusive dialogue happens, there’s another piece of exclusive dialogue that occurs if the player has completed the Azwan storyline. Azalin notes that when she thinks about it, the Adversary really does tend to be wherever things are going wrong. She points out how they had driven Hilla from Azwan, and how they had gone after the Black Mage’s Commanders, whom they had taken out one by one.
The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue during this part, in which Hilla asks him how it had felt to take out the Commanders, since they had once been his comrades. She notes that he must have a cold heart, as she can’t think of how else he could have killed Damien, his own brother, with his own hands. However, she then adds that she didn’t mean anything by it, as she’s simply stating facts.
The Demon’s dialogue then converges back to the regular exclusive dialogue, in which Azalin says that though some of the Commanders have disappeared completely from Maple World, there are others whom the Adversary has merely slowed down.
If the player hasn’t completed the Azwan storyline, Azalin will instead just note that things haven’t really gone according to plan.)
Azalin told the Adversary that they had all been depending on the Adversary to lead them through the fight. However, she told them that they only had to look around in order to see what their situation was. She explained that she had been expecting it, as they weren’t actually fighting the real problem, which was that there were always problems when people came together. She told the Adversary that everyone really just wanted their own happiness, and that fighting the Black Mage didn’t change that basic fact. However, she told them not to worry, as people’s wishes still came true, even in the darkest times.
As the Adversary began questioning her words, Azalin changed the subject and asked where the rest of their team had gone. The Adversary told her that they had gotten separated in the labyrinth, after which the rest of the soldiers had mysteriously vanished one by one. They explained that they had discovered her after hearing someone screaming, but Azalin replied that she hadn’t been screaming, pointing out that she had been knocked out when they had found her.
Though Azalin’s words made sense, the Adversary couldn’t help but feel confused, as they were sure that they had heard someone scream right where Azalin was, and that it had stopped the moment that they had found her. Azalin then offered to help them find the rest of their team, but the Adversary told her that it would be safer to regroup at her ship in order to gather supplies and plan their next move. However, Azalin replied that she couldn’t remember where her ship had crashed, as she could only recall seeing the Adversary upon waking up.
The Adversary then decided that they would return to their own ship and began leading the way. To their surprise, however, many of the landmarks that they had mentally noted had vanished, causing them to get lost. Azalin testily asked them whether they were sure that they knew where they were going, causing the already-stressed Adversary to grow even more anxious.
As they continued wandering through the labyrinth, the Adversary found something glittering on the wall. Believing it to be a blocked tunnel, the Adversary attempted to break through, causing the ground to shake as a horde of monsters appeared and began attacking them. Frustrated at the Adversary's ineptitude, Azalin decided to lead the way instead. After outrunning the monsters, Azalin told the Adversary that she couldn’t trust them anymore and told them to listen to her before leading them ahead.
(A/N: Originally, this part was a lot more involved, and it’s one of the reasons why I don’t like the quest removals. After escaping the monsters, Azalin would ask us to collect Burning Black Souls in order to find clues about the labyrinth. After we obtained the souls from the monsters, we would start heading back when we’d hear a voice warning us about danger. However, we would believe that it’s all in our head, and so we’d ignore the voice and bring the souls back to Azalin, who would then tell us that she can’t find any clues from them.
Regarding the voice that we hear, there are two different voices that we hear in the labyrinth. One of them is a dark voice that Hilla creates to unravel us, while the other is the voice of the divine light that accompanies us on our journey. You can generally tell which voice is which depending on their actions, as the dark voice usually manifests as people crying out for help in order to bait us towards danger, while the divine light is meant to help us by steering us away from danger. As our psychological state begins deteriorating in the labyrinth, the divine light begins getting muffled, and the dark voice grows louder, eventually consuming us with despair and causing us to lose the will to live.
After we get the souls, Azalin takes us through the labyrinth, where we fight through the undead Alliance soldiers. We then have to go through a bunch of different paths by choosing to go left or right, which is supposed to be extremely frustrating because we keep getting lost and Azalin keeps making snide remarks about how bad we are at making good decisions. Once we finally finish backtracking and choosing the right path, we enter another juncture that the new questline skips straight into.)
After wandering through the labyrinth, Azalin led the Adversary into a juncture filled with dead soldiers, though the Adversary was sure that the bodies hadn’t been there moments ago. Losing confidence, they decided to press onward in order to find any survivors. As they walked away, the dead soldiers were reanimated into undead monsters. (A/N: Once again, all these bodies and monsters are just illusions.)
The Adversary and Azalin then proceeded ahead and encounter another throng of dead Alliance soldiers. (A/N: There was a jump quest that got removed during this part, in which we had to sneak past a bunch of undead monsters before finding the next group of dead soldiers.) Filled with despair at being too late to save them, the Adversary continued searching and encountered yet another group of dead Alliance soldiers. To their shock, the dead soldiers reanimated into monsters.
The Adversary was horrified to know that the monsters they had been fighting were fellow Alliance soldiers. Azalin then attacked one of the monsters, telling the Adversary that they needed to move forward. Filled with regret, the Adversary fought past the Alliance soldiers, their heart filled with disgust at killing the very people whom they were sworn to protect. As they continued cutting down their allies, the Adversary wondered in anguish what they were supposed to do now.
(A/N: The Demon has some exclusive dialogue in place of the Adversary feeling disgust at killing the people whom they were sworn to protect. He wonders whether he can kill them easily because of the darkness in his past and berates himself for being unable to do even just one thing right and atone for his sins. He realizes that he’s never really moved on, not even by a single step. He then wonders whether he was just never meant to protect people.)
Azalin impatiently told the Adversary to hurry up before leading them to another juncture, where the Adversary was shocked to find that they were once again too late to have saved the Alliance soldiers lying dead on the floor. Azalin asked the Adversary whether death followed them wherever they went, or whether they were simply that unlucky. She suggested that they turn back before things got worse, just as the soldiers reanimated into monsters. (A/N: Originally, you had to fight through the monsters in order to escape, but the scene now just fades to black to show that we escaped off-screen.)
After fighting through the undead soldiers, Azalin noted that the Adversary seemed exhausted, snidely remarking that it was understandable when the monsters that they had just cut down had been their allies not so long ago. Overwhelmed and upset, the Adversary snapped at her to be quiet, to which Azalin asked them why they were yelling at her.
The Adversary apologized, explaining that they were tired, to which Azalin agreed to watch over them while they got some sleep. However, the Adversary’s dreams were filled with a voice of despair as Alliance soldiers were reanimated into monsters, forcing the Adversary to accept that there was no way to bring them back. The Adversary then awoke with a start, after which Azalin led them deeper into the labyrinth towards an altar.
Just as the Adversary was one step away from the altar, a curse sigil activated to engulf them. Suddenly, a portal opened, from which a powerful laser beam broke the curse sigil as the masked figure from Esfera appeared. Frustrated, Azalin revealed her true form as Hilla, augmented with even greater power from the Black Mage.
(A/N: I am this close to committing a murder on whoever it was that killed the spirit of Hilla’s original design and her beautiful color palette. Like I don’t hate the black and red scheme, but her original look had a lot of small decorations and colors that complemented the base black and red. When you looked at her, you could easily tell what her gimmick was.
With Verus Hilla, I’m convinced that whoever was in charge of her redesign read that her gimmick was “eternal beauty” and focused too hard on the word “eternal” because somehow their next leap of logic was, “I wonder if I can make a dead body look attractive by slapping on some lingerie.” I absolutely love some details of her redesign, like the green magic and the scythe, but the rest of it just looks like a horribly simplified aesthetic that takes away from the elegance of her original look. I can’t tell if the design is supposed to be intended to seduce or horrify, but at the moment, it’s doing neither for me.)
Hilla cursed the masked figure for interfering in their affairs, first with Will and now with her. However, she then laughed and explained that she had actually been meaning to kill them and stop them from meddling.
(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which they note that they knew that something had been off, as there’s no way that anyone could know that they were Transcendents, or that they had met the Commanders immediately after escaping Mirror World, as only one of the Commanders would have that information. Hilla laughs and asks if they had only just realized that, to which Zero demands that she put their twin back as they were, referring to the previous Zero-exclusive dialogue, which mentions how it feels like their twin has disappeared, despite them being right there.
The next line in the dialogue is dependent on which twin you’re playing as, but there’s a funny typo in GMS, in which you’ll either say, “Put the Alpha back the way they were this instant!” or “Put the Beta back the way they were this instant!”, to which Hilla will reply, “Why must I?” This whole exchange feels like the writers put the Korean text directly into Google Translate and pasted whatever came out. Hilla will then tell Zero that they should’ve sided with the Commanders when they had first been given the offer.)
The Adversary was shocked to see Hilla, believing that the Alliance had defeated her at Azwan and driven her from Maple World. However, Hilla merely laughed and told them that there was no way that she would have been defeated after a single battle when destiny itself was being written at Tenebris. The Adversary then demanded to know what she had done with Azalin, to which Hilla mockingly called out for help, demonstrating that she had been Azalin all along. She explained that she had broken their ambitions, but she had left their reason alone for this very moment.
(A/N: When the Adversary asked where Azalin was, I once again banged my head on my desk at the writers reaffirming that the Adversary really is an idiot. The line in which Hilla says that she broke their ambitions but left their reason alone was actually a lot more savage in KMS, and I strongly feel that they should’ve kept it like that in GMS. In KMS, she basically tells the Adversary that she had dampened their willpower, not their intelligence.)
The Adversary demanded to know why she had made them go through the labyrinth and kill their allies with their own hands. Hilla replied that it was because they were a fool, claiming that all humans were fools, wallowing in their helplessness and clinging to the coattails of their betters. She explained that when humans found an inkling of power, they would try to turn on those whom they once revered.
She then laughed and asked the Adversary if they had thought that she would simply leave Maple World, never to return. Upon seeing their shocked face, she told the Adversary that their fate was to fall into an ever-deeper quagmire and wander for all eternity, adding that it was high time that they stopped struggling and accepted it.
She then laughed at the masked figure for attempting to hide their identity from her. Claiming that they were too weak to handle her, she warned them to leave before she destroyed them. With that, she disappeared, claiming that she was eager to see what the Adversary’s soul was made of. With that, she disappeared and left the Adversary and the masked figure alone.
(A/N: If the player is the Demon, right before she leaves, Hilla will say that she ought to show him something interesting for old times’ sake, since he’s betrayed the Black Mage. She then uses her power to pull Damien’s soul from the afterlife and mockingly asks him how it feels to be reunited with his beloved sibling. The Demon angrily demands to know what she’s done, to which Hilla jokingly tells him that she had thought that he had wanted to see Damien again, adding that he’s making his beloved brother sad.
She tells him not to look so unhappy to see his brother, as Damien has come such a long way for him. Upon seeing the Demon’s anger, Hilla laughs and says that it seems that he still has a little spirit left in him after all. She then warns him not to do anything rash unless he wants another fight with his brother, after which she disappears and takes Damien’s soul with her.)
The Adversary asked the masked figure why they had saved them again, but the masked figure simply berated the Adversary for needing to be rescued so often. They then warned that there would be no more second chances before they vanished as well. Suddenly, they began hearing a dark voice inside their head filling them with terror. Believing that they were going insane, the Adversary began running through the labyrinth in an attempt to escape the voice.
As they stumbled through the core, the Adversary encountering more and more fallen Alliance soldiers. As they began cutting them down, the dark voice in their head manifested as those same Alliance soldiers cursing the Adversary in resentment for their failure to protect them. Unable to stop the voice from ringing in their head, the Adversary continued pushing forward in a desperate attempt to stop the voices from screaming with accusations towards them.
Facing dead-end after dead-end, the Adversary’s mental state gradually began deteriorating as they faced an endless series of guilt and frustration. As they made their way through the labyrinth, they continued encountering Alliance soldiers dying before they could do anything to stop it and transforming into undead monsters. Nevertheless, they willed themselves to believe that the monsters were merely illusions, and that the rest of their comrades were alive somewhere else.
(A/N: Many of these details got removed in the streamlined story, which replaced the monster fights and the dialogue boxes that expressed our inner thoughts with small cutscenes of us wandering alone through the labyrinth, with most of the old dialogue replaced with generic variations of the same “I have to get out of here” line. The 5x5 grid map is supposed to culminate in us finding the second Labyrinth Core, which we destroy before the part where make ourselves believe that our allies are still alive somewhere.
I really couldn’t bring myself to replace a lot of these parts of the old story in the writeup with the new version because it’s just so godawful how they managed to ruin some of the best parts of this storyline just for the sake of making the story go brrr. I can get them removing things like that one jump quest, but there’s no good reason for them to have removed a lot of these monster fights, especially given that the whole point of all this endless wandering is to make us feel the same frustration and fatigue as the Adversary. Nexon has really perfected ruining a good thing down to an art style.)
Just then, however, the voices inside their mind were accompanied by visions of a destroyed Maple World. The Adversary began seeing images of Athena Pierce dying in a ruined Henesys, a wounded Claudine being surrounded by the undead spirits of her fallen Resistance comrades, as well as a horrified Cygnus watching Neinheart succumb to his injuries, while the Cygnus Knight soldiers around them revived into monsters and swarmed around the wounded Empress.
Though the Adversary desperately clung to their belief that it was all an illusion, their fatigue continued clouding their battered mind, which was filled with the inescapable negative thoughts from the dark voices in their head. (A/N: I can’t believe that Nexon actually had a phone call with my psychiatrist about how to personally attack me as much as possible throughout this storyline.)
As they passed out from their exhaustion, they experienced a vision of Hilla and the fall of Azwan. They learned how Hilla, with her flaming red hair, had once been worshiped as the most talented and beautiful Shamaness of Azwan. Though she had basked in the praise of her people, she had realized that her beauty would eventually fade, causing her to be forgotten.
As the cracks in her heart had appeared, the Black Mage had approached her and had offered her eternal beauty and immortality in exchange for her proving her loyalty to him. She had eagerly laid the kingdom of Azwan at his feet, as it had all become meaningless to her in the face of her new power. Though she had been reviled as the Red Witch, Hilla no longer cared, as she had given her eternal loyalty to the one who had given her everything, for which she would never betray him under any circumstances, as she knew that he could take away everything that he had given to her.
Just then, a mysterious voice broke the Adversary free from the vision, calling out to them and reminding them not to forget about their allies. The Adversary then awoke in the deepest part of the labyrinth, where they realized that there was no escape. As they fell deeper into despair upon realizing that they were trapped alone, with all their allies dying because of them, a dark light appeared and began luring them deeper into the labyrinth.
After following the light, the Adversary was led to Hilla, who was amused to find that they had made it all the way to her. She mockingly asked them whether they had missed her that much, to which the Adversary told her not to be ridiculous. An annoyed Hilla noted that they still had a mouth on them, though she added that it seemed as though it was just their mouth that was still working.
She asked them whether they thought that there was anything that they could do, declaring that they would never escape. However, she then told them that it wasn’t yet time, and that she still planned to have more fun with them. With that, Hilla launched an attack on the Adversary, who immediately passed out and began experiencing another vision.
(A/N: This cutscene with Hilla was created for the new streamlined story, which replaced the old quest that had us fight our way through a 6x6 grid and destroy a third Labyrinth Core.)
In the Adversary’s vision, they found themselves in an enslaved Ariant, where SagaT and Ahmad worked laboriously under Areda’s rule. Ahmad told SagaT that everything had fallen apart once Areda had found the Elixir of Youth, causing her greed to grow insatiable. (A/N: If the player has completed the Azwan storyline, the Adversary will express their surprise that Areda has the Elixir of Youth, as they had given it to Medina in Azwan.)
Though Ahmad believed that many had left the city, worsening the situation for those who remained, SagaT revealed that the people hadn’t left, but rather, Areda had been kidnapping and draining their youth in order to maintain the effects of the elixir. The vision then flashed to the palace, where Areda was consumed by the obsession and insanity drawn out by the elixir, which compelled her to gather life energy, which the Adversary realized was Erda.
(A/N: Although most of the visions that we see in the labyrinth are illusions created by Hilla to break us, it’s more than likely that the vision about Areda and the Elixir of Youth is actually true, given that it lines up well with the Azwan storyline, which had a disguised Hilla give a second elixir to Areda after the Alliance recovered the first. That, plus the fact that there’s even exclusive dialogue that plays out if you did the Azwan storyline, makes me believe that this vision was supposed to be an actual event meant to address that plot point, although like I said in the Fight for Azwan section, the situation in Ariant never gets addressed or resolved ever again.)
The Adversary was then plagued by more visions of flaming wreckage raining down on the people of Henesys, dragons swarming the Halflingers of Leafre, and monsters marching on El Nath as Orbis Tower collapsed. As the sounds of the people screaming and dying relentlessly pounding in their heads, the Adversary began losing their faith in their purpose as a hero, believing that they had no right to call themselves one when they had allowed everyone around them to die painfully and miserably. They then realized that there was no way that they could save the world when it was already being destroyed because of their weakness and their failures.
Nevertheless, with the last of their willpower, they forced themselves to make one last attempt at escaping the labyrinth, only to find themselves right where they began. (A/N: The part where we have to fight monsters in order to escape got cut out, replaced with a fade to black instead.) Believing that Hilla wished for them to be driven to insanity, the Adversary attempted to go on, but found that they had no energy or will to keep moving.
With the heavy air smothering their lungs, the Adversary felt complete helplessness as they found themselves unable to even move anymore. As their vision darkened, their last thoughts turned towards them weakly wondering to themselves why it had to be them who was being forced to suffer. Finally admitting defeat, the broken Adversary chose to let go of everything and collapsed at the Altar of Desire, where Hilla, sensing that they had finally lost their will to live, appeared to reap their soul.
Nevertheless, the Adversary instinctively mustered the last ounce of will that they had left and began to fight Hilla in a desperate, half-hearted struggle for survival. As they continued battling, Hilla admitted that she was impressed by their tenacity, even while exhausted and hopeless. Hoping to make matters more interesting, she used her powers to drag Lotus’ soul from the depths of death.
As he began attacking the Adversary, the masked figure appeared once again to block his attack, chipping their mask and revealing Orchid underneath. Orchid furiously demanded to know what Hilla had done to her brother. Hilla was amused to see Orchid and realized that Guwaru’s influence had been masking her energy.
Hilla told Orchid that she had initially decided to leave her alone, since Orchid had seemed to keep to herself, but her continued interference had left Hilla irritated. Though she told Orchid to leave, Orchid continued to demand an explanation from Hilla about what she had done to Lotus. Realizing that Orchid wouldn’t let it go, Hilla mocked her and explained that Lotus was now her slave.
Overwhelmed, the Adversary collapsed, despite Orchid’s urges to get up. Hilla then summoned more monsters and told Orchid that for old times’ sake, she would grant one more chance for her to leave. As the Adversary lost consciousness, Hilla declared that she would live forever in the Black Mage’s new world as his chosen.
In the darkness of the Adversary’s mind, they began wandering aimlessly, wondering where they were. In the distance they were able to vaguely hear the sound of Orchid and Hilla fighting in the real world. Suddenly, they began to feel their memories fading, causing them to start wondering where they were and what they were doing there. In their memories, they recalled seeing a girl, whom they were barely able to remember was Cygnus. (A/N: Main Resistance classes and Xenon will instead recall seeing Claudine, rather than Cygnus.)
In the distance, they also heard Orchid’s voice from Black Heaven asking them, as they succumbed to Gelimer’s Retoxin, whether or not they felt cheated by meeting such a shabby end, and what good such an end was for them just to save others. Hearing Orchid’s voice, the Adversary was able to recall that they had been fighting Hilla, and that Orchid had also been there.
After considering Orchid’s words, they faintly declared that it wasn’t unfair, nor had it been all for nothing. As they began recalling their purpose, they remembered that they were on their way to face the Black Mage. Suddenly the divine light appeared in the darkness, from which a voice began speaking to them.
(A/N: Each class gets a slightly different script when they talk to the mysterious voice, with the identity of the voice being unique to each class as well. With the exception of Cannoneer and Ark, every class initially doesn’t recognize the voice’s identity until the very end of the dialogue.
For regular Explorers, the voice of Sugar asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Explorer tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Sugar asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Explorer replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Sugar asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Explorer begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless. They then ask what else they can do, to which Sugar tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them about the maple leaves drifting in the sky. She then tells them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Explorer recognizes the voice as belonging to Sugar.
For Dual Blade, the voice of Lady Syl asks him why he risks his life to save others. The Dual Blade tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Lady Syl asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. The Explorer replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Lady Syl asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which the Dual Blade begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Lady Syl tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do, reminding him that they are the Dual Blades, and they’re united as one right behind him. She then tells him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Dual Blade recognizes the voice as belonging to Lady Syl.
For Cannoneer, the voice of Monkey shrieks, causing a surprised Cannoneer to wonder how Monkey got there. He tells Monkey that Maple World is loved and cherished by all, and that all that he had wanted to do was to protect their precious world where he had made so many memories. Monkey then shrieks at him, to which the Cannoneer notes that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone.
He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless before asking what he’s supposed to do. Monkey shrieks back at him, to which the Cannoneer realizes that Monkey is telling him to open his eyes. Monkey then shrieks again, which the Cannoneer interprets as Monkey wanting him to search his heart before adding that he’ll try to keep their mission in mind.
For Pathfinder, the voice of Athena Pierce asks her why she risks her life to save others. The Pathfinder tells Athena that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Athena asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, and what her purpose is. The Pathfinder replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Athena asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which the Pathfinder begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she’s completely helpless. She then asks what else she can do, to which Athena tells her to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.
Athena asks her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she has to do, reminding her that she’s the one to find the path amidst the darkness. She tells the Pathfinder that fear doesn’t suit her and asks her to believe in herself, and to have courage. Athena then tells her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Pathfinder recognizes the voice as belonging to Athena Pierce.
For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, the voice of Empress Cygnus asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Knight tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Cygnus asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Knight replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Cygnus asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Knight begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and they have nowhere to go back to, as everyone - all the knights who had placed their faith in them - have been killed right before their eyes. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless.
They then ask what else they can do, to which Cygnus tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, the Knight recognizes the voice as belonging to Empress Cygnus.
For the main Resistance classes, the voice of Vita asks them why they risk their life to save others. The Resistance member tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Vita asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. The Resistance member replies that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Vita asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which the Resistance member begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that the place where they used to laugh and sing is no more, with everyone whom they had shared their time with being gone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless. They then ask what someone like them can do, to which Vita tells them to see the world with their own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She asks them to open their eyes, pick themselves up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. She then tells them that she cherishes their moments together and everything that they've done for her. As the voice fades away, the Resistance member recognizes the voice as belonging to Vita.
Originally, all the Resistance classes - including Xenon and the Demon - used to hear Claudine’s voice, although this was later changed so that the main Resistance, Xenon, and the Demon each get their own unique voices. It makes sense for the main Resistance to get Vita and Xenon to get Claudine, since Xenon and Claudine were closer as childhood friends, while the main Resistance classes were closer to Vita, with Claudine being more of a job instructor than a friend to them.
For Xenon, the voice of Claudine asks him why he risks his life to save others. Xenon tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Claudine asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Xenon replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Claudine asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Xenon begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that the place where they used to laugh and sing is no more, with everyone whom they had shared their time with being gone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what someone like him can do, to which Claudine tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do, reminding him that they're the Resistance, that they're united as one, and that they've always got his back. She then tells him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Xenon recognizes the voice as belonging to Claudine. He's then surprised, as he had been sure that Claudine had been killed. Nevertheless, he begins pondering on Claudine's words about opening his eyes, which leads back into the regular script of him awakening the power of the Seal Stone.
For the Demon, the voice of Damien asks him why he's fighting so hard for people that he doesn't even know. The Demon tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Damien asks him whether Maple World is really that precious to him. The Demon replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Damien notes that it's quite curious to hear him say that after he had turned his back so easily on his own people. After a pause, the Demon explains that it's the very reason why he had fought so hard, as he had wanted to protect everyone. However, he laments that he's failed again and adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what's left for him to do, to which Damien tells him to open his eyes and see the truth for himself, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart.
He then calls the Demon 'brother' and tells him that he'll be watching over him. As the voice fades away, the Demon recognizes the voice as belonging to Damien. Just like the main Resistance, the Demon originally got the voice of Claudine, although they later significantly reworked the Demon's exclusive dialogue throughout this area and gave him a lot more unique lines.
For Aran, Mercedes, and Luminous, the voice of Freud asks them why they risk their life to save others. They tell Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Freud asks them why they care so much for Maple World, which is nothing like their home, and what their purpose is. They reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Freud asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they're completely helpless, as even before, they had barely managed to seal the Black Mage, who had still come back in the end. They then ask what else they can do now, to which Freud tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth.
Freud asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do, telling them to keep moving forward, just as they had done before. He then tells them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. He adds that the memories of them all will live on forever, and that he'll always be with them. As the voice fades away, they recognize the voice as belonging to Freud.
Personally, I wish that Aran got to speak with Lilin, as Aran has a much closer relationship with her in her story, and also because we've literally never once seen Aran have a one-on-one conversation together with Freud before.
For Evan, the voice of Freud asks him why he risks his life to save others. Evan tells Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Freud asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Evan replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Freud asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Evan begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless before sadly realizing that he'll never see his family in Maple World ever again. He then asks what else he can do, to which Freud tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.
He asks Evan to open his eyes and tells him that he has to get up and do what must be done. He then reminds Evan that he's the Dragon Master and asks him to have a little faith in himself before telling him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Evan recognizes the voice as belonging to Freud.
For Phantom, the voice of Empress Aria asks him why he risks his life to save others. Phantom tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Aria asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Phantom replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Aria asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Phantom begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he had once again failed to protect them. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he’s completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Aria tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She asks him to open his eyes and tells him that he can get up and do what he must do. She then reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As her voice fades away, she also adds that she'd thought that his smiling face fit him best, too, causing Phantom to recognize the voice as belonging to Empress Aria.
GMS has completely butchered Aria and Phantom's dialogue throughout this game’s history and I absolutely hate them for it. In GMS, Phantom originally tells Aria, “I prefer a woman with a smile on her face," and here, Aria tells him, "One more thing, a smile wouldn't hurt either," which somehow drained every ounce of romance from the most romantic story in this game.
In KMS, Phantom originally tells Aria, "Your smiling face fits you best," and here, Aria reciprocates his words by saying, "One more thing, I thought that your smiling face fit you best, too," which utterly destroyed my fragile psychological state that's already been under siege this entire storyline. I can’t believe that GMS really omitted this exchange and replaced it with something so insipid. At what point is it okay to start demanding monetary reparations from Nexon about being scammed out of entire chunks of nuance like this?
For Shade, the voice of Freud asks him why he risks his life to save others. He tells Freud that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Freud asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, and what his purpose is. Shade replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Freud asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Shade begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless, as even before, he had barely managed to seal the Black Mage, who had still come back in the end. He then asks what else he can do now, to which Freud tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth.
Freud asks him to open his eyes, get up, and do what he has to do. He tells Shade that he remembers him, and to never let them change his mind. He then tells Shade to keep moving forward, just as he had done before. He reminds Shade that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. He then adds that the memories of them all will live on forever, and that he'll always be with Shade. As the voice fades away, Shade recognizes the voice as belonging to Freud.
For Kaiser and Angelic Buster, the voice of Fenelle asks them why they risk their life to save others. They tell her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Fenelle asks them why they care so much for Maple World, as it's nothing like Grandis. They reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.
They explain that the people of Maple World had come to Grandis and had helped save them when they had needed it most, and that it’s now their turn to help them. Fenelle asks them whether they remember what they need to do next, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They realize that they'll never be able to return to Maple World, adding that there’s nothing that they can do, and that they’re completely helpless.
They then ask what else they can do, to which Fenelle tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do. They realize that what they need to do now is to get back up and keep moving forward, as Maple World cannot fall while Darmoor still remains, for which there's no time to despair. Fenelle proudly notes that they've matured and reminds them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, they recognize the voice as belonging to Fenelle.
Cadena has a completely identical script to Kaiser and Angelic Buster's dialogue, with the only difference being that the voice belongs to her parents. Originally, even that used to be identical to Kaiser and Angelic Buster, but the writers eventually changed it because Cadena and Fenelle have a grand total of thirty seconds of interaction. Weirdly enough, her parents call her Cadena, even though that’s not her birth name.
For Kain, the voice of Luska asks him why he puts his life on the line for the faceless masses. Kain notes that it's a good question and wonders about it himself. Luska then asks him why he sticks his neck out for Maple World, as it has nothing to do with him. Kain notes that while she's right, it’s something that only used to be true. He explains that he's now learned why so many people love Maple World, as he's experienced that love for himself.
He tells Luska that Maple World is home to both his loved ones and all his new memories. Luska notes that he has happier memories now, rather than the painful memories of the past. However, Kain then begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, realizing that amidst all the loss and failure, everything has gone horrible again. He explains that he's just as helpless as he had been as a child, and he wonders what he could ever do about any of it.
However, Luska reminds him that he's not helpless and tells him not to give up now. She tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that the truth is right there in front of him, and that he just needs to open his eyes. She asks him to get up, brush himself off, and do what has to be done before telling him to go on, live his life, and do what he wants, reminding him that he's free. As the voice fades away, Kain recognizes the voice as belonging to Luska. What Luska tells him towards the end of their exchange are her last words to him just before she dies.
For Adele, the voice of Jerome asks her why she risks her life to save others. Adele tells him that it's just her duty as a knight, to which Jerome asks her why she cares so much for Maple World specifically, which isn't a part of her charge. Adele replies that she fights to save the weak, and that she doesn't need another reason. Jerome asks her if, in that case, she knows what she needs to do now, to which Adele begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she has nowhere to go back to. She adds that despite all her convictions, she's completely helpless.
She then asks what someone like herself can do, to which Jerome asks her whether what she had seen is true and tells her to see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth. He then asks her to open her eyes for now, and to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before addressing her as his knight. He then reminds her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Adele recognizes the voice as belonging to Jerome.
For Illium, the voice of Agate asks him why he risks his life to save others. Illium tells her that it’s because that everyone is that precious to him, to which Agate asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home. He replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.
Agate asks him if he can remember what he needs to do now, to which Illium begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he has nowhere to go back to. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Agate tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes, dust himself off, and do what he has to do, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Illium recognizes the voice as belonging to Agate.
For Ark, his inner Specter asks him why he's going out of his way to save random people. Ark tells it that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which the Specter asks him whether Maple World really is that precious to him. Ark replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
The Specter then tells Ark to reach out to it, claiming that it'll make it happen. However, Ark refuses, to which the irritated Specter asks him how he can still refuse in such a situation. It then tells him that it doesn't want to disappear either, and so it tells him to open his eyes, see the truth for himself, and to follow the road inside his heart.
Out of all the dialogues, this one takes the cake for being the stupidest one. Every other class hears the divine voice manifest as someone close to them, which motivates them at their lowest point, but of course Ark just has to get the parasite inside him. I will die on the hill that the voice should've been Albaire encouraging him instead. Just let the man hear his boyfriend's voice, Nexon - he's been through enough.
For Khali, the voice of Rasha asks her why she risks her life to save others. Khali tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Rasha asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, which has nothing to do with her. Khali replies that though it was like that at first, it's now a home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.
Rasha asks her if she now knows what to do, to which Khali begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she has nowhere to go back to. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless. She then asks what else she can do, to which Rasha asks her if that's really what she had seen and tells her to see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.
She then asks Khali to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that the truth is right there in front of her, and that she just needs to open her eyes. She tells Khali to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before addressing her as her proud older sister, explaining that what mattered was moving forward according to her own will, as all roads existed inside her heart. As the voice fades away, Khali recognizes the voice as belonging to Rasha.
For Hoyoung, the voice of Tai Yu asks him why he risks his life to save others. Hoyoung tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Tai Yu asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home. Hoyoung replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with happy memories.
Tai Yu asks him if he can remember what he needs to do, to which Hoyoung begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he has nowhere to go back to. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless. He then asks what else he can do, to which Tai Yu asks him if that's really what he had seen and tells him to open his eyes and see for himself, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. He asks Hoyoung to open his eyes, get up, dust himself off, and do what he has to do. Calling Hoyoung his dear disciple, Tai Yu reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Illium recognizes the voice as belonging to his Master.
For Lara, the voice of Gri asks her why she puts her life on the line for the faceless masses. Lara replies that people can't live all by themselves, and that sometimes, one had to be ready to risk everything, even their life. Gri then asks her why she sticks her neck out for Maple World, as it has nothing to do with her. Lara explains that it's not like that, as Maple World holds all their memories.
Gri asks her if, in that case, she knows what she needs to do now, to which Lara begins to say hopelessly that she couldn't protect anyone, and that so many people have died right in front of her. She then wonders whether she'll still be able to go on in spite of it all, to which Gri replies that it goes without saying. He then asks her whether she's ready to give up in that case before telling her to open her eyes and see everything for herself.
He explains that the truth is right there in front of her, and that she just needs to open her eyes. He then tells her to get up, brush herself off, and do what has to be done before adding that though he may have given her a hard time about being naive, he believes that she can still smile bigger and brighter than anyone else he knows. As the voice fades away, Lara recognizes the voice as belonging to Gri.
For Zero, the voice of Rhinne asks them why they risk their life to save others. Alpha and Beta tell her that it’s because everyone is that precious to them, to which Rhinne asks them why they care so much for Maple World, and what their purpose is. Alpha and Beta reply that Maple World is the home where their loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Rhinne asks them if they can remember what they need to do now, to which they begin to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that they couldn’t protect anyone. They add that there’s nothing that they can do, and they wonder whether it's because they’re only half a Transcendent, rather than a full one. Rhinne tells them to open their eyes and see for themselves, explaining that even if Hilla covers their eyes, she can never cover the truth. Addressing them as her children, she asks them to open their eyes, get up, and do what they have to do, reminding them that all roads exist inside their heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Alpha and Beta recognize the voice as belonging to Rhinne.
For Kinesis, the voice of Yuna asks him why he risks his life to save others. Kinesis tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Agate asks him why he cares so much for Maple World, which is nothing like his home, and what his purpose is. He replies that while Maple World is certainly a strange place, it's also the home of everyone that he knows and all his friends, calling it a precious place that holds all their memories.
Yuna asks him if he remembers what must be done, to which Kinesis begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that if Maple World has fallen to such ruin, then it means that there's no hope for Seoul. He then asks if there's anything that he can do in the face of such odds. Yuna points out that giving in to despair isn't like him and tells him that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes and keep going, reminding him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. She then adds that she'll always be here for him. As the voice fades away, Kinesis recognizes the voice as belonging to Yuna.
For Jett, the voice of Burke asks her why she risks her life to save others. Jett tells Burke that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Burke asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, which isn't her home. Jett replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Burke asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Jett begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that she has nowhere to go back to, as everyone has been killed right before her eyes. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless before asking what else she can do.
Thinking about fulfilling Burke's revenge and finding a way to return home, she wonders what someone like herself can do when she couldn't even protect what's most important to her. Burke then tells her to see the world with her own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.
Burke asks her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she has to do before asking her not to make him owe her again. He explains that in his eyes, she had never been helpless and reminds her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Jett recognizes the voice as belonging to Burke.
For Hayato, the voice of Princess Sakuno asks him why he risks his life to save others. Hayato tells Sakuno that it’s because everyone is that precious to him, to which Sakuno asks him why he cares so much for Maple World. She points out that it isn't Zipangu and asks what makes him fight for it. Hayato replies that Maple World is the home where his loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
He adds that it's also where his lord lives, and that for her, he'll do whatever he must to protect it. The GMS dialogue actually had Hayato incorrectly refer to his lord as 'him’. Sakuno asks him if he can remember what she needs to do now, to which Hayato begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that he couldn’t protect anyone. He adds that there’s nothing that he can do, and that he's completely helpless before asking what else he can do, adding that he's failed yet again.
Sakuno then tells him to see the world with his own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers his eyes, she can never cover the truth. She asks him to open his eyes, pick himself up, and do what he has to do. She calls Hayato her sword and reminds him that he simply needs to eliminate everything that gets in their way. She reminds him that all roads exist inside his heart, and to never forget that. She then tells him to be sure to return, adding that she's waiting for him. As the voice fades away, Hayato recognizes the voice as belonging to Princess Sakuno.
For Kanna, the voice of Tsuchimikado Haruaki, Kanna's master, asks her why she risks her life to save others. Kanna tells him that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Haruaki asks her why she cares so much for Maple World. He points out that it isn't her home and asks her why she would go so far. Kanna replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Haruaki asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Kanna begins to say hopelessly that everyone is already dead, and that she couldn’t protect anyone. She adds that there’s nothing that she can do, and that she's completely helpless. She then asks what someone like herself can do, to which Haruaki tells her to open her eyes and see for herself, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.
He asks her to open her eyes, get up, dust herself off, and do what she has to do, reminding her that the way of the Spirit Walker is to think not of themselves, but of the peace of the world, and that their path only concludes at the end of the Spirit Walker's life. He promises Kanna that her spirit will not fail her and tells her that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that. As the voice fades away, Kanna recognizes the voice as belonging to Master Haruaki.
For Beast Tamer, the voice of Eka the hawk asks Chase why she risks her life to save others. Chase tells her that it’s because everyone is that precious to her, to which Eka asks her why she cares so much for Maple World, and what her purpose is. Chase replies that Maple World is the home where her loved ones live, and that it’s a precious place, filled with all their memories.
Eka asks her if she can remember what she needs to do now, to which Chase begins to say hopelessly that everyone - all the people who had put their faith in her - are already dead. She wonders what someone like herself can do, as she couldn't even save her comrades, to which Eka sharply tells her to wake up and see the world with her own eyes, explaining that even if Hilla covers her eyes, she can never cover the truth.
Eka then tells her to open her eyes, pick herself up, and do what she needs to do right now, reminding her about the strength that she has in her heart, adding that the power in her heart can overcome any fear and danger for the sake of others. She then tells Chase that all roads exist inside her heart, and to never forget that.
Chase recalls having the courage and the heart of a hero, to which Eka declares that their hearts won't change, and that they'll stand strong and move towards that bright future together. As the voice fades away, the Explorer recognizes the voice as belonging to Eka, and all the other Critter Champs along with her.
Chase and Cadena are the only people who have multiple people being part of the voice, although in the case of Chase, it’s explained that Eka is the one primarily speaking, while the others’ presence is just there in the background. In the case of Cadena, it’s not clear whether both her parents are talking, or if it’s something like Chase’s situation, in which it’s just one person talking and the other is just there in the background.
You have absolutely no idea how excruciatingly painful it was to find these dialogues by looping story replay over and over again for each class, checking them against the KMS text for accuracy, serializing them, and compiling them into this section. If this isn’t a testament to my psychological instability, then I don’t know what is. In any case, I suffered immensely so that you don’t have to, so you’re welcome. And also a huge thanks to people on the lore server for helping lighten the load immensely.
The voices belonging to the characters’ loved ones makes me believe that the divine light does belong to the Goddesses, as their connection to their respective worlds might allow them to manifest the people whom the Adversary cares about, both living and deceased. I guess that it doesn’t work in Ark’s case, though, which is one more reason why I think that they should really change his voice from the Specter to Albaire.)
As the Adversary regained their determination, they felt a warm light inside of them created from the wishes of all the people whom they protected. As they basked in the warmth, they recalled that it was the same feeling from Black Heaven. Feeling the presence of all their loved ones with them, the Adversary regained consciousness as the Seal Stone activated from their powerful determination.
Awakening back in the labyrinth, Hilla was genuinely shocked when she sensed the divine power of the Adversary emanating from within them. The Adversary told Hilla that they had been broken because they had tried shouldering the burden of everyone upon themselves. Hilla attempted to slash at them with her scythe as they spoke, but Orchid immediately used her own powers to stop the attack.
(A/N: I love how Hilla doesn’t even bother to entertain the typical protagonist speech. Orchid says something like, “How dare you?!” when Hilla tries to slash at you, allowing us to successfully have our protagonist moment.)
The Adversary explained how they had realized that they had never been alone, even in spite of how Hilla had tried to trick them into believing otherwise, and declared that they refused to fall for her manipulations any longer. As they stood with Orchid once again, an enraged Hilla used her powers to pull Damien’s soul back from death.
Nevertheless, the Adversary successfully defeated Hilla, who was shocked to find her power and youth disappearing, leaving her as an old, withered hag. She wailed and vanished in black flames, leaving behind the Labyrinth Core. (A/N: Before the streamlining, the Adversary would note that this core is different from the others, although that line was removed with the removal of the other three Labyrinth Cores.) The Adversary then turned to Orchid and asked her how she had managed to appear in the first place.
(A/N: Although it’s heavily implied that Hilla died here, some people think that her death animation looked more like a teleport animation, and so I’m choosing not to definitively say that she died until we get some explicit confirmation. Personally, I think that she straight up withered into dust after she lost her immortality and youth.
Hilla’s death tragically marks the end of the iconic “hot but toxic” duo with Magnus. I wonder how he’s taking the news. Probably better than me. I’ve also just realized that at this point, I simp for more dead characters than living ones. I could probably reliably predict which characters are gonna die in this story based on whether I like them or not. Destonen was dead on arrival, Hilla just bit the dust, and the White Mage is right up next. I’m scared for whoever I simp for in the Grandis story, especially because my impeccable taste in people means that they’re inevitably gonna be well-written.)
Meanwhile, Neinheart contacted Grendel at the Outpost and reported that the White Spear had successfully taken out the monsters, and that a search party would be sent to the labyrinth soon. However, he explained that he wanted to confirm a theory with Grendel and hoped that he was incorrect.
Neinheart explained that according to his research, three elements were needed for the Genesis Ritual: first, the ultimate light held by Tana, which granted the power of creation; second, the ultimate darkness held by the Black Mage, which granted the power of destruction; finally, enough high-purity Erda to fill an ocean, satisfied by the Arcane River.
He told Grendel that the Arcane River was a flow of Erda generated by the convergence of three worlds, with the overwhelming excess caused by the absence of Transcendents from the sealing of Rhinne and the Black Mage. (A/N: Technically, Alicia was also sealed away in Root Abyss, but they don’t mention it in the dialogue.) Neinheart was troubled that the implication of this meant that the Black Mage had deliberately chosen to be sealed by the Heroes in order to achieve his goal.
Grendel then finished what Neinheart was thinking and explained that the Black Mage’s goal hundreds of years ago hadn’t been to destroy the world, but rather, to gather Commanders and minions in order to draw out the Heroes, who would ultimately seal him away. However, Neinheart was still frustrated that there were a few key pieces missing from the whole puzzle.
He pointed out the incident with the Demon and Arkarium, just before the Black Mage had been sealed, and how there had been a possibility that Arkarium might not have been jealous of the Demon enough to have destroyed Leafre, meaning that the Demon wouldn’t have sent the letter to the Heroes.
He added that when Ollie had witnessed the Black Mage’s memories, she had said that the incident had been set off by the trivial matter of the Black Mage praising the Demon while ignoring Arkarium, triggering the whole chain of events that had led to his sealing with only a few words. Grendel was disturbed by Neinheart’s implications and told him that they were in the final stages of analyzing the core fragment, which would soon reveal more of the Black Mage’s secrets.
(A/N: I absolutely love how well-written this storyline was. If someone were to ask me about the high points of the game’s writing, this is probably the storyline that I’d point to. I love the way that the Adversary is slowly broken down and unraveled by Hilla over the course of the story. It’s not even just the idea of being stuck in an endless labyrinth filled with monsters that’s scary, it’s a slow deconstruction of the Adversary themselves and everything that makes them important, just like what happened to Kao.
The Adversary is a vessel that harbors the collective willpower of the people, and their destiny is tied to that of their world, which is an idea that’s been continually reinforced throughout the game. Beings who hold immense power both shape and are shaped by the people whom they represent. The Cygnus Knights gain strength through the Empress, and the Empress is affected by the state of her Knights, like when Cygnus was affected by Lucid’s powers when the Cygnus Knight fell into the Gate to the Future during their 4th job advancement. Fairy rulers like Mercedes and Ephenia have their destiny tied to their subjects, meaning that what happens to one of them happens to them all.
Because of this, the Black Mage’s plan revolved around honing the determination of both the Adversary and the Alliance through forcing them to overcome tests of resolve. In Moonbridge, we got to see how Cygnus’ leadership abilities were drawn out under duress, as well as how all the individual soldiers of the Alliance responded to the fear and uncertainty of their situation by working together in order to survive, rather than giving up when the odds seemed insurmountable.
With the Alliance’s determination strengthened, the second phase of his plan was to sharpen the Adversary’s resolve by placing them in the most difficult situation that they could possibly be in, just like how the Alliance was in Moonbridge. The Black Mage intended for the Adversary to overcome the darkness inside their own mind, and in doing so, their determination would be strengthened enough to match that of the world. Because of their symbolic link, one can strengthen the other, and likewise, the weakness of one affects the other.
The Adversary is arguably the strongest mortal in the world, with the power to stand against immortal beings like the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents. Physically, there’s almost no way to overpower them, and so Hilla chose to break them by eroding their will to wield the immense power that they possess, thereby eliminating them without even needing to lift a finger in combat.
Her plan revolved around the understanding that there’s nothing more brittle or more pliable than the human mind. Under the wrong circumstances, we forget just how much we’re capable of under the right ones. Hilla, who believes that humans are fools incapable of rising above their despair, becomes the perfect enemy of the Adversary by weaponizing her faithlessness to cut away their faith in themselves.
Throughout the storyline, the Adversary’s resolve is slowly chipped away bit by bit, unraveling them by stripping them of their leadership, their composure, their resolve, and their very identity. From the beginning, the Adversary is placed in an uncertain situation in which they know that their leadership is the only thing keeping things together. Because of Hilla’s illusions, the Adversary is made to believe that their own judgement calls to separate the group and lead them into enemy territory is what led to everyone disappearing and dying.
Before the Adversary is isolated and cut off, the last soldier remaining plants an idea that slowly creeps into their thoughts throughout the story, which the idea that the Adversary isn’t a hero at all. While this might seem like a fairly simplistic idea, the Adversary’s perception of themselves as a hero is, quite literally, their entire identity. Out-of-universe, it’s because we’re a protagonist stand-in template for the player’s class, and in-universe, it’s because our character arc revolves around this idea that we exist only to save the world.
At the end of Black Heaven, the Adversary was revived by the final Seal Stone in existence, which means that the world willingly chose to revive them at the expense of allowing the Black Mage to return to full power. What this means for the Adversary is that they’re living with the knowledge that the entire world is now in jeopardy simply for their sake, and they now have to bear the burden of making sure that this decision that placed billions of people in jeopardy for the sake of saving one person wasn’t a mistake.
As a result, the Adversary mistakenly internalizes the Alliance’s faith in them as an expectation - that they have to defeat the Black Mage no matter what, because the entire world crippled itself on the assumption that saving them was worth losing the guarantee that the Black Mage won’t regain his full power. Our obsession with saving every single person comes from the fact that we’re harboring the burden of being that perfect hero that we think the Alliance expects us to be, and every life that gets cut short is our fault for not being strong enough to save them when none of them would’ve died in the first place if the Seal Stone hadn’t been used to save us, letting the Black Mage regain enough strength to kill everyone.
On top of that, the Adversary has repeated and compounded this costly decision by choosing to save Tana. They acted impulsively on their core belief that they have to save everyone, and the consequence of this was that not only has the Black Mage returned to full power, but now he has twice his original strength and everything that he needs to destroy the world was just handed to him by us on a silver platter.
We’re so riddled with guilt and fear that we’re prepared to risk everything that we have just to make sure that we don’t make any more mistakes, and we’re prepared to sacrifice every last shred of our existence so that no one else has to. And slowly, this all-encompassing idea starts overtaking our identity, which makes us stop seeing ourselves as a person, and instead, we see ourselves as just an ideal. We’re the Adversary of the Black Mage. We’re the hero who’s supposed to save the world. We’re the savior who has to save everybody, no matter how much of ourselves we lose in the process.
We’ve reduced ourselves into a set of characteristics that we have to embody, because it doesn’t matter what we want to be, it’s what the world expects us to be. And by the end of it, we suffer from psychological collapse because after losing everyone in the labyrinth, we’ve now failed to be the one thing that we were supposed to be, and we start sinking into the despair that in the end, every risky decision ever made about us amounted to nothing except that many more bodies to bury.
In a sense, the Adversary starts to dehumanize themselves, seeing themselves as only a function, just like how the Adversaries of Odium had their humanity erased, leaving them with nothing but their determination to fulfill their sole purpose as godslayers. From a certain point of view, it’s actually a clever way to give an in-universe reasoning for why every class has their personality overwritten with one so vacant, although I’m like 99% certain that there’s no way that Nexon actually intended for this, since the Adversary is just as boring in most of the Grandis storyline, with the exception of Cernium, which was also a masterpiece of a story.
Throughout the labyrinth, however, the Adversary has this idea of themselves as a hero slowly deconstructed. Their mental state deteriorates, not simply because they have to watch their friends and allies die, but because it was supposed to be their job to stop it. Their entire identity is being a hero, and heroes are supposed to be saviors who don’t let a single person die on their watch. Instead, they allowed everyone to crash in the labyrinth, they allowed everyone to get separated and disappear, and they allowed everyone to be killed. And at this point, it’s not only the fact that we failed to save everyone, it’s that we’ve failed to save anyone.
What makes it even worse is what happens right after - not only has the Adversary let all these people die, but after those soldiers resurrect, the Adversary now has to kill each and every one of them with their own hands. They’re supposed to be a savior, and here they are staining their hands with the blood of the very people whom they had sworn to protect. Not only have they fractured the trust placed in them, but they now have to live with the knowledge that all these soldiers who died can’t even be put to rest, as they’re now cursed to have their souls endlessly defiled by the Adversary, cut down over and over again.
In this way, the Adversary stops seeing themselves as a hero because they’ve broken every single promise that they’ve ever made. When they finally lose their will to live, it’s because they’ve lost everything else that came before it. They’re not a hero or a savior anymore - they’re not anything, really. Having destroyed their sole purpose for existing with their own hands, they now have nothing that drives them to want to stay alive anymore, and it’s with this knowledge that they fall into complete despair until the divine light speaks to them.
The destinies of the Adversary and the world are tied together, and this is the best example of this. In their darkest moment, the voice of the world itself, and the people most precious to them, calls out and supports them when they can’t support themselves. The world shares its determination with the Adversary, lighting up their own determination once again.
In the Ignition Cygnus Knight animated short, Cygnus makes an analogy that a lone candle can’t light the darkness alone, but when it lights another candle, and when that candle lights more, the collective brightness of all the candles is enough to melt away the darkness. I think that analogy works well for what’s happening here, in which the Adversary, who once ignited hope in the world, now has their own candle reignited by the world, in turn.
At the beginning of the storyline, Melange mentions that all roads exist in the Adversary’s mind, which is echoed by the divine light. The labyrinth itself becomes a metaphor for the darkness inside the Adversary’s mind, and it’s through navigating and overcoming that fear that they find the way out in the physical maze. Something that Melange also mentions at the beginning of the story is, “Her sword is trapped in the haze of the Black Sun until the lying hand that blinds the eyes vanishes and the red thread that binds is cut.” The red thread comes from the idea of the red thread of fate, which binds two soulmates together across space and time.
Here, the idea of the red thread is used by Hilla’s “lying hand” as a sort of puppetmaster, trying to make the Adversary believe that their destiny is to fall into darkness. In a broader sense, it’s also the idea that the Black Mage has trapped them into a predetermined future. By cutting the “red thread that binds”, the Adversary is essentially defying destiny, corresponding to how the Seal Stone activated from their powerful determination when they regain their faith in themselves.
I love this storyline so much, not only because of how well-made it was, but also because of the message that it gives of finding hope in hopelessness. I think it does a really great job at depicting a particular flavor of depression with all the ruminating, negative self-talk, and the high-energy panic falling flat into an inability to feel anything at all.
It’s also an incredibly long storyline, which I think adds to the idea of despair and being trapped in an endless maze, although I’ve seen a lot of people talk about how tedious this prequest is. I can definitely see that, although I’d probably sit through this storyline on every character if I could. I think that overall, Nexon needs to make all storylines skippable by default because not everyone is interested in the lore, and that’s totally understandable. I love the lore and I still hold spacebar on most quests that I’ve done before.
The only thing that I find annoying is when people start saying how Nexon needs to stop making long stories at all. First of all, shut up, I just get two new storylines per year, and so they’d better be over an hour long with how infrequently they drop. Second of all - my dude, you’re playing an RPG with the word “story” in the title, what the hell did you think you were signing up for? I can promise that you weren’t the victim of false advertising. I really need Nexon to add a story skip feature just so that I can finally stop seeing the incessant whining on my Reddit feed.
But anyways, Labyrinth of Suffering was amazing but also draining. I’m gonna go wallow in melancholia for a bit before Limina.)
Limina:
(A/N: Limina is the plural form of Limen, which is what the region is called outside GMS. Limen is a Latin word that means ‘threshold’, which not only refers to us standing at the threshold of where the Black Mage awaits us, but it also refers to our world standing at the threshold of Genesis and the new world that the Black Mage will create.
At the time of its release, Limina was quite possible the worst conclusion to a story that I’ve ever seen. The pacing was ridiculously rushed, half the cast was completely out-of-character, the Black Mage’s motivations were poorly explained, they literally plagiarized the Thanos snap for the sake of a cheap pop culture reference, and then they magically undid all the deaths in the battle, killing any sense of narrative tension.
Never in my life had I seen such a clumsy and haphazard mishandling of a conclusion before, or at least not until Game of Thrones season 8 came out a year later. I stopped playing the game halfway through high school so that I could focus on studying, but I still followed new story content all the way into college. When Tenebris was released in KMS, I knew that it had a terrible reception, but I tried avoiding spoilers until I played it for myself, after which I understood exactly why everyone hated it.
I was so done with Nexon that I quit following the story altogether for a couple of years until I visited one of my friends who was getting into the game. That friend knew how much I was into the story in high school, and so they started asking me about the plot of the game, which is when I finally caved in and decided to catch up on everything that I missed. Ironically, my friend asking me about the story is what eventually led me to making this website in the first place, as this project actually started out as a short summary that I wrote on Google Docs for them.
I’m glad that I decided to come back to the lore, as there are a lot of high points in the Grandis writing, although there are still quite a number of low points that continue to persist because of Nexon’s fundamental inability to understand the message of their own story. If I’m being perfectly honest, I don’t think that the story team has really had any net benefit whatsoever, and in some places, it might’ve been better if they had never touched anything at all.
However, in other places, they’ve admittedly done a somewhat decent job at patching up problems with the original story, such as the changes that they’ve made to Limina during the update that released the Ellin Forest revamp and Kao’s timeline, and so they deserve at least some credit for that. Unfortunately, though, there are still quite a number of problems with Tenebris as a whole that nothing except a complete rewrite is going to fix, but since there’s virtually no chance of that, we just have to make peace with the fact that the writing for this game is both exceptional and exceptionally lacking at the same time.
On another note, similar to the other areas of Tenebris, the 20th anniversary event in KMS deleted several quests in the Limina storyline. Pretty much all of these were meant to streamline the story presentation, as well as to make clearing the questlines faster. Unlike the Labyrinth of Suffering quest removals, the ones for Limina were actually very well executed. For the sake of maintaining accuracy, I’ve modified this section to reflect those quest removals, although I’ll make a mention of what originally happened in the author notes.)
At the Labyrinth Core, Orchid told the Adversary that they were still as weak as they had always been. The Adversary was surprised to see Orchid, believing that she had lost her Wing Master powers. She revealed that she had gone to see Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits in order to reclaim her original power as a Spirit of Darkness, as she had learned that the Black Mage had been manipulating events for centuries, including the events which had led to Lotus’ death.
She explained that Guwaru had agreed to grant her power, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Adversary at the final battle. Guwaru had also given her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would also allow her to communicate with him. Guwaru’s spirit then manifested from Orchid’s mask and told the Adversary that they were the deciding factor in the final battle.
Just then, the Labyrinth Core began to glow and the Adversary asked if it was because of Hilla’s defeat. Guwaru explained that the core contained the power of the Transcendents, and that the Adversary had been chosen to end it all. He then instructed them to use the power of the Adversary to destroy the core.
The Adversary attempted to muster the same determination that had allowed them to defeat Hilla, but found that they were unable to call forth the divine power. Frustrated, Orchid told Guwaru that she had known all along that the Adversary was weak and used her power to destroy the core herself. Orchid then shattered her mask, severing communications with Guwaru, and decided that she would defeat the Black Mage herself.
As she teleported away, the labyrinth collapsed and left behind a cascade of waterfalls. Several Alliance soldiers then found the Adversary and told them that a rescue team was on its way, since communications were back online. The Adversary was relieved to know that all the fallen Alliance soldiers had merely been illusions created by Hilla.
The soldiers then told the Adversary that they had orders to regroup, but the Adversary refused and instead told them to let Neinheart know that the masked person from Esfera was Orchid, and that they were going after her. They then took the remains of Orchid’s mask and headed after her, just as strange Transcendion monsters began appearing from the waters.
(A/N: All these abstract creatures in Limina are meant to be the first life forms of the new world. Personally, I’m really curious to see what type of world the Black Mage would have made, and I guess that Will wanted to see the same thing, too. We get to see it distantly from space during Kao’s flashbacks, but I was really hoping for a closer look.)
Though the connection was fading, the Adversary contacted Guwaru with the mask and asked whether the Black Mage had sent the strange monsters. Guwaru explained that the creatures had sprung from the raw power of creation, and that they would recognize the Adversary as an intruder while in Limina. As the Adversary fought past the monsters, they took care to hide from the Erda Surge that occasionally washed away all the monsters.
After reaching the base of the waterfall, they began scaling it as they asked Guwaru how Orchid had destroyed the Labyrinth Core. Guwaru explained that she hadn’t destroyed the core, but rather, she had merely compressed it into a different space with her gravity powers. The Adversary was surprised that she had done it without her Wing Master powers, to which Guwaru explained that she was eating away at her own life force in order to forcibly channel her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness in her human form.
The Adversary then asked whether anyone besides themselves had the power to defeat the Black Mage, pointing out that Orchid had managed to destroy the Labyrinth Core, even without the divine power. Guwaru explained that it wasn’t possible for anyone else to face the Black Mage, and though Orchid didn’t want to believe it, he knew that she would come to realize it when she actually faced the Black Mage herself.
Guwaru told them that the Black Mage was planning to create the Genesis Crux, a seed from which the new world would blossom and replace what came before. As the power of the mask faded, Guwaru warned them that only the power of the Adversary could allow them to step off the Path and destroy the Genesis Crux.
After Guwaru’s voice faded away, the Adversary caught up with Orchid and told her that they needed to work together. However, Orchid refused and pointed out that not only had they failed to stop Will, even with his hands tied by the ritual, but they had also squandered their chance to kill Tana, which had allowed the Black Mage to gain the power of creation. She told them that they were weak because they had everything to lose, unlike herself, who had already lost everything when Lotus had died.
(A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he tells her that she can’t act like she’s the only one who’s lost something, reminding her that she’s the one who took all that he held precious. Orchid just glares at him in annoyance in response to his words.
The main Resistance classes also get some exclusive dialogue, in which they retort to her claim that she’s lost everything by pointing out that she’s the one who took everything from them and from Edelstein. Just like with Phantom’s dialogue, Orchid glares at them in annoyance.
Xenon also gets some exclusive dialogue, in which he reminds her that she was the one who had used Gelimer as a tool, and that he’s lost everything because of that, including his memories, Beryl, and all his fellow Xenoroids. Once again, Orchid just glares at him in response.
The scripts with the Resistance classes and Xenon were some of the newer dialogues that Nexon retroactively added when a majority of KMS players pointed out how stupid it is that classes like Phantom or the Resistance would just quietly sit there and accept Orchid insinuating that they haven’t lost anything at all.)
Orchid then gave them one final chance to reconsider, but when they refused to back down, she challenged them to make it to the top of the waterfall. As the Adversary started following her, she created a black hole to swallow them and began shooting lasers as they continued ascending past the monsters.
(A/N: The actual part where you chase after Orchid was removed from the game, skipping straight into the next cutscene. However, I’m keeping it in as part of the writeup since it technically did happen, just off-screen.)
Just as they approached the top levels of the waterfall, Orchid unexpectedly stopped. Suddenly, the five Elite Bosses appeared to prevent them from reaching the Black Mage. Unwilling to entertain them, Orchid teleported away and left the Adversary alone. Furious, the Elite Bosses began chasing after Orchid, with the Adversary following suit. The Adversary continued ascending the waterfall while fighting off the Corrupted Warriors spawned by the Elite Bosses. Along the way, they also managed to take out the Bad Brawler, the Mad Mage, and the Black Knight.
At the top of the waterfall, the Adversary found Orchid taking down the Rampant Cyborg and the Vicious Hunter. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she was impressed that the Adversary had finished the other three off so quickly. The Adversary then saw a large orb, from which Erda water was pouring, which they recognized as the Genesis Crux.
Orchid immediately told them to step aside, claiming that they were of no use until the power of the Adversary awakened within them. Suddenly, the Genesis Crux activated and began absorbing the Black Sun, turning the waters crimson red. As darkness fell upon them, Orchid told them to stay where they were and teleported away. As the Adversary began trying to follow her, Guard Captain Darknell himself appeared. He told them that he was impressed by how far they had managed to come, but warned that they would not lay a finger upon his master as long as he was standing.
(A/N: I’ve mentioned this before, but I really wish that instead of the Elite Bosses and Darknell, we got an augmented Von Leon in order to give some closure to his story. The Elite Bosses have been around since 2013, but Darknell was created specifically for the Tenebris storyline as their leader. It just seems a bit dumb to me that the writers have sidelined Von Leon so much in the story that they’d rather invent a new character to serve as the leader of the Elite Bosses when Von Leon is already a knight and an established Commander.
While I really like the concept of Darknell and the Sharenian storyline as a whole, it’s nevertheless symptomatic of a fundamental problem with the current story, which is that literally everything in existence just has to be tied to the Black Mage. This game was originally created without an overarching story, and it existed as a place that you could just explore and have your own adventures in, and most of it was just a bunch of different towns with their own unique histories.
Most people don’t do town storylines anymore, but El Nath has such a rich and vibrant history that makes it one of my favorite towns in the entire game. It has so much folklore about its spirits, a war started by an evil organization called the Tarheeds who were wiped out by Rex the Hoblin King and his army of monsters, who, in turn, were then sealed away by a legendary mage named Heinrich. They have stories about Zakum possessing a town and forcing them to build its statue before slaughtering them, an evil priest named Riche who turned them all into his undead army, the Book of Ancient having forbidden magic that was used in a war from 300 years ago, and so many other cool details.
There’s so much more to the game than just the Black Mage and it’s really fun to see all these places that we visit having a real history, and that they and all the NPCs there aren’t just reduced to being pretty background details. Maple World used to feel like an actual place, and it was a setting where you could tell such a diverse range of stories that weren’t limited to just a single narrative. Nowadays, rather than feeling like you’re in a new and unique world, it just feels like you’re reading about characters, while the world around you is just an accessory piece.
The lore about Sharenian used to have a magical quality to it because of how all our exposure to it was through ancient ruins. The Golems in Henesys, the Cursed Temple in Sleepywood, and the Ant Tunnels beneath Victoria Island were all remnants of the old Sharenian kingdom, and at the time, we only knew that it was the earliest point of Maple World’s history, long before the Black Mage existed. Piecing together the history of the oldest civilization in Maple World through doing quests and finding little details in the maps and monster designs made it feel like we were actual explorers of Maple World, uncovering forgotten knowledge like a real historian.
Now, the story of Sharenian is just another part of the Black Mage’s master plan, just like the rest of Victoria Island. Because of the constant retcons, Victoria Island was now split by the Black Mage, Ellin Forest was colonized by the survivors of the Black Mage’s purge, the lore about Balrog, Sleepywood, and Kerning City got retconned into Tristan’s fight with Balrog being just a cover story for investigating Lotus’ spirit rewriting history, and the feud between the Dual Blades and the Dark Lord is just a byproduct of Lotus possessing Lady Syl.
It starts feeling like literally nothing in history could’ve organically happened on its own - everything just has to be related to the Black Mage or his Commanders, or else it’s not even worth mentioning. Like I really just wish that they’d leave at least some of the original story alone and let the world actually feel like it’s more than just a cog in the Black Mage’s giant design. El Nath has such a cool history of things that happened, for example - even though it’s not related to the Black Mage, you could tell such an interesting story with the Tarheed and Hoblin war, or with the Book of Ancient and the war from 300 year ago.
Instead of forcing Sharenian into the Black Mage narrative for absolutely no reason, they could’ve just used Von Leon - who already exists as part of the Black Mage’s lore - and actually give his story a proper conclusion. He’s already such an interesting, complex character with how he was betrayed by his own people, how he lost everything that mattered to him, and how he spends his days filled with regret over the acts of evil that he committed.
In my mind, I would’ve imagined that Von Leon would’ve wanted the Black Mage to succeed in making the new world, either because Ifia would be alive in that new world, or because he’s given up on life without her and he’s hoping that the destruction of their world will result in his death, freeing him from the curse of immortality that the Black Mage placed on him that keeps him alive and emotionally distraught. Since Von Leon wasn’t present at Tenebris, I’d assume that with the Black Mage’s death, the curse on him that allows him to turn into a monster and infinitely resurrect from battle should have vanished, meaning that he should have returned to being a regular human again.
While the obvious, depressing outcome is that Von Leon ends up killing himself because of his unending grief, I really hope that if they do address him again, they don’t go for a needlessly forced tragedy and actually capitalize on the depth of his character. If his curse is gone and his soul can be repaired through atonement, I like to hope that he’ll one day be able to see Ifia’s spirit again and actually get some closure to his pain. I ended writing a whole fanfic, which I’ll shamelessly plug here, where Lara helps Von Leon fix his soul and move on, while Lara herself comes to terms with her trauma from being the Adversary.)
Darknell then summoned the five Elite Bosses and his Corrupted Warriors before engaging in a fierce battle with the Adversary, who managed to defeat him and his forces. Meanwhile, Orchid appeared some distance away from Tenebris and saw that the Genesis Crux had absorbed the Black Sun, causing it to glow brightly.
The crimson waters that flowed out of the Genesis Crux began staining the Origin Sea red, out of which burst forth an enormous giant whose heart was the Genesis Crux. Shocked by its appearance, Orchid realized that Guwaru was right when he had warned that she couldn’t handle the Black Mage alone.
Back at the Genesis Crux, a defeated Darknell warned the Adversary that they would not escape the Light of Annihilation. Just as he fell, the Genesis Crux began quaking and the Adversary was knocked to the ground, unable to move. Orchid then reappeared and told them to warn the Alliance that they were still on the Path.
She then teleported the Adversary back to the White Spear, where they found the Alliance bombarding the giant with their cannons, though their barrage seemed to have no effect. They soon ran into Neinheart, who was relieved that they were safe. He explained that the next part of the prophecy, “A crimson tear will spawn a giant that swallows hearts,” had come to pass, with the giant serving as the Black Mage’s declaration that he had become a god. Neinheart then ordered all Alliance forces to clear a path for the Adversary to return to the Genesis Crux.
(A/N: There was originally a quest here that had us help the Alliance soldiers clear up the deck. That quest was removed, and our conversation with Neinheart now continues unimpeded.)
The Adversary then told Neinheart what Orchid had said about the Path and asked him to explain what she had meant. Neinheart began by telling them that the Black Mage’s ideal world was one without Transcendents. In order to achieve this, he had not only defeated Rhinne, Alicia, and Tana, but he had kept the first two from passing on their powers while absorbing the latter.
Neinheart was intrigued that he had managed to do so under the most unfavorable conditions. Bound by the laws of the Overseers that even he could not break, the Black Mage was unable to battle the other Transcendents directly, which was why he had recruited the Commanders to aid him. However, the Commanders had their own agendas, and so the Black Mage had needed to manage them carefully in order to ensure that they wouldn’t turn against him to advance their own goals.
In order to do so, he had needed to convince the Commanders that their goals aligned with his, while simultaneously hiding his true intentions from them. The Adversary then recalled how Damien had planned to betray the Black Mage by stealing Alicia’s powers, while the Heroes had stood against him. Though none of the parties involved had supported his goals, the Black Mage had still been able to emerge victorious.
Neinheart then recalled what the Black Mage had told Cygnus in her nightmares: “Your fate is sealed.” Though he had initially believed that the Black Mage had merely been boasting, Neinheart had come to realize that the Black Mage was speaking literally, referring to the Path of Destiny. Neinheart told the Adversary that Grendel’s analysis of the core fragment would soon be completed, allowing them to find the missing element in the puzzle.
Just then, an Alliance soldier reported that one of the Resistance ships needed immediate reinforcements. As the Adversary headed over to help them, Neinheart contacted the ship and told Belle to take point on the assault. Belle grew furious at Neinheart’s orders, as not only was their ship damaged, but Neinheart was also keeping the White Spear and its escorts out of firing range.
As she and the other Resistance leaders began demanding to speak with Cygnus, Claudine arrived and told them that they needed to follow orders in order to win the battle. Neinheart thanked her and explained that reinforcements would soon arrive. The Resistance leaders were outraged to find a single one-man ship arriving until they realized that the Adversary was aboard.
Claudine assigned the Adversary to the starboard deck, where they rescued the soldiers and stopped the monsters from destroying the ship’s cannons. After helping the Resistance retake the ship, the Adversary received orders to return back to the White Spear in order to get Grendel’s analysis of the core fragment.
As they headed out, Claudine briefed the other Resistance leaders on Neinheart’s plan to have them get as close as possible to the giant and fire directly into its heart. The Resistance leaders were taken aback by Cygnus’ plan, as she never usually put them in such a dangerous position, but Claudine told them that they needed to trust that she had a good reason. They then began firing on the giant, damaging its exterior and leaving it exposed.
As Claudine ordered a retreat back to the White Spear, a massive wave of light emanated from the Genesis Crux. The soldiers who were caught in the Light of Annihilation immediately scattered into Erdas. (A/N: I still can’t believe that they actually plagiarized the Thanos snap for this storyline.) Dumbstruck by their heavy losses, Claudine ordered a ship for her to see Cygnus immediately.
Back on the White Spear, Grendel told them that he had finished his analysis of the core fragment. (A/N: Originally, the communication signal cut out as he began speaking due to monster emissions, and we had to defeat monsters in order to get communications back online.) The Adversary then asked Grendel to explain what destiny the Black Mage had in store for them. Grendel noted that he could tell that the Adversary was afraid that the Black Mage’s destiny would swallow them whole and lead them to ruin. He explained that mortals tended to regard fate with a mixture of awe and fear because of how unpredictable the future was.
Though there were some mortals who could see the future, such as the Empress, Grendel explained that they could only see fragments, rather than the full scope and the process by which their vision would come to pass. Though the future was determined by the present, there were so many variables in any given present, such as fate, chance, and free will, that countless futures were constantly being created and erased.
Grendel claimed that it was impossible to process such vast possibilities, likening it to a two-dimensional creature perceiving a three-dimensional world. However, he revealed that the Black Mage had somehow managed to perceive destiny, allowing him to change it. Grendel cited how the Black Mage’s choice to praise the Demon had set off a new destiny by putting Arkarium on the path to destroy the Demon’s family, which had resulted in everything that had happened, from Black Heaven, to Damien, to Aeona, thus placing the whole world on the Path to Genesis.
Though he conceded that everyone had behaved according to their own free will along the way, he explained that they hadn’t realized that the Black Mage had been influencing their decisions. He then showed them the core fragment from Gloom and explained that within the fragment were futures that had once existed before being erased by the Black Mage.
Having examined the timelines within the fragment, Grendel noted that the single great constant was that the ones who had done the most damage to the Black Mage’s grand design had been his own Commanders. He added that the only Commander who had fully known the Black Mage’s plan and had embraced it was Will, while the other Commanders had inevitably betrayed him in order to ensure their own survival.
Grendel pointed out how the Black Mage had manipulated events perfectly, such that the Commanders would serve him until they were defeated by the Alliance before they could interfere with his plans. The Adversary asked whether it was possible to stop the Black Mage after having learned of the Path, but Grendel pointed out that even the fact that they had realized the existence of the Path was part of the Black Mage’s plan. He then told them that he could see no action that would allow them to change the fate laid out by the Black Mage.
As the Alliance prepared to counterattack, the Adversary was left speechless. They began wondering what the purpose of fighting was if their fate had already been determined. Cygnus then snapped them out of it, telling them that now wasn’t the time to doubt themselves. The Adversary asked if Cygnus had known about the Path, to which she told them that she did, admitting that she had kept it from them because she was afraid that they wouldn’t have come as far as they had if they had known.
Cygnus then told them that they were the Adversary, but asked if they knew what they were the Adversary of. The Adversary replied that they were the Adversary of the Black Mage, but Cygnus revealed that they were actually the Adversary of Destiny. The Adversary then recalled what Neinheart had told them about what the Black Mage had written in his research, “Only the Adversary can counter immortality’s fate with the strength of a Seal Stone.”
Cygnus explained that they were the one piece on the board whom the Black Mage couldn’t control, which was why he was trying to make them lose hope in order to prevent them from emerging victorious. She then had them board a one-man ship straight into the Genesis Crux and ordered them to return safely. As they headed towards the Black Mage, Cygnus ordered the fleet to close ranks against the giant in order to provide an opening for the Adversary. She then ordered the Chief Knights to the deck before having the White Spear push forward to support.
Just then, Claudine boarded the White Spear and demanded to know what Cygnus was doing. She claimed that Cygnus had never been a coward before and asked how the Cygnus Knights could cower in the rear while ordering the rest of the fleet to head into annihilation. Cygnus refused to answer her and ordered Claudine to return to her ship.
However, Claudine demanded to know Cygnus’ motives, claiming that the Resistance was dying without knowing why. Cygnus then threatened to throw Claudine in the brig if she didn’t listen to orders. Furious, Claudine declared that Cygnus was still a frail little girl under her armor before pinning her and demanding to get answers. As Cygnus winced in pain, Claudine was shocked to see that Cygnus was wounded, causing her to realize that she had been fighting on the front lines the entire time. Realizing that Cygnus had been risking her life as much as everyone else, Claudine decided to listen and returned back to her ship.
(A/N: This was one of the stupidest parts of the whole storyline. Cygnus’ strategy was to send the Adversary to the Black Mage before doing a suicide run with the White Spear to pierce the giant’s heart, which is why she wanted Claudine to leave the ship so that she wouldn’t be in danger. There was absolutely no reason why she couldn’t have told Claudine about any of this. I’m convinced that this was some last-ditch effort on the writers’ part to force a needless conflict between the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights just for old time’s sake. It reminds me of a very similar subplot that took place in The Last Jedi, which was also just as stupid.
If anything, this conflict should’ve been moved to Moonbridge, which would’ve fixed the pacing and given Moonbridge an actual purpose besides just setting up the atmosphere. The Adversary is currently right about to face the Black Mage in their final confrontation - thematically, the Alliance should have already overcome their internal conflict and stood unified against their enemy at this point. Moonbridge was the setting that tested the Alliance’s resolve, and it makes a lot more sense to have the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights butt heads there, rather than the entirety of its plot being us swabbing the ships like a glorified deckhand.
Even within the context of this dialogue, there’s no reason why this should’ve been made into a problem in the first place. Claudine’s whole issue with Cygnus was that she’s putting the Resistance in danger and keeping the Knights safely in the rear - all Cygnus had to do was acknowledge that the Resistance is being put in danger and explain that the Knights are also going to put themselves in just as much danger by charging straight into the heart of the giant. I’m so tired of this stupid trope of misunderstandings coming from a lack of communication.
What I hate aside from the fact that the writers felt the need to create pointless drama was how Cygnus behaved here. Not only does she refuse to tell Claudine anything, but she literally threatens to throw her in prison for not blindly obeying her orders like some kind of dictator. Ever since Black Heaven, the writers have been unable to properly write Cygnus’ character and it really shows. I think the fact that she hardly appears in the Grandis story might just be for the best at this point.)
Meanwhile, the Adversary’s ship was sustaining heavy damage and threatening to fall apart at any moment. Just as it exploded, the Flying Fish arrived to carry the Adversary the rest of the way. It flew them through the heavy bombardment and managed to bring them straight to the Temple of Darkness. Critically wounded from the heavy fire, the Flying Fish told them that the world wanted them to win so that they could all survive, just as it scattered into Erdas. (A/N: I can forgive the Black Mage for quite a number of things, but killing a true bro like the Flying Fish is where I draw the line.)
From the Throne of Darkness, the Black Mage addressed the Adversary and told them that their path had always been preordained.
(A/N: Each class gets exclusive dialogue in response to the Black Mage’s words:
Explorers (including Jett) vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that he’s created for the sake of Maple World.
Cygnus Knights and Mihile vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that he’s created for the sake of the Empress and for Maple World.
The Resistance classes and Xenon declare that they’re the Resistance, and that they reject his path.
The Demon has two dialogue paths depending on their branch. They both start out by saying that it’s time for them to part ways once and for all. Demon Slayer will tell the Black Mage that he’ll use the same power that he once wielded for the Black Mage to destroy him. Demon Avenger will instead say that he’ll use the power of rage to destroy the Black Mage. The dialogue then converges here for both of them, with the Demon then saying that winning the battle isn’t just for him, but for Damien too.
Aran, Phantom, and Mercedes vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that he’s created to put an end to their long history.
Evan vows that he’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created. He then prays to Freud to watch over him before telling Mir that he’s staking it all on the honor of the Dragon Master and the Onyx Dragons.
Luminous declares that he’s been waiting for this day for a long time. He explains that for everything that the Black Mage has done to Maple World and to the members of Aurora who had followed him, Luminous vows to wipe the world clean of the Black Mage’s darkness, and to make him regret the day that he had left Luminous behind.
Shade thinks to himself that he doesn’t know what will happen if the Black Mage disappears, as he himself might disappear too. However, he reminds himself that it isn’t about him before vowing that he’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created to put an end to their long history.
For Zero, Alpha and Beta vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that he’s created. They declare that Maple World is no longer his to toy with, and that for everything that he’s done at the Temple of Time, to Rhinne, and to the Temple Keepers, they vow to stop him as a Transcendent for the sake of Maple World.
Most non-Maple World classes vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that he’s created for the sake of everyone. The only exceptions to this are Kain, Lara, and Khali, all of whom were released consecutively after Adele.
Kain declares that he’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created, adding that his Malice doesn’t follow a preordained path. He then vows that he’ll fight for the sake of Maple World.
Lara vows that she’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created, just like when she had followed the Mountain Kids to the restricted sanctuary, which had proved that she had always had the choice to step off the beaten path. The sanctuary that she’s talking about is the one in her village, where she first discovered the bell.
This dialogue is a bit weird because the wording makes it sound like she’s saying that finding the bell was never meant to be her destiny, even though she’s mentioned several times in her storyline that she believes that it’s her calling to make the bell ring. I think that what the writers had meant to say was that she had come across the bell through her own choice to enter the restricted sanctuary, and that her destiny was something that she had decided for herself because she had chosen to accept her calling, not because someone had handed her the bell and told her to make it ring.
Khali vows that she’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created, just like Rasha, who had taken the fate meant for her in her place.
The Sengoku classes vow that they’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created for the sake of everyone who calls Maple World home.
Beast Tamer vows that she’ll transcend the destiny that the Black Mage has created, and that she’ll become a true hero and show everyone. She then declares that she’ll stop him for the sake of everyone who calls Maple World home.)
The Black Mage then used his power to create his two knights of light and darkness, the Aeonian Rise and the Tanadian Ruin.
(A/N: In non-GMS translations, these knights are called the Aion of Creation and the Demiurge/Yaldabaoth of Destruction, which are figures of good and evil in Gnosticism. I prefer these names over what we got in GMS because Aeona and Tana are titles that refer to the Transcendent of Light and their reserve, not the power of light and darkness.)
After the Adversary defeated the knights, the Black Mage got up from his throne and addressed the Adversary, claiming that he had seen a world constricted by chains in the name of balance, an indolent god, and mankind that had lost the meaning of its own existence. He then invited them to approach and meet their destiny.
The Adversary then began fighting fiercely against the Black Mage. As their battle intensified, an unknown energy burst forth from the Black Mage and swallowed the Temple of Darkness, transporting them into an ethereal, galaxy-like realm, where the Adversary was surprised to find Orchid. Orchid revealed that she had been fighting the Black Mage from within the inner realm the whole time while the Adversary had been fighting him from the material world. She explained that her attacks seemed to have no effect and conceded that the Adversary would have to end things after all.
(A/N: Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he asks Orchid if she’s suggesting that they fight alongside each other. Orchid starts stammering while trying to justify herself, but Phantom adds that saving the world seems like a good reason to fight together. Orchid then smiles slightly and says that he’s right, and that they should just go with that explanation.)
Suddenly, the Black Mage manifested before them as a powerful being of light, having ascended to become a god in his own right. Orchid told the Adversary that it was time to fight, both for her to get revenge and for them to save the world. Together, they fought the Black Mage and his godlike powers of creation and destruction. The overwhelming energy from their battle soon engulfed everything in the surrounding area and created a void of black and white.
Orchid told the Adversary that Genesis was about to begin, after which the world would be erased. She then told them that when the Black Mage was weakened, they would need to summon up the power of the Adversary in order to deliver the final blow. The Adversary was unsure about their ability to do so, but Orchid told them that they had failed to destroy the Labyrinth Core because the Seal Stone inside them only activated off of powerful determination, adding that they needed to be ready to sacrifice their own life if needed.
Suddenly, Orchid collapsed on the ground, having expended all her energy. Without her support, the Adversary faced the Black Mage alone, and after a fierce struggle, they managed to weaken him. After getting the upper hand, the Adversary checked up on Orchid, who warned them that the Black Mage needed to be stopped before he entered the Genesis Crux.
The Adversary then attempted to summon all of the determination within themselves, focusing on their willingness to sacrifice themselves for everyone else. To their shock, however, the Seal Stone remained inert and unresponsive to their thoughts. Just then, the Black Mage mocked them for believing that they had escaped the Path of Destiny.
Declaring that they would not live to claim the true power of the Adversary, the Black Mage entered the Genesis Crux, leaving the Adversary aghast that even this very moment had been preordained. As the time of Genesis approached, the Adversary lamented how, even at the end, they had been unable to escape the Path.
Just then, a formless white light appeared and spoke with Tana’s voice, telling them that they had indeed escaped the Path, just by a single step. She reassured them that there was no lack of determination on their part. However, she told them that the world was crying out that it didn’t want to disappear, and because of that, it would not lend its power to the Adversary, who was ready to kill themselves for the sake of victory.
Her words helped the Adversary realize that they had been prepared to sacrifice themselves all the while that they had faced the Black Mage, but what they had instead needed to believe was that they needed to survive and save everyone, including themselves, not to give up on themselves and die for the sake of a world that wanted them to live.
(A/N: This is one of my favorite messages in the game, a lot of which was sadly omitted in the GMS localization. A lot of stories emphasize that true commitment can only be demonstrated by the willingness to give up one’s own life, but few ever really say that your own life is worth just as much as everyone else’s, and that you shouldn’t throw it away carelessly. I think that it takes a special kind of courage to lay down your life, but I also think that the idea of dying for the greater good is an idea that’s almost been weirdly romanticized in a sense.
Self-sacrifice has been deified for a long time in our society, and we can see it in our media, our religion, and our cultural values. However, I feel like there’s an undercurrent that’s taken root in the idea of self-sacrifice, which is a somewhat toxic emphasis on minimizing yourself for the sake of others. Obviously, there are moments when sacrifice is unavoidable, but I think that something has gotten lost in translation in what’s actually being conveyed through the depictions of sacrifice that we see in media lately.
In a way, self-sacrifice is framed as more of a duty than a choice. Heroes depicted in media are presented as these paragons of virtue who are always willing to lay down their lives for others, and I feel like there’s almost something damaging in showing a person who only ever does the right thing without hesitation, even if it means giving up everything that they have.
I think that the glorification of self-sacrifice without a second thought instills a belief that you don’t really matter at all. It’s true that self-sacrifice is one of the greatest acts of service that we can do, but I think that its importance comes from the fact that you have a choice of whether or not you want to do it. It’s common for heroes to be portrayed as absolutely selfless because all the selfish parts of them have been abstracted from sight.
As a result, the takeaway becomes that there’s no question of whether we’re willing to sacrifice or not. It’s no longer a choice when you think that there’s just one option. Consequently, we internalize the belief that in order to be a good person, we have to rid ourselves of the idea of “I want”. Subconsciously, there’s a rewiring of our morality that keeps us thinking that being selfless and sacrificial means hurting ourselves over and over again for the sake of someone else’s comfort.
Most of us will obviously never be in a situation in which we have to die for the sake of others, but this type of mentality still pervades in everything else that we do - social obligations, work, and relationships. The need to be a good person is so great that we tell ourselves that it’s okay that we’re carving out pieces of ourselves for others. We start seeing pain as just the symptom of our selflessness. After a while, we don’t feel comfortable being whole anymore. Somewhere along the way, putting ourselves last went from a bad habit to a compulsion. Sacrifice stops being a choice and instead becomes a product of our conditioning.
That’s why I think that depictions of sacrifice like what happens in this storyline are important in order to break that mentality. I think that remembering that you matter as much as the people that you care about is an important distinction that changes the connotation of what sacrifice means. What gives meaning to sacrifice is that you always have the choice to say no and walk away. Sacrifice inherently comes from the feeling of “I want”, not the absence of it. If you don’t think that what you want is important, then you’re not really giving up anything at all.
This idea is also the culmination of the Adversary’s own character arc. Throughout the storyline, the Adversary constantly tells themselves that they have to take on the heaviest burdens because they’re the strongest. When they found out that the Black Mage was at the end of the Arcane River, their first instinct was to rush in alone and take him on by themselves without even thinking of contacting the Alliance for help.
They’ve been hailed as a hero so many times that they’ve made it their entire identity, and it’s the same idea of, “I am a hero, which means that I have to be strong for everyone else. I have to do everything alone and put myself through the hardest and most traumatic situations without question.” They’re so willing to believe Orchid when she tells them that they have to be ready to die for the world because that thought just comes to them without instruction at this point.
They’re so shocked that their determination to die isn’t enough because they forgot that they first changed destiny by refusing to take Tana’s life. They were willing to let the Black Mage become practically undefeatable because they had the conviction that they would never give up on trying to save everyone, no matter the odds.
Through all of their trauma, the Adversary has subconsciously decided that they’re expendable, and that their life only has meaning if they can save everyone, even if they have to die in the process. And in the moment when the Adversary is so desperately channeling their desire to end their own life, it’s Tana who comes back to help the Adversary by reminding them that they have to live, just like how they helped her live when she finally chose survival over wanting to die, and in the process, the Adversary finally remembers the value of their own life and chooses to survive too.
That mindset - the determination to protect all life, including our own - is what finally awakened the Seal Stone. At its core, the Seal Stone is an object that will only ever work for a population, and the Adversary is nothing more than a Vessel embodying the world’s deepest desire. The Adversary’s mindset and the world’s determination need to be synced in order to activate its power. At this point, the entire world wants to not only win, but they want the Adversary to come back to them safely, just as their desperate wish to save the Adversary’s life at Black Heaven was what had resulted in the Adversary becoming one in the first place.
Because of this, the Seal Stone will fundamentally never awaken if the Adversary was only determined to die, no matter how good their intentions, because the world cares about them so deeply that that they refuse to allow the Adversary to give up on themselves, just like how the Adversary never gave up on them. It’s a level of pure symbiosis capable of channeling divinity itself, answering the artificial machinations of a god with a human instinct to survive, which is just a fancy way of saving that the Power of Friendship™ always saves the day.)
As the divine power flowed through the Adversary, the Genesis Crux began to shake. Orchid, having regained enough of her strength, reappeared to teleport them to safety. Back at the Outpost, the gems in the hands of the Goddess Statues responded to the collective determination of the Adversary and the Alliance, transforming the gems into three large swords whose tips touched each other, from which a brilliant ray of light shot forth and traveled all the way to Tenebris, where it destroyed all the monsters on its path towards the giant’s heart.
Realizing that the time had come, Cygnus ordered the fleet to pull back so that the White Spear could proceed alone. Declaring that they would become the spear that would pierce the gods themselves, the flagship pushed forward through the path that the beam of light had cleared and pierced through the giant’s heart, allowing them to enter the black and white void where the Genesis Crux was.
Meanwhile, Orchid teleported herself and the Adversary to the deck of the White Spear. Cygnus then told the Adversary that it was time to end the battle. The Adversary jumped off the deck of the ship and fell straight through the giant’s heart into the black and white void. With the power of the Adversary, they summoned the divine blade and entered the Genesis Crux, plunging their sword straight through the Black Mage’s heart.
(A/N: The divine blade is identical in appearance to the ones held by the Goddess Statues, with the exception that it was created magically and glows silvery-blue. This blade is also where the name “spear of god” comes from, which got bizarrely localized as the Godsphere in GMS. The name “spear of god” is probably intended to be stylized, as the blade that we summon is a sword, not a spear. Personally, I like to interpret this to mean that the canonical Adversary is supposed to be a Hero, as the iconography of a one-handed sword is associated with that class in the game.
Swords are usually associated with the idea of knighthood and chivalry, whereas spears are much more primordial, being associated more with Greek heroes and legends from a time before knights. While it makes sense for the divine blade to physically be a sword for the sake of suggesting a canonical Adversary, calling it a “spear of god” instead of a “sword of god” invokes a sense of grandness through the imagery of Adversaries being these legendary demigods, reminiscent of Hercules or Achilles. It also ties into the idea behind the White Spear, which was created as a symbol of the Alliance’s commitment to carving out their own destiny, as well as Cygnus’ declaration that they would become the spear that would pierce the gods themselves.)
Orchid and Cygnus rushed into the void and congratulated the Adversary for killing the Black Mage. To their shock, however, the Adversary scattered into Erdas and vanished.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here as he scatters into Erda. He thinks to himself that this is really the end for him, and as he disappears, he breaths a sign of relief that he’ll finally be with Freud again.)
As Cygnus fell to her knees in anguish, the Chief Knights reported that the giant was moving and urged her to retreat. As the giant closed up and trapped the White Spear inside, Orchid asked Cygnus to allow her to use the ship’s power so that she could get them out. Meanwhile, Claudine and Neinheart watched in earnest as ten minutes passed since the giant had fallen silent.
Troubled by the White Spear’s disappearance, Neinheart weakly suggested moving fire away from the heart so as not to harm the White Spear, though Claudine reminded him that he was the one who had been against that idea before. She snapped at him to get it together so that the soldiers wouldn’t see him so distraught, adding that she was worried about Cygnus and the others as well.
Suddenly, the White Spear shot straight through the giant’s heart, with Orchid amplifying the ship’s power, and Neinheart ordered covering fire for them to escape. Cygnus reported that the Genesis Crux had been destroyed, causing the soldiers to begin cheering. However, she struggled with how to break the news that the Adversary had been destroyed.
In the Erda Flow, the Adversary awoke and wondered whether they had died before finding that the White Mage was standing before them. (A/N: When we first see the White Mage, most classes will say, “The White Mage?!”, but Luminous will instead say, “…Oh. It’s you.” I can’t stop laughing at how completely underwhelmed he sounds at finally meeting his deadbeat dad.) The White Mage explained that their body had been annihilated, and that their soul would dilute and disappear after some time. He then congratulated them on their victory, explaining that they had saved the world.
The Adversary asked why he had appeared before them if the battle was over. The White Mage replied that he only wanted to share a few words, as he had been waiting to speak with them for a long time. The Adversary was surprised that he had been waiting for them, to which he explained that they were the only one who could save him from the prison of immortality.
He noted the irony that the very nature of a Transcendent prevented them from destroying themselves. The Adversary then realized that his ideal world without Transcendents also included erasing himself. The White Mage confirmed their suspicions and explained that it was the very reason why he had needed them.
(A/N: Zero gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes that only a Transcendent could stand against him. He explains that the other Transcendents had simply accepted their fates, whether they were their original fates, or the ones that he had set upon them. He adds that he knew that Alpha and Beta would turn away from that, or at the very least, that they would fight back.
This line is extremely confusing, as Transcendents are incapable of killing each other. I think what he means is that only someone as strong as a Transcendent could stand against him, whether that’s another Transcendent or a mortal with a Seal Stone. Zero being able to kill the Black Mage likely either stems from them not constituting as a proper Transcendent, or from the Seal Stone allowing them to override their limitations as Transcendents.
The White Mage talking about Zero resisting their fate is told from the perspective that Zero is the Adversary, and so it retroactively means that the White Mage’s plan had always revolved around having Zero destroy him from the very beginning, and so his exclusive dialogue was written to match this setting. In actuality, there’s no canon Adversary, and so I wouldn’t take anything from this exclusive dialogue with much weight, as its inclusion isn’t worth the mental gymnastics that we need to do in order to make it all fit.
Luminous also gets exclusive dialogue here, which is similarly told from the perspective that he’s the Adversary. The White Mage explains that Luminous has always had the power to face him, as he was once part of the White Mage and the light itself. He then reveals that he had deliberately chosen not to destroy Luminous upon their separation, despite having had the power to end him right there. He explains that in a sense, Luminous was the light that he had sought, as Luminous had his own destiny. He notes that Luminous has just seen that destiny through, adding that he’s always believed in him.)
The White Mage revealed that as a result of their actions, they had shattered the fate that had bound them both. He explained that the axis of fate had been tilted the moment when they had refused to take Tana's life. He then asked what had led them to make that decision, to which they replied that it had been because Tana had cried out for help, and that she hadn’t wanted to disappear.
(A/N: Shade gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he says that he had thought that he’d been prepared for his fate too, but when the moment had come, he had realized that even in spite of being prepared, he had realized that he still didn’t want to disappear, just like how Tana hadn’t either, and so he couldn’t do that to her.
Kain also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he says that Tana hadn’t wanted to disappear, just like his sister, Luska.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she says that Tana hadn’t wanted to disappear, and that it must have been the same for Gri’s brother, Gru.
Through some stupid convoluted thought process, GMS somehow managed to localize, “Because she asked for help. She didn’t want to disappear,” to “I couldn’t take her life, no matter the cost. That’s not what a hero does. Our doom wasn’t certain. And as long as there was a way to save her and everyone else, I had to try.”
First of all - where the hell did they pull those extra twenty-seven words from? Second of all - how is it that even with those extra words, they couldn’t even manage to properly capture the nuance of something that could be conveyed in ten? In KMS, you have the Adversary’s motivations being something as simple and powerful as just, “She didn’t want to die,” because that’s all the motivation we needed.
We saw just how miserable Tana’s life was, and how she was constantly being used and exploited by other people, whether it was the Overseers, Hekaton, or the Black Mage. We saw how Jean was the only person in her life who cared about her, and how she called out to him for help in Esfera, even after he died, because in her mind, there was literally no one else in existence who would ever care about her enough to help her again.
Her desire to be saved, and our desire to save her, both came from the same primal human will to live, and the simplicity of saying, “She asked for help,” is supposed to convey just how instinctual that desire to live was. It didn’t need any long-winded heroic explanation - it’s completely self-explanatory because anyone hearing that would immediately understand what the Adversary means, because it’s an instinct shared by all living things, encoded intrinsically into our design.
GMS’ localization not only cuts out that entire nuance, but it just has to make everything all about us. The focus in GMS is on us deciding what a hero would do, us weighing pros and cons about what it would mean for the world, and it takes away from the fact that this isn’t about us - it’s about Tana, and it should’ve been about Tana after she’s spent centuries being a plot device for everyone else’s needs.
In KMS, we acted simply because we wanted her to live, and having us go into this whole explanation in GMS about how we spent all this time thinking about ourselves and what it means for us to kill her, rather than us just saying that we acted instinctively because we care about her, makes it so that we end up becoming just another person who saw her as a tool for our own personal agenda, whether that was for saving the world, or even just us using her as a stepping stone for our own character development as a hero or whatever.)
After a pause, the White Mage told them that though he been the one to ask them why they hadn’t killed Tana, he had perhaps known the answer all along, explaining that he had been in a similar situation. He revealed that the moment that he had awakened as a Transcendent, he had also become a pawn of the Overseers.
He explained that while trapped in his destiny set by the Overseers, he had tried going against them and had eventually succeeding in carving out the future that he had desired. He noted that it was ironic that the same destiny that he couldn’t accept had been forced upon the Adversary. He explained that even if someone had set the path of destiny, a soul like the Adversary’s, which had been forged from the belief engraved in their heart, could not waver or bend to another’s will.
He told the Adversary that such a soul was the result of having lived a life and added that they really were just like him, as they were both people who had fought against destiny. He noted that as the Adversary had traveled, they had likely experienced the beauty of the world, and that they must have met and walked alongside many others. He explained that those experiences had made them evolve into a being who didn’t forget to live with harmony, even in the face of despair, and one whose heart could lead the way by shining a light in the darkness.
The White Mage then told the Adversary that life was precious because it was finite, and that, having lost sight of the value of life, he believed that he wasn't qualified to realize his grand ideals. He explained that he had believed that he couldn't change fate as a mortal, and so he had sought to borrow the power of the divine by becoming a Transcendent. He then wondered whether he had lost his qualifications to realize his ideals from the moment that he had cast aside his humanity.
The Adversary suddenly felt a strange sensation as their body began disappearing from their fingertips, to which the White Mage told them that it couldn't have been stopped for long. The Adversary then asked him why he had kept fighting if they had already won when they had changed fate in Esfera. The White Mage replied by asking what they had felt as they had walked the Path of Destiny, when they had begun to question their own free will.
After considering it, the Adversary replied that they had felt a sense of helplessness, as they had known that mortals didn’t have the power to change their destiny, as those destinies had been set by gods who were too powerful to overcome, just as the White Mage himself had learned firsthand. The White Mage then asked them why they had gone ahead anyways, to which they replied that they couldn't give up simply because it was difficult.
(A/N: If the player has completed the Ellin Forest storyline, they note that they had become convinced that destiny couldn’t be changed when they had gone back in time to change history and found that they couldn’t. When the White Mage asks them why they had gone ahead anyways, the player replies that they could have settled things in Ellin Forest easily if they had told people about the future, but they note that the people of the past had decided not to hear it, vowing that they would create their own future instead, rather than someone else deciding it for them.)
The Adversary then noted that what they had really felt upon learning about the Path of Destiny was both anger and the will to live, all at once. They added that their desire wasn’t some grand dream of wanting to protect the world, but merely the will to fight for what they believed in, their free will, their belief, and their unwavering faith. They told the White Mage that destiny wasn't set by anyone, but rather, it was shaped by them simply living in the present. The White Mage then noted that the higher beings whom they fought against would see their resistance as futile and asked if they still wouldn’t give up, even while knowing that. The Adversary agreed that those higher beings would regard them as pathetic and weak, but nevertheless, they believed that they shouldn’t accept their destiny without question.
The White Mage was satisfied with their answer, after which the Adversary noted that they now had a better understanding of his thoughts and goals, as being deprived of one's free will and being forced to live in accordance with someone else's destiny was a painful existence. However, they told the White Mage that even though they understood his suffering, it still didn’t justify his evil deeds.
(A/N: Honestly, there are some classes who I really can’t see sympathizing with the White Mage at all. Kinesis, for example, absolutely hates the White Mage of Friends World for destroying his city and hurting his friends, and I don’t see him entertaining the White Mage’s tragic backstory for even a second, as he’d probably just straight up tell the White Mage that he couldn’t care less about any of his justifications because all he cares about are his friends. Similarly, I don’t see Phantom sympathizing with the White Mage when his only motivation is to protect the world that Aria loved, and so I strongly doubt that he would’ve sympathized with why the Black Mage wants to destroy the world, only that he’s putting Aria’s dream at risk.)
After a pause, the White Mage told them that when he had first learned about the chains of destiny, he had likely felt the same as them. Though he had felt rage when he had realized that he had been losing his free will, he had still felt uncertainty. As he had been alone for all his life, he had tried deciding his own path himself, but the moment that he had stopped believing in himself, he had been shaken.
In contrast, he told the Adversary that making connections with countless people must have helped them during moments when their faith in themselves had been wavering, which made the Adversary recall Empress Cygnus and Tana. After a pause, the White Mage told them that even though his plan had been perfect, he had started questioning it. He cited how Kao had lost to him in the past, and how he had sent them back in time, adding that such a risky action of sending a variable back in time could only be done once. (A/N: I’ll get more into this in the next section.)
He then revealed that it was then that he had begun to think deeply and had actually begun to notice the Adversary and the world more closely, noting that so many things had changed since he had first tried to take over the world centuries ago. He explained that unlike the selfish people of his time, so many good people had banded together in order to try and change the world. He added that the one who would lead them was not one who lived in fear, but rather, someone who could unite everyone, unlike himself.
He then told them that their anger, the answer to his question about what they had felt upon discovering the Path of Destiny, was enough. He explained that life was full of trials and tribulations, but if people like the Adversary could come together and work together, they would be able to overcome any ordeal.
He then told them that if the feelings that they had felt were real, then it was enough. As the Adversary began disappearing from the Erda Flow, the White Mage told them to never forget their anger. After a pause, he told them that the world which good-natured beings like them would create would be more perfect than anything that he could have made, and so he was content with leaving it all behind to them.
(A/N: As the scene fades out, the White Mage bids the Adversary farewell by referring to them with a special title that’s unique to their job:
Explorers (including Special Explorers): The One Who Walks Down the Path of Adventure. Before the Destiny revamp, their title used to be “Explorer of Legend” in GMS, although this was a mistranslation of the actual KMS title, “Brave Explorer From Another World”. The KMS title was a reference to the original Explorer storyline, in which it was said that Explorers came from another world. In the Destiny revamp, the backstory for the Explorer was changed so that they were native to Maple Island instead, which explains why they changed it to what it is now.
Cygnus Knights and Mihile: Brave Knight of the Empress
Main Resistance and Xenon: Bold Liberator of the Shadowed City
Demon: Resilient Soul
Aran: Undying Warrior
Evan: Heir of the Great Mage
Mercedes: Ruler of the Elves
Phantom: Thief of Destiny
Luminous: Light of the World
Shade: Forgotten Hero. After he gives this title, the White Mage tells Shade, “Be at peace. She will remember you now,” with ‘she’ referring to Moonbeam.
Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, and Kain: Descendent of Dragons
Illium, Ark, Adele, Khali: Mystic of a Distant World
Zero: Transcendent of a New World
Kinesis: Hero of the Mysterious World
Hoyoung, Lara: Conqueror of Destiny
Additionally, while these classes aren’t canon, I’ll list them here in case anyone is curious, although I’ve added them in the GMS-verse section:
Jett: Far-flung Avenger
Hayato: Honorable Warrior
Kanna: Fated Master of Spirits
Beast Tamer: Hero of Nature
I really, really love the White Mage as a character, but unfortunately, his story and motivations have suffered from a lot of instability because of the lack of cohesive story direction under one writing team. At the start of the game's story, the Black Mage was just a generic evil villain who wanted to destroy the world. The White Mage chapter of the Grand Athenaeum was the first time that we got to see that there was some level of depth to his character, and whoever wrote it deserves a lot of props for the philosophical nuance that it brought to the story.
At the time of Tenebris' release, the conversation that we had with the White Mage was extremely short. The only thing that he really discussed with us was him wanting to create a world without Transcendents, the idea of us changing destiny by refusing to take Tana's life, him losing sight of the value of life and consequently losing his qualifications to realize his ideals, and him telling us to never forget the anger that we had when we felt helpless the Path of Destiny.
It's pretty easy to see that there really wasn't much explanation given about the White Mage's motivations beyond just that his goal was to destroy the Transcendents. In fact, a lot of people came to conclude that his ultimate aim was simply to have the Adversary kill him because he was tired of being bound by the Overseers’ will, similar to how Tana wanted to end her own existence. Even with how barebones the original story was, the Black Mage’s 5D chess game being an elaborate assisted suicide attempt is a conclusion that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever with what was actually presented, despite the fact that it was a popular narrative that people spread after Limina’s release.
If the Black Mage had only wanted to die, then there was no purpose in getting rid of the other Transcendents, which means that he wouldn’t have needed the Commanders to help him fight Alicia and Rhinne, which means that there was no need to make a new world to buy their loyalty, which means all he needed to do was threaten to destroy the world in order to unite the Alliance and create an Adversary to kill him. Pretty much everything that he did is completely pointless if we assume that his only goal was to die, which is why his primary motive has always been to destroy the Overseers, even if the story does a really bad job of showing it.
In the absence of explicit dialogue that actually explains his motives, the idea of the Divine City was meant to be the central point around which his ideals were originally based, and it was the original foundation for the conflict of ideology that he had with the Overseers. The White Mage's system of morality is based on the idea that people who have power are morally obligated to use it in order to help those who don't. The reason why he wanted to reach the divine realm is because he believed that God, the universe, or whatever highest entity that exists out there would help him change the systematic oppression of society.
From the brief dialogue that we saw when he reached the divine realm, his issue with the Overseers is that they were choosing to leave the world incomplete, which we can infer to mean that they were choosing to do absolutely nothing while humanity suffered. This is essentially the root of where his hatred for them stems from - the Overseers are nearly omnipotent beings who can take away all pain in an instant, but they choose to remain indolent while countless innocents are impoverished, killed, and exploited by oppressors who use them for their own personal gain.
Under the White Mage's system of morality, the Overseers refusing to use their power to help people makes them just as morally corrupt as the people who actively use their power to dominate others, as choosing to do nothing in the face of oppression is still a choice that you're making consciously. On top of that, not only are the Overseers choosing to do nothing, but they're also trying to force the White Mage to do nothing by binding him with their chains of law when he decides to become a Transcendent and help the world himself when no one else will.
It’s at this moment that he realizes that his ideal of ultimate light and everything that he’s ever worked for has been shattered, as the Overseers are actively trying to stop him from fixing the world, which is when he comes to believe that they represent ultimate darkness, which is his declaration that their apathy and carelessness makes them evil, which necessitates their destruction. Since he can’t physically destroy the Overseers, however, his goal is to destroy all the Transcendents, who are the Overseers’ only means to influence the world. However, this is where the fuzziness in his plan starts to manifest, in large part due to an excess of ambiguity on the writers' part.
If we're getting technical for a moment, while the Overseers aren't doing anything to help the situation on Maple World, they're also not actively doing anything to make it worse. Rationally speaking, there's no real reason why removing their influence is going to make anything better when they're not even exerting any sort of influence that we can see.
We've seen them force Aeona to wipe out over seven races on Grandis, but the thing is that the Transcendents of Maple World are known for staying out of mortal affairs, as the Overseers - from what we can speculate - were most likely only wiping out races who have the power of the Ancient Gods. Since the Ancient Gods seem to have had very little influence in Maple World, there’s not much reason for the Overseers to have the Transcendents of Maple World do anything when everything is already in order.
Because of this, the White Mage's motivations in stopping the Overseers are something that we have to make certain assumptions with, based on everything that we know about him. His first motive is likely that there's no guarantee that the Overseers won't use the Transcendents to kill people on Maple World. The Overseers are described less as people and more like abstract, conceptual entities. While they're not solely a force of nature, it would be more accurate to compare them to something like gravity or electricity than it would to compare them to living beings.
They seem to have their own will, but this will is more just like computer code that executes in accordance to pre-programmed rules that were likely set by the Primordial God when he created them. Calling the Overseers morally evil makes as little sense as calling gravity evil for making you fall, but at the same time, their rules are complex and arbitrary, which will always make them a danger because there's every chance that they could detect your attempts at reforming society as a threat to whatever they consider to be ‘order’.
Personally, however, I think that the idea of the Transcendents of Maple World turning on the people is extremely slim. The Black Mage might’ve factored that into his motives, but I think that his primary motive is the principle that drives his ideals. The White Mage hates the Overseers more than anyone else in existence because from his moral viewpoint, there's nothing more evil than a god who sits back and watches billions of people get tortured and murdered every day when they could stop it with a simple lift of their finger.
The Overseers' very existence as beings who wield ultimate power and do nothing with it is an abject affront to everything that a god ought to stand for, which is why he believes that the Overseers, by principle, need to be cast down, as they don't deserve to keep the position or the power that they withhold from countless beings praying desperately in vain to them for salvation.
His issue with the Overseers aside, however, there's a lot of ambiguity about the actual execution of his plan. The biggest question is whether or not he actually intended to create a new world. Before the Kao revamp, all that we knew was that the Adversary choosing to spare Tana was what had allowed us to change destiny, which was what the Black Mage had intended, and that he had only ever talked about removing the Transcendents. This makes me believe that his plan was never to create a new world, but rather, it was just a means to drive the Alliance into defeating him, while also manipulating his Commanders into following him.
The main idea behind this is that the Black Mage knew that the leaders of Maple World were selfish aristocrats who only cared about themselves. By threatening to end the world, he would force all world leaders to look past their own petty self-interests, like the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance’s squabble, and actually work together with other nations for their survival, and by promising to create a new world, he would be able to get his Commanders to help him in exchange for power and comfort in his new world order.
The other part of the Black Mage's plan that doesn't get explicitly mentioned, but is still an extremely important byproduct of it, is the methodology by which his perfect world was created. With the assumption that his goal was never to physically create a new world, but merely to remove the Transcendents, we can see a significant effect of his plan, which is the unification of Maple World. The society of his time systematically oppressed people and created a wide disparity in suffering based on socioeconomic inequality, with national leaders lining their pockets at the expense of their citizens' lives.
In the process of nearly wiping out Ossyria centuries ago, creating Victoria Island, and drawing out the Heroes who inspired others to follow in their footsteps, the Black Mage destroyed the corrupt power base of the world and paved the way for that void to be filled with brave and selfless leaders like Athena Pierce, Grendel, Cygnus, Claudine, and countless others who risk their lives to help their people, rather than sacrificing them to keep their power, which ultimately created a much better society for people to live in.
On top of that, the Black Mage gathered together some of the most vile beings in the world like his Commanders and the Black Wings, used them in his plan to help better the world, and then eliminated them when they were no longer useful, thereby getting rid of every being who would ever pose a threat to the society that the Alliance would build.
The culmination of this plan was the creation of the Adversary, who was created from the most selfless decision in the history of the world, which was to save the Adversary’s life, even while knowing that the Black Mage would return to full power as a result. The Adversary's creation is the most singularly unique event in history, as not only was the world able to collectively choose to be selfless - something that could never have happened during the White Mage's time - but also because no other Adversary, as far as we know, has ever been created organically, rather than artificially through experimentation, which could only have happened because of the symbiotic relationship between the Adversary and the people whose will they represent.
After the Kao revamp, however, there was a significant change to the Black Mage's motivations. It gets explicitly mentioned that the Black Mage had indeed planned to create a new, perfect world, and that he had intended to enact the Genesis Ritual at the very moment that the Adversary killed him, which would result in the creation of a world without Transcendents. I think that this is around where there's a major discrepancy in the writing, as there are certain things that just don't make any sense with this explanation.
The Black Mage wanting to create a new world in this version of the story stemmed from his belief that Maple World was beyond saving, as the Overseers' influence had corrupted it to the point that humanity was doomed to destroy itself no matter what. Because of this, his intention was to reset everything and allow life to evolve from scratch, starting from the abstract life forms of Limina, which would eventually develop sentience and build a new society that he believed would be perfect, as the Overseers would never have had any influence in its creation.
However, there are two very serious flaws with this reasoning. The first is that the Overseers haven't had any sort of influence that we can see on Maple World that resulted in its imperfect state. I feel like the story team has misunderstood the Black Mage's motivations in removing the Overseers - it's not because he thinks they've made the world imperfect, it's because they're doing nothing to help repair it. Human beings were always the main culprit behind ruining their own world. It was their own choice to be selfish that created inequality, not because the Overseers went out of their way to have the Transcendents create a flawed society.
Even if a new society were created in the Black Mage's perfect world, there's no guarantee whatsoever that it won’t face the exact same problems that Maple World has. As long as the concept of free will exists, there will always be a duality of good and evil just by the very nature of being able to make choices, which leads into the second major flaw with his reasoning.
The Black Mage believed that humanity was incapable of being saved, which is why he wanted to create a world free of evil. However, literally the entire crux of his plan was hinged on the basis that humanity would collectively choose to make the most selfless decision of its life to save the player, which is how they became an Adversary and killed him in the first place. If the world was capable of coming together and helping each other, shouldn't that, in itself, have been a dead giveaway that there was still a way for humanity to be saved?
I don't even accept the argument of him losing sight of the value of life - this was a mistake that anyone with an IQ in triple digits should've caught while drafting it on paper. I refuse to believe that the White Mage, a once-in-a-generation prodigy, would've glossed over this chance to avoid committing genocide when he was fundamentally acting to save an entire species from day one.
Instead, he comes to realize this basic fact only after Kao fails to kill him. After he sends Kao back in time, he starts to take another look at humanity and realizes that people have come together in a way that he never thought possible, which begs the question of how he seriously expected the world to create an Adversary at the expense of crippling themselves if they were all truly the flawed and selfish beings that he thought they were.
At the same time, however, there's a particular feature of this revamped story that I really like. Whereas the Adversary's choice to save Tana was something that the Black Mage had anticipated in the old story, their choice to save her in the revamp is the true moment when they really saved the world. The Black Mage had fully expected that after sending Kao back in time and changing the past, the Adversary would have the determination needed to awaken the Seal Stone in Limina.
However, since the Adversary didn't know how to awaken its power in Esfera, he anticipated that we would've tried and failed to kill Tana, with Ollie surviving and ensuring that we wouldn't have mentally fallen apart at the critical moment. To his surprise, the Adversary made the choice to spare Tana's life, going against everything that he had expected would happen. Following Kao's failure, he had already been shaken up by his plan failing, and because of this, he had taken another glance at everything, which is when he had come to realize that the people of the present were working together in a way completely unlike the people of his time centuries ago.
The Adversary choosing to save Tana was the final nail in the coffin for him, which proved that humanity was being led by selfless beings. It was at that moment that we changed destiny because our actions successfully changed the Black Mage's mind, as he decided that he wouldn't enact the Genesis Ritual after we killed him, and that he would instead allow us to lead the world into the future with our pure-hearted ideals.
Personally, I'm conflicted about this revamp because on one hand, it kills all the genuine nuance with the Black Mage's plan to shape humanity into the best version of itself that it can be, instead retconning him into an edgy teenager who spent 20 minutes reading and misunderstanding Nietzsche before deciding to turn into a nihilist who thinks that everything is worthless and needs to be destroyed.
On the other hand, it really strengthens the Adversary as a person and places actual weight on their existence as someone who embodies the best of humanity, enough so that they were able to defeat the Black Mage long before their physical battle. Their choice to be selfless and kind is what ultimately led to their victory without them ever needing to even strike a single blow.
Also, while the Black Mage's motivations aren't consistent at all with his original characterization, I also like the fact that he gets an actual character arc. His old characterization and plan were really great in the way that he was written with nuance, rather than him being a generic Saturday morning cartoon villain like he is now, but the fact that he transitions from that generic villain and becomes the character that he was in the old version makes him feel a bit more fleshed out.
Both before and after the revamp, he admits that he was a villain who lost sight of the value of life. Even if his belief was true that humanity was beyond salvation, and even if his perfect world would’ve actually been perfect and free of suffering, it doesn’t erase the fact that it came at the cost of killing billions of people. At the end of the day, his ambitions couldn’t be satisfied by anything except perfection itself. It wasn’t enough for him to create a better world - he was obsessed with creating a perfect world and nothing less.
When he came to realize that there was a possibility of attaining it, he decided on behalf of everyone in the world that they would be dragged along in his mission without their consent, and that millions of them would die in order to get to that perfect world, without considering or caring what any of them wanted, effectively taking their agency away from them.
The White Mage, in resistance to the Overseers' chains of law, started using chains as his own weapon, which is meant to symbolize how he weaponized the Overseers' own rules against them. He took advantage of the fact that they created a fixed destiny in order to have tactical knowledge of everything that would happen in the future. He also took the Seal Stone, which held the Overseers' own power, and used it to destroy their hold on the universe.
However, in the process of doing this, he became the very thing that he wanted to destroy by manipulating the destiny of mortals and binding humanity with his chains of ideology. Before the revamp, I wouldn’t criticize the White Mage at all for what he did. His plan worked with remarkable success by removing the influence of the Overseers and creating a society whose leaders value courage and kindness, which is guaranteed to create a bright future for entire generations.
After the revamp is a much different story, however. Fundamentally, the Black Mage’s plan both before and after the revamp is the same - sacrificing millions for the sake of creating a better world. But the difference is that his pre-revamp plan had a very viable, tangible chance of coming to fruition. The post-revamp Black Mage is a complete idiot who wanted to create a new world that had no better chance of being perfect than the current one.
At the same time, however, the Black Mage’s belief in creating a perfect world - both before and after the revamp - is something that ties into what I mentioned in the last section about the City of God and Thomas Aquinas’ refutation of Augustine’s belief that humans are incapable of attaining happiness on the mortal plane. Aquinas talks about the idea of imperfect happiness, called felicitas, which he believes is capable of being replicated in the Earthly City, even if perfect happiness, beatitudo, can’t be.
Within the context of the game, we didn’t need to be saved absolutely, and we didn’t need the Transcendents to be destroyed. In all those centuries after the Transcendents were sealed away, people had struggles and hardships, but life during that time was honestly fine. While it might not have been perfect, it was still good enough for people to have led complete, fulfilling lives by accepting that suffering is an inevitability of life that enhances the meaning of how we enjoy it. Under the leadership of good people, people could’ve been happy knowing that there was little disparity between their suffering and everyone else’s.
Even before the revamp, this idea still holds true. Like I said before, the chances of the Overseers wiping out humanity is slim to none. His desire to remove the Overseers from power is more just his ideology than anything else. If he had given up his ideals to destroy the Overseers, he might’ve been able to use his powers as a Transcendent and his resistance to the Overseers to find another way to reform society without as much bloodshed.
The tragedy of his life is that, in spite of having his own free will, he could never have brought himself to give up on his perfect ideals because of his own character flaws - his ego and his insatiability for anything but the absolute best. As a result, he was fated to become a villain, not out of maliciousness or misjudgment, but because he was someone who cared so deeply about people that in his single-minded drive to help them, he inadvertently started treating them like pieces on a board instead of living things with feelings and free will of their own.
When he tells the Adversary about him losing sight of the value of life, he tells them that life is precious because it's finite, and he's actually echoing something that Kellad of the Sharenian Knights had once said - that the beauty of life stems from its brevity - which is something that he had heard from Kellad while posing as Prince Sharen IV in Ergoth’s mirror dimension. While the Sharenian Knights chapter was released after Limina, I think that it was a deliberate choice on the writers' part to echo this line as a deliberate tie-in to the White Mage's dialogue.
Viewing these events chronologically, the fact that he repeated this line to the Adversary means that it clearly must have resonated with him, especially with him knowing that he himself only had a few more years left in his life before he would die at Tenebris. I think that he must have spent a lot of time reflecting on his actions and his mistakes in the last few years of his life, especially about how he had lost sight of the value of life in his pursuit of a perfect world.
Him admitting as much to the Adversary is also the culmination of his own character arc. He comes to understand that the tragedy of his life - to be forever remembered as a villain - was something that he himself had created because of his tunnel-vision. He also came to accept that there’s no redemption for someone like him, but that he can still find peace by finally letting go of his ego and accepting that he isn’t meant to be the savior who makes it out on the other side.
In his final moments, he tells the Adversary that they, not him, are the one who deserves to inherit the future, because they’re someone who’s gone through the same struggle as him - a fight against a higher power - but unlike him, the Adversary never once gave up their core values, making them worthy to achieve what he never could. Though the White Mage couldn’t let go of his ideals in his past, he can now make peace with the fact that he doesn’t have to be the only one to save humanity, which mirrors the Adversary’s own realization that they don’t have to be the only one who suffers and sacrifices themselves to save the world.
When Lucid looked into the Black Mage’s mind in Lachelein and saw that nothing exists in his perfect world, not even him, she thought that it was because the Black Mage wanted to die in the process of creating an empty world. Personally, I like to interpret it not as him wanting to create an empty world, but him not having any idea of what that perfect world looks like, only that he knows that he isn’t meant to be a part of it.
In the original Heroes of Maple storyline, Freud mentions that he believes that the time will come when the world outgrows its need for Transcendents and kings, eventually coming to a point where people grow capable of ruling themselves through compassion and mutual goodwill, which is something that gets echoed here in Limina. In the original version, it was shown through how the world is finally ready to outgrow its dependency on the White Mage to help it escape the Overseers’ influence, but there's a bit more depth added to this in the revamp.
Now, it's the idea of letting go of ideology in favor of instinct. Something that we see in the story is how ideals are chains that restrict freedom. The Overseers embody the ideal of order. The Black Mage's ideals of a perfect world were something that he couldn't let go of, and it caused the world to nearly be destroyed twice. The Adversary was chained by their own conception of being a savior, which drove them to losing their will to live when they couldn’t embody the idea of being a perfect hero who can always save everyone no matter what.
Even after they made it out of the labyrinth, them losing the will to live didn’t go away, it just evolved into their toxic belief that they had to be ready to die in order to save the world until Tana helped them break free from that mindset and reminded them of their instinct to live. When they tell the Black Mage what had driven them, they explain that it wasn't some pursuit of a grand ideal like saving the world, but rather, it was simply their instincts, their free will, and their faith.
The message of the story might err on the side of simplistic without introducing nuance about the time and place of when to follow your ideals and when to let them go, but there's still something very satisfying and cathartic in the idea of a simple world where just caring about each other and being kind is enough to make things better. In our world, where everyone has their own schemes and selfish goals to get to the top, the game offers a hopeful outlook that a perfect world isn't something that we attain through some abstract ideal like “ultimate light” or “destiny”, it’s something much simpler and comes through nothing more than our determination and our instinct to choose to be better, which is something that no one - not even a god - can take away from us.)
Back on the White Spear, Neinheart began to mourn the loss of the Adversary when Claudine suddenly saw something shooting out of the giant’s heart. To their surprise, they saw the Adversary flying back on the Flying Fish. Claudine immediately ordered covering fire, allowing the Adversary to land on the White Spear. The Adversary then greeted Cygnus and told her that they had returned safely, just as she had ordered. As the soldiers began cheering for the Adversary, Neinheart told them that the giant seemed to be decomposing back into Erdas with the destruction of the Genesis Crux.
The Adversary then noticed Orchid preparing to slip away, who claimed that she didn’t want to hang around with Claudine glaring at her. The Adversary asked Orchid if it was true what Guwaru had said about her shortening her life by using her powers without Lotus. Orchid confirmed that she only had about a century left, and that she planned to live as a regular human. She then smiled, affectionately calling them a dummy, and told them that she would see them around before leaving.
(A/N: I could actually feel my IQ drop while reading this conversation. I’m well aware that the writers have begun retconning Orchid as this cute tsundere antihero, and while I don’t have any problem with that, I absolutely don’t understand why they had to do it in the most incompetent way imaginable.
A good part of the blame deserves to go to whoever it was that thought that the Adversary storyline would be a good idea. Because our characters’ backstories have now been erased in favor of the most basic and insipid cookie cutter template protagonist, the writers treat our character as some random person who just happened to wake up one day and go to the Arcane River.
As a result, Phantom just casually forgets that Orchid tortured Aria to death, the Resistance stops caring that Orchid enslaved their town and had Gelimer kill Vita, and Xenon apparently just doesn’t mind the fact that Orchid is the person who funded the experiments that mutilated his body and irrevocably stole his memories.
It’s also hilarious because the Adversary tells the White Mage that despite sympathizing with his actions, they can never forgive him, and then five minutes later, we hold hands with Orchid and start singing Kumbaya like we’re number one besties when there are literally a billion more reasons for us to forgive the White Mage than Orchid.
I have no problem if they want to redeem Orchid, and I have no problem if they want to keep her a villain, but the thing that irritates me is this idiotic, wishy-washy way that they handle it. The basic principle of redemption is that if you want to give a redemption arc to a character, the fundamental requirement is that they have to say - or even show - that they’re sorry for what they did.
Either have Orchid genuinely make amends for her actions and then let her act tsundere with the player, or lean into her being completely unrepentant, just like they did with Lotus, and have the main classes respond to her attitude in a way that makes actual logical sense, which really isn’t too much to be asking for, given that this is supposed to be a conclusion to a story that’s been in development for almost two decades.
As it stands right now, the writers are trying to have it both ways where Orchid doesn’t feel an ounce of remorse for what she did, and somehow the entirety of the cast is perfectly fine with it. The KMS player base hated Orchid’s interactions with the Adversary so much that they posted scathing reviews about it for years and even forced Director Wong-ki to read aloud Orchid’s tsundere dialogue from the perspective of Phantom during a conference, after which he admitted that it was the stupidest thing ever written and agreed to have the writers change it. As a result, a new exclusive dialogue was added for Phantom in the update that released the Ellin Forest revamp and Kao’s memories.
Instead of calling the Adversary a dummy and telling them that she’d see them around, Orchid instead tells Phantom that she’s leaving if he doesn’t have anything else to say. Phantom tells her that he wants to make it clear that nothing is going to change between them, as they had only made a temporary alliance to defeat the Black Mage and stop the destruction of the world. He adds that no matter how many years pass, he’ll never forgive her or Lotus for killing Aria.
Orchid gets angry that she’s the one who will never forgive him for killing Lotus, adding that she’ll make him pay for it someday by taking him out with her own hands. Phantom replies that all he had done was to bring Aria’s killer to justice, adding that Lotus had paid the price for his crimes. Orchid yells that Lotus was her only family, and that he was like another her. Phantom retorts by noting that if Lotus was important to her because he was her family, he asks her what Aria was to him. However, Orchid ignores him and storms off.
After she leaves, Phantom speaks aloud and addresses Aria, telling her that he’s saved the world that she had tried to protect. He asks her if she can see it, noting that the peace that she’s longed for is finally here. However, he laments that she’s not by his side to see it with him and wonders aloud why he hadn’t been able to save her. He asks her whether she would have smiled at him if she were here standing beside him and adds that he misses her so much today.
On one hand, this script was a massive improvement and serves as proof that bullying is perfectly acceptable when it delivers results. For legal reasons, that’s a joke. On the other hand, I really can’t help but wonder why the writers are incapable of nuance. For them, it always has to be a giant pendulum swing from one extreme to another. They go from Phantom and Orchid happily saying goodbye to having them give a declaration of eternal hatred.
That animosity works well for the earlier parts of Limina when Orchid has the audacity to say that we haven’t lost anything compared to her, but the entire point of us working together with Orchid is that we both put our lives on the line to save the world, which ends up counting for something. There was a very clear middle ground that they could’ve gone for, in which they grudgingly acknowledge each other’s efforts and mutually agree to leave the past behind and never see each other again, rather than creating an open-ended “I hate you forever” to ruin the uplifting mood of the conclusion.)
The Adversary then asked the Flying Fish if the battle was finally over. The Flying Fish confirmed that it was and told them to climb aboard so that they could say goodbye to everyone. Around them, the soldiers who had vanished into Erda from the Light of Annihilation returned back to life with the giant decomposing.
(A/N: The idea behind the Light of Annihilation was that the Black Mage had used the power of destruction to destroy the Alliance members in order to keep pushing the Adversary to their limits, as well as to bring them to the Erda Flow at the very end of the battle, and then he used the power of creation to restore them back to life, as he had only needed them to temporarily ‘die’ in order to motivate the Adversary. I still think that it’s dumb because it cheapens the levity of all the sacrifices made during the battle by all of it just being magically undone.)
Pleased to see that everyone was safe, the Adversary waved goodbye before leaving on the Flying Fish. After getting some much-needed rest, the Adversary soon returned back to the Outpost, where Neinheart greeted them and asked if they had gotten some rest after defeating the Black Mage, to which the Adversary replied that it had been ages since they had been able to sleep as well as they had.
Neinheart replied that it was good to hear, as the Alliance would be needing the Adversary at full strength. The Adversary was surprised and asked if there was something wrong. Just then, the other leaders of the Alliance arrived, causing the Adversary to realize that Neinheart had merely been joking.
(A/N: Each class gets a unique script for this part.
For Explorers (including Jett), Athena Pierce, Grendel, and Kyrin arrive and congratulate the Explorer for all that they’ve accomplished. They reminisce about how curious and wide-eyed the Explorer had been when they had first met, and how much has changed since then. If the Explorer is a warrior or a thief, Athena Pierce will tell them that their job instructor couldn’t make it, though they send their best regards. Dances with Balrog, the Dark Lord, and Lady Syl got completely sidelined from the entire story and I’ll forever be salty about it.
For the Cygnus Knights and Mihile, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them, adding that it’s thanks to them that the Alliance was able to rally around Cygnus, who led them to victory. Cygnus agrees and notes that it’s thanks to them that they were able to gain everyone’s trust and unite as one.
Claudine then admits that they were reliable, to which Neinheart laughs that if Claudine is saying that, then they must already know what everyone else is thinking. As Claudine bickers with Neinheart, Cygnus laughs and notes that Claudine and Neinheart seem to be getting along well, to which both of them are flustered into silence.
For the Resistance classes and Xenon, Claudine proudly calls them a valued member of the Resistance. She explains that everyone else has already returned to Edelstein, and though they had all wanted to go back with the Resistance member, she hesitates before explaining that they had needed someone to stay and clean up. Neinheart laughs and tells Claudine to be honest, reminding her that she had insisted that she would stay and meet with the Resistance member on behalf of everyone. Claudine gets embarrassed, though she quickly recovers and tells the Resistance member that it’s time to go home, as everyone is waiting.
For the Demon, Neinheart tells him that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Claudine adds that no matter what he did in the past, he’s always been at the Resistance’s side. Cygnus tells him that he no longer lives under the shadow of the Black Mage, and that he’s a valued member of the Alliance.
She then asks what he’ll do now, to which he says that he’s not sure. He thinks to himself that there’s nowhere to go home to and no one that’s waiting for him. Cygnus then tells him that no matter where he goes or what he finds, the Alliance will always be there for him. The Demon is overwhelmed by the overwhelming support of everyone and jokes that this is one way to make new acquaintances.
For all the Heroes except Evan and Shade, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Cygnus notes that they’ve been keeping Maple World safe for so long, and now they’ve saved the world from the greatest threat that they’ve ever faced. She then thanks them and vows that the Alliance will continue protecting the world that they’ve given everything to save.
For Evan, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Cygnus thanks Evan for everything that he’s done for them. Athena Pierce then adds that she’d never thought that he’d grow so much, to which Evan laughs in embarrassment and says that he still has a lot to learn. Cygnus smiles and tells him that he doesn’t need to be so modest, as he’s already the hero of the Alliance. Athena agrees with Cygnus and adds that they have no doubt that he’ll become a great Dragon Master, and perhaps even greater than Freud.
For Shade, Neinheart tells him that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that they’ll never forget his part in the battle, or his sacrifice. Neinheart agrees and calls Shade a hero for the ages. Shade is lost for words and chuckles awkwardly before thanking everyone. Cygnus then asks Shade what’s next for him, which causes Shade to think that he hadn’t even thought about that.
He then wonders to himself what heroes do once their villains are gone before supposing that he should be happy that he’s still alive to wonder that. He then thinks to himself that there must be more before telling Cygnus that he’s planning to go on a quest to find himself. Cygnus then wishes him a safe and fulfilling journey.
For Zero, Neinheart tells Alpha and Beta that all of Maple World owes him a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus explains that the world has found peace thanks to the two of them, adding that they’ve done so much. She then asks what they’ll do now, to which they reply that they’re planning to sleep for a few weeks. They also think to themselves that they need to think about what they’ll be doing from now on. Cygnus then tells them that they’ve done just as she’d hoped.
For all Grandis classes, Neinheart tells them that all of Maple World owes them a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that the Alliance’s allies in Grandis played a major role in bringing peace to Maple World, for which they have her utmost gratitude. Edea notes that they were fortunate enough that the situation on Grandis was quiet enough for them to come. She adds that there’s no telling what will happen next, though this was a nice enough break. Cygnus then promises that Maple World will be there when Grandis needs help, just as the Adversary was there for Maple World.
For Kinesis, Neinheart tells them that everyone in Maple World is grateful to them. Grendel adds that he was surprised when Kinesis had arrived on Maple World, but he believes that Kinesis has grown a lot. Cygnus then asks him what he’ll do now, to which Kinesis replies that he’s going to visit his friends, as he hasn’t seen them in a while. He then laughs that they’ll know why once he tells them. Cygnus then tells him that a lot of other people on Maple World will miss him too.
For Hayato and Kanna, Neinheart tells them that all of Maple World owes them a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus adds that peace has been brought back to Maple World because of people from other worlds like them, for which they have Cygnus’ utmost gratitude. Princess Sakuno then arrives, much to Hayato/Kanna’s surprise, and replies that they stand together as one Alliance.
She explains that Maple World has accepted them, and so it’s only right for them to return the favor. She then turns to Hayato/Kanna and notes that they’ve saved the world yet again, adding that she couldn’t be prouder. Cygnus thanks Sakuno and promises that the Alliance will be there when the Sengoku Warriors need help, just as Hayato/Kanna and the Sengoku Warriors have done. Sakuno replies that she doesn’t need a reward for helping her comrades, though she adds that she appreciates the sentiment.
For Beast Tamer, Neinheart tells her that all of Maple World owes her a debt that can never be repaid. Cygnus thanks her once again for everything, while Athena tells her that she had never imagined that she would grow to such heights, adding that it’s truly impressive. Chase replies that she still has a long way to go, adding that she’s just happy that she could fight alongside the five Heroes. Cygnus tells Chase that she’s already a hero to all of them, and that she can enjoy the feeling a little, to which an awestruck Chase marvels at the fact that she’s now considered a hero.)
Meanwhile, at the Aboris Royal Palace, Melange presented the book that Will had dropped in Esfera and recited the Black Mage’s prophecy of the final battle to Gerand Darmoor. Melange noted that Darmoor must be pleased to have received such a useful book, as well as to have detected the seed of the new world that the Black Mage had left behind. Darmoor then ordered Melange to find Aeona and the Seed, claiming that all would be ‘there’.
(A/N: I was so shook when this was first revealed, I never expected Melange to be a traitor. Originally, Melange said that he had found a way to thwart destiny, not that he had detected the seed of the new world. This was changed a few months after Tenebris was released, although for some reason, it still hasn’t been changed in GMS.
The GMS localization makes it sound like the Seed is the Tower of Oz, which is what the Seed is called outside GMS, and it’s also where Alicia’s soul remains after her physical body was destroyed. Because of this, a lot of people in GMS speculated that Darmoor wants Alicia’s soul, and the fact that he said that “all would be there” likely meant that Tana would somehow be in the Tower of Oz too.
However, it’s clear from the KMS translation that Darmoor really just wants the seed of the new world, which probably refers to the Genesis Crux, and that honestly makes a lot more sense when you consider that Tana had emerged from the Genesis Crux to help us, explaining why she and the seed of the new world would be in the same place.
The end of Limina also marks the end of the Black Mage arc, which spanned for roughly eleven years from 2007-2018. GrandisStory officially began a year later with the Glory update in 2019, which we’re currently in the midst of. There’s no telling how long it’ll last, but given how many open plot points there are, I can easily see it lasting for at least five to ten more years at minimum.
I have very mixed opinions about the Grandis storyline, but I’ll complain about it later. For now, I’ll end this section with a bittersweet sendoff for Maple World and its horrendously mishandled finale, and a huge thanks to KMS for protesting vocally enough for Nexon to retcon it into something that can be barely considered passable. To commemorate it, here are my feelings on the Maple World vs Grandis debate in the form of a meme video.)
PART IV: AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE BLACK MAGE
Aftermath:
(A/N: While this section is called Aftermath, there are actually three main things that get covered here: the actual Aftermath cutscenes, the rest of Kao’s memories, and the Genesis Weapon liberation storyline. While it’s never explicitly said that the Genesis Weapon gets liberated between Limina and Convergence, I’m placing it in this section because it just makes the most sense when the setting is established as “after the final battle”, which lines up with it being around when Aftermath happens.
Most of the Aftermath cutscenes are canonically set the day after the events of Tenebris, given that Aftermath is called “The Day After” in other regions, although you’ll see that some of them actually take place somewhere between a few days to a few weeks later. I want to add a disclaimer that each of them assumes that your class is the canon Adversary, since they’re written to be relative to the player’s experience, although there isn’t one canonical Adversary in the game.
Many of these cutscenes also received minor revamps during the KMS Spring 2024 update, which added some details and dialogue to better connect with the transition into the continental Grandis storyline. Most cutscenes just got additions, but Zero’s cutscene was heavily changed. If you want to see the original version, check out the pre-Destiny lore page.)
Explorer:
After the defeat of the Black Mage, Tess returned to meet Kyrin, who explained that Athena had told her about their family curse. Upon looking at her hand, Tess was relieved to see that the curse mark had vanished with the Black Mage’s death. As they tearfully reunited, Tess asked Kyrin to wait for him, as he had somewhere to be.
On Maple Island, Tess reunited with the Explorer, Rondo, and Olive. Just as they all wished that Sugar could reunite with them one last time, Sugar herself popped out of the Maple Tree. Sugar greeted the Explorer and told them that it had been a while since they had met in her current form. The others then decided to give Sugar and the Explorer some time to catch up.
Sugar told the Explorer that she had been watching them every step of their journey, and that she would always continue to do so. When the Explorer asked if they could meet again, Sugar told them that though the Black Mage had been defeated, the world was still in danger. She explained that it would be difficult for her to manifest her human form, to which the Explorer asked her what she meant. Sugar told them that all she could say was that a lot would change in the future, but that she would always be there. She then asked them to come visit her again one day under the Maple Tree.
Dual Blade:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Dual Blades that plays after the regular Explorer cutscene.)
In the Secret Garden, Lady Syl commended the Dual Blade for his role in defeating the Black Mage and for bringing honor to the Dual Blades. The Dual Blade told her that he had merely fulfilled his duty, but Syl told him that he had done far more than that, having inspired her to move the Dual Blades out of the shadows. She admitted that she had even started visiting the Jazz Bar in Kerning City from time to time, having buried the hatchet with the Dark Lord. She then told the Dual Blade that she looked forward to hearing of his next victory.
Cannoneer and Explorer Pirates:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Cannoneer and Explorer Pirates that plays after the regular Explorer cutscene.)
Aboard the Nautilus, the pirate met with Kyrin, who was surprised to find them standing quietly while waiting for her. She told them that their awed silence reminded her of her first sailing adventure, during which she and her crewmates had spent ages listening to their captain wax philosophical about the pirate life.
She added that being a pirate hadn’t always been as glamorous as it was in the present day, as technology had been much more rudimentary back then. However, she explained that she had been determined to be out on the open seas and recalled how she had felt true freedom the first time that she had stepped foot on the Nautilus. Because of that, she had vowed to do whatever it took to protect that freedom. With that, she decided to set sail for their next destination. (A/N: I love how you have no dialogue in this entire scene. For Cannoneers, Monkey cheers excitedly at the end, but that’s basically it.)
Pathfinder:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Pathfinder. Before the Destiny update, it played after the original Explorer cutscene, as all Special Explorers, including Pathfinder, shared the same Explorer storyline from the RED patch in addition to their own special storyline. However, since Pathfinder doesn’t share the main Explorer storyline anymore, this is the only cutscene that plays for her.)
At the Bowman Instructional School, the Pathfinder reunited with Athena Pierce, who asked her pupil how she was doing, noting that she ought to take a break from finding new adventures after just coming back from a major war. After a pause, the Pathfinder asked Athena whether she remembered the day when they had parted ways, when Athena had warned her about rushing into danger merely to satisfy curiosity.
She explained that there had indeed been times when her curiosity had gotten her into trouble, though it was Athena’s other piece of advice that had allowed her to come so far – that her curiosity was also a beacon that could shine a light on new paths. Athena laughed and told the Pathfinder that she had never doubted her. She explained that initially, when the Pathfinder had first set out on her adventures, she had been worried that her curiosity could lead to trouble, though when she had seen the Pathfinder return and talk about the relic with bright and shining eyes, she had been reassured that the path of adventure that the Pathfinder walked would shine a new light.
The Pathfinder thanked Athena for her kind words, after which Athena asked her what had happened to her curse. The Pathfinder explained that her curse still remained, though she didn’t mind, as it only meant that her adventure was not yet over.
(A/N: This line confused me for a while because Pathfinder’s storyline was about lifting the curse on the relic. However, someone helped clarify that the curse itself still exists on the relic, it’s just that she’s lifted the effects of the curse on herself by becoming the weapon’s true owner. The curse itself is still in effect, with her skills branding her targets with the curse mark.)
She then vowed that she would continue finding her own path by going on an adventure that no one else had before. Athena smiled and told the Pathfinder that she didn’t need any more guidance, as she was Athena’s best student. She then wished her old pupil good luck on her journey.
A few days later, the Pathfinder returned to the ancient ruins of Partem, where Brie arrived to meet her, having learned about her arrival from Gorgonz. Brie greeted the Pathfinder and asked her about her latest adventures. She was awed to learn that the Pathfinder had defeated the Black Mage and saved the world, adding that she had always known that the Pathfinder would do amazing things.
She then told the Pathfinder that she would always remember the adventure that she had with the hero who defeated the Black Mage, adding that though she hadn’t done much during that adventure, it had been quite meaningful to her. She explained that she would think back on their time together and draw strength from the Pathfinder’s courage, taking the Pathfinder by surprise.
Realizing that she had started babbling again, Brie decided to leave the Pathfinder alone after telling her that she hoped to see her again. After being left alone, the Pathfinder was touched to know that her adventures had meant a lot to Brie, satisfied that her trip to Partem hadn’t been for nothing. With that, she decided to prepare for her next adventure in Grandis as she thought about all the undiscovered relics there. (A/N: It’s funny because finding relics of the Ancient Gods is exactly what we’re hoping to do in continental Grandis.)
Cygnus Knights:
In Ereve, Empress Cygnus addressed her Knights and thanked them all for their bravery. She then asked if they were willing to continue following her in the fight against evil, which garnered a rallying cry for Cygnus.
(A/N: Each branch of the Cygnus Knights gets exclusive dialogue here.
For Dawn Warriors, Mihile thanks them for protecting the pride of the Empress, to which the player tells them that it was Mihile’s guiding light that showed them the way. Mihile replies that he still remembers the day when they had met at the entrance exam, adding that a lot has changed since then. He then jokes that he could stay up all night talking about them, laughing that they should save some time for it.
For Blaze Wizards, Oz tells them that their passion was like a big, blazing fireball, to which the player notes that it’s all because they’re Oz’s student. Oz notes that they’re still quite humble, even after having come so far, and adds that she hopes that the flame’s protection will keep them safe.
For Wind Archers, Irena tells them that they had brought a breeze in the storm, to which the player tells her that it was all because her wind had cleared the way. Irena thanks the player and hopes that the wind of good fortune will surround them in the future.
For Night Walkers, Eckhart tells them that he’ll skip the greetings and tell them that they had exceeded his expectations, and that they had fought well. The player replies that Eckhart was giving them too much praise, as it was he who had opened the path of the Night Walker to them, to which Eckhart laughs and tells them that they’ve done good work.
For Thunder Breakers, Hawkeye tells them that he was impressed with their performance and laughs that it was all thanks to his training. The player agrees, noting that they’re still quite far behind when compared to him. Hawkeye laughs and tells them that to celebrate, he’ll come on an adventure with them.)
Neinheart personally thanked the Cygnus Knight for their dedication and asked if they would continue doing what was required for the sake of the Empress, to which the Knight told Neinheart that just as always, they would always trust and follow the Empress. Cygnus then thanked them for their service, addressing them as the sixth Chief Knight.
Soon after, the Knight traveled to Shinsoo’s refuge in Leafre, where Shinsoo greeted them and noted that their noble beliefs had grown even stronger, adding that their ancestors – the Noblesse – would be proud. She then asked them how they had felt while facing a god, to which the Knight replied that they had merely been keeping their oath to the Empress.
However, Shinsoo warned them that things were not yet over and reminded them of how she had once told them that sooner or later, they would have to make a difficult choice. The Knight was surprised, believing that the time of making that choice had already come to pass, though Shinsoo told them that she had a feeling otherwise.
She explained that the destiny of the world had begun to change long ago, and that there was no way for her to know what would happen next. She added that the only thing that was clear was that the balance of the world was still broken, for which she asked the Knight to continue working hard, as a new darkness would soon engulf both them and the Empress.
Mihile:
In Ereve, Empress Cygnus addressed her Knights and thanked them all for their bravery, noting that they had all played their parts admirably in their order of knights, which had been founded to face the Black Mage. She added that amongst them, Mihile had played the most important role in the most dangerous place, and that without him or the Cygnus Knights, Ereve would not bask in the warm sunlight that now fell upon them. She then asked if they were willing to continue following her and Mihile in the fight against evil, which garnered a rallying cry for them both.
Neinheart personally thanked Mihile for his dedication and asked if he would continue doing what was required for the sake of the Empress, to which Mihile told Neinheart that just as always, he would always trust and follow the Empress. Cygnus then thanked him for their service, addressing them as the eternal leader of the Cygnus Knights.
At the Conference Pavilion, Cygnus met with Mihile and noted that the centuries-long war had finally come to an end. Mihile told her that it was thanks to her leadership, but Cygnus replied that it was instead thanks to everyone's noble sacrifice. Mihile then told her that there was something that he had wanted to ask.
Mihile began reminiscing about how she had seen the light within him when they had first met many years ago. He asked Cygnus how she was so sure that he could become a Knight of Light when he himself had doubted it. Cygnus told him that she still remembered the day when they had first met, and how he hadn't hesitated to save her.
She explained that when he had taken her hand while saving her from the stray dogs, she had witnessed the brightest light that she had ever seen. She added that his bravery hadn’t just been with the stray dogs either, as he hadn't hesitated when a greater threat had loomed in the form of Atan. She reminded him of what she had said when he had defended her from Atan - that his warm heart which valued life was enough for him to become the guardian of Maple World.
Cygnus then asked him a question of her own, explaining that when they had first met each other, she hadn't been great either, as she had merely been a young and powerless girl in spite of having ascended the throne, and so she wondered why he had agreed to follow her. Mihile replied that his father, Chromile, had reminded him that serving the Empress was the reason why he had been able to awaken his light.
Mihile explained that the reason why he had been able to awaken and maintain his light was because he had the heart to protect her. He then swore that he would continue to do so until the day he died, and that he would follow only her into the future.
Resistance:
(A/N: This cutscene is common to all Resistance classes, including Xenon and the Demon.)
At the Secret Plaza, Claudine gave a speech to the entire Resistance, reminding them of everything that they had accomplished, from driving out the Black Wings to rebuilding the Edelstein Council. Declaring that true freedom had come at last, Claudine then presented the Resistance member, introducing them as one of the Resistance’s greatest heroes.
(A/N: Each Resistance class gets some exclusive dialogue here.
For Blasters, Elex proudly proclaims them as his pupil and jokes that it seems that they’re wrong when they say that a pupil resembles their master.
For Battle Mages, Brighton tells them that he had never thought that this day would come, but that he’s proud of them as their teacher.
For Wild Hunters, Belle tells them that from the moment they had chosen the path of the Wild Hunter, she had known that they would do great things.
For Mechanics, a tearful Checky adamantly states that he isn’t crying, and that he’s just proud of them before asking why his mask is wet.
For Xenon, Claudine honors him as the last member of the M-Forcers, which is a reference to how he, Claudine, Belle, Elex, and Brighton would play as the M-Forcers when they were kids.
For the Demon, Claudine notes that the Demon had broken free from the Black Mage and joined the Resistance.)
After the assembly clapped for the Resistance member, Claudine told everyone that it was time to return to the city in order to celebrate, though the Resistance member and their job instructor stayed behind to talk for a moment.
(A/N: Each Resistance class gets some exclusive dialogue here.
For Blasters, Elex stops the player before laughing and asking where they’re going in such a hurry, noting that they should wait a moment in order to have a word with their teacher. Speaking as a member of the Resistance, Elex thanks the player and tells them that if it wasn’t for them, Edelstein would never have been freed. The player replies that it was all thanks to him, and that they wouldn’t have been able to do it if he hadn’t been their teacher. Elex laughs and tells them that he’s touched, to the point of being moved to tears. Despite not shedding any tears, Elex emphasizes that he had indeed shed some tears before telling them that they should head to the party.
For Battle Mages, Brighton stops them as they head out and tells them to hang back, as he’d get caught by Belle and wouldn’t get a chance to talk to them if they left now. He then tells the player that they’re quite talented and deserve his gratitude, as Edelstein would never have been freed if it wasn’t for them. The player replies that it was all thanks to him, and that they wouldn’t have been able to do it if he hadn’t been their teacher. Brighton laughs and jokingly asks them where the kid who had undertaken special training had gone, noting that they really had grown up before telling them that they should head to the party, as he could hear Belle calling his name.
For Wild Hunters, Belle stops the player and asks them why they looked so surprised, and whether they had planned to head off with everyone without even saying hello to her. Speaking as their old teacher, Belle thanks the player and tells them that if it wasn’t for them, Edelstein would never have been freed. The player replies that it was all thanks to her, and that they wouldn’t have been able to do it if she hadn’t been their teacher. Belle laughs and tells them that she’s touched that they still think of her as their teacher. She then tells them that no matter what anyone else says, they’re the best Wild Hunter in the Resistance, after which she tells them that they should head to the party.
For Mechanics, Checky stops the player and tells them to hang back for a bit, jokingly adding that the protagonist always arrives last. He then tells them that there’s no need to look so nervous, noting he’s not teaching a class before thanking them and adding that if it wasn’t for them, Edelstein would never have been freed. The player replies that it was all thanks to him, and that they wouldn’t have been able to do it if he hadn’t been their teacher. Checky begins tearing up and tells the player that he’d done well to become a mechanic instructor before insisting once again that he’s not crying, claiming that there’s simply dust underneath his mask. He then tells them that they should head to the party.
For the Demon, Mastema stops him and jokingly asks him whether he’s forgotten her after so long, to which the Demon smiles and tells her that he’s finally come back home. Mastema then tells the Demon that she had full faith that he’d be able to win before asking him how he feels about finally having taken his revenge on the Black Mage. The Demon admits that it still doesn’t feel real to him yet that he’d gone from being a Commander to a Resistance member to an Adversary. He notes that he’s been constantly changing into different people, and yet he still feels like there’s no where to return home to.
Upon hearing his words, Mastema asks him whether he’s forgotten about the people that he was with just moments ago, noting that the Resistance is where he would return home to, and that it was where she would be as well. The Demon laughs and agrees with her before thanking her for staying at his side, to which Mastema laughs that he’s finally recognizing her efforts, after which she suggests that they head to the party.
For Xenon, Claudine stops him and asks him whether he could stay and talk for a moment. Speaking not as the leader of the Resistance, but as an ordinary person, Claudine thanks Xenon and tells him that if it wasn’t for him, Edelstein would never have been freed. Xenon asks Claudine whether he really deserves her gratitude, as he still doesn’t remember her. Claudine replies that it’s fine, as she can remember enough for the both of them.
She reminds him that a long time ago, they had made a promise that she would give him back his dagger once Edelstein was freed, and that it was now time for her to keep that promise. Xenon thanks her and tells her that she and the people of Edelstein have become the most precious thing to him, and that he would make sure to remember it. Claudine then officially welcomes him back before suggesting that they head to the party.)
At the town square, all the people of Edelstein cheered as fireworks lit the sky over a free Edelstein. As they all celebrated, Brighton turned to Belle and noted that the invincible M-Forcers had finally achieved victory, alluding back to when they would play M-Forcers as children. He then added that he had never thought that he would have survived long enough to celebrate their victory with her.
Belle noted that when she looked back, they had all done some dangerous and often reckless things. Elsewhere, Elex and Checky wondered what Belle and Brighton were whispering about, with Checky laughing and asking whether they should whisper about something as well, causing Elex to glare at him.
Meanwhile, Claudine turned to the Resistance member and asked whether they could see the freedom that they had all created together, noting how they could finally leave their painful past behind and write their own history from now on. After a pause, Claudine admitted that she also wanted to liberate others from persecution if possible, explaining that there was another world where people’s freedom had been taken away just like Edelstein.
She then asked the Resistance member whether they would be willing to join her in the future, to which the Resistance member agreed. A pleased Claudine noted that she knew that they would before suggesting that they join the others in their crazy antics as they all celebrated their victory together.
Xenon:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for Xenon that takes place the morning after the Resistance cutscene.)
The next morning, Xenon noticed a commotion happening in town and asked what was going on. From the townspeople, he learned that a robot had wandered over from the Scrapyard. He then ran into Bitterbot and recognized her from the fight against Black Heaven. Knowing that there were many lost robots at the Scrapyard, Xenon told her that he wanted to visit the Scrapyard one day in order to find Beryl.
Bitterbot told him that she could take him immediately, and though Xenon considered it, he told her that he was still needed in Edelstein. However, Xenon then thought back to the night before, when Claudine had given him back his dagger after Edelstein’s freedom, to which he then told Bitterbot that he would like to visit her once Edelstein had regained its stability. Bitterbot replied that she would continue waiting until everything had been taken care of, after which she headed back to the Scrapyard.
(A/N: I hope that Xenon does visit her one day and learns that she’s actually Beryl. It’s actually really sad that he’s the only class who won’t ever get his memories back, as Gelimer overwrote large portions of his memory with his soldier programming.)
Demon:
(A/N: This is an exclusive scene for the Demon that takes place a few days after the Resistance cutscene.)
In southern Leafre, the Demon returned to his ruined family home with Mastema and felt many awful memories resurface. He went to Damien’s grave, where he recalled how a young Damien had once asked him if they could live a quiet life away from the war and all their troubles. At the time, he had believed that it was just a naive child’s wish, but he realized now that Damien had it right all along.
He spoke aloud to Damien that they should have lived away from it all, though he had realized it far too late. Though he had finally avenged Damien by helping defeat the Black Mage, he noted that there was nothing else to take revenge for and wondered what Damien would say if he could see him now, wondering aloud what he had to live for anymore.
Mastema then interrupted and told him that he did have a reason to keep fighting, telling the Demon that he should live for himself and for her. Reminding him that the world needed him, she urged him to fight for what he believed in on the side of good. The Demon wondered if he could really be happy fighting for what he believed in, to which Mastema told him that he could, and that she was looking forward to the rest of her days with him.
The Demon realized that Mastema was right, though he noted that there was still work to be done first. He told Mastema that though Damien was gone, the world that he had dreamed about was still possible to attain, and that he would do whatever it took to create the peaceful world without war that Damien had wanted. He then asked Mastema whether she would keep following him, to which she vowed that she would continue following him until the end. Silently, the Demon then addressed Damien and told his departed brother that he loved him.
Heroes of Maple:
After a large celebration party, Evan unexpectedly decided to visit Freud’s birthplace, where he found that the other Heroes were also there. Evan was surprised, as they had told him that they had ‘other stuff’ to do and had sent him off like a child. Aran laughed and explained that she had changed her mind, but that it had been worth the trip to see the baffled look on his face.
Mercedes told Aran not to make fun of Evan, reminding her that he had helped them save the world. Luminous noted that it appeared as though they all had the same ‘stuff’ to do. Just then, Phantom appeared in a flash and saw that they had beaten him, though he declared that the star of the show always appeared last.
Mercedes snapped that he was meant to be at another extravagant party, but Evan broke up the fight and told them that with Phantom, all the Heroes were there. As Phantom began smiling, Mercedes asked him what he was smiling about, to which he noted the irony of the grand Heroes who had defeated the Black Mage celebrating in an abandoned shack to mope about their long-lost companion.
Mercedes then suggested watching the moon and stars, which were visible from the broken roof. They wondered whether Freud had ever watched the sky as they had, but Phantom pointed out that there likely hadn’t been a hole in the roof while Freud had still lived there.
Aran mentioned that she recalled how Freud had many holes in his roof, and that he had been too lazy to fix them. (A/N: I love this little detail, as it pretty much confirms that Aran has finally gotten her memories back with the Black Mage’s death.) Shade countered that Freud wasn’t so much lazy as he was content with the feeling of a rundown cottage.
The Heroes then looked back fondly on Freud and his eccentric ways. Soon after, they all prepared to leave when Evan asked when they would see each other again. The Heroes reassured him that they were like family, and that they would see each other again at the next crisis, as they were Maple World’s greatest heroes. (A/N: Each of the Heroes has an individual cutscene that takes place some time after this.)
Aran:
In Rien, Aran arrived to visit Lilin, who was surprised to see her, since Aran was supposed to be at a party. Aran told Lilin that she’d already had her fill of fun and had figured that Lilin could use the company, as Lilin didn’t have a cat or any other pet. Lilin told Aran that she wasn’t a lonely, doddering old woman and told Aran that just because she had helped defeat the Black Mage, it didn’t mean that she could get lazy and fall out of shape, to which Aran laughed that she couldn’t let her gorgeously sculpted muscles go to waste.
Lilin asked if that meant that she had come to train, which Aran confirmed, adding that she wanted to thank Lilin as well, which took Lilin aback. Aran explained that even though everyone was giving her credit for defeating the Black Mage, her friends were the real reason why she had won, as their determination had given her the strength that she had needed.
She told Lilin that she had always been her biggest supporter and explained that she couldn’t have done any of it without her. Lilin was left speechless as she blinked back tears before telling Aran to get to training. Aran laughed and told Lilin not to pretend as though she wasn’t touched, as she could plainly see her tears. However, Lilin told Aran that she was mistaken, claiming that the wind had merely blown a snowflake on her face. Aran smiled before heading out to train alone. After Aran left, Lilin spoke aloud that she would always need Aran, who had appeared to save the day just when she had been about to give up hope. She then added that she was grateful for every day that she got to spend with Aran.
Soon after, Aran brought Maha to the snowy mountains, where they stopped at a grave marked by a polearm. Aran told Maha that the grave belonged to her grandfather, recalling how she had once told Maha about him. Maha noted that it wasn't like her to visit and wondered whether defeating the Black Mage had made her emotional.
Aran admitted that she had wanted to go with him and show him her grandfather's grave, noting how her grandfather had always told her to fight for what she believed in. She explained that because of his words, she had kept fighting to protect those she loved, and that she was grateful to Maha for being by her side all the while.
Maha replied that she had merely been fulfilling her promise to him by defeating the Black Mage and making him a famous weapon, and that he had merely been helping her keep that promise. Aran teased him for being so humble, to which Maha noted that it was only thanks to her being his master that they had been able to defeat a corrupted Transcendent.
He then asked Aran whether she now planned to become a wanderer again after defeating the Black Mage, to which Aran laughed that though it sounded great, she had a feeling that the fighting wasn't over, which meant that Maha would have a chance of becoming even more famous. At Maha's confusion, Aran explained that another fallen Transcendent had appeared, and that she wouldn't back down from him, which Maha agreed with.
Evan:
In Henesys, Evan returned back to the farm and greeted his family. His mother asked him where had been, explaining that she had steamed potatoes for him, though they had all gone cold by now. When Evan told them that he had participated in a major battle, his father jokingly asked if he fought a demon again, taking Evan aback until Mir pointed out that he had merely been teasing. Utah then appeared and asked Evan if he had gotten Angelic Buster’s signature, causing Evan to glare at him. (A/N: Utah asking him for Angelic Buster’s signature is one of the running jokes in his class-exclusive cutscenes. Fun fact, if you finish the Heliseum prequests, Edea will straight up give you Angelic Buster’s autograph. It’s worth like 100,000 mesos too.)
Back in Evan’s room, Mir noted that he could sense Evan’s feelings through their bond, noting how Evan, in the past, had been worried about living up to Freud’s reputation. Though he understood Evan’s feelings, he pointed out that Evan had defeated the Black Mage with his own power. He explained that even though Freud was a prodigious magician, Evan was good enough as well.
A surprised Evan asked Mir where his words were coming from, to which Mir replied that if Evan was suffering, then he was suffering too. Evan then admitted that he couldn’t have done it without Mir and all his other friends, causing Mir to laugh that Evan had matured. Evan also laughed and noted that while it had been a long journey for them, their adventure was not yet over, pointing out how there was a corrupted Transcendent in another world, and that the people of that world were suffering.
He noted that the two of them could become a beacon of hope for those people and inherit the will of Freud and Afrien, to which Mir agreed enthusiastically. Just then, Evan’s mother called him down for steamed potatoes. An unenthusiastic Mir told Evan that he was going for a walk, with an equally unenthusiastic Evan following suit and running after him.
Mercedes:
In Elluel, Mercedes was overjoyed to see that the Black Mage’s defeat meant that the curse on the elves had finally been broken. Mercedes welcomed her subjects back and began apologizing for her failure, though all the elves reassured her that she had done everything that she could to protect them. Athena Pierce then told Mercedes that with the defeat of the Black Mage, she would return the Mistelteinn back to its rightful owner. Mercedes decided to leave it on display in Elluel as a reminder to their people about all the challenges that they had faced and overcome together.
Athena then asked Mercedes whether their fight was really over, as she had an ominous feeling. Mercedes admitted that she shared Athena’s concerns, though she added that Elluel would no longer be silenced, and that even if another corrupted Transcendent appeared again, she would stop them as the ruler of elves. With that, Mercedes played Lucid’s old music box to start the celebrations, vowing that Elluel would forever be filled with the sounds of life and joy after centuries of silence.
Phantom:
Later the same evening that the Heroes had met at Freud’s house, Phantom decided to stop by Ereve. There, he watched as Neinheart found Cygnus wandering around the grounds alone. Neinheart asked Cygnus if she wasn’t enjoying the celebrations, but Cygnus told him that she was happier than she had been in a long time. However, the sacrifices and lives lost during the war were weighing heavily on her mind, and so she felt that it wasn’t right to celebrate.
At the same time, she knew that she couldn’t mourn their losses that night, and that she instead needed to put on a brave face for her people, who needed to celebrate. Neinheart smiled and acknowledged her wisdom, after which Cygnus told him that it was time to return to the party. As they left, Phantom noted that he was glad to see what a strong leader she had become, after which he returned to the Lumiere.
There, he met Gaston, who noted that Phantom was late. Phantom told him that he had an important stop to make and asked if the celebration preparations were ready. Gaston told Phantom that since he had been out for a while, everyone had gotten started without him. Phantom smiled and replied that he couldn’t fault them, as it had been a long time since they had reason to celebrate.
Gaston asked if the important stop he had made was in Ereve, as Phantom always had a ruffled expression after visiting. He then asked what Cygnus had told him, to which Phantom explained what he had witnessed, adding that he hadn’t spoken with her, claiming it hadn’t been the right time. Phantom then looked up at the moon and asked Aria if she was still up there watching over him. As petals fluttered around him, Phantom voiced aloud that he like to believe that she was, and if so, he thanked her. With that, he ordered Gaston to set sail for the new world with a corrupted Transcendent, noting that their work was not yet over.
Luminous:
At Lania’s house, Vieren told Luminous that despite having defeated the Black Mage and returning safely, he still seemed unhappy. He then asked what was the matter, to which Luminous reassured him that he was fine, and that he was certain that peace would last for a while. However, he explained that he was having mixed feelings about the Black Mage, noting that despite everything, the Black Mage had still been his other half.
Vieren asked Luminous how he had felt every time he had faced the Black Mage, to which Luminous replied that he had known that the Black Mage needed to be eliminated at all costs, and that it had reminded him of all that he had lost. When Vieren continued pressing, Luminous finally admitted that it had made him disgusted with himself for having come from the same darkness, adding that he couldn’t help but blame himself for everything that the Black Mage had done.
Vieren reminded him that the Black Mage was gone, and that it was time for him to fully accept himself at last. Luminous asked about the darkness still inside him, but Vieren told him that there was darkness in everyone, and that it was part of all of them. He then suggested that Luminous face another great darkness, rather than looking to his own. Luminous wondered whether he deserved to do so, to which Vieren assured him that he did, noting that he still had a lot to protect.
Just then, Lania arrived and told Luminous how glad she was to see him. Vieren pointed out how Luminous’ friends accepted him as he was and urged him to do the same. Luminous then thanked Lania for how she had always shown him such kindness and told her that knowing that she was awaiting him was what kept him going. He also wished Vieren all the best for the future, adding that Aurora’s will would begin anew from now on. He vowed that even if another corrupted Transcendent appeared again, he would stand against the darkness and illuminate the world.
Vieren agreed, though he told Luminous to simply enjoy the peace of coming back home safe and sound. Addressing him as the Starchild, he told Luminous that they would brighten the world once again together. In his mind, Luminous thought about his old friend, Lucia, noting to her that everything was finally over at last.
Shade:
After everyone left Freud’s house, Shade was left alone. He realized that the others likely had loved ones to see and considered finding some celebration to go to himself, though he decided against the idea, as Freud’s house was where he felt most at home. He recalled how he had believed that he would fade away after the Black Mage was defeated and how, for a long time, he hadn’t minded the idea, since no one would ever remember him. However, he found that he was glad that he hadn’t disappeared before speaking aloud to Freud and telling him that he’ll now go to the person who’s waiting for him.
Shade then went to Vulpes, where he found Moonbeam praying at the Fox Tree. Though he was wary of whether Moonbeam had forgotten him, he was pleased to see that she remembered him from his last visit, adding that it was the first time the Fox God had granted her wish, despite praying for a long time. When Shade asked her what she had wished for, Moonbeam explained that when she had been young, she had wished for her parents to be brought back to life, and that when she had grown up, she had wished for her best friend to come back. However, she added that from the moment they had met, she had wished for him to come see her.
Shade replied that the Fox God had now granted two of her wishes, to which Moonbeam asked him whether he could now be with the one that he missed the most, and whether he would tell her his name like he had promised before. Shade replied that though he couldn’t stay with that person, as he had more work to do, he would nevertheless tell her a different name. Moonbeam excitedly introduced herself first, with Shade introducing himself by a different name.
Though Moonbeam realized that Shade would soon leave, he nevertheless promised to come see her again and carved a mark of their promise upon the Fox Tree. As he began to leave, the Fox God appeared before him and asked why he was leaving, as he had told her that he would come live with the Anima once the Black Mage was defeated. However, Shade replied that he still had many more people to protect, as the ones who had shared their fate with him to protect Maple World were his family, just as the Anima were. The Fox God began asking him about Moonbeam, noting that she would still miss him, causing her voice to squeak as her fervor accidentally caused her to speak in her voice as Sino.
Quickly making her voice deeper in embarrassment, the Fox God noted that Moonbeam was also someone that he wanted to protect, to which Shade noted that the guardian spirit which the Fox God had bestowed upon her would keep her safe as he kept moving ahead. The Fox God asked him whether he meant to say that the fight was not yet over, which Shade confirmed, adding that now that Maple World was safe, it was time to protect Grandis. After a pause, the Fox God told him that she would honor his will. She explained that it was her destiny to protect the foxes, which meant that their paths would have to diverge, though she invited him to seek her out whenever he needed her help.
Kaiser and Angelic Buster:
(A/N: Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s Aftermath cutscenes were changed in a very minor way after Angelic Buster’s revamp. Instead of it taking place at Eurenth’s hut, the cutscene now takes place in Pantheon. Additionally, all of Eurenth’s lines were given to Eskalade instead.)
In Pantheon, Angelic Buster ran into Kaiser, who told her that he was just leaving, as he had been looking for Tear and believed that he had just missed her. Upon hearing this, Angelic Buster internally cursed herself for not having come sooner. Kaiser then asked her what she was doing there, to which Angelic Buster lied and explained that she was looking for Tear as well, since she hadn’t seen her in a while.
(A/N: During the events of Black Heaven, Kaiser mistakenly concluded that the similarities between Tear and Angelic Buster meant that they’re secretly friends, which is why Angelic Buster makes up a story about not having seen Tear in a while, as it’s part of her cover story. At this point, the only reason why Angelic Buster isn’t telling him about her identity is because she doesn’t want him to worry about her, but it feels like the writers are just dragging it out for no reason, especially since she told Velderoth in her revamped story as well.)
Kaiser told her that Tear was hard to track down, and that he worried about her. Angelic Buster told him not to, as Tear was doing great. When Kaiser pointed out that she had just said that she hadn’t met Tear in a while, Angelic Buster brushed it off by saying that even two days felt like an eternity for close friends.
Kaiser then decided to head out and asked her to say hello to Tear for him. As he began to leave, Angelic Buster felt bad and called after him, making up a story that Tear had asked her to tell him something in the hopes that it would get him to stay. Thinking of an excuse to keep talking, she told him that Tear had wanted to thank him for the sparkling rock at the Heliseum Hideout.
Kaiser asked if she had said anything else, to which Angelic Buster replied that Tear had been touched by the gesture. He asked if she had seemed happy, but he appeared even more sad after Angelic Buster told him that she was. Kaiser explained that it used to be the case that Tear would start crying after he would give her gifts and added that he loved the way that she smiled when she was teary-eyed with joy. He then told Angelic Buster that she was right about him not having to worry, as it sounded like Tear was doing fine on her own, and that she didn’t need him anymore.
(A/N: Kaiser and Angelic Buster cutscenes are usually funny, what is this flood of emotions that they threw at us?)
As he turned to leave, Angelic Buster called after him again and told him to keep waiting, as Tear might come by again. However, Kaiser told her that he didn’t need to, as it was enough for him to know that Tear was okay. (A/N: The remainder of this cutscene is exclusive to Angelic Buster.)
After he left, Angelic Buster spoke with Eskalade, who noted that she seemed to have a lot on her mind. Angelic Buster told Eskalade that talking with Kaiser had reminded her of how weak she used to be, and how she would always cry over everything. However, she added that Kaiser hadn’t seemed to mind it, and that he had once even given her good advice when she had been really upset, which was that no matter how dark and stormy it might get, the sun always came to chase the clouds away.
Eskalade then asked her what she was going to do next, since she had now become a real hero. She replied that she was going to make her own celebratory rainbow at the end of a centuries-long storm in order to boost the people’s spirits as Angelic Buster.
Kaiser:
(A/N: This is an exclusive cutscene for Kaiser that takes place several days after the events of the paragraph above.)
In the Great Temple of Pantheon, Kyle met with the Former Kaiser, who asked him why he was visiting, rather than celebrating. Kyle told him that he was afraid that he lacked the conviction needed to be a hero to his people and asked if the Former Kaiser believed that he had what it took to be a great Kaiser.
The Former Kaiser asked why he doubted himself, to which Kyle explained that though they had defeated the Black Mage, they had lost many lives in the process, and he felt that if he had been stronger, he could have saved them. He noted that it wasn’t just Maple World where he had failed, as even in Grandis, despite the Nova retaking Heliseum, Magnus had failed and disappeared with the Outrigger. He then added that if he had been stronger, he wouldn’t have failed, and that he wondered whether he was really cut out to be a guardian.
As the Former Kaiser remained silent in thought, Kyle explained that with Grandis being threatened just like Maple World, and that he would be responsible for its destruction if he wasn’t strong enough like him. The Former Kaiser then replied that Kyle had more respect for him than he deserved. He pointed out his own failure to save Heliseum when Darmoor's forces had attacked, as he had arrogantly believed that he could protect the Nova himself, and that the cost of his hubris had been abandoning his people through sacrificing himself.
However, he pointed out that Kyle’s actions in defeating the Black Mage had saved countless lives. Kyle told him that many others had sacrificed their lives to help him do so, but the Former Kaiser explained that that was the difference between them, as Kyle was able to rally the people to his cause and have them fight alongside him with dedication through their faith. Kyle argued that it was the precise reason why so many had lost their lives, but the Former Kaiser replied that Kyle had taught them to believe in themselves.
He told Kyle that his responsibilities were more than just protecting innocent lives, and that above all, he needed to protect their spirits and inspire them to fight any evil that threatened their world. He explained that the Nova had remained strong thanks to the leadership of past Kaisers, and Kyle slowly began to understand his point.
Kyle recalled how Tear used to be scared and helpless until she had grown stronger and had become capable of standing up for herself. Though he had initially been sad that Tear didn’t need him anymore, he realized that she ultimately needed to believe in herself in order to be happy. The Former Kaiser was pleased to see that Kyle had finally understood, after which he reassured Kyle that he didn’t need to worry about the Outrigger, as a traitor like Magnus wouldn’t be able to claim its power.
Kyle asked whether it was because Magnus went against the Ancient Gods, which the Former Kaiser confirmed, explaining that the Ancient Gods of the Nova had placed their will to protect the Nova within the Outrigger. He revealed that long ago, the Nova had been protected by the ancient dragon gods, though – in the pursuit of power – one of the gods and his Nova followers had fallen to evil, for which the remaining dragon gods had created the Outrigger to protect the other Nova. (A/N: The Ancient God that the former Kaiser is talking about is Satiras the Devil Dragon, who gave the power of Malice to his followers, the Black Nova.)
The Former Kaiser explained that no matter how much power Magnus had amassed, he was still just a mortal, and therefore unable to defy the will of an Ancient God. However, he noted that it wasn’t impossible, as Gerand Darmoor – a Transcendent – may know of a way to go against the will of the gods. He added that if Magnus was still alive, he would undoubtedly be at Darmoor’s side, for which he asked Kyle whether his path was clear. Kyle then vowed that he would lead others and teach them what they were capable of.
Cadena:
Cadena returned back to Gen’s hideout, where she reunited with Gen and Coney. Gen asked Cadena how her time in Maple World had been, as the look in her eyes made it seem as though she had finally reached the level of strength that she wanted. Cadena told him that though she wasn’t as strong as she wanted to be, she was now finally able to protect herself.
Gen told her not to be humble, as he had heard about her defeating the Black Mage. Though he wanted to praise her, he reminded Cadena that she had only taken care of the problem in Maple World, and that Darmoor's threat to Grandis would result in things being much worse than they had been in Maple World. Cadena told him that it was to be expected, as the people of Grandis weren’t as united as the people of Maple World.
To solve that problem, Gen suggested that Cadena reveal herself as the princess of the Nova in order to rally forces into fighting back against the High Flora, as well as to organize an alliance similar to the one on Maple World. However, Cadena told him that she had already torn off her wings, tail, horns, and even her old name, and that she had lost all her connections to the royal bloodline.
She also joked that leadership wasn’t her strong suit, and that she was content to leave it to Kaiser as the Nova Guardian while she took care of the business side like a true Shadowdealer. She then told Gen that she was planning to see the leader of the Shadowdealers. Gen warned her that it could be dangerous, but she replied that nothing excited her as much as playing with danger.
(A/N: GMS messed up on the translation for this part. Instead of having Cadena say that she plans to meet the Shadowdealer boss, she instead says that she’s planning to meet Hazard’s bosses, Darmoor and Magnus.)
Illium:
At Sanctuary, Illium finished recounting the battle against the Black Mage to the others. Carnelian was glad to know how Illium had played such a major role, as the Alliance would surely aid the Verdant Flora in return. Though Illium claimed that he hadn’t done it just to win their favor, he noted that he was glad to have made some allies, adding that he had grown fond of Maple World too.
The others agreed, having made many friends in Maple World themselves while searching for the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. However, Carnelian also pointed out that they couldn’t afford to grow complacent. Illium agreed, reminding them that Agate had entrusted him with the Elder Crystal, and with it, the future of the Verdant Flora. The others agreed that they needed to work together in order to make their dream come true.
Illium recalled how they had felt when their home had been attacked by Darius and told them that they couldn’t let anyone threaten Maple World or Grandis, even Darmoor himself. Morian asked if they could really take down Darmoor and return to their ancestral home. Illium reassured him that he was certain that they could and declared that their next destination was mainland Grandis, where everything had begun.
Ark:
As Ark slept, he had a dream of his cadet days with Albaire. (A/N: The caption for the setting says “in fondest memory”. I already know that this is gonna be so gay.) Albaire checked on Ark, who was still in bed, and reminded him that he was going to be late for training. He then noted that Ark looked pale and sweaty and asked if he was sick.
After checking Ark’s temperature, Albaire realized that Ark didn’t have a fever, but he decided to go get help anyways. Ark then called out for Albaire, begging him not to leave. Albaire laughed that he would only be gone for a minute, but Ark told him to promise that he wouldn’t leave, no matter what. Albaire then grinned and asked why he would ever leave Ark. (A/N: At no point was there ever a heterosexual explanation for this.)
Suddenly, Albaire’s eyes turned red and he began to speak in the Specter’s voice. He told Ark that they were in it together, and that he would always be with him. He then began to mock Ark for harboring hope, even at his lowest point. Ark then suddenly found himself in the Abyss, where the Specter scoffed that it hurt to know that he would rather spend time dreaming about his traitorous friend. (A/N: The Specter sounds like the toxic, jealous boyfriend who you want to leave, but can’t.)
Ark demanded to know why the Specter was interfering with his dreams, to which it explained that he had left it no choice, as he had blocked it out every other time. The Specter told Ark that the days he yearned for were long gone, and that the Specter was the only thing that Ark had left. It told Ark that he couldn’t survive without its power, and that his victory against the Black Mage was proof of that.
Ark refuted its claim and told the Specter that it wasn’t even close to the reason why the Alliance had won. He added that though he was stuck with the Specter, he didn’t have to like the situation, and he told it to stop trying to convince him otherwise, as he would have kept fighting even if he didn’t have its power. The Specter merely laughed and replied that Ark would come around eventually, jokingly calling him a friend.
Ark then awoke with a start at the scrapyard in Savage Terminal, where he had gone to visit his nomad friends from Verdel. Thinking back on his dream, Ark admitted that he had no choice but to remain stuck with the Specter, as his fight would continue, though he wasn’t sure what it would be for. Just then, the nomads arrived and greeted Ark, explaining that they had heard all about how he had saved another world.
Seeing all his friends together, Ark thought to himself that though he had lost everything once, he now had things to protect again, for which he vowed to never give up. He then asked the nomads how their quest to find paradise was going, to which they replied that it was still going, though they hoped to find it soon. They then continued talking away about each other’s stories for hours, with Ark resolving his commitment to never giving up on protecting the ones he cared about.
Adele:
Adele returned to Ristonia in order to see Jerome, but she was disappointed to find that he wasn’t at the hideout. However, Brook and Laddie welcomed Adele and told her that they had heard the news about her defeating the Black Mage. They then gave her a letter that they had been meaning to give her, though they hadn’t been able to deliver it without knowing where she was. Adele briefly wondered whether it was a trick from Veronica, but after opening it, she found that it was from Jerome.
Jerome had written that he had been following the news about her, and that people everywhere were talking about her. He asked if she remembered how she had saved him at the spire and told her that it was the first time that he had ever seen her smile. He had vowed that day that he would keep her smiling by his side, but he knew that she would be in danger if he was always so weak that she needed to protect him. Because of that, he had decided that he would become a strong king whom no one would challenge.
He reminded her about the key that they had found that could awaken an Ancient God and supposed that it hid an amazing secret, considering how highly sought after it was by the High Flora. Because of this, he revealed that he was searching for a new ally, and that he was following rumors of a new faction opposing the High Flora at the outskirts of Grandis. (A/N: It’s heavily implied that this group is the Primacy, which are first mentioned at the end of the Carcion storyline as a resistance group that Seren has come across.)
Jerome jokingly mentioned that he might even be able to make them his new subordinates if he was lucky, adding that though he still wasn’t sure what the key unlocked, he laughed that it might unlock a power that could save the whole world. Until then, he asked Adele to take care of herself, reminding her that she was his only knight.
Adele was glad to know that Jerome was safe, though she wished that she could have seen him. To her surprise, Boo manifested before her and Adele asked Brook and Laddie when they had received the letter. They told her that they had received it ten minutes ago at the fountain square, where someone had given it to one of their members.
She immediately rushed to the fountain, but found no one there. Suddenly, the fountain began glowing and Adele heard the voice of the knight statue telling her to unburden herself of the past and to ignite the flames of her oath for her new liege, as deeper darkness was approaching.
Just then, Jerome was led to the fountain by Boo. Startled to see Adele there, he told Boo that he didn’t want to present himself to her until he became stronger. He then hoped that Adele would wait for him until then. Though he tried to slip away unseen, Adele watched him leave and silently promised to wait for him as well.
Khali:
In Ereve, Cygnus found Khali ruminating atop a cliff, gazing at the sky. She told Khali that as the hero of the battle was nowhere to be found, she had to come and find her. At Khali’s silence, Cygnus noted that she seemed to have a lot on her mind. She then asked Khali whether she recalled the day when she had first joined the Alliance. Cygnus explained that she had made a promise that she would stand with Khali when the time came if Khali would fight for Maple World, adding that she would gladly help if now was the time.
Khali thanked Cygnus for her support, but declined her help, explaining that if the Alliance were to intervene, it would result in a war between Ereve and Erimos, which wouldn’t bode well when the Alliance had already been weakened after the final battle. Though Cygnus acknowledged her words, she pointed out that Khali had saved their world, and that she wasn’t afraid of fighting a war for the sake of a hero. Khali replied that she was grateful, but that she wanted to take Ypsilon’s life with her own hands.
Soon after, Khali returned back to Erimos and infiltrated the palace. After fighting through the guards, she entered the audience chamber, where Ypsilon greeted her and noted that it had been a while. He explained that people were calling her a godslayer and laughed at the fact that a commoner had been able to kill a Transcendent. He then asked Khali whether she would be able to take his life as well.
Khali immediately attacked a surprised Ypsilon, who managed to teleport and dodge her attack. Ypsilon then attempted to use his powers to drain Khali’s life force, but Khali – who had grown even stronger than she had been during their last fight – was easily able to drive him back. Khali then asked Ypsilon, who was kneeled over in pain, whether he felt remorse for the countless lives that he had sacrificed.
However, Ypsilon merely laughed and asked whether she felt remorse when she killed a fly. He then told Khali that he couldn’t allow himself to be killed by her yet and added that they would meet again when ‘he’ willed it before disappearing, leaving Khali to wonder whom Ypsilon had been talking about. (A/N: I don’t think that I need to say it, but ‘he’ is obviously Darmoor.)
Kain:
(A/N: I grouped all the Aftermath cutscene by job branch, and so Kain normally should’ve had his placed with the other Nova classes. However, the events of Kain’s cutscene and Khali’s cutscene take place back-to-back, which is why I’ve placed it here instead.)
With the final battle over, Kain wandered around Toolen City, wondering where he could go with no home to get back to. He then smelled dumplings and decided to bring them to Amos and the Chameleon Siblings, who were glad to see him. The siblings were awed to hear about Kain’s role in the final battle and Amos asked what his next plans were.
Kain explained that he still needed to find his sister, Luska. He also added that he was worried about his Malice continuing to grow stronger and feared what that would mean if he were to face Luska again. Amos told him that they should pray that neither he nor Luska need ever use their Malice again, with the Chameleon Siblings also deciding that they wanted to pray with Kain. Kain then recalled a childhood memory of Luska leading him through a prayer that no one would ever use Malice again and decided to make that prayer again with the others.
Elsewhere, at the abandoned Drakas headquarters, a wounded Dr. Y returned back from Erimos. Luska noticed Dr. Y’s injuries, to which he told her that he had merely been enjoying some entertainment. He then asked Luska how she was feeling, with Luska replying that there were no issues. Dr. Y noted that he was sure that she had heard the news about Kain, whom he called the Adversary. Luska replied that Kain was no threat to her, as her Malice was stronger, enough to even destroy what was most precious to her. Satisfied by her answer, Dr. Y told her that they need to hurry with the next phase of their plan, as he couldn’t keep ‘him’ waiting.
Hoyoung:
In Cheong-woon Valley, two children were talking about a mysterious sage claiming to be the disciple of Master Tai Yu who traveled across Maple World and Grandis and helped those in need. Though he had vanished after defeating the Black Mage, rumors continued to circulate that the sage still roamed from town to town.
On the roof of the tavern, Hoyoung listened to the children excitedly spreading his story and wished that they would go somewhere else, as they were making it difficult for all his potential customers to find him. Taotie then mocked Hoyoung for taking on petty cases and odd jobs, even after his reputation as a legendary sage had inflated.
Hoyoung laughed and reminded Taotie of the large serpent which had almost killed them in their last ‘petty’ job. Taotie seethed that if he had been able to use his full powers, the monster would have been a mere snack. He asked Hoyoung if he remembered Lord Choi’s offer, which would have given them a grand house with a host of servants and decadent food.
Hoyoung conceded that the spread was nice, but he told Taotie that he really only needed basic spicy soup. He also added that he didn’t see the need to get involved if evil spirits plagued those like Lord Choi, who milked the people of the province dry. Just then, two patrons in the tavern began talking about rumors that a new Transcendent was preparing for war in Grandis, as well as a warrior in Pantheon with dragon horns and a tail who was gathering forces to stand against them, though they wondered if even a Nova Guardian had the power to take on a Transcendent.
Overhearing their conversation, Hoyoung realized that there was someone else with animal ears and a tail making a name for themselves and supposed that they would easily become friends. Taotie clarified that the warrior sounded more like a Nova than an Anima. Hoyoung decided that he would help the Nova Guardian as a friend, against Taotie’s protests that they hadn’t even met yet for him to call them a friend.
Hoyoung then jumped off the roof and told the two children telling his story that he would be out traveling for a while. He then asked them to protect the town with the magic that he had taught them, to which the children protested that he hadn’t even taught them real magic and demanded that he teach them more than just tricks when he returned.
Taotie asked Hoyoung why he insisted on concealing his true identity, as he would have a whole throng of followers if he revealed that he was the legendary sage. Hoyoung replied that in his travels, he had learned that there was no need to chase after the world, but rather, he would be there to take action when the world needed him instead. He added that stories were best when they stayed as stories that could inspire and encourage. Before he left, the children asked for his name, to which he told them that he was but a simple wanderer, echoing his master’s words before him.
Lara:
Lara returned home to her village and greeted the elders, Salom and Dorry, who excitedly called over Lara’s grandmother, Sodam. Sodam was pleased to see Lara and noted that the land spirits had seemed quite excited in anticipation of Lara’s return. She then asked Lara how she had been, to which Lara began explaining about everything that had happened to her, such as the secret of the bell, her friendship with Gri, her time on Maple World, and her battle against the Black Mage.
After Lara finished recounting her adventure, Sodam asked her whether the journey had been difficult. Lara admitted that there had been times when things had been hard, such as when she had almost lost the will to go on when she had seen many people’s lives being sacrificed before her eyes. However, she explained that if she had given up, she would never have been able to protect the things most precious to her.
Sodom warmly noted that Lara had finally grown up, and that it was clear now why the bell had chosen her. She then asked Lara what she planned to do next, to which Lara told her that she wanted to go on a new adventure. She explained that though she had brought peace to another world, she had still not yet brought peace to Grandis. She told Sodom that she wanted to do whatever she could, as well as to learn even more about the bell.
After spending time at her village, Lara decided to return to Narin Village, as she was eager to see the people whom she had met at the first stop in her journey. There, she met with Tough-looking Hyuk, Cheeky Myung, and Licky-lips Yeol, who were pleasantly surprised to see Lara and asked how she was doing. Lara began explaining how she had discovered the secret of the bell during her travels in Maple World, and how she had helped the Alliance fight the Black Mage, bringing peace to their world at last.
The thugs were impressed by Lara’s bravery, claiming that they would have been too afraid to fight a powerful Transcendent. However, Lara told them that she had only been able to do it thanks to the actions of everyone else who had helped her, including the people of Narin Village, and thanked the trio for helping her start out in her journey. She then asked them whether Gri was nearby, to which the thugs explained that Gri came and went infrequently.
Just then, Gri appeared and greeted Lara, who told him how much she had missed him. Gri told her that he had heard the rumors of how she had fought the Black Mage, to which Lara replied that she had many stories to tell him. Gri noted that she was still as reckless as ever, though he grinned and added that it was part of her charm. (A/N: Please get married, I’m begging you.)
Zero:
At the Mirror World Temple, the priests congratulated Alpha and Beta for all that they had accomplished. They noted that the twins had changed a lot from when they had first begun their journey. Alpha admitted that he had been quite confused at the very beginning, as he couldn’t wrap his head around there being two of him. Beta told Alpha that she could tell by how he would always glare at her, though she added that she was nevertheless grateful to him, as she would still have been stuck in the Umbra Temple if it hadn’t been for him.
The twins happily noted that they had never thought that such a day would come, with Rhinne pointing out how the two of them had managed to change a future that not even she herself had been able to change. She then told the twins that as long as they stayed together, they would be able to overcome anything.
After a pause, Alpha hesitantly asked Rhinne what they should do next, explaining that even though they had awakened as the new Transcendents of Time, they still couldn’t see the future. He told Rhinne that he was unsure of what they should do, or even what they could do, to which Rhinne replied that she was unsure as well, as she was no longer a Transcendent.
However, she pointed out that for the two of them, they were free to do anything, as they were not bound to the future as she had been. Pietta agreed and noted that they could do whatever they wanted with the world at peace. Thinking on their words, Alpha realized that there was still a lot to do, as not all threats to Maple World had disappeared. He noted that there were rumors of another corrupted Transcendent, while Beta also pointed out that Cassius was still out there as well.
The twins decided to take things step by step, realizing that they would meet Cassius eventually on their new adventure. Pietta told them that she worried for their safety with the possibility of a threat even greater than the Black Mage on the horizon, though Alpha replied that they had to face it, for even though they had imperfect forms, they were still Transcendents. Beta agreed, reaffirming that they could do anything as long as they stayed together.
Kinesis:
At the Magician Association headquarters, Kinesis called Yuna and told her about the battle with the Black Mage. Though the Black Mage of Maple World was finally gone, Kinesis told her that the White Mage still existed in their world and asked her to keep an eye on things there. Yuna eagerly told him that she would continue practicing with her powers in order to prepare to face off against him one day.
Jay then asked Kinesis if he was still going to be gone for a while longer, which Kinesis confirmed, explaining that there were many loose ends to tie up. Jay noted how Kinesis had been gone for a while and asked if he ever got lonely. Just then, Three Moon and Nero arrived, ready to hear about the final battle, causing Kinesis to smile and tell Jay that it wasn’t so bad. As he prepared to hang up, he warned Jay to be careful and told him that as long as the White Mage was still around, nobody was safe.
(A/N: These classes aren’t canon, but I included them here for the sake of completionism. I also included these in the GMS-verse part of the site.)
Jett:
After the battle with the Black Mage, Jett returned to her crew, who were glad to have her back. They explained that Maple World was abuzz with stories of her role in defeating the Black Mage and joked that she must have gotten a huge bounty for it, to which Jett apologized for being away for so long. She then pulled out the Core and, staring intently at it, noted that she had been through a lot on Maple World, and that the planet was growing on her.
Clenching her fist around the Core, she noted that because of her experiences and the time she had spent with others, she had come to realize that having people that she could rely on was more powerful than any Core. However, she lamented that it had taken her too long to realize it, as so many good people had been lost in the war. Nevertheless, her crew eagerly told her that there would never be another hero like her, adding that she had done them all proud. They then asked what came next, to which Jett amusedly told them that there were still many criminals for her to hunt down and bring to justice.
Kanna:
Several days after the victory at Tenebris, Princess Sakuno addressed the Sengoku Warriors at Momijigaoka. She told the soldiers that when they had first joined forces with the Alliance, their goal had simply been to vanquish Oda Nobunaga, and that they never would have suspected that their battle would have taken them to Maple World, where they would meet new enemies and allies alike. Having fought with the Alliance, she proudly proclaimed that they had vanquished the Black Mage, whom she called the greatest evil of all. She then congratulated the troops for their dedication before presenting Kanna, whom she described as having led the battle with courage and honor.
As the soldiers cheered Kanna, Shingen noted that the time for celebration was upon them. Yukimura also proudly told Kanna that she had been impressive, and that he could learn much from her. Kenshin warmly told Kanna that she had become a blade of justice to cut down her foes, though Kanetsugu stubbornly reminded her that she still wasn’t as great as Kenshin. Haruaki then told Kanna that she had exceeded all expectations, even exceeding his wildest dreams.
Motonari proudly noted that the Sengoku Warriors were now feared and renowned worldwide, which was an excellent position for them. However, Sakuno then reminded the crowd that the path ahead was still difficult, as Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and the villains of Grandis were still enemies that they were yet to face. However, she proclaimed that their unbreakable bonds of unity would see them prevail the battles ahead. With that, she declared that they would celebrate their victory in Kanna’s honor.
Later that night, Kanna was standing amidst the cherry blossom trees when Haku pointed out Hayato standing on the castle balcony with Princess Sakuno. He then proposed that they sneak up and eavesdrop on the conversation, though Kanna scolded him for suggesting it, reminding him that eavesdropping was wrong, and that it would be rude to Sakuno. Haku pouted over Kanna worrying about Sakuno, asking when the last time was when she had tended to his needs by feeding him Star Candy. Amused, Kanna fed several pieces of candy to Haku, who was placated.
Just then, Haruaki found Kanna and approvingly noted that she was enjoying the party. He then commended Kanna, explaining that she had saved the world and honored the ways of the Spirit Walker in the process. He then asked how she had found her way when she had entered the heart of chaos, where evil flowed freely. Kanna admitted that it had been difficult, as there had been times at the darkness had been so great that she could no longer see the cycles of the spirit.
However, as she had continued stumbling blindly, a single light had pierced through the darkness, which had embodied the hopes, dreams, and determination of everyone who had been counting on her. As an afterthought, she added that Haku had helped as well, to which Haku wagged his tail and proudly proclaimed that he had indeed. Haruaki warmly smiled and noted that he couldn’t have done a better job himself. However, he added that her journey as a Spirit Walker was far from over, as there were still many evils in the world. With that, he excused himself, explaining that he was needed elsewhere.
Hayato:
Several days after the victory at Tenebris, Princess Sakuno addressed the Sengoku Warriors at Momijigaoka. She told the soldiers that when they had first joined forces with the Alliance, their goal had simply been to vanquish Oda Nobunaga, and that they never would have suspected that their battle would have taken them to Maple World, where they would meet new enemies and allies alike.
Having fought with the Alliance, she proudly proclaimed that they had vanquished the Black Mage, whom she called the greatest evil of all. She then congratulated the troops for their dedication before presenting Hayato, whom she described as having led the battle with courage and honor. As the soldiers cheered Hayato, Shingen noted that the time for celebration was upon them. Yukimura also proudly told Hayato that he had been impressive, adding that he had also taught him much. (A/N: English is a dumb language so just to clarify, Yukimura is saying that Hayato had taught him much.)
Kenshin warmly told Hayato that he had become a blade of justice to cut down his foes, though Kanetsugu stubbornly reminded him that he still wasn’t as great as Kenshin. Haruaki then told Hayato that he had exceeded all expectations, even exceeding Haruaki’s wildest dreams. Motonari proudly noted that the Sengoku Warriors were now feared and renowned worldwide, which was an excellent position for them.
However, Sakuno then reminded the crowd that the path ahead was still difficult, as Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and the villains of Grandis were still enemies that they were yet to face. However, she proclaimed that their unbreakable bonds of unity would see them prevail the battles ahead. With that, she declared that they would celebrate their victory in Hayato’s honor.
Later that night, Hayato found Sakuno in her chambers. Sakuno once again thanked Hayato for the crucial role he had played in their victory. Hayato dismissed her words, claiming that he had only done his duty, though he apologized for not being able to stay by her side during the battle. However, Sakuno waved away his apology, noting that he had far more important things to be worrying about at the time.
She then recalled how they had known each other for a long time, and how, even when they had been young, he would throw himself into danger without a second thought if he believed that it was right. She then proudly noted that in their adulthood, he had become the savior of Maple World and the hero of the Sengoku Warriors. She explained that by defeating the Black Mage, he hadn’t merely protected her, but the entire world.
She then told Hayato that he had always been her noble sword, and that she knew that he would continue to be so. Moved by her words, Hayato proclaimed that she was his light, and that the memory of her voice was what had saved him when he had been swallowed by the darkness. He then declared that his sword would always serve her. Sakuno graciously thanked Hayato and told him that if he was prepared, she had a new quest for him. She then asked Hayato to gaze up at the moon and tell each other stories of home. Though Hayato was flustered by her request, he nevertheless obeyed.
Beast Tamer:
After the battle with the Black Mage, Chase and the Critter Champs returned home to Arboren, where she visited the people of Stump Town and the people of her hometown, Canopy Town, who had traveled there to meet her.
(A/N: When she arrives, the people of Stump Town greet her with those speech bubbles that disappear after a few seconds. I was surprised that the speech bubbles have them call her the Adversary, rather than just her name. Even though every class is given credit for having personally defeated the Black Mage in their individual cutscenes, this is the first time that I’ve ever seen a class being explicitly referenced as the Adversary.)
After a large celebration and a sumptuous feast, Chase said her farewells and headed to the port. There, she told the Critter Champs how relieved she was that Arboren was as peaceful as ever. Arby joked that she wouldn’t call the extravagant party a sign of peace, though she added that it wasn’t every day that a true hero like her came through. Lai concurred and told Chase that only a true hero could have brought Maple World back from the brink of darkness.
Chase then confessed that after having met so many great people and facing down the greatest threat that Maple World had ever seen, she had realized that she could never be like the legendary Heroes of Maple because they had done everything by themselves, while she had learned that no one could save the world on their own, as it was a team effort.
She then told the Critter Champs that they were the real heroes and fondly called them her friends. Eka then corrected her, admitting that Chase was just as important to the team as them. Arby then asked Chase whether she remembered the day when they had first met. She explained that ever since Chase had freed her from her cage, she had always known that Chase would be a real hero.
Chase grinned and told the Critter Champs that they were right. She then swore as the hero of Maple World that she would always protect its people, adding that she could only do so with the Critter Champs’ help. The Critter Champs eagerly agreed as they all looked ahead for their next big adventure.
Paths Converge Here:
Soon after, the Adversary received a letter from Cygnus, detailing how the Cygnus Knights were busy helping with the rebuilding efforts. She asked if they would be willing to help out with a new mission, but as the information was sensitive, she called them back to the Outpost in order to discuss it. At the redesigned Outpost, they ran into Ollie, who told them that she was glad to see them again, explaining that the Alliance was busy defeating the last monsters in Esfera and capturing the Black Mage’s Commanders.
The Adversary decided to ask Neinheart about it, but Ollie warned that Neinheart had been in a bad mood for the past week. The Adversary met with Neinheart and immediately recognized that he wasn’t looking well. Neinheart told them that he had been completely overwhelmed, and that Ereve’s funds were low because of the war effort, meaning that there was hardly anything left for rebuilding Maple World.
Though he was at a loss for how to make up the deficit, he explained that Cygnus had an idea for how to do so. At the conference table, Cygnus greeted them and explained that rather than using armies, she planned to create a small, elite team composed of the Alliance’s most talented people and asked if they would be willing to be part of the Glory Guard, which the Adversary accepted without hesitation.
(A/N: With the end of the Aftermath storyline, here’s the Genesis Weapon liberation storyline. Kao’s memories are mixed somewhere in between, which will make sense once you see it. Before I get into it, there’s an important disclaimer that I’m obligated to mention here. I’ve gone back and forth with several people about the canonicity of the Genesis Weapon, and while I won’t say that the Genesis Weapon is non-canon, I also don’t believe that it’s strictly canon in an overarching sense.
What’s considered canon in this game is highly dependent on each person’s own individual playthrough of the story. For instance, while there’s a strong implication that an Explorer, and most likely a Hero, is the canonical Adversary, that’s all it is - an implication. At no point has Nexon ever come out and said that this is a hard fact. Because of this, the idea that there’s no absolute timeline in regard to which characters did what in the Adversary storyline is something that’s objective incontrovertible.
In the past several years, Nexon has consistently been making an effort to individualize the story experience. The Adversary storyline is set up in such a way that it’ll slightly modify its dialogue depending on whether or not you completed certain optional storylines. In the Hotel Arcus and Karote storylines, for example, the Adversary won’t recognize Senya or T-Boy if they didn’t do Detective Rave’s Case Notes or Reverse City. Similarly, in the Labyrinth of Suffering, we don’t recognize the Elixir of Life if we didn’t do the Azwan storyline.
What this means is that there’s no such thing as a “canonical” playthrough. If you didn’t do those storylines, the Adversary canonically didn’t do them, relative to your own playthrough, because the dialogue itself has been changed to validate your choice to skip those storylines. If you did do them, then those events are canon to that specific individual playthrough alone.
A few people I’ve spoken with disagree about this, but if I’m being perfectly honest, I still don’t get the argument for saying that completing everything is what canonically happened. Some video games have the creators come out and say things like “the good ending is canon” or “every story path happened in a different timeline”. Nexon hasn’t done anything of the sort, and on the contrary, they’ve bent over backwards to create unique dialogue in order to have the story make complete sense no matter which storylines you do or don’t do.
The idea that the Adversary canonically went to Reverse City or Yum Yum Island, to me, seems like a personal assumption that people are treating as a hard fact. That’s not to say that there isn’t perfectly good reason to believe this, since almost every video game in existence treats the player completing every storyline as canon, but that’s the key difference between those games and this one - Nexon hasn’t said what’s canon and what isn’t, and so claiming that there’s one specific playthrough that’s objectively canon is a factually incorrect statement.
In regard to the Genesis Weapon storyline, there are people who believe that whether or not we’ve liberated in the game, the Adversary canonically holds the Genesis Weapon in the Grandis storyline. Like I’ve mentioned before, Nexon has consistently been creating exclusive dialogue for every possible case in which we didn’t do an optional storyline in the Adversary’s journey. I find it extremely hard to believe that the Genesis Weapon questline just magically happens to be the one single optional storyline in the entire game that somehow absolutely had to have happened no matter what.
Not completing Reverse City is one thing, but if the Genesis Weapon is supposed to be this hugely significant plot point, why on earth would they make it one of the most inaccessible storylines in the entire game? If we didn’t meet T-Boy, you can easily course correct for that by having him quickly introduce himself to us, just like what happens in Karote if you skipped that storyline.
But if we don’t have the Genesis Weapon, then what? Are we just supposed to close our eyes and play make-believe that we actually do have one? Will Neinheart drop by in the middle of the Darmoor fight and conveniently hand us one that he liberated on our behalf? It’s a huge stretch of my imagination to believe that they can create any sort of conditional dialogue for that situation if the Genesis Weapon is meant to be so pivotal to the plot that it absolutely has to be introduced into the story one way or another.
Like I said before, the canonicity of events is wholly dependent on your own playthrough. If you do have a Genesis Weapon, then canonically, the Adversary has it in that particular version of the story. But I would be extremely surprised if the Genesis Weapon plays any meaningful role whatsoever in the overall story, to the point that I don’t even consider it to be worth speculating about how it’ll factor into the plot. At most, I see them making one or two throwaway lines about Darmoor sensing the Black Mage’s power within us, and that’ll probably be the end of it, especially when the story direction of Grandis is already taking us towards massive levels of powercreep anyways, even without the Genesis Weapon.
With all that being said, however, I could honestly be completely wrong, and the Genesis Weapon might actually somehow end up becoming a non-trivial plot point in the future. Nexon is physically incapable of consistency, and so it’s entirely possible that they’ll make this extremely niche storyline canon and expect everyone to magically know what happened in it, but for now, I’m rolling with the assumption that even they can’t be this devoid of common sense by randomly contradicting their model of creating conditional exclusive dialogue, just for the sake of shoehorning in something that didn’t even need to be a thing in the first place.
For the purposes of this section, however, I’m assuming that the Adversary does liberate the Genesis Weapon, since I’ve been making the assumption that we do complete every optional storyline in the game. There are quite a number of glaring plot holes in the Genesis Weapon storyline, which makes me even more hesitant about seeing it as canon, but since we’ve already survived a few hundred plot holes from the start of the story up ‘til now, what’s a dozen more?)
Soon after the final battle, Neinheart reached out to the Adversary and thanked them once again for defeating the Black Mage and bringing peace to Maple World. However, he explained that even though the Black Mage was now dead, there were several questions that still remained. He told the Adversary that they had discovered something several days ago, and that the entire Alliance had come together in order to investigate it.
However, as the Alliance was experiencing certain problems that they couldn’t overcome on their own, he asked the Adversary whether they would help in the investigation efforts. After the Adversary agreed, Neinheart asked them to travel to Limina in order to defeat an afterimage of the Black Mage, which had appeared in the area.
(A/N: The concept of afterimages isn’t new to the game, as the idea was introduced way back in the Magatia town storyline, in which a ghost named Parwen sends you to an afterimage of an alchemist named Dr. De Lang in the past. While you can interact with Dr. De Lang, you’re basically just talking to an echo of something that isn’t there anymore, which means that you’re not really changing the past, similar to how things work in the Morass.
The way that afterimages work in the game is extremely nebulous, since there’s no defined way of how they form nor the extent to which they can interact with the physical world. I’m also not sure that I like the lore implications of there being a tangible copy of the Black Mage who looks and talks and thinks just like the real thing, not to mention that he has exact same power levels.
It seems really contrived to me for an echo to be able to perfectly replicate the strength of two Transcendents when Transcendent powers are both highly unique and highly regulated, especially since the Black Mage’s echo in the Morass was said to be weaker than the real thing. If you can have a replica of yourself at your most powerful stationed somewhere, what’s stopping literally anyone from making afterimages of themselves for their own purposes? Darmoor wouldn’t even need Apostles if he could just make twelve copies of himself having the full powers of life and time.
But anyways, getting back to the main point, we travel to what I’m assuming is the afterimage of the Temple of Darkness in Limina, since the actual area doesn’t exist anymore after the giant began scattering into Erda. After you finish the Limina storyline, you can travel back to the Temple of Darkness, where you can find a Dimensional Crack that tells the rest of Kao’s story. For the purposes of this section, I’m assuming that we find the crack while fighting the Black Mage’s afterimage, since I can’t really think of any good reason why else we would go back there.)
At the entrance to the Temple of Darkness, the Adversary encountered a Dimensional Crack and realized that it must contain the memory of how Kao had lost to the Black Mage. Inside, they found themselves in the black and white void, in which the Black Mage told Kao that they would not live to claim the true power of the Adversary. As the Black Mage entered the Genesis Crux, Kao lamented how even this very moment had been preordained.
Refusing to give up, however, Kao attempted to draw out the power of the Adversary one last time, focusing all their determination on their willingness to die in order to stop the Black Mage. However, at the crucial moment, Kao was unable to activate the Seal Stone, resulting in the Genesis Ritual succeeding in creating a new world, which appeared as a black hole around which blue and purple stardust curved and formed an accretion disk.
On the rim of the solid stardust, Kao fell unconscious and collapsed as the White Mage manifested himself. Approaching the unconscious Kao, the White Mage noted that the world that Kao had tried to protect had been destroyed, while a new world had taken its place. As he spoke, the black hole behind him trembled as chunks of solid, glowing rock began gathering around the black hole core, slowly forming together into the shape of a planet.
The White Mage noted that while everything had gone according to plan, his own continued existence as the last remnant of the Overseers had resulted in his plan failing. He explained that he had labored and prepared to create a world unconfined by order and fate. Though it had been painstakingly difficult to satisfy every condition - the disappearance of the world, his own death, and the creation of the new world - he had been unable to break the shackles of causality and the order of the world.
While the destruction and recreation of the world had been attainable, he noted that Kao had been unable to kill him. He began wondering where everything had gone wrong, as Kao - exactly as he had hoped - had become the greatest beacon of light and the bearer of the world’s determination and will. Furious at the failure of his life’s work, the White Mage looked into Kao’s memories in order to find where the flaw in his plan had been.
Upon seeing Kao’s memories of the Vanishing Journey, the White Mage immediately understood what had happened. Though he had thought that his plan had been a failure, he realized that there had been no flaws in his design, as he had controlled every variable leading up to the intended outcome, though he discovered that there had been one exception. He noted that Tana - a Transcendent like himself - had been the greatest unpredictable variable in his equation, for which he had dealt with her meticulously by locking her in Kritias for centuries and having Arkarium lead her straight to him.
Despite all his careful planning, however, he had been unable to hold back her power entirely, which had manifested in unexpected ways, such as the Erdas in the Vanishing Journey. Realizing where he had gone wrong, he concluded that he wasn’t facing a setback, but rather, it was simply another step in his plan. Though he admitted that he had known that it would be difficult, he also noted that he was content with the knowledge that he still had one last chance to fix things.
Using his powers, the White Mage sent Kao back to the past, explaining that even though Kao hadn’t been able to change their destiny, if they truly wanted to change the future, he told them to struggle for it and escape their fate, addressing them as the Adversary, the possessor of the Seal Stone. After exiting the memory, the Adversary noted that Kao had been unable to draw out the power of the Adversary, which they noted might not have been because of Arma alone, but also because they hadn’t had Tana’s support, either.
They realized that Tana’s influence had inadvertently created Arma, and that the Black Mage had sent Kao back in time in order to correct that mistake. Because of that, Kao had been able to protect the Adversary’s power from Arma, which had set everything up to finish flawlessly. They also realized that Kao’s memories must have also been erased in the process of the White Mage sending them to the past. Though most of their questions had been answered, they began wondering what had happened to Kao in the end.
(A/N: For a while, there was a theory that Friends World is the same world that the Black Mage created this alternate timeline. The idea behind it is that the Black Mage’s intention behind creating a new world was to reset life and allow it to evolve from scratch without the Overseers’ influence. Because of this, a lot of the characters from Maple World and Grandis who have doppelgängers on Friends World are essentially the parallel versions of those characters who were born in a timeline where magic and the gods never existed, allowing them to live ordinary lives in a world at peace.
Based on this theory, the Black Mage chose to take on the form of the White Mage and lived throughout the millennia as the last Transcendent left in the universe, which is why the White Mage of Friends World tells Kinesis that he remembers his past life and his purpose to break down barriers, as he’s referring to his time as the Black Mage of Maple World, which he considers to be another lifetime ago, back before that world and everyone in it was destroyed.
Earth existing as a place without magic or gods may have also lined up with the Black Mage wanting to create a perfect world, as the fact that Earth is marketed as “Friends World” suggests that life on Friends World is a lot more friendlier and peaceful than Maple World and Grandis. However, we’ve also seen that a lot of characters have negative emotions, which the White Mage exploits in order to create Motes and Troublemakers, suggesting that he’s probably unsatisfied that the potential for evil still exists.
The idea behind why Friends World is still being fused with Maple World, despite being the product of the Genesis Ritual, was that the White Mage realized that because history is preordained, and since the Adversary failed to change destiny by killing him, it means that he had always been fated to lose and create an imperfect world like Friends World, whose Erdas he would choose to funnel into the Arcane River for another failed Genesis Ritual, akin to something like a causal loop.
Because of this, he would use the residual power of time that he still has from Rhinne in order to create a distortion of spacetime that opens up to Maple World around the time when he began fusing their worlds together. Since Friends World was created after the Genesis Ritual, and since its people are the result of millions of years of evolution, he would have been attempting to fuse two worlds that existed eons apart in the same universe.
Since there are no Transcendents left in his world, he can’t create an Interdimensional Portal, and so he had no choice but to leverage the fact that Elwin would attempt to open a portal so that their simultaneous attempts at breaching dimensions would create a hole in spacetime to link their two worlds.
With magic from Maple World flowing into Friends World, people like Kinesis and Yuna would develop powers that he could use to catalyze the world merge, and he would have also hoped to use Kinesis as a potential Adversary to succeed where he originally failed. Despite how interesting this theory is to consider, the Heroes of Maple revamp completely obliterated it by revealing that Friends World is just a parallel world that exists in the same dimension as Maple World, with Tynerum being the third dimension created by the Overseers.
Moving on, though, the final Dimensional Crack is in the Temple of Time, but since I’m working with the assumption that we found the Dimensional Crack in Limina while fighting the Black Mage’s afterimage, I’m having it so that we first defeat the afterimage, then make a quick detour to the Temple of Time, and then return back to Neinheart.)
The Adversary then entered the Temple of Darkness, where they encountered the afterimage of the Black Mage. After defeating him, the Adversary traveled to the Temple of Time in order to learn the answer to Kao’s fate. There, they encountered the final Dimensional Crack, noting to themselves that it was all ending in the place where it had begun.
Inside the memory, the Adversary witnessed a Guardian of Time encountering an unconscious Kao in the Gate of the Past. Believing that the monsters had attacked them, the Guardian of Time revived Kao, who then explained that they couldn’t remember anything, not even their own name. Unsure of how to help them, the Guardian of Time began escorting them to the Three Doors, explaining that she had heard that those who forced their way through the Gate of the Past without permission would lose their memories, though she added that she’d never seen it happen before.
As they began walking, the Guardian of Time noted that Kao seemed quite uneasy and suggested that they stop somewhere else first. She took Kao to the Resting Spot of Memory, where she found that the Memory Keeper was away. As Kao still couldn’t remember their name, the Guardian of Time decided to give them a temporary one. After thinking for a moment, she thought of a perfect name before asking Kao what their opinion on time, as a concept, was.
She noted that time was difficult to define, as everyone had the same amount of it, yet some never seemed to have enough time, while others seemed to have too much. Even so, however, she pointed out that to a clock, or to a turning world, time was always the same, with each moment being perfectly equal. She added that on top of that, she wasn’t even factoring in other variables, such as how a year in Maple World could be a hundred years somewhere else.
(A/N: Originally when Grandis was released, it was explained that one year on Maple World was about ten years on Grandis, which is why the end of the Flora Civil War, Magnus serving as a Commander, the death of the former Kaiser, and Kyle’s awakening as the next Kaiser were said to have taken place over decades on Grandis, even though everything from Magnus serving as a Commander to Kyle awakening as Kaiser happened over the span of centuries on Maple World. I have a strong feeling that they’ve forgotten about this plot point, although this line makes me hopeful that they’ll pick the concept back up again.)
The Guardian of Time noted that time was, at once, a mathematical constant, yet so subjective that no two people ever experienced it in quite the same way. She explained that she herself associated time with chaos, adding that she had become a Guardian of Time in order to research its properties. Drawing on the idea of ‘chaos’, she decided to give them the name ‘Kao’.
(A/N: It’s a bit easier to see how Kao’s name stems from the word “chaos” if you spell Kao’s name as “Khao”. Given that Kao is also an Adversary, their name is pretty thematically appropriate, since the Seal Stone holds the power of chaos inside it.)
The Guardian of Time told Kao that she didn’t know whether they had been good or bad before losing their memories, and she hadn’t observed them enough to define them, adding that she might never be able to define them, even if she had a lifetime to do so, as there was nothing more chaotic than a blank slate in an ocean of time.
She told Kao that if they didn’t like the name, she could think of something else, though Kao told her that they believed that it would grow on them. Until then, they asked her to keep their new name between the two of them while they searched for their real one. After traveling to the Three Doors, they encountered another Guardian of Time, who noted that it was rare to find someone who had lost their memory.
(A/N: There’s a joke if I’ve ever heard one. Practically half the classes in this game have lost their memories, and we’re not even counting all dozens of NPCs who’ve lost their memories over the course of the story.)
The Guardian of Time explained to Kao that their mind may repair itself in time, with the tides of their future uncovering their past. She then welcomed Kao to stay in the Temple of Time until their memories returned, offering to let them even become a Guardian of Time, as she believed that it may help them find their memories faster. Soon after, Kao donned their Temple Keeper robes and the Guardian of Time granted them permission, as a proxy of Rhinne, to come and go through the Gate of the Past.
(A/N: I’m not sure if it’s a plot hole, but Kao ends up losing even the memories that they made after being sent back in time, even though they have permission to travel through the Gate of the Past as a Temple Keeper. It’s possible that Dodo might’ve eaten their memories during their time as a Temple Keeper, which would explain how the Tinglebrain Potion helped them recover those specific memories, but not their other memories as the Adversary, since the player was able to get back their own memories that Dodo had eaten by speaking with their 1st job instructor.)
The memory then ended with the Adversary’s meeting with Kao, as well as their attempts to help them recover their memories, resulting in them recalling their name as Kao, which they recalled had been given to them by the Guardian of Time. After exiting the final memory, the Adversary noted to themselves that though it was a shame that they couldn’t have spent more time together, it had been good to see Kao again, thanking them one last time.
(A/N: While I liked most of Kao’s memories, there’s one pretty big plot hole that got introduced in it. Ironically, it was created because of another storyline that was released in the very same update. Kao’s memories came out in the same update as the revamped Ellin Forest story, which defined concrete rules of time travel in the game.
Out of these, two major ones get broken because of Kao’s timeline. The first is that time-travelers have their appearances modified in order to prevent paradoxes, such as Kao’s face matching that of the Adversary. This principle was seen in Ellin Forest, in which characters like the Heroes appeared unrecognizable to the people of Altaire Camp.
The second, more important principle that was violated is that despite the fact that time travel operates on a causal loop, which is the principle that actions caused by going into the past shape the predetermined events of the future, the White Mage was able to send Kao back into the past and change the future. To explain this, let me give an example of an actual causal loop in the game - the Silent Crusader going back in time to save the Heroes.
At the start of the timeline, the Crusader, who’s gone back in time, saves Aran, Afrien, and Mercedes after they’re injured in the battle against the Black Mage. This allows for them to survive, after which the Crusader jumps back to the future at the same moment when they go back in time. The timeline then proceeds as normal, from the Heroes surviving, to the Crusader being born centuries later, to the Crusader joining the Silent Crusade, and then back to the Crusader going back in time to save the Heroes, with those exact same events happening once again in a perfect loop.
This is essentially the principle of how a causal loop works - it’s a fixed, closed loop in which there’s one absolute timeline, with the very act of someone going back in time and influencing the past being the same action that ensures that the future in which they come from ends up happening. Another example of this is the Ellin Forest causal loop: the player goes back in time to change the events of Ellin Forest, but their act of killing Ephenia was always predestined to happen from the very beginning.
Kao’s timeline is the exact opposite of how a causal loop works. According to its own principles, the future can’t be changed because the very act of going back in time is what guarantees that the events of the future will remain as they always were. Because of this, the White Mage sending Kao back in time shouldn’t have changed anything. In fact, there never should have been a situation in which Kao didn’t meet another Kao in the Vanishing Journey because the nature of it being a closed-loop means that Kao always should’ve been sent back from the future to meet their past self.
The way that Kao’s timeline works actually operates on multiverse principles. We have Timeline A, in which Kao loses to the Black Mage, who sends Kao back in time to change the past. The instant that Kao travels back to the past, a new timeline - Timeline B - is created, diverging from Timeline A at the very moment where Kao emerges in the past. From there, Timeline B has Kao help the Adversary retain their Arcane Power, which allows them to defeat the Black Mage, but there’s still a Timeline A in which the world was destroyed and recreated.
The White Mage, during his dialogue with us in Limina, vaguely explains that the act of sending Kao back in time like he did can only be done once, but he never really goes into why that is. There’s also the other implication that the Black Mage is aware of what happened in the other timeline, but that’s not really as much of an issue, since it’s established that Transcendents, as evidenced from their name, transcend the laws of space and time.
However, there are supposed to be limits to the powers of Transcendents that even they can’t break. While they themselves might not be bound to the same physical laws as mortals, they still don’t have the power to affect the universe itself by breaking the Overseers’ laws of time. Because of this, I don’t see a way to fix this plot hole without fundamentally altering their explanation of the Kao timeline.
Given the fact that Kao’s existence in the story has always been very messy, the only real way to fix it would just be to remove Kao from the game altogether, which I really wouldn’t mind at all. Kao was always just supposed to be a fun Easter egg of the player seeing themselves because of the wacky mechanics of the Temple of Time, similar to the deliberately ambiguous explanation in Zero’s storyline about Pink Bean being a Transcendent, which was meant to be an innocuous wink to the player. The writers randomly decided to blow an Easter egg way out of proportion and shoehorned it into the plot for no good reason, at the cost of making the story messy and disjointed.
I did think of one possible theory to reconcile all of this, which is the idea that instead of working on a causal loop or multiverse rules, there’s one single timeline that gets overwritten through going to the past. What I mean by this is that the timeline can be changed, but the Overseers actively intervene whenever they can in order to ensure that time doesn’t get thrown into chaos.
From what we’ve seen in the game, we know that the following three principles exist: time travelers can’t interact with objects if it’ll cause a paradox, time travelers will look physically different if it’ll cause a paradox, and the events of the past can’t be changed. Since that last point doesn’t work with Kao’s timeline, the way that I think of it is that while the past can be changed, the fact there’s just one timeline means that there’s no chaos from hopping between timeline branches, which preserves the intent behind the rule, since it means that the Overseers can preserve order in a singular timeline.
With this theory, there are four assumptions that I’m making about the Overseers, based on what we know from the story: the Overseers can’t override the free will of mortals, they can influence mortal behavior through warping their perception of reality in a trivial capacity (like changing physical appearances), they can manipulate any Transcendent who doesn’t have extraordinarily strong willpower, and they’ll always act in such a way that preserves the original flow of time, and in the most minimally invasive way, whenever possible.
The first example of this theory is the Silent Crusade time travel. At the moment that the Black Mage’s seal was created, the Heroes fell to Leafre. There were multiple possible futures dependent on the variables available at the time. The most probable outcome was that nothing significant would’ve changed, as it's likely that Freud would’ve intervened to save Aran, Afrien, and Mercedes, meaning that the overall timeline would’ve remained the same as what we currently have, with the Heroes’ lives being saved and them getting frozen.
In the present, Arkarium opened a Crack in Time that leads to the past, and the Silent Crusade went back in time in order to stop him from succeeding. The introduction of the Crusader as a new variable results in new futures being branched out. The Crusader, rather than Freud, helps the Heroes in this new timeline, but this doesn’t really change anything at all.
While Maha and Afrien do recognize Aran, Evan, and Mercedes if they happen to be the player, this doesn’t affect the overall outcome. Because of this, the Overseers don’t need to intervene, and as a result, the timeline in which Freud intervened gets erased, with a new future that has the Crusader as the one who saved the Heroes being created, which retroactively presents itself as a causal loop.
The second case is with the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest, which Hiver stole from the past. There was an unknown event that resulted in the Temporal Gate appearing in Ludibrium. Both Aran and Hiver went back in time through that gate in order to reach Ellin Forest. Because Aran’s appearance would cause a paradox in the timeline if people saw her when the Heroes are meant to be sealed, Overseer intervention is necessary.
Aran’s appearance gets changed, which makes her look different to everyone in Altaire Camp. While Athena Pierce does end up believing that she’s Aran, she keeps this information to herself, which doesn’t affect the overall timeline. Meanwhile, Hiver ends up stealing the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest. This is a pretty major problem because the Seal Stone is a powerful relic that holds the power of chaos.
The problem is that the Overseers can’t do anything to fix the situation, as all three Transcendents are sealed away at this time. Since doing something like changing Hiver’s face wouldn’t help at all, they just have to watch as Hiver takes the Seal Stone back to the Black Wings. Eventually, the Seal Stone gets destroyed by the Black Wings anyways, which ends up resolving the situation.
A related example is the Ellin Forest storyline. Just like how Freud likely helped the Heroes in Leafre, Ephenia was likely killed by a member of Altaire Camp after Perzen and the other leaders discovered her plot to kill all humans. The other major event that happened in Ellin Forest is that Destonen gets killed by Kirston’s curse. Destonen is an influential figure who would’ve changed the course of events in Victoria Island if he were to survive, and Ephenia would’ve destroyed all humans if she lived, meaning that these two deaths need to have happened in order to keep the order of the timeline.
Because of the Temporal Gate being opened, there’s a heavy possibility that the future might get changed by someone who goes through the gate. In order to ensure that things happen as they’re meant to, the Overseers use their power to change the appearance of the Chronicle of Ellin Forest, creating a minor illusion that there’s a paragraph which describes the player’s appearance. Because of this, Wiz ends up searching for the player and calls them to the library.
The player then goes back in time, with the Overseers changing the appearances of the Heroes and the Demon in order to prevent time paradoxes. The player existing as a new variable creates countless new futures that the timeline can be steered towards. However, the player’s actions result in them killing Ephenia, rather than whoever it was that killed her originally. Whereas the Overseers had used a trick to make it seem like the Chronicle of Ellin Forest had described the player killing Ephenia, their intervention has now made it so that it actually happens, causing the book to actually be rewritten.
The player’s actions then overwrite the timeline, resulting in a new timeline that’s functionally a causal loop, even though it only became one because the original timeline before it got erased. Meanwhile, the player attempts to change the future by warning Destonen about Kirston, which creates new possible futures. However, Destonen - by his own free will - decides not to listen, resulting in him getting cursed. While the timeline is preserved, there was still a chance that a radically different future could’ve overwritten the timeline, which the Overseers couldn’t have prevented, since the Transcendents are all sealed away and they have no power to interact with the world.
The last case is with Kao’s timeline. After Kao fails to defeat the Black Mage, the world is destroyed and recreated. With the White Mage existing as the last Transcendent, the Overseers still have control over the new world, and so this is their optimal future, as there’s really nothing more that can be done by the Black Mage to change destiny at this point, since the only life forms in the new world are the Limina mobs.
However, the White Mage discovers that there’s a small chance that the past can be changed, even if the future can’t. He sends Kao back in time, which he describes as an action that can only be done once. The White Mage’s plan will result in the end of all Transcendents, and so the Overseers need to intervene in order to stop it.
By the Overseers’ own laws of time, going through the Gate of the Past results in Kao’s memories being lost. However, the Black Mage had accounted for this to happen by erasing any companions, such as Maha, Mir, or Taotie, thereby ensuring that their influence won’t prompt Kao to leave the Temple of Time until the time is right. The Adversary then meets Kao, and while changing Kao’s face would’ve made sense, we also know that Kao is going to recover their memories no matter what, and so it doesn’t matter if the Overseers change their face or not.
Because of Kao saving the Adversary, the future in which the Black Mage succeeds is now possible. The Overseers need to critically act in order to do something, but since every Transcendent is either resistant or has been rendered inoperative by the Black Mage, there’s nothing that they can do. In this timeline, there are several futures created because of Kao being introduced as a variable, with one being the Adversary’s victory, and the other being yet another defeat.
However, if the Adversary fails this time, there’s nothing that the Black Mage will be able to do. In the new world, the only variable he has left is the player, but the problem is that he’s already sent them back in time once. If he sends the player back again, two Kaos will exist in the past simultaneously, and this would cause the same problem as if Kao were to go back in time with their companion, as there would be questions raised about their joint existences. Since he’s sent the first Kao back to correct the mishap with Tana, and he’s sent the second Kao back to correct whatever it was that caused the Adversary to fail a second time, having them both there together would ruin both operations at once.
What this means is that after the Black Mage sends Kao back in time once, the Adversary is the only person who can shape the destiny of the world, as the Overseers and the Black Mage both have their hands tied. Whatever choice the Adversary makes with their own free will is the sole influence in whether the timeline will get rewritten in favor of the Overseers or the Black Mage, who all basically have no choice but to sit back and wait to see how things play out. Personally, I think that this theory works almost seamlessly, and it’s how I’m headcanoning how the whole time travel stuff plays out.)
After defeating the Black Mage’s afterimage, the Adversary traveled to Ereve, where they found Neinheart and Grendel awaiting them. Noting that the Adversary had defeated the Black Mage’s afterimage, Neinheart explained that it served as further proof of their strength, which meant that they were ready to see what the Alliance had discovered. He showed the Adversary a chest dripping with dark energy, explaining that after the Black Mage’s death, Alliance members investigating the area had discovered some type of weapon inside the giant’s heart.
Believing that the Black Mage had left it behind, the Alliance members had taken it back to Ereve, where Grendel had locked it away. Grendel told the Adversary that he had inspected the weapon in every possible way that he could, and that his investigation had led him to conclude that it contained incredible potential. He explained that it was called the Genesis Weapon, which contained the powers of creation and destruction that the Black Mage had wielded.
Neinheart told the shocked Adversary that the Alliance believed that the weapon had the power to face an even greater enemy, and that they hoped to take advantage of it as the catalyst that the Alliance needed in order to become stronger and defend their world against the coming threat. Grendel explained that in order to control something that strong, the wielder would need to become that much more powerful, as otherwise, they could never hope to wield such a weapon.
As only someone with the ability to control that power could wield the Genesis Weapon, Grendel told the Adversary that they were the first person that the Alliance had thought of. He then opened the chest and invited the Adversary to inspect the weapon. The Adversary was surprised to find that the Genesis Weapon looked identical to their own. Neinheart explained that he believed that the Black Mage had intended to leave the weapon behind specifically for them. However, he added that they needed to be cautious, as it was still a weapon created by the Black Mage.
He explained that he had asked them to defeat the Black Mage’s afterimage as a test in order to ensure that they wouldn’t lose control of the weapon’s power. Grendel added that there was one final test, though it would be administered by the Genesis Weapon itself. As the weapon was sealed with a mysterious strength, he explained that the Adversary would need to remove the seal in order to unlock its full potential.
Neinheart told the Adversary that both he and Grendel suspected that the key to unlocking the seal had to lie with the Black Mage and his Commanders, though he warned that they could be certain that anything to do with the Black Mage and his Commanders wouldn’t be easy. He then allowed the Adversary to think on whether they were willing to embark on such a dangerous mission, as they had already saved the world and defeated a god, meaning that the decision was theirs alone whether to return to the difficult path.
(A/N: Liberating the Genesis Weapon isn’t just difficult from a story perspective, but it’s also very grueling in-game. In order to successfully liberate it, you need to defeat Hard Black Mage a total of eight times, and you also have to defeat eight of his Commanders under specific conditions that weaken your overall damage. Since you can only clear the Black Mage boss fight once a month, it takes eight months at minimum to completely liberate the Genesis Weapon, assuming that you do everything perfectly.)
After considering it, the Adversary agreed to unseal the Genesis Weapon and claim the power within. Neinheart explained that according to Grendel, they could imbue the Genesis Weapon with Traces of Darkness by defeating afterimages of the Commanders. He told the Adversary that the Black Mage had given his Commanders power from the Traces of Darkness, and that the traces would appear in the place of the Commanders’ afterimages as soon as they disappeared. The Adversary then traveled to the Lion King’s Castle, where they defeated Von Leon’s afterimage.
(A/N: I have no idea why we’re fighting an afterimage of Von Leon when the living, breathing Von Leon is standing literally five feet away from him. I also can’t tell you why the writers didn’t think that having two Von Leons in the same room wouldn’t be an obvious problem. For the purposes of liberation, there are a few criteria for this boss fight. You have to fight Hard Von Leon alone with just the Genesis Weapon, your secondary weapon, and your Arcane Symbols. There’s also a 90% final damage reduction, and only the base stats of your equipment will be counted.)
The Adversary then returned back to Ereve, where Grendel greeted them and noted that they had successfully managed to imbue the Genesis Weapon with the Trace of Darkness inside Von Leon’s afterimage. After examining the weapon, however, Grendel explained that there was still a missing element. He speculated that they would likely need part of the Black Mage’s power in order to unleash the weapon’s strength.
Neinheart realized that the Adversary would likely need to face the Black Mage’s afterimage once again, and so he asked them to defeat the afterimage and obtain a Black Mage Remnant from within. The Adversary returned back to Limina and successfully defeated the afterimage, after which they traveled to the Dimensional Schism and obtained another Trace of Darkness from within Arkarium’s afterimage.
(A/N: For the purposes of liberation, you have to defeat Normal Arkarium with the same requirements as the Von Leon battle, with the only difference being that your final damage reduction is 75% instead of 90%.)
After defeating Arkarium’s afterimage, the Trace of Darkness inside him was imbued into the weapon, which the Adversary brought back to Ereve. There, Grendel extracted the magical power from within the Black Mage Remnant and transferred it inside the Genesis Weapon. Immediately after the power transfer, everyone nearby experienced a vision of Arkarium from shortly after the World Tree incident, in which he restored his human form after Damien had nearly killed him, after which the Black Mage ordered him to escort Tana through the Arcane River.
(A/N: I’ve already covered the full details of all the Genesis Weapon flashbacks throughout this website in chronological order, and so I’ll just summarize them in this section, rather than copying and pasting what happened in full, just for the sake of avoiding redundancy. If you want to know the full details of what happens in this flashback, see the end of the Heroes of Maple section.)
Neinheart realized that according to the memory, Arkarium had needed his staff in order to fully restore his powers after having barely survived his battle with Damien. Grendel realized that the staff’s power had likely been similar to that of the Black Mage, adding that the combination of the Commander’s power and the Black Mage’s power must have been quite potent. He then realized that it served as confirmation that in order to fully unseal the Genesis Weapon, they would need part of the Black Mage’s power through his afterimages, as well as those of his Commanders.
The Adversary then returned back to Limina, where they defeated the Black Mage’s afterimage once again and obtained a Black Mage Remnant. They then traveled to Tyrant’s Castle in Heliseum, where they defeated Magnus’ afterimage and obtained a Trace of Darkness from inside him, which was absorbed into the Genesis Weapon. (A/N: For the purposes of liberation, you have to defeat Hard Magnus with the usual restrictions. This time, your damage reduction is 50%.)
After the Adversary returned back to Ereve, Grendel began infusing the Black Mage Remnant’s power into the weapon, resulting in one of Magnus’ memories flowing into their minds. They witnessed the memory of Hilla confronting Magnus during the Dimension Invasion crisis, in which Magnus had told Hilla that the Black Mage’s will was quite different from the one whom he served. (A/N: If you want the full details of this flashback, see the Dimension Invasion section.)
Next, the Adversary defeated the Black Mage’s aftermath again and obtained the Black Mage Remnant, after which they traveled to the Scrapyard and defeated Lotus’ afterimage, from whom they obtained a Trace of Darkness.
(A/N: The requirements start easing up a bit from here. Your final damage reduction is now 20% and the criteria for only base stats counting and equipping only the Genesis Weapon, your secondary weapon, and Arcane Symbols have been alleviated.)
After the Trace of Darkness was absorbed into the Genesis Weapon, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel transferred the power of the Black Mage Remnant into the weapon. Grendel noted that it had accumulated considerable power, and that it seemed like the first stage of that power was ready to be awakened. After he unlocked the first restraint on the weapon, the Adversary found that the weapon held the ability to use a portion of the Black Mage’s Transcendent powers of destruction, allowing them to summon the Tanadian Ruin.
(A/N: The Tanadian Ruin skill gives you a permanent final damage increase by 10%. Originally, it used to give a buff that activated when you attacked something, which increased your final damage by 15% for 30 seconds, with a cooldown of 90 seconds.)
Neinheart then told the Adversary that the next afterimage that they would need to face would be Damien’s, from whom they would need to obtain the Trace of Darkness.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he’s shocked to know that he’ll need to face Damien again in order to obtain the Trace of Darkness left behind by the Black Mage. He wonders to himself if there’s really no way to break the cycle, noting that he doesn’t think that he could ever wash away the sins that he’s committed against his brother.
He thinks to himself that he doesn’t have the confidence to face Damien in the afterlife, as he feels that Damien would resent him for what had happened to him. He then wonders whether Damien would still consider him his brother when they meet again. Just like in FriendStory, the dialogue will say ‘sister’ instead of ‘brother’ if the player is female.
Neinheart then asks if there’s a problem and notes that the Demon looks angry, adding that it seems like he’d rather not fight one of his own kind. However, he reminds the Demon that he needs to find the Trace of Darkness that the Black Mage has left behind, though he admits that it’s a difficult decision, and that anyone would have misgivings.
He attempts to help the Demon cope with what he has to do by asking him to view it as him helping the people whom Damien had exploited to break the cycle and find peace. His words help the Demon change his perspective, giving him the resolve needed to face his brother again. After seeing that the Demon’s mind has been made up, Neinheart asks him to obtain the Trace of Darkness.)
The Adversary then defeated the Black Mage’s afterimage once again and obtained the Black Mage Remnant, after which they traveled to the Dark World Tree and defeated Damien’s afterimage. (A/N: The only requirements for this fight are that you need to defeat Hard Damien alone, and that you only have 5 lives to beat him.) After the Genesis Weapon absorbed the Trace of Darkness, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel infused the Black Mage Remnant’s powers into the weapon.
(A/N: The Demon gets exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that the power that the Black Mage had tied to him seems to be loosening. He wonders whether he’s starting to feel free from what’s been holding him back, after which he wonders whether Damien is at peace now. He then hopes to himself that when they meet again, they’ll both be able to smile.)
As the Black Mage Remnant’s power was transferred into the weapon, everyone was able to see one of Damien’s memories, in which they witnessed his first meeting with Von Leon. In the memory, Von Leon had learned that Damien saw him as a kindred spirit, as both of them had lost loved ones and had chosen the path of corruption. However, Von Leon had merely told Damien that some things were impossible, even for the Black Mage, and that even if Damien were to bring his mother back to life, his tainted soul wasn’t fit to be anywhere near her. (A/N: If you want the full details of this flashback, see the Root Abyss section.)
Next, the Adversary defeated the Black Mage’s afterimage and obtained the Black Mage Remnant, after which they traveled to Esfera and faced Will’s afterimage.
(A/N: Just like with the Temple of Darkness, I can only assume that there was somehow a whole afterimage of the White Sun alongside Will, since you could only get to where he was through a Mirror World portal to the White Sun, and then through another Mirror World portal to where the ritual was taking place.
The restrictions for this boss fight are that you have to fight Hard Will with a 10% increase in damage taken, including from HP attacks. Originally, you only had the option of facing him alone, but the requirements were eased up a little to allow up to two people to face him, with the caveat that both players get a 50% final damage reduction.)
After absorbing the Trace of Darkness inside Will’s afterimage into the Genesis Weapon, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel infused the power of the Black Mage Remnant into the weapon. As the power transfer occurred, a memory from Will’s past flooded into the minds of everyone nearby, allowing them to learn how Will had become a Commander after the Black Mage’s unsealing, as well as the fact that while he had become the Black Mage’s sole confidante. After the events of Mirror World, the Black Mage had told Will that he had wanted something more than just the creation of a new world. (A/N: If you want the full details of this flashback, see the Root Abyss section.)
The Adversary then obtained another Black Mage Remnant from the Black Mage’s afterimage, after which they traveled to Lachelein and faced Lucid’s afterimage, from whom they obtained another Trace of Darkness that the Genesis Weapon absorbed into itself.
(A/N: For this boss fight, you have to face Hard Lucid, and the only potions that you can use are 50 Challenger’s Elixirs, which are basically identical to Power Elixirs. Just like with Will, you can now fight her with another player with the same 50% final damage reduction.)
After Grendel transferred the Black Mage Remnant’s power into the Genesis Weapon, everyone was able to see a memory of Lucid after the Adversary defeated her in Lachelein. They learned that within the darkness of her mind, Lucid had desperately attempted to reach the Black Mage’s subconsciousness in order to reach him one last time. In the brief instant that she had entered his mind, Lucid had stumbled across a memory filled with pain, sadness, relief, and unbridled hatred. (A/N: If you want the full details of this flashback, see the Lachelein section.)
With only one Commander left to face, the Adversary obtained another Black Mage Remnant from the Black Mage’s afterimage and then faced Verus Hilla’s afterimage, from whom they obtained the final Trace of Darkness, which was imbued into the Genesis Weapon.
(A/N: In yet another exercise that wears out our suspension of disbelief, the labyrinth was erased and replaced by the waterfalls of Limina after the final Labyrinth Core is destroyed by Orchid, which means that you can’t have them both exist at the same time. Yet we now have afterimages of both places superimposed on top of each other in a way that magically lets you visit whichever one you want, even as the actual giant in Limina is decomposing into nothingness as we speak. If there was ever a moment for Lucid to us that this is all a bad, horribly-written dream, now would the time.
In any case, there aren’t any restrictions on fighting Verus Hilla. It’s actually even easier because you get to skip phase 1 and go straight into phase 2, meaning that her total HP is reduced by 25%. You can also fight her with another player if you’re fine with a 50% damage reduction.)
After the Adversary returned back to Ereve, Grendel used the last Black Mage Remnant to imbue the Genesis Weapon with the entirety of its power. He then fully broke the seal on the weapon, unlocking its full potential and allowing the Adversary to use a portion of the Black Mage’s Transcendent powers of creation, with which they could summon the Aeonian Rise.
(A/N: After fully liberating the Genesis Weapon, you get it fully scrolled with Spell Trace 15% enhancements for your class and 22 stars, both of which can’t be changed. However, you can still change the unique potential and epic bonus potential that it gets. The Aeonian Rise skill allows you to become invincible for 10 seconds, and when the skill ends, it unleashes a powerful attack.)
Neinheart congratulated the Adversary for fully awakening the power of the Genesis Weapon, explaining that he now understood why the Black Mage might have left such a weapon behind. He told the Adversary that while they had been fighting the afterimages of the Black Mage and his Commanders, the Alliance had been doing follow-up investigations regarding the memories that they had seen of the Commanders, adding that he was certain that those memories were the very reason why the Black Mage had left the Genesis Weapon with them.
He explained that there were four things that he had concluded from the memories. First, the Black Mage had desired for something more than Genesis. Second, Lucid had sensed great animosity from within the Black Mage’s subconsciousness towards someone. Third, there were some things that were impossible, even for the Black Mage himself. Finally, the Black Mage’s will was quite different from the one whom Magnus served.
Neinheart told the Adversary that the Alliance believed that the Black Mage’s desire for something greater than Genesis had stemmed from the animosity that he held towards some unknown being, and that he had trusted the Adversary with fulfilling what he couldn’t. Grendel noted that while the Black Mage might be gone, his plans hadn’t completely failed yet.
Neinheart added that what had transpired made sense, as someone as big the Black Mage wouldn’t have simply disappeared without leaving something behind. He noted that on top of that, disappearing without having fulfilled his purpose would have been an even more undesirable ending for him.
The Adversary was surprised to know that the Black Mage’s designs had extended so far, to which Neinheart told them that the Alliance would keep investigating in the meantime, as all they had to go on was speculation. As none of them knew of the Black Mage’s true intentions, Neinheart told the Adversary that he would contact them once he had more information, adding that they should also let him know if they discover anything else.
Shade asks the White Mage if he knows how to remove the curse on him. The White Mage replies that he doesn’t know how, but he tells Shade not to worry, as he’ll shortly see that the curse will soon mean nothing. This line doesn’t really make much sense anymore now that Shade’s curse is gone.Convergence:
(A/N: With the end of Aftermath, this is the official start of the Grandis storyline. There’s a very notable shift in how much the story quality has improved in the Grandis update, as this is around when the KMS story group was established. I have some mixed feelings about the lore introduced in the Grandis update. On one hand, the KMS directors have been particularly interested in the story and aesthetics of Grandis, and so you can clearly tell that this is where they’re investing all their effort.
However, there’s one side effect of this that I don’t like. Grandis has been established to be this technologically advanced society since the dawn of the universe itself. It just so happens to be the place where all the Ancient Gods were, where the Transcendents just so happened to be the most active, where there was a whole factory that produced cybernetic Adversaries, and overall just where everything notable in the history of the story took place.
What I don’t like about this is that in contrast, Maple World has retroactively been made into this dingy, backwater world, and its actual significance to the story has been greatly reduced. Part of this is just a natural side-effect of a game whose lore has been going on for almost twenty years now. Obviously, things are gonna be added that don’t mesh well with the established history of stuff from the early game. However, I think that part of it just comes from the influence of the higher-ups at Nexon, who seem to care a lot more about the ideas that they pitched for Grandis than Maple World.
It just feels a bit disrespectful for the writers to sideline Maple World when it’s the OG content that shaped the entirety of the game for many, many years. Every Grandis story gives this vibe that it’s trying to outdo anything that happened on Maple World, and it’s not even done well. The story team has a very inconsistent level of writing quality, they frequently drop or retcon their own plot points, and their revamps constantly misunderstand the characterization and motivations of established characters. I think that the idea of the story team is a good concept, but I really wish that they’d get writers who actually understand the story on a deeper level instead of this superficial level of cohesion that always falls apart under scrutiny.)
Some time after the defeat of the Black Mage, Neinheart summoned the Adversary to the Outpost, where he told them that the Alliance had found Will unconscious in the Origin Sea shortly after the Black Mage’s death. (A/N: This is likely because Orchid won their fight at the end of the Esfera storyline.) As Will had been the only Commander to know about and fully approve of the Black Mage’s goals, the Alliance had secretly relocated him to Maple World in order to interrogate him.
Though he had only recently regained consciousness, Will had appeared to be unexpectedly cooperative, to the point that Neinheart was growing suspicious. He asked the Adversary if they would be willing to visit Will, where Grendel the Really Old was questioning him. After the Adversary agreed, Neinheart escorted them from the Outpost to Ereve, where the Adversary pointed out the risk of keeping Will so close to the Empress.
Neinheart reassured them that Ereve was the most secure place in Maple World, though he added that it troubled him to keep such a great enemy there. However, he was confident that Will would be instrumental in helping them plan future battles. The Adversary asked what other battles there could be, to which Neinheart told them about Melange, who had disappeared shortly after the defeat of the Black Mage.
He then gave them a letter from Edea, which had been sent shortly after Melange had first joined the Arcane River expedition. Edea had written that she had finished investigating Melange, as per Neinheart’s request, and that though she normally considered Neinheart distrusting his allies to be ridiculous, she believed that his suspicions were right in Melange’s case.
She explained that Melange had initially claimed to be the disciple of a great magician, though she had later learned that he had been expelled for practicing forbidden magic. Furthermore, not only was Melange both highly skilled in several branches of magic and extraordinarily powerful, but he also had great knowledge about the Transcendents, far greater than that of the Alliance’s allies in Grandis.
Neinheart told the Adversary that because of Melange’s unusually vast knowledge, he hadn’t been able to afford risking losing Melange’s trust by taking him into custody, and so he had settled for keeping an eye on him. However, Melange had easily managed to escape the guards that Neinheart had sent to escort him to Ereve after the battle of Tenebris, and his whereabouts and plans remained a mystery.
When the Adversary learned that Neinheart planned to go after Melange, they asked if it would be safe to leave Will with fewer guards. Neinheart reassured them that as Will’s powers had been tied to the Black Mage, he wouldn’t pose a risk, especially with a Chief Knight assigned to his cell to keep him under constant surveillance.
Suddenly, the ground began to quake as the Adversary headed to the prison with Neinheart. There, they found Oz fighting Soot monsters, which she claimed had come from inside the prison. After helping her defeat them, they rushed inside and found Hawkeye fighting several more monsters. The Adversary quickly took care of them, after which Hawkeye reported that Will had done something to Grendel, causing him to vanish. Just then, an Alliance soldier arrived and reported that he had brought Grendel’s apprentices, Elwin and Lily. (A/N: We were first introduced to Elwin and Lily during the events of FriendStory.)
Elwin and Lily explained that when Grendel had first touched the core fragment from Gloom, he had seen the countless futures that led to despair, which had caused him to start sympathizing with the Black Mage about his dream of creating a world without such pain. Because of that, Grendel had gone to see Will, who had recognized that Grendel had touched the core. He had noted that Grendel must have felt what he himself had felt, though he had then corrected himself, explaining that Grendel must only feel regret and despair now that the Black Mage was gone.
Will had added that humankind was now doomed, trapped and relegated to languish from the laws that bound their broken world. However, Grendel had retorted that broken things could be mended, and that it was no excuse for the Black Mage’s plans, as he would have destroyed everything and everyone. He had added that despite everything, humans longed to keep living, which Will had agreed with, though he had replied that to people like himself and Grendel, choosing to live in such a way was shameful, and a fate worse than death.
Grendel had then told Will that he had seen the future that the Black Mage had chosen, in which he had intended for the Adversary to kill Tana. Will had confirmed that it was indeed the future which the Black Mage had intended, to which Grendel had replied that even that future had branched off into several other paths, though Will had claimed that such a thing wasn’t possible. Grendel had then explained that the Black Mage wasn’t the only Transcendent trying to overthrow the natural order, causing a shocked Will to wonder whether it was the work of Gerand Darmoor.
(A/N: Like I mentioned in the Limina section, there was a lot of narrative shifting that happened in-between writers in regard to the Black Mage and his goals. The Genesis Weapon storyline, which was released before Convergence, revealed that the Black Mage had confided in Will that he was aspiring for something more than just the creation of a new world. It’s left fairly ambiguous in regard to what exactly it is that he wants, which adds another layer of confusion to his motives.
Before the Kao revamp, you could interpret his words as him not really wanting to make a new world, as his true goal was just to reform the current world’s society. You could also interpret his words, both before and after the revamp, as referring to him wanting to destroy the Transcendents in order to remove the Overseers’ influence. Additionally, you could also make the argument that what he truly wants hasn’t been revealed yet.
It’s honestly pretty hard to know for certain what the original interpretation of his words were supposed to be, since his motivations have slowly been retconned over the last several years. The Convergence storyline was released a year after Limina and the Genesis Weapon storylines, and you can tell from the writing that whoever wrote it wasn’t the same person.
Here, Will believes that humanity is doomed to remain under the Overseers’ laws, which doesn’t particularly make sense when the Black Mage has already succeeded in removing the Transcendents of Maple World. However, it does make a bit more sense going by the post-revamp lore, which is that the Black Mage had intended to recreate the world out of his belief that their current one is broken beyond repair, but even then, Will should’ve realized by now that the Black Mage only failed because he had decided not to go through with his plan at the last second, which suggests that the writers had intended for the Black Mage to have a different plan in mind at the time of Convergence being written.
Honestly, I’m almost certain that this is where the issue lies because the way that they talk about the Black Mage’s chosen future is that he had intended for the Adversary to not only attempt to kill Tana, but to actually succeed in doing so. In fact, they even go as far as to say that the Adversary choosing not to kill Tana is what changed destiny because the Black Mage’s intention was for her to die.
Obviously, this makes no sense when you consider that he needed Tana alive so that he could enact the Genesis Ritual, which is why I’m convinced that there was a serious level of miscommunication in regard to what was actually meant to happen. On top of everything else, they introduced another complication by revealing that Darmoor had personally intervened after the Adversary killed Tana in order to create several different futures that went against the Black Mage’s plan to create a singular outcome in his favor.
At this point, I’m not even sure where exactly the story was originally supposed to go. With the Kao revamp, we know now that the Black Mage had always intended for Tana to live so that he could take her powers, which means that he couldn’t possibly have intended for the Adversary to kill her. We also know that whoever wrote Convergence had intended for Darmoor to interfere with the Black Mage’s plans in order to ensure that his chosen future didn’t happen, but we also see that in the Kao revamp, Darmoor didn’t do anything to stop the Genesis Ritual, which was what the Black Mage’s chosen future was in the revamp.
And while this isn’t strictly to do with the issues due to rewrites, there’s another important question that pops up in regard to Darmoor and how he factors into the Black Mage’s plan. If we’re going by the original idea that the Black Mage never wanted to create a new world, his plan makes perfect sense because he destroyed the Transcendents of Maple World and left it to the Alliance to finish what he started with the Transcendents of the other worlds.
In the revamped story, however, there’s a pretty major plot hole that opens up with his plan, which is whether it’s just Maple World that got erased, or if Grandis and the third world were erased too. In Shade’s exclusive dialogue in Vanishing Journey, Shade mentions that Moonbeam and her world don’t exist anymore, which would mean that Grandis got erased in the Genesis Ritual, suggesting that the Arcane River being a convergence of the three worlds constitutes them as being part of the same universe.
If Grandis is part of the same universe as Maple World, then that would mean that Darmoor and the other Transcendents would’ve been erased in the Genesis Ritual, but if that’s all it took to destroy the Transcendents, then what was the reason why the Black Mage had to go through so many hoops to split Zero and scatter Alicia if they would’ve just disappeared anyways? And if Darmoor didn’t disappear with Grandis, then how can the Black Mage call his world free of the Overseers when the Transcendents of Grandis and the third world still share the same universe?
The problem also doesn’t go away even if you assume that Shade is just misinformed about Grandis not existing anymore. Even if the new world exists in its own dimension, there’s every chance that a tear in spacetime can be created to expose that world to another world that Transcendents can cross over from. The Black Mage’s post-revamp plan was already pretty incoherent, but this is yet another testament to just how poorly the story team has handled it.
Getting back to the main point, though, I would personally treat a lot of these details in the Convergence storyline with a grain of salt, as it’s clear that the original story direction has been significantly changed or been reworked from Limina to Convergence to the establishment of the story group in the Destiny update. The current lore is that the Black Mage wanted to remake the world and simultaneously destroy the Transcendents, he hit the redo button when Kao failed to do the latter, and he changed his mind in the current timeline and left it to us to carry on his ideals. Any future developments on the Black Mage and Darmoor are going to revolve around those details, which means that any pre-revamp lore that conflicts with future story updates can be treated as a result of a change in writers and can be safely ignored.)
Grendel had then asked Will what the Transcendents were, and for what purpose they had been created. Will had laughed and replied that someone had once told him that truth was a sweet poison, and that it was sometimes better to avoid it. He had added that in that sense, there were no bigger fools than himself and Grendel, as neither of them could give up their insatiable hunger for the truth. Will had then taken out another core and given it to Grendel, who, upon touching it, had vanished in a flash, after which the Soot monsters had begun appearing.
Lily then told them that Grendel had been acting strange ever since he had touched the first core fragment, though it had been nothing like what had happened with the second core. Hawkeye asked Will what he had done with Grendel, to which Will replied that he had merely given Grendel a nudge in the right direction on the path laid out by the Black Mage.
He explained that if Gloom’s core was a simple array of futures, then the one that he had given Grendel was a core filled with thoughts. He explained that the core that he possessed contained the Black Mage’s innermost thoughts, plans, and his deepest despair. Neinheart then asked Elwin to create a dimensional gate to follow Grendel and told the Adversary to accompany Elwin and Lily. Elwin then used Grendel’s magical trace to create a portal to his location.
(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here. Right before they enter the portal, Will asks them whether they know that the teeth of spiders contain a poison that can even stop time. He explains that though he normally enjoys the anticipation, he’s particularly excited this time.)
After entering the portal, the three found themselves in Lachelein. There, they met Protective Mask, who led them up the clocktower. He then told them that while he had been searching for Lucid, he had seen Grendel wandering inside. Upon tracing his path, they found themselves inside Lucid’s room, where they discovered Lucid in deep slumber.
Protective Mask then allowed them to peer inside Lucid’s dream, where they found Grendel speaking with her. To their surprise, they found Lucid addressing him as the Black Mage and telling him that the Alliance had begun investigating the Gate to the Future, after which she asked whether she should stop them.
Grendel then echoed the Black Mage’s words from the memory, telling Lucid to let it be, as it was the only way that the Alliance would learn fear. By witnessing the Second Future, they would learn about the lie of free will and begin to hate the chains of fate. Grendel then spoke in his own voice and realized that the Black Mage had intended to lose from the very beginning.
The Adversary also was surprised to learn that the Gate to the Future had been part of the Black Mage’s plan. Elwin then told Grendel to snap out of it, but Grendel merely exclaimed that he had to know more before teleporting away. Protective Mask then decided that he would rescue Lucid from her nightmare, realizing that her subconsciousness had created him for such an occasion.
Lily was surprised that Lucid had thought of such a possibility and realized that Lucid had hoped all along that someone would help her when she couldn’t help herself. Protective Mask then entered Lucid’s dreams, where she was drowning in a dark ocean, and took off his mask, revealing Mercedes’ face underneath. Protective Mask pulled Lucid out of her dark abyss and told the others that she would remain unconscious for a while longer, after which he would hand her over to the Alliance soldiers in the town square. With no more time to waste, Elwin created a new portal to follow Grendel.
(A/N: Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue during this part. When Protective Mask rescues Lucid, Mercedes expresses her shock that Protective Mask is a projection of herself. Right before they enter the portal, Lucid calls out to Mercedes in her sleep, overjoyed that she came to save her from her nightmare. Lucid is still asleep at this point, and so she’s actually addressing Protective Mask, believing him to be Mercedes. The actual Mercedes then promises to return soon in order to bring her back home to Elluel.)
With no more time to waste, Elwin created a new portal to follow Grendel, which led them to Trueffet in the Morass. They continued onward, fighting past the thralled monsters, and found Grendel speaking with the White Mage. The Adversary was surprised to see the White Mage, as Tana’s memories of Trueffet were set after the White Mage had already fallen. Lily pointed out that Transcendents weren’t bound by time and space like they were, meaning that the Black Mage’s return to his original form before he died could have influenced moments in the past.
They then heard Grendel speaking as the Black Mage, who told himself that he could leave the task of removing Arkarium to his echo in the Morass. He noted that the process of achieving his goal was long and complex, as he was still on the path that the laws of the world had intended, though he also realized that the complexity and uncertainty of his situation may have given him a clue to escape that fate. With those words, Grendel disappeared once again.
Elwin attempted to open a portal to follow him, but the White Mage’s presence terrified him to the point that he couldn’t do so. Suddenly, the White Mage teleported before them, immediately scaring the trio. The White Mage reassured them that he wasn’t the Black Mage, and that they had nothing to fear from him. Lily asked what he had told Grendel, to which the White Mage explained that he hadn’t told Grendel anything, but rather, Grendel had realized the truth about the purpose of the Transcendents on his own.
The Adversary asked him to tell them what Grendel had learned, and so the White Mage told them that long ago, before the Transcendents had existed, the universe had been ruled by many unpredictable and uncontrollable gods who had their own independent aims and goals. In some cases, they had actively interfered in the world, resulting in an inevitable age of chaos.
In resistance, the world had desired order and control. Its will had forged chains of law that began suppressing the Ancient Gods, whose creations had gradually become insignificant as a result. Over long years, the chaos had gradually subsided, but the will of the world had not yet been satisfied, as there was a possibility that the Ancient Gods, who had been chained into an unnatural slumber, could still awaken someday, and the countless factors of causality that stemmed from this created countless futures, which spelled an uncertainty that would never end.
The White Mage explained that up until that moment, the future remained open, as it wasn’t something that could be predicted or manipulated. Because of this, the Transcendents had been created, whose mere existence suppressed the Ancient Gods from awakening ever again. Simultaneously, they had exerted tremendous influence on the universe, and as a result, uncertainty was eradicated, and the future became set in stone.
(A/N: Zero gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which they express their shock that they were used to manipulate fate, regardless of their own will.)
Lily was shocked to know that even the Transcendents were slaves to order and asked if Grendel had any more questions. The White Mage told them that Grendel had asked what would become of Maple World with the absence of the Transcendents, and that he had set out to confirm his suspicions. With their questions answered, Elwin created a new portal to follow Grendel.
(A/N: Several characters get some exclusive dialogue right before entering the portal.
Luminous asks the White Mage if the darkness that he had received from the Black Mage will disappear. The White Mage tells Luminous that the darkness is now a part of him and says that he’ll just have to learn to love that darkness, just as ‘she’ does, with ‘she’ referring to Lania.
Shade asks the White Mage if he knows how to remove the curse on him. The White Mage replies that he doesn’t know how, but he tells Shade not to worry, as he’ll shortly see that the curse will soon mean nothing. This line doesn’t really make much sense anymore now that Shade’s curse is gone.
For the Demon, the White Mage stops him and explains that there’s something that he needs to know before leaving. The Demon asks if it’s about Damien and Arkarium, which the White Mage confirms. The Demon explains that at first, he didn’t know who to hate between Arkarium, who had been the perpetrator, and the Black Mage, who had given the orders. However, he tells the White Mage that he no longer cares anymore, as neither Arkarium, nor the Black Mage and Damien exist anymore.
He explains that he doesn’t want to keep living in anger and regret, to which the White Mage is pleased to note that the Demon has made his peace with it. He then asks the Demon to keep moving forward, explaining that it’s the duty of those who survive.)
The White Mage smiled softly as they left before scattering into Erda. The Adversary then began considering what the Black Mage’s goals were, to which Lily offered to explain the principles of magic and the universe’s structure in order to help them understand. She gave them a situation in which two identical marbles were put in a box, which was then shaken. Based on the dimensions of the box, the shape and weight of the marbles, and the force and direction of the shake, it was possible to predict the path that the marbles would follow.
However, she then changed the situation to add more marbles with different sizes and weights, which would make it much harder to predict the trajectory of the original two marbles. In that regard, Lily equated the Transcendents as having removed the countless variables introduced by the Ancient Gods from the equation in order to make the future predictable, and explained that the mere existence of the Transcendents was what maintained order.
Soon after, the trio emerged into the Radiant Temple in Esfera, where the Adversary watched their past self rush into Mirror World in order to defeat Will. Lily realized that they were in the Morass, which had taken the form of the Black Mage’s memories of watching the Adversary in Esfera. They entered the mirror and fought through the monsters before reaching the moment when the Adversary had refused to take Tana’s life.
They then saw Grendel voice aloud the Black Mage’s thoughts that the Adversary had rejected their fate. He noted that the power of the Seal Stone - which he described as the power of chaos, the power to refuse control, and the power of the gods - was what had allowed them to do so. However, he added that the decision to use that power had been the Adversary’s alone.
(A/N: Here, Elwin expresses his surprise that the Adversary chose to spare Tana and asks them what they were thinking. You get the choice to say that you were having trouble thinking clearly at the moment, you thought that fighting would be inevitable anyways, or that you just couldn’t do that to Tana, although it doesn’t really make a difference which choice you pick because it just cuts back to Grendel’s dialogue no matter what.)
The Black Mage noted that it was, at once, a victory and a defeat, as it had demonstrated both the power of the gods and the will of the people. He noted that if the Adversary could defeat him - the last Transcendent of Maple World - then the universe would return to its original state. Suddenly, Grendel himself had an epiphany based on what he had heard from the Black Mage’s thoughts and disappeared.
(A/N: The line about the Seal Stone holding the power of chaos and the ability to refuse control is part of the original KMS dialogue that was omitted in the GMS localization, which only said, “The Seal Stone contained incredible power. Enough power to change destiny itself.”
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Shangri-La storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the next paragraph.
~~~
This concept later becomes a significant plot point in the Shangri-La storyline, as it reveals that the Overseers had ordained that the fate of every Adversary is to die after fulfilling their purpose, which was meant to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos with their immense power to influence the world. When the elders meet us in Shangri-La and see that we’ve broken free from our destiny to die, they view our existence as a profane defiance to the will of the Overseers and believe that we’re inevitably going to bring an end to the natural order if left unchecked.
~~~
This concept later becomes a significant plot point in the Shangri-La storyline, as it reveals that the Overseers had ordained that the fate of every Adversary is to die after fulfilling their purpose, which was meant to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos with their immense power to influence the world. When the elders meet us in Shangri-La and see that we’ve broken free from our destiny to die, they view our existence as a profane defiance to the will of the Overseers and believe that we’re inevitably going to bring an end to the natural order if left unchecked.
However, a lot of the other stuff that the Black Mage says here is likely yet another instance of miscommunication caused by change in the writers. The dialogue makes it seem as though the Seal Stone had done something in Esfera that allowed us to change destiny by saving Tana’s life, which ties back into the earlier idea introduced in this storyline that the Black Mage had intended for us to kill Tana as part of his ultimate goal.
The fact that he calls it both a victory and a defeat makes it even more confusing because it’s unclear what exactly he would’ve considered a pure victory without defeat. The writers for this storyline seem to be under the impression that his ultimate goal involved Tana being killed by the Adversary because he doesn’t have the power to kill another Transcendent himself, and us sparing her life is both a victory and a defeat because while he wasn’t able to get rid of her, he was still able to ascertain that the Seal Stone has the power to change destiny.
I’m gonna be honest - I really can’t make any sense of what it was that the Convergence writers were trying to go for. The entirety of this storyline suggests that the Black Mage had hoped for the Ancient Gods to return and restore chaos back into the universe with the way that he talks about how the uncertainty and complexity of his own situation had given him a clue about how to escape the Overseers’ preordained fate.
Another thing that also doesn’t make sense to me is how Darmoor factors into everything. From what we know, Darmoor was planning to stop the Black Mage from realizing his goal after Tana died, but he stepped back after the Adversary changed destiny in Esfera and prevented that future from happening.
Like I said earlier, I’m like 99% certain that these details have been retconned because none of it makes sense with the lore introduced in Kao’s timeline. More than anything else, the concept of the Seal Stone having the power to change fate is something that’s also been retconned, and it’s something that I’ve never really believed in to begin with.
The idea of the Adversary being the “Adversary of Destiny” is probably what made the Convergence writers think that the Seal Stone can exert some abstract power that somehow lets us exist outside the Black Mage’s influence, except that doesn’t make any sense at all. Destiny implies the existence of there being one, fixed future that’s bound to happen no matter what, which is inconsistent with everything that we’ve seen.
Grendel explains in Limina that there are infinite futures constantly being written, erased, and rewritten based on the actions of individuals, which we can see with Kao being sent back in time and changing events, demonstrating that there isn’t one singular future, no matter what else the writers might say with their attempted retcons.
Lily’s explanation about the marbles is a good analogy about how destiny works. Each individual person is a tiny marble, which is proportional to the amount of power and influence that they have on the universe. Beings like Ancient Gods, Transcendents, and Adversaries are giant marbles because they have more power to influence the universe - in other words, it’s a correspondence to the amount of chaos that they can create.
By sealing away the gods and killing the Adversaries, the Overseers minimized the total amount of chaos in the universe by ensuring that only three big marbles can exist in each world, and since the Transcendents aren’t meant to have free will of their own, it means that the Overseers are the only people who can significantly influence the world through controlling the Transcendents. Because the influence of individual people is much smaller, it means that the broad strokes of the timeline are easily predictable because there’s very little room for any significant divergences to happen outside what’s most statistically probable.
When Cygnus calls us the Adversary of Destiny, this isn’t supposed to be the actual title of all Adversaries. In the Odium storyline, for example, one of the researchers describes their creations as the “Adversaries of the Gods”, which is likely what our actual title is supposed to be. The fact that Adversaries are meant to be predestined for death in itself shows that our existence as someone who can defy destiny is outside the scope of what we’re supposed to be able to do.
Cygnus telling us that we’re the one piece on the board that can’t be controlled is meant to help keep up our morale when we spiraling about the Black Mage having planned out our fate. The Adversary of Destiny is likely a title that she came up with on her own, not an actual characteristic of all Adversaries. Because of this, it means that the Seal Stone doesn’t have some sort of magical power that lets you defy destiny whenever you activate it. In fact, there’s really no such thing as a power that can let you defy destiny in the first place. Destiny is just a series of different causalities intersecting in a complex network.
Before the revamp, us changing destiny was because we were the only person with the power to kill the Black Mage, who wouldn’t have died if we hadn’t faced him. In the Convergence storyline, the writers erroneously believed that the Seal Stone had done something to change destiny when we spared Tana, except it was our own free will that resulted in us saving her. If the Seal Stone was responsible for doing that, that would imply that it mind-controlled us into making the choice that led to our victory, which would completely go against the game’s message about the importance of free will.
Personally, I prefer the way that we defied destiny in the Kao revamp by changing the Black Mage’s mind. Up until that moment, the Genesis Ritual was inevitable no matter what, as the Black Mage would either die and create a world free of Transcendents, or he would survive and lose his last chance at attaining his goals with the Adversary’s second defeat.
However, our unexpected choice to save Tana changed that predestined outcome by branching off into a new future in which the Black Mage decided not to create a new world. Even then, though, the Seal Stone had nothing to do with this outcome. The reason that we won was because our free will and our choice to be selfless was powerful enough to influence a Transcendent into changing his mind, which proved that mortals have a power that, in spite of everything else, exceeds even that of a god.)
As they prepared to follow him, Elwin realized that Will had dropped his book nearby and suggested grabbing it before Melange did. (A/N: I mean, this is the Morass, so it still wouldn’t change the past.) As Melange appeared, Elwin told him to stop, calling him a kid while doing so. This irritated Melange, who then unexpectedly grew self-aware and realized that he was a memory in the Morass, after which he cast a spell to make the three ignore him and find Grendel.
He then created a dimensional portal and the three found their legs moving on their own towards it. As Elwin passed him, Melange ordered him to stop and hit him in the head with his staff as punishment for calling him a kid before sending him on his way. Lily was surprised that Melange knew that he was in the Morass and was shaken that he had used magic that she had never seen before.
They then emerged in the waterfalls of Limina and fought past the monsters until the Erda Surge poured down, changing their setting to the inactivated Genesis Crux. Suddenly, the Crux began shaking and the waters turned crimson. They were then suddenly transported to the White Spear overlooking the giant before teleporting to the ship that the Adversary had used to reach the Temple of Darkness.
Just as the ship exploded, the scene changed to the Throne of Darkness, where the Aeonian Rise and Tanadian Ruin towered over them. As the twin knights slashed their blades, the scene changed again, sending them to the black and white void where the godlike Black Mage appeared before them, saying, “The answer is here. It is time to act.” (A/N: The Black Mage here is actually Grendel speaking aloud.)
Just as he launched an attack, the setting changed once again and they found themselves standing on a strange cliff with runic rock formations. At the center of the area was an indentation in the ground, where a round gem was embedded. There, they found Grendel, who told them that they were, quite literally, at the end of the world.
Grendel explained that his journey had helped him reach the answers that he had been searching for. He revealed that the Transcendents had changed the nature of Maple World by their very existence, and with their absence, Maple World could return to its natural state. When the Adversary expressed their confusion, Grendel asked Lily what had happened when Rhinne and Alicia had disappeared.
Lily replied that Maple World and Grandis had started converging as a result of the Transcendents’ disappearance. They all then realized that if the Transcendents’ existence had influenced the world, and that their absence had resulted in the two worlds’ convergence, it meant that Maple World and Grandis had originally been the same world.
(A/N: This is what the White Mage meant originally when he told Shade that the curse won’t matter. Since the two worlds will become one, there’s no dimensional travel between Maple World and Grandis, which means that no one will forget him if he goes back and forth between them. After his class revamp, however, Shade’s curse has already been lifted by the Fox God, meaning that this is all completely irrelevant.
This storyline also makes an interesting retcon with how the world merge works. In Zero’s storyline, it’s explained that a world without Transcendents will seek to merge with another world in order to maintain balance. However, from what we learn here, Maple World and Grandis were originally the same world, and they’re simply returning back to how they were always meant to be.
The lore presented here adds to the idea that the Overseers and their enforcement of order is an artificial construct, as they’ve essentially gaslit everyone into believing that keeping the universe separate is supposed to be the natural order, which the Black Mage is attempting to undermine with his plans. In reality, however, the Overseers are the ones who’ve been suppressing the true natural order. The world merge isn’t happening because Maple World is trying to maintain its balance, it’s because the Transcendents are no longer there to constrict it from returning to its natural state.)
Satisfied with their understanding, Grendel told them that the place that they were standing at marked the veil between the two worlds, which had grown paper thin without the Transcendents. To their shock, Grendel raised his staff and smashed the jewel in the center, causing massive spell circles to appear in the air. Their dissipation pushed away all the clouds and fog, resulting in a blinding flash of light.
As the light from the dimensional convergence faded away, the Adversary, Lily, and Elwin were shocked to see that the sky was now filled with the thirteen moons of Grandis. They also saw a large city that hadn’t been there before, which stood at the other end of a sea that hadn’t existed either. Suddenly, however, the ground began shaking as a purple wave of light appeared that melted through the ground, just as the Adversary began to hear a mysterious voice in their head.
(A/N: This is where the 6th job advancement storyline is meant to take place, although you technically don’t need to complete it in order to story the Cernium storyline.)
New Age:
(A/N: This section covers the 6th job advancement storyline. The addition of the 6th job storyline changed up the story presentation a little, as the original version had Carlisle arrive from across the sea in search of the Adversary right after Grendel fuses the two worlds together.)
As the ground began rumbling, the Adversary heard the voice of the Goddesses in their head, who expressed their shock at seeing Erdas that destroyed everything that they touched. Realizing that the Erdas may soon destroy the world, the Goddesses declared that they needed to stop it, though they soon realized that their strength was not enough. Elwin wondered what the purple aura hanging in the air was, and whether it was responsible for having melted the ground. He noted that everything had gone dark, as though something terrible was about to happen.
The Adversary then heard the voice of the Goddesses in their head, who expressed their shock at seeing Erdas that destroyed everything that they touched. Realizing that the Erdas may soon destroy the world, the Goddesses declared that they needed to stop it, though they soon realized that their strength was not enough. Elwin wondered what the purple aura hanging in the air was, and whether it was responsible for having melted the ground. He noted that everything had gone dark, as though something terrible was about to happen.
As he approached the purple Erda to examine it, the Adversary quickly warned him not to touch it. Elwin asked whether the purple matter was Erda, adding that it was different from the Erda that they had encountered in the Arcane River. Just then, Lily warned them about the approach of several monsters, which seemed to have been formed out of the unstable purple Erda. Grendel warned them not to get close to the monsters, though the monsters nevertheless noticed them and began to attack. The Adversary quickly jumped in front of the magicians and fought back against the Erda creatures.
Though the Adversary managed to defeat all the monsters, Elwin noticed that their attacks hadn’t worked properly and wondered in alarm whether Grendel had awakened something even stronger than the Black Mage. The Adversary realized that fighting the purple Erda monsters felt just like when they had fought the Erdas in the Arcane River for the very first time.
Lily pointed out that the Arcane River was a river that flowed with an enormous density of high-grade Erdas, and that in order to deal damage to them, one needed to train their power over Erda for a long time. However, Elwin pointed out that there was no one who could handle Erda better than the Adversary. He then had a sudden realization, which Grendel confirmed by explaining that the purple Erda was a new type of Erda that hadn’t existed before. Grendel then began wondering whether it was a consequence of the dimensional convergence that even he hadn’t anticipated.
While thinking about their ability to manipulate Erdas, the Adversary realized that they had also heard the voice of the Goddesses, who had taught them how to do so. Thinking back to what they had been saying, the Adversary wondered whether the Goddesses were right about there being a major problem. Suddenly, an enormous purple Erda monster manifested, causing Elwin to panic about what they should do.
Lily thought for a moment before pointing out that even though the monster was made out of an unknown type of Erda, it was nevertheless still Erda, which meant that the Adversary would be able to damage it with the help of their Arcane Symbols. After the Adversary fought and incapacitated the monster, Elwin expressed his amazement at the fact that the Adversary had won so easily against it.
Lily sighed at her brother ignoring what she had said, noting that just as she had mentioned before, the Adversary’s Arcane Symbols had allowed them to win. She reminded them that the Arcane Symbols were like seals around the soul, and that their power was different from physical strength, as it was the power of the soul itself.
Elwin asked whether the symbols were capable of allowing the Adversary to suddenly grow much stronger, enough so that they could defeat the large Erda monster when they had struggled against the smaller ones just moments ago. Grendel noted that it was a good question, for no matter what the situation was, growth always happened in stages, which made him realize that if the Adversary had already accumulated power that manifested belatedly, they may not have known about it until then.
When the Adversary expressed their confusion, Grendel explained that they were already ready to face and defeat a new type of Erda which they had only just encountered for the first time. At the Adversary’s silence, Grendel admitted that it sounded unbelievable, though he explained that since they had gone through the Arcane River alone, they wouldn’t have been able to compare their growth against anything else. He noted that every day throughout their journey, they had penetrated through a higher density of Erda, perfecting their powers bit by bit, which meant that they were likely the only one who could handle the new purple Erda.
Suddenly, the incapacitated Erda monster began growing unstable and exploded violently, causing everything to fade to black. When the Adversary awoke, they found themselves alone in a strange, purple Erda Flow. As they began walking through the area, they soon encountered countless objects from the outside world floating in the air.
As they recalled the Goddesses’ words about the world collapsing, they suddenly began hearing the voices of the Goddesses once again. The Goddess of Maple World spoke aloud that the world was collapsing, engulfed by the Erda that had appeared at the border between Maple World and Grandis. She added that slowly, the Erda that made up the world was changing into a strange form. The Goddess of Grandis noted that it was due to the seal that separated the two worlds being broken.
The Adversary then realized that they were hearing the memory of the Goddesses, which had been imbued inside the purple Erdas that made up the floating objects in the air. Proceeding ahead, they continued listening to more of the memories, in which the Goddess of Tynerum noted that their powers weren’t working on the purple Erda, and that there was nothing that they could do to fix things. The Goddess of Grandis agreed, adding that they couldn’t even hear the voices of the purple Erdas.
However, the Goddess of Maple World replied that even so, they couldn’t stand by and do nothing, as they couldn’t afford to lose their world after the immense struggle that had happened just to retake it. Hoping to push back the purple Erdas, even just by a little, the Goddesses used all their strength in order to do whatever they could to halt its spread. In the end, however, the Goddesses realized that their strength was not enough to stop it.
Suddenly, a wave of purple Erda engulfed the Adversary, who awoke to find the Goddess of Maple World hanging in the air, turned to stone. The Adversary immediately realized that she been reduced to such a state as a result of having expended all of her energy. They also noticed the destructive purple Erda eating away at the corners of the statue, which threatened to destroy the Goddess forever. Believing that they could awaken the Goddess if they calmed down the purple torrent around her, the Adversary decided to collect Arcane Power inside an Arcane Stone in order to break through the Erda torrent.
(A/N: It’s not really explained where you get the Arcane Stone from, as it just pops up in your inventory. In order to gather Arcane Power, you need to hunt mobs to fill up the stone with EXP, similar to how you originally had to fill up the three Arcane Stones of Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum for your 5th job advancement by hunting monsters way back in the day. Despite the fact that we’re canonically collecting Arcane Power, you’re not actually restricted to mobbing in the Arcane River in order to fill up the Arcane Stone.)
After filling up the Arcane Stone, the Adversary began using its power to free the Goddess. As they did, they suddenly began to hear strange voices calling out to them, causing them to wonder whether the voices belonged to more memories of the Goddesses. Upon focusing on the voices, they once again began hearing the same conversation between the Goddesses, who had discovered that their power didn’t work on the Erdas, and that they couldn’t even hear the Erdas’ voices.
This time, however, the Adversary began hearing the same strange voices intermittently as the Goddesses spoke, which they recognized as a murmur from multiple people far away. Though they couldn’t make out the words precisely, the Adversary understood that the voices were trying to say that they weren’t trying to break things down, and that they were trying to reach out and speak to the Goddesses, even though they couldn’t reach them. Upon listening more closely, the Adversary heard the voices saying that they didn’t want to destroy, and that they were the world itself.
Just as the voices began to ask the Adversary who they were, the power of the Arcane Stone broke through the torrent and filled the Goddess of Maple World, freeing her from her stone prison. The Goddess was shocked to find that the torrent had dissipated, adding that she had never thought that she would be able to open her eyes again. She then noticed the Adversary and realized that they were the one who had saved her. She greeted them and noted that it had been a while since she had last seen them before asking them whether they were okay.
When she asked them how they had gotten out of the torrent, the Adversary explained that they had heard her voice, which had told them that the purple matter was Erda, causing her to realize that they had heard her memories imprinted onto the Erdas. She told them that she was glad to have been able to help in some way, to which the Adversary told her that they had heard not only her voice, but someone else’s voice as well, which they described as a small voice which had called itself the world.
Though the Goddess had no idea what the voice was, she explained that she and her sisters were the ones who had first awakened the Erda within the Adversary and guided them to a new power, and that the Adversary had still continued progressing, having grown extremely powerful at the end of their journey, enough to face the new type of Erda which had appeared in their fused world. Because of their strength, she noted that it wouldn’t be strange if they has been able to come across something that the Goddesses had missed.
The Adversary then offered to continue exploring the torrent in order to learn more about the purple Erdas, as well as to free the other Goddesses. Proceeding deeper into the Erda Flow, the Adversary encountered the Goddess of Grandis, who had also been turned to stone, with the purple Erdas similarly eating away at her.
In order to free her, the Adversary once again filled up the Arcane Stone, whose power they used to restore the Goddess’ strength. As they did, they once again began hearing the strange voices, which began growing louder and clearer, lamenting that they hadn’t wanted to break anything. The voices then recognized the Adversary and asked them for help.
When the Adversary asked whether they had met before, the voices explained that they had seen the Adversary when they had chosen to live. Surprised, the Adversary asked whether the voices had been there at Limina, at the moment when they had awakened the Seal Stone with their determination to live. Just then, however, the Goddess of Grandis was filled with the power of the Arcane Stone, allowing her to return to her usual form. The Goddess greeted the Adversary and asked them whether they were the one who had calmed down the torrent around her, noting that they had helped her once again.
(A/N: If the player is a Grandis class, the Goddess will greet them by name. Otherwise, she’ll greet them as the stranger whom she had met before, though she then says that she’ll have to remember their name.)
The Adversary then told the Goddess about what the Goddess of Maple World had told them, causing her to realize that the voices that they had heard were the voices of the purple Erdas. The Adversary explained that the voices had called themselves the world itself, and that they had been there at Limina during the crucial moment.
They told the Goddess that they had believed that the purple Erdas were a new kind of energy entirely, brought about as a side effect of the dimensional convergence, to which the Goddess explained that she and her sisters believed the same thing, as the purple Erdas were destroying their world. However, the Adversary then asked whether it was possible that the purple Erda, rather than being new, was actually Erda that had already been part of their world from the beginning.
The Goddess replied that it was too early to tell, adding that the Goddess of Tynerum was still trapped in the torrent, and that they may hear the voices of the purple Erdas while freeing her. She thanked the Adversary for everything that they had done and told them that she would wait for them alongside the Goddess of Maple World, where the torrent had subsided. The Adversary proceeded ahead and soon encountered the statue of the Goddess of Tynerum, which had degraded more severely than the other two as a result of all the time that had passed.
After filling the Arcane Stone once again, the Adversary began to free the Goddess, allowing them to hear the voices of the purple Erdas, which came through completely clear. The Erdas explained that when the two worlds had collided together, a strong power had overtaken the Erdas of each dimension, causing them to grow unstable and be stained purple.
In their new, unstable form, they had begun encroaching on the world with their volatile powers, destroying everything in their path. The Adversary held wisps of purple Erda in their hands and realized that they had been right about the Erdas not being new, as they were the same Erdas which had originally composed Maple World and Grandis, which was why they already knew the Adversary and their choice at Limina.
The purple Erdas explained that they didn’t want to destroy their own world, and that they wanted to live and see the new, fused world, for which they begged the Adversary to stop them from destroying everything. In order to do so, they offered to lend the Adversary their power, though they warned that it would be dangerous, as the Adversary already had a considerable amount of power that was quite different from theirs, which might collide and hurt them in the process.
Nevertheless, the Adversary accepted the risks in order to help not only them, but everyone in the world that they wanted to protect. The purple Erdas then agreed to lend their power, which they explained was the power of Sol Erda. Suddenly, the Adversary began feeling as though their power was being drained. To their shock, all of their Arcane Symbols left them and began floating away before scattering in the torrent of Sol Erda, just as they had been warned.
Just then, the Goddess of Tynerum broke free from her stone prison and thanked the Adversary for saving not only her, but the other Goddesses as well. Together, they returned back to the other Goddesses, who once again thanked the Adversary. They noted that the Adversary had gotten considerably stronger, to the point that they could hear the voices of the Sol Erda when even they themselves couldn’t. However, they also added that it was still too early to celebrate, as they had no idea how to handle the power of the Sol Erda, which still threatened to destroy the entire world.
The Goddesses were surprised to hear from the Adversary that the Sol Erda had offered to share their power, though they noted that as the Sol Erda were originally part of the world, it made sense that they would not want to harm their own home. However, the Goddess of Grandis noted that the Sol Erdas had been created from the volatility of the world merge, and that their power wouldn’t be easy to claim.
The Adversary explained that upon touching the Sol Erda, their strength had immediately been drained, causing their Arcane Symbols to vanish, just as the Sol Erdas had warned. Though they had known the risks, they explained that they had still decided to go through with it, as it had been the only way that they could have saved the world.
The Goddess of Tynerum replied that they would have made the same choice in any situation, and that their determination would save them all, noting that since the Sol Erdas’ rampage had stopped, it must mean that their Arcane Symbols were fighting against the Sol Erdas’ power. The Goddess of Grandis added that the two powers were in conflict in the middle of the torrent, though she warned that the Arcane Symbols’ power wouldn’t last forever without their owner at their side.
The Goddess of Maple World explained that there was fortunately still a way to reclaim them, explaining that the Adversary and their symbols were still linked, however weakly, which would allow them to find and reclaim the symbols in the torrent, thus calming the Sol Erdas, noting that their strong determination would allow them to see it through.
She explained that the symbols existed beyond the torrent, which was somewhere that not even the Goddesses could reach. However, as the Adversary was the true owner of the Arcane Symbols, and since they had been recognized by the Sol Erdas, they alone had the power to break through the torrent. In order to help them, the Goddess of Grandis presented them with the Arcane Stone of Vanishing Journey, explaining that while its power had been drained alongside the Goddesses by the Sol Erda, restoring its strength would help them reclaim their Arcane Symbols.
The Adversary then traveled into the deepest part of the torrent, where they found their six Arcane Symbols floating in a circle, with portions of the Arcane River floating alongside them, causing the Adversary to wonder whether their symbols had influenced the space around them. Upon coming closer, the symbols began glowing in response to their owner’s presence, though the Adversary found that a barrier prevented them from getting any closer.
Recalling the words of the Goddesses, the Adversary realized that they needed both the power of the Arcane Symbols and the Sol Erda. As they already had the power of the symbols in the area, the Adversary began harvesting Sol Erda into their Arcane Stone by defeating monsters throughout the world, who had been infused with the Sol Erda spreading because of the dimensional convergence. (A/N: Just like before, you can harvest Sol Erda by defeating monsters from anywhere.)
After gathering enough Sol Erda, the Adversary was able to penetrate the barrier, allowing them to reach the inner realm created by the symbol. Inside, they were surprised to encounter an Erda Collector. (A/N: This is the same one that you use in the Erda Spectrum PQ in Vanishing Journey.) Suddenly, several giant Sol Erda monsters appeared, along with many smaller ones. In order to defeat the monsters, the Adversary harvested Sol Erda from the smaller monsters, which was filled into the Erda Collector.
The Adversary then used the Erda Collector to unleash a powerful laser beam to destroy the larger monsters. (A/N: This is just like what you do to defeat the Arma Jr. monsters in the Erda Spectrum PQ.) Having defeated all the monsters in the inner realm, the Adversary successfully reclaimed the Arcane Symbol of Vanishing Journey.
The Adversary then visited the Goddesses, who sensed the coexisting powers of the Arcane Symbols and the Sol Erda within them. The Goddess of Grandis explained that the replica of the Arcane River had likely been a phenomenon caused by the Sol Erda fusing with the Arcane Symbols, as the symbols represented the Adversary’s journey through the Arcane River, with those memories being manifested by the Sol Erda. The Adversary realized that by calming the torrent and reclaiming all six symbols, the power of the Sol Erdas would become one with their Arcane Symbols, allowing them to tap into a new power.
The Goddess explained that they would likely continue encountering more memories of their time in the Arcane River and gave them an Arcane Stone of Chu Chu Island to help them reclaim the next symbol. After filling the stone with Sol Erda, the Adversary entered the inner realm and found an echo of Muto, which the Sol Erdas had formed in reaction to the memories contained within the symbol. Muto explained that the Sol Erdas were binding him in place, and so the Adversary broke through the Sol Erda vines in order to free him.
The echo of Muto thanked the Adversary and explained that he had once been part of the Adversary’s power, and that he was happy to return back to them. He added that he had also been enhanced with new power, and that it would come in handy for them. Muto then vanished and transformed into the Arcane Symbol of Chu Chu Island, enhanced with the power of Sol Erda.
The Adversary then returned to the Goddess of Grandis, who gave them the Arcane Stone of Lachelein. The Adversary filled the stone with Sol Erda before entering the inner realm. There, the Adversary encountered monsters made of normal blue Erda, which were slowly being infected by the purple Sol Erda monsters. In order to purify them, the Adversary defeated all the Sol Erda monsters in the area, ensuring that all the blue Erda monsters remained stable.
(A/N: This minigame is very similar to how Dream Defender used to work back before Midnight Chaser, in which you had to ensure that all the music boxes in each of the five rooms remained gold by destroying the enemy mobs in the room that would turn the music boxes purple if they stayed alive for too long.)
After purifying all the Erda monsters, the Arcane Symbol of Lachelein appeared before them. They then heard the voices of the Sol Erdas once again, crying out that they didn’t want to hurt the Adversary. The Adversary noted that the voices were sounding fainter, cutting off before they could finish. They realized that while they could still hear the voices with the power of Sol Erda, gathering the Arcane Symbols might make it so that they wouldn’t able to hear the Sol Erdas’ voices at all anymore.
The Adversary returned to the Goddess of Grandis and told her about what they had heard. The Goddess noted that they had heard the will of the Sol Erda, which was gradually awakening as the Adversary cleared up the torrent and became stronger. She then gave the Adversary the Arcane Stone of Arcana, which they filled up with Sol Erda before entering the inner realm.
There, the Adversary encountered a replica of the withered Spirit Tree, with an echo of the Small Spirit crying over his friends being trapped once again, even when the stranger who had corrupted the forest hadn’t appeared. As he lamented over what to do, he also noted that if the Spirit Tree lost its vitality because of the Sol Erda, it would never be able to be restored again. As they came closer, the Adversary noticed that several Rock Spirits were trapped in vines created from Sol Erda.
In order to help them, the Adversary cut through the vines and freed all the Rock Spirits, who then stacked up on top of each other so that the Adversary could reach the Small Spirit. With all the spirits freed and the Spirit Tree restored, the Small Spirit thanked the Adversary for saving the forest once again, after which he recalled that he and the Rock Spirits had once been part of the Adversary’s power. He then noted that even the Sol Erdas were confused and lost, just as the Spirit of Harmony had once been, though the Adversary had still helped him and everyone else. After confirming that the Adversary would also help the Sol Erdas, he decided to return back to being part of the Adversary’s power and transformed into the Arcane Symbol of Arcana.
The Adversary then returned to the Goddess of Grandis, who gave them the Arcane Stone of Morass. After filling it up, they entered the inner realm, where they found several pieces of the area fractured and distorted. In order to restore the space, the Adversary reoriented all the jumbled-up pieces back into place, allowing them to reclaim the Arcane Symbol of Morass.
(A/N: This minigame is similar to one of the minigames in Black Heaven Act 1, in which you have to use a regular attack on the square pieces throughout the area in order to ensure that they’re facing the right way.)
Finally, the Adversary returned to the Goddess of Grandis, who gave them the Arcane Stone of Esfera. After filling it up, the Adversary entered the final inner space, where they defeated all the Sol Erda inside and reclaimed the Arcane Symbol of Esfera. With all their power restored, the Adversary heard the voices of the Sol Erdas calling out their name. The voices were relieved to have reached them, believing that the Adversary would never be able to hear them again. They thanked the Adversary for not giving up on them, and for having saved them and invited them back into the world.
As promised, the Sol Erdas agreed to give their power to the Adversary so that they could stop the destruction of the world, as well as to keep protecting it. Declaring that they would go into a new world together, they thanked the Adversary for being their guide before bestowing their power, which calmed the torrent once and for all.
The Goddesses then appeared before the Adversary and noted that they had successfully saved the world. After the Adversary explained everything that the Sol Erda had said, the Goddess of Maple World noted that the Sol Erda had called the Adversary a guide, having grown closer with them in the process of the Adversary recovering the symbols and calming the torrent.
She explained that there was no one in the world who would be able to handle the Sol Erda better than them, and that the Sol Erda must have been aware of it. She told the Adversary that the Goddesses shaped Erda in order to determine its form, and that the Sol Erdas must have left the role of shaping their form to the Adversary. The Goddess of Tynerum added that the Sol Erda had gone silent, perhaps because they finally had a guide to lead them. She noted that though it had been difficult, everything had worked out in the end.
The Goddess of Grandis added that everything that had happened was nothing more than the process by which Erdas flowing through two different dimensions gathered and harmonized with each other, and that in all the ages that she had been observing the Erdas, she had never seen anything like it before. However, she warned that the aftermath of the dimensional convergence would continue to linger, as she had no idea when and where the Sol Erdas and their impact would manifest next. Nevertheless, she told the Adversary that she was content with leaving it in their hands, as the Sol Erdas would follow their lead. The Goddesses then thanked the Adversary once again before sending them back to where they belonged.
(A/N: Explorers gets some exclusive dialogue while saying goodbye to the Goddess of Maple World, in which they tell her that it was nice to see her again. The Goddess replies that it was nice to see them too, and thanks them for protecting everyone, noting that their good heart had saved the world once again.)
Back at the border between worlds, Lily and Elwin shook the unconscious Adversary awake. The Adversary looked around to find that the purple aura around the area had vanished, and that the melted stone had repaired itself. Elwin asked the Adversary what had happened, as the giant purple Erda monster, as well as the other purple Erdas, had suddenly vanished after they had all regained consciousness. The Adversary explained that the purple Erdas were called Sol Erdas, which had been created in the collision of the two worlds. Upon seeing Elwin’s confusion, the Adversary decided to explain everything that had happened to them on their latest journey.
The Holy City:
(A/N: Like I mentioned in the previous section, the beginning of the Cernium storyline was modified after the addition of the 6th job storyline, as Carlisle would originally meet the Adversary right after the world merge.)
Soon after the Sol Erda crisis, Neinheart contacted the Adversary and informed them that a visitor had crossed the forgotten sea in order to meet the Alliance after the convergence of Maple World and Grandis. The Adversary was surprised to hear this, as it hadn’t been long at all since the two worlds had become one. Neinheart agreed and noted that it was almost as if they had been waiting for it to happen. He revealed that the visitor had wanted to speak to them, and that he had arranged an Alliance conference at the Outpost.
The Alliance traveled to Ereve, where Neinheart began escorting them to the Outpost. On the way there, Neinheart explained that the visitor’s name was Carlisle, and that he was the prince of a holy land that stood on the other end of the forgotten sea. He also noted that he had heard that the seas of Grandis were quite rough, to which the Adversary noted that they still couldn’t believe that he had made the journey so soon after the fusion of their worlds, as he must have been preparing for some time.
Neinheart explained that Carlisle had mentioned that he had a friend who was well-versed in theology and history, and that his friend had not only known about the absence of Maple World’s Transcendents, but he had also predicted that the two worlds would soon merge into one. The Adversary noted that Carlisle’s friend was quite impressive, and that it seemed as though he had more information about the Transcendents than the Alliance did. They then asked Neinheart why Carlisle had sought them out specifically, to which Neinheart told them that it would be better if they heard it for themselves, adding that they had just about arrived.
At the Alliance meeting, Claudine and the other leaders marveled at how unbelievable it was that Grandis and Maple World were now one. However, they acknowledged that the fusion of their worlds meant that fighting Darmoor, who had a similar goal to remake the world as the Black Mage, was now an even higher priority, though Claudine pointed out that they were still recovering from the war against the Black Mage and asked how they were supposed to fight Darmoor.
Neinheart then arrived with Carlisle, who reassured them that it wouldn’t come to that if they helped him. He told them that Darmoor was waging war against all of Grandis, and that though his army was formidable, resistance fighters had forced him to spread his resources thin. Because of this, Carlisle believed that Darmoor was far from capable of crossing the forgotten sea to Maple World.
(A/N: It definitely helps that Darmoor decided to start his war of genocide immediately after the Flora Civil War devastated the High Flora army. One thing that I find strange regarding the way that Grandis wages war is that despite Grandis being a planetary system, there don’t seem to be any interstellar battles, even though we’ve seen spaceships in past storylines.
I originally expected warfare to be more Star Wars-y with fleets of ships used for aerial and space battles. There definitely wouldn’t be any problem crossing the forgotten sea if they had transport ships available to fly their army to Maple World. I wonder if the Angler Company might have a bigger role in outfitting the High Flora army with fancy tech like that in the future.)
Edea asked Carlisle why he had come to see the Alliance, to which he explained that Cernium was on the verge of invasion, and so he had come to request that the Alliance take on Darmoor while the High Flora army was still weak. Claudine noted that it would be helpful to have new allies, especially ones who had an intelligence network on the High Flora army. However, Carlisle clarified that Cernium didn’t plan to join the Alliance, as they were only interested in protecting the holy land, rather than getting involved in a fight against a Transcendent.
Claudine was furious and demanded to know what kind of leader would abandon their allies just to save themselves. However, Cygnus told Claudine to calm down and reminded her that they couldn’t force everyone to join their fight. Neinheart concurred and added that they would be no better than the enemy if they were to ignore a request for help. However, Claudine and Edea both protested that the Alliance wasn’t prepared to fight in such a way, to which Neinheart told them that it was an opportunity to build a friendship with Cernium, which would not forget their aid.
Carlisle agreed and told them that as a holy land, Cernium was frequented by countless pilgrims, whose patronage had made the land quite wealthy. He explained that in exchange for the Alliance’s aid, Cernium would reward them handsomely. Though she conceded that it was a generous offer, Claudine pointed out that it wouldn’t do them much good if they didn’t survive the battle. Just then, an Alliance soldier arrived with urgent news for Cygnus, who adjourned the meeting and told everyone to consider what had been discussed in order to work out a plan the next day.
That night, Cygnus met with the Adversary and told them that the moment that the dimensional seal between Maple World and Grandis had been broken, ancient ruins and artifacts all over the world had lit up with an unusual magical glow, which Alliance experts believed to be the result of the Ancient Gods reawakening.
Cygnus told them that until now, the only one powerful enough to face a Transcendent had been the Adversary, who possessed the Seal Stone, which was why the heaviest burdens had always fallen to them. However, she believed that discovering how to use the power of the Ancient Gods would help the Alliance grow far stronger than they had been when they had faced the Black Mage.
(A/N: Kain gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he’s surprised to know that Satiras is waking up, and that Cygnus is suggesting that they use that power. He thinks to himself that many people had suffered because of Satiras’ power and he wonders whether it’s really a good idea to use it.
It’s strange that Pathfinder doesn’t get any exclusive dialogue here, since her relic holds the power of an Ancient God.)
As Cernium was a holy land of the Ancient Gods and their people, Cygnus believed that Carlisle’s offer was an opportunity to learn more about the Ancient Gods and their power. Because of this, she asked the Adversary if they were willing to be part of the reinforcements that the Alliance would be sending to save not just Maple World, but Grandis as well.
(A/N: Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she thanks Cygnus for what she did with Lucid. A flashback then plays, which is set shortly after the events of Convergence. In this flashback, Neinheart meets Mercedes in Lachelein and tries to take custody of Lucid. Mercedes protests and argues that as the elven sovereign, she’ll decide the fate of Lucid herself.
Neinheart asks Mercedes if she means to take Lucid to Elluel, which Mercedes confirms, explaining that Lucid is in unstable condition, and that she’ll keep Lucid safe until she regains consciousness. However, Neinheart replies that keeping an eye on Lucid with Elluel’s small forces is out of the question, as there’s no telling how much damage Lucid will cause if she manages to escape.
Mercedes vows that she’ll stop Lucid herself again if it comes down to that, and once again requests to have custody of Lucid until she regains consciousness. Neinheart tells her that she knows better than anyone else that she’s being completely unreasonable, noting that she isn’t acting like her usual self.
He then asks if something had happened while she had been rescuing Lucid, to which Mercedes explains that Lucid had been calling her name, adding that Lucid had been waiting for her to come save her for so long, crying alone in absolute darkness, where she couldn’t see or hear anyone. She tells Neinheart that she fully understands that Lucid deserves to be punished for her evildoings, but speaking not as a queen, but as her friend, she explains that she doesn’t want to make Lucid suffer anymore.
Neinheart notes that she’s presented him with a difficult decision, but though he fully understands how she feels, he adds that he’s still not at liberty to release someone who had once served as the Black Mage’s right-hand. Just then, an Alliance soldier arrives and gives Neinheart a message from the Empress.
Neinheart tells Mercedes that Cygnus has declared that Lucid’s fate will be left to Elluel. He then breathes a sigh of relief, adding that he wouldn’t have had the nerve to deny the request of someone who had saved the world anyways. However, he asks Mercedes that she thoroughly interrogate Lucid once she regains consciousness, to which Mercedes gives her word.
After Neinheart leaves, Protective Mask notes that it’s great news that Mercedes will keep custody of Lucid. Mercedes thanks him and asks what will happen to him now. Protective Mask explains that though he’s not sure how much longer Lachelein will remain, he plans to continue living there until it disappears. Mercedes then sees Lucid in Protective Mask’s arms and breathes a sigh of relief that Lucid is finally going home, noting that it must have been such a long nightmare for her. She then says that she hopes that there will be nothing but happy dreams for her from now on.
Protective Mask’s conversation with Mercedes confirms that the Arcane River and all the people inhabiting it are soon going to disappear. The writers probably aren’t gonna to give us a chance to say goodbye to everyone, but I’m still gonna miss them all, especially the spirits from Arcana. Then again, maybe it’s for the best that we don’t give them a send off. I’ve already sustained too much emotional damage from saying goodbye to Renee and Leo in the Neo Castle event.
Jumping back to the story, though, Shade also gets some exclusive dialogue here. After he accepts Cygnus’ request, he thinks to himself that before going to Cernium, there’s one place that he needs to visit first. He notes that if the seal between Grandis and Maple World really is gone, and if the two worlds have merged together, then he must be that much closer to getting rid of his curse. He then thinks to himself that there’s a lot at stake now, and that this small victory should be enough to keep him going.
He then travels to Vulpes and meets Moonbeam at the outskirts of Fox Point Village. Like always, she doesn’t recognize Shade and asks why he smells so familiar. She’s also surprised that Shade knows her name, and that he’s already aware that he looks like her guardian spirit. Shade then thinks to himself that he had thought that he had been ready to sacrifice everything when he had taken on the Black Mage, but he now realizes that there’s one thing that still weighs on him.
He realizes that dwelling on the past isn’t doing him any good, and that all he can do now is make new memories. He then introduces himself to Moonbeam and explains that he comes from a place where there’s only one moon. He tells her his name, and then asks her not to forget it. I can finally die in peace now that Shade is happy again.)
Several days later, Neinheart and Cygnus traveled to the border between worlds in order to see the Glory Guard off, which was composed of the Adversary, Edea, Hawkeye, and Checky.
(A/N: We get different combinations of job instructors on all our adventures with the Glory Guard, although both our companions will always be instructors for the same branch, like how Hawkeye and Checky are both pirates. I have no idea how they plan to integrate Mihile, since he’s both an established NPC and a class. They’ll probably need to have someone else fill the gap for Mihile characters, or just have Elex be the sole NPC who accompanies him. It’s also possible that they just might not have Mihile and Elex accompany the Adversary at all in order to avoid having to deal with that edge case.
I sometimes see people talk about the possibility of established NPCs like Seren or Edea being made into classes, and to those people, I have just one thing to say: there is absolutely zero chance that any NPC that shows up in the Arcane River story or beyond will ever become a class. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that there is no trajectory for this universe that exists that will ever result in a reality manifesting in which those NPCs become classes.
The reason why I’m sure of this is because of the stupid Adversary plotline, which makes it so that every single class is now forcibly funneled into Black Heaven so that they can become the Adversary and get thrown into the streamlined Arcane River story. There’s already a couple of continuity errors created by Mihile’s existence as a class and an NPC being in the same place at the same time. Nexon has been forced to bend over backwards in order to accommodate the existence of Adversary!Mihile in storylines like Karote. There’s no way that they’ll do it again.
More than anything else, Nexon is extremely lazy and constantly takes shortcuts. They hate having to put effort into writing more than one script, which is why we’re stuck with the generic Adversary protagonist and the occasional line of exclusive dialogue. There is absolutely no way in hell that they’re gonna create more work for themselves by having to micromanage NPC appearances and dialogue changes.
If they wanted to make an Edea class, for example, they’d have to rewrite all of Cernium from because there are a bunch of scenes that can’t work without Edea being a separate character from the protagonist. With that being said, however, there are definitely instances where an NPC could be made into a class. Yuna, for example, could definitely be a new FriendStory class because her story can take place after Kinesis’ story, similar to how Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s stories overlap each other without stepping on each other’s toes (for the most part). And I’m still on my crack theory bandwagon that Ismail, the last relic guardian of Pantheon who was only mentioned in the story, is gonna be the Nova magician class.)
Neinheart reminded the Adversary that above all else, their primary goal was to learn more about the Ancient Gods’ power. As neither the Resistance nor the Cygnus Knights were in a fit state to run additional missions, Neinheart explained that Pantheon would serve as the Alliance’s staging ground for reinforcements, with Edea taking command of the Glory Guard. Neinheart also told the Adversary that though Edea was a level-headed tactician, her deep resentment of the High Flora could hinder her objectivity, and so he asked them to ensure that she remained rational when engaging with the Flora.
Carlisle then approached them and reported that they had set up the magic in the seal to allow them to teleport across the forgotten sea. With preparations complete, Carlisle activated the spell and transported them to the outskirts of Cernium. After arriving, Checky marveled at their surroundings and noted that Grandis was a nice place. Edea agreed and added that she had always wanted to visit, which confused Checky, who had thought that Edea was from Grandis.
Edea explained that she was from Grandis, the planetary system. However, she revealed that Grandis took its name from the planet at the center of their system, which had many cities, cultures, and ecosystems, just like Maple World. She also explained that Verdel, Savage Terminal, and the others were all individual moons orbiting Grandis. Checky then joked that they could now also add Maple World to the neighborhood.
One of Carlisle’s knights then reported that they hadn’t arrived at the correct landing site, to which Carlisle asked if they had gotten redirected somehow. Just then, a horde of hooded soldiers surrounded the group and began attacking. Edea asked if they were Flora soldiers, but Carlisle explained that they were heretics who were enemies of Cernium’s god and faith.
Before the Adversary went into battle, Carlisle warned them that a strange, oppressive aura had settled over certain domains within Grandis, including Cernium, and that the aura interfered with the manifestation of one’s innate powers and abilities. However, Cernium had been able to discover Sacred Power, which was capable of counteracting the aura. He noted that it wasn’t the best time to go into detail about it and promised to convey their findings to the Alliance later. As the Adversary went into battle, they noted how much their power had weakened while fighting the soldiers.
(A/N: Although this is really the full extent of what we know about Sacred Power at this time, it’s likely that the oppressive aura has something to do with the awakening of the Ancient Gods. I’m curious about how Sacred Power itself will factor into the lore, as Arcane Power really had no actual significance to the story aside from the stuff with Kao.)
As they continued fighting, a woman appeared and dispatched the archers at the top of the cliff. Carlisle introduced her as Seren, the Guardian of the Holy Sword. With Seren’s reinforcements, they were able to defeat the heretics and arrive at the entrance to Cernium. Carlisle explained that when the Transcendents had been born, the Ancient Gods had faded from the universe.
With their disappearance, the Order of Mitra had been forced to disperse as the world fell into chaos. Many had resented the Transcendents for what they had wrought and had sworn vengeance against them, while others who had hoped that the Ancient Gods would return had gathered together in Cernium.
The Glory Guard marveled at how grand the city was, but noted how unnatural the landscape seemed to be. Carlisle explained that the entire countryside of Cernium had been shaped by the Ancient Gods, carved out in an ancient war between the divine, though many considered Cernium to be proof that the Ancient Gods were gone for good, as it was said that Cernium was the site of the final battle that had marked the end of the Ancient Gods and the beginning of the Transcendents. (A/N: The Odium storyline also references this battle and explains that the last Ancient God still left in the world had been defeated here.)
Suddenly, a guard reported that more heretics had appeared. Carlisle was surprised that the heretics had come so close to the city and asked the Glory Guard for their aid once again. While Edea, Hawkeye, and Checky took care of the west, north, and east, the Adversary held off the enemies approaching from the south. After defeating the heretics, the Adversary realized that they had fallen too far behind the others. They rushed to catch up with them at the city gates, where they encountered Seren once again and took notice of the feathery wings on her head and back.
(A/N: They absolutely did not have to make Seren this radiant, but because they did, my skin is clear, my crops are watered, the sun is shining, my gear is 22*, and now, you’ll be just as blessed once your occipital lobe processes not only Seren, but the other love of my life, Carlisle, too. I’ve come to the conclusion that Cernium is objectively the best storyline because of these two. All the people who I simp for in this game have a bad habit of dying before their time, and so I’m praying that the writers do me this one favor and let them live.)
Seren told the Adversary that the others were waiting inside the city and escorted them to the city square. While walking, the Adversary overheard the people of the city whispering about them, many of whom noted that they were younger than expected. Seren and the Adversary found Carlisle speaking with the Grand Master, who told Carlisle that his father, the king, was resting, due to his illness.
Carlisle then introduced the Glory Guard and the Adversary to the Grand Master, who was underwhelmed by the Adversary’s ordinary appearance. He warned Carlisle that the Alliance could be lying to him, but Carlisle coolly asked if the Grand Master intended to question his judgment in front of guests. The Grand Master apologized, but nevertheless urged action, reminding him that the Alliance didn’t even share their faith.
After he left, Carlisle apologized to the Glory Guard for the Grand Master’s behavior and went to make preparations for their lodging. Edea noted that between a frail king, an upstart prince, an overzealous order itching to take over, and a group of heretics, their mission would likely be even more difficult than forming the Alliance itself had been. However, she conceded that Carlisle seemed competent in politics and decided to give him a chance to smooth things over.
She then asked the Adversary if they had overheard the people talking about them. The Adversary told Edea that the gossip must have been why Carlisle had insisted on an armed escort. Hawkeye and Checky then left to scout the city, though Edea was certain that they had gone sightseeing. She suggested that the Adversary also tour the city and help anyone in need in order to show Cernium the best side of the Alliance.
While wandering around the city, the Adversary encountered an old man, who was able to tell that it was their first time in Cernium. He told them that the Cernium royal family was loyal to Mitra the Sun God, and that they had made the entire castle a place of worship, which was the reason why Cernium had become a haven to those who believed in the Ancient Gods. He explained that the northern temple was devoted to Mitra the Sun God, the western temple worshiped Nerota the Dawn God, and the eastern temple honored Spisa the Flame God.
(A/N: Mitra is one of the twelve names of Surya, the Hindu sun god, whose mythology shaped much of the lore about Mitra. In Hindu mythology, there are twelve deities called the Adityas, who were the children of Aditi, the goddess of infinity. These twelve deities, including Surya, each represented different aspects of the sun, but over time, their names and attributes eventually became embodied by Surya alone, which is why Aditya, in singular, is one of the twelve names of Surya.
In the context of the game, the lore about Mitra is actually the exact opposite of Surya. Rather than there being multiple solar deities that eventually became embodied by one, Mitra started out as the singular Sun God until his followers scattered in the fall of the Ancient Gods. Over time, they began forgetting the origin of their beliefs, and as a result, the Order of Mitra split into three different sects that worshiped Mitra, Spisa, and Nerota, respectively, whom they believed were different gods, rather than the same one in different forms.
Mitra was referred to as a goddess in the GMS localization of the Cernium storyline, although Mitra’s gender wasn’t revealed in the original KMS story, as Korean doesn’t really have gendered pronouns. However, the High Mountain storyline confirms that Mitra is indeed male, and so I’ll be referring to Mitra as such for the sake of consistency, although based on past experience, I strongly doubt that GMS will put in the effort to fix it on their end.)
However, he added that calling them temples was a stretch, as all that the priests had done was put up a few banners. The Adversary asked about the heretics, but the old man merely told the Adversary not to worry about them, as Carlisle was always vigilant about keeping Cernium safe. He then suggested visiting the temple of Nerota, where a small boy welcomed them as a pilgrim and began telling them about the temple.
He explained that Nerota was the god of dawn and dusk, and that the temple had been built centuries ago when Nerota’s Order had conquered Cernium. He also told them that the Dawn Priests met at the same time every day in order to pray to each other, as they believed that Nerota’s spirit lived inside everyone, and that they even prayed to their own reflections if they were alone.
He added that Nerota only appeared to those who possessed a tranquil heart, and that he appeared as a dark blue deer, with the sun rising between its antlers if one stared long enough without blinking, as the deer would disappear once they did. Because of this, the Dawn Priests trained themselves not to blink in order to prove their devotion.
Just then, there was a loud rumbling, to which the boy told the Adversary that the Flame Priests were about to begin their prayers, adding that the Dawn Priests hated it, since they felt that it was too loud. He then asked them to help take care of the seagulls in the western part of the city as payment for the information that he had shared.
After taking care of the seagulls at the western ramparts, the Adversary ran into Hawkeye, who told them that he had been roped into helping the boy as well. Just then, they noticed Seren surveying the heretics from the ramparts. Hawkeye told the Adversary that he had learned that only Celestials had wings like the ones that Seren had. From what he had gathered in the city, the people of Cernium were fond of Seren and believed her to be trustworthy, though her own Order seemed to hate her.
After Seren left, Hawkeye suggested that they speak with the Dawn Priest at the ramparts, as he felt that something was wrong. The Dawn Priest recognized the Adversary from when Seren had escorted them into the city. He then asked them to tell Seren that the Flame Priests’ pyrotechnics were disrupting the Dawn Priests’ morning prayers, adding that he suspected that the Flame Priests were deliberately trying to sabotage their dawn prayers.
The Adversary asked why he didn’t tell the Flame Priests himself, to which he replied that he had already warned them several times. He explained that if Seren spoke to them, they would have to listen to her, as she was the Guardian of the Holy Sword. At the eastern ramparts, the Adversary ran into the same boy from the temple of Nerota standing with the Flame Priests.
The boy greeted the Adversary and launched into an explanation about Spisa’s Sanctuary of Red Flames. He explained that the followers of Spisa had once been able to wield fire magic through the grace of the Flame God. However, they had lost their powers after the Ancient Gods had disappeared and most of Spisa’s followers had left the Order as a result.
Those who remained in Spisa’s Order had eventually learned to make exploding powder that worked similarly to their old powers. He then pointed out a Flame Priest scattering around the black powder in order to create explosions and explained that the Flame Priests believed that the better the blast, the more dedicated one was to Spisa.
Just then, Checky arrived and noticed the Flame Priests creating explosions. He excitedly joined in and used his gun to create a massive explosion that left the Flame Priests awestruck. However, the explosion created Fire Spirits that fled to the top of the ramparts, and so the boy asked the Adversary to help defeat them.
After taking care of the monsters, the Adversary met with Checky, who apologized for accidentally creating the Flame Spirits. The Adversary asked if he had seen Seren, to which Checky replied that she had been heading up the eastern ramparts. They told him about the Dawn Priests’ request, to which Checky explained that the Flame Priests had their own grievances. However, as it was a centuries-old disagreement, he doubted that they could solve it in a day.
The Adversary was intrigued to know that the feud had spanned centuries, to which Checky explained that Cernium was a holy land to several faiths, all of whom had been fighting over the city for a long time, even after Mitra’s Order had taken over, until Carlisle’s father had finally decreed that all Orders would share the land equally, thus bringing about peace. The Adversary then headed up the ramparts and ran into Edea and Carlisle watching a Flame Priest confront a Dawn Priest.
A court knight immediately threatened exile for both of them if they refused to break up their argument. Edea was surprised that the knight would threaten exile for mere name-calling, but Carlisle explained that between the heretics both outside and inside the city, he needed to be strict, so as not to lose control of Cernium. He elaborated that the heretics would slip into the city in small groups, disguised as ordinary citizens, in order to stir up trouble between the different Orders.
Soon after, Seren escorted the feuding Dawn Priest and Flame Priest outside the city gates, as they had been exiled for refusing to cease hostilities. In the city square, the High Priests of Dawn and Flame blocked her way and entreated her not to exile the priests, as the threat of the heretics had made it dangerous to be outside the city. Seren told them that it wasn’t her place to decide, as she was merely carrying out the will of the king in the name of Mitra, and by the authority of the Cernium royal family.
The High Priest of Dawn countered that Mitra was her god, not theirs, and the High Priest of Flame agreed, claiming that they shouldn’t be subject to the same laws as Mitra’s Order. A court knight told Seren that the mob was growing unruly and suggested retreating. Unwilling to be impeded, Seren ordered that the two High Priests be arrested.
After the incident, Edea told Carlisle that it seemed that he had more problems than he had originally let on. Carlisle replied that he had a solution in mind and escorted her and the Adversary to the palace. Unbeknownst to them, a hooded heretic had watched the entire exchange before slipping away. Carlisle took them before the Holy Sword Azor, where the Templars told him that Seren would be furious to know that he had brought outsiders, though they acknowledged his right to do so as the prince.
After sending the Templars away, Carlisle told them that Azor was the holy sword of Mitra, which was said to be able to summon a divine light that could smite evil. Edea noted that aside from its exquisite craftsmanship, she couldn’t sense any special power coming from it. Carlisle explained that all of the relics had lost their light after the era of the Ancient Gods had come to an end. However, with the Transcendents all but gone and the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, he believed that the light of Mitra would soon return to the sword.
Edea realized that the reawakening of Azor could inspire the people of Cernium to unite together. Carlisle told them that there was a prophecy amongst Mitra’s Order: “The glory of the heavens will be restored by the grasp of the Chosen One.” The Adversary then noticed that both Carlisle and Edea were pointedly staring at them. Edea told the Adversary that they were a special type of hero, the kind who could defeat a Transcendent, and asked them to take up Azor.
Upon touching it, the Adversary had a vision of themselves back at the border between Maple World and Grandis, where they heard the voice of Mitra telling them, “The sun’s flames will have vengeance.” (A/N: If the player is Kain, the mark of Satiras will appear over his head as Mitra says this.) Immediately letting go of the sword, the Adversary fell unconscious and Edea, in her attempts to wake them, zapped them with lightning.
After they regained consciousness, Edea asked if they had felt anything after picking up the sword, to which the Adversary told her that they had felt a huge surge of hostility emanating from the sword, as though it was furious that they had dared to touch it. Carlisle noted that it was safe to say that the Adversary wasn’t the Chosen One, but he added that Azor had never reacted in such a way before.
(A/N: Kain gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he wonders whether Mitra had recognized the power of Satiras inside him, or whether it was something else.)
Just then, Seren stormed in and immediately ordered them to leave, warning them that outsiders weren’t allowed. Edea told her that they didn’t mean any harm, but Seren immediately raised her sword at them. With no other choice, the three left the chamber and returned to the main hall. There, a court knight came up to Carlisle and showed him a pamphlet with a sigil that Carlisle recognized as that of Ebonstar, the heretics who were threatening the city.
The pamphlet claimed that the Ancient Gods had abandoned them all, and that Ebonstar rejected the evil carried out in the name of the gods, claiming that only the absence of the gods would allow the people to be free. It then warned them to flee Cernium, as Ebonstar would not rest until the memory of the gods had been wiped from the land.
The knight explained that such pamphlets had been posted all over the city, and Carlisle realized that it would only be a matter of time before it came to war. The knight also reported that a cache of black powder had been stolen from the Flame Priests, who were claiming that the Dawn Priests were the thieves. Carlisle told Edea and the Adversary that he needed to deal with the situation and promised that he would smooth things over with Seren.
In the meantime, he suggested that they continue looking into the Chosen One, though he asked that they keep their involvement as outsiders secret from the Order and recommended that they seek out his friend, Aaron, a librarian knowledgeable in history and theology, at the Cernium Royal Library. He confirmed to Edea that Aaron was trustworthy, though he asked her not to judge him by his appearance.
At the library, Edea and the Adversary encountered Aaron, and Edea immediately moved to attack, recognizing him as a High Flora. A knight arrived to assess the situation and Edea yelled for him to arrest Aaron, who asked her to calm down, explaining that not all High Flora were monsters. To prove his point, he manifested his wings, which they were shocked to find had been torn to shreds. He explained that he hated the High Flora just as much as the Nova did, and though he had attempted to tear his wings off out of disgust, they would nevertheless grow back.
(A/N: The Flora classes get some exclusive dialogue here. Illium tells Aaron that though he had thought that all High Flora were enemies, he realizes that it’s apparently not always the case. Ark and Adele note to themselves that Aaron seems to hate the fact that he’s a High Flora. They realize that his situation isn’t so different from their own, and that they might be able to empathize to a degree. Khali feels sorry for him, as he must have gone through the same pain that Rasha had.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the rest of the Cernium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
Although Aaron being Darmoor was meant to be a left-field plot twist with little to no foreshadowing, someone paying close attention to this scene would’ve picked up on something off about Aaron’s cover story, which is that Aaron’s wings keep growing back no matter. A major plot point about the Verdant Flora is that their natural wings were lost to them forever after the High Flora tore theirs out and exiled them, for which they needed mechanical replacements.
The fact that Aaron’s wings keep growing back directly contradicts everything we know about how Flora wings work, which is our one and only clue that something about him is off. As Darmoor is the Transcendent of Life, he could easily restore back parts of his body, and although I don’t think that anyone would’ve been able to leap to that conclusion on just that single piece of evidence, I still think it’s strange that Illium or even the other Flora classes wouldn’t have picked up on the hole in Aaron’s story.
On a completely unrelated note, I have so much respect for Nexon after knowing that the story team has decided that Gerand Darmoor - God-King of the High Flora, Transcendent of Life, and the game’s equivalent of Hitler - is canonically a femboy librarian twink.)
Though Edea was still wary, she admitted that she had overreacted. Aaron told her that he was used to it and suspected that Carlisle had failed to mention it as a joke. He surmised that they had come searching for information about the Chosen One and asked why they were interested. The Adversary told him that they were trying to find out more about Mitra in order to enlist his aid.
Aaron was intrigued that anyone would seek to form an alliance with the divine and realized that they were the Adversary. He told them that he had heard that they were planning to fight Gerand Darmoor, even if it meant plunging all of Grandis into war. Upon learning that they had made up their mind, he told them that he shouldn’t be surprised, as they had already vanquished one Transcendent.
Satisfied with their answer, he agreed to help them in their research and suggested that they start with the ancient writings about Azor. However, he warned them that the section that held the writings was haunted by ghosts. The Adversary fought through the ghosts and collected the relevant writings before bringing them back to Edea and Aaron.
Edea found that the prophecies all hit the same major points, but the details were impossible to pinpoint. However, all the writings agreed that Azor had always been wielded by a Celestial. Aaron explained that Celestials were demigods who had joined Mitra when he had descended from the heavens. After the defeat of the Ancient Gods, the Celestials had lost their powers and had been trapped on Grandis ever since.
Edea mentioned that she had heard that High Mountain, the home of the Celestials, had fallen some time ago and asked what had happened to the Celestials after that. Aaron explained that the surviving Celestials had scattered and gone into hiding, and with the exception of Seren, they were rarely seen anymore.
With so much information to process, Edea decided to focus on Azor’s reaction to the Adversary wielding it. The Adversary explained that it had been extremely hostile, to which Edea noted that since Transcendents were akin to gods, it was possible that Mitra was angry with the Adversary for having killed a fellow godlike being.
However, Aaron disagreed and explained that his understanding was that the Adversary carried the power of the Seal Stone. He then revealed that the Seal Stone had been created by the will of the world in order to seal away the Ancient Gods, and so it was more likely that Mitra had shown hostility towards the Adversary because they held the same power that had sealed him away.
(A/N: Kain gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he thinks to himself that the conflicting forces of the Seal Stone and the Ancient Gods’ power coexist within him, and that having these opposite powers inside him is dangerous.
The knowledge that the Seal Stones were originally created by the Overseers recontextualizes Freud’s creation of the Seal Stones in an interesting way. With the knowledge that the Seal Stones have divine power greater than that of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents, it puts into perspective how Freud was so easily able to steal back the powers of time that the Black Mage had stolen from Rhinne in order to trap him with that same power.
The only time that we’ve ever seen a Transcendent’s power stolen is either by another Transcendent, the Abyss Crystal, or a draining crystal, meaning that it shouldn’t be possible for a regular mortal to steal a Transcendent’s power through conventional means.
However, when you consider that Freud had used the Seal Stones, with the addition of Shade’s sacrifice, as a proxy for stealing the power of a Transcendent, it makes perfect sense as to how he was not only able to take that power, but also use it to seal away the Black Mage, reminiscent of how the Ancient Gods had been forced into dormancy.)
Both Edea and the Adversary were shocked to learn about the origin of the Seal Stones. Edea then realized that if the Order of Mitra learned that the Alliance’s champion wielded the same power that had sealed away their god, any hope of a partnership between the Alliance and Cernium would be lost, and so she asked Aaron to keep it to himself. She added that they would also need to be particularly cautious around Seren, who may threaten far worse than exile if she were to learn about it.
Just then, Seren herself arrived and told Aaron that she had come regarding her earlier request. She then noticed Edea and the Adversary and told them that she wanted to apologize for earlier. She explained that Carlisle had claimed that they were trying to find the Chosen One and added that though they were outsiders, the Order would be grateful for any help in finding the Chosen One after it had searched in futility for so long.
In order to aid their search, Seren told them that she had recently learned that High Mountain had continued to hand-pick the Chosen One, long after Azor had lost its light in the Ancient War, and so she had come to see Aaron for any information regarding it. After fighting through the library ghosts, the Adversary collected more writings on the Chosen One. They learned that the Order would carefully select every recipient of Azor, as each was a paragon of the Holy Knights devoted to their faith. Believing that the return of the Ancient Gods would allow them to recover Azor’s light, the Order would give a special emblem to the Chosen One.
In the writings, they also learned about a second, less ornate emblem, which Seren recognized as an emblem for the Templars of Mitra, revealing that she had one herself. She believed that there had to be other survivors of High Mountain, and that one of them must possess the emblem of the Chosen One. Edea pointed out that it would be difficult to find such a survivor, especially if they didn’t want to be found, but Seren remained hopeful that the Chosen One wouldn’t stray too far from Azor.
Edea suggested that Seren herself could be the Chosen One, but Seren told her that she didn’t have the emblem of the Chosen One. Edea countered that the only thing that should matter was that she had Mitra’s blessing, but Seren explained that she wasn’t worthy, as she was unable to even spread her wings, having been injured when she had brought the sword to Cernium long ago. Overwhelmed by her emotions, she decided to leave.
Edea then suggested that the Adversary head back to the city square, as she wanted to do more research. At the city square, the Adversary saw a hooded Ebonstar soldier and decided to follow him outside the city gates, though he managed to evade them. Amidst a field of swords, they encountered Seren and told her about the hooded man. Seren explained that she had seen him visit the field that they were in, though she had never actually met him. The Adversary asked what the memorial was for, to which Seren replied that it was for her fellow soldiers who had been slain in a battle defending Azor, of which she had been the only survivor.
She then recounted how, long ago near High Mountain, she and her fellow Celestials had been pursued by the enemy. Her commanding officer, Gilmore, had ordered her to destroy the bridge in order to slow down the enemy, though she and another Celestial named Roland had told him that the rest of their company would be trapped behind enemy lines.
When Gilmore had moved to destroy the bridge himself, Roland had drawn his sword and attacked him. Gilmore had reminded Roland that he was in charge and had ordered him to step aside. Roland had then told him that even while knowing that the operation was doomed, their soldiers had rushed into certain defeat without protesting because they had known the importance of protecting Azor, and so he refused to allow Gilmore to sacrifice their lives.
Gilmore had shouted that sacrificing themselves for Azor was their very purpose, and that to die was their mission. He had told them that they had been outnumbered from the beginning, which was why he had chosen to divide their forces. Outraged to know that they had merely been bait, Roland had called Gilmore a traitor and had moved to attack.
Though Seren had tried to break the fight, the two had continued fighting viciously. Between disobeying orders and engaging in outright mutiny, Gilmore had asked if Roland even knew who he was pointing his sword at. Roland had replied that he was pointing it at a religious zealot and had claimed that if someone like Gilmore was the Chosen One, then Mitra was not worthy to be his god.
Outraged at Roland’s blasphemy, the two had continued their duel until Seren had drawn her own sword and knocked theirs onto the ground, demanding that they stop before they revealed their position to the enemy. Gilmore had told Seren to stay out of it, warning that he would cut her down too. Once again, Seren had yelled at him to stop before the Apostle of Lightning found them.
Suddenly, their blades had begun crackling with red lightning as the Apostle discovered their location. Roland had yelled at Seren to get down, just as a giant bolt of lightning had struck down and knocked Seren out. Some time later, she had regained consciousness and had discovered that the bridge had been destroyed. Realizing that it meant that all the other Celestials had been killed, she had solemnly completed her mission by bringing Azor to Cernium alone.
Having told her story, she told the Adversary that she had heard that the Alliance didn’t follow any single religious order and asked how they felt when their brothers and sisters-in-arms fell in battle. (A/N: You get to choose whether to tell her that you felt loss and sadness, or that you’re still not sure how you feel about it.)
She then asked them to tell Edea that she was right that it would be too difficult to find another Celestial, and that they should think of another way forward. Suddenly, a white feather fluttered down from above, which they immediately recognized was from another Celestial. Meanwhile, the hooded Ebonstar man from the city square, who had been watching them in secret, turned to leave. (A/N: Later on, he’s revealed to be Roland.)
Soon after, the Adversary, Edea, and Carlisle found Seren praying to Mitra. Edea asked the Adversary if they were sure that the feather didn’t belong to Seren. Carlisle wondered whether it belonged to the Chosen One, but Edea asked how a Celestial could have made it into the city without being noticed. Carlisle surmised that it was likely in the same way that Ebonstar had been slipping past them. Edea then expressed her belief that Seren should be the Chosen One, not some stranger.
Edea told them that Seren believed that the Celestial who had the emblem of the Chosen One was hiding in Cernium, and that she was determined to find them. She asked Carlisle what his plans were, to which he explained that he was busy with the Ebonstar heretics in the city, whom he believed had stolen holy water from the Dawn Priests the day before.
Edea asked why Ebonstar would want holy water, to which Carlisle explained that it was a very effective medicine when used on its own, but when it was mixed with the Flame Priests’ black powder, it could create massive explosions. He then asked Edea if she would help him track down the Ebonstar operatives and asked the Adversary to guard Seren.
After Carlisle and Edea left, Seren returned from her prayers and went with the Adversary to the town square, where she met with the Flame Priests to ask for their help in finding the Celestial. However, the Flame Priests refused to aid her after she had arrested the High Priests. They found that the Dawn Priests held similar sentiments and the Adversary realized that Seren had lost much of her good standing with the people.
On their way through the square, the two ran into a little girl, who recognized Seren’s Templar emblem and explained that she had seen one just like it earlier on the ground. When Seren asked where it was, the girl replied that she had given it to a man who had claimed that it belonged to him. She described him as a nice man who had given her candy, emphasizing how good it was.
Seren got the hint and told the Adversary to get the girl some candy. Just as they returned to the girl with candy, her mother took her away and warned her that she shouldn’t talk to people like Seren. Without any further leads, Seren decided to give up for the day, but the Adversary suggested that they check the memorial site for clues.
Meanwhile, Carlisle and Edea learned about the location of the Ebonstar hideout from their contact, but found it empty upon arriving. While searching for clues, Carlisle found black powder scattered on the floor and believed that Ebonstar had changed its location. Noticing scorch marks, he believed that Ebonstar had also been experimenting with the new compound created by mixing the powder with holy water.
Edea then noticed a communique from the High Flora addressed to Ebonstar, which thanked them for placing explosives at the temples of Nerota and Spisa. It instructed them to use the explosion in order to incite a war between the Flame Priests and Dawn Priests, after which the High Flora army would arrive to deal Cernium’s deathblow. Edea also found another Celestial feather, causing them to realize that the Celestial whom they were searching for was in league with Ebonstar.
At the memorial, Seren and the Adversary ran into the hooded Ebonstar soldier, whom Seren immediately recognized as Roland. Seren was shocked to see him, believing that he had died at the battle of High Mountain, but Roland revealed that he had merely run away and had spent many years as a wanderer.
Having heard that she had become the Guardian of the Holy Sword, he asked if she had read the inscription upon Azor, written in the old tongue: “Alvationsay inway Andhay.” Though he admitted that he was rusty, Roland believed that it translated to “Salvation is in Cernium” and asked Seren if she had found her salvation.
(A/N: This is a variation of Pig Latin, which roughly translates to “Salvation in Hand”. The original KMS text actually says, “Take it, Salvation will be in Palma.” Roland believes that Palma is the ancient word for Cernium, which makes him believe that the inscription says, “Take it, Salvation will be in Cernium.” Later on, Aaron reveals that “Palma” actually means “hand” or “grip”, meaning that the inscription actually says, “Take it, Salvation will be in hand.”
The word “Palma” obviously has its root in the English word “palm”, and so the connection between the word “palm” and “hand” is immediate to anyone who knows English. “Palm” not being a Korean word makes it easier to have the word “Palma” reasonably be a word from a foreign, ancient language in the game, which better explains why Roland misinterpreted it as “Cernium”.
The alternative inscription that we got in Pig Latin is a GMS localization, which might’ve been changed because “Palma” doesn’t really work as well in English. However, I think that localizing it as Pig Latin is just as ineffective because literally any person on the street could decipher something so simple, which makes it feel strange that Roland would get the first two words right, but then completely butcher the third. It also feels really weird that GMS is insinuating that the people from the time of the Ancient Gods exclusively spoke in Pig Latin.)
Suddenly, Ebonstar soldiers surrounded them as Seren asked Roland what he was doing. Roland told her how sick he was of holy swords and gods, and asked why so many people had to lose their lives over a useless hunk of metal. He vowed that he would show the people of Cernium how meaningless it all was, declaring that they needed to free themselves from the gods in order to prevent such tragedies from happening ever again.
As Seren and the Adversary defeated the Ebonstar soldiers, Roland attempted to retreat when Edea and the court knights blocked his path and ordered him to surrender. Roland merely laughed and told them that it was too late, just as a large explosion was set off in the city. Roland told them that the two Orders would turn on each other and destroy the city unless the knights intervened, though that would leave the city defenseless when the High Flora army appeared at the gates.
Roland then spread his wings and took to the air, telling Seren that she could still escape before the city was destroyed. He warned her that Darmoor was sending his First Apostle, the same one who had destroyed High Mountain, before flying away. As Edea attempted to shoot a lightning spell at Roland, Seren stepped between them and asked her not to kill him.
Before Edea could argue, the knights reported that Ebonstar had breached the city, forcing them all to let Roland escape while they returned to the city square. There, Carlisle told them that he had been close to stopping the explosions, though he hadn’t been able to stop it in time. A knight then reported that Flora soldiers were climbing over the eastern ramparts. Edea told Carlisle that the Glory Guard would defend the ramparts while he rallied his troops. The Adversary and the others arrived at the eastern ramparts and fought off the Flora soldiers.
After defeating them, Hawkeye told the Adversary to get to the east city gate while he managed the ramparts. As the Adversary started heading over, Roland attempted to light a fuse that would destroy the eastern gate. Suddenly, Seren charged at him, forcing Roland to drop his torch in order to parry her attack with his own sword. Seren entreated him to open his eyes, believing him to be the Chosen One who would save Cernium.
Roland asked Seren how she could still believe in Mitra after everything that she had gone through. He asked if she could still remember High Mountain and its people in flames as bolts of lightning had fallen from the sky, reminding her of how the sun hadn’t dared to show its face that day. He told her that he had worried that she had become yet another power-hungry priest when he had learned that she had become the Guardian, but he had come to realize that she was still her same, naïve self. Just then, two Ebonstar archers shot Seren while her guard was down.
As she fell onto her knees, Roland picked up his torch and told her that Mitra wasn’t a god worth dying for. As he lit the fuse, Seren watched powerlessly as it reached the bags of black powder. Before they could be set alight, however, the Adversary arrived and cut the fuse before the spark could reach its destination.
They then fought the Ebonstar soldiers as Roland recognized them as the one who had killed the Black Mage, whom he called a godling. Seren told Roland to surrender, but he merely joked that he wouldn’t be a good Chosen One if he gave up so easily. As Seren warned that she wouldn’t hesitate to cut him down, Roland took to the air and rushed past Seren, who managed to wound him. As he collapsed in pain, he revealed that he still had his torch, which he dropped onto the bags of black powder, creating a massive explosion that killed him in the process.
At the ramparts, Hawkeye checked on Checky, who had briefly lost consciousness in the explosion. Checky told Hawkeye that it was a relief that they had managed to stop the enemy, but Hawkeye explained that they had merely defeated the first wave, pointing to a much larger force approaching. At the eastern gates, the Adversary found a black Ebonstar emblem that Roland had dropped before realizing that Flora soldiers had breached the city gate. Checky and Hawkeye arrived with reinforcements, but Seren noted that there was no end to their numbers.
As Edea arrived to check on Seren’s condition, Seren told Edea that she had long held onto the hope that Roland would be the one to restore Azor. When she had found out that he was alive, she had believed that he had come to fulfill the prophecy. Edea yelled that it was no time to wallow, as enemies were flooding into the city, but Seren told her that they had already lost, as there was no holding the city with the gate fallen.
Realizing that she was right, Edea told Seren to take Azor and escape while they held the Flora army off. As the Glory Guard reassured Seren that they would be fine, Carlisle arrived and told her that though it wasn’t time for the prophecy to come true yet, they owed it to the future to keep fighting. Realizing that Carlisle was right, Seren rallied the troops, who could sense the steel behind her voice as that of the Guardian whom they all believed in. The knights and the Glory Guard, against impossible odds, managed to stop the Flora army at the gates.
Some time later, Edea and Carlisle spoke at the city ramparts about their victory. Carlisle was pleased that the Orders had all been able to set aside their differences to achieve victory. Edea was surprised that the High Priests had been released, and that the exiled priests had been pardoned at Seren’s insistence. Carlisle told her that Seren had even gotten on her knees in front of her own Order, beseeching them not in the name of the gods, but the people of Cernium, not to throw the High Priests’ lives away out of spite.
Edea was worried that the Order would lose trust in her because of her actions, but Carlisle told her that when Seren had first arrived in Cernium, she had arrived with not only Azor, but all the swords of her fallen comrades, carried from halfway around the world. Because of that, he was confident that every single one of Seren’s men would risk their lives to follow her, even if she had knelt on behalf of a heretic. Edea told Carlisle that though she didn't put much stock in prophecies, Mitra would be foolish not to recognize Seren as the Chosen One.
Elsewhere, the First Apostle of Lightning, Havoc, told Gilmore, Seren’s old commander, that the people of Cernium still fought, despite having lost the gate, but added that it was precisely why he had Gilmore, who was revealed to possess the emblem of the Chosen One.
Back in the city, Carlisle and Seren began repairing Cernium and fortifying their defenses for the next wave of the High Flora army. Carlisle told Edea that he wanted to express his gratitude to the Alliance. Edea then gave the Adversary a Sacred Symbol, which contained Sacred Power that was tied to the Ancient Gods, and explained that Cernium had created it in order to counteract the strange, debilitating energy settling over the land. With it, the Adversary was able to utilize more of their true potential for the battles to come. (A/N: Hey Edea, you know what would’ve been really helpful? If you actually gave me the object that could make me stronger before the giant battle that nearly killed us all.)
The Chosen One:
(A/N: This section covers the Burning Cernium storyline. Although it was originally released as level 265 content, the NEW AGE update changed it to be level 260 content, which can be accessed back-to-back with the regular Cernium storyline.)
As the battle against the High Flora army continued, the constant fighting began to take its toll on Seren. After one such battle, Seren had a flashback to the day that she had been knighted as a Templar by Gilmore, as well as her memory of the Apostle of Lightning devastating High Mountain. As she shouted in fear, Edea checked on her, as she was worried about how Seren was doing after fighting for days without break. Just then, they noticed that the Flora army was retreating, which boosted the troops’ morale. As they cheered for Seren, the Alliance, and the Adversary, the Grand Master of Mitra’s Order looked on in silence.
That night, at the Flora camp, Havoc’s aide, Avril, asked why he had ordered a retreat when he had the enemy backed into a corner. Havoc told her that they would have broken through if they had been able to, but the Adversary’s prowess had made it impossible. Knowing that the Adversary was capable of destroying a Transcendent, he told Avril that throwing more troops at them would be foolish. Avril reminded him that the power of the Adversary was different from pure strength, as even the death of the Black Mage had been because he had wanted to die.
(A/N: In the GMS localization, Avril’s dialogue was mistranslated as the Adversary having won because of their willingness to sacrifice themselves, which is like the exact opposite of why we won. It’s interesting that Avril, whose uniform suggests that she’s a colonel like Albaire, knows about the Black Mage’s real goal, especially since the Alliance didn’t figure it out until just recently. It adds weight to the idea that Darmoor and the Black Mage might’ve met and spoken at one point.)
However, Havoc snapped that he didn’t care how the Adversary had won, only that they were a threat to him. He then asked if she thought that she could take them on herself, to which Avril stammered that it wasn’t what she had meant, causing Havoc to smirk in satisfaction. He told her that no matter how much she disagreed, he didn’t want to provoke the Adversary and reminded her that they needed to focus on what Darmoor wanted. He then cursed Darmoor, wondering where he had gone and what he was doing, and called him a coward who had incited a war and then left him to do the dirty work. Avril warned him to watch his mouth, as calling Darmoor a coward was something that he might live to regret.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the rest of the Cernium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
Since Carlisle had mentioned that Aaron had come to Cernium several years ago and Havoc mentions that Darmoor disappeared from Aboris likely just a few months ago, we can reasonably assume that Darmoor has been going back and forth between Cernium and Aboris for the past several years in order to build up his cover story as Aaron, while still publicly leading the High Flora as Darmoor. It reminds me a bit of how in Star Wars, Palpatine played both the Republic and the Separatists as the Chancellor and as Darth Sidious.
The reason that Darmoor left the capital altogether was probably because this was right around the time that Carlisle set out to bring the Adversary to Cernium, and so he set the stage by giving Havoc orders to attack the city and then lived in Cernium full-time in order to be there when the Adversary arrived. That way, he could give them important information and destroy their Seal Stone at the very end.)
Some time later, the Adversary met Edea at the city square, where she noted that they seemed well-rested, and that their wounds had mostly healed. She told them that Hawkeye and Checky were defending the ramparts, while Carlisle and Seren were patrolling the city. The Adversary asked how they could help, and so Edea told them that they were short on medical supplies, for which the Dawn Priests needed an escort to harvest more ingredients outside the city.
Edea suggested that they help the Dawn Priests get the ingredients for the medicine and added that Aaron wanted their help with collecting overdue library books. Outside the city gates, the Adversary met with several court knights, who explained that Ebonstar soldiers were stopping them from harvesting ingredients.
After they fought off the soldiers, a Dawn Priest thanked them and explained that the ingredients would be helpful in creating medicine. The Adversary asked if the medicine might be able to heal Seren’s wings, but the Dawn Priest replied that there was no known medicine that could fix her wings, as Seren’s inability to spread her wings stemmed from her trauma after witnessing her people die on the battlefield. With that, the Dawn Priest gave the Adversary an overdue library book for Aaron, which was entitled “How the Ancients Measured Time”.
Deciding to take a peek at the book, the Adversary read how the principal form of timekeeping involved measuring the precise position of the sun. Though there had once been a number of terms to describe the sun’s position in the sky, many had been lost to time, leaving only “dawn”, “noon”, and “sunset” in modern day. The Dawn Priest then told the Adversary that the knights needed help at the western ramparts.
There, Hawkeye told them that the soldiers were running low on iron to repair their weapons, and that the Monster Gulls were trying to take the scrap metal on the battlefield for themselves. After the Adversary took care of the seagulls, the knights were able to collect the scrap metal and Hawkeye asked the Adversary to go to the forge in order to let Seren know. He also gave them an overdue library book from one of the soldiers, which was entitled “Mitra’s Emblem”, in which the Adversary read that Mitra was a god who had many facets.
Though tranquil and quiet in demeanor, Mitra was also righteous and benevolent. However, in the face of injustice, his wrath was unparalleled. The Adversary then went to see Seren and told her that the soldiers had found more iron, taking a quick peek at her wings while doing so. Seren thanked them for letting her know and gave them a library book that one of the soldiers possessed, which was entitled “The History of the Order”.
The Adversary read how the Order of Mitra had undergone many divisions and reformations following the fall of the Ancient Gods, making it unclear the extent to which the current Order resembled that of its ancient origins. However, the Order had continued to hope for the return of Mitra throughout the centuries.
The Adversary then went to the library and met with Carlisle and Edea. They noticed that Edea was being possessed by spirits, for which Carlisle asked them to bring holy water. After she recovered, Edea explained that she had gone to the haunted section of the library in order to find several documents, but Aaron had asked her not to use her lightning attacks on the ghosts, as one spark could burn down the whole library and destroy the priceless ancient writings and artifacts.
(A/N: I’m pretty sure that most classes do a lot more than just a tiny spark. We must have inhuman precision when we’re mobbing here.)
Carlisle told them that the library was special to Aaron, who had found it abandoned when he had first arrived, and that he had restored it to what it was today. Edea was surprised that such a treasure trove had been abandoned, but Carlisle explained that no one had known its true value, since they couldn’t read the ancient language, as well as because they had been too busy keeping the peace between the different Orders.
He added that there had nearly been mass panic in the city when a High Flora had appeared, though there had thankfully been no major incidents since then. After Aaron had introduced himself and explained that he had come to see the library, Carlisle had appointed him as librarian and had allowed him to research uninterrupted, provided that he clean up and organize the place. He was impressed that Aaron had managed to catalogue tens of thousands of books in just a few short years.
He then asked the Adversary about what they had learned about Seren. The Adversary explained what the Dawn Priest had mentioned about her wings, leading Edea to believe that Seren may still be able to use her wings if she got past her mental trauma. Carlisle told them that from what he had gleaned from Seren’s reports, it appeared as though some part of her had decided long ago that she would never spread her wings again, as though she had lost faith in herself.
He explained that after what had happened to High Mountain and the Celestials, people claimed that she was never the same again, as she blamed herself for failing to protect her people. Meanwhile, in the town square, Seren was overseeing the melting of the enemy swords. She watched sadly as the blacksmith melted down Roland’s sword before deciding to leave.
Back at the library, Edea told them that emotional trauma wasn’t something that could be healed overnight. Carlisle agreed and added that even if Seren regained the use of her wings, it still wouldn’t guarantee that she could become the Chosen One. He then told them that he had to leave, but he added that Aaron was coming back to help them in his place.
After Aaron arrived, Edea asked where they should start with their research. Aaron decided to start with the basics and explained that he would begin by explaining the creation of the holy relics. He told them that according to his research, everything that mortals considered to be supernatural, from the Overseers to the Ancient Gods to the Transcendents, were all a form of higher being that existed outside the physical limitations of the universe. Because of this, mortals were unable to truly harm them, which was why, since ancient times, it had been said that only gods had the power to challenge other gods. (A/N: The only exception to this rule is that Transcendents are unable to kill other Transcendents or themselves.)
Edea realized that it meant that in order to fight a god, one either needed to be a god themselves or use something containing their power, such as how the Adversary had used the Seal Stone to kill the Black Mage. Aaron confirmed her words and explained that the Seal Stone was imbued with the power of higher beings, and that it was now a proven threat to the very existence of the divine.
Edea then realized that if the holy relics had been created to fight higher beings, just like the Seal Stone, the way that they both operate would be similar, which made her wonder whether learning more about the Seal Stones would provide clues about Azor. Aaron pointed the Adversary to the section with more information about the Seal Stones and asked if they had been able to obtain the overdue books that he had requested, explaining that they ought to hold onto the books in order to glean more information from them. He told them that individually, they were glimpses into the origins of things, but taken together, they told a story about how those who didn’t understand the past were doomed to repeat its mistakes.
The Adversary then fought past the ghosts and obtained the documents on the Seal Stones, which they brought back to Aaron and Edea. They then read how, to defend against the Ancient Gods’ chaos, the will of the world had created weapons known as the Godspheres. The Godspheres had then fused with beings called the ‘noble ones’, whose confrontation with the gods had begun the Ancient War.
(A/N: The “will of the world” is another way that the game refers to the Overseers. In KMS, the Godsphere is known as the “spear of god”, which is a term that’s been used since the Cernium storyline. GMS never had a proper name for it until they localized it to “Godsphere” in the Odium storyline. Because of this, their localization of the term in Cernium was something generic like “a holy artifact”, and in other storylines like Karote, they just call it a Seal Stone. For the purpose of consistency, I’ll use the term Godsphere in all the places where KMS used “spear of god” in the original text.
The Shangri-La storyline retconned the explanation of the Overseers creating the Godspheres by revealing that they had actually just created one relic - the World Heart - which was the original template that the elders of Grandis copied to create the Godspheres, which are weaker versions of the original. The ‘noble ones’ described in the book were Vessels for the Godspheres, which fused with them and awakened them as Adversaries.
The Heroes get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they realize that Freud hadn’t created the Seal Stones out of nothing. They then wonder whether he had drawn out the divine power that had permeated into the land. The Shangri-La storyline expands on this and explains that just as the elders had created the Godspheres using the World Heart as a template, Freud had used the residual power of the World Heart inside the Godspheres, which had permeated into the land, as a template to create the Seal Stones, which were more or less the same as the Godspheres, although he gave them a different name.)
They also read that the Godspheres could only be awakened by the will and determination of the people, and as such, the godly power contained within the relics could never be limited to a single individual. Furthermore, the Godspheres themselves would choose their Vessels to bond with, similar to how the holy relics operated.
(A/N: The implication here is that the elders modeled the Godspheres off of the holy relics of the gods, with the only difference being that whereas the holy relics choose their owner depending on who the followers of that god believe in, the Godspheres will choose their Vessel based on the will of all the people, rather than the followers of a particular god or religion.
Lara gets some very interesting exclusive dialogue here. Way back in her class storyline, Lara had a quest in which she collected pages torn from a book about mysticants. After finishing that quest, Lara realizes that she has an extra page that looks like it came from another book. For the longest time, I had no idea why that was mentioned, as it had seemingly never been brought up again. However, someone from the lore server was playing the Cernium storyline on their Lara and stumbled across this hidden gem of exclusive dialogue.
While reading the book, Lara realizes that the page that she found long ago came from this book. A River Spirit, which had been holding onto the page, gives it to Lara, who then begins reading about how countless experiments had been conducted on beings, with ‘contamination’ being the result of violating the laws of the world.
The author of the book writes that the contamination had gradually begun spreading to those who had observed the experiments, such as themselves. They write that the contamination had completely ravaged their bodies and minds, for which they had created an object containing the last shred of humanity still left in them. They then pray that all their sins be forgiven someday.
Edea realizes that the author of the book was one of the witnesses to those experiments, noting that she can’t believe that this was the price of playing God. She then wonders what had happened to the contaminated ones, to which Lara explains that they’re in the realm of the sages. When a surprised Edea asks Lara if she’s met them, Lara clarifies that she’s never met them before, though she’s heard their story before, causing Edea to marvel at Lara casually writing it off as though it were nothing.
Lara then adds that when the day comes that she can properly wield the bell, she’ll undo the contamination right away. When Edea remains silent, Lara asks her whether she’s happy to hear that, to which Edea clarifies that she’s just been thinking of what kind of effect the contaminated ones might have on them and asks Lara for her opinion. Lara replies that she had just felt bad for the people in pain, and that she hadn’t thought about any of that. Edea notes that that’s apparent and suggests that they move on to the next page.
Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Odium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
The experiments in question are the Adversary experiments that the elders performed in Odium. The Odium storyline explains that the fatal flaw of their experiments is that Adversaries created in Odium lose their sense of self and everything that makes them human, reducing them into empty shells only obsessed with fulfilling their purpose as an Adversary by defeating the Ancient Gods. The contamination, originally localized in GMS as ‘corruption’, later spread to the elders, who imprisoned themselves in the realm of the sages and became known as the Sinners, where they wait for the ringing of the bell to cleanse them of their sins.)
From the document, Edea concluded that the relic’s power went to whomever the people deemed worthy to wield it, which explained why the Chosen One needed the Order’s approval to take possession of Azor. She then noted that Seren already had the support of all three Orders of Mitra, Spisa, and Nerota, which meant that she satisfied the condition of Azor requiring the people’s faith to wield. She also realized that there was now a very concrete reason behind the idea of a noble hero saving the world, which was so often romanticized in stories.
Just as she wondered what Seren would do if she learned about the truth, Seren herself arrived at the library. (A/N: I wonder if she subconsciously knows that people are talking about her, given how many times this has happened.) Seren told them that she wanted to help find the Chosen One, as she felt that it was unfair to leave all the work to the Alliance.
She then noticed that Edea looked unwell, to which Edea explained that she had been possessed by the library ghosts, and that the holy water which she had drank was still taking some time to take effect. Edea added that she hadn’t been able to use her lightning spells on the ghosts, which would have burned down the library otherwise. Seren then asked Aaron about the magical fire extinguisher, which could put out fires without using water. Aaron told her that it was meant as a last resort, as the device worked by removing all the oxygen in the area, which would kill anyone still trapped inside.
The four of them then searched the library for more information on the Chosen One and found a book that contained a prophecy, “When the scattered lights unite, the sun’s radiance shall descend from the heavens”, along with the same phrase that Roland had mentioned was written on Azor, “Alvationsay inway Andhay”, as well as a line that said, “The Chosen One will be revealed for all to worship. Only then will the people find their salvation.”
As they pondered about the meaning of the words, Edea told Seren that she should consider taking ownership of Azor herself, but Seren refused, claiming that she couldn’t spread her wings, and that she didn’t have the emblem. Edea told Seren that even prophecies needed help coming true, adding that the Nova would have been wiped out if they had waited for a prophecy to save them. Seren continued protesting and explained that taking Azor would be blasphemy without proper qualifications.
Just then, a knight appeared and told the Adversary, Seren, and Edea that they were needed at the palace, where Havoc had requested an audience. They rushed over to the palace hall, where they found Havoc telling Carlisle that he would leave Cernium alone in exchange for the Adversary.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue when he first sees Havoc, in which he notes that Havoc seems both familiar and dangerous. Havoc is later revealed to be a pure-blood demon in a future exclusive dialogue, which explains why the Demon senses familiar yet dangerous power inside him.
Kain also gets some exclusive dialogue when he first sees Havoc, in which he thinks to himself that the Apostle leading the High Flora army reminds him of the past, though he notes that Havoc isn’t the same person who had attacked his village. The person who had attacked his village was Ypsilon, who had led the High Flora army to kidnap him and Luska. However, Kain doesn’t know that because he only ever saw Ypsilon disguised as Dr. Y during his time with the Drakas.)
Carlisle immediately refused, but Havoc laughed and told him to think carefully, explaining that he held a valuable hostage before showing them the emblem of the Chosen One. He then raised the deal and told Carlisle that in exchange for the Adversary, he would not only leave Cernium alone, but he would also give back the Chosen One. Carlisle once again refused, but the Grand Master stepped forward and asked Havoc to give his word that he would stand down after the exchange, shocking Carlisle and the others.
Havoc laughed and told them that he trusted that they would make the right choice before leaving. The Grand Master then ordered his knights to seize the Adversary as Carlisle attempted to reason with him. He reminded the Grand Master that they owed their lives to the Adversary and asked if he truly thought that it was Mitra’s will to betray them. The Grand Master argued that Mitra’s will was to protect the holy land and claimed that that same will was what had delivered the Adversary to them, as thousands of believers could be saved at the cost of the life of a single heathen.
Having reached an impasse, the Grand Master ordered Seren to seize the Adversary. Seren raised her blade and claimed that even though she was no match for the Adversary in battle, she would lay down her life if Mitra willed it. However, she told the Grand Master that she couldn’t hear Mitra’s voice and told him that until she did, she refused to believe that betraying an ally was the will of the Sun God. She then ordered the knights to lay down their weapons and work together.
Some time later, Seren met with the Grand Master, who reminded her that she had only been named the Guardian, not the Chosen One. Seren told the Grand Master that she couldn’t believe that Mitra would want her to betray an ally. Realizing that Seren’s mind was made up, the Grand Master ordered her to form a rescue party and recover the Chosen One from the High Flora camp. He also told her that Aaron had learned that Chief Knight Gilmore, her old commanding officer, was the Chosen One whom they were to rescue, which shocked Seren.
That night, Seren formed a rescue party composed of the Adversary, Edea, Checky, and Hawkeye. They were awestruck at how immense the encampment was, with Checky asking if there were really that many High Flora soldiers. Edea explained that most of the Flora army was composed of common mercenaries, with only officers and above being High Flora.
(A/N: If the player is Ark, he’ll give that explanation to Checky instead of Edea, since he used to be a soldier in the High Flora army. The reason why the majority of the Flora army is composed of mercenaries is because most of the High Flora were wiped out during the Flora Civil War.)
Edea then asked Seren why she had betrayed her Order, as it seemed unlike her. Seren explained that returning light to Azor was her calling, and that she would do whatever it took to make that happen. However, she told the others that they weren’t bound to her fate, and that she wouldn’t ask them to die for her, as she was content with fulfilling her mission alone. Edea reminded her that there was still another way and asked her once again to become the Chosen One, but Seren told her that she couldn’t do it.
Edea regretted that it would have been the perfect time to try something if she had agreed, explaining that mother eagles pushed their young off a cliff in order to teach them how to fly, and that she had been thinking about doing the same to Seren in order to help her spread her wings again, though she ultimately decided that it was a bad idea. Seren then told them that she would take the lead and headed down the cliff.
Checky asked Edea why she hadn’t stopped Seren if she knew that it was a trap, to which she replied that Seren already knew it as well, which was why she had insisted on continuing alone. They then split into three teams and pushed past the Flora soldiers deeper into the encampment. Meanwhile, Seren continued on alone and encountered Gilmore held in a cage created by a spell circle of strange red magic.
Gilmore asked Seren if she had come alone, to which she replied that her allies were keeping the Flora soldiers busy. Because of how brazenly the camp was being attacked, Gilmore realized that she had brought the Adversary, adding that he would have expected that the Adversary would have been the one to lead the rescue mission personally.
He then released himself from the cage, with Seren quickly realizing that he hadn’t been imprisoned at all. When she accused him of being a traitor, Gilmore clarified that he was merely using the Flora, whom he referred to as ‘low creatures’, into helping him restore his Celestial powers by delivering the Adversary to them.
He then showed Seren the emblem of the Chosen One and told her that he planned to cleanse the land of heathens and create a true paradise of the gods. Feeling Seren’s hesitation, he pointed his sword at her and asked if she remembered what the High Flora had done to High Mountain and the Celestials.
Suddenly, Edea created her own contaminant spell to trap Gilmore and shot dozens of lightning bolts from the sky at him. As the Flora soldiers discovered them, Edea told the Adversary to cover their escape and to get the emblem of the Chosen One from Gilmore. The Adversary and Hawkeye defeated the arriving Flora soldiers and wounded Gilmore, who cursed them and declared that he would soon come for Azor. Before the Adversary could grab the emblem, Gilmore created a protective shield around himself with the same red magic as more Flora soldiers arrived. With no other choice, Hawkeye and the Adversary retreated.
(A/N: Ark gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he recognizes Gilmore’s power as being very familiar. The reason for this is because Gilmore is a special type of Specter.)
Meanwhile, Seren told Edea that the emblem of the Chosen One shined for Gilmore, meaning that he was the true Chosen One. Edea told her that she knew that already, to which Seren asked why Edea had attacked him anyways. Edea reminded her that Gilmore had vowed to destroy the holy land, not preserve it. Though she knew that Edea was right, Seren nevertheless insisted that Cernium would fall the same way as High Mountain had if Azor wasn’t reawakened.
Edea told Seren that from what she had read in the library, she believed that she knew how to activate a holy relic, explaining that all records of the holy relics mentioned a ‘noble one’, a ‘righteous one’, a ‘pure one’, a Celestial, and so forth. However, there was no mention of a Chosen One, meaning that the emblem could shine for anyone worthy of wielding Azor, including Seren. She then asked Seren to stop waiting for fate to step in and instead take action, as she was the best savior that Cernium could hope for.
Soon after, Havoc and Avril returned to the camp, where they found Gilmore still within the protective shield. Havoc laughed at the sorry state that he was in as Gilmore dropped the shield down. Gilmore angrily claimed that he would bring the sun’s fury upon Havoc after taking up Azor, though Havoc merely scoffed at his words.
Avril then asked what their next move was, to which Havoc replied that he was bored of waiting, and that he had decided to have their forces attack. Avril warned that he was wasting their forces, and that it would be better to starve the enemy out. However, Havoc reassured her that he would be dealing with the enemy personally and claimed that their faith wouldn’t save them from him, just as he awakened his demon powers and transformed.
Later that night, Seren prayed to Mitra in the chamber of the holy sword and hoped that the Sun God would help show her the way. She noted to herself that the sky was full of crimson clouds, and that it wouldn’t be long before Havoc attacked. She also knew that if Gilmore took possession of Azor, it would spell certain doom for Cernium.
The next day, Seren and the Grand Master announced to the people that the Chosen One had been found, much to the crowd’s amazement. However, the Grand Master warned that Gilmore intended to follow the will of Mitra precisely, meaning that he would not spare the non-believers in the city and urged all those who didn’t follow Mitra to leave the city by sundown. The followers of Nerota and Spisa were furious, demanding to know how Mitra’s Order could treat them in such a way after they had helped defend Cernium from Ebonstar.
As Seren turned away, she ran into Carlisle and the Glory Guard, who asked if she knew what she was doing by allowing Gilmore to take possession of Azor. Seren told them that she knew the consequences, but added that Cernium didn’t stand a chance without Azor and Mitra’s blessing. She warned that Havoc’s powers would cover the whole of Cernium with lightning, making it impossible to get anywhere near the chamber of the holy sword.
Checky reminded her that they had the Adversary, and so they didn’t need Azor to stop the Flora army. However, Seren warned them that though the Adversary was strong, Havoc was on a much different level. Realizing that Seren was dead set on giving up, Edea told Carlisle that as acting commander of the Glory Guard, she was formally terminating the partnership between the Alliance and Cernium, much to everyone’s shock.
Carlisle urged Edea to change her mind, but Edea told him that she needed to keep the Alliance safe, which couldn’t happen if Gilmore took possession of Azor. As Edea walked away, the Adversary urged Seren once more that it wasn’t too late to take up the sword. Seren reluctantly agreed to try and took hold of Azor, which didn’t react to her at all, just as she had suspected.
In the city square, Carlisle urged the Adversary to speak to Seren one more time, claiming that she would listen to them as the Adversary. They asked how being the Adversary would make a difference, to which Carlisle told them that whereas Seren had failed many times and had lost everything, the Adversary had succeeded and saved their world, which made Seren respect them.
The Adversary asked the townspeople if they knew where Seren was, but none of them had any idea where she could be. However, all of them were worried about Cernium’s fate and their unanimous opinion was that Seren should be the Chosen One, rather than a stranger like Gilmore. A Flame Priest told them that the blacksmith was also looking for Seren. The blacksmith told the Adversary that he had seen her heading south earlier, likely to visit the memorial.
As the Adversary headed towards the memorial, the blacksmith gave them a small sword-shaped necklace and asked them to give it to Seren, explaining that she would understand its significance. On their way outside the city, the Adversary ran into Edea, who told them that Carlisle had given her new information. According to him, Seren had asked the Grand Master that she be relieved of duty when she had first arrived in Cernium with Azor many years ago. Edea had her suspicions about why Seren believed that she couldn’t be the Chosen One, and so she asked if she could accompany them to visit her.
At the memorial, Seren was pondering over what Roland had asked her about finding her salvation in Cernium. She silently replied to herself that no matter where she went, she couldn’t find any salvation. She voiced aloud that she should be used to losing everything that she loved, including her home, her old compatriots, her new friends, and even her faith.
Just then, the Adversary and Edea found her amidst the swords of her fallen compatriots. Edea told Seren that she understood why she refused to become the Chosen One, explaining that she believed that Seren was using her injury as an excuse. The Adversary added that the reason why she refused to accept that she could be the Chosen One and why Azor didn’t react to her was because she had lost her faith in Mitra when Havoc had attacked High Mountain. They explained that she had likely lost her faith because at the very moment when she had needed Mitra the most, she had been abandoned by her god.
Edea then asked Seren why she continued serving the Order of Mitra if her faith had been broken. Seren told Edea that as the only survivor left, she felt that her comrades’ sacrifice in the name of Mitra would have been in vain if she had abandoned the Order. The Adversary then understood Seren’s predicament: she couldn’t be the Chosen One, but she also couldn’t leave the faith either, all because she couldn’t acknowledge that her people had died fighting for a god who had abandoned them. Seren then asked for them to leave her, adding that the light needed to return to Azor.
That night, the Glory Guard met outside the city gates, where Checky and Hawkeye were surprised to learn the reason behind Seren’s refusal to become the Chosen One. Checky noted that by refusing to become the Chosen One, Seren was merely repeating a cycle of mistakes. His words then triggered the Adversary to recall something that Aaron had said about how the overdue library books collectively told a story about how those who didn’t understand the past were doomed to repeat its mistakes.
The Adversary began looking through the books and found that the first book spoke about how the Order of Mitra had undergone many divisions and reformations. The second described how ‘dawn’, ‘noon’, and ‘sunset’ were the only three words that remained to mark the position of the sun. The final spoke of how Mitra possessed many facets, from being tranquil and quiet, to righteous and benevolent, to wrathful in the face of injustice.
Just as they reached an epiphany, Aaron arrived and saw that by the look on the Adversary’s face, they had reached the same conclusion that he had. He explained that after centuries of the people not hearing Mitra’s voice, they had gradually forgotten the very origin of their beliefs. Just then, Edea arrived and greeted Aaron, explaining that she wanted to ask him to come to Maple World with them, as he wouldn’t be safe in Cernium after Gilmore took possession of Azor.
Hawkeye interrupted and asked him to first finish what he had been explaining. Aaron asked them to recall the sun and its place in the sky at dawn, noon, and sunset. He explained that ancient worshippers had believed that the sun brought hope at dawn, justice at noon, and flaming passion at sunset. After the Ancient Gods had disappeared, the followers of Mitra had split into three factions, each worshipping the sun’s three different aspects. Over the centuries, those followers had lost sight of the truth and had forgotten that Mitra, Spisa, and Nerota were all facets of the same god.
The Glory Guard was shocked, as the revelation meant that all the holy wars and sacrifices had been part of an ultimately meaningless conflict. Checky also realized that Gilmore was wrong, as there were no non-believers in Cernium if all the different faiths ultimately worshipped Mitra. Aaron agreed, but he reminded them that a single seed of doubt could crumble the entire foundation of one’s faith, just as it had done to Seren.
Edea realized that the other sects would never accept it, as doing so would force them to acknowledge that every terrible deed that they had ever committed in the name of their god had been unjustified. However, it also meant that the Chosen One had been selected long ago, as the criteria for being chosen was that they needed to be worthy of the power, as well as to have the support of all three Orders, meaning that Gilmore was unworthy of awakening Azor without their full support.
Edea then rushed to check on something, just as several Alliance soldiers warned that they needed to leave soon. Edea asked them to go on without her, as she would be back after confirming something that she had realized, and told Aaron that her offer to bring him to Maple World still stood. Aaron thanked her, but declined, as he wished to continue watching over the library. Though he knew that Edea wanted them to go on ahead, Hawkeye told the group that they couldn’t go without her and decided that in her place, the Adversary should take up command.
With the authority as the new acting commander, the Adversary declared that the Alliance would aid Cernium once again and decided to defend the western ramparts, while ordering Hawkeye and Checky to defend the eastern ramparts. After fighting off the Flora soldiers on the western ramparts, the Adversary received word that the eastern ramparts needed reinforcements. There, the Adversary was shocked to see that thousands of Flora soldiers stood at the eastern gates.
Carlisle arrived with the Flame Priests and Dawn Priests and thanked the Adversary for deciding to help Cernium. He explained that the Orders of Spisa and Nerota refused to acknowledge Gilmore as the Chosen One, and so they were choosing to help defend the city. They began their counterattack on the Flora army, but the sheer number of enemies shook Carlisle’s confidence in being able to save the city.
Meanwhile, Avril was overseeing the battle when Ebonstar soldiers arrived at her command. She told them that on Havoc’s orders, they were to eliminate the Ice Witch Edea, as she was on the verge of discovering the true Chosen One. She then ordered them to tell Gilmore that he was to be sent out immediately. As the Alliance and Cernium continued fighting off the Flora army, Carlisle looked up at the crimson sky in fear and immediately ordered all forces to retreat. On the ramparts, Havoc’s powerful red lightning bolts precisely struck down to avoid the Flora soldiers and instead target all of Cernium and the Alliance’s foot soldiers, instantly vaporizing them.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he recognizes Havoc’s power as being that of a pure-blood demon. It’s interesting that a demon was able to make it all the way to Grandis, and it leads to speculation as to whether the demon race existed before Maple World and Grandis was split, leaving some stranded on Grandis after the worlds were separated, or whether Havoc somehow left Tynerum and arrived in Grandis later on.
Given that we don’t see many pure-blood demons aside from Mastema and the children in Crimsonheart Castle, it’s worth considering that Havoc could possibly be the Demon and Damien’s father if the writers decide to make that connection. Their father was exiled from Tynerum for speaking out against the pure-blood demons’ experiments to steal a Transcendent’s powers, which resulted in Tynerum becoming the desolate wasteland that it is today.
If it’s true that Havoc is the Demon’s father, he would have needed to have been exiled before the Demon was born, since he doesn’t recognize Havoc in this storyline. It’s possible that Havoc spent some time wandering Maple World after being exiled from Tynerum, after which he used the Interdimensional Portal to cross over to Grandis after it appeared when the Black Mage stole Rhinne’s powers.)
Meanwhile, a court knight arrived and warned Edea to immediately retreat, as lightning had stuck the palace and had started a massive fire. Edea told the knight that she needed ten more minutes and asked them to tell Aaron to use the fire extinguisher if she was not out in that time. Soon after, she found the book that she was looking for, which detailed how, in the time of the Ancient Gods, mortals had attempted to find a way to end the chaos wrought by the gods’ disregard for the natural order.
Their research had led them to investigate previously forbidden studies, but the horrifying beasts that they had spawned were abominations that despised humanity. Nevertheless, the inhumane experiments had continued until finally, after years of failure, they had succeeded in creating a monster with many souls contained within a single body. Against the will of the gods, those creations had been able to wield weapons containing the gods’ own power used against them.
(A/N: The creatures born from these experiments were the Specters. Earlier in this section, it was explained that the relics of the Ancient Gods operate on a similar principle as the Seal Stones. Just like how the Seal Stones respond to the powerful determination of a population and choose Vessels who embody the will of the people, the holy relics will only allow those whom the people have faith in to wield them.
In order to circumvent this, the researchers in the time of the Ancient Gods attempted to fill a host body with countless Specter souls from the Abyss, which would trick the holy relics into thinking that the souls of the people are with the host body, when in actuality, those souls have been taken from the Abyss and artificially stuffed into them. As the relics can’t distinguish between the two, they’ll assume that those souls came organically from the people’s support, allowing mortals to kill the Ancient Gods with their own relics.
The book that Edea reads mentions that the countless failures resulted in the creation of horrifying beasts, which is likely referring to the normal Specter monsters that we fight. Most people who undergo the Specter ritual get completely taken over, which results in their soul being consumed so that the Specter becomes the sole host of that body.
We can assume that people like Ark and Limbo, and potentially Mr. Hazard, since we saw that he had Specter markings on his body, are prime candidates for becoming special Specters, as their souls being able to withstand the Specter takeover means that they can likely handle being filled with a lot more. I have some speculations about why the High Flora are reviving these ancient experiments, but I’ll save that for the end of this section.)
From the information in the book, Edea was able to confirm that Gilmore was indeed a fake Chosen One. Just then, Ebonstar soldiers surrounded her amidst the growing fire. With no need to worry about the library burning down when it was already set aflame, Edea was free to use her lightning attacks on the soldiers. Meanwhile, the surviving troops evacuated from the ramparts to the city square. Carlisle realized that Havoc’s tactics were precisely how High Mountain had fallen and he wondered how Havoc had been able to engulf the entire city in a lightning storm. He then asked the Adversary to find Edea, while the rest of them held the line.
In the library, Aaron learned from the court knight that Edea had gone missing, and that she had asked him to use the fire extinguisher after ten minutes, which had long since passed. Though Aaron wanted to use the extinguisher before the library burned down, he decided to go after Edea, as removing all the oxygen from the room with the extinguisher would kill her.
Soon after, the Adversary arrived at the library and the court knight explained that Aaron had gone after Edea. After fighting through the Ebonstar soldiers, the Adversary caught up with Aaron. The two eventually found Edea, who told them that she needed to speak with Seren in the chamber of the holy sword. However, she warned the Adversary to keep their distance once they arrived, as the activated sword would channel Mitra’s consciousness, and since the Ancient Gods were hostile towards Adversaries, it would likely turn on them.
She asked them to help defend the city square and warned them to keep their distance from Havoc, since his strength was unknown, adding that it would be disastrous for the Alliance if they were to lose the Adversary. As the Adversary headed off, Aaron told Edea that he had translated the inscription on Azor, “Alvationsay inway Andhay”, and had learned that it didn’t mean “Salvation is in Cernium” like what Roland had claimed. Instead, it meant “Salvation is in your own hands”, as it was the people who needed unconditional faith, not the gods.
After Edea left, Aaron attempted to activate the fire extinguisher, but he found that the fire had broken it, meaning that it was too late to save the library. He then noted to himself that the damage to the library was so extensive that only a god could undo it now.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the rest of the Cernium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.
This is one of the few other hints that Aaron is actually Darmoor. Here, he’s suggesting that he himself is the god in question who can undo the damage. In GMS, this was instead localized as, “Only the gods can save us now,” which doesn’t really convey the intended meaning.)
In the town square, the Adversary told Carlisle about Edea’s plan and began to mobilize troops to hold the city. Meanwhile, the Grand Master found Seren praying before Azor and wondered whether the city could be facing its final moments, and whether its destruction was truly the will of Mitra. The other knights warned the Grand Master that they needed to leave the palace before it was destroyed, to which the Grand Master wondered how the Chosen One hadn’t shown up yet.
Soon after they left, Gilmore arrived to find Seren standing alone in the holy chamber. He looked around and noted to Seren how such a once-illustrious palace had fallen to ruin, with storm clouds blotting out the sun and the High Flora swarming across the land like vermin. Seren asked Gilmore what would happen once he became the Chosen One, to which Gilmore explained that he would begin a great cleansing of the land, starting with the Flora, after which he would remove the heretics and the cultists who had infested the city. Seren told him that the various Orders had finally made peace after centuries, and that she believed that it wasn’t necessary to expel them.
Gilmore laughed at Seren’s presumption that he would merely expel them and reminded her that every person had the choice to either worship the sun or be destroyed by its flames. As he walked past her to take Azor, Edea rushed in to see Seren. Gilmore drew his sword on Edea and told her that he would destroy her for sullying their sacred ground. Seren immediately drew her blade and parried Gilmore’s attack, yelling at Edea to run.
Meanwhile, the Adversary continued to defend the city square while dodging Havoc’s devastating lightning attacks. However, the Flora soldiers continued pouring into the city as the storm above them grew worse. Carlisle then began cursing himself for having underestimated the Apostle. Realizing that Havoc needed to be stopped, the Adversary decided to face him themselves. Just then, Aaron arrived to stop them and explained that the time had come.
In the chamber of the holy sword, a wounded Edea watched Gilmore standing over Seren, whose blade had been broken. As he prepared to strike her down, Edea used the last of her strength to create a magical seal around Gilmore, allowing Seren to deliver the final blow. Defeated, Gilmore dissipated into thin air as Seren lamented that Azor would never find its light now with the Chosen One destroyed. Edea then revealed to her that Gilmore hadn’t been the Chosen One, but rather, he has been a special type of Specter, filled with countless souls that had given him enough power to appear as though he was the Chosen One, which would have allowed him to trick Azor into choosing him to wield the power of Mitra.
(A/N: Although we don’t get to see Gilmore wield Azor, the fact that the emblem of the Chosen One glowed in his hands strongly suggests that the sword would’ve worked for him.)
Edea then gave Seren the emblem of the Chosen One that Gilmore had dropped and told her that she had earned the trust of the people. Seren protested that the emblem didn’t glow in her hands and wondered what more everyone expected from her, as she couldn’t change basic facts. Just then, the Adversary arrived and told her that they understood what it was like to feel helpless, as they had been filled with doubt throughout the battle with the Black Mage, just as she was now, and explained that it wasn’t until the very last moment that someone had helped them see the light.
(A/N: This is actually a very rare case where GMS’ localization was better than KMS’ version. KMS just said that it wasn’t until the last moment that we realized what we were missing, with help from our friends. But GMS’ localization, in which we talk about someone helping us “see the light”, is a specific reference to Tana, the Transcendent of Light, who came out of the Genesis Crux and helped us understand how to use the power of the Adversary. I like GMS’ translation way better than the generic “my friends helped me” line that KMS had because it ties back to our character arc a lot better.)
Edea then told her that Aaron had properly translated the inscription on Azor and revealed to her that it meant “Salvation is in your own hands”. The Adversary asked her not to wait for the prophecy to fulfill itself, but to instead fulfill her destiny with her own two hands, while Edea asked her to try putting faith into herself for once. To Seren’s surprise, the emblem began glowing in her hands as she began to believe in herself once again.
(A/N: This message is something that continues my favorite narrative in the story, which is the power of free will. It’s something that’s been pushed throughout the Arcane River storyline with the idea that people aren’t bound to their destinies, and that everyone has the power to change themselves. Savior, the final patch in the GRANDIS updates, bookends this idea introduced in Glory, the first patch of GRANDIS, that salvation is in your own hands. I was actually expecting Savior to be called Salvation before it came out, since it would’ve tied into the Resistance storyline, which was slated to be the next class revamp until they decided to stop putting those out.
I’m not sure if the writers had intended for it or not, but this idea of the promise of free will being something that gets lost in translation is something that also happened in my favorite book of all time, East of Eden. During the plot of the book, the main characters are reading the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible and are trying to reconcile a discrepancy in two different localizations of the Bible, specifically in regard to the word ‘timshel’, used in the original Hebrew text.
The first translation that they consider is one in which ‘timshel’ has been translated as ‘thou shalt’. In the context of the Bible, it reads, ‘thou shalt rule over sin’. In this translation, God is promising Cain that he’s guaranteed to succeed in ruling over his sin. However, the other official translation localizes ‘timshel’ as ‘do thou’, as in, ‘do thou rule over sin'. This translation instead shows that God is ordering Cain to rule over his sin.
Because of this, the main characters are trying to figure out whether God has promised humanity that they’ll be saved, or whether humanity has been tasked with figuring it all out on their own. Eventually, however, they realize that the actual translation for ‘timshel’ is ‘thou mayest’, as in ‘thou mayest rule over sin’. This original translation is significant because it means that, rather than God giving a promise or a command, he’s instead given Cain a choice to rule over his sin. In this way, humanity has inherited the gift of free will from Cain, allowing their choices to determine their own worth.
This idea is echoed in the Cernium storyline with how the words ‘Alvationsay inway Andhay’ get mistranslated by Roland as ‘Salvation is in Cernium’. Seren, upon hearing these words, believes that the inscription on Azor supports her belief that she isn’t worthy of being the Chosen One because she’s lost her faith in Mitra. She realizes that if her salvation lies only in Cernium and the holy faith, it means that her deep-rooted trauma and guilt over being unable to save her comrades can only be forgiven by Mitra.
For her, this is basically a confirmation that not only will she find no salvation for the rest of her life, but that she doesn’t even deserve to be saved because she’s lost her faith in the one person in existence who can take away her pain. Because of this, she internalizes her trauma and psychologically cripples herself by ensuring that she can never spread her wings again.
On the surface, this reinforces her belief that she isn’t worthy of being ‘fixed’, and that her broken wings are her punishment for her broken faith. But beneath the surface, what she doesn’t consciously realize is that she herself is the one who’s holding herself back from being fixed, as she’s internalized the belief that she doesn’t deserve to be whole again after losing her faith in Mitra, which is reflected in the fact that she’s subconsciously severed her connection to her god by cutting herself off from her Celestial features, almost like an angel who’s lost her wings and fell from grace.
However, just like how the characters of East of Eden realize that ‘timshel’ means ‘thou mayest’, the true meaning of ‘Alvationsay inway Andhay’ gets revealed as ‘Salvation is in your own hands’, and just like in the book, the true meaning of the inscription on Azor is an affirmation to Seren that her salvation isn’t something that a god can give or take away from her. Here, she realizes that her salvation isn’t found through her faith in Mitra, but in herself, giving her back the agency and free will that she had believed that she didn’t have anymore.
Just as Cain was given the freedom by God to choose whether he wants to save himself by overcoming his sin, Seren is given the freedom by Mitra, through her inscribed words, that she has the choice to save herself. Much like how ‘timshel’ didn’t mean ‘thou shalt’ or ‘do thou’, Seren isn’t being given a promise that she’ll overcome her trauma, nor is she being ordered to do it - she’s been given the freedom of choosing to believe in herself again, with no strings or conditions attached on whether she succeeds or not.
I think that Cernium might actually have my favorite message in the entire story because of this, especially because of how realistic Seren’s process of overcoming trauma is. Her journey isn’t linear and structured - she stumbles and falls and gives up and tries again, and she’ll feel like she has no control over her life, which makes her even more frustrated because she just can’t accept everyone around her telling her that she does have the power to save herself.
She finds reasons - especially irrational reasons - to keep believing that she has no agency, and it traps her in a self-propagating loop that she subconsciously wants to break free from, but she just doesn’t know how, which makes her believe that her pain just has to be her punishment because she can’t make sense of why those feelings just won’t go away when everyone around her makes it sound like moving on is as easy as just wanting it.
Even the way that the people around her react to her trauma is so realistic, like how Edea gets frustrated by Seren refusing to try, and Seren feeling even worse because she doesn’t know how to fix herself and it feels like everyone around her is running out of patience, especially since they need a Chosen One now more than ever. Seeing Seren slowly regain her agency and realizing that her salvation lies in her own hands is almost tied with the Adversary rejecting their toxic belief in self-sacrifice as my favorite moment in the game, and it’s another reason why I love Seren so much.)
Seren then took up Azor, which glowed brightly and filled her with the divine power of the sun. Spreading her wings, she took to the skies and engaged in a colossal battle against Havoc. Their glowing figures clashed in the sky, with red lightning on one side of the sky and sunlight breaking through the clouds on the other. (A/N: Adding yet another layer of symbolism to this battle, Seren regaining her wings and facing Havoc, a pure-blood demon, is literally just an angel vs demon fight.)
The people of Cernium rejoiced at the appearance of the Chosen One, marveling at how the sun hadn’t abandoned them after all. Because of Seren, Havoc ceased his lightning attacks on the city, giving the united people of Cernium and the Alliance the opening that they needed to turn the tides on the Flora army. Havoc was soon defeated by Seren, causing him to crash down violently from the sky. With the Apostle of Lightning defeated, the Flora army was successfully repelled from the city.
(A/N: In the game files, there’s a scene that was never used in the official storyline that showed Avril discovering Havoc somewhere near the outskirts of the city after he crash-landed from his fight with Seren. In that scene, Havoc tells Avril that Seren destroyed his sword, though he then reveals that Darmoor had given him a special new sword that he deliberately hadn’t used in the battle. I’m not sure what exactly the point of that scene was, but I think it might’ve been a hint that he has another holy relic in his possession. However, the fact that it was cut from the final product likely means that idea has been scrapped.)
A few days after the battle, the Adversary met with Carlisle in the ruins of the palace, where he told them that the Order of Mitra was to formally anoint Seren as the Chosen One in order to give the people hope before the rebuilding efforts began. He told them that Edea was in the library, likely apologizing to Aaron, as Aaron could have activated the fire extinguisher and saved the library if she hadn’t been trapped inside.
He also mentioned that Edea was angry with the Adversary for ignoring her warning during the battle and running off after Seren, as she was worried that Seren, the vessel of Mitra, may have attacked the Adversary instead of the Apostle of Lightning. However, he added that thanks to Seren’s indomitable will, even Mitra couldn’t turn her against her allies. In the library, Edea profusely apologized to Aaron for all the countless knowledge that had been lost, but Aaron told her not to apologize, as it was nothing compared to all the lives that they had saved.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the rest of the Cernium storyline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip past the author note.
After Edea leaves, Aaron’s eyes start glowing red. He then uses the power of time that he stole from Chronica in order to restore the library offscreen.)
Edea arrived to meet the Glory Guard and Carlisle as they watched the Grand Master formally recognize Seren as the Chosen One. Just then, Aaron arrived at the palace and approached Seren. Seeing Carlisle’s surprise, the Adversary asked if Aaron wasn’t supposed to be there, to which Carlisle explained that his surprise was because he had never seen Aaron willingly walk in to a crowd before. (A/N: I can’t believe Darmoor and I are the same person.) Aaron congratulated Seren and asked if she had heard the voice of Mitra since becoming the Chosen One. Seren told him that she hadn’t had that honor yet, to which Aaron offered to show her how.
Aaron then whispered something in Seren’s ear, causing her to suddenly be consumed with divine energy as Mitra himself possessed Seren’s body. The audience was shocked at the devastating power that emanated from Seren, from whom Mitra declared, “The wrath of the sun is upon you,” exactly as he had done in the Adversary’s vision when they had attempted to wield Azor. Seren then turned to face the Adversary, within whom Mitra recognized the power of the Seal Stone, and the two engaged in a fierce battle. (A/N: Unlike most other bosses, Seren doesn’t have a story mode fight and the actual battle unfortunately happens offscreen.)
The shockwave of their battle wounded everyone in the audience, and the Adversary barely managed to win by shattering Azor. Seren, having regained her senses, was shocked at the destruction of the holy sword, just as Aaron approached the wounded Adversary. To everyone’s shock, he extracted the Seal Stone from the Adversary and told them that he had warned that it would only bring death, after which he shattered it. As he walked away, Edea asked who he really was, to which Aaron, his eyes glowing red, replied, “I am the one who tires of the folly of lesser lifeforms,” thus revealing himself as Gerand Darmoor.
(A/N: In the animated short that showed the backstory of how Carlisle decided to seek out the Adversary, Aaron tells him that the time of the Transcendents is coming to an end, and that the future belongs to them. The scene in which he breaks the Seal Stone was animated in that short as well, which added an extra line of dialogue that has him mock us for believing that the Transcendents’ time is over, and that the future belongs to us, in which he suggests that we’re stupid for thinking that it’s true simply because we believed in that future.)
Some time later, Seren met with the Adversary and explained that she was leaving Cernium in order to find a way to repair Azor. Before she left, the Adversary remembered the blacksmith’s earlier request and gave her the sword-shaped necklace. Seren recognized the metal as having come from Roland’s sword. Though she knew that a Templar shouldn’t carry such a thing, with Azor being broken and her leaving Cernium, she supposed that it didn’t matter anymore. She told the Adversary that she would cherish it and thanked them for everything, adding that she hoped that their paths would cross again. (A/N: It hasn’t even been ten seconds and I already miss her. Forget the Glory Guard, let’s go on a trip with Seren and Carlisle to fix the sword.)
Soon after, the Glory Guard returned to Maple World and the Alliance held a meeting to cover the shocking events that had transpired. Edea explained that she had tried to protect the Adversary, but Mitra’s power had badly injured everyone. She confessed that things could have been far worse if Seren hadn’t been able to take control of her body back.
Neinheart was surprised that the holy sword could have broken so easily, to which Edea echoed Aaron’s words that only a god could challenge another god, and that Adversary and the Seal Stone were matched in power with Mitra and Azor, which was likely what Darmoor had intended all along. When Cygnus asked what had happened to Seren, Edea explained that Seren had left Cernium in order to fix Azor. She explained that after the Adversary had broken the holy sword, the city was in an uproar, and that it had been a miracle that they had been able to leave without getting hurt.
Neinheart then summarized that they had learned nothing of the Ancient Gods, the alliance with Cernium had failed, and the Adversary had lost the power of the Seal Stone. Edea agreed that it was a disaster, but she explained that there was no way that they could have known that Aaron was Gerand Darmoor. Claudine asked why Darmoor had not only allowed the Adversary and the other Alliance members to escape, but had also restored the library using the power of time.
Athena Pierce supposed that it meant that he didn’t consider the Alliance a threat anymore. Edea added that he was a Transcendent, and that there was no way to know what he was thinking. However, she noted that everything had seemed too well-coordinated for it to have merely been a move against the Alliance or even the Adversary. She also added that even though it may have been an act, she couldn’t help but think that it had something to do with what he had told her when they had first met, which was that he hated the High Flora more than anyone else, despite being born as one.
(A/N: Darmoor and his motivations are probably the biggest question in the Grandis story. His original motivation when Grandis lore was introduced in Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storyline was that he was a proponent of peace and spoke out against the Flora Civil War, eventually becoming insane due to the sheer scale of carnage, after which he awakened as the Transcendent of Life and sought to remake life in order to establish true peace.
In future Grandis stories, we’ve seen a lot of evidence to suggest that, far from wanting the war to end, Darmoor was the one who had incited it to begin with. However, rather than making his original backstory non-canon, the writers have made it a plot point that there are several conflicting stories about Darmoor that don’t add up, which continues to add a level of mystery to what he really wants. I’ve made a running list of every open plot point about the Grandis story here, which I think should be helpful for speculation purposes.
There are a few interesting insights that we get into Darmoor’s character in the Cernium storyline that makes you wonder, just like Edea, how much of Darmoor’s actions as Aaron were actually an act. One of the biggest things that people point to is that Darmoor specifically went out of his way to save Edea’s life.
When Havoc launched his lightning attacks, Darmoor expressed irritation at the fact that the library was burning down because of Havoc’s carelessness. It seemed like he was genuinely annoyed at the fact that the books that he’d painstakingly catalogued for years were being destroyed, but when it came to saving the library by using the oxygen-sucking extinguisher or saving Edea’s life, he chose to let the library burn down when there was seemingly no reason why he’d need to save Edea, even to keep his cover, when he was about to reveal himself and leave anyways.
Another thing is the way that he seems to talk about himself in third-person whenever he’s alluding to himself as Darmoor. When the library burns down, he says that only a god can undo the damage, referring to himself, and similarly, shortly before this, when he tells the Adversary about the real inscription on Azor being “Salvation is in your own hands,” he says something very interesting - that it’s the people who impose blind faith, not the gods.
The context in which he says this is in regard to people waging endless crusades against each other in the name of their gods, even when those gods haven’t said a word about whether it’s something that they even asked for, resulting in meaningless massacres that never end because those people keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again. If we apply that to the war being waged by the High Flora, we could interpret this as Darmoor saying that as a god himself, he never asked for anyone to wage a pointless war just to prove their racial superiority, tying into him hating his own race.
The Sefirot’s Gardener chapter of the Grand Athenaeum gave a lot more insight into his motivations. In that storyline, the garden of Sefirot is used as a metaphor for the world, with Darmoor agreeing that in order to keep the flowers from dying, they need to prune away all the useless parts before they drag down the healthy parts of the garden, which alludes to his belief that unworthy living things need to be pruned away as well.
As far as his criteria for what constitutes a worthy life, the storyline makes it fairly clear that Darmoor believes that most humans are selfish because they drag other people down just to save their own worthless lives. His ideal life form is one which would gladly sacrifice their own life completely, by which I mean that he even considers the spirits of those who died protecting Sefirot in the past to be worthless because the very fact that they inflicted their monstrous spirits upon the living and wouldn’t pass on completely means that they were inherently selfish, as a truly selfless person - if they really did wish to sacrifice their entire being - would never have persisted after they were gone.
Interestingly enough, Darmoor’s belief of what constitutes a truly noble life is the exact antithesis of what the Adversary embodies. Throughout our journey in the Arcane River, the Adversary is completely willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the world, which lines up completely with Darmoor’s ideals. Up to the very moment that Orchid tells us to focus on our desire to sacrifice ourselves for the world, we’re basically everything that Darmoor would have wanted in a perfect being.
However, the moment that Tana helps us come to the realization that our life matters just as much as the people that we’re saving, we fall from Darmoor’s state of perfection and become a flawed being that needs to be purged. And even beyond that, the fact that we’re an embodiment for the world’s greatest desire means that we embody the flawed wishes of flawed people, which is another reason why Darmoor would want to purge all the unworthy lives who would prioritize survival over sacrifice.
The Shangri-La storyline set up a lot of what I believe to be Darmoor’s ultimate goal, which is to physically destroy the Overseers by having them manifest within a vessel. Most of the continental Grandis storyline revolves around restoring the World Heart - the original relic created by the Overseers, which is what the Godspheres and Seal Stones were modeled off.
Similar to how Darmoor manifested Mitra in Seren, who became the true owner of Mitra’s relic, I like to think that Darmoor plans to have the Adversary complete the World Heart and become its true owner so that he can manifest the Overseers in us. The Shangri-La storyline also reveals that Darmoor is looking to create a new Adversary, and my personal theory is that he’s using his Apostles and allies in a similar way as the Black Mage - by using them and discarding them when they’re no longer useful - in order to turn one of his perfect life forms into an Adversary.
I’m strongly convinced that his perfect candidate is Asha, the gardener of Sefirot that he saved, and his ultimate goal is to purge the world of unworthy lives - including the High Flora and his Apostles - and then to have Asha become an Adversary capable of killing the Overseers. Pitting his perfect Adversary against the player would symbolically represent his ideals of a perfect being destroying us, since we’re a flawed being that embodies the wishes of a flawed world. And by killing the Overseers, he’d be free to remake life into a state of perfection, filled with completely selfless beings. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens in the future.
After the NEW AGE update, Cernium was given a set of side quests that take place after the main story. The side quests for Cernium are basically just one singular story, rather than several self-contained questlines. They’re set in Burning Cernium, shortly after the end of the fight against Havoc and the High Flora army.)
After the battle against the High Flora army, the Adversary returned back to Cernium and spoke with Carlisle, who told them that not too long ago, he had infiltrated Ebonstar with his subordinates in order to gather information, and that he had been receiving regular reports from them until recently. As he was worried about what had happened to his subordinate, Carlisle asked the Adversary to find them.
He explained that his subordinate would be in the burning library, disguised as an Ebonstar soldier, but that they would be able to recognize the Adversary. In the library, the Adversary was called over by an Ebonstar soldier, who claimed to be the spy. As they began trying to prove their words, the Adversary told them that they didn’t need proof, as Carlisle was the one who had sent them to find out what had happened to them.
The spy apologized for making Carlisle worry, explaining that they had been gathering information on Ebonstar and had recorded it in a journal, though they had recently lost it. They told the Adversary that they had searched everywhere for it, except for one place that they had steered clear from, as it was said to be haunted. As the ghosts in the library kept chasing them around, they were too afraid to search the area, and so they asked the Adversary to go in their place.
Deeper in the library, the Adversary encountered the ghost of a scholar, who called out to them. The Adversary asked her whether she had seen a notebook lying around, to which she pulled out the spy’s notebook and asked if they were looking for it. However, she realized that they weren’t the owner of the notebook, and when the Adversary told her that the owner had sent them to find it, the ghost decided to test them in order to verify that they were telling the truth.
(A/N: The ghost will ask you what weapon the spy was holding, and you have to choose between a sword, a staff, a bomb, and Dual Bowguns. Although the right answer is a staff, the ghost won’t accept your answer no matter what you pick.)
Declaring that she couldn’t just give them the notebook, the ghost offered to hand it over if they listened to one of her stories, explaining that she was quite bored because no one would listen to her. After the Adversary agreed, the ghost decided to tell them story of how Cernium was founded.
She explained that the topography of the land was quite unique, which people called the “scar of the earth”, as they claimed that the land had been shaped by the sword of a god, which had carved across the land. She told the Adversary that the scar of the earth had been around for a long time, even before Cernium had been founded, and that after the gods had met their end there, many different priests had gathered at the holy land, with the strongest of them being Masra, a worshiper of Mitra the Sun God.
As Masra overpowered the priests of the other religions, those who had worshiped his power had gathered under him. Masra had then built a huge temple by the scar of the earth and had named it Cernium, where he had awaited the return of the Sun God. However, as those who had followed the Sun God and those who had merely flocked towards his power had gathered in the temple, rules had been necessary to govern them. In the resulting great war that followed, Cernium had eventually been established as its own nation.
Masra had then become the first king and High Priest of Cernium, beginning the tradition of members of the royal family carving the pattern of the Sun God upon their foreheads, which reflected their dedication to serving Mitra. The Adversary then recalled that Carlisle had the same pattern on his forehead and realized that it was a mark of him serving the Sun God.
The ghost explained that though it had seemed as though Cernium was smoothly becoming a nation, there had been no good days in the holy city, which had begun having many troubles. With the number of believers who worshiped the Sun God being indescribably large, different sects had begun appearing that had created different practices of worship. The ghost then suddenly quizzed the Adversary in order to ensure that they were still listening. (A/N: She asks you who the founder of Cernium was, and you get to choose between Masra, Carlisle, and yourself.)
After the Adversary proved that they had been paying attention, the ghost continued and explained that after the infighting, the Order of Mitra had become the dominant power in Cernium, and though many had hoped that peace would finally return, external enemies had begun invading the city, which had grown weak from the civil war. Since Cernium was a holy site for many gods, those who had hoped for the return of their respective gods had continued to gather.
In the end, in order to defend the kingdom and run the country, Masra had stepped down as High Priest, appointing a new High Priest in his place, after which he had continued ruling as king. With the separation of religious and state duties, Masra had been able to run Cernium and defend against external threats with ease for a while. However, as the war had continued endlessly, devastating the lives of many people, the citizens had begun turning against Masra and his ineffectual leadership.
The Adversary then recalled how Carlisle’s father had put an end to the fighting once and for all by permitting all other religious orders to coexist peacefully and without resentment in Cernium. The ghost then asked whether they knew what Masra had done in response to the people’s resentment before adding that she didn’t actually know herself, as she had regretfully died before she could read the second volume on Cernium’s founding. She then cursed herself, realizing that instead of asking the Adversary to listen to her story, she could have instead made them find the second volume for her. Nevertheless, she noted that it had been nice to talk to someone and thanked the Adversary for listening to her before giving them the notebook.
The Adversary then brought the notebook to the spy, who thanked them and asked if they had seen any ghosts. The Adversary explained that they had met a ghost who had given them the notebook, causing the spy to realize that the ghost must have been chasing after them in order to return the notebook, rather than to kill them. They then wrote up a report to give to Carlisle and asked the Adversary to deliver it to him, explaining that they were afraid of running into ghosts while walking to the town square.
After promising that they would report from a different, less haunted location next time, the spy handed the report to the Adversary, who brought it to Carlisle. Upon reading through it, Carlisle noted that it contained very interesting information about Ebonstar. He revealed that according to the report, the members of Ebonstar had once been believers of the gods, just like the various sects in Cernium, and that they were said to have desired the return of the gods more than anyone else.
However, after one of those believers had crossed into another world through a gate that had unexpectedly appeared one day, he had returned and had claimed that the gods were all dead, and that a Transcendent would pave the way for a new era. Those who had believed him had eventually formed Ebonstar. Carlisle explained that Ebonstar had merely wanted some godlike being to take care of them and change the world, and that they had no longer cared whether that being was a god or a Transcendent. He revealed that the true mission of Ebonstar wasn’t simply to erase traces of the gods or occupy the holy city, but to help that Transcendent create a new world.
(A/N: It’s extremely likely that Kirston is the founder of Ebonstar, as everything that we know about him fits with the timeline. There were several Interdimensional Portals that opened across Grandis at the end of the Flora Civil War when Darmoor awakened as a Transcendent and stole Chronica’s powers. Shortly after, Darmoor sent Magnus to Maple World, where he became a Commander of the Black Mage, which means that the Flora Civil War ended around the same time that the Black Mage began his war to destroy Ossyria.
Based on his research notes that Destonen found, we know that Kirston was in Maple World before the Black Mage was sealed away, which lines up with him crossing over from Grandis right when the Interdimensional Portals began appearing. This is also around when he began growing curious about the Black Mage and his goals. From what the Ebonstar report says, the person who crossed over to another world was a devout believer in the gods until he came to conclude that the gods were all dead.
We know from Pathfinder’s story that Kirston had been attempting to reproduce the ancient power by experimenting on the relic from Partem. He attempted to turn back time on the relic to the age of the gods, but the barrier of time that Freud had created prevented time from flowing back any further than the moment that the Black Mage’s seal was created, which caused Kirston’s experiment to fail and placed a curse on the relic.
Although we’ve only been told that Kirston did this centuries ago, it would make sense that trying to bring back the ancient power would be the first thing that he attempted to do after crossing to Maple World if he really was a believer of the gods. In the Cygnus Knight storyline, we also end up finding a black book written about the Ancient Gods and their powers, which is something that Kirston could’ve written, since he would know about those powers if he had come from Grandis and been exposed to the different beliefs of the various sects and religions.
Assuming that Kirston failed to reproduce the ancient power and gave up on it, it would follow that he would start to take notice of the Black Mage and his goals soon after. We know from his diary that Kirston became enamored by the Black Mage’s ideals and his desire to create a new world, which is why he became so fixated on ensuring that the Black Mage would be unsealed and finish his plan.
From what we’ve been told about Ebonstar, the follower who went to another world returned back and told everyone that the age of the gods was over, and that a Transcendent would pave the way for a new era. Kirston realizing that the ancient power can’t be reproduced, as well as his fascination with the Black Mage wanting to create a new world, lines up with this - especially about the part where Ebonstar wanted a godlike being to take care of them and change the world.
Since we know that Kirston came back to Grandis in order to found Ebonstar, it means that he must’ve returned to Maple World right afterwards, as the Interdimensional Portal on Maple World disappeared after the Black Mage got sealed away. Since we know that he cursed Destonen after the seal was created, it means that there’s no way that he could’ve gone to Grandis after that point. After that, he only resurfaces in the present day, when he attempts to use the Mirror of the Goddess to summon the Black Mage and accidentally summons Pink Bean instead.
Outside of Kirston, Ebonstar and its goals also seem to line up with the idea that they follow the Black Mage. Beyond the obvious point that they want to help a Transcendent of another dimension create a new world, the name of their organization - Ebonstar - is known as the Black Sun in the original KMS text, and when Cernium first came out, many people originally speculated that Ebonstar was affiliated with the Black Mage, as Tenebris was the Black Sun created through the ritual in Esfera.
I think that the idea of Kirston and Ebonstar being cultists that follow the Black Mage is actually a really cool idea. The Black Wings were originally supposed to be a group of cultists that want to revive the Black Mage, and the oldest storylines that first introduced them suggested that members like Eleanor or Baroq had originally been his followers centuries ago.
That was all retconned in future storylines, and the idea of the Black Wings being mysterious zealots with strange powers was soft retconned into the Black Wings being a militant, authoritarian organization, with its relationship with the Resistance being more like Nazi Germany vs the French resistance. Eleanor and Baroq instead became officers, and the Black Wings themselves were later shown to be Orchid’s project to revive Lotus, removing any direct affiliation with the Black Mage that once existed.
Ebonstar existing as a group of religious fanatics that worship the Black Mage seems to be the writers incorporating the original roots of the Black Wings, which does make me a little annoyed that they seem to be following the trend of “anything that Maple World can do, Grandis can do better”. Although Ebonstar is probably gonna be a link between the Black Mage and Darmoor, I also have to wonder why we haven’t heard anything about Ebonstar until now. The Black Mage having a cult of worshipers appearing out of nowhere gives me the same vibes as Palpatine randomly having an entire fleet of Star Destroyers with Death Star lasers in The Rise of Skywalker that makes no sense with anything shown in the last eight films.)
As Ebonstar was getting bigger and bigger, Carlisle advised the Adversary to inform the Alliance about its threat. The Adversary promised to pass on the report and thanked Carlisle, who told them that he should be the one thanking them for forwarding it and apologized for not having anything in return. The Adversary replied that just passing the report was enough before explaining that they also had an interesting story to share about how they gotten the report.
They then told Carlisle what the ghost had told them about the founding of Cernium, adding that though he might have already known about it as a member of the royal family, it had nevertheless been interesting to hear about as an outsider. Upon seeing Carlisle’s pensive face, the Adversary began wondering whether they had said something wrong.
They asked Carlisle whether something was wrong, to which Carlisle explained that it was nothing, merely a troublesome matter that he had put aside before their story had reminded him about it. He then asked whether he could share some of his concerns and hear their advice on the matter. He explained that Cernium was in chaos, with the holy sword broken and the city burnt down, and so it was inevitable that someone would need to take responsibility for the situation until things could be restored.
He confessed that the people of the city blamed him for what had happened, as he was the one who had brought the Adversary in the first place, though he explained that he didn’t regret the choices that he had made.
(A/N: The people in his city are complete idiots, and I don’t even say this as a Carlisle simp. The High Flora and Ebonstar were weeks away from invading – bringing the Alliance to Cernium was literally what saved the city.)
He explained that he could endure the resentment, and that he would take responsibility and possibly even step down if necessary. However, he believed that for the sake of Cernium’s future, the fundamental problem could only be solved by restoring the holy land through uniting all the different faiths, rather than holding anyone accountable.
Though he noted that his thoughts on the matter hadn’t changed, he admitted that he felt slightly uneasy after seeing the books that Aaron had left behind. The Adversary asked which books they were, and they were surprised to know that they were the same overdue library books that Aaron had asked them to collect, which had led them to realize that Mitra, Spisa, and Nerota were all the same god. They noted to themselves that they deliberately hadn’t told Carlisle about it, as they had been worried about the uproar that such a revelation would have caused.
Carlisle replied that if they had seen the books, then they might have guessed what he himself had come to realize. He explained that he, too, had chosen not to share what he had learned with the public, though after hearing the Adversary talk about the founding of Cernium, his doubts had begun to grow. He told the Adversary that for the longest time, the royal family’s position had been ambiguous, as simply having royal blood didn’t give them the power to wield the holy sword, or to find the Chosen One, or any other useful powers beyond simply being a symbol.
However, he explained that it had all begun to change after his father had taken the throne. With a good head for politics, his father had considered it a loss for the holy land to be continually engulfed in war, and so he had allowed the Orders of Spisa and Nerota to legally establish themselves in Cernium. In the process of ending the war, he had also made the Order of Mitra the official state religion so that the followers of Mitra wouldn’t be dissatisfied by the new arrangement. In this way, he had established the royal family as the neutral backbone of all three Orders.
Carlisle explained that if the truth were to come out that all three denominations followed the same god, there would invariably be another war between the different faiths in order to prove which of their gods was the ‘real’ Sun God, which would completely undermine his father’s efforts to establish peace. Because of this, he asked the Adversary whether he should reveal the truth or keep it from the people.
(A/N: You get the choice between telling Carlisle to tell the truth, or to withhold it.
For the first option, we tell him that he should reveal the truth for the sake of the future. We admit that we’re an outsider, and so we probably don’t know the full scope of what’s going on, but we explain that when we first arrived in Cernium, we didn’t think that it was a very peaceful city, as no one wanted to go to war, but no one wanted to get along with each other, and so people were suffering from dissatisfaction. We add that the mistakes of the past should stay in the past, and that the future is what’s important.
Carlisle agrees with us and notes that in the long run, everyone should know that the roots of the three orders are the same, and that they should come to accept it, even if it takes time. He adds that it’s just as we said, that the mistakes of the past should stay in the past, and that for the sake of the future, all three orders need to unite in order to restore the holy city. He thanks us for our advice and tells us that though he can’t share the truth right away, he’ll make sure that it comes out someday, and that he’ll pay us back for our help.
For the second option, we tell him that we don’t think that now is a good time to share the truth. We admit that we’re an outsider, and so we probably don’t know the full scope of what’s going on, but we explain that when we first arrived in Cernium, we didn’t think that it was a very peaceful city, as no one wanted to go to war, but no one wanted to get along with each other, and so people were suffering from dissatisfaction. We add that if even one more spark is ignited, it might be difficult to move forward, which is why the truth should only be revealed slowly after the city is restored.
Carlisle agrees with us and notes that in the long run, everyone should know that the roots of the three orders are the same, and that they should come to accept it, even if it takes time. He adds that it’s just as we said, that if even one more spark is ignited, it might be difficult to move forward. He notes that they have to focus on restoring the city for now. He thanks us for our advice and tells us that though he can’t share the truth right away, he’ll make sure that it comes out someday, and that he’ll pay us back for our help.)
High Mountain:
(A/N: High Mountain is the first epic dungeon released in the game during the Dreamer update. Aside from the rewards, one of its major advantages is that it provides for lateral story exploration outside of the Adversary storyline, similar to the Grand Athenaeum. The High Mountain epic dungeon lets you play as Mitra the Sun God, complete with a unique set of skills that allows you to defeat many enemies at once.
This storyline is set after the events of Cernium, and it focuses on Seren’s attempts to restore the holy sword Azor. Although it’s not stated when exactly this takes place, we know that Seren has already restored Azor by the end of the Carcion storyline, which means that this storyline is set sometime between Cernium and Carcion. For the sake of keeping the narrative flow, I’m placing this section right after Cernium, especially since Hotel Arcus canonically doesn’t happen until months after the Cernium storyline.
Within the scope of the game, you can begin the High Mountain storyline by speaking with a traveling bard named Selazar, who gives a small backstory about Mitra and High Mountain before the actual in-game story starts. Although I’ve covered those events in one of the earlier sections of this site, I’ll give a brief summary of what happens just for context.
Ages ago, Mitra – the magnanimous Ancient God of the sun - descended from the heavens and led his descendants, the Celestials, against the original owner of High Mountain: Tynos – the Ancient God of disaster and calamity. For many years, Mitra and his descendants fought against Tynos and his descendants, with Mitra eventually emerging victorious. Mitra then split Tynos into three pieces, sealing them with his own power deep beneath High Mountain. Eventually, Mitra fell in the Ancient War, defeated by his Adversary, with his faithful servants building a city upon the three seals of Tynos, awaiting his fated return.)
Soon after the battle of Cernium, Mitra awoke from his ancient slumber after Darmoor had forced him to possess Seren. Disoriented, Mitra began recalling the last thing that he remembered, which was when he had been defeated in battle by one of the ancient Adversaries, whom he disdainfully referred to as “the Overseers’ toys”.
Finding himself in a strange temple, Mitra wondered whether the Celestials had brought him there after the battle. Just then, however, he began thinking about his strange dream, in which he had opened his eyes after a strange man had whispered into a Celestial’s ear, causing him to stand before another stranger, whom Mitra had immediately recognized as an Adversary wielding the power of a Godsphere.
As he thought back to the battle, Mitra soon realized that it hadn’t been a dream, seething in fury that he had he had lost yet again to another one of the Overseers’ toys. Engulfing his body in the flames of the sun, Mitra angrily declared that as the god of gods, he would personally kill the Adversary for their impertinence. He then took off and began rushing towards High Mountain, intending to gather the Celestials for battle.
(A/N: Mitra is like the epitome of Gilgamesh from the Fate series, and I love it. Between Mitra, Seren, and Carlisle, I’m convinced that every single major character from Cernium exudes an aura that makes me simp for them. In case it wasn’t abundantly obvious by now, I just really love the Cernium storyline very much.)
Arriving at his seat of power, Mitra began announcing his return, just as a swarm of Tynos’ descendants began rushing towards him. Mitra was shocked to find that not only had Tynos’ descendants escaped from the seal, but there were also no Celestials to be found in High Mountain. Resolving to investigate the matter, Mitra rushed into battle against Tynos’ descendants, just Seren arrived at High Mountain, intending to find a way to restore Azor.
As Seren began exploring the area, Mitra destroyed his enemies and forced his way into the first chamber where one of Tynos’ pieces had been sealed away. Inside, he found that that first seal appeared to be intact, with no traces of tampering, which made him wonder how Tynos’ descendants could have escaped. Nevertheless, he declared that it didn’t matter how, as he would take back the power which he had used to create the seal and destroy Tynos and his descendants once and for all.
After absorbing the power of the seal, Mitra regained a significant portion of his strength, causing him to note that after taking back the remainder of his power from the other two seals, he would face the Adversary and show them that they had merely gotten lucky in Cernium. Just then, the first piece of Tynos emerged from the seal, which Mitra easily managed to defeat, causing it to disappear in a puff of black smoke.
Just as Mitra began lauding himself for his superior strength, Seren suddenly arrived at the chamber and raised a blade at him, demanding to know whether he was the one responsible for bringing forth the monsters in High Mountain. Mitra immediately recognized Seren as a Celestial, while Seren mistakenly believed Mitra to be an Apostle of Darmoor, angrily asking him what he sought to do in High Mountain after it had already been destroyed on Darmoor’s orders.
Irritated, Mitra floated in the air and unleashed an aura of solar energy to demonstrate his power, declaring himself as the master and god of all Celestials. Mitra then ordered Seren to kneel before him as his servant and explain everything that had happened at High Mountain in his absence, declaring that he would deal with her sin of speaking so profanely to her god later. A shocked Seren realized that it was truly Mitra who stood before her, causing her to stand down. After Seren finished telling her story, she explained that after Darmoor - whom she called ‘Aaron’ - had whispered into her ear, the last thing that she remembered was ‘the great Adversary’ standing before her, with Azor shattered in her hands.
(A/N: Seren actually uses the honorific ‘nim’ while talking about the Adversary, which is the highest form of honorifics in Korean. For the moment, I’m gonna loosely localize what she says as ‘the great Adversary’ until GMS comes out with an official localization.)
Mitra was enraged to hear Seren refer to the Adversary with such respect, to which Seren quickly apologized for her slip of tongue. Mitra then decided to move on and asked Seren why she had returned back to High Mountain when all the Celestials had already fallen, to which Seren explained that she had come to find a way to restore Azor. However, Mitra told Seren that she was wasting her time by returning, as a divine sword like Azor would repair itself on its own in the hands of a qualified Chosen One.
As Seren paused to think on his words, Mitra recalled how she had mentioned that ‘Aaron’ had caused him to wake up in such an angry mood. He noted that there were many arrogant people who had appeared in his absence, though he smirked and noted that it seemed that after defeating Tynos, there were more enemies left to kill besides just the Adversary.
Just then, Seren noticed a fissure in the ground where Tynos’ first piece had been sealed, from which black smoke was emanating. Mitra inspected the fissure and realized that it had been created from a foreign object being injected into the seal. He asked Seren whether anyone aside from the Celestials had come to High Mountain, to which Seren explained that the only non-Celestial to arrive in High Mountain had been Havoc, on the day that their home had fallen. However, she added that she was unsure whether anyone else had come to High Mountain since then.
Seren told Mitra that the descendants of Tynos had escaped through the cracks in the seal, to which Mitra simply declared that it didn’t matter, as he would crush everything in his path. Having understood the full situation, Mitra told Seren to leave, claiming that she would only get in his way. However, Seren refused to go and continued to persistently follow Mitra across High Mountain, much to his irritation.
After some time, Mitra once again told Seren to leave, though Seren declared that after seeing the legend of Tynos confirmed for herself, she couldn’t leave High Mountain without investigating it properly. Mitra retorted that her assistance in dealing with Tynos was completely unnecessary when he was the one who had sealed Tynos away in the first place, though Seren nevertheless replied that it was her duty.
Unable to deter her, Mitra decided to tolerate her presence and allowed her to continue following him. The pair soon reached the downtown district, which Seren explained had once housed a supply base, a temple, and the residential districts where she had grown up. Mitra then asked Seren to confirm that there were no Celestials remaining in High Mountain, and upon hearing the confirmation, he grinned and told her that it was good to hear, as he planned to burn everything to ashes.
Mitra then rushed ahead and unleashed his divine power to smite all the descendants of Tynos in his path before arriving at the entrance to the second seal. Inside, he and Seren discovered the second seal, which Seren immediately noticed showed signs of tampering. However, Mitra declared that her words were ridiculous, as only he had the power to break the seal.
Seren then explained that it seemed less as though the seal had been broken, and more that a foreign substance had been injected into it, allowing the sealed portion of Tynos to leak out and manifest as the smaller monsters throughout High Mountain. At her words, however, Mitra merely laughed and told her to move out of the way. Though Seren warned Mitra that it could be a trap, Mitra arrogantly declared that people who would use cheap tricks such as what they had done to the seal were insignificant, as they were weak in the face of true power.
Mitra then absorbed back his power from the seal, causing it to disappear. He then turned to Seren and told her to take note of his strength, explaining that there was no need to learn about who had tampered with the seal and why, as he had ultimately won in the end by erasing the problem altogether. Just then, the second piece of Tynos emerged from within the seal, which Mitra effortlessly managed to destroy. As he reveled in his victory, Seren quickly noticed that the piece of Tynos, which had vaporized into black smoke, appeared to be moving and gathering somewhere else.
Outside, Seren and Mitra found the black smoke from Tynos’ first two pieces and the countless smaller monsters defeated around High Mountain reforming into Tynos’ complete body. Realizing that Tynos would fully reform if his third piece were destroyed, Seren warned Mitra not to break the final seal. However, Mitra grew angry and demanded to know whether she was trying to say that he would lose to Tynos if he were fully reform.
Seren quickly told him that she was simply saying that Tynos would pose a problem, to which Mitra declared that the only problem was that he had used a soft method like sealing to handle Tynos, and that he would erase Tynos from existence completely this time, so that he could finally go back to focusing on ‘Aaron’ and the Adversary.
Mitra then laughed and asked Seren to tell him who was the strongest, to which Seren begrudgingly told him that he was, for the very reasons that he had just said. However, she asked him whether he was sure that he knew what he was doing, reminding him that the seal had been tampered with for unknown reasons, that there were traces of a foreign substance being injected, and that the descendants of Tynos had overrun High Mountain.
She then added that there were too many unknown variables, and that the Tynos which they now faced was not the same one whom he had faced during the Ancient War, demanding to know whether he planned to unleash an evil Ancient God into the world. Mitra was mildly amused to know that Tynos was considered ‘evil’, laughing that he had simply fought Tynos because he happened to personally dislike him.
He then told Seren to listen to him clearly, explaining that he had no interest in such trivial matters, as the only thing that he was concerned with was demonstrating that he was the most powerful being in the world. Shocked at seeing what Mitra was truly like for the first time, Seren asked Mitra whether he was even a god, to which Mitra simply warned her that he would get rid of her if she were to get in his way.
Furious at his casual callousness, Seren drew the shattered blade of Azor and pointed it at Mitra, who demanded to know what she was doing. Seren replied that she finally understood now that he wasn’t interested in ‘good’, ‘evil’, or even the safety of the world, but nevertheless, she explained that there was one question that she wanted him to answer.
At Mitra’s silence, Seren asked him whether it was true that he was the god of the Celestials, demanding to know whether he even knew how long her comrades had been waiting for his return, whether he knew what it was that they had sacrificed everything to protect after their home had burned down, or even how many of them had fallen while walking down that broken path.
Mitra asked Seren what it was that she was trying to say, to which Seren angrily told him that she couldn’t stand knowing that the god whom they had eagerly been waiting for didn’t care about them at all, as he had only been concerned with himself. At Mitra’s silence, Seren threw down Azor at his feet and declared that he was no longer her god. She then told him that she wouldn’t allow him to break the final seal, nor would she allow such a selfish god like him to threaten her world, vowing that she would defeat Tynos before he could fully reform.
As Seren stormed off towards Tynos, Mitra paused to think on her words. After a moment, he smiled and noted that Seren was quite interesting to disavow her own god. Realizing that she wouldn’t be able to handle Tynos alone, Mitra decided to go after her and fought through waves of Tynos’ descendants before arriving at the final seal, where he found Seren surrounded by an onslaught of monsters, struggling to fight them off alone.
Mitra immediately charged in and used his divine power to decimate the area before approaching Seren, who drew her blade and pointed it at him, warning him not to step any closer to the seal. Mitra asked Seren whether she truly believed that she could stop him, to which Seren admitted that she wouldn’t even come close.
Mitra then began laughing boisterously, noting the irony that the last Celestial left was a traitor to her own god. He then threw down Azor back at Seren’s feet, to which Seren immediately told him that she didn’t deserve to have it after disavowing him. At her reluctance, Mitra asked Seren why she had disavowed him, and whether it was because he hadn’t come personally to save her when the Celestials had fallen. However, Seren explained that she wasn’t seeking his salvation, adding that it was because she could no longer follow his will. This caused Mitra to laugh even harder before asking her to explain why she went against the will of her own god.
After a pause, Seren explained that it had been a long time since the Ancient Gods had been defeated by their Adversaries in Cernium, with the order of the world being reestablished, and the Celestials awaiting the second coming of Mitra for ages. She then admitted that they may have found the meaning of their existence there without even knowing why they had been waiting. She explained that even in the moment when her compatriots had fled High Mountain, they had still valued Azor over their own lives. Meanwhile, the priests of Cernium had waged war endlessly against each other with their different names for Mitra.
Seren noted that they had all lost so much in the name of their god, and even while fighting for their god - though in the end, what had finally helped her rise up from her hopelessness after losing faith in Mitra had been the Adversary, who had told her that they themselves had only been able to rise up from their own hopelessness while facing the Black Mage’s predetermined fate because of Tana, who had reminded them that the world wanted them to live, and that they needed to choose to live as well.
Seren explained that because of them, she had been reminded that she also needed to choose to live by believing in herself, which was when she had vowed that she would no longer live a life tied to a god who would never answer her prayers. She noted that no matter which order controlled the world, people struggled to survive every day, and that she had no choice but to side with them as long as they existed, even if it meant that she would need to against her own god.
Mitra laughed in amusement and begrudging respect at Seren’s words, noting that her words were quite heretical. Suddenly, Azor began to glow in response to Seren, who was shocked at seeing it light up. Mitra explained that Azor was a holy relic which had been created by him, and that it seemed as though she had the qualifications to be his Chosen One.
As Seren picked up Azor, she asked Mitra how she could still be qualified after disavowing him, to which Mitra told her that it was because she, the Chosen One of the Sun God, had saved herself with her own hands, rather than begging pointlessly to some higher power for salvation. He then told Seren to grasp it, for salvation was in her own hands.
(A/N: The KMS inscription on Azor says “Grasp it, for salvation is in your own hands”, while the GMS inscription just says “Salvation is in your own hands”. Mitra quoting the inscription to Seren is meant to have several meanings, some of which don’t quite get their proper impact with the GMS version.
On one level, Mitra is giving Seren reassurance by delivering the holy words which had saved her in Cernium, straight from the mouth of God himself, just as he did ages ago when Azor was first created and inscribed, and now again when Azor is being reforged. On another level, Mitra is telling her to keep her grasp on her beliefs, even if it means that she’s going against him, because her own conviction is all that she needs. And on a literal level, he’s telling her to grasp Azor because it’s literally the weapon that will save her from the enemies closing in around them.)
Suddenly, however, Tynos’ incomplete form devoured Seren before using his power to shatter the seal on his final piece. Furious, Mitra prepared himself to face Tynos, with the power of all three seals returned back to him. Declaring that he would put an end to their conflict once and for all, Mitra destroyed Tynos’ third piece, which turned into smoke and merged together with the rest of him into his complete form. Mitra then began fighting against Tynos’ true form in order to force him to regurgitate Seren.
Meanwhile, Seren awoke inside Tynos’ stomach – a dark, starlit void – where she found that she could barely move at all, with her body all but paralyzed. Just as she began wondering whether she was dead, a memory of Roland appeared inside the void, speaking aloud the same words which he had told her when they had met at the graveyard of swords in Cernium.
The memory of Roland replayed his words about the fall of High Mountain and its people in flames as bolts of lightning had fallen from the sky, reminding Seren of how the sun hadn’t dared to show its face that day. As the memory of Roland faded away, Seren recalled how her comrades had died without meaning.
The memory of Roland then appeared again, repeating his words about how he was sick of holy swords and gods, demanding to know why so many people had to lose their lives over a useless hunk of metal. As Seren began losing the strength to go on, the memory of Roland spoke aloud once more, repeating how he had wandered aimlessly after losing his family, friends, and comrades, until he had remembered the inscription upon the sword: “Alvationsay inway Andhay”.
Mistranslating it as “Salvation is in Cernium”, the memory of Roland echoing the words that he had once spoken to Seren, asking her whether she had found her salvation in Cernium after so many years. Thinking on Roland’s words, a struggling Seren attempted to retain consciousness, wondering what salvation was supposed to mean to her.
Just then, a memory of Carlisle played in her mind, from the time when she had given up hope after Roland – whom she had mistakenly believed to be the Chosen One – had sacrificed himself. She recalled how Carlisle had told her that though the time of the prophecy wasn’t at hand, they nevertheless owed it to the future to keep fighting. As Seren struggled to keep her eyes open, a memory of the Adversary appeared, echoing the words which had saved her in Cernium, about how Tana had saved them by reminding them that they needed to live, and how she needed to believe in herself to live as well.
Drawing strength from the people in her life, Seren continued fighting to live, declaring that she would grasp salvation with her own hands. Through her fierce determination, Azor recognized Seren as the Chosen One of Mitra and restored itself, invigorating her with the divine power of the Sun God. With the holy power of Azor, Seren broke through Tynos’ stomach and spread her wings before escaping to Mitra’s side.
Mitra was impressed at Seren managing to escape on her own, though he then laughed and jokingly told her not to damage Tynos any further, as Tynos was his to kill. Nevertheless, he decided to give Seren the chance to fight at his side, and so both he and Seren charged together to face Tynos, effortlessly defeating him in a matter of moments.
After the battle, Mitra laughed at his own prowess and asked Seren whether she would still deny her god after seeing his strength, adding that he still didn’t like the idea of a traitor being the heir to the holy sword. However, he admitted that he was still impressed at how she had been able to break free from Tynos’ stomach through her own strength.
Seren then noted that with the Ancient Gods slowly beginning to reawaken, Grandis would fall into complete chaos, just as it had been in High Mountain with Tynos’ return. She added that just as expected, there appeared to be someone who was taking advantage of the Ancient Gods’ return. Mitra noted that it seemed as though many things had happened while he had been sealed away, and that it was time for everyone to know who the strongest god was.
He then told Seren that he would allow her, as his Chosen One, to remain and fight by his side, explaining that they would first seek out and destroy the Adversary together, sharing the glory of their victory. After a pause, however, Seren told Mitra that she couldn’t stay with him, as she had her own path to find, much to his surprise.
She explained that she no longer wished to be tied down by things such as gods, duty, or prophecy, as she wished to grasp a new destiny for herself with her own hands, and thereby find her own salvation. Mitra smiled amusedly at Seren’s determination to find her own path, even if it led her to go against him, to which he then declared that all her enemies would also be his enemies, vowing that she was now under the protection of the Sun God himself.
Just then, however, a defeated Tynos began to rumble violently as his form began fusing together with High Mountain itself. A shocked Seren and Mitra quickly noticed that Tynos was beginning to spread himself throughout Grandis, to which Mitra noted that Tynos had never possessed such an ability in the past. He then noticed a strange crystal upon Tynos’ face, which Seren realized was likely the mark of the one who had injected the foreign substance into the seals.
She then noted that that only one who had the power to manipulate the Ancient Gods’ power to such an extent was Gerand Darmoor himself, adding that it seemed as though Darmoor’s power kept getting stronger and stronger. Just as Seren prepared to charge at Tynos, Mitra stopped her and warned her to stay behind, declaring that their fight was now the domain of the gods themselves.
Though Seren refused, claiming that she couldn’t allow Tynos to threaten all of Grandis, Mitra shook his head at her stubbornness and explained that he would face Tynos himself, and that he would face him alone so that he could unleash the full extent of his power without having to hold himself back to keep her from harm. Against Seren’s protests, Mitra rushed in alone to confront a powered-up Tynos, vowing that they would finish their conflict once and for all, with the loser disappearing from the world altogether.
In the sheer ferocity of the battle between the two gods, Seren passed out from its intensity, awakening soon after to the sight of both gods vanished, with Tynos and High Mountain completely obliterated, and Mitra nowhere in sight. Shocked at the sight of her old home destroyed beyond repair, Seren realized that the complete destruction of High Mountain was also the destruction of the last trace which connected her to the pain of losing her fellow Celestials.
After a pause, Seren realized that she had finally broken the final chains that anchored her to her past trauma, and that she was truly free at last to carve out her own path without being anchored down to sorrow. Choosing a new destiny for herself, Seren vowed that with her newfound freedom, she would find Darmoor – the one responsible for destroying her people and home – and make him pay. She declared that it didn’t matter what Darmoor was, or how many Apostles he had, as she would do whatever it would take to bring him to justice, adding that it was her new destiny and salvation.
(A/N: Although it’s certain that Tynos is dead, it’s left unclear what happened to Mitra. Given that Azor still works, Mitra has to be alive somewhere. And given that he hasn’t hunted down the Adversary yet, it’s likely that he’s been incapacitated in some way. The fact that Darmoor used some sort of crystal on Tynos probably means that he was anticipating Mitra’s return, and given Mitra’s uncommon strength as the self-proclaimed “god of gods”, it could be the case that the whole thing was a trap, just like Seren said, to seal Mitra away or take his full power after Mitra regains the remainder of his strength from the seals, likely inside a draining crystal that he and his Apostles are using to seize the power of the gods.)
Hotel Arcus:
(A/N: Without the Seal Stone, we’re technically not the Adversary anymore. However, for the sake of consistency, I’ll continue referring to us as the Adversary, especially since we’re on track to regain our power in future storylines. Hotel Arcus was originally level 270 content, but the NEW AGE update changed it to be level 265 content instead.)
A few months after the events of Cernium, Neinheart reached out to the Adversary and told them that the Alliance had unearthed some new information about the Ancient Gods. He explained that a strange intruder had infiltrated Ereve a few nights ago. As the Chief Knights had chased after them, Neinheart had found a set of rabbit-like footprints leading in the opposite direction. He had then run into Cosim, the intruder, who had told Neinheart that some of the answers that the Alliance sought about the Ancient Gods could be found amidst the deserts of Grandis, after which he disappeared.
(A/N: We’re first introduced to Cosim during the Detective Rave’s Case Notes theme dungeon, in which he appears wearing a cosmic helmet filled with starry shapes and help us save Savage Terminal from Senya Angler. At the end of the story, Cosim decides to visit the ‘oldsters’ up top, a reference to the realm of the sages, as he’s disturbed by the return of the Angler Company and the Apostles of Gerand Darmoor making their move.)
As the Chief Knights returned, Cosim had overlooked them on a cliff, watching them speak with Neinheart. Cosim had then taken off his helmet, revealing his masked face, and spoke aloud that the Alliance should hurry, as their quarry was the slowest of all, but faster than the hare.
(A/N: Cosim’s name outside GMS is Lepus, which is the Latin word for ‘hare’. I have absolutely no idea why they changed this, as it’s meant to tie into his rabbit aesthetic, such as his bunny-ear headband and his rabbit-like footprints. In KMS, Cosim instead says that their quarry is the slowest of all, but faster than him.
Their quarry is Archelon, an Ancient God in the shape of an enormous turtle. Cosim’s line about their quarry being faster than the hare is very obviously a reference to the short story, “The Tortoise and the Hare”. Archelon’s name is derived from the genus of the extinct marine turtle ‘Archelon’, which is the largest turtle species to have ever been recorded in history.)
A few days later, Neinheart led Belle and the Adversary to a decrepit train station somewhere in the deserts of Grandis, explaining what had happened with Cosim along the way. Neinheart told the Adversary that he had no notion of what exactly they were intended to discover, adding that he highly doubted that such a decrepit desert train station was even still in operation.
Just then, the Adversary noticed a sign that pointed to Hotel Arcus. After considering it, Neinheart decided that they should investigate the hotel, as they had a responsibility to investigate any lead, no matter how unpromising.
(A/N: Wild Hunters get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they ask Belle why her jaguar, Black Jack, didn’t come with her. Belle explains that Black Jack had told her that jaguars are vulnerable in the sand. However, she then notices that our jaguar seems to be fine. The implication here is that Black Jack probably lied to Belle to get out of having to go to the sweltering desert.)
They soon arrived at the hotel, where they found a robot who introduced himself as Captain Archelon. As he poured them a drink, Irena revealed that she had already arrived at the hotel and told them that they were late.
(A/N: Just like how the Glory Guard in Cernium was composed of the two pirate instructors, Hawkeye and Checky, our mission to Hotel Arcus has the two bowmen instructors, Irena and Belle, to serve as our Glory Guard companions.
Wind Archers get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they express their surprise to see Irena. Irena greets us and notes that it’s our first time being dispatched on a mission together. The Ignition revamp for Cygnus Knight storyline retroactively creates a minor continuity error with this line, as Wind Archers travel with Irena to the Gate to the Future in their 4th job advancement, which would make this trip to Hotel Arcus their second mission together.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Archelon recognizes Lara’s bell and notes that he’s seen it before, long ago. Lara is surprised and asks him whether he remembers when he last saw the bell. Archelon hits an error while attempting to access his memory circuits, to which Lara laughs and tells him that her grandfather would forget things all the time too.)
Archelon then offered to make them fried eggs and activated a Cookbot, which loudly proclaimed that it was engaging its egg preparation protocol and launched a fried egg on Belle’s face. Just then, a boy named Rusty appeared after hearing the noise and introduced himself as the hotel manager and mechanic, asking what had brought them all the way out to the desert. Neinheart explained that they were investigating traces of an Ancient God, but Rusty told him that he hadn’t heard about anything like that before.
Realizing that Cosim’s tip was likely a dead end, Neinheart decided to find the nearest Alliance base to get a transport back. However, Rusty warned that a sandstorm was coming and recommended that they stay indoors. Deciding that it would be best for them to rest, Neinheart booked four rooms for himself and the others.
The next day, the Adversary and the others found a note from Neinheart, which explained that he was heading back to the Outpost, as their fastest airship only had room for one, and that he was entrusting them with finding information on the Ancient Gods. Furious at Neinheart’s treachery, Belle punched a wall and created a massive crack. Hearing the noise and fearing that the marauders had returned, Rusty rushed over and yelled at the Glory Guard for trashing his hotel, demanding that they pay for the damage.
Belle tried explained that they didn’t have the funds to pay him, as their nations were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after the war against the Black Mage, and asked if he could let it slide, promising that she would leave immediately to have Neinheart repay him. Irena reminded her that they needed to investigate the Ancient Gods, but Belle snapped and asked what Ancient God would want to live in such a wasteland.
Rusty agreed and told them that if an Ancient God were out in the desert, then he would have known about it, as he had spent his whole life in the hotel. In order to repay him, Rusty made the Glory Guard peel potatoes. Belle fumed that she was stuck doing chores while on a mission, but the Adversary reminded her that Rusty had threatened to tell everyone that the Alliance would rather run away than pay their debts.
Furious, Belle decided that she was going to head back to the Alliance, but in the lobby, she ran into Senya Angler wearing a cowboy outfit and followed by three Senyabots.
(A/N: If the player has completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes, the Adversary will immediately recognize Senya, who greets us and notes that it’s been a while before asking whether we’ve missed her. Otherwise, both the player and Irena will say that they recognize Senya from the Alliance reports.)
Though Irena and the Adversary immediately recognized Senya, a clueless Belle asked who she was. After being reminded by Irena about the Alliance reports, Belle recognized both Senya and the Angler Company. Senya laughed that she hadn’t realized that the Company’s reputation had made it all the way across the forgotten sea to Maple World.
Rusty then arrived after hearing the commotion and Senya introduced herself to him, explaining that she had come to buy the hotel. However, Belle called her bluff and told Rusty that Senya was from the Angler Company, which was still rumored to be active, despite having been wiped out in a massive explosion several years ago. From the Alliance reports, Belle read that Senya had recently been sighted in Savage Terminal, where she had been believed to be conducting acquisitions on the Company’s behalf, with T-Boy being one of her known associates.
Belle also read that Senya was currently regarded as missing and flagged report-on-sight, causing her to note that the Alliance considered her to be important. The Adversary then pointed out that Senya likely had some ulterior motive behind buying a run-down hotel in the middle of the desert and suspected that her plan had something to do with the Ancient Gods.
(A/N: Kain gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that he’ll need to keep searching for the Ancient Gods if he ever hopes to control the unstable power inside of him.)
Both Irena and Belle agreed that they needed to stop Senya from buying the hotel. They then spoke to Rusty and explained who Senya was, adding that he shouldn’t sell her the hotel. However, Rusty told them that he would be crazy not to take her offer, as she was offering quite a lot of money, whereas they couldn’t even pay for the damage that they had done to the hotel.
Irena asked Rusty why he hadn’t immediately taken the deal, to which he explained that he wasn’t sure why she would be offering so much money for a run-down hotel. Because of that, he was planning to sleep on the offer for a few days, and so Irena suggested to the others that they look for clues on the Ancient Gods in the meantime.
Rusty then explained that he had an old treasure map which might be useful to them, though he couldn’t remember where he had gotten it. He told them that the map also had something written on it, which Archelon helpfully supplied was, “It is the slowest of all, but the first to arrive.”
(A/N: The treasure map shows the outline of a giant turtle that encompasses the Arcus desert, which is a reference to Archelon’s true body buried beneath the sands.)
However, Rusty told them that he had lost the treasure map long ago, likely to the outlaws who frequently raided the hotel pantry when they ran out of food. As the trio headed into the desert, they discovered that a robot named Toogi was following them. Just then, the leader of the Ironshots appeared and warned that they were on Ironshot turf. Toogi then voiced that they were hotel guests, causing the Ironshot leader to back off, as the Ironshots weren’t permitted to touch hotel guests.
Belle asked him whether the Ironshots had ever stolen a treasure map, which he confirmed. He offered to give the map in exchange for them fighting off the Sandblade Marauders so that the Ironshots could expand into their territory. After fighting off the Marauders, the Adversary returned to the Ironshot boss, who told them that the Puxillians had seized much of the Ironshots’ territory, where the map had been left behind. As they moved to go find it, the boss realized that there must be a great treasure where the map led to and began to get aggressive.
The Ironshot gangsters then started to attack them, causing the Glory Guard to retreat. However, they soon realized that they had left Toogi behind. Belle wanted to go back for him, but Irena told her that it would be dangerous and claimed that broken machines could be replaced. Belle argued that no two robots were the same and rushed back in to save Toogi.
Belle was able to save Toogi and bring it back, but she found that Toogi had been damaged. Irena asked Belle why she had risked her life to save a robot, to which Belle replied that Toogi had only been in danger because of them. They then brought Toogi to Rusty and asked if he could repair the robot. Rusty told them that his robots were more complex than a typical machine, and that they were just as difficult to repair. Belle explained that she was an expert with machines, which she worked with every day for the Resistance.
However, Rusty told her that he had been building robots for his entire life, and that there was no way that she could fix something that was difficult for even him. Belle was annoyed at his words and attempted to argue, though Irena quickly shut her down. Rusty then told her that they would be able to find the part that they needed at the old drive-in theater in Puxillian territory.
The Adversary was surprised that there was a theater in the middle of the desert, to which Archelon explained that Rusty used to go to the theater all the time until Kelly, the other mechanic who had worked on the trains, had left the city. Irena suggested that Belle rest and recover from her injuries while she and the Adversary went. They then asked Rusty where Senya was, to which he explained that she had gone for a walk.
Suspecting that Senya was searching for something, Belle noted that they had an edge over her, as they knew where the treasure map was. She then asked the Adversary to look for the part that she needed to fix Toogi while they were searching for the map at the drive-in theater, vowing that she would fix Toogi on her honor as a member of the Resistance. (A/N: Resistance classes and Xenon get some exclusive dialogue here, in which they promise that they’ll help her fix Toogi too.)
As they headed into Puxillian territory, Irena told the Adversary that she felt bad that someone as young as Rusty was managing a hotel that no one ever came to.
(A/N: When we arrive at the theater, Irena asks us if we’ve ever been somewhere like this before. We can either say “once or twice”, to which she’ll say that she never pegged us for the social type, adding that it’s a first for her, or we can say “never”, to which she’ll say that she hasn’t been somewhere like this either.
The drive-in theater is actually playing an M-Force movie based on the events of the Omega Sector theme dungeon. In the Omega Sector storyline, Hoony is the Blue M-Forcer and a professional actor, and at the end of the storyline, he decides that he’s going to make a film based on their latest adventure. The Hotel Arcus storyline confirms that he did end up making that movie.
I thought that it was a bit strange that Maple World movies are playing in Grandis, especially since we later see that the same movie has been playing ever since Rusty was a little kid. I guess that it makes sense when you consider that the Interdimensional Portal has been around for quite a few years now, meaning that it’s entirely possible that Grandis might’ve adopted some of Maple World’s culture, just like how Maple World seems to have adopted Grandis’ hologram technology.
The Omega Sector storyline also revealed that Joey, the Green M-Forcer, markets the M-Forcers and even sells merchandise of them in order to fund the Omega Sector headquarters. Since we’ve seen in the theme dungeon that the aliens of Omega Sector buy their merchandise, it’s entirely possible that Joey also capitalized on the appearance of the Interdimensional Portal to expand his business to Grandis, which would explain why the M-Forcers are famous enough on Grandis that their movies are playing in a drive-in theater in the middle of nowhere.)
At the drive-in theater, they found that the Puxillians were actually primitive lizard creatures. With no way to communicate with them, the Adversary decided to fight off the Puxillians while Irena looked for the map. Their search took them deeper into Puxillian territory, where they found that the creatures had fashioned apparel from broken-down cars.
The Adversary realized that if the Puxillians could do something like that, then they were likely intelligent enough to communicate. They then sheepishly asked a Puxillian about the map, but the Puxillian pointedly ignored them for having attacked them. The Adversary then began fighting the Puxillians again when the Senyabots suddenly appeared to fight the monsters as well. The Senyabots explained to the confused pair that they were programmed to protect Senya’s friends from danger.
Using the robots’ arrival as an opportunity, Irena decided to search the Puxillians’ dens for the treasure map. The pair then found the map inside one of the abandoned cars that the Puxillians were using for their dens and opened it up. Irena found it strange that the map depicted an island when their surroundings were merely vast desert. They discovered that the treasure was located north in some area that was drawn on the map as a snake-like twisting shape.
Irena decided that they needed to speak with Rusty and headed back alone, even as the Adversary reminded her about the part that Belle had asked them to find. Just then, Senya arrived and greeted the Adversary, explaining that she had come to the Puxillian territory because she had heard that there were lots of broken machines in the area.
Senya told the Adversary that machines weren’t like people, as machines lost their value and were thrown away when they broke down. As people didn’t cherish their memories of all that the machines had done for them while they had still worked, Senya felt that she ought to pay her respects in their place.
(A/N: Senya’s words here give quite a lot of insight into how depressing her life actually is. As a cyborg, Senya is part machine and part organic, but despite looking and acting human, she doesn’t consider herself to be a real person. Her perception of herself as a machine stems from how her father views her as a tool first and a daughter as a formality.
The fact that she’s well-aware that she’s not loved by her father probably furthers the way that she dehumanizes herself. Echoing her father’s mentality that machines are discarded when they don’t work, she probably spends a lot of her time in fear that she’ll be his next victim and forces herself into perfectionism.
Although her paying respects to machines that break down is probably just a reflection of the empathy that she’s forced to suppress, part of me also can’t help wondering whether she’s saying this after having seen her father destroy one of her siblings if they happened to have failed a mission, in which case she might also indirectly be paying respect to those siblings. Something like this actually happens not too far in the future, which does end up shaking Senya considerably.)
Senya then offered to help the Adversary find the part for Toogi, and the Adversary began fighting the Puxillians again until she told them that she had already found it. Before she handed it over, however, she asked why they were trying to fix a robot. (A/N: You can either say that you think machines are important too, or that you feel guilty just leaving it in that state.) Senya then told them that she had figured out why Rusty hadn’t sold the hotel.
The Adversary suggested that it was because he didn’t know what she planned to do with it, to which Senya merely laughed and told them that her reasons were for her to know. The Adversary then decided to head back, but Senya told them that she would stay for a while, as it had been a long time since she had watched a movie.
The Adversary asked Senya what she was going to do with the hotel if she took ownership of it, to which Senya replied that she would use it to make the world a more beautiful place. She explained that it wasn’t so much about the hotel in its current state as it was what she could do with it, though she added that she wouldn’t elaborate until after she bought it.
The Adversary then returned to the hotel, where Archelon poured them a drink after noting that they seemed bored and alone. The Adversary asked him what kind of robot he was, to which Archelon merely replied that he was the captain. He then asked them how he could improve his services, as well as instructions on how to manufacture ‘love’ so that he could ‘brew with love’.
The Adversary attempted to explain that it wasn’t possible to manufacture love and elaborated that being able to give up something that was core to one’s identity was love. They then asked Archelon why Rusty hadn’t sold the hotel yet. Archelon told them that Rusty complained about wanting to leave the hotel five times a day, though he never followed through.
Just then, Rusty himself appeared and told the Adversary that Irena and Belle were in the garage. He then asked the Adversary if the people of the Alliance were Seekers, explaining that the guests who used to stay at the hotel long ago had called themselves Seekers - adventurers on the hunt for ancient artifacts.
(A/N: Pathfinder gets some exclusive dialogue here, which appears to have been changed over patches. The KMS video that I found has her note to herself that Hotel Arcus must be the place where adventurers like herself, who were fascinated by ancient relics, had once stayed. However, the GMS dialogue has her say two different lines back-to-back. In the first one, she wonders whether the artifact that the Seekers were looking for is the same thing that the treasure map leads to. In the second one, she wonders whether they were searching for artifacts like her relic.)
The Adversary then changed the subject and asked if he was planning to sell the hotel to Senya. Rusty replied by asking if they would want to run a hotel with no guests, though the Adversary noted that he didn’t seem like he meant it.
As the Adversary headed to the garage, Rusty told them to tell Belle that no one but he could fix Toogi. At the garage, Belle expressed her relief that they had finally returned. Irena apologized to Belle that she hadn’t been much help, to which Belle replied that it was concerning that she couldn’t even tell a crosshead screwdriver from a flathead. Irena retorted that though that might be common knowledge in a group obsessed with machines like the Resistance, it wasn’t something that the Cygnus Knights concerned themselves with.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get some exclusive dialogue here, in which Irena asks us to agree with her. We respond by telling her not to bring us into it.)
The Adversary then gave the part to Belle, who was unable to determine how to even begin installing it. She explained that she had never seen a robot like Toogi before, explaining that its internal structure was incomprehensible. She added that she had checked the structure of the other robots as well, all of which were similarly complex. Because of this, she suspected that the robots were all artifacts of an Ancient God, though she added that it was merely a hypothesis.
(A/N: Mechanics get some exclusive dialogue here, in which Belle asks them whether they have any thoughts, as she figures that they’d know more about machines than her. They reply by saying that though they’re pretty competent with machines, Toogi’s design is different than anything that they’ve ever worked on.)
As she attempted to remove the damaged parts, she accidentally triggered a recording of young Rusty fixing Toogi long ago. (A/N: “Help me Archelon Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”) Though Toogi had no special features, Rusty had decided to make it a tour guide for hotel guests. The robot, mixing the words ‘tour’ and ‘guide’ had given itself the name Toogi.
Another recording then started, with a Rusty closer to his present age telling Toogi that he doubted that Kelly would stay for much longer, and that there would be no one left to look after the robots on the train once she left. Archelon had then told Rusty that it had been one month since the larger Rusty had disappeared and asked when he would return. Rusty had told Archelon that there was no coming back from where his father had gone. The Adversary realized that Rusty’s father had passed away, and that the remaining residents had abandoned the town.
Irena then realized that they had stumbled onto an important clue by learning about the train. She realized that the snake-shaped object in the treasure map was actually a set of train tracks. Rusty then arrived and was impressed to see that Belle had actually managed to fix Toogi, although he was less impressed when Toogi fell apart again.
He then told them that he finally understood what Kelly had said before she left – that there was a time for everything, including the robots, the hotel, and even herself. Though he could try to fix it and keep it going, everything eventually ended. Refusing to waste the rest of her life keeping the old robots working, Kelly had decided to leave. Rusty told them that he and Kelly had been romantically involved, but they had parted ways in the end. However, Archelon pointed out that Kelly would frequently mention that she and Rusty were just friends. (A/N: Can we get an F in the chat for my boy.)
Rusty shushed Archelon and told them that it seemed as though it was finally Toogi’s time. After everyone returned indoors, Senya arrived and decided to take a look at Toogi herself. Meanwhile, the Adversary asked Rusty if he knew about the train station, as it was likely where the treasure was. As they weren’t merely kids playing make-believe, Rusty decided to believe that their treasure hunt wasn’t just a fantasy and chose to tag along with them.
At the train station, Belle was irritated to know that the train never stopped and wondered how they would board it. To their surprise, they found Senya hanging onto the side of the train. She extended her hand for them to grab and helped them climb to the top of the train, where they asked Senya why she was helping them. Senya replied that she just wanted to be part of the team, though no one except Rusty believed her.
They then realized that they needed to get to the locomotive, just as the Conductorbots and Houndbots detected unauthorized passengers. Rusty explained that he had assumed that the robots on the train would have broken down without Kelly to maintain them, but they had merely gotten out of control. Suddenly, the Ironshot gang appeared and claimed that they had come for the treasure, while the Puxillians appeared and spoke unintelligibly, though Irena surmised that they had come for revenge.
The Senyabots then appeared and began attacking the Ironshots and Puxillians, and Senya told them to keep going while she handled the enemies. However, Belle begrudgingly remained with Senya, claiming that it wasn’t in her nature to leave an ally behind. While Belle and Senya handled the enemies up top, the Adversary, Irena, and Rusty arrived at the locomotive to search for the treasure.
Rusty told them that according to the movies that he had seen, hidden treasure was always in a secret compartment, and so he figured that it would be the result of pulling one of the three levers in front of them. After the Adversary pulled one of the levers, a secret compartment opened, just as Belle and Senya arrived. Inside the compartment, the Adversary pulled out a bomb, which immediately activated.
(A/N: The shape of the bomb looks somewhat similar to Lara’s bell, although there are still a few notable differences between them. It’s possible that their similar design could just be a coincidence, but the fact that Archelon recognizes Lara’s bell, and the fact that an important part of Archelon is contained inside the bomb makes me wonder whether there’s some relationship between the two after all.)
Meanwhile, the Ironshot boss and the Sandblade Marauders’ Overlord, who had also arrived, decided to team up and split the treasure, just as the haywire train robots chased after them. Suddenly, Archelon appeared out of nowhere and explained that he had arrived to retrieve Rusty. As he struggled to activate his combat mode, the Ironshot boss attacked Archelon and broke him. With the bomb about to detonate at any moment, Rusty grabbed it from the Adversary’s hand and threw it at the gangs. The Adversary grabbed Archelon and they all jumped off the train before returning to the hotel.
Senya began to work on fixing Archelon, though Rusty feared that it was his time, just like Toogi. To his surprise, Senya appeared and presented a perfectly repaired Archelon and Toogi, with both their quirks fixed as well, explaining that she had used the advanced technology of the Angler Company to fix them.
Grateful to Senya, Rusty decided to sell the hotel to her and told Archelon that Senya would be his new owner. The Glory Guard then watched the ownership transfer, dejected that they hadn’t able to stop the sale in the end. Belle was particularly upset, as there was no way that they could have done anything without making themselves look like the villains. Rusty apologized to them, though he told them that he had no reason to stay anymore.
An upset Rusty then took one last look at the hotel before he decided to head out to the drive-in theater. There, he found a Houndbot who had come all the way from the train. The Houndbot then dropped the bomb fragment into his hands, inside which he found a rusty screw. He asked the Houndbot if it wanted to play gunslinger like he used to in the old days, but he then told it that he wasn’t the captain anymore.
His words then took him back to a memory of his younger self watching the M-Force movie with Archelon, where he had struggled to define what ‘captain’ meant after Archelon had asked him. Just then, a stranger had appeared and had told Archelon that a captain was ‘a defender of justice who protected people’. The stranger had then introduced themselves as an old friend of Archelon.
They had told Rusty that Archelon used to be impressive in the old days and had explained that they had returned because they had believed that it was time, though they had realized that they would need to wait a little longer. They had then presented the treasure map to Rusty and had explained that there was nothing more precious in the world to Archelon, whom they had called their ‘screw-loose friend’. With that, the stranger had disappeared.
(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for the Dimensional Visitor storyline. If you don’t want spoiler, skip to the end of the author note.
The Dimensional Visitor storyline reveals that Archelon’s friend is an Ancient God named Gob, a small toad-like being who’s proficient in technology. It’s revealed that Gob created a pocket dimension at the start of the Ancient War, allowing him to hide from the Adversaries who had been created to defeat the gods. We also learn that Gob left his pocket dimension for the first time after the war in order to return Archelon’s screw to him, and that he was attacked by Darmoor shortly after, with Darmoor stealing most of his power and forcing him to hide away again.)
As Rusty recalled the term that the stranger had used to describe Archelon, ‘screw-loose’, the Ironshot boss came to take the treasure from Rusty when an augmented Toogi arrived and transformed into a Senyabot before quickly defeating both the Ironshot boss and the Houndbot. Shocked at what Senya had done to Toogi, Rusty feared that she had done the same to Archelon.
He began to rush over to the hotel, where Belle was demanding answers from Senya, asking why she had spent so much money buying the hotel when there were no clues about the Ancient Gods that any of them had uncovered. Senya told them that she didn’t know any more than they did, though that was about to change. She revealed that she had made some adjustments to Archelon after taking ownership of him, explaining that he was in charge of the most vital part of the hotel.
She then ordered Archelon to deactivate all the robots in the hotel and activate the hotel defense system. When Archelon failed to do the latter, she asked him to bring up the surveillance system, which he also failed to do. Irena realized that Senya hadn’t fixed the robots so much as made them subservient to her.
(A/N: Xenon gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he asks Senya how she could do such a thing. He then tells her that he doesn’t care if she better at machines than anyone else, as she has no right to twist them for her own purposes.)
Just then, Toogi returned back, shocking the Glory Guard with its new appearance. Senya then ordered Toogi to attack them, but Toogi hesitated and explained that they were its friends. Senya realized that an outdated robot would always remain so at heart, no matter how refurbished it was. She then summoned her loyal Senyabots and ordered them to attack the Glory Guard.
As they fought the Senyabots off, Senya ordered the robots to self-destruct. She then thanked the Glory Guard for giving her the opportunity that she needed and ordered Archelon to initiate aggression mitigation protocol. As Archelon complied with the order, the ground began to shake violently. Senya revealed that the hotel used to be a fortress long ago, and that an ancient weapon was stored underground, with its key being Archelon himself.
From the ground appeared massive robots, who effortlessly defeated the Glory Guard. Rusty rushed to the scene and found the Glory Guard collapsed on the ground. The Adversary explained that Senya had used Archelon to summon the ancient weapons, whose armor had repelled all of the Glory Guard’s attacks. (A/N: These giant robots are technically relics of an Ancient God, which means that they fall under the principle that only a god can challenge another god. Since we don’t have the Seal Stone anymore, we’re basically just a regular person, and so our attacks are just as ineffective.)
Meanwhile, Archelon was attempting to resist Senya’s commands and override the ancient weapons, but he found that he couldn’t do so. When he refused to obey Senya’s orders to cease his attempts, she decided that she would simply destroy him and rebuild him again. She then had one of the ancient robots destroy Archelon, much to Rusty’s horror.
Rusty sobbed over a broken Archelon, claiming that he never should have sold him to a stranger. He then showed the rusty screw to Archelon and promised to fix him, just as Senya gave Archelon his final command to self-destruct. Archelon warned Rusty to get away, but Rusty refused, claiming that a defender of justice never abandoned their captain.
At his words, Archelon was able to regain control over himself and used the missing screw to instantly repair himself. He then declared that he had been asleep for long enough, and that it was time to wake up, warning Rusty and the others to be wary for falling debris. Archelon then held on to Rusty as an immense, fortress-like tortoise emerged from beneath the hotel. Archelon then ordered the ancient weapons to return to the ground. Senya was impressed to learn that the entire town had been built on top of a slumbering Ancient God, and that the old screw was the key to awakening him.
(A/N: The giant tortoise is Archelon’s physical body, which had been dormant ever since the Ancient Gods were defeated. The scene in which he pops out from the ground was an animated short that showed that he was massive enough to have lifted the entire hotel and all its surrounding buildings on its back. After that animated short, the hotel and everything else is back on the ground, and so I’m assuming that he went back underground offscreen.)
Rusty then told Senya that he wanted to use the card that she had given him, which was capable of buying anything, in order to buy back his hotel. (A/N: What kind of broken credit card is that?) Senya readily agreed, explaining that she had no use for a defense system that she couldn’t control. However, she was confused about how the robots could have defied her, as there was no one more skilled at manipulating machines than her.
Rusty laughed and asked why a robot that had never once listened to him after a lifetime together would ever listen to her. He told her that that was the meaning of family, where no one did what they were told, even as they all went through everything together. After a pause, Senya told him that his experience with family and hers had been very different. With that, she took her leave before the Glory Guard could stop her.
Back in the hotel, Archelon calculated an exorbitant cost for their final fees. Belle asked if there was a special discount for friends, but Archelon promptly replied that friendship had no monetary value. (A/N: Get wrecked.) However, he decided to take into account that the Adversary had helped him learn about love, allowing him to learn how to ‘brew with love’.
He explained that the human heart was something that he had long been curious about, which was why he had originally decided to live alongside humans. He explained that his robotic body had been constructed long ago by an old friend in order to ensure that he wouldn’t forget, as well as to ensure his awakening after his physical form fell into a deep sleep. The Glory Guard realized that Archelon had the consciousness of the same Ancient God upon whom the city had been built.
(A/N: Kain gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he notes to himself that while he had originally assumed that all Ancient Gods were filled with terrible, malevolent power, it seems that there are other kinds of Ancient Gods as well.)
Archelon then told Rusty that the hotel’s primary clientele, the Seekers, had returned. Belle asked Archelon what the Seekers were searching for, to which he replied that they were searching for ancient artifacts all over the world. As the Glory Guard discreetly slipped away, Rusty watched in amazement as dozens of new guests poured into the hotel. The Seekers marveled at how the hotel was still standing and how it looked just like how their families’ stories had described.
Some time later, Archelon gave the Adversary a Sacred Symbol and told them that he would give more in exchange for defeating the dangerous monsters around the desert in order to keep it safe for the Seekers, as well as to pay off their exorbitant fees.
(A/N: Following the NEW AGE update, Hotel Arcus was given two small side quests meant to expand the worldbuilding of the area and tease a few future encounters with characters like Kelly or Archelon’s old friend.)
Rusty’s Request:
The Adversary met with Rusty, who was surprised to see them and asked whether they wanted to check back into the hotel. However, he explained that they currently didn’t have any empty rooms. The Adversary noted that the number of guests had increased suddenly, to which Rusty laughed and replied that it was all thanks to them. He explained that he and Archelon had been running all over the place to accommodate the new guests, though he admitted that Archelon’s sand-mixed drinks were still there.
The Adversary asked Rusty how Archelon was doing, as his original body had awakened. Rusty explained that though that was what they were saying, he believed that the large turtle still needed more time to move, which was why it had retreated back underground. He added that though he didn’t know whether it was an Ancient God or not, Archelon was still family to him.
He then told the Adversary that the most important thing for them was to restore the hotel to its former glory. The Adversary asked whether managing the hotel was going okay, to which Rusty admitted that it was the first time that he was dealing with so many guests, and so he was bound to make mistakes. He then added that he wished that he had his father or Kelly by his side. The Adversary recalled that Rusty’s father had passed away, and that Kelly, the other mechanic, had already left. Nevertheless, Rusty declared that as the hotel manager, he would restore the hotel back to how it used to be. He then asked the Adversary whether they would do him a favor as a friend.
He explained that after the train incident, the desert outlaws had grown quite aggressive, and with them expanding closer towards the hotel, he was worried about what they would do, especially to the hotel guests. However, since he was only a mechanic, and since Archelon’s defense system had gone offline after his original body had returned underground, he asked the Adversary to deal with the outlaws, adding that they could consider it to be payment for the wall that Belle had damaged.
After the Adversary fought off the desert outlaws, they returned back to Rusty, who thanked them for their help. He explained that the outlaws would calm down in time, as they weren’t really bad people. The Adversary then recalled that the outlaws had once mentioned that they didn’t touch hotel guests. Rusty admitted that he wasn’t too familiar with the story either, as it was something that he had heard from his father and grandfather.
He explained that the outlaws were descendants of desert workers, and that Arcus had once been as prosperous as any large city, as it was an intermediary point between different regions. The hotel had once been a crowded place, filled not only with guests like the Seekers, but also workers who greeted customers and mechanics who managed the robots in the desert.
However, when the High Flora had begun their war against the other races, communication between the different regions had naturally fizzled out, and people had naturally stopped visiting the hotel, as there was no reason to go there when there was nothing but desert. As a result, the workers had lost their jobs and had been forced to become outlaws in order to survive.
He explained that the reason why the outlaws hadn’t attacked him or the hotel was likely because of his father, who had taken care of the outlaws for most of his life until he had died of illness. Rusty noted that his father had likely felt sorry for them, as they hadn’t been able to get out of the desert, even after becoming outlaws, though he added that the outlaws would also occasionally steal from their food storage.
He then wistfully began wishing that his father could see the hotel so crowded, to which the Adversary replied that his father was definitely watching. Rusty thanked them for their words, and for helping around the hotel. He then asked one more favor of them, explaining that he had no one else to ask, as it would take Archelon until sunset to finish. He told them that the robots in the town needed regular maintenance, as some of them were as old as the town itself, which meant that they were prone to breaking down.
Since he was busy with the hotel, he asked the Adversary to check on the statuses of the various robots around town. The Adversary checked on Nacho the singing robot, as well as Gracho the jukebox robot, both of whom appeared to be functioning normally. They then checked on Sancho the sheriff robot, who appeared to be malfunctioning.
They returned back to Rusty and informed him about what they had learned. Rusty told them that Sancho had seemed fine before, and so he had assumed that he had been completely fixed. He explained that he would have repaired Sancho if he could, but Kelly was the one who managed most of the robots, and that Sancho’s inner circuitry was quite complex, meaning that she was the only one who could fix it.
He noted that it wouldn’t do for the sheriff robot to be malfunctioning when guests like the Seekers were coming to stay. Believing that Kelly would have kept a repair log, he asked the Adversary to find it in the garage while he gathered the necessary parts for repair. In the garage, the Adversary found the repair log, but found that a letter addressed to Rusty had slipped out from the pages.
They brought the letter to Rusty, who began reading it silently. After finishing, he told the Adversary that Kelly must have expected him to keep her old things instead of throwing them away. He explained that he had still been a bit resentful of Kelly for leaving Arcus, though he realized now that she had likely been lying in order to protect him. When the Adversary asked if he was telling the truth, Rusty offered to let them read the letter, noting that they were the one who had found it.
The Adversary began reading the letter from Kelly, who had written to Rusty that if he was reading it, then it must mean that Sancho had broken down again. She noted that he must have also kept her notebook instead of throwing it away. She explained that by the time that he read her letter, she would already be with “them”.
She told Rusty that she, just like everyone else, had decided that she wouldn’t die in Arcus. She then asked him whether he remembered when she had told him that there was a time for everything, adding that the time had come for her, too. She began lamenting what had happened to Arcus and explained that the reason why his father had died of illness was because of the war that the High Flora had started.
She noted that many cities and people were dying, and that if they didn’t do anything, their future wouldn’t be any different. Because of that, she had decided to fight against the High Flora and help make a difference. She asked Rusty to understand her reasons for not telling him the truth, and that if he one day came to understand her, she asked that he and Archelon come to see her, adding that she would be waiting.
(A/N: As we later find out in the Tallahart storyline, Kelly ended up joining the Primacy, a Grandis-based militia formed to defeat Darmoor.)
After the Adversary finished reading, Rusty told them that even though Kelly had asked him to visit her, he doubted that he would ever be able to leave Arcus, as it was his home, and also because Kelly should have a place to come back to one day. He added that he was worried about Kelly, as she was fighting in a war with only the skills of a mechanic. He then noted that since the Adversary was traveling all throughout Grandis in order to find traces of the Ancient Gods, he asked them whether they could tell Kelly to come back to Arcus if they ever happened to run into her.
The Adversary agreed, after which Rusty gratefully agreed to give them a room at half price, though the Adversary wondered to themselves that people normally offered free service in exchange. However, Rusty then told them that now wasn’t the time, as he needed to track down Sancho, who always wandered the desert when he broke down. Though he had no empty rooms to offer, Rusty invited them to have a good rest.
How to Brew the Special Drink:
Archelon called over the Adversary, explaining that he needed their help. He explained that new guests were arriving at the hotel, but his special beverage was still receiving low ratings, with guest complaints constantly increasing. In order to maintain the hotel’s stability, he declared that a new special recipe was needed. In order to change the minds of the guests, he told the Adversary that he needed a recipe for friendship. The Adversary reminded Archelon that he was the one who had said that friendship had no monetary value, which Archelon agreed with, explaining that metaphysical feelings couldn’t possibly be logically valued.
However, he added that in order to eliminate complaints, it was necessary to have friendly relations with the new guests, as a friendly relationship acted to efficiently prevent dissatisfaction. The Adversary silently noted to themselves that there was something wrong with Archelon’s direction of improvement. Archelon told the Adversary that since they knew the recipe for love, it could be inferred that they knew the recipe for friendship as well.
(A/N: Here, you get presented with two choices on how to explain friendship to Archelon. The first option is to point out his relationship with Rusty as an example, while the second option is to ask him if he has any other friends.
If you choose the first option, Archelon will state that Rusty has mentioned that they’re family, which means that his relationship with Rusty isn’t friendship. This basically forces you to choose the second option, which leads into the main part of the quest dialogue.)
The Adversary recalled how Archelon had mentioned having an old friend, which Archelon confirmed, explaining that they were stored as “old friend” in his memory circuit, and that they were the person who had created his current body. The Adversary then suggested that Archelon think about his relationship with them as an example of what friendship was like.
Archelon began accessing his memory circuit, which quickly failed and hit a critical error. As the time required for automatic recovery was increasingly getting longer, he told the Adversary that he required a spare memory circuit for troubleshooting. However, as he needed to be at the front desk in order to receive new guests, he asked the Adversary – whom he noted was standing idle – to obtain one for him.
After finding a spare memory circuit from the desert junk collectors, they gave it to Archelon, who finished installing it into his system. After scanning for the word “friend” in his memory, he recalled that before his original body had fallen asleep, he had been together with his friend for a long time. Soon after, however, he had grown curious about the human heart, as humans – despite being weak creatures – lived lives filled with various purposes. Because of this, he had decided to give up the power of the gods in order to live with humans.
He explained that his old friend had helped him do so by creating a robot body using Archelon’s own divine power. Using what Archelon described as the “hand of a god”, his friend had built his robot body in order to store his consciousness, as well as weapons to protect his original body. (A/N: These are the giant robots that Senya activated earlier in the story.)
The Adversary asked Archelon what he meant by the “hand of a god”, to which Archelon explained that it was his friend’s ability – to create something that didn’t exist before. (A/N: I’m gonna start telling all my engineer friends that they have the hands of a god to give them an ego boost. As a matter of fact, ‘Hand of God’ is actually the nickname for Archelon’s friend, Gob, whom we meet in the Dimensional Visitor storyline.)
Archelon also told the Adversary that he had made a promise to his friend to wake up and see them again one day. However, he noted that his friend’s whereabouts were unknown, and that he didn’t have any means of contacting them. The Adversary asked whether he had any clues in his memory about how to find them, though Archelon explained that most of the information regarding his friend was inaccessible, as there was a protection enabled on his memory circuit that was currently impossible to remove.
Nevertheless, he told the Adversary that he had a feeling that his friend was definitely alive somewhere in the world. However, he noted that he couldn’t leave Rusty behind, as families couldn’t fall apart, and his original body hadn’t fully awakened yet, which meant that he couldn’t yet transfer his consciousness. Because of this, he told the Adversary that they would need to find his friend on his behalf, as they were now friends as well. In exchange, he offered to repay them with a new specialty drink, which he began preparing by mixing together unknown types of liquids.
Karote, the Unending Tower:
Soon after the expedition to Hotel Arcus, Neinheart summoned the Adversary to Ereve in order to give them a new mission. He explained that the Chief Knights had just returned from their reconnaissance missions, and that he planned to explain everything during the debriefing. Upon arriving in Ereve, the Adversary was greeted by Neinheart, who explained that the Cygnus Knights had recently been undertaking reconnaissance missions led by the Chief Knights.
Between the merging of Maple World and Grandis, the imminent threat of the High Flora army, and the destruction of the Seal Stone, Neinheart emphasized that the situation was precarious, and that while the primary duty of the Cygnus Knights was to protect the Empress, they could not ignore their obligations to the world at large.
When the Adversary asked why only the Cygnus Knights had been undertaking missions, Neinheart explained that while the Alliance was helping wherever possible, it was getting difficult to politically justify their operations. As the Alliance had been formed to fight the Black Mage, his death meant that the purpose of the Alliance had been fulfilled.
The Adversary was shocked that the Alliance was on the verge of dissolving and asked if the other factions were still contributing to missions. Neinheart told them that the Alliance was still providing support, but without the threat of the Black Mage hanging over their heads, he felt that it was unfair to ask them to invest everything into the cause.
He explained that the Cygnus Knights had always carried out the Empress’ will, and that world peace continued to be her primary concern. However, he explained they could not force others to join in the fight, as every nation would naturally put its own people first. The Adversary noted that it was perhaps time for a new coalition to carry on the spirit of the Maple Alliance, to which Neinheart agreed and added that many others shared his sentiment.
(A/N: I wonder how Cygnus is taking the news that the Alliance has basically dissolved. The formation of the Alliance is probably the most defining event of her reign and it might’ve been one of her greatest accomplishments to unite Maple World when not even the White Mage could do it in his time. It must’ve hit Cygnus hard to see something that she put everything into building start crumbling right before her eyes.
It’s likely that we’re going to see a new Grandis Alliance in the future led by the Nova, and that Maple World and Grandis’ positions are going to be flipped from how they were in the Maple Alliance, with Grandis now at the forefront and Maple World providing background support. In a sense, the destruction of the Seal Stone - a relic that awakened from the collective willpower of the Alliance - symbolizes the fragmentation of the Alliance, which has lost its determination and purpose with the completion of its mission.)
After rendezvousing with the Chief Knights, Neinheart began the debriefing. Hawkeye first reported that the Thunder Breakers had been following news of Havoc, the First Apostle of Lightning. Though they had no confirmation of whether he was dead or alive, Hawkeye explained that he believed that Havoc had to be alive, since they hadn’t found his body after his defeat at Seren’s hands. Though they were investigating with the support of Prince Carlisle, Hawkeye reported that it was difficult to gather news in Cernium because of the chaos in the city.
Eckhart reported next, explaining that the Night Walkers had confirmed that the High Flora army was expanding, and that there were reported sightings of High Flora scouts having crossed the forgotten sea to Maple World. After a few skirmishes, Eckhart had also learned that the Specters, the primary force that made up their army, were different from normal soldiers because of their unnatural recovery rate. Eckhart added that he had a bad feeling about the Specters, and so he would be away from Ereve for some time in order to investigate further.
(A/N: Ark gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Eckhart tells Ark that the person said to be at the forefront of the Specter army is an acquaintance of his. He adds that though Ark isn’t part of the Night Walkers and won’t be joining them as they face the Specter army, it’s never pleasant to meet people that they know on the battlefield, no matter what their previous relationship was like. He then warns Ark that he should prepare himself for that eventuality. Ark then thinks to himself that Albaire has chosen the path of war after all.)
Neinheart then explained that he had asked Oz to investigate something that the Alliance had previously overlooked, having hastily attributed it to be the work of the Black Mage during the war. He added that recent developments had led him to reassess that determination, which was why he had ordered the investigation.
(A/N: If the player has completed Yum Yum Island, Neinheart tells us that he’s been told that we’ve seen the place that he’s referring to firsthand. He explains that he’s talking about an artificial forest of Erda that had been created in the Arcane River through Erda manipulation, though not at the Black Mage’s hand. We realize that he’s talking about Yum Yum Island, which Neinheart confirms.
If the player hasn’t completed Yum Yum Island, Neinheart tells us that we haven’t been privy to those reports and explains that within the Arcane River exists a forest created artificially through Erda manipulation, though not at the hands of the Black Mage as they had originally expected. He then adds that its denizens call it Yum Yum Island.)
Oz told the Adversary that she had looked into it, and that all the clues pointed straight back to Grandis, just as Neinheart had suspected. She explained that though she hadn’t found many solid leads, there had been an eyewitness amongst their allies in Grandis who had met the responsible party, whose help had allowed them to fill in the dots.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Neinheart realizes that Hoyoung was the eyewitness in question. Hoyoung feels awkward and tells Neinheart that there’s no need to point it out when he’s standing right there. Taotie then laughs to Hoyoung that it’s unlike him to feel embarrassed.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Neinheart realizes that she was the eyewitness in question. Lara gets flustered and tells him that it was nothing, as she had barely done anything.)
Oz then explained that the suspect’s name was Kaling. Though she appeared to be an Anima to the untrained eye, who or what she really was remained a mystery. Oz also reported that it was unknown whether Kaling was affiliated with Darmoor or if she was another threat, adding that the Blaze Wizards would keep investigating.
Mihile then reported that the Dawn Warriors had successfully escorted Grendel from the facility in Ereve that he had escaped from and placed him under custody in a secure location, and that they were still working to locate Will.
(A/N: If the player is Mihile, Neinheart will explain that he handled the mission on our behalf before reporting the details about Grendel and Will himself.
Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Neinheart asks her whether Lucid’s new accommodations in Elluel are secure. He reminds her that Lucid’s efforts in service of the Black Mage make her a significant threat to the Alliance. While he admits that the elves are quite capable, he explains that what happened in Ereve weighs heavily on his mind, adding that the ramifications of Lucid’s potential escape would be quite grim. He then asks Mercedes not to let Lucid out of her sight.
Grendel was likely imprisoned for going off on his own and fusing Maple World and Grandis, which not only nearly brought about the end of the world with the creation of Sol Erda, but also gave the High Flora a red carpet invitation to invade Maple World, since it would’ve been highly infeasible for Darmoor to send his armies single-file through the Interdimensional Portal.)
Neinheart lamented that trust in the Alliance’s prisons were at an all-time low, as well as the fact that they couldn’t rely on Grendel’s counsel anymore. Irena then reported that the Wind Archers had been coordinating with their informants and told the Adversary that one of their sources, Rusty, had told her about a story circulating amongst the Seekers, which spoke of a tower that hid something that even the gods feared. In order to investigate the rumors, Irena, Neinheart, Belle, and the Adversary traveled to the train station at Arcus. There, Neinheart and Irena recounted the legend of Karote, the Unending Tower to Belle and the Adversary, explaining that it was a self-building tower that hadn't stopped growing since it had first been created.
The tower took over a lifespan to build and the day of its completion would reveal to the world a secret that even the gods feared. When the Adversary asked why the tower built itself endlessly, Neinheart explained that when the tower reached a certain height, a force from above would blast it apart, as though it would not permit the tower to build itself any higher.
Irena added that even though it had merely been a popular legend amongst the Seekers, the fusion of Maple World and Grandis had resulted in the tower resurfacing, with an eyewitness even having seen the tower with their own eyes. Irena then told the others that the eyewitness was currently staying in Hotel Arcus. The Adversary recalled the part of the story that mentioned how the tower’s completion would reveal something that even the gods feared, causing them to wonder whether it could be a clue about the Godsphere, which they knew as the Seal Stone.
(A/N: The Godsphere is known as the “spear of god” in KMS, and its original name makes that last line make more sense, as it becomes pretty self-evident why we would make the connection between why the gods would fear a weapon capable of killing them. It still technically does work with the GMS localization, which just says “Seal Stone”, but the imagery of a spear piercing through the gods is what the original dialogue was going for.
Neinheart told the Adversary that it was something that he was hoping for as well, as they had learned by now that legends reflected hints of truth. Just then, Rusty arrived with Toogi and Archelon and escorted them to the hotel. At the hotel, Rusty told them that a Seeker named Nicky had been exploring Karote, and that the completion of the tower was his family's dream. On the second floor, the Glory Guard met with Nicky and began to ask him about Karote.
Suddenly, the room grew silent as the other Seekers looked at the group before laughing. They began to jokingly ask Nicky if he was planning to rope more people into his expeditions, explaining that besides a few statues, there was nothing worth exploring in Karote. Nevertheless, the Seekers were good-natured and noted that all of them had wanted to visit Karote at one point when they had first heard the legends as kids.
The Adversary then asked Nicky if it was true that his family’s goal was to see the completion of the tower. Nicky told them that it was specifically his father’s dream, and that his father had been keeping his eye out for Karote even before it had resurfaced. He added that he hadn’t understood his father’s obsession with it until he had visited Karote himself, which had made him wonder where exactly it was growing towards, as well as what sort of power had the ability to reduce it to rubble. He added that the day that Karote completed itself would be when they would finally have a real blast.
(A/N: If the player has completed Reverse City, Nicky’s words will stir something in the Adversary’s memory and make them vaguely recall that they’ve heard something like that before. We actually heard those same words from T-Boy back in Reverse City.)
Seeing that the Adversary was curious, he offered to lead the Glory Guard to Karote. Neinheart began to explain that they hadn’t come prepared for a large journey, just as Archelon appeared and showed them the Arcus Gate, which could take them anywhere across Grandis if they had a destination. Neinheart noted that it seemed to be similar to the Interdimensional Portal, but whereas the Interdimensional Portal had been created when a Transcendent utilized another Transcendent’s powers, he believed that the Arcus Gate had been created by the power of the Ancient Gods.
(A/N: The translation team for GMS messed up on this at release. The original text for this was that the Interdimensional Portal is formed when a Transcendent of Time steals the power of another Transcendent of Time, which is blatantly false. They fixed this sometime before the Ignition update.)
With Nicky able to chart their destination, Neinheart was hopeful that they would find something that would help them face a Transcendent. Before they left, however, Archelon told the Adversary that he had something important to say. He explained that Karote had been built after his original body had fallen into slumber and before his consciousness had awakened in his robot body. He told the Adversary that the intermittent time in which he had been inactive was when the line between good and evil had vanished. He warned them to be careful, as he feared that what awaited them was more difficult than what a human heart could handle.
Nicky, Irena, Belle, Neinheart, and the Adversary then used the portal and arrived at the entrance to Karote, which stood nearly complete. Nicky realized that they had arrived at the wrong time, as the tower had grown too high. Suddenly, a flash of lightning struck and caused the tower to crumble to pieces. Neinheart realized that they could be certain that the power which wanted to keep the tower from growing was still active even now.
They went inside the ruins to investigate and found an unscathed statue, which they realized had been mentioned by the Seekers. Neinheart asked Nicky if there was anything special about the statue, but when Nicky told him that there wasn't, Neinheart asked the Adversary for their perspective and told them to look closely.
Irena and Belle noted that it seemed to be an ordinary stone statue. However, as the Adversary touched it, the statue glowed and teleported the Adversary to a subspace where tower fragments floated around a large beam of light. Suddenly, toad-like Corallite Guardian robots approached the Adversary and recognized them as a Vessel who had come through the gateway. After a pause, they concluded that the Adversary was a failure and declared that defective Vessels were subject to disposal before attacking. After defeating them, the Adversary approached the statue and touched it, which glowed and teleported them again.
As they were transported, the Adversary experienced a vision of the man from the statue being deemed a failure of a Vessel by the toad robots. The man demanded to know why he had been deemed a failure, claiming that the ‘old geezers’ must have gone mad from all the time that they had shut themselves within their laboratory. (A/N: The ‘old geezers’ are the elders from the realm of the sages.) He told himself that if he could find a way out, then he could find a way to fix everything.
As the Corallite Guardians threw him off the edge of the laboratory in the sky, the man recalled how the specter of death had always been near him, whether it had come from drugs injected into his blood, the makeshift instruments that had cut away at his flesh, or even a living person. However, he had always been sure that he would have survived it because he had believed himself to be the one.
He then fell into the ocean, and with his body having been replaced with metal from the experiments, he sunk deeper to the bottom of the ocean. Though he was sure that he would never see the sun again, he had still discovered a ray of light that came from an enormous anglerfish. (A/N: It's possible that this anglerfish may have been an Ancient God lying dormant in the ocean.)
The Adversary then returned back to the tower and found the others standing on the rebuilt floor, where the statue of the man had changed its pose and a large mural of the anglerfish now decorated the wall. Nicky excitedly told the Adversary that even though only ten minutes had passed since they had touched the statue, the tower had rebuilt itself at a remarkable speed, to the point that it had rebuilt several floors, which normally would have taken weeks.
Nicky supposed that the Adversary had a special power, which had caused Karote to accelerate its completion. After the Adversary explained where they had gone, Irena pointed out the anglerfish in the mural. Once again, something stirred in the Adversary’s memories and they explained that the anglerfish somehow felt familiar. Nicky told the Adversary that they must have been remembering the anglerfish carved at the entrance of Karote.
They then climbed to the next floor and found a statue of the same man placing bricks atop each other. Neinheart speculated that Karote itself was a large artifact, which he defined as a machine or device powered by magic. He explained that the creator of the tower had known that Karote would fall apart, and so he had created a mechanism so that those whom he deemed worthy could quickly ascend to the top with the statues.
The Adversary then realized that they had likely witnessed the creator’s memories in the subspace, causing Neinheart to wonder what would have caused the creator to do such a thing. He began regretting that they couldn’t use Grendel’s wisdom, as he himself was nowhere near as knowledgeable about magic.
However, he noted that the monsters who had attacked the Adversary were likely guardians, and that the robots calling them a ‘Vessel’ and the statue only reacting to them could only be because of one reason. The Adversary realized that it was because they had once been an Adversary, though they pointed out that the Seal Stone within them had been destroyed. Neinheart admitted that the thought had crossed his mind and promised to contemplate it some more.
The Adversary then touched the statue and was transported back to the subspace, where they encountered rabbit-like Olivine Guardians, which recognized that they had found a Vessel powerful enough to defeat a Guardian. However, they noted that Vessels who had come from the gateway were to be considered defective and began to attack. The Adversary recognized that the Olivine Guardians were more powerful than the Corallite Guardians, though they managed to defeat the robots nevertheless.
After defeating all the Guardians, the statue of the man appeared, and upon touching it, the Adversary witnessed more of the creator’s memories. Using the light of the anglerfish, the man began to build Karote from the bottom of the ocean in order to reach the surface. He continued working tirelessly for years without pause, as the elders’ experiments had given him infinite stamina. When he finally reached land after centuries, the sight of the rising sun led him to realize that he wasn’t a failure. He concluded that the elders had merely been afraid that they had created an Adversary who was stronger than them.
The Adversary then returned back to the tower and found the others standing around a new statue and a new mural that depicted Karote emerging from the ocean in the sunrise. The Adversary told them about the shocking revelation that they had learned from the creator’s memories and noted that Neinheart wasn’t surprised.
Neinheart told them that the clues had always been there, and that the Adversary themselves had seen the results firsthand in Cernium with the experiment to transform Gilmore into a special Specter, which would have allowed him to trick the holy sword Azor into believing that he was the Chosen One. He then summarized that the creator had built Karote in order to escape the sea, and that he hadn’t stopped building, even after reaching the surface.
Belle noted that the fact that there was a large laboratory in the sky meant that the experiments to create an Adversary hadn’t been a singular occurrence with the creator and wondered who could have conducted the experiments and what their purpose might have been. The Adversary then recalled how Archelon had told them that when the tower had been built, the line between good and evil had vanished. Irena wondered whether his words had been referring to the experiments, causing Neinheart to speculate that there had to be clues left behind to investigate.
Neinheart then asked Nicky why his father had been looking forward to the completion of the tower. Nicky explained that his father didn’t talk much about his plans because he knew that the world ridiculed geniuses and he didn't even trust his own children not to follow suit. He explained that unlike his genius father, he was merely a Seeker and a disappointment in his father’s eyes, and that his only goal was to see the completed tower and what had been destroying it.
As Belle and Irena began to console him, Nicky snapped at them not to treat him like a child, though he quickly realized that it wasn’t the time to get angry when they were almost at the top of the tower, with the attack from the sky possibly coming at any minute. The group then ascended to one of the top levels and found a statue of the creator falling.
Upon touching the statue, the Adversary was transported back to the subspace, where they encountered wolf-like Diamond Guardians. As they began fighting the Guardians, they noted that not only did the robots seem to be getting stronger, but they also seemed more intelligent. Sure enough, one of the Guardians registered that the Vessel that stood before them was not a failure, but rather, they were the Vessel of an Adversary.
It then wondered whether it was possible for an Adversary to exist that hadn’t been created through experimentation, after which it ordered the other Guardians to cease their assault and open the door. After the Guardians disappeared, the Adversary touched the statue and experienced more of the creator’s memories. Having completed Karote, the creator hoped to return to the door of the laboratory, which would only open for a true Vessel.
Though he knew that he wasn’t complete yet, he was certain that he could pass through the door, as he believed himself to be a true Vessel. He hoped to enter through the door, after which he was certain that he would be able to become an Adversary. Just as he built Karote to the top, however, Guardian Kalos appeared and launched an attack that reduced Karote, which had taken countless years to build, to ashes in an instant.
As the creator fell once again, Kalos told him that the door would never open to the unworthy. Having sunk to the bottom of the ocean once again, the creator realized that he didn’t need to open the door himself, but rather, he simply needed a true Vessel to do it for him. He then directly addressed the Adversary from his memories and told them that he needed someone just like them.
The Adversary was then sent back to Karote and found that it had been completed at last, and that it hadn’t been immediately destroyed like it normally would be upon completion. After they explained the situation to the others, Neinheart realized that the creator had been using the tower in order to reach the laboratory in the sky, and that the Guardian had been responsible for destroying Karote.
Belle realized that the only reason why the Guardian had allowed for the tower to finally be completed was because the Adversary, a worthy Vessel, had come at last. However, Neinheart found it strange that the creator, who had been confident that they were a worthy Vessel for the Adversary and stronger than the ones who had created him, had been deemed a failure, with even Karote itself remaining unfinished until the Adversary had appeared.
He realized that the creator was a defective Vessel, and that he had manipulated them into helping him reach the laboratory. He warned the Adversary that it would be dangerous to investigate further, as the creator, whom he believed wasn’t a normal person, may soon appear and become a threat. Just as he recommended that they retreat, Nicky grew frustrated and decided to climb to the top himself.
The Glory Guard decided to go after him and found themselves higher than the clouds. In the sky, they found a citadel floating in the sky, which they recognized as the laboratory. Belle was shocked at the kind of technology that could hide something so enormous in the sky, as well as its power source, fuel, and why no one had encountered it until now.
Just then, Nicky told them that there was someone waiting to meet them. Suddenly, Guardian Kalos appeared in a flash of lightning and told them that he had wondered who had completed Karote, which he called the blasphemous tower. The Adversary immediately recognized that Kalos was a machine similar to the other Guardians that they had encountered in the subspace.
Realizing that they had survived the Guardians, Kalos recognized them as a true Vessel of an Adversary. He explained that he didn’t attack those who were worthy and revealed that the ones who had created him had also created the Guardians in order to identify a true Vessel. However, Kalos wondered how the Adversary could have encountered the Guardians in Karote, as they could not function outside the bounds of their domain.
The Adversary asked what he meant by ‘their domain’, to which Kalos explained that he and the other Guardians had been tasked with protecting the laboratory of his creators, who had long since turned their gaze from it. He told them that the elders had been afraid that one not committed to the cause would steal the Vessels, because of which, the Guardians were only permitted to function within the laboratory, and that they would grow as still as statues outside its boundaries.
He explained that over the many years, countless Guardians had gone missing, making him suspect that someone had lured them away and reprogrammed them in order to attack those who entered the subspaces so that they could determine whether those people were true Vessels. However, he added that none of it changed his duty, which was to open the door for a worthy Vessel.
He permitted the Adversary to pass, though he ordained that the others – Nicky, in particular – may not. He explained that Nicky’s body had been created with the technology of the laboratory, and that though he had been fooled for a moment, seeing him alongside a true Vessel had made him realize that Nicky was a fraud, though a well-made one.
He explained that he was not permitted to attack if it would risk harming a worthy Vessel, and so he ordered Nicky to leave immediately. Frustrated, Nicky claimed that his father would be disappointed after finding out that Kalos had seen through his schemes, especially when he had spent so much time recreating Nicky’s body with technology from the laboratory. Upon being confronted by Neinheart, Nicky revealed that his father was both the creator of Karote and a defective Vessel.
(A/N: The dialogue here changes depending on whether the player has completed Reverse City.
If the player hasn’t completed Reverse City, Belle will express her shock that Nicky had known that we’re the Adversary the whole time. Nicky replies that there’s no way that he couldn’t have, as for a while, the Adversary was all that anyone could talk about. He explains that he had been hoping that they’d have a chance to meet, even though it never came.
He jokes that we must be a very busy person before explaining that he had been waiting for us in a city near the Arcane River. He then says that we might know him by reputation and puts on his computer-screen mask before introducing himself as T-Boy. He then laughs that compared to us, he’s a very ordinary person, which echoes T-Boy’s first words to us in Reverse City, in which he calls himself the most normal person in Reverse City.
If the player has completed Reverse City, Belle will express her shock that Nicky had known that we’re the Adversary the whole time. Nicky replies that there’s no way that he couldn’t have after what had happened last time. He explains that they’re old friends and asks us whether we remember. He reminds us that we blew up his greatest invention and adds that it sucked harder than a black hole, which is a reference to the black hole generator that we destroyed.
When we still don’t remember him, he asks us whether we know how much a black hole generator would’ve sold for and jokes that they wouldn’t have forgotten his name if he had sent them the bill. Since the Adversary is an idiot, we still won’t remember him, and Nicky will express his disappointment in us. He then realizes that we might remember him if he puts on his mask. After putting on his T-Boy disguise, he greets the shocked Adversary, who replies that Rasol had suspected that he was still alive, which is a reference to how Rasol found T-Boy’s bloodstained mask at the end of the storyline.)
The Glory Guard immediately recognized T-Boy as a member of the Angler family from the Alliance reports that detailed the events of Reverse City. (A/N: The Angler Company’s logo was inspired by the creator of the tower’s encounter with the enormous anglerfish.) They also recalled that his sister, Senya, had been responsible for trying to buy Hotel Arcus, causing them to wonder whether her true goal had been to lead the Adversary to Karote, as she had given up her schemes too easily.
An annoyed T-Boy told them to stop talking about his sister right in the middle of his grand reveal and explained that his father had given him permission to claim one of the greatest weapons in the world, causing the Adversary to realize that he had come to take Kalos. Nicky then approached Kalos and told him that he was sharp to have noticed that he was built from technology from the laboratory, but he then claimed that Kalos had been blind to everything else, mockingly asking whether Kalos understood why his father had built him with the technology of Odium.
He then began hacking into Kalos, who recognized that T-Boy was using the power of the elders. T-Boy explained that his father had rebuilt him using the technology of Odium, and so the power of the elders, whom he called the ‘old geezers’, flowed through him as a result. When the Adversary asked who the creators were, T-Boy mocked them for their lack of knowledge, despite being the hero of the Alliance, and told them that only one of them would leave Karote alive. He invited them to challenge him, claiming that it would be the ultimate thrill to see which of them would win.
(A/N: If the player has completed Reverse City, T-Boy will tell us that we got something wrong in Reverse City. He reminds us how Barr had called him a coward for not even having the guts to face danger in person, while we had told him how it was easy to play the daredevil from the comfort of his secret lair. He then tells us that he’s standing right there, and that he’s not going anywhere.
Following this, the scene cuts to an image of T-Boy standing before us with a hacked Kalos under his control. If the player hasn’t completed Reverse City, T-Boy will invite us to find out just how much machine the champion of the Alliance can handle. If the player has completed Reverse City, T-Boy will note that we’ve never gone head-to-head with him before and invites us to find out just how much machine we can handle. The two dialogue paths then converge to T-Boy claiming that the Guardians that we’ve faced before are nothing compared to Kalos.)
Neinheart immediately realized that the situation was dire and suggested that they retreat, as T-Boy wasn’t an enemy whom they could defeat with no preparation. When Belle protested that they couldn’t allow T-Boy to escape and carry out his plans, Neinheart reminded her that their opponent was the sentinel of the very laboratory that had created artificial Adversaries.
He pointed out that the odds that they were facing were just like what they had experienced at Tenebris, when they had faced a threat almost indistinguishable from a god that only the Adversary could face. Though Belle and Irena conceded that Neinheart was right, they reminded the Adversary that they had nevertheless been able to defeat the Black Mage back then, adding that it hadn’t been because of the Seal Stone, but because of their determination and the full support of all their allies standing together.
Neinheart acknowledged their point, but he reminded them of the lesson that they had learned in Cernium when Aaron had explained to them that only a god had the power to challenge other gods. Suddenly, Kalos prepared to launch an attack, though they noted that his mind was still resisting T-Boy’s control. The Adversary realized that now was their only opportunity to free Kalos from T-Boy and stood with the rest of the Glory Guard in order to defeat him.
After a fierce battle, the Adversary managed to defeat Kalos, allowing him to break free from T-Boy’s control. Neinheart congratulated them for their victory, though he noted that the outcome may have been much different had Kalos not been fighting against T-Boy’s programming the whole time. Suddenly, Karote began falling apart as a result of the damage that it had sustained from the battle, causing everyone to fall from the sky.
As he plummeted, T-Boy suddenly felt his mind strangely clear after the fight. As he began regretting that it was he himself whom he should be disappointed in, his walkie-talkie began to ring, with his father calling him to ask about the status of the mission. T-Boy joked that though he was adopted, he wondered whether that should be the first thing that his father should ask when he was falling to his death.
At his father’s silence, T-Boy laughed that he was merely joking before confirming that the door to the laboratory had finally opened, and that since the elders had gone to the realm of the sages, they likely had no idea. He also noted that the Adversary was in bad shape as well, and that there wouldn’t be any more obstacles in his father’s way for a while.
However, he added that he had failed to control Kalos and asked his father if he was disappointed in him. His father told him that he knew that T-Boy could hack into Kalos and explained that he had been right in his belief, and so there was nothing to be disappointed by. T-Boy suddenly realized that his father had already known what would happen and demanded to know the truth, claiming that there was no need to hold back when he was about to die.
T-Boy explained that he had been intoxicated by Kalos’ power and asked whether his father had programmed his thirst for power and impulsiveness, knowing that it would lead to both Kalos and the Adversary’s destruction without his father having to lift a finger, regardless of what would happen to his son. He explained that he had only come to realize the truth as he was dying, as he had previously thought that it had merely been his personality.
He then asked whether his father had altered his personality after fixing him in the aftermath of Reverse City, or even before that. He realized that he was only a tool for his father and asked whether even his desire to make his father proud had been programmed into him. He begged his father not to lie to him, and to at least tell him that he was wrong, adding that they both knew that he would inevitably believe anything that his father would say. After a pause, his father told him that he was proud of him. (A/N: This game was specifically created to remind its players of their daddy issues.)
Meanwhile, the Adversary was plummeting from the sky, having been separated from the rest of the Glory Guard. T-Boy made his way to the Adversary and laughed at how they were worrying about other people when they couldn’t even help themselves.
(A/N: If the player has completed Reverse City, T-Boy will tell us that Barr isn’t here to save us this time and asks us what we’re going to do. Otherwise, he’ll say that he doesn’t think that there’s anyone who can help us this time before asking what we’re going to do.)
Suddenly, T-Boy noticed someone in the distance and told the Adversary that he was actually wrong, and that they were going to live for a long time after all. He explained that he had never expected to see that person again, least of all at Karote, and laughed that the champion of the Alliance really was as special as their reputation claimed.
Though the Adversary was confused by his words, T-Boy told them that he had decided that he would tell them a secret that he knew they wouldn’t believe. He revealed that he had once met Gerand Darmoor, who had approached the Angler family after the explosion at the Company’s headquarters. During the meeting, he had learned that Darmoor had planned to destroy the Adversary’s Seal Stone from the beginning, long before they had even reached the end of the Arcane River.
He then told the Adversary to go to Odium if they wanted to learn more about Darmoor’s plans before calculating an optimal trajectory to push the Adversary away from him. He laughed that though there were worse fates than dying alongside the champion of the Alliance, he would have to pass on that opportunity. He then asked them to look after his father if they met him, as well as to say hello to Cosim, whom he explained wouldn’t be able to keep himself from getting involved in what was about to come.
After he pushed the Adversary to safety, he continued plummeting to the bottom of the sea. As he fell, he began wondering whether what he was feeling was real or fake, though he realized that it didn’t matter to him either way. He noted that it hadn’t all been a lie, as he really had been thrilled in the end.
Meanwhile, the Adversary was caught by Cosim, who had unexpectedly appeared. The Adversary realized that T-Boy had deliberately pushed them in Cosim’s direction. Cosim revealed that he had already saved the others, just as the clouds around Odium dissipated and revealed its magnitude. The Adversary asked Cosim how he had been able to get there, to which Cosim explained that everyone in his family knew about Karote, as the knowledge had been programmed into them by their father, revealing that he was the brother of Nicky and Senya.
(A/N: The NEW AGE update introduced a small side quest that you can complete after the main story.)
After the expedition to Karote, the Adversary returned back to Hotel Arcus and went to the second floor, where they met with a Seeker named Baz, who greeted them and noted that he hadn’t been able to properly introduce himself last time. He then asked them whether they could talk, explaining that there were stories circulating that they had completed Karote, which was a hot topic amongst the Seekers.
He asked them what had happened at Karote, as the rumors were saying that Karote was a tower meant to reach some place floating in the sky, and that upon its completion, the Angler Company had shown up with a fleet of ships. He noted that there were many eyewitnesses, and that Nicky had disappeared without a trace, and so he asked the Adversary exactly what kind of secret was hidden in Karote.
(A/N: Here, you get presented with two choices. The first option is to reveal that Karote is a large artifact. The second option is to say that though we can confirm that Karote was completed, we can’t reveal any details.
If you choose the first option, Baz will express his surprise and note that it must have required special conditions to work. He added that we must be quite talented, as most Seekers had only wasted their time trying to figure it out.
If you choose the second option, Baz will tell us that he understands that we must have our reasons, as getting the edge on having information is the most important thing for a Seeker. Nevertheless, he notes that even beyond that, we seem quite talented.)
After Baz pointed out the Adversary’s talents, he told them that they had a knack for being a Seeker and suggested that they try it out, adding that he had heard from Rusty about how they were searching for traces of the Ancient Gods. He explained that they didn’t have to work together right away, as the Adversary would undoubtedly have their own work to focus on. He told them that just exchanging information would be enough for now and asked them whether they were interested.
After the Adversary accepted, Baz told them to speak with Blanc for more details. Blanc told them that ever since they and Nicky had completed Karote, the others had made a huge fuss about how they needed to make the Adversary a Seeker. She laughed and noted that the Adversary probably hadn’t intended to make a name for themselves as a Seeker.
She explained that she had originally been planning to have Nicky convince them to become a Seeker, though Nicky had unexpectedly disappeared without contact. She then asked the Adversary whether Nicky had told them where he was going.
The Adversary thought to themselves that they didn’t want to talk about Nicky, and so they merely told her that they didn’t know. Blanc replied that she had wanted to dote on Nicky all day when he returned, though she noted that since Nicky was a Seeker, she was sure that she’d see him again someday, as he was always looking for new adventures.
Returning back to the subject, Blanc asked the Adversary whether they knew anything about the Seekers. When the Adversary told her that they didn’t, she laughed and noted that it had been a long time since the Seekers had last been active, and so she decided to tell them more about it.
She explained that the Seekers searched for ancient artifacts, most of which had been left behind all over Grandis by the Ancient Gods. She added that at one point, Grandis had been overflowing with artifacts of great power, and that it would be a shame to leave them alone.
She told the Adversary that the Seekers had many reasons to find those artifacts, whether it be wealth, power, or something more. As the artifacts had immense power, they could make their owner a king, or even destroy an entire nation overnight. However, she added that finding such artifacts wasn’t easy.
She explained that every Seeker had their own reasons for finding ancient artifacts, noting that they must have their reasons for finding traces of the Ancient Gods, adding that she wouldn’t bother asking, laughing that she wasn’t even curious enough to know. She told them that the Seekers had many different ways in which they searched for ancient artifacts, such as exploring ancient ruins or tracking down leads on where those artifacts might be hidden.
She explained that some Seekers worked in teams, while others chose to work alone. She added that even affiliation was varied, with some Seekers like herself working for themselves, and others being hired to find ancient artifacts for someone else. She pointed out that if the Adversary were to become a Seeker, they didn’t have to team up with her, as they could simply continue on their journey to find traces of the Ancient Gods and share any information that they learned. Likewise, she offered to share any information that she and the other Seekers learned.
After the Adversary accepted her offer, Blanc told them that she would begin the test to determine whether they were skilled enough to be a Seeker, jokingly asking whether they had thought that it would be easy to be a Seeker simply because they wanted to.
She sent the Adversary to Nell, who greeted them and explained that though it felt awkward to say it after they were the ones who had suggested it, he told the Adversary that not just anyone could become a Seeker. He decided to first test their survival skills, noting that though they had likely been on many wild adventures, the other Seekers had no way of knowing. Having heard about their skills from Rusty, he asked them to prove their strength by defeating the haywire robots on the desert train.
After the Adversary returned, Nell expressed his amazement at their skills, explaining that despite having wandered all over Grandis, he had never seen someone quite like them before. Unsure of how else to test them, he asked them to speak with Baz, who seemed to have come up with something. Baz was impressed with what he had heard from Nell, though he explained that strength alone wasn’t enough for a successful Seeker.
He told the Adversary that the most important qualities in a Seeker were insight and intuition for finding even the smallest clues, adding that the stronger the person, the less perceptive they were to such details. He then instructed them to return back to Karote, explaining that if they were able to learn the secret of Karote, then they might be able to discover something new as well. He added that Nicky disappearing without a word was also quite suspicious, and so he believed that there had to be something hidden in Karote.
The Adversary used the Arcus Gate to return to Karote, where they began investigating the completed tower. As they scaled up the steps, they attempted to interact with the statues of the tower creator, which had once taken them into a subspace filled with Guardians. However, upon examining the statues, they found that there was no power left within them, leaving Karote as nothing more than an ordinary tower.
They returned back to the hotel and spoke with Blanc, who asked them whether they had discovered anything. The Adversary told her that the tower had no secrets left, and that even its original power seemed to have vanished. Blanc then revealed that she had already known that the tower had nothing inside it, explaining that since the legendary Angler Company had sent a fleet of ships to Karote, and since several other investigation parties had passed by, she had hoped that there was something important still hidden there.
However, in the end, there had been nothing left there, with the only new information that she had learned being that even its mysterious power had vanished. She then laughed and asked the Adversary whether they were curious why the Seekers had given them a test to investigate Karote.
She explained that it had been more like a welcoming ceremony, as they had already known from the beginning that they would accept the Adversary into their ranks. She told them that they had already conquered Karote, the tower of legend, and so there was nothing else that they had to prove.
She then admitted that she had also hoped that they would be able to find a clue about Nicky’s whereabouts, since they had climbed up the tower with him, though she apologized that it had regrettably all been for nothing. After a pause, she hesitantly asked them whether they thought that Nicky might have died somewhere.
(A/N: Here, you get presented with two choices. The first option is to tell Blanc the truth about Nicky’s affiliation with the Angler Company and his fate. The second option is to hide the truth about Nicky and to promise that we’ll tell her if we learn anything more about where he is.
If you choose the first option, Blanc realizes that if we’re telling the truth, Nicky wasn’t really a Seeker, and that all his stories had been lies. She explains that she could tell that he had been hiding something, though it wasn’t something that she had given much thought to.
We then ask Blanc why she cares so much about Nicky, to which she explains that just like us, she had met Nicky in Arcus as well. She tells us that though it may seem strange to us, every Seeker runs away to find new adventures and chase after artifacts from their dreams, but eventually, they all really leave. She explains that she felt the same way about Nicky, whose eyes, despite shining, also seemed empty. She then thanks us for sharing the truth and says that she’ll tell the others.
If you choose the second option, she thanks us and then asks if we’d like to meet her brother with Nicky if we ever happen to find him. She explains that her brother is eight years old, and that he’s obsessed with Karote. She adds that he’s wanted to meet us ever since hearing about what we did.
After we reluctantly agree, she laughs that we seem to be the kind of person who has a hard time saying ‘no’. She then thanks us for deciding to work with them, explaining that they’re planning to base their activities in Arcus for the time being, and so she tells us to stop by Arcus if we learn anything new, and likewise, they’ll contact us through Rusty if they happen to learn anything.)
Odium, the Awakened Laboratory:
In an unknown location, Senya commanded her Lab Tech bot to play a recording marked TB-0024. The bot warned that the source of the recording was unverified and asked for confirmation if she still wanted to hear it, despite it posing a risk to system integrity. Senya commanded it to play the recording anyways, which prompted the bot to project a hologram of the Angler Company logo and play back a recording of Nicky’s phone call with their father as he fell off Karote.
As Senya listened to Nicky’s accusations, the bot interrupted and explained that it was receiving an emergency call from an unknown caller. A surprised Senya wondered whether it was from her father, and whether he had detected that she had hacked into communications. Senya was unnerved by Nicky’s claim that he had been programmed by their father and realized that the Angler family was just a group centered around their father, with even his children referring to each other as siblings merely for show.
Senya told the Lab Tech bot that she didn’t care whether Nicky had thought of her as family, as family was merely another code type to her. Nevertheless, she told the bot that she hadn’t wanted him to break the way that he had. In response to her words, the bot merely replied that it didn’t recognize her command, to which Senya laughed to herself that she was trying to have a chat with a glorified record player, adding that she must have picked up a bad habit from the old robots in Hotel Arcus.
Just as she told the bot that she would rather talk to it than Laha, Laha herself entered the room and demanded to know what she was mumbling to herself about when their father was trying to get a hold of her, adding that she hadn’t called Senya all the way just so that she could putt around in a corner. (A/N: Laha is Senya and Nicky’s younger sister and has the same blue hair and pink diamond-pupil eyes as the other Angler children.)
Laha then explained that their father had found something useful, for which he was on his way to Odium personally. Senya noted that it was good timing, as one of Darmoor’s Apostles was on her way there too, adding that between their father and the Apostle, the blocked door being guarded by Odium’s dolls would open soon enough. An annoyed Laha then ordered Senya to follow her if she understood the situation, as their father was waiting.
Meanwhile, the Adversary was called to Edelstein by Claudine, who explained that she had something important to share. At the Secret Plaza, Claudine greeted them warmly, noting that it had been a while since they had last spoken. She then laughed and added that she would have thought that they would be less busy after saving the world. Nevertheless, she thanked them for their actions, as Edelstein was now at peace because of them.
Claudine then explained that the Resistance had been trying to keep Edelstein safe and quiet. She told the Adversary that even after the Black Wings had been driven out of Edelstein following the Black Heaven incident, the threat of the Black Mage had forced them to divert their attention from rebuilding the town, despite them having reclaimed Edelstein and the Verne Mine. She explained that they had been putting off taking care of the city because of that, but with the Black Mage’s defeat, everyone was now working together to finally start the rebuilding effort.
(A/N: Main Resistance classes and Xenon get some exclusive dialogue here, in which Claudine tells them that she hopes that Edelstein’s local concerns hadn’t distracted them too much from saving the world. She then thanks them for all their help.)
However, Claudine admitted that they would never have everything quite the way it had been. She explained that aside from the property damage, the looting, and the mine having output issues, the people themselves had changed. She told the Adversary that many of their colleagues had gone missing, been injured, gone rogue, or been killed in the fight against the Black Wings and the Black Mage, with all of them leaving empty chairs, both big and small.
(A/N: Main Resistance classes and Xenon get some additional dialogue here, in which Claudine notes that they must already know what she’s talking about, as she’s sure that the situation is the same everywhere.)
Nevertheless, Claudine added that they still had to keep going anyways, vowing that they would fix and recover whatever they could. She explained that no matter how hard it was, they now had their freedom and their peace, and so she believed that everything would be okay.
(A/N: For the main Resistance and Xenon, Claudine instead says that the situation might be just as tough as before, though a different kind of tough. Nevertheless, she believes that they’ll be able to handle it. She adds that they hadn’t fought simply because it had been the right thing to do, to which the Resistance member agrees and notes that they had done it in order to win back their peace and freedom with their own hands.)
Just as she noted that they had many people to thank for securing that freedom, she caught herself and laughed that she was talking as though everything was over when the Adversary was still out fighting.
(A/N: Cygnus Knights get exclusive dialogue when Claudine talks about having many people to thank for securing Edelstein’s freedom. She explains that though she still hasn’t forgiven the Knights for their old betrayal, the Resistance would’ve lost if they had tried doing everything themselves. She notes that it must’ve been hard for the Knight especially, with reconciling between the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance, for which she thanks them. The dialogue then returns back to the generic script, with her noting that the Adversary is still out fighting.)
The Adversary explained that even with the Black Mage’s defeat, there were other threats that still existed. They added that any help from the Resistance could make a great difference, just as it had during the war against the Black Mage. Claudine paused hesitantly before explaining that the Resistance had come together for individual freedom, not for any great cause.
She added that they had only just gotten that freedom back, and so asking them to help outsiders now was just too soon. However, she conceded that it would be good to think about bringing freedom outside Edelstein together, as no one could empathize with oppression better than they could. Claudine then realized that she had gotten off-track and explained that the reason why she had called them was because the Resistance had finished their check-up on Cosim, whom the Adversary had brought in after the mission to Karote.
(A/N: I was surprised that we ended up going back to Maple World after our trip to Karote. Since Cosim had led us right to the doorstep of Odium, I was sure that we would’ve gone there immediately. Although, I guess it makes sense that we wouldn’t enter Odium so haphazardly when Neinheart had mentioned a couple of times in the Karote storyline that they weren’t prepared for a long-term expedition.
Interestingly, GMS has continued to use gender-neutral pronouns to refer to Cosim, although satsu, who does excellent translations of KMS storylines very soon after they come out, has confirmed that Cosim is canonically male in KMS.)
Claudine and the Adversary then went to the medical room, where the other Resistance leaders greeted them. Checky then asked Wendelline whether he was right in his assessment about Cosim. Wendelline confirmed that he was right, adding that Cosim needed a doctor, not a mechanic. She told the group that she had never seen anything like Cosim before, as his internal organs looked as though they had been created out of machinery and assembled together to function like human organs. However, she added that no human could possibly have survived the damage that he had sustained.
Upon taking a closer look at Cosim, the Adversary was surprised to see that his grey hair and round pupils were oscillating between their current state and the blue hair and diamond pupils that Senya and Nicky had. Checky admitted that Resistance technology wasn’t always top-of-the-line, adding that his repairs hadn’t been effective. He explained that it was a miracle that Cosim was functioning at all, likening his injuries to a busted heart or crushed lungs in humans.
Belle added that it also seemed that most of Cosim’s injuries had been sustained in an explosion. She explained that though Cosim was supposedly a child of the Angler Company founder, she found it strange that the Company founder wouldn’t take better care of his children. She noted that Cosim’s damage was old, meaning that he should have had plenty of time to have gotten repaired. Elex then suggested that it was possible that the explosion had made that impossible. Brighton agreed, adding that Cosim could have been damaged in the same explosion that had destroyed Company headquarters.
The Adversary asked Brighton whether he thought that Cosim might have been involved in the explosion, to which Brighton noted that Cosim seemed to have a habit of getting involved in things. Suddenly, the Adversary recalled how T-Boy had said the same thing about Cosim, and how he had been sure that Cosim would help them. They then wondered what that said about Cosim and the Angler Company.
Claudine told the Adversary that according to rumors, the Company had been facing a run of bad luck. She then asked whether Neinheart had told them anything about it, to which the Adversary replied that Neinheart had mentioned that the Cygnus Knights were also looking into it. Claudine explained that when they had attempted to interrogate Cosim, he hadn’t provided any clear answers, especially about the Company. However, she believed that he might talk to them and allowed them to speak with him privately.
(A/N: Something funny that happened in the KMS test server was that after this cutscene between the Adversary and the Resistance finishes, the player returns back to the Resistance infirmary room map with Cosim’s NPC. However, the version of the infirmary room that was used was the one from after completing the Evolution Lab prequest, and so there was a comatose Orchid lying in bed in the background while we talk to Cosim. This was corrected by the time that Odium was officially released.)
The Adversary greeted Cosim and thanked him for helping them at Karote. When they asked whether he was feeling better, Cosim replied that everything was fine, and that the rest of his damage needed to stay unrepaired.
(A/N: If the player has completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes, the Adversary notes to themselves that Cosim’s voice seems strange no matter how many times they hear it, which is a reference to how his voice occasionally trails off into mumbles. They think to themselves that when they had first met him in Savage Terminal, they had thought that it had been because of his helmet, but they now realize that it’s because of his injuries. Considering that Checky mentioned that Cosim has the human equivalent of broken lungs, it’s not hard to imagine why his breathing must have been affected.)
Cosim explained that his body had been designed by “that man”, adding that he would function as designed if he were to return to peak condition, and so it would be best for him to remain in his damaged state. He then explained that he was not the only one who had been damaged, adding that the same explosion had critically damaged the same man. When the Adversary asked whom he was referring to, Cosim told them that it was the man whom Nicky had spoken of, causing them to realize that Cosim was talking about his father.
The Adversary then asked to clarify that he was referring to the explosion at the Angler Company headquarters, which was the same explosion that had driven the Company underground. However, when they asked him whether he had anything to do with the explosion, Cosim remained silent on the matter. He then explained that his father had lost his power source in the explosion, and that he needed a vast quantity of energy in order to recover.
(A/N: When Cosim says this, there are two pieces of exclusive dialogue that can trigger.
If the player has completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes, we’ll recall how Senya had created a device to turn the waters of Savage Terminal into acid, which would boil away all the impurities on the moon, leaving behind a perfect source of energy, which we realize was meant to sustain her father.
If the player has completed Reverse City, we’ll recall T-Boy’s experiments to harvest Erda from the upstream of the Arcane River, which we realize was meant to collect energy for his father.
Depending on which of these storylines that you’ve played, it’s possible to get one, both, or none of these exclusive dialogues.)
Cosim added that his father would do absolutely anything to restore himself to full functionality, even sending his broken children into harm’s way, knowing full well that they would be targeted if any of them were spotted and caused rumors to spread that the Angler family was still alive. He explained that just as he had feared, the God-King of the High Flora, Gerand Darmoor, had personally sought out the Company after hearing the rumors. Darmoor had then told the Angler family about the existence of a new Adversary in possession of a Seal Stone.
Cosim then paused and told the Adversary that they had a visitor. Just then, Brighton entered the room and explained that someone from the Cygnus Knights had just arrived who wanted to speak to them urgently. The Adversary stepped out and was surprised to find that Oz had arrived at the Secret Plaza. Oz greeted the Adversary and explained that the Cygnus Knights’ reconnaissance team had just returned back from surveying the wreckage of Karote, and that they had reported that the tower had rebuilt itself.
Belle noted that it made sense, as the destruction of Guardian Kalos meant that there was nothing stopping the tower from remaining complete. She then asked if it meant that the laboratory was open now. Oz explained that it was possible, and that she also had more bad news. She explained that right after the Glory Guard had retreated after defeating Kalos, their scouts had spotted anglerfish-shaped airships moving in on Karote. She added that if the scouts were right, it meant that the Angler Company was moving in on Odium as they spoke.
The Adversary then recalled what they knew of Odium - that it was a laboratory hidden in the sky where most of the Adversaries had been born. (A/N: Some Adversaries, like the First Explorer, were likely created outside the laboratory.) Though they still weren’t sure who had built it, or why, or even what had happened there, they remembered how T-Boy’s father had mentioned that the experiments in Odium had been painful. They recalled how the researchers of Odium had used living beings as tools, and how they had literally thrown their experiments out the laboratory if they were defective.
They then recalled how after some time, the researchers had eventually emptied the laboratory and left forever, which was how Odium had been shut down, possibly forever. The Adversary also recalled how T-Boy had called the researchers ‘old geezers’. Oz then told the Adversary that she had sought them out because of a fugitive that she and the Blaze Wizards had been chasing. She explained that they had lost the fugitive’s trail right near Karote before revealing that the person whom they had been trailing was Kaling.
(A/N: Hoyoung has some exclusive dialogue here, in which he’s shocked to hear about Kaling and wonders what she would want all the way up there. Taotie then emerges from Hoyoung and tells him that he ought to be careful, as there’s going to be trouble at the laboratory. Hoyoung teases Taotie for sounding afraid and asks if he’s suggesting that they give up in advance. Taotie gets annoyed, but he silently notes to himself that Kaling seems to want the Four Perils so badly that she’s even going to the laboratory herself. He then hopes to himself that he’s wrong about what it is that he thinks that Kaling is after.
Lara also has some exclusive dialogue here, although she just wonders whether Kaling has gone to Karote in order to reach the laboratory.)
The Adversary then recalled that Oz had once mentioned that there was a chance that Kaling was associated with Darmoor. As Darmoor and the Company founder were doing business together, they noted that they would finally be able to see how Kaling fit into the mix. Oz then explained that the Empress had sent her in order to aid them, as well as to ask the Resistance for their help too.
Claudine suggested that Brighton, a fellow mage, accompany Oz and told them that they ought to hurry, as even with the dimensional boundaries between their worlds broken, the deserts of Grandis would still take a while to get to. Cosim then appeared and told them that he could help them with that, as he could teleport four people to Odium right away, including himself. The Adversary asked if he would be alright, as he was still recovering. Cosim replied that though he wouldn’t be able to stay for long, he would still be functional enough for the journey.
Cosim then teleported them to the top of Karote, where Oz marveled at being able to see such a large artifact. Brighton agreed, adding that any magician would be excited to see something like Karote. He noted that Guardian Kalos had to have been quite formidable to knock the tower down over and over again.
The Adversary then noticed a series of steps that led to the entrance of Odium. Cosim told the Adversary that he wouldn’t be able to go any further, to which the Adversary asked if he was worried about running into his family. Cosim confirmed their suspicions, though he told them not to worry, as he had called someone stronger to help them, adding that they would find him inside the door.
Before he left, Cosim also warned the group about the mechanical dolls that the researchers had created to filter out intruders. When Oz asked him what he meant by ‘filter out’, Cosim explained that the researchers hadn’t simply abandoned the laboratory, but rather, they had converted all of Odium into a machine that could continue running without them, with the dolls being placed to eternally watch over the laboratory.
Oz realized that if the researchers’ guards were still in Odium, then their research might still be there too, as she couldn’t think of any other reason why they would still maintain the laboratory. She then asked Cosim whether by ‘dolls’, he meant to say golems, to which Brighton added that he had been thinking of androids, as well as the implications of their operation. He noted that it took a considerable amount of energy to power just one mechanical doll, let alone an army of them, and wondered what could possibly be powering them all. He then added that it reminded him of what Gelimer had wanted from the Verne Mine.
Oz also wondered why the researchers had even left in the first place, as it would have been far simpler for them to have stayed if they had wanted to keep Odium operational, rather than building and powering so many dolls. She noted that the researchers must have had a good enough reason to leave. Cosim then explained that, in a sense, the dolls were merely components of the larger machine, and that Odium’s backbone was somewhere deep inside the laboratory, with only the researchers knowing where or what it was.
The Adversary realized that Cosim was talking about Odium’s power source. They then recalled how he had mentioned that the Company founder had lost his power source, and that his children were searching for a replacement. Brighton realized that the Angler Company was likely attempting to steal the power source for the Company founder. Oz noted that the Company founder also wanted the power of the Adversary, as Odium was where Adversaries had been made, meaning that the founder’s goals could be related to that too.
Brighton complimented Oz for her sharp thinking and told her that he was glad that the Cygnus Knights had sent her out, adding that he believed that she would help them out a lot. (A/N: The way that I started shipping Oz and Brighton over a single sentence. Belle will never recover from this betrayal.) Cosim then told the Adversary that he had shared everything that he knew and wished them luck, adding that he hoped to see them next time.
After Cosim teleported away, the Glory Guard arrived in Odium, which was filled with holographic plants and several Guardians that the Adversary recognized from Karote. Oz recognized the Guardians from Neinheart’s report, which had explained that the researchers had made them to bring in potential Vessels of the Adversary. The Adversary noted that the Guardians looked slightly different, though they realized that it was likely because the ones that they had seen in Karote had been modified by the Company founder.
As they moved closer, they realized that the Guardians had been reprogrammed to obey the Angler Company. Just then, the Guardians detected a life force and moved in on a man with cybernetic Anima features in the form of rabbit ears and a tiger tail. The Guardians analyzed the man and detected no anglerfish insignia on him, which caused them to identify him as an enemy.
As the Guardians began to attack, the man cried out for help and the Adversary decided to save him. However, Oz reminded them that according to Cosim, there were no humans left in Odium, meaning that the man was just a mechanical doll. However, the Adversary replied that regardless, the man had called out for help. Brighton noted that they were about to face a battle no matter what, and that they might as well help if they could.
The Glory Guard moved in and destroyed the Guardians, after which the man thanked them for saving him.
(A/N: Hoyoung and Lara have some exclusive dialogue here, in which they both wonder whether the man an Anima. Lara gets some additional dialogue, in which Brighton reminds her that the man is a doll, not a person.
Explorers also get some exclusive dialogue, in which they notice the man’s ears before apologizing for staring, explaining that they have a friend who has animal ears like his, which is a reference to Rondo. The man is intrigued and replies that he finds it more surprising that they don’t have ears like his, adding that everyone in his village have ears and a tail like his.)
The man then asked the Adversary who they were and how they had come through the door before realizing that they were a Vessel, adding that there was one amongst the intruders as well. He realized that the Adversary was the one who had defeated Guardian Kalos and introduced himself as Alter, one of the Constables who looked after Odium. He then greeted them as the Vessel of an Adversary, explaining that he was under the impression that their kind had gone extinct after the researchers had decommissioned every model at the end of the war.
Confused, the Adversary asked him which war he was talking about, to which Alter explained that it was the war to slay the last god left in the world, adding that they must have heard of it. The Adversary then realized that Alter was referring to the war against the Ancient Gods. Alter told the Adversary that after the Ancient War, the researchers had disappeared in accordance to the will of the world, hoping to wash away the sins that they had committed in the laboratory.
(A/N: I have no idea what’s happened to the GMS translation team, but ever since the Destiny update, they’ve been doing a terrible job with translating the KMS dialogue. Historically, they’ve always been really bad at it, given how many notes I make about GMS omitting important dialogue in previous sections, but their work after Destiny is significantly even worse.
In GMS, Alter’s dialogue is just: “After the war, the researchers shut down their experiments and sequestered themselves from the world,” which omits the line about how they had disappeared in accordance to the “will of the world”, which is another way that the game refers to the Overseers, with the lore implication being that the Overseers themselves were the ones who had ordered the elders to abandon Odium. There’s another omitted detail later on that also explains how the will of the world had tasked the elders with conducting the Adversary experiments in the first place.
The translation team has a long history of omitting out many important plot points in the past, such as the First Explorer explaining that his power had been given to him by the Overseers, or the Cygnus Knight story revamp omitting entire sentences of text that were meant to give important context about the Ancient Gods.
I understand that some things get lost in translation, but that’s not a good excuse for them to just leave out important pieces of story altogether. I use the camera feature of Google Translate to translate new stories when they come out, and so I’m aware of the gist of what the direct KMS text is saying, but the vast majority of people who will only ever read the GMS text will just never get to see crucial pieces of story, and then they’ll just be completely lost when these little details are brought up in future content.
Aside from the glaring lore omissions, there are lots of smaller issues that constantly crop up. I mentioned in the Karote section about how the team’s mistranslation created a continuity error with how the Interdimensional Portals are created. On top of everything else, there are so many basic mistakes that have been pile up from Destiny onwards, like improper grammar, spelling, and especially capitalization, all of which could easily have been caught and fixed. The word “Vessel” is capitalized so inconsistently that it’ll be spelled both lowercase and uppercase in the very same conversation. Proper nouns like “God-King” and “Transcendent” are spelled lowercase, despite having been established terms for years.
I don’t want to blindly accuse the translation team alone of doing a bad job when it’s entirely possible that they’ve just been given limited information to work with by Nexon, as is the case with a lot of localization teams in other games. At the same time, I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes at Nexon, and so there’s just as good a chance that the localization team actually is at fault. Regardless of who it is, though, I just want there to be a better means of communication with them.
I’ve been in touch with PirateIzzy, who also sends feedback along with me to GMS in order to address not just story issues, but bugs and mistakes, and while some of that feedback does get acknowledged, a vast majority of it is just me screaming into the empty void of player feedback. I think that all of us are aware about how terrible Nexon is with taking feedback, which makes me wish that there was at least some acknowledgement, if nothing else, that the stuff that players are catching is actually being sent to the relevant groups internally, since it really deters people from wanting to keep reporting issues when no one seems to be listening and nothing seems to get changed.)
Alter also explained that the researchers had left Kalos and the other Guardians on watch, while the Constables maintained order, as they had hoped that it would be enough to keep their technology out of the wrong hands. However, after Kalos had fallen, strange airships had appeared in the sky, with the intruders somehow knowing exactly what they were looking for. He explained that the intruders had spread out and had taken the residential district with precision tactics and coordination, reprogramming the Guardians to turn on the Constables.
Brighton asked if the technology in the laboratory was still intact, to which Alter replied that the intruders had only taken the residential district, with the laboratory still remaining secure. He explained that several Constables had barricaded themselves inside, where they were devising a strategy to retake the residential district. However, he added that the intruders had captured multiple Constables, who were being interrogated as they spoke. He explained that he had managed to escape from their interrogations, though he expected that the intruders would soon find him.
Alter told the Adversary that he had hoped to find a way to reboot the Guardians and restore their previous firmware, though he had instead run into them. He noted that a Vessel arriving in Odium at such a moment was a highly improbably contradiction, and that the researchers would have called it destiny.
The Adversary then told Alter that there was a corrupted Transcendent in the world down below, and that they had come in search of the power of the Adversary in order to stop him. Alter suggested that they visit the residential district as their first stop, explaining that the other Constables would accept them as he had, as they were a true Vessel, and one from outside the laboratory, at that.
Alter then asked the Adversary to clear a path, and so the Adversary fought through the Enhanced Olivine Guardians and the Enhanced Diamond Guardians. Just as they began moving forward, Oz heard the sound of machines approaching. Alter realized that the intruders had arrived and suggested that they hide. They then saw Senya and Laha appear with fortified Angler Company robots.
Upon witnessing some of the Guardians exploding, Laha noted that she had thought that someone was destroying the Guardians, though she was unimpressed to find that they were merely self-destructing because of conflicts in their systems, adding that the researchers were foolish for having made so many ‘junk robots’. Laha then asked Senya whether Darmoor’s Apostle was here yet, adding that since she knew how to enter the laboratory, they ought to call her and quit wasting their time.
Senya told Laha to be patient, reminding her that their father had warned them not to push Darmoor, as he was an important client. She added that their father’s words were applicable to Darmoor’s people as well, and that while she didn’t care whether Laha destroyed all the Constables, she reminded her sister to watch her attitude, warning that there would otherwise be trouble.
She also reminded Laha of what their father did to things that he couldn’t control, to which Laha angrily told Senya to be quiet, threatening to rip out her memory chip and toss it into the sea before storming away. As Senya watched Laha leave, she noted to herself that she was sure that their father had heard their conversation. (A/N: There’s quite a bit of foreshadowing in this storyline to the point that it’s well worth rewatching it twice in order to pick up details that were missed the first time.)
Alter was shocked to know that the enemy knew of a way to open the door, and that they wished to destroy all the Constables. Just as Oz began wondering who the Apostle of Darmoor could be, Senya called out to the Glory Guard and asked them to reveal themselves, promising that her sister was gone. She then brightly smiled at the Adversary and asked how they had been, noting that she hadn’t expected them to arrive so soon. She then knowingly asked whether somebody had helped them along, though she added that they likely wouldn’t tell her who it was anyways.
The Adversary ignored her question and instead noted that the girl whom she had been speaking with was her sister. Senya introduced her sister as Laha Angler, adding that they likely hadn’t met before. She joked that Laha was a simpleton who never listened to her, adding that, as an older sister, she worried about Laha a lot. She noted that her little brother didn’t listen either, though he had at least been cute. She admitted that his face had been ugly, though she regretted making fun of him for it. (A/N: This is likely a reference to the scar that Nicky received from Barr’s gunshot in Reverse City.)
The Adversary then realized that Senya was referring to T-Boy, and that if the Company didn’t retrieve him, then it likely meant that he hadn’t survived the fall off Karote.
(A/N: GMS localized this as the Adversary noting that Senya talking about T-Boy in the past tense means that he likely didn’t survive. I really don’t like this translation because it omits the implication that T-Boy’s body wasn’t found, which hints that he’s alive. Even without this hint, however, it’s almost certain that he’s not dead. Nicky was built with the same materials that his father was built with, and his father survived the fall from Karote multiple times after Kalos destroyed the tower.)
Senya then warned the Adversary that they should stay out of Laha’s way, as Laha wasn’t one to use her words to express herself. She then noticed Alter and recognized him as a doll created by the ‘old men’. She laughed that the Adversary was the same as they had been back in the desert, still getting attached to lifeless objects.
(A/N: If the player has completed Detective Rave’s Case Notes, Senya will instead say that we’re the same as we had been back in the sewers and the desert. She adds that it makes sense, given our history, and calls us “Watson”, which is what we were called while assisting Detective Rave.)
She then amusedly noted that they ought to stop trusting people before thanking them for cheering her up. With that, she decided to take her leave, explaining that she was busy enough with her father’s work that she would look the other way while they left, adding that they wouldn’t change anything by sticking around anyways. After Senya left, the Glory Guard headed through the doors and entered the residential district.
There, they encountered two more Constables with mechanical Anima features named Sya-sya and Kaya. Alter introduced the Adversary as a true Vessel, to which Kaya noted that their presence indicated an unprecedented level of activity in the world down below. Sya-sya added that Guardian Kalos and his subordinates were down, the laboratory was under threat, and a true Vessel had appeared, causing her to wonder whether the researchers were aware about those developments.
Alter then asked Sya-sya and Kaya to let the other Constables know that they were all in danger, as he had overheard the intruders mention that they had found someone who could reach the laboratory, meaning that they had no use for the Constables anymore. Sya-sya was shocked, realizing that it could only mean that they had brought one of the researchers, noting that such a thing would be impossible. Kaya noted that it wasn’t necessarily impossible, and that if it was true, then they were all in danger.
Kaya asked about the Constables in the laboratory, as well as the test subjects inside. Alter replied that their investigation was still pending, after which he suggested to the Adversary that they enter the laboratory together, as it would help them in their research to learn more about the power of the Adversary. He also added that he would be unable to reach the laboratory without them.
The Adversary asked where the laboratory was, to which Alter pointed out the gold-roofed complex in the distance. He explained that the researchers slept in the red-roofed buildings in the residential district and worked in the gold-roofed complex. He told the Adversary that in his caretaker duties, he had spotted traces of the researchers’ work still in the laboratory, which he believed would contain the answers that they were looking for.
Alter then explained that there used to be stairs in the center of the village that led up to the laboratory, though the Constables in the laboratory had deactivated them as part of their barricade. Though there was another way inside, he explained that the path was blocked by Angler Company robots. With no other choice, the Glory Guard decided to head the long way, where they found a huge number of Company robots occupying the route. The Adversary then suggested that Brighton and Oz attack from both sides, while they and Alter distract the enemy.
(A/N: Battle Mages and Blaze Wizards get some exclusive dialogue here, in which either Brighton or Oz, depending on the player’s job instructor, will praise their skills and note that they’ve been a good student.)
The Adversary then fought through the robots, with Alter noting that their combat skills were practically immeasurable. Suddenly, Laha arrived and smugly declared that she had been right to think that something was off. She recognized the Adversary as the famed warrior of the Alliance who had been giving her family difficulties. However, she laughed and added that she wasn’t mad about it, as she hated her family anyways. Upon seeing how unimpressive the Adversary appeared, Laha expressed her disappointment in her siblings for failing to defeat them.
Laha proudly proclaimed that she was different from her siblings, adding that her father should have sent her in the first place. She explained that she was 100% android, and that if she had been sent instead, not only would Kalos have been subdued, but unlike Nicky, she would never have allowed the Adversary to escape. Her face then contorted in anger as she declared that Nicky had gotten off easy. She promised the Adversary that if they ever ran into her father, they would undoubtedly wish that they had died at Karote.
The Adversary then yelled for Alter to get back as Laha shot a blast of energy from her exosuit. Laha claimed that her attack had been self-defense, as she had been ordered to guard the door to the gold-roofed complex. She then told the Adversary that whatever happened next was on them before threateningly declaring that she wasn’t as careful as she should be with human bones. However, she promised that she wouldn’t kill them, at least not yet.
The Adversary then faced off against Laha and managed to defeat her after a fierce battle. Laha was shocked that she had been beaten, and upon realizing that they didn’t even have the Godsphere, she declared that they had no right to even call themselves an Adversary before mocking them, claiming that they weren’t as special as they were said to be after all.
(A/N: The Godsphere is how GMS has decided to localize the term “spear of god” in KMS, which refers to the original Seal Stones created by the elders. At first, I thought that the translators had chosen to translate it as “Godsphere” instead of “Godspear” because the direct phonetic translation of both words is exactly the same in Korean, which doesn’t differentiate between the different “ph” sounds in each word. However, I later learned that KMS uses the actual Korean word for “spear”, meaning that the original name for the Seal Stones is undoubtedly “spear of god”.
I think that I might know why they decided to go with Godsphere instead of Godspear. At the end of this storyline, the Adversary is presented with a round Godsphere, which has been degraded from overuse. The GMS translation team likely localized it as Godsphere because they saw the shape and assumed that all Godspheres exist in the shape of a sphere.
Later on, we learn that this Godsphere isn’t even a Godsphere, but rather, it’s the World Heart - the original template upon which the actual Godspheres were based on, just like the Seal Stones. Because of this, it makes even less sense to call it a Godsphere when we haven’t actually seen any real Godspheres in the story to label them all as spherical.)
Laha angrily asked what her siblings and her father saw in them when Oz and Brighton rushed to the scene and found the Adversary and Alter facing off against Laha. Alter then told them to hurry, as they now had a chance to open the door. He told the Adversary that since they were a Vessel, no door in Odium would stay locked for them.
Just as the Glory Guard opened the door and headed inside, Alter asked the Adversary to let the other Constables know that the residential district was still in danger. The Adversary immediately realized that Alter was planning to face Laha alone in order to buy them time and urged them not to. However, Alter told them that he had done nothing but stay behind them ever since they had met. He then asked to be allowed to correct that error and fulfill his duties as a Constable.
Upon realizing that the door had been opened, Laha angrily ordered Alter to get out of her way, though he continued distracting her long enough for the Adversary to make it through. From a distance, Senya observed what was happening and thought to herself that she had, after all, warned them not to cross Laha before silently noting to her father that they were on schedule. Meanwhile, the Glory Guard climbed up the steps to the laboratory and encountered three Constables named Na-Sol, Haram, and Aro. Na-Sol was shocked that they had gotten through the door and demanded to know whether the intruders had sent them.
The Adversary explained that the Constables had sent them from the residential district in order to request reinforcements. Na-Sol recognized that the Adversary was another Vessel and realized that their presence was why the door had opened. However, he then asked the Adversary whether they expected him to believe that they had met more Constables in the residential district, as they hadn’t had any contacts from the residential district since they had shut down the stairs. He added that the last Constable who had escaped from there was sick with guilt over it as they spoke.
Suddenly, Tai Yu appeared and told Na-Sol that though he understood how he felt, he cautioned him against jumping to conclusions. He then added that he could personally vouch for the Adversary. Noting that it was their first time meeting, Tai Yu warmly greeted them.
(A/N: Hoyoung has some exclusive dialogue here, in which Tai Yu will tell Na-Sol that he’s Hoyoung’s Master, and that he had helped Hoyoung out with a few things as well. Hoyoung is understandably very shocked to see his Master after so many years.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue, in which Tai Yu will tell Na-Sol that he once met Lara down in the world below, and that he’s helped her out with a few things too.)
Tai Yu explained that he was nobody special, and that he had just happened to be passing by when someone had asked him to lend them a hand. An unconvinced Brighton sardonically asked whether he just happened to be in the area, though the Adversary pointed out that Cosim had mentioned that he would send someone else to help them.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here. After he recalls that Cosim had sent someone to help them, he notes that he hadn’t expected that the help that Cosim had sent would be his Master. He confronts Tai Yu, claiming that he hadn’t even explained where he was going after leaving the Hermitage, and asks what he’s doing all the way out in Odium. Oz asks Hoyoung if he knows Tai Yu, to which Hoyoung explains that he’s the famous sage, Tai Yu, who’s also his Master.
He then adds that Tai Yu had left him alone in the Hermitage before disappearing and asks Tai Yu if he has any idea how worried he was. Tai Yu laughs and says that there’s no need to shout, noting that Hoyoung is looking healthy. He asks Hoyoung how he’s been, noting that he doesn’t seem to be afraid of getting scolded anymore. He then smiles and adds that it looks like Hoyoung is all grown up now. Hoyoung then asks him how he knows Cosim, which leads into the generic script below.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue here. She thanks him for helping her last time, adding that thanks to him, she’s been able to keep the bell safe. She recalls how he had told her that they would meet again after she learned to wield the bell properly and smiles brightly that his words had come true. Tai Yu notes that she’s helped a lot of people on her journey, even going so far as to help another dimension. He adds that she’s been working hard and laughs that his apprentice ought to be taking notes from her.)
Tai Yu explained that he sometimes bumped into Cosim during their work for the elders. He added that though the ‘old geezers’ wouldn’t like him helping the Adversary, there was nothing that he could do about it, as he could afford to deal with the consequences later if the Adversary was the one in trouble.
Na-Sol then asked whether it was true that there were still active Constables in the residential district, to which Aro mentioned that they ought to tell Winnie, as he would be happy to hear it. However, Na-Sol nevertheless believed that the residential district was a lost cause, adding that false hope wouldn’t do them any good. Oz then explained that the Angler Company was trying to open the door to the laboratory by interrogating the Constables in the residential district.
Brighton added that since their interrogation had failed, the Company had brought in someone from outside. Oz and the Adversary then concluded that Kaling was the one whom the Company had called in. Na-Sol was surprised, adding that he had never thought that he would hear that name again. Haram was equally shocked and noted that it couldn’t be her, as the elders had sealed her before they had left. Aro then realized that her seal must have degraded over time.
When the Adversary asked if they knew Kaling, Aro explained that Kaling was one of their creators, and that she had been the sweetest person in the laboratory when they had known her.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Taotie emerges and notes that he was right earlier about Kaling’s goals. Hoyoung is surprised that Taotie, of all people, knows something that he doesn’t before asking how it is that he’s the only one out of the loop. Taotie replies that his own memory is still a bit fuzzy about the whole thing, and that there’s nothing helpful that he could share anyways. He then adds that if he’s right, then Hoyoung will see it all himself soon enough. After Taotie disappears, Hoyoung wonders what’s gotten into Taotie today before concluding that he’s still mad about Tai Yu sealing him away.)
Realizing that the Adversary didn’t know about Kaling’s history in Odium, Aro explained that the other researchers had left journal entries about her, and that they might find something useful if they could wade through the mess in the laboratory. She clarified that by ‘mess’, she was referring to the guards that the researchers had left behind. Brighton noted that it was obvious, as the researchers wouldn’t have left guards if there wasn’t anything to protect.
Aro explained that the guards also functioned as cleaners, which meant that they might have paper records mixed between them. She then gave the Adversary an intercom to stay in touch before they headed inside. Before the Adversary left, Aro told them that the records from April, June, and November were the most pertinent ones.
The Adversary first obtained the record from April, which described how the researchers had been created by the will of the world in order to put an end to the rampages of wild, unaccountable gods. The researcher explained that in order to confront the last god standing, they would unite the Godsphere with their Adversary of the Gods, whom they would awaken in Odium.
The researcher then wrote that though most of their Vessels came from outside Odium, some Vessels had been found amongst the researchers, such as Kaling. The researcher noted that despite Kaling’s scientific achievements, they had doubts about whether Kaling would be compatible with the Godsphere, and whether her body could withstand all the trials.
(A/N: The Shangri-La storyline reveals that this researcher was named Aroa, who was a close friend of Kaling and also the person upon whom Aro, the Constable that told us to find the research notes, was based on.)
The researcher described how they had once asked Kaling whether she was sure that she wanted to undergo the experiments. They had explained that the experiments would be extremely dangerous, and that she might live in pain for the rest of her life, if she lived at all. They had also told her that she would almost entirely lose her sense of self, such as her experiences and her memories of the people whom she loved, until there would be nothing left.
In the research notes, the Adversary read that there was a critical flaw in their methods, which was that Vessels in Odium lost their egos and, over the course of the repeated experiments and harsh trials, everything that made them human would be stripped away from them, such as their individuality and their values, with the sole exception of their desire to become an Adversary and their tenacity to fulfill their assigned destiny.
(A/N: This likely explains why Alter is so obsessed with returning to Odium and becoming an Adversary, as the experiments have psychologically warped him into believing that it’s his sole purpose in life, to the point that he won’t even accept that he’s a defective Vessel who’s fundamentally incompatible with the Godspheres.)
Kaling had happily told the researcher that though she understood the risks, there was no one in Odium who wanted peace more than her, adding that if she could contribute to even one step towards attaining that peace, she was content with becoming a test subject. The researcher then described how they had found themselves believing Kaling when she had told them that she would be okay.
The Adversary then obtained the record from June, in which the researcher wrote about how they had discovered that Kaling had created four small robots, which she had excitedly explained would be sent to the world below and consume fiends. She admitted that though the robots were small, they would become bigger by consuming little fiends, such as magpies and rats, until they would have hundreds stored inside them.
(A/N: These four robots are the Four Perils. I don’t know how I feel about the Four Perils being machines instead of living things because the idea of them being mechanical feels so strange when they behave a lot more like spirits by phasing through and dwelling inside someone’s body. I feel like I might’ve liked it better if they were monsters that Kaling created from Erda, which would’ve tied into her Erda fusion experiments in Yum Yum Island, as well as what the Memory Keeper said about the Goddesses having once taught people how to manipulate Erda in the distant past.
The reference to magpies and rats alludes to several fiends that we encountered in Hoyoung’s storyline, such as the giant magpie and the Rat Monster. Incidentally, Taotie never actually ate the Rat Monster. He explained in the story that he considered rats to be “lowly cuisine”, and it was later revealed that he had actually eaten the Flea Monster that was possessing the rat.)
The researcher had then asked what she was planning to do by gathering so many fiends. Kaling had replied that she would perform a new kind of experiment. She had explained that they had both the Vessels and the Godspheres, meaning that all they needed was a power source to make the Vessels stronger, adding that they would be able to create an extremely powerful Adversary through the combined life force of all the fiends inside the Four Perils.
(A/N: Kaling’s plan to inflate the power of an Adversary with the combined life force of hundreds of monsters is extremely reminiscent of the experiments that resulted in the creation of special Specters like Gilmore, which involved stuffing the host body with countless Specter souls from the Abyss.
The main difference between these two experiments seems to be that whereas Kaling’s plan was meant to augment the power of a being who already had a holy relic (the Godsphere), the Specter experiments were performed with the intent of allowing a mortal who otherwise had no means of killing immortal beings to trick the holy relics of the gods into recognizing them as their wielders, which would then enable them to kill the Ancient Gods with their own relics.)
The researcher had written that they shouldn’t have been surprised, and that they should have known what would happen. However, they had also written that no one had wanted to believe that Kaling - the best of them - had already begun to change, despite it being clear through her talk about creating sentient machines with their own egos designed to consume in order to gain power.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he recognizes the photo of the plushie-looking Taotie robot on Kaling’s desk. Taotie clarifies that he and the plush robot are technically different, as the plush was him from before he gained consciousness. A surprised Hoyoung asks him whether he’s going to turn back into a plush if he loses all his power, noting that Taotie had still been able to move when he had become small after losing all the fiends that he had consumed. Taotie explains that he can’t return back to being inert now that he’s gained sentience, adding that he wouldn’t want to either.)
The Adversary then read the final entry from November, in which the researcher had confronted Kaling, who had completely lost her sense of self because of the experiments. The researcher had told Kaling that people had started calling her four robots – Hundun, Qiongqi, Taowu, and Taotie – the Four Perils, which had become monsters that were hurting people all across Grandis.
(A/N: In the KMS test server, the artwork of Kaling shown in this scene depicted her right eye as orange, with the sclera colored black, just like how she appears in the present day. This image was changed when it was released in the official servers and showed both of her eyes to be blue. In the Shangri-La storyline, Kaling was shown to have her orange and black eyes when she was freed from her seal, and so I’d assume that the change in her eye color was because of the contamination - the phenomenon that eroded her humanity and ego.)
The researcher had told Kaling that her experiment was a failure and had ordered her to stop immediately. However, Kaling had told them to be silent, claiming that they had no right to decide whether her experiment had been a failure. She had mocked their belief that the Four Perils were hurting people all over Grandis, claiming that it hardly mattered when Grandis had a new war every other day. She had explained that Grandis was a deathtrap, and that it would have been the same, even without her robots.
Kaling had then told them to stand down and wait for a bit longer, claiming that her research would pay off once she combined the power of all the fiends, challenging them to call her experiment a failure then. In the notes, the researcher had written that Kaling’s experiment had been left unfinished, as before the Four Perils could gather enough power for her, the last remaining Ancient God had been forced into slumber at the end of the world.
(A/N: The Cernium storyline revealed that the final battle of the Ancient War took place on the land that Cernium was later built on, which literally exists at the end of the world, as it’s on the edge of the forgotten sea that bridges Maple World and Grandis.)
With the era of the Ancient Gods coming to an end, all the researchers - even the ones who had turned a blind eye to Kaling’s experiments - had agreed that the Four Perils needed to be stopped. The researcher wrote that Kaling had been sealed away in a place that the researchers could not reach, and in a way that left no trace. (A/N: It’s shown in the Shangri-La storyline that Kaling was sealed away within Odium itself.)
The researcher had then written that the Four Perils had been cleaned up by one of the last Vessels of Odium, with their research ending with yet another sin. Having finished reading all the records, the Adversary returned back to Tai Yu, who noted that judging by the look on their face, they had finished reading about Kaling. The Adversary asked him whether he already know what had happened in Odium, which Tai Yu confirmed, adding that he had been there before.
Upon recalling that he had arrived in Odium before they had, the Adversary realized that Tai Yu was a Vessel. Tai Yu confirmed their suspicions, though he added that he was a defective Vessel.
(A/N: Instead of having Tai Yu reveal that he’s a defective Vessel, the GMS localization decided to have him instead joke, “I’m not a ship, if that’s what you’re asking,” when we ask him if he’s a Vessel. Although Alter was thrown off the edge of Odium, neither Kaling nor Tai Yu were. Kaling was kept because she was a researcher, and while Tai Yu’s backstory is unknown, he was likely kept because he was useful to the elders.)
The Adversary noted that the research journal had mentioned that a Vessel had stopped the Four Perils and asked if he was the one who had done it. Tai Yu was amused that the records had noted all that down, though he claimed that it was ancient history now that Kaling and the Four Perils had awakened once again.
He revealed that Kaling had already acquired two of the Four Perils, though he added that the good news was that she would never have all four of them at once, as the elders had taken care of one, while the other had been sealed inside his apprentice, joking that his pupil was friendly enough to have won him over.
(A/N: Hoyoung actually has a completely different script after he returns back from the laboratory. Tai Yu asks him where he had run off to and jokingly asks if he’s incapable of staying in one spot. Hoyoung defensively retorts that he had only been off reading the research journals, to which Tai Yu notes that judging by the look on Hoyoung’s face, he hadn’t liked what he had read.
Hoyoung then notes that the records had mentioned that a Vessel had sealed the Four Perils away before explaining that he had been wondering how Tai Yu had gotten to Odium in the first place. He then asks Tai Yu whether he’s really a Vessel, to which Tai Yu replies that he is, though unlike Hoyoung, he’s only a defective Vessel. He then tells Hoyoung that no matter how hard Kaling tries, she’ll never be able to gather the Four Perils because one of them had been taken care of by the elders, while the other was clinging onto Hoyoung.
Taotie then emerges and angrily retorts that he’s not clinging and threateningly asks Tai Yu whether he’s asking to see the full power of the great Taotie that badly. Hoyoung then amusedly notes that Taotie is starting to sound like himself again, adding that he had been worried about Taotie for a while there.
Lara gets some exclusive dialogue after the generic dialogue between the Adversary and Tai Yu. After he explains how Kaling will never be able to assemble the Four Perils, Tai Yu points out the bell mysticant and tells her that if she hasn’t realized it yet, the bell had been created in Odium by the researchers, who had poured their efforts into it in an attempt to keep the contamination away. He adds that he doesn’t think that the researchers had ever believed that the bell would ring when they had made it.
The GMS localization was once again needlessly vague for this part and only said that the research team had built it as a “failsafe”. A failsafe for what? Who knows? Clearly not the GMS playerbase if this is all that we have to go on. I’ve seen people mistakenly believe that by “failsafe”, the writers had meant for the bell to act as a backup power source for Odium, which makes me seriously wonder how GMS Nexon could be this bad at its job.
That aside, there’s also a cool Easter egg hidden inside the laboratory for Lara to find. After this conversation, if you’re playing as Lara and you go to the map “Sunny Laboratory 3”, you’ll find something that looks like a tank filled with pieces of metal floating in liquid. After you click on the tank, Lara will remember what Tai Yu had told her about the bell being created in Odium. She realizes that the tank is where it had been made, with the pieces of metal being leftover pieces from its creation.
Lara notes that someone’s heart must have desperately hoped for the bell to successfully ring, even after countless failures. She then tells herself that though she doesn’t fully understand everything that’s happened, she vows that she’ll never give up, and that she’ll make sure that the sound of the bell ringing will resonate far and wide.)
Aro then interrupted and asked the Adversary about what had happened in the residential district, explaining that the last Constable who had escaped wanted to speak with them. Aro introduced them to Winnie, a Constable who looked like a little boy. Na-Sol explained that Winnie was the one who had deactivated the stairs between the town and the laboratory, and that he had been by himself until the Adversary had come along. Na-Sol began telling the Adversary that Winnie still hadn’t told them what he had seen in the residential district when Haram interrupted.
Haram told them that before they continued, he wanted to tell them that the Constables were ready to help, and that they were even planning to power the stairs back up fairly soon. Na-Sol added that though they were merely dolls built to serve a purpose, they had all been together for a long time, and so they needed to look out for each other. Winnie then spoke up and asked the Adversary if they were the one who had mentioned that there were still Constables in the residential district.
When the Adversary confirmed that there were, Winnie accused them of lying, claiming that it was impossible. He explained that when he had shut down the stairs, he had seen all power to the residential district being cut, resulting in not just the lights shutting down, but the Constables themselves. He then noted that despite having been in Odium for so many years, none of them had any idea that the entire residential district’s power switched off if it wasn’t connected to the laboratory.
(A/N: Right after Winnie says this, the scene cuts over to a shot of the residential district, in which all the Constables are powered off and lying dormant on the ground. Amidst them all, a powered-off Alter suddenly awakens and his blue eyes start glowing pink.)
Winnie explained that because of the power being cut, it wasn’t possible that the Adversary could have met any Constables there, adding that any Constables that were still intact would have been in sleep mode. Oz insisted that they had, in fact, met several Constables, including one named Alter, whom she explained had helped them reach the laboratory.
A surprised Aro replied that all the Constables knew each other, and that there was no one named Alter in Odium. Confused, Brighton wondered how that fit with all that they had seen in the residential district. Oz pointed out that the Angler Company had tried hacking Kalos, and that though the Company hadn’t been successful, they had managed to take him over for a short time. She noted that the Constables were physically weaker than Kalos, meaning that their cybersecurity might be weaker too, such that the Company could have taken them over completely.
At her words, Brighton realized that everything and everyone whom they had seen in the residential district had been controlled by the Angler Company. The Adversary immediately realized that they had been tricked, but just as they began warning the Constables not to power the stairs, the stairs were suddenly powered on as Kaling appeared, floating down from the sky on her umbrella onto one of the roofs.
(A/N: For all classes who aren’t Hoyoung and Lara, if the player hasn’t completed Yum Yum Island, Kaling will note that they haven’t met and introduces herself as Kaling.
If the player has completed Yum Yum Island, Kaling will note that it’s their first time meeting in person and recalls that they were the one who had broken into her laboratory. She then calls them rude for wrecking her test subjects while she had been away, though she quickly laughs and says that it doesn’t matter because they were all failures anyways.
Hoyoung gets a different script, in which Kaling recognizes him as the mannerless investigator from Cheong-woon and laughs that she hadn’t expected them to meet in such a place. She asks him whether he still has Taotie, though she adds that it doesn’t matter because she doesn’t even need him anymore.
Lara also gets a different script, in which Kaling recognizes her as the owner of the bell and calls her the Hero of Narin, though she corrects herself and says that she should instead refer to Lara as the Adversary. She notes that Lara hasn’t brought Gri, whom she calls a “mangy little street wolf’”, to which Lara gets upset and tells her not to talk about Gri like that.)
Kaling thanked the Adversary for helping her return to Odium, and to express her gratitude, she offered to show them around, noting that the elders had left some rejects in the laboratory. She then summoned a horde of failed test subjects from inside the laboratory and told the Adversary that they could play with the monsters instead. As she turned to leave, she laughed that she was off to reclaim the power that had been stolen from her.
(A/N: In one of the optional side quests at the end of this storyline, it’s explained that these test subjects were the ones that the elders hadn’t been able to dispose of. Both the Disintegrating Test Subject and Failed Subject monsters don’t look remotely human, despite having likely been Vessels. They appear to be formless blobs of darkness with some plated armor, with the Disintegrating Test Subjects having bull armor and the Failed Subjects almost looking like Specters, with green moss covering their armor plates. Unfortunately, Shangri-La doesn’t elaborate on these creatures that much, and so we don’t know whether they became like this from the contamination or something else.)
After the Adversary defeated the monsters, Na-Sol asked if they were alright before explaining that someone had activated the stairs from the residential district as soon as the Constables had finished restoring power to them. He added that he had no idea how Kaling had done it, as the only stair controls were up where they were currently at. He noted that the stairs had been made to protect the laboratory, and that putting controls down below wouldn’t make any sense.
Tai Yu explained that though Kaling was a Vessel, she was also contaminated, meaning that the elders’ security systems would have picked that up immediately. However, he realized that the elders’ security measures only applied to doors, which would remain closed to her, but as stairs couldn’t be closed, they would have connected for her after recognizing her as a Vessel.
Oz wondered why Kaling had waited for so long to connect the stairs, to which Brighton pointed out that it took an immense amount of energy to make anything move at such a scale. He noted that when the stairs had been down, the lights had gone out and the Constables had stopped moving, causing him to realize that the stairs were also a power conduit.
The Adversary pointed out that the Angler Company was likely looking for the source of that power, though they wondered what it was that Kaling wanted. Oz recalled how Kaling had mentioned that she wanted to get back the power that had been stolen from her. The Adversary, realizing that they had been used, apologized to the Constables for opening the door to the intruders and putting them all in danger.
However, Na-Sol told the Adversary not to blame themselves, as he and the others had also been responsible by mistakenly hoping that the other Constables might be down below. He explained that they had abandoned all the Constables below after sealing the laboratory, and that none of them except Winnie had been ready to admit it. Tai Yu then asked what their next move was, to which the Adversary decided that they would go after Kaling. Tai Yu agreed to come with the Glory Guard, adding that he might be able to lend a hand.
Inside the laboratory, Kaling continued searching for her target. She noted to herself that it now made sense why there wasn’t a trace of him anywhere, even in places that no one was ever meant to find, and even down in the darkest little secrets. She added that even the most knowledgeable information networks had been unable to track down Hundun, the last of the Four Perils.
(A/N: GMS localized that last sentence as “You’re the one no one could ever track down… Hundun, the Fourth Peril,” which omits the part about no information network knowing where Hundun is. That detail was supposed to explain why Kaling was running the Information Broker Bureau when Hoyoung meets her in Cheong-woon, as she was using the bureau in order to find Hundun’s location.)
Kaling told herself that she had thought that the elders might have had a hand in his disappearance, but she was furious to find that they had used her monster as a battery. She then approached Hundun, who was sealed inside an enormous container that drained his energy and funneled it through a power network to sustain Odium’s operations. Kaling noted that Taotie, who had latched onto Hoyoung, was now just dead weight, but she believed that Darmoor would be able to help her make up for the gap that Taotie left.
She then addressed Hundun and claimed that he was different, as he was the strongest of the Four Perils, adding that she was glad that she had never given up on him. Suddenly, she inspected him closer and was furious to find that the elders had fused him with the Godsphere. She angrily asked out loud whether the elders had forgotten what happened if the Godsphere was placed inside a being that was unprepared to accept it.
(A/N: I honestly feel so bad for Kaling after seeing what had happened to her in her past. Seeing Hundun forcibly fused with the Godsphere by the elders, despite being unprepared for it, likely reminds her about how the elders had done the exact same thing to her. Hoyoung and Lara’s storylines had Kaling make some offhand mentions about how much she hates the sages of Grandis, and at the time, it seemed that Kaling was a generic evil villain who hated the elders for stopping her plans to destroy Grandis.
In retrospect, those offhand lines get a lot more impact when we realize that the elders were a lot less morally upstanding than we would’ve assumed after seeing Tai Yu. After learning the truth about the Adversary experiments, we realize that Kaling and Alter are victims who had their humanity and sense of self stripped away from them, leaving them without any free will or agency of their own.
Thinking about this whole storyline, I feel like these experiments might actually be one of the most abhorrent things that I’ve ever seen done to someone before. Adversaries are meant to be pure embodiments of the will of the people - they’re the most brave and selfless people in the entire world, and the kind of integrity and honor that they have is exceedingly rare. There’s just something so appalling about the idea of taking these good people, torturing them with drugs and tearing apart their flesh with machinery, and then literally just throwing them away if they’re not “good enough”.
It’s not even the fact that they were tossed aside like garbage that’s the worst part - it’s the fact that the elders have thrown them away only after they’ve been thoroughly defiled. These people were once the greatest champions of humanity and the elders made it so that they can never get back the parts that they used to love about themselves - their decency, their selflessness, their love for the people whom they once had a strong desire to protect, and most importantly, their ability to choose and change their own destiny for themselves.
The game has done a lot to demonstrate that free will is a fundamental right that every single person has, and that humanity’s ability to govern themselves is a force powerful enough to overcome even a god. Here, the Vessels that the elders experimented upon have that crucial power stripped away from them, leaving them with nothing except a compulsion to fulfill a destiny that someone else forced onto them.
Being an Adversary is more than just having the determination to save the world - we’ve seen clearly that we, the player, were able to defeat the Black Mage because we had not just determination, but our own free will and our love for others that carried us to the end. In contrast, the Vessels of Odium had their emotions taken away from them, and most can’t even love anymore because the only emotions that they’ve retained are those that allow them to fulfill their mission as Adversaries.
The worst part is that people like Kaling and Alter, who were considered defective Vessels, are still cursed with that same intrinsic desire to fulfill their purpose as an Adversary, despite the fact that they’re not capable of fusing with the Godspheres. Nevertheless, they have no choice but to desperately try to prove that they’re good enough to accomplish this goal that was forced onto them because they fundamentally can’t accept that they were deemed useless after all the suffering and torture that they’ve been through.
Both Kaling and Alter are stuck fighting a war that’s been over for millennia, and they’ve been hardwired such that they can never move on, even while the whole world moves on without them. One of the biggest themes in this game is generational trauma - that the sins of the past keep echoing and bleeding into the present.
We’ve seen it in Maple World with how humans drove the half-blood demons back to slavery in Tynerum, and how their descendants - such as Damien and his demon army - inherited that trauma and inflicted it back onto the descendants of humans in the present day. We also see it in how the White Mage - in trying to defeat the Overseers - became the very thing that he sought to destroy by manipulating other people’s destinies, just as the Overseers do.
Here, we see the same thing on Grandis, with how the Overseers traumatized the elders by forcing them to compromise their core values, how the elders traumatized their Vessels through experimentation, and how their Vessels - like Kaling and Alter - joined Darmoor and inflicted more pain and trauma on the people of Grandis.
It reminds me of something that Detective Rave had mentioned to Corbo about what the person who had saved them from slavery had said: “No one is born evil. An evil world makes evil people, and evil people make an evil world. Only those who rise above it can break the cycle.” In contrast to this idea of generational trauma, we’ve seen a contrasting line of people choosing to break the cycle and rise above their pain.
In Limina, Tana - who had suffered to the point of wanting to die - helped the Adversary overcome their own mentality of being ready to die for the world and instead showed them that they needed to have the desire to survive. In Cernium, when Seren is consumed by her own trauma of feeling like she’s trapped with no hope of salvation, the Adversary helps her realize that her salvation is in her own hands. During that conversation, they cite how, during their own darkest time, Tana had been the light who had helped them, with them, in turn, now passing down that light of hope and breaking the cycle of suffering.)
Just then, Laha arrived and noted that she had wondered where Kaling had wandered off to. Kaling turned to find Laha arriving with several Angler Company robots. Laha explained that she hadn’t known about the part of the laboratory that they were in. She thanked Kaling for opening the door to the laboratory, after which she pointed out that Kaling had promised the Company anything relevant to the power of the Adversary, and that Kaling was trying to take it for herself.
However, Kaling retorted that the Company had promised her anything to do with the Four Perils. Laha then attacked Kaling and pointed out that Kaling herself had mentioned that Hundun was fused with the Godsphere, which had transformed him into a power source large enough to sustain Odium. She then added that her father would have made taking Hundun their first priority if he had known about it. An angry Kaling asked Laha if she thought that she could cross an Apostle of Darmoor and get away with it before asking where the Angler family’s loyalty and business sense had gone.
Laha retorted by asking Kaling when she had been planning to reveal that the Four Perils were part of the Adversary experiments, adding that in regard to her family, Senya would probably try to stop her, and so she told Kaling that they ought to wrap up before her sister arrived. As Laha and Kaling began to fight, the Glory Guard and Tai Yu fought through the Company robots and test subject rejects before arriving at the heart of Odium, where they were surprised to find Kaling and Laha fighting.
The Adversary realized that the laboratory would collapse from the damage if Kaling and Laha weren’t stopped. Just then, Oz noticed Hundun inside the large container, causing them all to realize that he was Odium’s power source. A surprised Tai Yu explained that the monster was Hundun, the last of the Four Perils, to which Oz noted that he had mentioned that the researchers had taken care of him. Brighton also noted that Tai Yu had been surprised to see Hundun, meaning that he hadn’t known about him.
Tai YU explained that though the elders had their weak points, they also had their own sense of duty and morality. As they had known that their experiments had done harm to people, they had wanted to make things right and atone for their sins after the Ancient Gods had fallen dormant. However, he noted that the elders had perhaps decided that they hadn’t been at fault for the Four Perils. However, the aghast Adversary pointed out that even if the elders hadn’t been responsible for Hundun, they had still used a sentient being to power their laboratory.
Just then, Hundun spoke from his prison and echoed the Adversary calling him sentient, asking if that was really the first descriptor that came to mind. As Laha and Kaling continued battling, Hundun projected a hologram of himself and created a bubble around the Glory Guard so that they could speak privately. He laughed and told the Adversary not to mind Kaling and Laha, whom he called fools, explaining that it was them whom he wanted to speak with, as he had been waiting quite some time for them to arrive.
Hundun explained that with the stairs down, his power hadn’t been able to reach the residential district, but once they had set foot inside the laboratory, they had been in his domain. He recognized the Adversary as not only a Vessel, but one that had been completed once before. He explained that even in his current state, he had been able to see many of the things that had been happening in the world below.
(A/N: Hoyoung get some exclusive dialogue here, in which Hundun suddenly senses Taotie inside Hoyoung. He tells Taotie that though he doesn’t know which hole he’s crawled out of, Taotie is quite strange for clinging to a Vessel of all things. Hoyoung laughs and tells Taotie that Hundun sounds just like him. He then jokingly adds that Taotie should get to know Hundun in order to see what he can find out. Taotie angrily asks Hoyoung whether what he said even makes sense in his head.)
Hundun then asked the Adversary how they were still intact, pointing out that completed Vessels traditionally had a much different destiny. The surprised Adversary asked what destiny he was referring to, to which Hundun began scanning them in order to find the answer himself. Upon finishing, Hundun was shocked to find that they were an Adversary who had gotten off the path while maintaining their ego, causing him to wonder whether that was even possible.
Oz noted that Hundun seemed to know quite a lot, to which Brighton asked Tai Yu whether he had anything to say about it. Tai Yu explained that as Hundun had been conscious and powering Odium since the end of the Ancient Gods’ time, he had likely assimilated all the knowledge left in Odium, adding that he might even know secrets that only the elders knew.
Hundun noted that such knowledge was poor compensation for his lifetime of so-called service to them, adding that though he had cursed his lot for many years, if meeting the Adversary had been part of that lot, then it might have been worth it. He then told the Adversary to come closer before telling them that he would give them what Kaling and Laha had come for. He then presented a circular blue gem, which he explained was the last Godsphere of Odium.
He noted that it was also what the Adversary had been after - the power to go against the gods - adding that there was no other reason for a Vessel to come to the laboratory. He explained that though its power had degraded over time, it still had the same spark, and that the elders had treasured it greatly. He then revealed that the Godsphere was what had kept his power cycling through Odium, and that it was what was keeping him alive, which meant that he would die after the Adversary accepted it.
The Adversary asked him why he would willingly give it away, to which Hundun explained that he had been imprisoned for eons, and that retaining his sentience had caused him to suffer even more. He added that Kaling’s return posed a threat to the world and to himself, and so his sentience had given him a choice to decide what purpose he would give his life to, which he had decided would be to make trouble for Kaling.
Upon seeing the Adversary’s hesitation, Hundun reminded them that they needed the power of the Godsphere to save the world. The Adversary realized that he was right, and so they accepted the Godsphere from Hundun, who laughed that they had made a wise decision, adding it was just like a Vessel who had strayed from the Path to make that choice. He then reminded them that the Godsphere was well-worn, and that it would take a highly specialized expert to restore it.
(A/N: You would think that the Heroes would get some exclusive dialogue about Freud at this part. This storyline was also the perfect place for Xenon to recognize that he has a lot in common with the Adversaries of Odium, since both of them are cyborgs fused with a Seal Stone. Unfortunately, the writing team has been ignoring pretty much everyone except Hoyoung and Lara lately.)
Hundun’s barrier then shattered as he noted to himself that he had done all that he could. He then thought to himself that even if his body fell into Kaling’s hands, he would do no more harm, as his body was merely ordinary matter without the Godsphere. He then wondered what the elders would think of the Adversary, adding that his only regret was that he wouldn’t be able to see their faces, as he believed that the Adversary would be able to upend the old order in a way that he never could, which he considered to be a pleasant thought for the end of his long life.
As Hundun passed away, the power being supplied to Odium was cut off, causing Kaling to stop her fight with Laha, who angrily asked when the Glory Guard had arrived. Upon noticing the Adversary, she was even more furious to find that they were in possession of the Godsphere. Meanwhile, Tai Yu told the Adversary that there were people who could help restore the Godsphere in the realm of the sages.
He then opened up a scroll, which created a large golden hanging scroll of a mountainside before them. Upon seeing the Adversary’s amazement, Tai Yu explained that the realm of the sages, Shangri-La, wasn’t normally accessible to most, as there was a spell in place that kept it from outsiders.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets an alternate script here. When Tai Yu opens the scroll, Hoyoung asks why he had suddenly created the hanging scroll. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung if he’s forgotten already, reminding him that that the realm of the sages was a land that few could enter. He explains that in the past, Hoyoung had entered Shangri-La through his dreams, and that this time, they would enter with the hanging scroll.)
A furious Kaling ordered them to stop and unleashed dark magic upon them, but the Glory Guard successfully managed to enter the picture and disappeared before her attack reached them. Just then, Senya arrived with several Angler Company robots and asked Laha if she was happy now, adding that her actions were the very reason why she had been meant to stay put until their father arrived. Senya then pointed out that the Adversary was gone with the Godsphere, and on top of that, Laha had angered their client, adding that she was disappointed in her.
A terrified Laha then noticed her father, Alter, approach from the shadows. Kaling was surprised to find that Alter was the Company founder, noting that he looked different from what she remembered. She then realized that his body had been destroyed in the explosion, and that he had created his new body in the form of Odium’s Constables.
Alter greeted Kaling as an Apostle of Darmoor and apologized on Laha’s behalf for her ungracious actions. He noted that children could be quite unruly when they weren’t being supervised, to which Kaling told him that Laha had claimed to have acted on his orders. She then asked whether he intended to become enemies with Darmoor, to which Alter explained that there had been a misunderstanding, as he had never authorized Laha to attack her. He then conceded that Darmoor deserved more than a simply apology before approaching Laha.
(A/N: It’s been speculated before that Alter is an Apostle, although this interaction between Alter and Kaling can confirm that he isn’t, as Alter definitely wouldn’t be this obsequious if he and Kaling had equal rank. Alter frequently refers to Kaling as a client and calls her an Apostle in order to distinguish her as someone esteemed, which suggests that he’s just a business partner with Darmoor, with his Apostles being extensions of that relationship.
Although it was speculated for a time that Alter is the Angler Company founder’s true name, the Angler Company epic dungeon, which is set right after the events of this storyline, has a heavy implication that ‘Alter’ is just a pseudonym that he uses while inhabiting his Constable body, leaving his true name unrevealed to us as of now.)
Laha pleaded with her father, claiming that she had only done it for his sake, to which Alter reassured her that he knew that, as he had designed her to bring him exactly what he had wanted, adding that she didn’t need to make excuses for that. He noted that it was commendable of her that she had wanted to bring him the Godsphere and all the power of Odium, adding that he knew that she would never let him down like her brother.
Upon hearing his words, a terrified Laha promised him that she wouldn’t, adding that she only did what he had made her to do. Alter then thanked her before ripping out her mechanical heart and destroying it. He then asked Kaling whether she was satisfied, adding that Hundun was hers to take, and that he believed that even without the Godsphere, she would find some use for it. Kaling warned Alter that his next mistake would be his last, adding that he ought to consider himself lucky.
(A/N: Much like with Kaling, the way that Alter treats his children reflects his own unresolved trauma about how the elders had treated him. Alter stole technology from Odium and used it to create his own cyborgs that he uses and disposes of whenever he feels like it, which seems to be him unconsciously acting out what the elders had done to him.
Although the experiments are said to erase the Vessels’ sense of self, it seems like defective Vessels still retain a portion of their ego, like how Kaling’s anger at how the elders had treated Hundun was reflective of her anger at how the elders had treated her. Similarly, Alter taking on the role of the elders as he creates his own cyborgs with no free will of their own feels like it’s his way of taking back his agency.
From how he was traumatized by the elders, it feels like he’s associated their behavior with having power, such as how they asserted their power over him through using and discarding him as they saw fit, and now he’s mirroring that behavior with his children in order to feel like he has some sense of control over himself after his agency was taken away.
Despite this, however, he can’t disentangle himself from the constant reminder that he’s a failure in his creators’ eyes each time that Kalos knocks down Karote, an enormous, self-building tower that he put everything into constructing just to prove that he’s capable of being what the elders wanted, and then still getting called “defective” and “unworthy” no matter what he does.
On top of that, him taking out all his trauma of not being good enough on his children reinforces that same behavior into them with how all of them treat people and machines as tools for them to get what they want, which also adds to the narrative of generational trauma. Despite this, it seems like Senya and Cosim are attempting to rise above that cycle of abuse through rejecting their father’s conditioning and making an effort to care about something beyond what they were instructed to do.)
As Kaling turned to leave, she noted to herself that she had finally gathered all the monsters that she needed, and that all she needed now was the Godsphere. Alter then ordered Senya to have the androids haul out all the technology left in the laboratory, as he believed that they would be able to get something out of what the elders had left behind.
After Alter left, Senya approached Laha's broken body and noted to herself that her father had killed Laha in front of her in order to demonstrate that he could kill her her too. Though she knew that he was more than capable of it for now, she also noted that things changed. She then decided that she needed to see Cosim.
Meanwhile, the Adversary awoke to the sight of Oz, Brighton, and a smiling Tai Yu. The Adversary asked if they were really inside a painting, which Tai Yu confirmed before welcoming them to Shangri-La, where the elders had imprisoned themselves.
(A/N: Both Shangri-La and the scroll that Tai Yu used to transport us was first alluded to years ago in one of Hoyoung’s Hyper Skills called “Dream of Shangri-La”, which temporarily allows him to enter the scroll in order to become invincible. It seems like Hoyoung is actually entering the realm of the sages when he uses that skill.
Aside from the main storyline for Odium, the writers also included three small side quests set after the Odium storyline. Since we ended up in Shangri-La at the end of the storyline, it seems weird to me that we go back to Odium for some reason, and so I’d assume that these quests happen after the Shangri-La storyline, probably sometime after the Carcion storyline.)
Kaya and Seri:
In the residential district, the Adversary encountered Kaya, who explained that the Constables were still suffering from side effects of the Angler Company’s hacking, which occasionally caused them to forget how to move. He told the Adversary that he needed to go see his sister, Seri, who had lost her memories in the aftermath of the hacking.
The Adversary noted to themselves that Kari and Seri, despite being dolls, were just like a human family. They then offered to see Seri in his stead, and so Kaya gave them a power cell and asked them to bring it to Seri. He also asked them not to mention that he couldn’t move, nor to draw attention to Seri’s memory loss.
The Adversary then went to see Seri, who thanked them and asked whether anything had happened to Kaya. As Kaya had asked them not to tell Seri about his inability to move, they made up an excuse that he was on urgent business. Seri told them that she was grateful to the entire residential district for taking care of her with her memories gone, adding that Kaya was a good friend to be taking care of her. The Adversary replied that it made sense, given that Kaya was her brother, to which Seri replied that Kaya wasn’t actually her brother.
Suddenly, Seri began malfunctioning and began repeating over and over again that it was all her fault, noting that her head felt like it was about to split open with all her memories. Just then, Kaya rushed over and told her that it wasn’t her fault, and that nobody blamed her. Seri then collapsed as Kaya asked the Adversary where the power cell was. The Adversary gave the power cell to Kaya, who plugged it into his sister. Kaya then blamed himself, claiming that he would have come himself if he had known that his body would soon be able to move.
Kaya explained that when the intruders had invaded, the Constables had cowered in fear of the darkness cast by the large airships. After the Constables had lost power, he had been laying inert when he had overheard a conversation between Senya and Laha about hacking into a Constable who was said to be particularly kind, as Laha was having trouble hacking into the others. After the intruders had been repelled, Kaya had discovered that Laha had hacked into Seri, causing her to spread the virus into the other Constables.
Kaya explained that Seri’s memories of helping the Angler Company had been buried from the back, and that when she was forced to remember them, she would collapse, as she had now, which was why the residential district had decided to keep her happy and safe, since her breakdowns drained her power reserves and would effectively kill her if she were to run down completely. He explained that soon, Seri would awaken with no memories again, and though it pained him that she wouldn’t remember him as her little brother, it would be good enough for him if she could live.
He then left to inform the Constables and asked the Adversary to take care of Seri if she awoke while he was gone. After Seri woke up and explained that she had no idea who Kaya was, the Adversary sadly noted that while the Angler Company had been unable to take the Godsphere, they had left scars on the village that would never heal.
Dad’s Too Busy:
The Adversary encountered two Constables named Miya and Hanho. Hanho greeted the Adversary and explained that they were analyzing the intruders’ hacking, as some of the Constables were still under the Company’s influence. However, as they were running out of power, some of the Constables were considering scrapping and recycling the others. Just as Miya began to say something, Kaya arrived and told the Adversary that Sya-sya had been looking for them. Miya then interrupted, but Miya’s grandmother, Bonnie, scolded Miya and told him not to bother the Adversary.
The Adversary noted that Miya had been created in the form of a small boy and gave him the holographic ball that he had dropped. Miya thanked them and explained that the ball was special to her because his father had made it for him. He then explained that though the intruders had left, his father had still not returned, and so she was living with his grandmother, Bonnie. He told the Adversary that after the power source of the laboratory had disappeared, her father and several other Constables had left to find a way to replace it.
The Adversary agreed to find his father, Haram, and to tell him that Miya missed him. The Adversary then went to the entrance of the laboratory and told Haram that Miya wanted him to come back. Haram explained that he also wanted to see Miya, and that his heart had been broken when Winnie had blocked the stairs, as he had felt that Miya might have been able to make it to the laboratory if they had allowed just one more person to follow.
However, he explained that he now understood that if they had left the stairs open for anyone else to follow, it would likely have been one of the intruders, and that Winnie had only made the choice that the researchers of Odium had hoped for. He added that when he had lost Miya, Winnie had been the nearest scapegoat for him, and so he had behaved in an unbecoming way, which had caused Winnie to hurry and reactivate the stairs. He explained that everything that had followed after that was more his fault than not.
He then wondered why the researchers had given them feelings, as mindless puppets without emotions would have been enough to perform their duties. He also wondered why the Constables had been created as a mix of children, adults, and the elderly, noting that some had even formed families. Just then, Na-Sol yelled for Haram to come and help, and so Haram asked the Adversary to help them collect energy sources from the leftover Angler Company robots.
After the Adversary collected enough power, Haram asked them to deliver a battery with power that he had saved up in order to recharge Miya’s holographic ball. The Adversary asked if it would be alright, as he needed that power to function. Haram replied that he was okay with it, as Miya was more precious to him than anything else. The Adversary then gave the power source to Miya for his ball and told him how much his father missed him.
System Repair:
At the entrance to the laboratory, Na-Sol greeted the Adversary and explained that everyone was hard at work to repair the village, though he added that it would take some time to replace the power source. He told the Adversary that their entire infrastructure was down, both physically and digitally, as the intruders’ viruses had been spread everywhere. However, he explained that they had fortunately been able to remove most of the viruses before they had reached the central system, though they would need to reboot the system first.
He told the Adversary that a system reboot wasn’t possible, as they would be vulnerable during the reboot and the system’s guards were currently unpredictable at best. He explained that the guards were in a similar state as the Guardians, though they would need more information before moving forward. He then asked the Adversary to check on the guards for him inside the laboratory.
The Adversary checked the guards in the laboratory, and upon finding nothing wrong with them, they reported back their findings to Na-Sol, who concluded that the guards must have been getting external interference before. He explained that while they had been checking the lab, he had spotted a record of an abnormal signal, which he believed to be the source of their problem.
He told the Adversary that the signal had come from inside the laboratory, specifically from the test subjects that the researchers hadn’t been able to dispose of. He explained that the intruders had tried stealing the dormant tech inside the laboratory while retreating, during which they had used several last-minute hacks, which had affected the test subjects. As the viruses would threaten the entire system if left unchecked, Na-Sol asked the Adversary to destroy the test subjects.
The Adversary then entered the laboratory and defeated the Disintegrating Test Subjects and Failed Subjects. After they returned, Na-Sol explained that he had been able to reboot the system, which had eliminated all traces of the virus. Just then, however, he discovered data inside the reboot program that didn’t seem to belong, which he discovered was a research diary written by an unnamed researcher. He realized that the fact that it had been hidden inside the reboot program meant that it had been intended to be discovered in such a situation.
The Adversary began to read the first record, which detailed that development of the Vessel was on-schedule and proceeding smoothly. It explained that the researchers were pioneering various methods to infuse human beings with pure energy. However, amongst the completed Vessels, there were some that had been exhibiting behavior outside the expected range, as the researchers providing the Vessels with as much power as their bodies could physically withstand was causing side effects. Nevertheless, the researchers believed that they couldn’t stop, as they needed more candidates.
The second record detailed how, based on the data obtained from the Godsphere experiments, they had successfully begun achieving mass production after several failures. With the exception of several defects, the researchers had successfully been able to fuse their Vessels with the Godspheres, allowing them to create the first line of Adversaries in Odium. However, the one flaw of the successful Adversaries was that Vessels who had successfully been fused with the Godspheres had lost their humanity, specifically their ego and their sense of self, which the researchers called ‘contamination’.
The third record explained how the Adversaries were fulfilling their roles as intended. Without their sense of self, they had stopped at nothing to single-mindedly accomplish the mission that they had been created for, with the Ancient Gods falling one by one at their hands.
The final record detailed how the researchers had successfully achieved their goal and ended the Ancient War. However, they knew that their research, which had crossed many unethical boundaries, could give birth to a new age of chaos. Additionally, the researchers were all aware that they, too, were slowly being contaminated alongside their test subjects. The record then ended with: “Thus, we have sealed ourselves away. Do not try to find us.”
(A/N: The way that the contamination works is pretty nebulous, but the way that I understand it is that the experiments to fuse Vessels with the Godspheres use cybernetics and drugs to erase the Vessel’s humanity and sense of self, such that the test subject becomes a literal empty Vessel that only exists to be filled with the Godsphere. Because of this, we can assume that defective Vessels are those whose egos couldn’t be completely removed, making them incompatible with the Godspheres. We can see this in how Kaling, Tai Yu, and Alter have all retained their own distinct personalities, even after the experiments.
While the nature of the contamination is unknown, it seems to be a magical force, rather than purely a psychological condition, since we’ve seen that it can be spread to others. It’s likely that Kaling, Alter, and Tai Yu all suffered from this contamination to a certain extent, although it remains unknown how much of that contamination, if any, was produced within them during the experiments, and how much of it was from them getting contaminated by the other Adversaries.
I’d assume that the reason why Tai Yu doesn’t appear to show any symptoms of contamination is because he was described as one of the last Vessels in the laboratory, meaning that there likely wasn’t enough time for him to be contaminated by it. In the Shangri-La storyline, it’s revealed that the elders created Shangri-La as a convergence of the four seasons in order to use the energies of its natural harmony to counteract the contamination and stop it from worsening. Since Tai Yu lives in Shangri-La, he’d have been able to stave off the trace amounts of contamination inside him, leaving him more or less the same as he’d always been.
The Adversary is said to be the only Vessel capable of retaining their humanity, which is highly likely to be because unlike the Adversaries of Odium, who were turned into empty shells for the Godsphere to inhabit, the Adversary was organically chosen by a Seal Stone. The way that we were created wasn’t through experimentation - it was because the Seal Stone had responded to the deep desire of the people of Maple World for us to live.
This symbiotic fusion came from the Seal Stone recognizing the Adversary as a living embodiment of the will of the people, and because of this, we didn’t need to be drained of our individuality and turned into an empty shell because ours is a completely unique existence of a person so brave and so selfless that the entire world cared about us deeply enough that each and every single one of them channeled an extremely powerful desire for our life to be saved through a divine miracle.
In contrast, the Adversaries of Odium were built in a laboratory way up in the sky, far removed from the world or its people. Unlike ourselves, those Adversaries never lived and fought together with others, and the chaos of the world during the time of the Ancient Gods likely made it so that people weren’t unified enough to have a collective will to work together.
For the elders, the idea that there could be a Vessel capable of fusing organically with a Godsphere was likely considered to be an impossibility, and for the longest time, the idea of humanity being united together - even in the present day - was just as impossible a feat because the balance of power naturally shifted towards those who used it to dominate and exploit others.
In part, that was why the Black Mage had to threaten to destroy the entire world, as he knew all too well that the people of his time were selfish and self-destructive. In order to change that, he became such a large enough threat that the people of Maple World would have no choice but to look past their own selfish interests and work together, in spite of their differences and their problems with each other.
That, more than anything else, is why the Alliance was able to form in the first place, as without the threat of the Black Mage, the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights would’ve continued ignoring each other, the Explorers would’ve remained their own individual faction, and the heroes of Grandis would never have been able to retake Heliseum with just the Cygnus Knights alone.
It was only through each and every single person choosing to rise above their selfishness that the Alliance could become a strong enough power to fill the Adversary with, turning them into a true Vessel of humanity, rather than that humanity having to be stripped away from them and leaving them an empty shell to be filled synthetically.
One question that this does bring up, however, is how the First Explorer fits into everything. In the Shangri-La storyline, we learn that the Godspheres were created by the elders using the original version that the Overseers had made as a template, and that Freud had created the Seal Stones using the energy of the original relic that had permeated into the continent.
The First Explorer was from Maple World, but as we already know, all the worlds used to be one mega-world during the era of the Ancient Gods, and so it’s possible that the First Explorer was an Adversary of Odium. The problem with this, however, is that it doesn’t explain how Sugar and the Goddess of Maple World fit into everything. Since the elders were the only people with access to the original relic, it makes you wonder how the First Explorer could’ve gotten his hands on a relic.
The other thing is that the First Explorer doesn’t seem to have lost his sense of self either. From our conversation with the First Explorer during the Explorer’s 5th job advancement, he sounds like he still has his own personality, memories, and emotions. That suggests that he might’ve been organically fused with the Godsphere, just like we have, although without more context, we’ll just have to wait and see how his story plays out.)
Shangri-La, the Sinners’ Paradise:
(A/N: This section covers both the original Shangri-La storyline, as well as the expansion that was added in the NEW AGE update. The story expansion starts after the author note which talks about all the NPC interactions with the elders and the researchers following the end of the regular story.
Something that you’ll see a lot in this storyline is the term “will of the world”, which is another way that the story refers to the Overseers. The elders are really the only people in the game who use the term “will of the world”, and they use it almost reverently, in the sense that they’re carrying out the will of God. I originally thought to just replace those instances with using the term “Overseers” instead, just for the sake of clarity, but I realized that it would take away from how the elders view the Overseers, and so I decided to keep it. I think “Overseers” is used directly just once in this story by Kaling in order to make it clear to anyone unfamiliar with the story in regard to what the will of the world is supposed to be.)
Following the invasion of Odium, Kaling met with Gerand Darmoor and explained everything that had happened at the laboratory. Darmoor summarized her report and noted that the Godsphere had fallen in the hands of the incomplete Adversary, and that all that was left was the lifeless husk of a Peril. He added that with the Godsphere missing and the Peril incomplete, they would never complete a Vessel with such a paltry prize. He explained that it wasn’t simply a matter of power, as they had enough to fill it. However, he told Kaling that without the Godsphere, their efforts would all be in vain.
He noted that Kaling had reported that the Adversary was headed for the realm of the sages, adding that it was quite convenient, as he had a debt to repay the elders. He told Kaling that as she had a long history with the elders, he would give her a chance to settle her grudge with them. He added that she wouldn’t need to worry about getting into Shangri-La, as the barrier would open from the inside.
He then turned to Hundun’s corpse, which Kaling had brought from Odium, and noted that as Hundun hadn’t been born with life, there would be no rest for him in his end, which he added was quite pitiful. Darmoor then used his powers to resurrect Hundun for Kaling, who then thought to herself that no one would be able to stand in her way anymore. She vowed to complete her experiment and, recalling her meeting with the Adversary, reaffirmed what she had once told them - that once she had something in her sights, she would never let it go.
Meanwhile, in Shangri-La, Tai Yu amusedly noted that the Adversary still seemed to be in shock after being dragged into the realm of the sages so suddenly. However, he reminded them that they didn’t have time for the Adversary to recover, as they still had quite a ways to go.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which Tai Yu shakes his head and tells Hoyoung that he’s too old to be crying over a fall like that. Hoyoung retorts by asking what his age had to do with anything, as anyone would be in shock after getting pulled around in such a way. Tai Yu reminds Hoyoung that he was the one who had used to drag Tai Yu all over the place before adding that if Hoyoung has had enough of being a kid, then it was time to get going.)
Oz looked around and marveled at how it seemed like they were inside a painting, with the flowers, the trees, and even the clouds looking as though they had been painted with a brush. Brighton agreed that it was beautiful, though he noted that it didn’t seem natural, as everything – even down to the last flower petal – had been created by being infused with mana. He then noted that Tai Yu had mentioned earlier that the realm of the sages had been created to contain the elders. He asked who the elders were, and whether they were the researchers from Odium.
Oz told him that she didn’t believe that the elders were researchers, as both Cosim and Hundun seemed to have been talking about people above the researchers. Tai Yu confirmed that Oz was right and explained that the elders weren’t simply researchers, but the researchers’ masters. He then added that it was perhaps time for the world below to know the story behind Shangri-La, the elders, and the Four Symbols.
Tai Yu explained that in the beginning, the elders had once been ordinary people. However, what had set them apart was their strong sense of duty to help the world with their knowledge. Their sense of duty had soon shone brightly, and the will of the world had recognized them and had bestowed them with a mission to create Adversaries through experimentation.
Twelve of the most exceptional Anima had been chosen for this research, and these Anima had later become known as the elders. Tai Yu explained that the elders had been given much by the will of the world, including long lives and an army of researchers to act as their helpers. Over a long period of time, the elders – with the help of the researchers – had committed many unethical experiments. The Glory Guard immediately recalled that they had seen traces of those experiments in the form of the monstrous research subjects hidden inside the laboratory.
Tai Yu then continued and explained that Odium had been under threat by those who had either felt threatened by the power of the Adversaries, and by those who had coveted it. As the elders had needed protection, they had called in the four strongest Anima in the world – the Azure Dragon, the Vermillion Bird, the White Tiger, and the Black Tortoise – who became known as the Four Symbols that protected the elders with their strength for eons.
(A/N: Like much of the lore about Shangri-La, the Four Symbols, as well as the elders and the Four Perils, are based on Chinese mythology. In Chinese mythology, the Four Symbols are also known as the Four Gods, or the Four Auspicious Beasts. They represent the four directions and are associated with the seasons. The Azure Dragon represents spring, the Vermillion Bird represents summer, the White Tiger represents autumn, and the Black Tortoise represents winter.
The Four Symbols appear in Chinese constellations along the ecliptic, and likewise, the elders are also based on the constellations, as each of the twelve elders are Anima that correspond to the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig.
The existence of the Azure Dragon and the dragon elder confirms that Anima can appear as dragons. When we meet the Azure Dragon, we see that she has dragon horns, although her horns are more reminiscent of Eastern interpretations of dragons, rather than the Western style horns that we’ve seen with the Nova.
The Azure Dragon also doesn’t have wings or a tail, which more or less confirms that it’s the main difference between dragon Anima and the Nova. You can tell just how much Director Won-ki hates the Nova when all the Nova classes that he made have no dragon features, but then somehow a literal Anima gets to look more like a Nova than an actual Nova.
Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue during this part, in which he’s surprised to hear about a white tiger Anima. Tai Yu tells him that the White Tiger is likely Hoyoung’s distant ancestor. Hoyoung realizes that if the White Tiger is a living ancestor of his, then there might be a chance that the White Tiger knows of him and the Anima villager where he had been born.
Tai Yu explains that all the Four Symbols had left behind their previous ties when they had been chosen to protect the elders, though he admits that the White Tiger is rather headstrong and willful, much like Hoyoung, and that he had likely been passively keeping an eye on the village, even while pretending not to. Hoyoung is surprised to know that there’s another white tiger Anima aside from himself and wonders whether he’ll be able to meet the White Tiger.)
Tai Yu explained that the Ancient War had been won because of the Adversaries, and with their purpose fulfilled, the Adversaries had disappeared and the laboratory of Odium had closed its eyes forever. He added that after the war, the elders could no longer turn a blind eye to the sins that they had committed either, to which the Adversary asked him what sins he was talking about.
Tai Yu explained that unlike the Adversary, the Adversaries of Odium had lost their humanity and their identities in exchange for power, after which they had been reduced to nothing more than simple weapons. However, he added that it hadn’t simply been the Adversaries who had suffered that fate, as the researchers – and even the elders – had slowly lost their humanity as a side effect of their research, which the elders had called contamination.
(A/N: Lara gets alternate dialogue when Tai Yu talks about the elders’ sins. She recalls that he had once told her about the Sinners who had imprisoned themselves for the crime of having forsaken their humanity, which is what Tai Yu was just talking about. Tai Yu confirms her suspicions and explains that the elders had been haunted by their sins in the form of contamination, which had spread to them from their test subjects while running the experiments and had slowly eroded their sense of self.)
Tai Yu explained that in order to stop the contamination, Shangri-La had been created. He pointed out that the part of Shangri-La that they were in looked like spring, adding that three other seasons flowed in the realm as well. In order to suppress the contamination, the elders had chosen to reside inside the natural harmony created from the four seasons.
He added that in addition to stopping their contamination from worsening, the elders had also hoped to prevent the secrets that they had learned from the will of the world from leaking out. He explained that though he would have liked to show them the other seasons, they would invariably run into the Four Symbols, who each guarded one of the four seasons and served as the seasons’ barriers.
Having explained the origin of Shangri-La, Tai Yu told the Glory Guard that it was now time to meet the elders in person. Brighton then noticed a large scroll and asked Tai Yu what it was, noting that the power radiating from it felt incredible. Tai Yu explained that the Four Symbols served as the barriers of Shangri-La, with the scroll being the barrier of the Symbol of Spring, the Azure Dragon. Brighton noted that the other barriers must be scrolls as well, to which Tai Yu explained that the elders were behind Winter, the innermost barrier.
He told them that he would be able to take them straight to the pavilion and asked them to come closer. Using his power, Tai Yu transported the Glory Guard straight through the barriers of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter, which took them to the pavilion, a convergence of the four seasons, where the elders resided. Immediately upon arriving, however, Gaon the Black Tortoise appeared and pointed his spear at them.
Upon seeing Tai Yu, Gaon explained that he had been wondering how they had managed to elude all Four Symbols. He told Tai Yu that he had known that Tai Yu had been given permission by the elders to go back and forth from Shangri-La and the world below, though he added that Tai Yu definitely hadn’t been given permission to interfere in the affairs of the outside world as he pleased, chiding him for having brought outsiders to Shangri-La.
(A/N: If the player is Hoyoung, Gaon will also ask Tai Yu if he hadn’t heard what the elders had said the last time that he had freely used his powers in the outside world, adding that he couldn’t overlook it this time. This is likely a reference to how Tai Yu had interfered by saving Hoyoung from Kaling during his level 200 quest.)
Tai Yu smiled and told Gaon that he appreciated the concern, though he added that Gaon had given them a bit of a scare. He turned to the Glory Guard and introduced Gaon as the Symbol of Winter. Turning back to Gaon, Tai Yu explained that though he hadn’t expected a warm welcome, he added that Gaon ought to hear him out first.
Just then, the other three Symbols appeared – Ara the Azure Dragon, Baekyeon the White Tiger, and Shuli the Vermillion Bird. Baekyeon joked that Gaon was a bit impatient, to which Ara told Baekyeon that he shouldn’t talk about Gaon like that, especially since Baekyeon hadn’t stopped them either.
(A/N: Based on the way that each of them refer to each other in Korean, it seems that Baekyeon is the oldest of them, followed by Shuli, then Gaon, and finally Ara.
If the player is Hoyoung, Baekyeon will say that after hearing that Tai Yu had brought someone in, he had hoped that it would be Hoyoung, adding that there’s no way that he wouldn’t recognize him. Looking closer at Hoyoung, Baekyeon jokingly asks the other Symbols if the resemblance between them isn’t striking. However, Shuli will merely tell him not to change the subject.)
Shuli then noticed the Adversary and noted that though she had known only that Tai Yu had brought in an outsider, it was clear from a single glance who they were. She explained that she had heard from Tai Yu about a new Adversary who had appeared in the outside world. She told the Adversary that the Four Symbols had been watchkeepers over the elders, the researchers, and their experiments, and that in all the ages that they had kept that watch, none of them had seen anything quite like the Adversary, who was the the only one of their kind to have their ego untarnished. She added that she would be lying if she were to say that their existence wasn’t astonishing, not only to them, but to the elders as well.
Just then, four of the elders – Zigang the rat elder, Maolang the rabbit elder, Shensung the monkey elder, and Weio the sheep elder – appeared. Zigang noted that Shuli was right, and that his surprise ran deeper than simply his expectations being surpassed, as he found the whole situation inconceivable. He noted that Tai Yu had certainly brought in something interesting, adding that Tai Yu always seemed to find ways to defy their expectations.
He then addressed the Adversary by name, noting that they were the new Adversary that Tai Yu had spoken of. However, he explained that he had been told that they were a completed Vessel and asked why it seemed that they were now empty. The Adversary explained that they had lost their Seal Stone during their travels, as Gerand Darmoor had shattered it. They told the elders that they had already used the Seal Stone’s power to defeat a corrupt Transcendent once before, though they added that it was still not enough, as they needed the power of the Adversary to face Darmoor, for which they had come to Shangri-La.
A surprised Zigang asked if he had heard correctly that the Adversary had already killed a god, expressing his shock that they hadn’t met their fate, even after fulfilling their purpose as an Adversary. An equally shocked Weio noted that as the Seal Stone was an item modeled after the Godsphere, it meant that the Adversary’s destiny must have remained the same. An amused Shensung noted that their situation was interesting, as it seemed that it was possible for an Adversary to avoid their destiny in such a way.
The confused Adversary asked him what he was talking about, to which Shensung laughed and told them that they could figure it out just by thinking. He explained that when the gods had been running wild, the will of the world had decided that it wanted order, for which it had called for a weapon: the Adversaries. He added that as the Adversary had once been completed, they ought to know just how powerful a completed Adversary was.
He told them that the Adversaries were weapons meant to kill gods and asked what they thought would happen if such weapons were allowed to be remain in the world. He explained the chaos that would ensue would be as though the Ancient Gods had never left, as it would simply be a new set of perpetrators replacing the first. The Adversary immediately realized what Shensung was implying, with Shensung confirming their thoughts by revealing that all Adversaries, from the moment that they awakened, were destined for death after fulfilling their purpose.
(A/N: This line is a bit interesting because the way that we were able to awaken the power of the Adversary during Limina was because of our strong desire to live, rather than our desire to sacrifice ourselves. I don’t think that having a desire to survive is a requirement to awaken the Seal Stone, but rather, it’s because that just happened to be the strongest desire that the world had during Tenebris.
The Seal Stone is an object that only grants the wish of a population, and the reason why we were able to become an Adversary was because the world, in choosing to save us, marked us as someone who embodies the will of the people. During Tenebris, the Black Mage cultivated the Alliance’s strong determination to survive, and then he cultivated the Adversary’s determination to rise above their despair, which finally culminated in us awakening the Seal Stone in Limina after our determination was synchronized with that of the world.
For the Adversaries of Odium, it’s unlikely that they had a strong desire to survive, as they were stripped of everything except their desire to fulfil their purpose. Unlike us, they probably already knew that they were destined for death, and so there’s no way that they could’ve had the will to keep living when they already know that fulfilling their purpose ends in their death.
Like I mentioned in the last section, the people from the time of the Ancient Gods were never truly united like the Alliance, and the Adversaries of Odium were created in a laboratory way up in the sky, completely separated from the world. The universe was far too vast, fractured, and disjointed for people to help each other, or for the Vessels to be considered heroes in the public eye, and so the single greatest wish of the people likely wasn’t that they wanted to survive together, but rather, it was their hatred of the gods and their desire to see them destroyed.
That would also explain why the Adversaries of Odium wouldn’t have been able to bond organically with the Godspheres, since there are too many conflicting individual desires of the people, as well as because the Vessels can’t natural embodiments of so many conflicting desires. The only unified wish of the people is for the gods to be stopped, and so the elders erased everything inside the Vessels except for that singular desire, which would’ve allowed them to awaken the Godspheres and kill the gods.
In contrast, the Adversary is unique because our survival and the Black Mage’s defeat were both part of the Alliance’s collective wish, and so we could retain our humanity because the Alliance cared about us as a person, not as a tool, and so their wish was for us to come back to them with all the parts of us that made us human. Compared to the Adversaries of Odium, who had everything except their utility to perform a given function stripped from them, our utility came from our individuality because to the Alliance, we were worth more than just what we could do for other people.)
Shensung explained that if the Seal Stone had remained inside the Adversary, then they would not have been able to avoid their destiny. He then laughed and told them that it meant that they owed their life to Darmoor. A shocked Oz realized that if Shensung’s words were true, then it meant that Darmoor had deliberately chosen to destroy the Adversary’s Seal Stone in order to allow them to escape their destiny. Brighton noted that it seemed quite strange, as he wondered why Darmoor hadn’t chosen to kill the Adversary after destroying the Seal Stone.
(A/N: We technically did die right after killing the Black Mage when we scattered into Erdas. It’s implied that the White Mage used the power of destruction to kill us and then used the power of creation to revive us, along with all the other Alliance soldiers who were killed by the Light of Annihilation.
If that’s true, then it means that the White Mage was the one who changed our destiny by reviving us after we met our fate as an Adversary, rather than Darmoor saving us by destroying the Seal Stone. It also makes more sense that we would die immediately after killing the Black Mage, rather than us arbitrarily dying many months after the incident, which would defeat the purpose of ensuring that Adversaries die once there’s no reason for them to keep living.
If I’m being honest, I’m not a fan of this idea that Adversaries are destined to die after fulfilling their purpose. When we learned about how the Adversaries of Odium lost their humanity because of the elders’ experiments, I thought that alone was a decent way of distinguishing us from the other Adversaries by showing how we were organically created from the pure-hearted desire of the people for us to live, in contrast to the cyborg Adversaries of Odium, who were forcibly fused with the Godspheres through brutal experimentation.
I feel like the idea of distinguishing us even further by showing how we avoided the destiny of all Adversaries was unnecessary, not to mention a direct contradiction to the message of the game with us being the Adversary of Destiny, someone who was literally able to change our predestined fate.
I’ve written my thoughts on the idea of the Seal Stone being something that can change destiny at-length, which you can find in one of the author notes in the Convergence section, but the gist of it is that the line in Convergence about the Seal Stone being the thing that let the Adversary change destiny is almost 99% a misinterpretation that the Convergence writers made about the Esfera and Limina writers’ intent behind the concept.
The Black Mage’s goals and plans have gone through several different iterations over the years, with the original idea likely being that he never intended to destroy the world and instead just wanted to unite the world under good leaders while also removing the Overseers’ influence. Following the Kao revamp, this changed to him wanting create a new world and simultaneously destroying the Overseers’ influence with his death, which he chose not to do after the Adversary’s selfless act of saving Tana convinced him that humanity could still be saved.
In-between these two versions, the Convergence storyline added a lot of bizarre plot points that make no sense with either one. It suggested that the Black Mage had intended for the Adversary to kill Tana, and that the Seal Stone had somehow done something to influence the Adversary to spare her life instead, which is where the concept of the Seal Stone having the power to change destiny came from.
This isn’t supported in any capacity by either version, as the old version really didn’t explain at all why sparing Tana would change destiny, and the new version suggested that it was the Adversary’s decision to save her that changed the Black Mage’s mind about humanity being doomed, which resulted in him choosing not to enact the Genesis Ritual at the time of his death, thereby creating a new destiny for the world in which it survived.
In the current iteration of the story, the Seal Stone had no impact on us changing destiny - it was just a tool that lets us kill higher beings. The only way that the Seal Stone could’ve possibly changed destiny is if it somehow overrode our free will and compelled us to make the choices that led to us defeating the Black Mage, which would spit in the face of the message of the game emphasizing our free will and our power to choose.
That’s also why I’m not a fan of the idea that the Adversary was fated to die because of the Overseers, or that we were saved by Darmoor, or the White Mage, or whoever. It takes away from the idea that our salvation is in our own hands and makes it so that we had no choice but to rely on a higher being in order to be saved, which is the exact opposite of the game’s message.
Instead of our free will being an indomitable force that can defy a god, it’s now been given a limitation, and the message becomes that in spite of giving it our best, at the end of the day, we’ll always need a god to come and save us because our free will just isn’t enough to get us to the finish line on our own.)
Zigang then interrupted and told them that there was nothing further to hear after learning that the Adversary’s existence was one which had rejected the will of the world, adding that there was no way that they could allow the Adversary to leave Shangri-La alive. Though Tai Yu cut in and told Zigang not to be hasty, Zigang angrily scolded Tai Yu, explaining that when he had sent Tai Yu down to the outside world, he had expected Tai Yu to take responsibility for his own actions, as Taowu and Qiongqi – the Perils that Tai Yu had sealed – had broken free.
He reminded Tai Yu that his task had been to learn how the Perils had escaped, as well as to recapture them, and so he asked Tai Yu what the meaning of bringing outsiders to Shangri-La was. Tai Yu calmly replied that he had figured out the cause of the broken seals, as well as where the Perils were. He revealed that Kaling had released them, adding that Zigang should surely remember Kaling, as she had been his favorite researcher.
A surprised Zigang immediately realized that Kaling had set out to complete her experiment. Nevertheless, he told Tai Yu that there was nothing to worry about, as her experiment would never be completed. Tai Yu knowingly asked him whether it was because Hundun was sealed in the heart of Odium, to which a shocked Zigang asked him how he could possibly know that.
Tai Yu revealed that Guardian Kalos had fallen, which meant that the path to Odium had opened up. An aghast Gaon noted that if Kalos had truly been defeated, then it meant that the laboratory was once again exposed to the outside world. He immediately confronted Tai Yu and demanded to know if he was telling the truth. Tai Yu reaffirmed his words and explained that he – along with the Adversary, Brighton, and Oz – had all been witnesses. He explained that Odium had awakened, and that Kaling had entered its heart, where she had found not only Hundun, but the Godsphere that he had been fused with.
Shensung asked Tai Yu what had happened to Hundun and the Godsphere, to which the Adversary presented the Godsphere and explained that Hundun had died after bestowing it upon them. They told the elders that the Godsphere was a shell of what it used to be, and that they had come to Shangri-La in order to seek their help on how to restore its power, as they had been told that the elders would know a way to do so. Shensung examined the Godsphere and told Zigang that the Adversary was telling the truth, adding that it really was the World Heart. He then cursed Hundun, claiming that he had been quite clever to make such a mess of things at the end of his life.
Tai Yu then addressed Zigang and the other elders. He explained that he understood plainly that if the will of the world didn’t allow it, none of them would interfere in the affairs of the world, even if the sky itself were to come crashing down. He then pointed out the consequences of their inactivity, with both Kalos and Odium having fallen. He explained that the worst had been avoided only thanks to the Adversary, and that they couldn’t hope to be so lucky forever. However, Zigang merely noted that Tai Yu had done quite a bit while they hadn’t been watching and asked how he still couldn’t understand that the outside world was none of their concern, and that it never would be again.
Shensung then turned to the Adversary and asked what kind of nonsense they were uttering with their talk of having come to Shangri-La to “seek their help”. He told them that Hundun had simply wanted to wave them - the Adversary who had cheated destiny - in the elders’ faces, to show them with their own eyes that they had miscalculated, which was all part of some sick joke, just so that Hundun could have the last laugh. Maolang then spoke up and asked Zigang how long he was planning to give the outsiders the courtesy of listening to their nonsense.
Zigang agreed with her and ordered Gaon to seize the Adversary. He claimed that the Adversary had defied the will of the world, and that they would one day throw the world into chaos if left unchecked. In order to prevent that future from happening, he ordered Gaon to seal the Adversary, along with the World Heart, in Shangri-La’s Winter, which would ensure that they would never set foot in the outside world again.
Shensung then ordered Baekyeon the White Tiger to seal Tai Yu in Autumn while they figured out what to do with him. He began wondering what they should do about Oz and Brighton, to which Maolang pointed out that they were outsiders with no reason to be in Shangri-La, and so she ordered Ara the Azure Dragon, the gatekeeper between Shangri-La and the outside world, to expel them from the realm of the sages. With that, the elders disappeared and the Symbols left to carry out their instructions.
However, Gaon stayed where he was and expressed his shock at what he had heard from the Adversary and Tai Yu. He explained that he had known that Tai Yu and several others had gone down to the world below, though he had only heard that it had been to tie up some of the loose ends that the elders had inadvertently created there. However, based on what he had heard, he noted that it must mean that there had never been order in the outside world and asked the Adversary if it was true that the world was not at peace.
Before the Adversary could answer, Gaon changed his mind and told them that there was nothing more for them to say, as he had only been tasked by Zigang to take them to Winter. The Adversary paused and thought to themselves that though they were about to say something, it seemed that Gaon wouldn’t listen. Realizing that resisting would cause trouble for Oz, Brighton, and Tai Yu, they decided that they would follow his orders for now.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets an alternate script here. After Gaon changes his mind and orders the Adversary to follow him, Taotie will note that Hoyoung seems conflicted and asks what he plans to do. Hoyoung tells Taotie that he doesn’t have much of a choice, since Gaon has practically covered his ears to anything that he would say. He notes that resisting will cause trouble for Oz and Brighton, though he adds that his Master will probably be fine, since he’s the legendary sage of Grandis. He then decides that he’ll follow Gaon’s orders for the time being.)
Gaon then led the Adversary to Winter, with snow immediately beginning to appear as they left the pavilion. The Adversary noticed a large scroll and realized that it was just like the one that they had seen in Spring. Suddenly, the Adversary spotted an assailant closing in and immediately warned Gaon, who blocked the attack with his spear.
Just then, Gaon spotted many more assailants approaching and quickly realized that it was an invasion force. He began wondering how it was possible that invaders could have come to Shangri-La, which was disconnected from the outside world. The Adversary realized that if Shangri-La was inaccessible from the outside, then it likely meant that someone from within had allowed the invaders to enter.
However, Gaon replied that it made no sense, as the elders had all been hand-picked by the will of the world itself. He explained that even in spite of how long it had been, and in spite of the contamination, their sense of duty to follow the will of the world shouldn’t have changed. He noted that Shangri-La being attacked had never happened before, and that the only possibility was that there was a crack in their defenses somewhere. He then realized that Ara might be in trouble in Spring, as Ara was the gatekeeper of Shangri-La. The Adversary also realized that Oz and Brighton were with her, and that they would need help as well.
At Gaon’s conflicted silence, the Adversary told them that to answer his earlier question about whether peace and order had vanished from the outside world, they explained that after the Ancient War, the world had been in danger countless times since, and though they had fought to protect the world and to save everyone’s lives, the conflict, even now, still wasn’t over. After processing the Adversary’s words, Gaon told them that if they were telling the truth, then it meant that his conception of a peaceful world down below was nothing more than a delusion.
Upon seeing Gaon’s shock and confusion at this revelation, the Adversary told him that though they didn’t know what kind of world he had been expecting to see, they explained that there was one thing that they were sure of – that if he truly wanted peace, then he couldn’t leave it to anyone else to secure it, as he needed to protect the world himself with unyielding determination.
Gaon began reflecting on the Adversary’s words, but after a moment, he shook his head and told them that he couldn’t deny what Zigang had said either, as it was also true that they were an Adversary who had defied destiny, meaning that they had the potential to create great chaos in the world. Though he told them that he couldn’t just let them go, he also admitted that, given the situation, joining forces wasn’t out of the question for the time being. He told them that they would head for Spring immediately in order to rescue their friends.
Though the Adversary was grateful, they nevertheless asked Gaon whether he himself was okay with working together, as the elders likely wouldn’t be happy with him working with them. A somewhat unsure Gaon noted that he hadn’t caused any problems like Tai Yu had, and so he hoped that the elders would overlook a single transgression. Though the Adversary noted that Gaon was clearly nervous about defying the elders for the first time in his life, they nevertheless followed him to Spring.
There, however, they were shocked to find that the scroll of Spring was degrading. Gaon explained that the scrolls were intimately connected to the Symbols, and the fact that the scroll had been damaged to such an extent meant that Ara was gravely injured. As he began calling out to Ara, Maolang the rabbit elder appeared and noticed Gaon, who immediately asked her if she was alright.
Maolang told him that she was unharmed, though she added that she wasn’t the one that he should be worried about. She then asked him what he was doing in Spring before noting that she could surmise the answer for herself. As Winter had been attacked, she supposed that he had come to determine whether the attack had come from the outside, since no one could enter Shangri-La without passing through Spring.
She laughed that he was quite trusting, as her first instinct would have been to suspect someone from the inside, for which she would have checked the pavilion in order to ensure that all the elders were where they ought to be. However, she told him that as the Symbol of a barrier, he would’ve figured the truth by now anyways – that the only way an outsider could enter Shangri-La without the barriers being affected was by someone from the inside allowing them entry, such as how Tai Yu had let the Glory Guard in.
She then laughed at Gaon for being so loyal that he would never allow himself to believe that someone would do so, adding that she could see why the other elders cared so much about him and the other Symbols. She noted that it seemed like such a waste to dispose of someone so talented, though she told him that he had saved her quite a lot of trouble, as she had been wondering how she would get the Adversary to come to her, as she, too, was wary of Zigang. She then attacked a shocked Gaon, though her attack was intercepted by a wounded Ara, who noted that as Gaon seemed to be fine, it meant that Zigang wasn’t one of the betrayers.
(A/N: I’ll explain more later, but it seems that the twelve elders are divided into groups of three, with each group overseeing one of the four seasons. Zigang is one of the three elders in charge of Winter, which is why Ara realizes that Zigang isn’t one of the betrayers, as Gaon, the Symbol of Winter, would’ve otherwise encountered him.)
Ara told Gaon that though she was relieved that he wasn’t hurt, she had been worried that he would be coerced into joining the enemy. She explained that several elders were actually spies for Darmoor, and that they were planning to bring Kaling into Shangri-La on his orders. She then turned to Maolang and asked her how she could betray her companions – whom she had known since the dawn of time – to some inexperienced, newcomer Transcendent like Darmoor.
She demanded to know whether Maolang had abandoned her duty and her sense of responsibility as an elder, adding that Maolang ought to be ashamed of herself. Maolang amusedly noted that Ara had found her way back and laughed at her words, claiming that despite Ara’s gall in addressing her in such a way, she was also quite short-sighted, as Ara could have avoided her fury by laying down quietly.
Maolang then attacked Ara once again, who managed to deflect the blow. Ara turned to the Adversary and told them that their comrades were fine, as they had already moved on to another season. Claiming that she could handle Spring alone, she asked them to check on the other seasons, as she was worried about Shuli and Baekyeon. Just as Gaon told Ara that he refused to leave her to face Maolang alone, several more assailants arrived to reinforce Maolang.
Ara reminded him that the Shangri-La that they knew, and even the elders that they had protected, were no more. Nevertheless, she added that she refused to give up, as she wouldn’t allow Shangri-La to fall apart any further. Because of that, she told him that she would stay and protect Spring, reassuring him that she would be fine, as no one knew it as well as she did. She then told Gaon to leave with the Adversary and save the others.
After Gaon and the Adversary headed out, Ara began fighting the assailants alone. Suddenly, darkness engulfed Spring as a fully-powered Qiongqi appeared. Maolang marveled at seeing a Peril in such a magnificent state and noted that it was easy to see why Darmoor had become interested in Kaling. She then turned to Ara and noted aloud that the Adversary wouldn’t be coming out unscathed this time.
Meanwhile, Gaon and the Adversary entered Summer, where they reunited with Oz and Brighton. Brighton told Gaon that they owed him an apology, explaining that despite having promised Ara, they had failed to protect Shuli, the Symbol of Summer. As Gaon checked on Shuli’s condition, he asked whether the attack was over. Just then, however, the Adversary sensed more enemies nearby.
Just as they began checking the scroll of Summer, darkness engulfed the realm as Taowu appeared before them. Gaon immediately recognized Taowu as one of the Perils that had gone missing. He then realized that if Taowu had managed to get past Spring and reach Summer, it meant that Ara must have fallen. Oz asked the Adversary if they would be fine, to which the Adversary reassured her that they would be, as they weren’t fighting alone. Brighton agreed, noting that alongside the Glory Guard was one of the Four Symbols.
After a fierce battle, the Adversary and their allies managed to defeat Taowu. Shuli then regained consciousness and expressed her relief that Gaon was alright. She began warning him about the traitorous elders, to which Gaon reassured her that he was aware. He explained that Winter had also been attacked, and that Ara had sent them from Spring, as she had been worried about Shuli.
He regretted that he had come too late, as he might have been able to protect her if he hadn’t hesitated. However, Shuli reassured him that they all knew that he was doing his best, promising that he hadn’t come too late. She then weakly asked him to check on Baekyeon, after which she passed out from her injuries and exhaustion once again. After Oz checked on Shuli and determined that she would be fine, the Glory Guard and Gaon headed towards Autumn.
As they began heading over, Tai Yu and Baekyeon faced Shensung the monkey elder, who unleashed a powerful attack on the pair. Baekyeon quickly grabbed Tai Yu and teleported them to safety in order to avoid it. Tai Yu told Baekyeon that he owed him much for helping him, to which Baekyeon replied that it was nothing, as he also owed Tai Yu for taking care of Hoyoung.
He explained that his white tiger Anima brethren that he had left behind in the outside world had never once left his mind, and that even though none of his descendants would ever know him, they would still remain in his memory forever. He added that if Tai Yu hadn’t been there when the white tiger village had burned down, Hoyoung – the sole surviving child – would have perished as well. Tai Yu replied that it was nothing to thank him for, explaining that even beyond being Baekyeon’s descendant, Hoyoung was his apprentice, first and foremost.
(A/N: If the player is Hoyoung, Baekyeon will note how much Hoyoung has grown, having become such a renowned sage under Tai Yu’s tutelage.)
Just then, Shensung laughed and wondered whether he had bitten off more than he could chew, as it seemed that his strength alone couldn’t handle them both. He then summoned a horde of assailants and explained that they could wrap it up now, as he had already done what he had been asked to do. As Tai Yu and Baekyeon fought the assailants, Tai Yu noticed Shensung heading for the scroll of Autumn and immediately realized that they had been tricked.
Before they could do anything, however, Shensung used his power to close the scroll, causing Baekyeon – whose life was tethered to it – to disappear. With Baekyeon sealed inside the scroll, darkness engulfed the realm as the Glory Guard and Gaon arrived in a ruined Autumn. The Adversary began asking Tai Yu whether he was alright, just as they looked around at the battlefield and marveled at how many enemies Tai Yu had been able to face. Gaon then asked Tai Yu where Baekyeon was.
(A/N: Hoyoung has an alternate script in place of the generic one. Hoyoung will express his relief that Tai Yu is in one piece, adding that he’d been worried sick. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung if that’s really the first thing that someone would say to their master after seeing them survive a battle. Hoyoung then asks Tai Yu where his ancestor, the White Tiger, has gone, as Tai Yu was supposed to have been with him.)
Tai Yu answered that Baekyeon had been taken by Shensung and noted that they had arrived just in time, as he had barely been able to hold off the assailants without Baekyeon’s help. Gaon was shocked to know that even Shensung had sided with Darmoor. Shensung laughed upon thinking that he had lived long enough to see the Black Tortoise, whom he called a kid, provoke him.
He then teleported right in front of the surprised Adversary and told them that it was nice to see them in one piece, explaining that their talents had caught Darmoor’s attention. He added that though he wished that he could talk more, he had to get going, as he had something to take care of. He then laughed that they would see each other next time, adding that he hoped that they wouldn’t be defeated in their current battle until then, after which he disappeared.
After Shensung left, Brighton felt the ground tremble and noted that something was coming. Suddenly, a revived Hundun appeared, whom the Adversary immediately recognized. A shocked Oz wondered how Hundun could be alive, as he was no longer fused with the Godsphere. Brighton replied that Hundun wasn’t really alive, pointing out that the Hundun standing before them wasn’t the same one that they had met in Odium.
The Adversary realized that the fact that Hundun was still moving had to be because of Kaling, or even Darmoor. However, they noted that it wasn’t important, as they needed to stop him no matter what. The Adversary then faced Hundun, and after a fierce battle, they managed to defeat him. Tai Yu noted in satisfaction that the Adversary had taken care of Hundun successfully. However, he pointed out that Shensung had escaped, lamenting that he should have seen it coming, especially since he had now taken away Baekyeon.
Gaon reassured Tai Yu that Baekyeon would likely be fine, as Shensung wouldn’t have taken the scroll if he had wanted to kill Baekyeon. Tai Yu jokingly noted that Gaon seemed quite relaxed after having encountered the Perils, though the Adversary cut in and reminded them that the fight wasn’t yet over. Tai Yu agreed and reminded Gaon that it was too early to relax, as Kaling hadn’t even shown herself yet. He noted that the Perils were fearsome enough on their own, but the power that they had demonstrated wasn’t their full extent. He then realized that only Winter was still standing, to which Gaon pointed out that they still had Ara.
However, Tai Yu reminded Gaon that Shangri-La was a well-protected land, which Kaling – even with Darmoor backing her – couldn’t release the Perils into so easily. He explained that if the barriers had all been intact, then they wouldn’t have run into the Perils in the first place, meaning that Ara must have fallen.
The Adversary then realized that if the barrier of Winter was the only one standing, then they needed to protect it. Tai Yu agreed, adding that if Winter were to fall, then so would Shangri-La. Gaon told them that for what it was worth, he was the Symbol who knew Winter best, and so he suggested that they hurry as soon as possible.
The Glory Guard then returned back to Winter, where they discovered Kaling. Kaling noticed the Adversary and told them that between the impudent Angler child and a rebellious Hundun, she had been kept quite busy since the invasion of Odium, with even the elders, whose faces she had never thought she’d see again, standing in her way. However, even in spite of them all, Kaling angrily told the Adversary that they were the one who had impeded her the most.
She reminded them that she had warned them not to get in her way and asked whether they even realized what they had done. Growing increasingly angry and desperate, Kaling explained that she had only barely managed to gain Darmoor’s trust, and that the Adversary had single-handedly managed to make her lose it all. Furiously, she yelled at the Adversary and demanded to know what they had done with the Godsphere, ordering them to hand it over to her immediately.
However, the Adversary plainly refused and explained that they didn’t care about the demands of an Apostle of Darmoor, nor did they care about what Darmoor had intended when he had broken their Seal Stone, or even that he had been the one to change their destiny, as they refused to falter. They explained that all that they cared about was protecting the world that they and their friends lived in, and so they refused to allow her to take it.
However, Kaling laughed scornfully and asked if they were really trying to compare their Seal Stone, which she called a human-made imitation, to the World Heart. However, she noted that despite the Seal Stone being a counterfeit, it had still been infused with the Overseers’ power and asked if they had felt like a hero while carrying something containing the power of a god.
She then angrily told them to get off their high horse, revealing that they weren’t the Adversary that Darmoor was looking for. Though the Adversary was shocked by her words, Gaon urged the Adversary not to listen, as they were merely the words of a contaminated researcher. Just then, Kaling fused with Hundun, Taowu, and Qiongqi and unleashed the full extent of her power.
The Adversary faced Kaling in combat and, after a fierce struggle, they managed to defeat her. A wounded Kaling collapsed before the Adversary, shocked that someone like her – an Apostle hand-picked by Darmoor to serve him, and one who had performed the most perfect research – could have lost. Suddenly, the Adversary’s Godsphere began glowing with a divine light. Kaling immediately recognized the light coming from the World Heart as it began draining her and her monsters of all their strength.
Kaling, broken and defeated, collapsed in despair at having lost all her power and effort in a mere instant. Severely drained, Kaling weakly looked up at the Adversary and asked how it was that they got to keep their humanity and shine so brightly without having had to give up anything at all. She then outstretched a hand towards the Adversary before collapsing in pain and scattering into ashes.
(A/N: The way that Kaling’s story was wrapped up in this storyline is something that I hated - and still hate, even with the expansion. The writers tried to slap a Band-Aid onto the many gaping holes in the story quality, with one of those things being a larger exploration of Kaling’s backstory, as well as a confrontation with Zigang, who was Kaling’s mentor in Odium. I’ll admit that Zigang’s conversation with Kaling was fairly well-done, given that it was more or less damage control, but the other underlying issues are something that nothing except a complete rewrite can solve.
Outside of Kaling being given like five minutes of screentime, the thing that makes me really annoyed is the way that the Adversary treated her. As a character, the Adversary has gone through a lot of flip-flopping in the way that they’ve been handled. For the majority of the Arcane River storyline, we were a boring, generically written protagonist who had no aspirations or feelings outside of passively reacting when other people talk at them.
Esfera and Tenebris were the first time that we got an actual character arc involving our desire to kill ourselves for the sake of the world, along with a rejection of this mentality in favor of choosing to care about ourselves the way that we care about everyone else. This idea was carried beautifully into Cernium with the way that we parallel Seren and help her find salvation, but after Cernium, we go back to being a generic template who exists just to meander aimlessly through Grandis if there isn’t someone steering us to where the plot wants us to go.
Shangri-La was the perfect place for our character arc to play into the story. Instead of treating Kaling as some generic evil Apostle of Darmoor, we should’ve been able to sympathize with her after seeing what happened to her. We got to see just how miserable Tana’s life had been after seeing her memories in the Morass and Esfera, and it was the very reason why we chose to spare her life in the first place - because our entire character arc revolves around our desire to save everyone, especially after seeing how Tana’s choices were all taken from her.
I would argue that we have even more reason to sympathize with Kaling - we’re both Vessels who were created to fulfill the destiny of an Adversary, and even though she wasn’t a successful Vessel like us, we both suffered a lot as a result of trying to follow through with that destiny. Kaling had to lose everything that made her human, and we were put through one traumatic situation after another during our journey to reach the Black Mage. The labyrinth broke us to the point that we wanted to die, and we even began to question why we were the one being made to suffer for the world.
Even if the Adversary believes that Kaling is beyond saving - which is an idea that I also hate - we shouldn’t have been treating Kaling as just an Apostle of Darmoor. Everything that we’ve seen about her life shows that she didn’t deserve what happened to her, and even if the writers really want to go down the route that she can’t be saved, we should’ve at least felt some level of regret that there are some people who can’t be saved, it nothing else than because it’s literally the one defining characteristic of our generic character template that we want to save everyone that we can.)
As Winter returned back to normal, the Adversary asked Gaon whether the rest of the elders were still at the pavilion, as it seemed that there was one more thing that they needed to hear from the elders. Gaon agreed and noted that the Adversary had saved both the elders and Shangri-La. He then told the Adversary that for a long time, he had stood protecting the order of Shangri-La, for which he had attempted to stop them earlier.
However, he admitted that if peace and order had fallen, and if it was true that conflict could no longer be avoided, then he believed that he had no other choice but to leave Shangri-La and protect the outside world that he and his friends had once lived in. He added that he had more to tell them, though it was something that the elders ought to hear as well, and so he asked them to follow him to the pavilion and hear him out there.
At the pavilion, Zigang told the Adversary that he had been waiting and admitted that the elders, against their will, were now indebted to them. He explained that they had seen the light coming from the World Heart, even from the pavilion, and noted that the Adversary likely had much to ask them. The Adversary asked Zigang if the World Heart was a Godsphere, explaining that Kaling herself had mentioned that it was something greater than a Seal Stone.
Zigang replied that it wasn’t just the Seal Stones that it was greater than, as not even the Godspheres could compare to the World Heart, which was the original created by the will of the world, with the Godspheres that the elders had mass-produced merely being replicas of it. He explained that though he had never encountered a Seal Stone before, he supposed that the Seal Stones had been created in the same way as the Godspheres, using the World Heart’s power that had permeated deep beneath the continents of Maple World as a template.
The Adversary then asked Zigang about the light from the World Heart, to which Zigang explained that the World Heart had been created to subdue the Ancient Gods’ power, and as such, it had the ability to take away the power of gods and god-like beings. He told the Adversary that the divine light that they had seen shining from the World Heart had been in reaction to the power of a god, which Kaling had been lent, causing the Adversary to realize that Kaling had been given part of Darmoor’s own Transcendent powers.
(A/N: It later gets revealed in the Carcion storyline that the World Heart only absorbs power under two conditions: either forcibly from a target after they’re defeated, or willingly after the target agrees to give up their power. In the case of Kaling, the moment that we defeated her, the World Heart absorbed Darmoor’s powers inside of her, causing her to disintegrate, although her disappearing seems to be a result of her power being forcibly drained, as we haven’t yet seen an instance of a target disappearing after willingly giving up their powers.
This also solves another plot hole that was initially introduced in Shangri-La before Carcion gave a proper explanation, which is that if the World Heart reacts to the power of gods and Transcendents, then Zero and Luminous should’ve immediately had their energy drained, since both of their powers stem from the Transcendents, as well as Kain and Pathfinder, since Kain’s Malice comes from Satiras and Pathfinder’s relic belongs to an Ancient God. However, given the conditions for the World Heart’s activation, it would makes sense that it wouldn’t drain their power when they come near it.)
Zigang then told them that he couldn’t speak on the matter any further, as they already knew too much. He explained that some of the elders had been against the idea of even allowing them to return to the pavilion, and that they had wanted Gaon to use his remaining power to seal them and the World Heart away. He admitted that he was inclined to agree with the other elders, as the Adversary was far too dangerous. However, he conceded that the reality was that they had saved Shangri-La, and so he would overlook it just this once.
He then turned to Gaon and added that the same went for him, warning him to never defy the elders again, after which he ordered the Adversary to surrender the World Heart and leave Shangri-La immediately. Gaon then nervously spoke up and told Zigang that he wanted to leave with the Adversary and go down to the world below.
He admitted that he understood that they had just fought off Kaling and the Perils. However, he explained that in his time in Shangri-La, he had been under the impression that the outside world had been a utopia, adding that he wanted to stop believing the things that he had simply been told without seeing the truth for himself. He explained that he had been afraid that any intervention on his part would have caused chaos in the world, and because of that fear, he had been blinded for far too long.
He admitted that he could not look away any longer, as he believed that he needed to use his strength to protect the world. However, an angry Zigang immediately refused his request, reminding him that the Blue Dragon and White Tiger had been taken away by the traitorous elders, and that the Vermillion Bird was resting from her severe injuries. With Spring, Summer, and Autumn all having fallen, Gaon and the barrier of Winter were all that protected Shangri-La. He then demanded to know whether Gaon intended to neglect his responsibility given by the will of the world itself.
Just then, Tai Yu interrupted and told them to settle down, as fighting wouldn’t help anyone. He explained that Shangri-La, in its current state, wasn’t suited to hide something as important as the World Heart. He also noted to Zigang that they both knew that once Gaon’s mind was made up, it would be difficult for anyone to change it. He admitted that the elders could try to force their hand, though he added that it would a waste for them to use their remaining power in such a way.
He then presented an alternate arrangement and offered to stay in Shangri-La himself, explaining that with the strength that he had gained from his travels, combined with the strength of the remaining elders, they would be able to create new barriers for Shangri-La. Regarding the World Heart, Tai Yu pointed out that there wasn’t much choice but to leave it with the Adversary, as it seemed much safer than leaving it with the elders, given everything that had happened.
Brighton asked Tai Yu whether he was up to it, as Shangri-La had, from its creation, been guarded by four protectors, not one. Tai Yu laughed and explained that while his strength couldn’t match that of the Black Tortoise, he could more than make up for it with a few tricks, adding that it would be quite simple with the elders’ cooperation.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets an alternate script here, in which Hoyoung, rather than Brighton, will speak up. He asks Tai Yu how he could possibly take responsibility for all of Shangri-La on his own, reminding him that he still has responsibilities towards the Hermitage and Hoyoung himself. Tai Yu tells Hoyoung to calm down, adding that he has everything covered. He explains that the Hermitage is part of Shangri-La in the first place, and as for Hoyoung, he points out that Hoyoung himself had been so eager to prove how much he’d grown up and how he could fearlessly stand on his own.)
Weio, the sheep elder, noted that Tai Yu’s words were sound, and so she asked him to come close. Zigang begrudgingly concurred and told Tai Yu to prove himself if he was so confident. The elders then bestowed their power onto Tai Yu, who combined it with his own magic to strengthen the core of Shangri-La and restore the other seasons. Zigang noted that he could feel a portion of the other seasons returning, and though it wasn’t perfect, he admitted that it was good enough for the time being.
He then told Tai Yu that he was right, and that they couldn’t protect the World Heart, nor could they stop Gaon from leaving. He also admitted that Tai Yu’s suggestion for the elders to lend their strength hadn’t been without merit, and so he curtly told them to leave it at that and ordered Gaon and the Glory Guard to leave immediately.
After Zigang disappeared, Gaon thanked Tai Yu for standing up for him. Tai Yu smiled and told Gaon that he should have listened to him earlier about hearing him out when he had first brought the Glory Guard to Shangri-La. He asked Gaon whether he was right that both the Adversary and the outside world were quite different from what Gaon had first thought.
Gaon admitted that Tai Yu was right and added that Ara had also told him to protect the world, and that Shuli had believed that it hadn’t been too late either. He noted that even Baekyeon, who never turned a blind eye to anything, would support his decision to leave Shangri-La. He then vowed that he would protect the world and bring back the captured Symbols.
Weio warmly noted that Gaon had a good heart before telling the Adversary that she still had one more thing to say. After introducing herself, she turned to Tai Yu and apologized for being unable to cover for him earlier, even though she owed him a great debt. She noted that Lara, who had been destined to make their bell ring, had appeared, and that Tai Yu had saved her when she had been in trouble.
The Adversary asked Weio about the bell, to which she explained that she and some of the other elders had created the bell to cleanse them of their sins. She told the Adversary that the bell didn’t easily ring, as it only reacted to someone with an immeasurably pure heart. She explained that they had designed it to cleanse them not only of their sins, but their contamination as well when it rang. (A/N: The bell rang during Lara’s main storyline when Lara’s desire to protect Gri caused the bell to ring and erase both Hannah and her paintbrush mysticant.)
However, she revealed that even when the bell had rung, the contamination had still remained, as did their sins. She supposed that their sins weren’t something that they could make disappear simply through feeling sorry, adding that it was perhaps their punishment for even trying. She told the Adversary that when the bell had first been created, the elders who had been opposed to it had claimed that their contamination had been a punishment from the will of the world, and that making the bell was nothing more than a waste of effort.
She admitted that what they had done hadn’t gone away, nor had the fact that they had committed unforgivable sins. She noted that it was a painful reality, and that though it would make them feel less guilty if they were to simply look away, she explained that she didn’t wish to look away anymore, for both she and the other elders understood what they needed to do in order to truly protect the world.
(A/N: Lara gets an alternate script to this scene. After Weio introduces herself, Lara feels that Weio reminds her of her grandmother. Weio explains that she’s heard from Tai Yu that Lara is the child who had managed to ring the bell that they had created. Weio will add that even after the bell had rung, the contamination had remained.
She supposes that their sins aren’t something that they can make disappear simply through feeling sorry, adding that it’s perhaps their punishment for even trying. Lara replies that that can’t be true, as it’s only natural to want to recover their goodness and humanity. She explains that there’s nothing wrong with wanting that back, and that their desire to reclaim it wasn’t their mistake. She adds that the elders’ mistake was running away, noting that though the elders had recognized that they had made a mistake, they had done nothing to show that they were truly sorry. Weio replies that Lara is right and admits that all that they’ve ever done is look away.
She notes that even after the bell had rung, the contamination has still remained, and so have their sins. She notes that it’s a painful reality, and that though it would make them feel less guilty if they were to simply look away, she explains that she doesn’t wish to look away anymore and adds that even if the contamination hasn’t been washed away, Lara was still able to ring the bell, which shows that despite their mistakes, and despite their sins, Lara has taught them that they can become better by facing it head-on instead of running away.
She reveals that even they – the creators of the bell – hadn’t known the meaning of what their sins being cleansed by the bell’s ringing would mean, though she now realizes that it actually means that the one who rings the bell will give them the courage to face their sins. Lara’s elemental spirit then appear to agree with Weio’s words.
I’ve mentally been on an odyssey and a half since the release of this storyline trying to figure out why exactly I hate it, and I’ve gone through several iterations of who’s actually at fault in this story. It started out with me thinking that the elders were completely at fault, and that Kaling did nothing wrong at all. After a while, I started thinking more about it, and I ended up completely reevaluating my idea of what accountability and responsibility means, and that was the start of me changing how I view the elders in this story.
The biggest reason why I hated the elders at first was their complete disregard for Kaling and what happened to her. It was bad enough that the Adversary had nothing to say about Kaling’s death, but none of the elders so much as blink when they learn about it, especially when Zigang was supposed to have been very close with her - you’d think that he’d at least have said a few words about the death of a colleague and a friend.
Honestly, the main reason why I was so annoyed with the elders was because I didn’t really factor in them being contaminated and losing their empathy. But after taking that into account, I realized that the elders are actually a lot more sympathetic characters than what I first assumed, and also that the game did a remarkably pathetic job at properly conveying what the moral of this story is supposed to be.
As far as Kaling and Alter go, it’s true that they had their free will taken from them, but this was also something that both of the consented to, fully knowing the risks. With that being said, though - in no way, shape, or form does consenting to the experiments mean that they agreed to be held responsible for anything that they would do after their humanity was taken away.
By any ethical standard, it’s always the researcher’s job to take responsibility for their test subjects. You don’t get to magically wash your hands of them just because you gave them a disclaimer. That would be like you agreeing to take part in an experiment that has the risk of inducing psychosis, being let loose into the world and hurting people in your compromised state, and then getting arrested for it because the researchers go, “Well, you knew that this might happen, so this is all on you. Have fun in prison. We’re gonna keep doing this to even more people now.”
Something that’s also pretty nebulous in the game is what the elders did with their test subjects. For the most part, it seems like they kept their defective Vessels in Odium until the contamination completely overtook them, which are those monstrous test subjects that we fight inside Odium. They also kept Kaling after the experiments failed, likely because she was a researcher who still had some use. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is why Alter was seemingly the only person thrown off Odium. I was really hoping that they’d acknowledge this in the story, but we’ll probably get our answer to this later.
In regard to the elders themselves, although they committed atrocities by conducting the experiments, the alternative was to be complicit in the deaths of trillions of beings, along with all the trillions who would be born into a life of eternal chaos and carnage, all because they did nothing when they were the only ones with the power to stop it. Alter and Kaling could've said no to being part of the experiments too, but they chose to participate because of that exact reason, and so I think it’s a bit unfair to say that the elders were complete monsters when they chose what they thought was the best option in the long-run.
It's more or less the same situation as the White Mage, in which him choosing to do nothing meant being complicit in the deaths of billions as they headed towards an irreversible, absolute extinction of life from endless war. In both cases, the elders and the White Mage were given two terrible options, and there was no possible outcome in which they could've been anything other than villains. In fact, you could even consider it to be their destiny that they were going to be villains no matter what.
After the war, the elders imprisoned themselves in Shangri-La for the rest of eternity in order to stop the contamination, which is a perfectly rational decision, given that it could spread to innocent people in the outside world if they didn’t lock themselves away. And even though their job was finished, they still continued doing what they could in order to fix the world by sending out Tai Yu to act in their place.
The other main thing that makes them appear to be villains is the fact that they practically worship the Overseers as the will of the world. At the same time, they also don’t see the Overseers the same way that we do. We’ve only ever seen the Overseers through the heavily biased perspective of the White Mage and Tana, which is why we’re made to believe that the Overseers are horrible. But during the Ancient War, the Overseers were saviors who liberated the world from the influence of countless selfish, chaotic gods who - until the Overseers gave humanity the World Heart - were incapable of being stopped.
The elders are victims of the Overseers just as much as anyone, and they're caught in a mentality of revering the people who destroyed their lives, very much like Alter and Kaling being conditioned into needing to be Adversaries and proving their worth to the elders, even while the elders ruined them. The elders are suffering from their humanity and empathy - the central core of their entire identity - being stripped from them, and while it was all a direct result of their choices, the consequences of choosing to do nothing would have piled on just as much - if not even more - sin to their names.
The most that they could do was make the bell in the hopes of cleansing their sins - not because they wanted to be blindly absolved, but because they had literally no path before them in which they could have kept their self-worth and goodness. The moment that the Overseers approached them and told them that they had to choose between hurting people or letting people continue to get hurt, it was all over for them. The bell was their desperate attempt to escape their destiny of becoming everything that they hated, because they were trapped in an unfair situation in which every choice they could possibly make was the wrong one.
With all that being said, however, the writers did an atrocious job with how they presented all of this through the concept of contamination and sin. The elders realize in the end that the bell can’t cleanse their contamination because their sins can’t be magically washed away, which is the writers’ way of symbolically equating contamination with sin. But the problem here is the way in which they actually go about presenting the elders, Kaling, and Alter as villains who refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
It’s true that the elders were given a terrible hand where they only had the choice to make wrong decisions. However, just because that makes them more sympathetic, it’s not an excuse for their actions. Just like with the White Mage, they can talk about their impossible dilemma for as long as they want, but that’s not gonna make the people who they irreparably hurt suddenly go, “Well, when you put it like that, all my trauma just magically went away!”
Likewise, Kaling and Alter both hurt a lot of people, and even though they only did it because their morals and free will were stripped from them, that doesn’t take away from the fact that they still hurt people. The most I’ll say is that you could consider Kaling to have some sins to her name because, as a researcher, she helped the elders with the experiments to take away the humanity of the other Vessels. But as far as their post-contamination actions go, they might not be responsible it, and I absolutely don’t believe that they should be held legally responsible for their crimes, but it’s still their moral duty to keep themselves accountable and do whatever they can in order to make things right.
However, this is where the writers’ stupidity starts to manifest with the whole idea of contamination. I’ll acknowledge that everyone’s definition of what constitutes a sin is different. For me, I don’t think that what Kaling and Alter did after being contaminated was a sin because their agency was impaired. But for some people, it might be that sin is determined by effect, not intent, which is completely valid. Regardless of whether they’re sinners or not, it’s still their moral duty to take accountability for the harm that was created because of them.
If you go by the idea that they never did anything wrong after losing their humanity, then there’s no reason why the bell shouldn’t have cleansed them. In equating sin and contamination, the writers are making the suggestion that the reason why Kaling and Alter’s contamination wasn’t erased was because the harm that they created can’t just be magically washed away, but if all their actions weren’t their fault, then there’s no reason why their contamination can’t be erased, because there’s no reason for the narrative to punish for something that they didn’t have any control over.
On the other hand, if you do think that Kaling and Alter should be held responsible for their crimes, you run into the other major problem that’s shared with the elders. Kaling, Alter, and the elders are all contaminated, which means that they don’t have empathy or any sense of accountability for their actions. The game tries to show that the elders are selfish because they turned away from their sins and chose to hide away instead of facing the consequences what they did, except that’s literally the opposite of what we’ve seen.
For one thing, they’re in hiding because they don’t want to spread their contamination to the outside world, and they’re already sending Tai Yu to fix things in their place. What more are they supposed to be doing here? And for another thing, the whole idea of them not taking responsibility for their actions is because they’re literally contaminated. The game tries to claim that they’re bad people because they don’t feel any sense of empathy or accountability for what they did, but how exactly are they supposed to be doing that when the contamination erased those feelings inside them?
The whole concept of contamination is such a messy and mediocre display of writing. The message of the game says that you have to hold yourself accountable for your actions, which is why contamination being unremovable is meant to show that your sins can’t be fixed with a magic bell, as it’s a reminder that all the pain that you’ve caused doesn’t go away just because you feel bad about it. But at the same time, it villainizes the elders for not taking responsibility by punishing them with something that makes it so that they can’t take responsibility - it’s such a stupid catch-22 scenario.
I really wish that they didn’t turn losing your humanity into some weird magical disease that you can spread around and then framed as a half-baked metaphor for morality. If anything, it would make more sense for the Vessels to lost their egos because the elders erased their mind while turning them into cyborgs, just like what Gelimer did to Xenon and Beryl.
The elders could’ve believed that their lack of humanity came from the contamination of their test subjects, and they would’ve sequestered themselves away in Shangri-La in order to stop it from spreading, and simultaneously, they would’ve hidden themselves away from the world because they’ve compromised their core values and are afraid of facing the fact that they’ve lost every good quality that once defined their entire identities.
Once the bell rings and they realize that their pain hasn’t gone away, they’d end up realizing that the bell didn’t fix them because they were never contaminated in the first place, and that it was something that they might’ve known subconsciously as their feelings slowly resurfaced over the eons. They’d end up realizing that their lack of humanity didn’t come from their Vessels, but rather, it was because they’ve been suffering from intense psychological trauma as a result of them being forced to defile their test subjects in one of the worst ways imaginable. It’s already a thing that our brains will numb our emotions when we’re facing an extreme mental crisis, which can result in a lack of empathy from being completely dissociated from our actions.
After realizing that there’s nothing actually keeping them from returning to the outside world, they would have to start actually coming to terms with the fact that they can’t keep using the contamination as an crutch for not taking responsibility, and then the actual Shangri-La storyline would’ve had Kaling actually confront the elders, who would be forced to acknowledge the victims of their sins, while the Adversary would’ve played a more active role in actually challenging the elders blindly worshiping the will of the world and incorporating things that we’ve learned about in our past adventures, like the Black Mage’s hatred for the Overseers’ apathy and Aeona being forced to wipe out entire races because of the Overseers.
I feel like removing the contamination would solve a good number of issues in this storyline by giving the elders back their agency, which would make it more straightforward to present them as antagonists for being afraid of taking responsibility for their actions, rather than a dumb catch-22 where they get punished for their lack of empathy with something that takes away their capacity for empathy. It would also keep the general idea of contamination inside Kaling through the experiments, and the bell would still have the ability to erase that contamination like it did with the paintbrush mysticant in Lara’s storyline.
Mysticants were one of the things that I thought would’ve been explained in this story, but it seems like the purpose of the bell was soft retconned from being able to purify other mysticants to explicitly only cleansing the contamination. And then the bell itself ended up having no purpose because it can’t even do that, either. The elders really should’ve made a mystican, not a mysticant.
If I had to speculate on the mysticants, it’s highly likely that they were created by other Vessels experiencing contamination. In Lara’s class story, the book that she had read about mysticants had been written by the elders or the researchers, which described how mysticants had been created by an unknown influence, and that the bell was created to purify their evils.
The paintbrush mysticant could gouge out happy memories, which sounds just like the idea of the contamination erasing the Vessel’s humanity and sense of self, and so it’s possible that just like how Kaling performed experiments to create the Four Perils, some other Vessel might’ve performed experiments to create the mysticants. I’m sure that they must’ve thrown other people off Odium aside from Alter, and so there’s still a chance that mysticants might become relevant again someday. There were a lot of other things that didn’t get resolved in the main story, like the Yum Yum Island experiments, which the writers had to quickly add in during the story expansion.)
Weio then asked the Adversary to give the elders another chance before it was too late, explaining that just as there were elders who had turned their backs on the will of the world and joined the corrupt Transcendent, so too must the remaining elders aid the new Adversary to maintain balance and fix what the will of the world had intended for them to remedy.
The Adversary replied that they understood that Darmoor had other plans, and that they would be lying if they were to say that they weren’t worried about what would happen in the future. However, they explained that in spite of their concerns, they had made up their mind to never falter when they had fought against Kaling. They then vowed that they would do anything to protect the world that they and their friends lived in, for which they told Weio that they needed the World Heart – a new power that would allow them to stand against Darmoor.
Seeing the Adversary’s resolve, Weio explained that she needed to tell them something important, as what Zigang had told them wasn’t enough. She told the Adversary that Zigang had been right when he had explained that the World Heart was the original Godsphere that had been given to the elders directly by the will of the world.
She added that the World Heart’s power surpassed that of all the other Godspheres, and that its power had been so strong that not even the elders had been able to safely handle it. Because of this, the elders had left it behind in Odium with the intention of putting its immense power to rest. Oz then realized that it was the reason why they had created the Constables, and why they had continued to run Odium’s system, as it would drain the power inside the World Heart. Weio confirmed Oz’s suspicions and explained that just as the elders had planned, the World Heart’s power had been consumed.
However, she then showed the World Heart to the Adversary, which glowed brightly with power. The Adversary noted that its power was unlike what they had first felt in Odium, to which Weio explained that it now held a portion of energy. She explained that from the beginning, the World Heart had the ability to take away the power of the gods. However, even the elders had never anticipated that a fully-drained World Heart, on top of simply taking away the power of the gods, could absorb that power and claim it as its own.
The Adversary explained that they had been told that the World Heart reacted to the power of gods or god-like beings, which caused them to realize that they would need to meet the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents in order to fully recover the World Heart’s power. Weio then told the Adversary that she had one more thing to explain. She told them that she had heard that they had already once handled a Godsphere in the form of a Seal Stone, and so they had to know that the Godsphere’s power didn’t belong to any one person.
The Adversary understood what Weio was referring to and explained that in order to awaken its true power, certain conditions needed to be met, such as the will and determination of the people. Weio explained that the same held true for the World Heart. However, she told them that unlike the Godspheres, the World Heart did not respond to the will of the people.
She added that not even the elders knew what awakened the World Heart, and because of this, she instructed the Adversary to meet people from around the world and hear their stories, adding that she believed that they, more than anyone, would be able to find a way to awaken the World Heart, just like how they had helped Gaon change his own path.
(A/N: The World Heart honestly confuses me quite a bit, and it’s one of the things that the writers should’ve done more to explain. If it’s true that it didn’t react to Kaling until she actually used her Transcendent powers, then in that case, the World Heart worked identically to how Freud had enchanted the Seal Stones to drain the powers of time that the Black Mage had stolen from Rhinne.
Freud had told Luminous to force the Black Mage to his limits in order to give him no choice but to use the power of time. When Luminous fought the Black Mage, the instant that the Black Mage used the stolen powers of time, the Seal Stones reacted to it and absorbed that power in order to create the Seal of Time. Given that Freud had cast a special spell on the Seal Stones in order to give them that functionality, it’s likely that this means that Seal Stones don’t naturally have the same innate power as the World Heart, and that Freud adding on that power was just coincidental on his part.
The other thing that the World Heart is very similar to is the Transcendence Stone, which - before it was removed from canon in the Heroes of Maple revamp - could absorb the power of a Transcendent and allow the user to wield it freely. The Transcendence Stone is almost identical to how the World Heart works, with the only difference being that it only works on Transcendents. I’ve speculated in the past that the Transcendence Stone was created by the Ancient Gods for their followers to avenge them, and it would have made a lot of thematic sense for them to have modeled it off of the Overseers’ own creation in order to defeat them, which makes its removal from the game unfortunate.
I also really like the idea that the World Heart wasn’t originally created to respond to the will of the people. It seemed a bit strange to me that the Overseers, who exist solely to suppress the world, would create relics that respond to collective willpower and democracy. The elders using the World Heart as a template to create the Godspheres, along with Freud using the Godspheres to create the Seal Stones, seems a lot more thematically appropriate that mortals gave themselves their own means of salvation, and it falls in line with the central theme of the game that Freud pointed out in Heroes of Maple - that the time will come when people will outgrow their dependency on the gods and govern themselves through kindness and selflessness.)
Weio then invited the Adversary to return to Shangri-La any time if the needed help, promising that she would personally see to it that they would be allowed to return. She then jokingly told Gaon that she hoped that he would serve as an excellent tour guide for her upon his return. Gaon told Weio to stay in good health until he came back, adding that he wished the same for Shuli. Weio then told Gao to accomplish all that the elders couldn’t do from Shangri-La, and to return soon, so that she would have good news to tell Shuli when she awakened.
Tai Yu then told the Adversary that it seemed that all their matters had been settled. The Adversary thanked Tai Yu for everything that he had done for them since Odium. Tai Yu smiled and explained that he hadn’t done it for gratitude, though he added that if they really wanted to thank him, then they could find his apprentice down in the world below and ask him to visit sometime, adding that they could come with him too. The Adversary promised that they would, after which the Glory Guard and Gaon headed out.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets an alternate script for his goodbye with Tai Yu. Hoyoung thanks Tai Yu for always being there for him, to which Tai Yu tells him to not to make it sound like they’ll never see each other again. He teasingly asks Hoyoung if he doesn’t plan to come back and visit, to which Hoyoung stammers that he will. He then promises Tai Yu that he’ll defeat Darmoor and return back home. Tai Yu approvingly nods at Hoyoung’s determination and adds that he’ll be waiting before wishing Hoyoung safe travels.
Lara also gets an alternate script for this scene. She tells Tai Yu that she’s grateful for him helping her protect the bell, as well as for getting them through Odium and Shangri-La safely. Tai Yu smiles at her kind words and explains that he hadn’t done it for gratitude, though he adds that if she really wants to thank him, then she can find his apprentice down in the world below and ask him to visit sometime. Lara promises to do so and asks if she can come visit him alongside his apprentice too, to which Tai Yu smiles and says that she’s more than welcome.)
The Adversary then thought to themselves that though they had no idea what Darmoor had planned, they refused to allow him to do as he wished. They vowed that even against a god, or anything as strong as one, they would never break, and that they would face him with all their might.
Elsewhere, Maolang, clutching the scroll of Spring, and two hooded elders arrived in a restored Spring, which she noted had been fixed by Tai Yu and the elders combining their powers, adding that Tai Yu seemed to have returned with a few tricks of his own from the outside world. One of the elders behind her reminded her that they would be trapped inside if they didn’t hurry. The other elder then asked her what had happened to Shensung.
Just then, Shensung, clutching the scroll of Autumn, and two more hooded elders arrived, with Shensung laughing that he had almost gotten stuck in Autumn. Maolang noted that Shensung seemed to be all talk as always, though Shensung told her to give him a break, claiming that he had barely been able to escape facing Tai Yu and Baekyeon at the same time.
Shensung then noticed the scroll of Spring, with Ara the Azure Dragon sealed inside, in Maolang’s hands. Maolang explained that she hadn’t had a choice, as Ara had caught her while she had been taking down the barrier. Shensung amusedly noted that Maolang had taken care of Qiongqi, rather than the Adversary.
He added that though capturing Ara had been good, he asked what she would have done if the Adversary had confronted her first instead of Ara. Maolang pointed out the deal that they had made with Darmoor – that in exchange for him dispatching Kaling to help them destroy the barrier of Shangri-La and escape, they would monitor the Adversary. Shensung retorted that the Adversary was a Vessel who had once been completed and asked Maolang why she hadn’t waited.
Maolang countered by asking whether he planned to own the responsibility if something had gone wrong while she had waited. Shensung amusedly noted that she seemed quite harsh and asked what her problem was, as everything had gone according to plan. He then realized that Maolang’s anger came from guilt, which he noted was also the reason why she had captured Ara, rather than kill her.
He laughed that unlike himself, who lazily gave up when things got too hard, Maolang would fulfill her responsibilities no matter what. He reminded her that she didn’t need to keep up the façade like they had during the Ancient War – when they had pretended to be good people protecting the world – as they were now on the other side.
He noted that both of them were sick of adhering to the will of the world and its sense of order, pointing out that all their waiting in Shangri-La had been pointless. He noted that though Darmoor used his subordinates as chess pieces just like the will of the world, Darmoor, at least, didn’t pretend to play fair, which made him much more like a gentleman. Maolang warned Shensung to watch his words, though Shensung laughed and asked if he really needed to watch his mouth for such a thing.
He pointed out to her that Darmoor had already planned to throw Kaling aside, likely from the moment that she had allowed Taotie to slip from her fingers. He explained that there was no way that the World Heart reacted to Kaling’s powers, causing Maolang to realize that Darmoor had given Kaling part of his own Transcendent powers with the intent of awakening the World Heart by having the Adversary defeat her.
Shensung told her that he was simply happy that Darmoor had helped him escape the realm of the sages, as the research that he wanted them to perform was something that they could practically do in their sleep, with the only change being who it was that was making them perform it, though he added that he didn’t care much anyways.
Maolang noted that Shensung had completely abandoned his sense of duty, to which he wondered whether it was a side effect of the contamination, though he decided that it didn’t matter much to him either way. He then suggested that they hurry before the barrier fully closed, as they still needed to report to Darmoor, noting that everything that they had needed to do in Shangri-La had been successfully completed.
(A/N: Darmoor clearly wants the World Heart to be awakened, likely in order to use its power for whatever his real purpose is. Ever since hearing about the World Heart, I’ve been wondering about how he’s been using his Apostles to achieve his goals. Based on the fact that Kaling was given a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers, which we later learn manifests itself as her claw attack, it’s possible that he’s done the same to all his Apostles, both to fill up the World Heart, as well as to create a new Adversary - specifically some kind of ultra-Adversary.
In regard to Kaling, we later learn that Darmoor gave her power to create a Godsphere and a Vessel, which was the purpose of her Yum Yum Island experiments. Darmoor funded her research specifically because her experiment with the Four Perils was to create an ultra-Adversary augmented with all the combined energy that the Four Perils gathered for her. Shensung also mentions that Darmoor chose to abandon Kaling after she failed to obtain Taotie, likely because , likely because she couldn't make good on her original promise to create an ultra-Adversary like he wanted, which is when he sacrificed her to power the World Heart instead, and he then freed to elders so that they could finish Kaling’s research and create a Godsphere.
We can see a lot of similar parallels with Ypsilon and his goals. His power to extract is likely something that Darmoor gave him, likely to create a Godsphere and a Vessel just like Kaling. We know from Khali’s storyline that he’s currently amassing an immense amount of life force and magic from his captured enemies, and on top of that, he’s been researching the power of Malice as Dr. Y with Kain and Luska. He’s been giving Malice Stones to the Drakas in order to make them stronger, which might be his way of either creating a personal army, or it might be an experiment to see whether he can weaponize the power of the Ancient Gods to kill higher beings.
After Luska was nearly killed, he extracted the damage which would’ve led to her death, using the excess life force that he absorbed in order to offset the damage that he took into himself, and when she was resurrected, it’s explained that she was the one who personally requested to have her memories removed, which might be because she knew that offering herself as a Vessel to Ypsilon would be the only way to stop him from using Kain. From the way that we see her behave after her memories are removed, she seems to have almost no feelings or emotions outside of her drive to become stronger, almost as though her ego was completely removed by Ypsilon extracting everything that made her human.
It’s possible that Ypsilon intends for Luska to be the Adversary that Darmoor wants, and that he’s planning to augment her with extra power, just like Kaling did with her Four Perils experiment. It might be that all the life force and magic that he’s been amassing is meant to be transferred into Luska, turning her into an ultra-Adversary. On top of that, Kain got some exclusive dialogue in Cernium that has him note that the conflicting powers of the Overseers and the Ancient Gods inside him in the form of the Seal Stone and his Malice is a dangerous combination, and it might be that Ypsilon hopes to leverage this potent mix of power in order to give Luska two sources of divine energy at her disposal.
As far as how he intends to turn her into an Adversary, just like how he creates Memory Stones or Malice Stones, it might be possible that he’s hoping to create a Seal Stone in the form of a Godsphere by extracting the power of the World Heart beneath the continent, exactly like how Freud did. I’d wager that the reason why he hasn’t been able to do it yet is because the limitation of his power is that he has to absorb whatever he extracts into himself before moving it somewhere else, and since he’s not a true Vessel, he can’t absorb the power of the Adversary into himself, which might explain why Darmoor wants the elders to make him a Godsphere instead.
There’s something interesting that Ypsilon also mentioned in Khali’s Aftermath cutscene, which is that he can’t allow himself to be killed by her “yet” after she defeats him. That might suggest that he’s fully aware that Darmoor intends to sacrifice all his Apostles to power the World Heart by giving them each a portion of his Transcendent powers. Since his conversation with Khali is framed with her being the Adversary, it’s likely that he knows that he’s meant to die at her hands when the time comes.
The other Apostles that we know of are Havoc and Limbo. We know that Limbo is experimenting to create a special Specter who can wield the relics of the Ancient Gods to kill them, with Gilmore being one such experiment, and so it’s likely that instead of creating an Adversary, Limbo is hoping to create a Specter instead. He’s also harvesting bioenergy, like how he drained Verdel - likely to augment his Specter into some kind of ultra-Specter - and he’s also interested in reaching the Abyssal Source and the infinite knowledge contained within, for which he’s going after Ark, although we can’t be sure if that’s a personal project or if it has something to do with what Darmoor wants.
In the Carcion storyline, it’s shown that the elders who sided with him are trying to combine Specter and Adversary research, and while I’ll get more into that in a later section, my personal theory is that by combining these two fields, the elders intend to create an Adversary who can retain their ego, just like the player.
We know even less about Havoc, but since we do know that the demons of Tynerum repeatedly performed failed experiments to steal a Transcendent’s powers until Tynerum became a wasteland, it might be possible that Havoc might have something to do with these experiments, and maybe even tying into Damien’s Sword of Destruction, which was said to have similar powers to that of a Transcendent.
As far as what Darmoor wants with a new Adversary and a fully-charged World Heart, I’ve been speculating with people on the lore server about the possibility that the World Heart fused with a Vessel and awakened will allow the Overseers to manifest themselves in physical form through that Vessel. We know that Darmoor was able to manifest Mitra through Seren in Cernium, likely because she was chosen by Mitra’s holy relic, and so it might be possible that he can manifest the Overseers - the creators of the World Heart - and force them to possess a Vessel, which is why the World Heart doesn’t respond to the will of the people like the Godspheres
Something else that supports this idea is that the World Heart in KMS is directly known as the “heart of the world”, and given that the Overseers are known as the “will of the world”, it might be that the heart needs to be placed inside a body (a Vessel) to allow the will, or the brain, to manifest as the Overseers, who are normally abstract beings with no physical form.
It’s possible that the reason why Darmoor saved our life, and why he’s still inexplicably looking for another Adversary besides us, is because he wants us to fully power the World Heart for him, and then have us fuse with it so that we become a Vessel for the Overseers. And with the Overseers finally having a physical form on the mortal plane, they can at last be fought and killed by his own chosen Adversary, finally putting an end to the Overseers once and for all, allowing the universe to escape the will of the world forever.
After the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline, my personal theory is that his chosen candidate is Asha, the gardener of Sefirot whom he saved at the end of the storyline, as he believed her willingness to sacrifice herself truly and completely made her a perfect, noble life. I talked about it a bit more at the end of the Burning Cernium section, but the Adversary and the Alliance represent everything that Darmoor hates in people, as we rejected our desire to sacrifice ourselves at Limina in favor of choosing our own survival, along with the world’s survival.
By having a perfect Adversary like Asha kill the player, an imperfect Adversary who serves as a vessel for the Overseers, as well as purging all the selfish, worthless lives that he believes drags down humanity, Darmoor may intend to have our death - as someone who embodies the will of the people - represent the end of the wishes of flawed people, leaving behind only the lives which he believes are worth saving, as well as giving him the platform to remake the world as he sees fit.
In that case, it’s likely that the reason why Darmoor is trying to awaken the Ancient Gods, like why he sent Veronica - who’s likely to be another Apostle - to find the key to awakening the Ancient God of Ristonia, is because he knows that the World Heart absorbing the Transcendent powers in his Apostles won’t be enough to fully restore it, and so he’s giving the Adversary more targets to drain, like the Ancient Gods and Transcendents like Tana or Chronica, and possibly even the Genesis Crux, which holds the Black Mage’s Transcendent powers.
The big plot twist in the story might be that we finally restore the World Heart to full power and try to fuse with it, hoping to become an Adversary once again, but we instead end up becoming a Vessel for the Overseers to possess. And once that happens, Darmoor will have his own Adversary, who’s been augmented to face a being that’s many times stronger than any normal god, in order to kill the Overseers in combat - and possible for Darmoor to take that power and replace the Overseers once it’s all over. And since we’re the protagonist, it might end up in a role-reversal where Darmoor’s Adversary is the one who gets fused with the World Heart, and we’re the one who needs to become an ultra-Adversary in order to defeat them.
Jumping back to Shangri-La, though, this storyline doesn’t have any bonus quests like Odium did, although there’s still the story expansion set after the main story. In the pavilion, however, you can speak with the elders and several researchers. You can see six elders in the pavilion, which are the six elders that haven’t joined Darmoor. The four hooded elders that follow Maolang and Shensung aren’t shown by face in the story, but based on the zodiac and by process of elimination, we can figure out that those four elders are the tiger, dog, dragon, and rooster elders.
Another interesting feature about the elders is that all of them have these glowing sashes behind them, signifying their holy power. The elders in charge of Winter have white sashes that glow gold with golden cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Spring have silvery-blue sashes with blue cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Summer have silvery-blue sashes with pink cloud shapes around them. The elders in charge of Autumn have solid gold sashes with white cloud shapes around them. This is how you can tell that the four people accompanying Maolang and Shensung are elders, even though it’s never explicitly stated.
In GMS, the first part of the elders’ names corresponds to the twelve Earthly Branches, an ordering system based on astronomy. Each animal from the zodiac is assigned an Earthly Branch, and the name of that branch is used as the first part of the elders’ names.
Rat (Zi) = Zigang
Ox (Chou) = Chouxian
Rabbit (Mao) = Maolang
Snake (Si) = Siyu
Sheep (Wei) = Weio
Monkey (Shen) = Shensung
Pig (Hai) = Haia
Dog (Xu) = Xula
Based on this, we can figure out the first part of the other four elders’ names: Tiger (Yin), Dragon (Chen), Rooster (You), Dog (Xu)
In KMS, each of the elders has the first letter of their name in Korean start with the character for the zodiac animal that they’re based on. Credits to satsuha for figuring this out:
Rat (Ja) = Jagang (Zigang in GMS)
Ox (Chuk) = Chukhyun (Chouxian in GMS)
Rabbit (Myo) = Myorang (Maolang in GMS)
Snake (Sa) = Sayu (Siyu in GMS)
Horse (O) = Osol (Wushuai in GMS)
Sheep (Mi) = Mio (Weio in GMS)
Monkey (Shin) = Shinseong (Shensung in GMS)
Pig (Hae) = Hea (Hae-ah), (Haia in GMS)
Dog (Sul) = Sula (Xula in GMS)
Based on this, we can figure out the first part of the other three elders’ names in KMS: Tiger (In), Dragon (Jin), Rooster (Yu)
If you talk to the remaining six elders, you’ll get some interesting dialogue. Lara can get some exclusive dialogue by talking to a few of the elders too.
Haia the pig elder tells us that we have no idea how uneasy our existence as an Adversary who’s transcended order makes the elders. Because of that, she refuses to talk to us.
Zigang the rat elder tells us that he’s already shown us all the generosity that he can and tells us to go quietly.
Chouxian the ox elder tells us that from the very beginning, he’s been against allowing us to leave Shangri-La, and that his view hasn’t changed. He then tells us to go away.
Siyu the snake elder will tells us that the World Heart that we possess is where everything began, and that she’d never thought that she’d see it again. She then wonders whether it all comes down to destiny in the end and asks us what we think. She notes that we seem to disagree, which she says makes sense, given that we’re an Adversary of Destiny.
Lara can also choose to trigger an exclusive dialogue by selecting a second prompt that only appears to her. Siyu explains that Weio the sheep elder had initially come up with the idea of making the bell, though everyone who had supported her idea had contributed to its development, including herself. She explains that she had left behind quite a few test tubes in Odium and wonders if they’re still intact. She tells Lara that she might have seen some of them lying around, which we actually do in the map “Sunny Laboratory 3”, as there’s a test tube that Lara can get exclusive dialogue from by clicking on it.
Weio the sheep elder just tells us to let her know if we need any help.
Wushuai the horse elder tells us that it was nice to have Ara and Baekyeon as sparring partners before all of them were separated. He explains that he’s sure that they’ll be fine, wherever they are, and that he won’t worry too much about them, since Gaon and Shuli are worrying about them enough as it is. He jokingly adds that Shuli, the person who worries the most, even while incapacitated, just had to be the one left behind, though he asks us not to tell Shuli that he said that.
Lara can choose to trigger an exclusive dialogue, in which Wushuai will recognize her voice. He realizes that Lara was the one who had asked him to keep believing in her, as well as having promised to save him. Lara realizes that Wushuai is the person whom she had spoken with through the bell during her level 200 quest. Wushuai clarifies that Lara had spoken with a fragment of his thoughts, though those thoughts connected back to him anyways.
He then apologizes for putting Lara in danger, as the darkness of his memories had spilled over to her through the bell, which Tai Yu hadn’t been happy about at all. He admits that though it might seem like a pointless excuse, he truly hadn’t meant to hurt her. He explains that her words had truly reached him, and that - if not for her - he might have turned his back on Shangri-La like Shensung did. He adds that Lara’s faith had saved him, for which he’s truly grateful.
There’s also a large painting depicting the four season of Shangri-La in the pavilion, and based on which one the elders are standing in front of, we can deduce that there are three elders in charge of each season. Zigang, Chouxian, and Haia are in charge of Winter, and Weio, Siyu, and Wushuai are in charge of Summer. Looking at the seasonal zodiac, we can also figure out that Shensung, the rooster elder, and the dog elder are in charge of Autumn, while Maolang, the tiger elder, and the dragon elder are in charge of Spring.
If you go outside the pavilion, you can also find three researchers that look almost identical to some of the Constables in Odium.
Aroa, whose image was the basis for Aro, tells us that everyone in Shangri-La had someone precious that they weren’t able to keep. She notes that we’re the Adversary who came from Odium in order to chase after the sins that they had shamefully left behind. We tell her that a Constable that looks like her had showed us a research journal, which had allowed us to learn about Kaling.
Aroa explains that the research journal had belonged to her, and that she hadn’t been able to throw it away because it had contained records of her friends, with Kaling being her closest one. She then reveals that all the Constables of Odium had been made in the image of the researchers from before they had been contaminated. She explains that she had been close to Kaling, and that she had watched Kaling’s Four Perils experiment up-close.
She admits that she had many opportunities to stop it back then, but she had chosen to turn her gaze away, believing that everything would work out in accordance to the wishes of the elders and the will of the world. Noting that we had stopped Kaling, Aroa tells us that perhaps if we were the ones who had been there in Odium all those years ago instead of herself, then there might’ve been a better ending for Kaling. Aroa then falls deep in thought and we decide to leave her alone. It’s nice to know that there’s at least one person in Shangri-La who misses Kaling, even if no one else does.
Hanasol, whose image was the basis for Na-Sol, greets us as the Adversary and notes that Odium will soon die off without its power source. He explains that the elders had commissioned the researchers to fully automate Odium, such that it would run for a nearly infinite amount of time. He adds that though Odium would shut down, not everything would disappear with their machines, as their sins would linger in the laboratory forever.
Somiya, whose image was the basis for Miya, asks us if we had seen a Constable that looks like him in Odium. He explains that he had created the Constable named Miya, to which we tell him about our encounter with Miya and Haram. Technically speaking, this encounter happened in the side quests, which we couldn’t have completed before Shangri-La because we were taken directly here from Odium, which means that this conversation with Somiya had to have happened in the future, likely during a timeskip between areas in future Grandis storylines.
But anyways, we tell him about our encounter with Miya and Haram, in which we learned that Miya was Haram’s son, as well as Haram wondering why the Constables had been created with feelings and bonds with each other, rather than being mindless machines. In response, Somiya reveals that the researchers had created the Constables in their own image from before the contamination in order to preserve themselves, with Haram being modeled after Somiya’s own father. He’s surprised to hear that Haram had mentioned how close he was to Miya, and he explains that though it’s hard for him to feel things because of the contamination, he supposes that Haram’s words means that he must have been loved, for which he thanks us.
This last part is the story expansion that concludes Kaling’s story, as well as the Shangri-La storyline as a whole.)
Before the Adversary headed out on their journey, Tai Yu asked them to come see him with Gaon, as he had a request for them. The Adversary and Gaon found Tai Yu in the pavilion, speaking with several of the researchers. They overheard Hanasol asking Tai Yu whether he was sure that he was okay, as he had no idea how many people were sick until today. Aroa noted that there were researchers roaming throughout the seasons of Shangri-La and added that though no one wanted to say it, the researchers were exhibiting the same symptoms as Kaling in the past.
Somiya pointed out that if things went on as they were going, even their guests from the outside world might get affected by it. He added that if the contamination were to spread outside Shangri-La, the damage would spiral out of control. The Adversary then interrupted, causing Tai Yu to notice that they had just arrived. (A/N: If the player is Hoyoung, he’ll call Tai Yu ‘Master’.)
Gaon noted that Tai Yu had requested their presence and asked whether something was wrong. Tai Yu explained that something strange was happening to the researchers of Shangri-La lately, though he noted that everyone had expected things to be confusing for a while, as the four seasons’ ability to control the contamination wouldn’t be the same as before.
He explained that the contamination was spreading more severely than both he and the elders had thought, and that something was very wrong in Shangri-La. He added that though it would be nice if the elders could handle it on their own, they wouldn’t be able to do so with everything that they were dealing with. Gaon asked whether it was because of their guests from the outside world, noting that it had been a while since someone had come from the world below.
Tai Yu agreed and added that he had also thought that things had been strange, as news from the outside world had gone completely dark, which made him believe that someone had been deliberately blocking news from entering Shangri-La. The Adversary wondered to themselves whether it had been the work of the elders who had left Shangri-La.
Tai Yu explained that as a result of the elders being overwhelmed with the backlog of everything that they had missed, they didn’t have the time to focus on anything else. As the path to Shangri-La had been opened, Tai Yu feared that something evil could come inside, and since he had other responsibilities to focus on, he asked the Adversary and Gaon to patrol Shangri-La for him, to which they agreed. (A/N: If the player is Hoyoung, he’ll once again call Tai Yu ‘Master’ and tell him to leave it all to him.)
On Gaon’s suggestion, they began their investigation in Winter, where they encountered Haia the pig elder, whom the Adversary recognized from the pavilion. Gaon greeted Haia and asked her what she was doing in Winter, though Haia merely stared back without saying anything. Gaon explained that he had been planning to say goodbye before leaving Shangri-La, though he had regretted that she hadn’t been there at the time.
To his surprise, however, Haia merely replied that she didn’t care. She then added that since she didn’t care, there was nothing that she had to take care of, which meant that she didn’t have any problems to worry about. Haia then ran off, leaving Gaon to stare sadly after her. The Adversary asked Gaon whether he was okay, asking if Haia was one of the elders.
Gaon explained that Haia was the youngest to join the elders in Odium, and that though she was a bit shy at first, she was one of the sweetest people that they would ever meet once they got to know her. He told the Adversary that Haia was kind to everyone, and that she had many friends as a result, including all the elders and the Four Symbols. After a pause, he somberly added that he had hoped that Haia would’ve understood his choice to leave Shangri-La.
The Adversary pointed out that Haia had lost not only him, but many of her other friends all at once, and that she might be feeling lonely as a result. Gaon wondered whether it could also be because the contamination had started affecting her as well. Hoping to be wrong, he suggested that they continue with their investigation quickly. The pair headed deeper into Winter, where they were shocked to find contaminated researchers in the area being possessed by a dark power.
Gaon realized that Tai Yu had been right, and that it hadn’t just been the contamination that was causing problems, as he could also sense an aura being cloaked so that it couldn’t be easily recognized. He then told the Adversary that they should calm down the researchers and find out what was possessing them. While fighting the researchers, the Adversary found several stone fragments that they brought back to Gaon, who immediately recognized them as part of Winter’s treasure of the study.
(A/N: The four treasures of the study are known as the “munbangsawoo”, also known as the “four friends” - the four basic Korean calligraphic tools: paper, a brush, ink, and an inkwell. Ink is typically in the form of an inkstick, made from soot and glue, which is ground on an inkstone and mixed with water in order to create liquid ink.)
He noted that the Adversary must also have felt Kaling’s power inside the fragments, to which the Adversary wondered how that could be possible when Kaling had already fallen. Believing that it would be easier to check directly, the pair proceeded deeper into Winter when Ink-Winged Owl monsters suddenly manifested and began attacking them. Gaon realized that the monsters had been drawn in ink, just like Shangri-La itself. The Adversary noted that the Ink-Winged Owls seemed to be guarding a large inkwell in the distance.
Gaon explained that the inkwell was part of the four treasures of the study – the inkwell, ink, brush, and paper that the elders had created in order to paint the realm of the sages inside an enchanted painting. After Shangri-La had been created, the elders had separated and stored each of the four treasures in a different season.
Gaon then noticed something embedded into the inkwell, which the Adversary recognized as Kaling’s button. They told Gaon that they now understood why the barriers of Shangri-La had fallen, even with the Four Symbols guarding them, as Kaling’s button had contaminated the four treasures of the study. Gaon then approached the inkwell and attempted to destroy the button with his spear, though his attack had no effect.
He then asked the Adversary to try destroying the button. Just as they succeeded, a claw-like arm appeared from the button and attacked the Adversary, causing them to collapse as Kaling’s energy infected them. Suddenly, more owl monsters appeared and surrounded the pair. As Gaon fought them off alone, the Adversary began witnessing some of Kaling’s memories.
Shortly after the end of the Ancient War, Kaling was seized and taken out of Odium. As she furiously demanded to be let go of, Zigang stepped in and ordered for her to released. Upon seeing Zigang, Kaling addressed him as her master and asked him to tell them what he had always told her – how he had always known just how much of an outstanding researcher she was. When Zigang said nothing, Kaling asked him why he was looking at her like that, reminding him how he had always, without any doubt, believed that the world needed her research.
However, Zigang then asked her what she planned to do after finishing her research. When Kaling remained silent, he sharply asked her what she was planning to do with her beasts in a world that had barely just ended one war. When Kaling was still unable to reply, Zigang declared that she had created monsters, adding that the blame lay with him, not with her. Kaling appealed to Zigang, calling him her master, but Zigang merely declared that he was disavowing her, and that she was no longer his disciple.
With that, Zigang turned his back on her and walked away. Refusing to give up, Kaling continued calling after him, reaching out with all her might towards the back of the man who she realized was no longer her master, but none of her cries were answered. Kaling was then sealed away by Tai Yu on the moon of Cheong-woon, trapped under the hardest and heaviest rock in Odium, which Tai Yu bound in place with golden chains and countless sealing talismans.
Over the eons, Kaling’s seal gradually began weakening until she was found by the private investigators of Cheong-woon, who had been tasked with resealing what they had believed to be a beast sealed within. To their surprise, however, they found not a beast, but what they believed to be a little girl. Kaling, whose right eye had turned black and orange from the contamination, weakly crawled out from beneath the rock.
(A/N: I have no idea how the investigators managed to reach Odium when it’s supposed to be hidden and inaccessible, given that we went through a journey and a half just to complete Karote and reach Odium, where we had to fight Kalos, who literally won’t let anyone inside unless they’re a Vessel. Even on the unlikely chance that the elders commissioned the investigators to fortify the seals, there’s literally no way that they would have allowed them to enter Odium, given that Hundun is supposed to be a secret and the other Perils aren’t even in Odium. And on the super unlikely chance that they really did ask them to fortify the seal on Kaling and Hundun, why not just ask Tai Yu to do it at that point?)
One of the investigators wondered why there was a child sealed inside, to which another investigator supposed that she might have been a sacrifice to the beast sealed within. Unable to sense any power inside Kaling, the investigators decided to rescue her from the seal, introducing themselves as the ones who had been tasked with resealing the scourge of Grandis.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he expresses his surprise that the private investigators of Cheong-woon were the ones who had freed Kaling. Taotie then adds that he has a bad feeling about it all, though he also notes that now isn’t the time to be worrying about others, explaining that he can sense the spirit of Hoyoung’s Master nearby, much to Hoyoung’s confusion. For regular playthroughs, we’ll wake up after hearing Tai Yu speaking to us, but for Hoyoung, we wake up as soon as Taotie finishes talking.)
Back in the present, the Adversary awoke to the sound of Tai Yu’s voice. They got up and found Gaon and Tai Yu checking on their condition, as well as the inkstone purified of its contamination. Tai Yu asked the Adversary if they were alright, to which they replied that they weren’t seriously hurt.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue in place of this, in which he reminds Tai Yu that he’s been in situations like this before. He then tells Tai Yu that he hasn’t broken anything.)
They then returned back to the pavilion, where the Adversary told them about the four treasures of the study being contaminated as a result of Kaling’s button, which contained her memories. Tai Yu noted that something bigger than expected was happening, though he added that telling the elders what they had just learned was enough for now, and so he told the Adversary that they didn’t need to look into it any further.
The Adversary protested, claiming that the elders didn’t have the time to deal with what was happening, and that the contamination in Shangri-La needed to be dealt with immediately before it got any worse. However, Tai Yu reminded them that they had already once saved Shangri-La when the elders had been scrambling around, and that it would be okay if the elders were to clean up the rest of their own mess by themselves. He explained that even though it had been inevitable during the fight with Kaling, he couldn’t allow the Adversary to be put in danger again. He then asked Gaon to help escort the Adversary out of Shangri-La safely.
(A/N: For Hoyoung, in place of that last line, Tai Yu notes that it seems like we have no intention of backing down. He then tells Gaon that since he can’t trust us, he’s putting him in charge. With that, he says goodbye to Hoyoung and tells him not to sulk, and to call him when the time comes.)
On their way, however, the Adversary instead asked Gaon to come with them to find Autumn’s treasure of the study, reminding him that it was an opportunity to help Shangri-La and learn more about Kaling, and that there was a chance that they could even learn more about Darmoor and the traitorous elders. Gaon agreed, explaining that he, too, had been reluctant to follow Tai Yu’s orders.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Taotie amusedly asks him how long it’s been since he’s known the Black Tortoise. He then laughs that Gaon is about to be chopped in the foot by a trusted axe. This is a Korean proverb which is roughly equivalent to the English idiom of being stabbed in the back. Worrying that Tai Yu will hear them, Hoyoung shushes Taotie quiet.)
The two then secretly made their way to Autumn, where they found more contaminated researchers and Inkblot Sable monsters created from ink. (A/N: Sables are weasel-like mammals with bushy tails.) Realizing that Tai Yu might hear them if they caused a commotion, Gaon suggested that they clear up the researchers and monsters first. After clearing the area, they found an inkstick with Kaling’s button embedded into it. Just like before, a claw-like arm attacked the Adversary when they destroyed the button, infecting them with Kaling’s energy.
Gaon began noting to himself that it was strange that the button – even if it did belong to Kaling – could have such an impact on Shangri-La. He also realized that though the button was contaminated, he could feel a certain energy from inside it that he remembered feeling before in Odium. He recalled that he had felt it inside something that Kaling had created – an object that could draw out strong power that only an Adversary could reach. Just as he realized what it could be, more Inkblot Sables appeared. As Gaon defended the unconscious Adversary, he noted that the monsters were weaker now that two buttons had been destroyed, though there were growing more fervent, which meant that their next battles would be more difficult.
Meanwhile, the Adversary continued seeing more of Kaling’s memories. Upon hearing that the investigators were working to reseal the scourge of Grandis, Kaling immediately realized that they were tracking down her robots, the Four Perils. She realized that if she were to stay with the investigators, they would be able to lead her straight to her creations. In her mind, she addressed Zigang and told him that her experiment was not yet over, and that she would prove to him one day that it wasn’t a failure.
Upon seeing her expression, one of the investigators pointed out that she was making a strange face again and called her a little kid. Kaling immediately replied that she wasn’t a kid, though the investigator merely teased her, claiming that despite pretending to be an adult, she only ever responded when they called her a kid.
One of the other investigators scolded them for teasing her and calling her ‘kid’ when she had already told them her name. They also added that if they planned to make fun of Kaling for her height, then they ought to pay her for it.
(A/N: This is a callback to Hoyoung’s first interaction with Kaling in his class story. Although GMS omitted it in their localization, the original KMS dialogue had Kaling get annoyed when Hoyoung called her ‘kid’ when she was merely short. She would then tell him that if he was going to call her ‘kid’, then he should pay her in order to do so.)
The investigator who called her ‘kid’ apologized and told her that they would give her something better than money. They then gave her new clothes, including a black bowler hat, noting that it seemed to be a good fit. They explained that though she would normally need to make a name for herself in the village or pay a fee, they would nevertheless accept her as a new private investigator because she had already suffered enough.
One of the investigators then noted that the sleeves on Kaling’s new clothes were too long, covering almost the full length of her arms and hands. However, the investigator who had given her the clothes explained that children naturally grew, and that she would need longer clothes if she wanted to wear them for a long time. Though Kaling was irritated by the exchange, she nevertheless chose to remain silent, realizing that she needed to use them in order to find the Four Perils and finish her experiment.
Over the next few months, Kaling continued staying with the investigators and accompanying them on their jobs. Soon enough, the investigators realized that her one-year anniversary with them was coming up. Hoping to introduce her to the other investigators in Cheong-woon later on, the investigators planned to finish their job to seal the scourge of Grandis by following a new lead that they had just discovered.
One of the investigators then gave Kaling a flower and explained that it was a small gift in advance for their one-year anniversary together. As Kaling smiled softly at the flower, they explained that once they finished the job, they would give her the real gift that they had prepared. One investigator explained that it was a gift that she sorely needed, laughing that they hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t grow at all, even after a whole year. They added that they had worked hard to find something that would complement her outfit, though another investigator told them to stop talking before they ruined the surprise.
Soon after, the investigators arrived at the site where Qiongqi was sealed. To their shock, however, the seal on Qiongqi had degraded so severely that he had managed to break free. As the Peril killed them all, the investigators urged Kaling to run away and save herself. In the chaos, Kaling accidentally crushed the flower that they had given her. She then found a small, wrapped present that had fallen out of one of the investigators’ hands.
Kaling opened the present and found that it was a small, blue button meant to fasten the long clothes that the investigators had given her down to her proper size. She realized that they had been right about everything – that it was something that she needed, that it would suit her perfectly, and even that she had wanted to open it without any hints as to what was inside.
Amidst the bodies of the investigators, Kaling fell to her knees in guilt over the fact that she had merely seen them as tools to get what she wanted. As she stared sadly at the button in her hands, emotions from deep inside her that had long since been erased by the contamination slowly emerged to the surface.
From within her memories, the Adversary began hearing her thoughts, in which she noted to herself that there was a chance that she might have been reunited with those feelings again if Darmoor hadn’t appeared before her at that very moment. As the memory faded away, the Adversary saw the glow of Darmoor’s wings as he approached Kaling in the midst of her grief.
They then awoke to the sight of the purified inkstick and a worried Gaon, who noted that they didn’t look very good. The Adversary explained that they had seen Darmoor inside Kaling’s memories. Gaon replied that he understood how they felt, and added that though he wished that they could take a break, they needed to hurry, as the monsters were being drawn to defend the buttons, and that they were growing more resistant with each one that got broken. The Adversary then recalled that the button had shown up in Kaling’s memories as well, and that it had been a gift to her from the people who had unsealed her. Gaon noted that though he couldn’t be sure, the button didn’t appear to be something simple.
(A/N: If the player has completed Yum Yum Island, they’ll recall that Kaling’s buttons had appeared there, too.)
The Adversary told Gaon that they believed that they would be able to figure out the truth behind the buttons if they saw the next memory, and so Gaon led them into Summer, which was filled with more contaminated researchers and Ink-Shaded Red-Crowned Crane monsters created from ink. The pair fought through the enemies and soon encountered the contaminated paper scroll, with Kaling’s button embedded into it. The Adversary once again destroyed the button, allowing Kaling’s memories to flood into them.
Upon approaching Kaling, Darmoor told her that her research was needed to create a new Adversary. In the wake of her grief, hearing that she and her research were necessary to someone was exactly what Kaling had needed to hear the most, and so she had readily agreed to become his Apostle without hesitation.
(A/N: This entire scene is so depressing. The implication here is that contamination can go away on its own, and we were able to see brief glimmers of it happening inside Kaling, like when she seemed genuinely happy after being given the flower, and most noticeably when she was faced with a situation that generated extreme emotion inside her, which was enough to break through the contamination and allow her humanity to emerge in the form of sadness and grief.
What makes it even more tragic is that Kaling herself admits that there was a chance that she might have been able to go back to being her old self again if she had been given enough time to process those emotions and let them settle back into her. Her guilt, especially, was the biggest indicator of the contamination being washed away, as her sense of morality was the main thing that she had lost after the experiments.
But right at that moment when she was at her lowest point, Darmoor showed up and ensured that she would never be able to return back to being human again. She was in an extremely fragile state at that point, and Darmoor made the contamination fester even more by enabling the parts of her that the experiments had made stronger – her need to fulfill the purpose of an Adversary through her Four Perils experiment, and in doing so, he killed any chance of Kaling ever being able to get back to how she used to be.)
After becoming an Apostle, Kaling traveled to the Information Broker Bureau and told the investigators about what had happened. Despite not knowing who she was, the investigators believed her story upon seeing the sadness on her face while delivering the news about her colleagues’ deaths. Upon seeing how trusting they were, Kaling thought to herself that the people of the Bureau were just as foolish as the investigators who had taken her in.
With the Bureau’s resources, Kaling was able to find Taowu, the second Peril. With only Taotie and Hundun left to find, Kaling continued using the Bureau in order to complete her experiment. However, Taotie was soon taken from her by Hoyoung, whom she learned had been Tai Yu’s apprentice. Though she cursed both master and student as being just as impertinent, she declared that it didn’t matter to her, as there was still Hundun, and more importantly, she had Darmoor, who had given her power so that she could make a Godsphere to give to the Four Perils.
While wondering what she should place the power of the Godsphere into, she looked down at the button that the investigators had given her. Believing that it had no other meaning, she decided to use it for her experiment, telling herself that she was only doing so because it was something that she could handle the best. On Yum Yum Island, she created makeshift Vessels and endlessly researched how to create a Godsphere. However, all her efforts were met with an endless string of failures, even with the most powerful beings in Maple World, and even with one who had once gotten closer to the Godsphere than anyone else.
Unable to complete her experiment in Yum Yum Island, Kaling turned all her efforts on finding Hundun, the last Peril. Growing more frantic at the thought of her research failing, Kaling spoke aloud and addressed Zigang, calling him Master, promising him that she hadn’t been wrong, and that her research wasn’t a disappointment. Soon after, Darmoor told her that the door to Odium had been opened. He then ordered her to bring both the Vessel and the Godsphere before him, if they could stand up to the Adversary.
Back in the present, the Adversary awoke and found that the paper scroll had been cleansed of its contamination. The Adversary told Gaon that they knew what Kaling’s buttons were, and that the last button would have the information that they wanted. As they headed to Spring, the Adversary explained everything that they had learned. Gaon realized that since the button was a failed Godsphere, it explained why he hadn’t been able to destroy it.
(A/N: The implication here is that the Godsphere can only be destroyed by a true Vessel, based on Gaon’s statement earlier in the story that talks about how its power is something that only an Adversary can reach. One interesting thing that opens up as a result is the fact that Chief Lyon was able to destroy the button in Yum Yum Island. If that’s true, then that would mean that Chief Lyon is a true Vessel who could’ve fused with a Godsphere.
It’d actually be pretty hilarious that out of all the people on the island, the one person that Kaling wanted was ironically the one that she didn’t create herself through experimentation. I guess that would thematically fit a lot with the Adversary being created organically, versus the Adversaries of Odium being experimented on and losing their humanity.)
Gaon realized that though the button had failed as a Godsphere, it must have been effective in attacking Shangri-La, as nothing made researchers more vulnerable than a contaminated Godsphere. He then corrected himself and noted that since it hadn’t been properly made, he didn’t know whether he could even call it a Godsphere. The pair then arrived in Spring, where they found more contaminated researchers and Ink-Shaded Butterfly monsters. Gaon warned the Adversary to be careful, for while there was only one button left, the monsters – while weaker – would be much more vicious.
They soon discovered the contaminated paintbrush, but to their surprise, they found that there was no button nearby. As the Adversary wondered whether someone had removed it, Zigang appeared and explained that it was still in Shangri-La. He revealed that since the buttons could contaminate from afar, there was no need for the other buttons to be there in the first place.
The Adversary and Gaon turned to find Zigang arriving with Tai Yu. Zigang explained that Tai Yu had informed him that the four treasures of the study had been contaminated. Gaon was surprised to see Zigang, believing that he had been too busy to investigate, though Zigang replied that no matter how busy he was, he still had a duty to take a look around at the place where he lived. He then turned to the Adversary and explained that he had never thought that he would see them again after they had decided to leave, though he was once again indebted to them, thanks to their timely warning.
Tai Yu then lightly scolded the Adversary for going against his instructions to stop their investigation after trusting them to listen, as well as Gaon for going along with their idea.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets exclusive dialogue that replaces this exchange. Tai Yu begins to scold him and Gaon for ignoring his instructions after he trusted them. Hoyoung laughs and asks his Master whether he’s really surprised after knowing him for so long. Tai Yu then explains that just to be clear, Gaon was the one whom he had trusted.)
He added that it was good that they were becoming friends, though he didn’t know how to feel about the fact that it was because of them both disobeying his instructions together, noting that they should’ve at least considered how much he had worried about them. (A/N: For Hoyoung, Tai Yu tells him that he should’ve at least thought about his worried Master.)
However, Zigang told Tai Yu to leave it be, explaining that even if one had a child that they cared about, they couldn’t keep that child with them for the rest of their life, adding that he would know. Upon hearing Zigang’s words, the Adversary asked him whether he was talking about Kaling. Zigang merely gave the Adversary a pensive look before noting that the residual energy inside the four treasures of the study belonged to ‘that child’.
He asked the Adversary whether they had any idea what the button was, to which they explained that it was a contaminated Godsphere created by Kaling, which they had learned through the memories contained within the buttons. Zigang realized that the last button must have important information contained within her memories, such as information about the fallen Transcendent or the elders who had escaped.
He explained that it was his belief that amongst the remaining elders, there were some who were in touch with those who had left, and that he suspected that one of them had the button, as there was no other reason why they would hold onto an object that would worsen their contamination. Based on Zigang’s words, Gaon immediately realized that Zigang suspected Haia to be the contaminated elder.
Zigang confirmed his suspicions, adding that they must have met her earlier as well. Though Gaon protested, Zigang reminded him that he had been Kaling’s master, and that he had known her quite closely before she had been contaminated. He noted that Kaling had changed considerably, and that it would be no different for everyone else. Turning to the Adversary, he told them that if they had seen that transformation happen in-person, they also would have understood.
Though the Adversary had their doubts, they realized that objecting wouldn’t change Zigang’s mind. Because of that, they admitted to Zigang that they had seen Haia head towards Spring, and that since she had known that they had been investigating the contaminated seasons, she might have taken the button in advance and run. Since they couldn’t know for certain, the Adversary decided that they would also check with the other elders. Zigang agreed and decided to head out first.
After he left, Gaon expressed his shock that Zigang would suspect Haia. Tai Yu noted that it had only been recently that Zigang had been able to see Kaling’s changed nature personally, and that it must be complicated for him. He then told the Adversary that they had done a good job of meeting Zigang in the middle. (A/N: For Hoyoung, Tai Yu also adds on that it seems like only yesterday when Hoyoung used to shut himself inside his room, skipping meals and reading books.)
As they prepared to head back towards the pavilion, Haia watched them sadly from behind a tree, holding the button close in her hands. Back at the pavilion, the Adversary began questioning the elders about Haia. Chouxian the ox elder reluctantly told them that though Haia had become less talkative, it was nothing that he thought was worth worrying about. He then told them that it was the elders’ business, and that he wouldn’t open his hands to them.
The Adversary then spoke with Sino the Fox God, who had come to Shangri-La with her Sky and Cloud Guardians. Sino noted that Kaling was a name that she hadn’t heard of in a long time, and that Kaling had been much nicer when they’d last met. She added that the contamination was quite scary, as it could make everyone change into something completely different from how they once were. When the Adversary asked her about Haia, Sino noted that she hadn’t seen Haia at all since she’d come up to Shangri-La, which was strange, as Haia would always be the first person to welcome her whenever she’d visit.
(A/N: After speaking with Sino and the Sky Guardian, you can choose to initiate a regular NPC conversation with them. I would highly recommend that you do it immediately after speaking with them for the quest, as Sino and her Guardians disappear from Shangri-La after you complete the storyline. The dialogue is slightly different depending on whether you completed Fox Valley or not, and several classes also get some exclusive dialogue with them.
If you didn’t finish Fox Valley and click on Sino, you overhear Sino talking to Chouxian the ox elder about what happened in Fox Valley. She tells him that by checking the crystal that showed up at the end of the storyline, she was able to figure out the Apostle who had sent the lightning storm. For Shade, Sino assures him that Moonbeam and the others are safe. She tells Chouxian that she had meticulously written and sent many messages to the elders - even at the cost of losing sleep over it - but she hadn’t known that they never received even a single one.
She explains that it now makes sense why he never got back to her, as communications were being intercepted, but she then asks Chouxian whether he really had no idea what was going on in the outside world. Chouxian replies that he had no idea that the situation was that serious, though he notes that it’s fortunate that the Apostle’s actions were stopped in Fox Valley before any more damage could be done.
Sino then asks him if he’s still being stubborn about upholding his sense of balance, adding that if an Apostle was almost able to block the vision of a village guardian, then the balance has already been broken. She then tells him that it’s time to discuss what comes next. This conversation is likely meant to tease the Arteria storyline, which features an identical crystal in Reina’s possession. However, for reason that I’ll get into in the next section, it’s not yet confirmed whether Reina was the one who attacked Fox Valley or not.
If you did finish Fox Valley and click on Sino, she greets you happily and notes that it’s been a while. She says that she knew that we were pretty strong, but she hadn’t expected us to come all the way to Shangri-La. Upon realizing that we’ve never met her, she explains that she was able to save the village, thanks to us bringing Maru to her.
This dialogue is slightly different for Shade. The Fox God greets him by name at the beginning, and she laughs embarrassedly upon realizing that it's Shade's first time seeing her in her Anima form as Sino.
She then tells us that after stopping the storm, she had given a report to the elders, thinking that something unusual had been going on. However, she had gotten no reply back, which meant that the elders had no idea what was going on in the world below. Chouxian then tells Sino not to discuss the matter in front of outsiders, to which Sino asks him if he’s still being stubborn about upholding his sense of balance, adding that if an Apostle was almost able to block the vision of a village guardian, then the balance has already been broken. She then tells him that it’s time to discuss what comes next.
Shade gets some exclusive dialogue, which he can click specially as an option while talking to Sino, similar to how Lara can trigger exclusive dialogue with some of the elders. Sino tells Shade that there are some people who always protect each other, even if they can't meet. They miss each other, even without knowing that they do, and even if the memories fade, their hearts still persist. She explains that even if they can't get back those lost memories, they can still build new memories again, adding that she thinks that he understands what she means.
You can also talk to the Sky Guardian, which is different depending on whether or not you completed Fox Valley. If you didn’t do the theme dungeon, the Sky Guardian recognizes us as the stranger who saved Shangri-La and says that he’s heard a lot of stories about us.
If you did complete Fox Valley, he recognizes us from when we met him, and he thanks us for our actions, explaining that both the fox spirits and the elders of Shangri-La are indebted to us.
If you completed Fox Valley and play as Hoyoung, there’s some special excusive dialogue that you get. The Sky Guardian recognizes us from Fox Valley and tells us that when we had last met, he had mistakenly thought that we were Baekyeon the White Tiger, which explains why Hoyoung’s exclusive dialogue in Fox Valley has the Sky Guardian ask us why we’ve come down to the world below.
He explains that he’s heard that we’ve saved not only Fox Valley, but Shangri-La as well, and so he tells us that he can’t be rude to us anymore. After thanking us, he adds that Baekyeon must’ve been happy to hear our story. Although the dialogue was a bit vague about it, the Sky Guardian probably realized that we weren’t Baekyeon right after mistaking us, as there’s no way that he’d attack us if he really thought that we were one of the Four Symbols.)
Next, the Adversary spoke with Siyu the snake elder, who apologized and explained that she had been quite absorbed in her work. She told them that recently, just hearing news from the outside world was distracting. As she continued looking through her latest report, she was shocked to find that Odium’s Constables had been hacked into, causing her to loudly wonder how that was even possible.
The Adversary then spoke with Weio, who asked them whether they were okay after talking to Siyu. She explained that Siyu was the type of person who focused deeply on the research in front of her, and that she was the most scholarly of all the elders. When the Adversary asked her about Haia, Weio explained that Haia was a nice child who was beloved by everyone around her. However, she explained that she was growing worried, as Haia’s expression had been growing darker, and that her attitude had been getting sharper as well.
As Gaon began realizing that Haia really had been contaminated after all, Wushuai the horse elder approached them and asked if they could speak privately. He led them to Spring, where he asked them whether they were investigating at the request of Zigang. He explained that he knew that Zigang was suspicious of Haia, believing that she and Kaling had fallen in the same way. However, he insisted that Haia was different from Kaling, and he requested that they protect her.
(A/N: Lara gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he asks her to protect Haia, just like how she had awoken him.)
He explained that at one point, he had been the most contaminated out of all the elders, and that he had heard from Weio about the bell that could wash away their contamination.
(A/N: Lara gets some exclusive dialogue here too, in which Wushuai notes that it’s the same bell that she had brought.)
Because of that, he had placed all his hopes in the bell, though nothing had changed for a long time. When it had started getting even worse, he had begun feeling completely empty, unable to feel anything anymore. He had noted to himself that for the sake of saving the world, he had forced himself to go through with experiments that had betrayed humanity, but because of that, he had lost his comfort, his empathy, and even his guilt. He had then begun to lament what it was that he could even call himself when he couldn’t even feel regret for all the wrongs that he had committed.
At that moment, Haia had told him not to worry, promising that she would remember for him. Comforting him as he had cried, Haia had promised that she would remember his consolation, his empathy, and his guilt, and that she would remind him of it should he ever forget. She had reassured him that the bell would ring one day, and that when it did, he would get back what it was that he needed the most right now. She had explained that she herself was fine, and that though she couldn’t say that she had no problems, she would be okay as long as everyone continued staying by her side.
(A/N: The image shown during this part features Haia comforting Wushuai, who has a tear rolling down his cheek. It’s highly reminiscent of the image shown during Lara’s level 200 quest, which shows two silhouetted elders lamenting over their lack of humanity. We later learn that one of the elders is Wushuai, and based on the image shown here, it’s likely that the other elder in Wushuai’s memory was Haia.)
Wushuai told the Adversary that Haia was a small, but strong child, and that she had endured a considerable amount of pain because she had others by her side. He explained that though Haia was having a hard time because of the contamination, it was different from what Kaling had experienced. He insisted that Haia wasn’t like Kaling, and that the proof was that Haia hadn’t left with the other elders. Upon hearing Wushuai’s words, Gaon decided that they needed to find Haia and talk to her, and that he had an idea of how to do so.
He explained that Shensung and Baekyeon were very playful, and that even though they both liked Haia, they would sometimes tease her. Whenever she would feel upset, Haia would always run away somewhere into Winter. In order to make her feel better, they would make sky lanterns and launch them into the air so that she would come back. In order to follow the lantern to Haia, Gaon asked the Adversary to collect fabric, bamboo, and a small candle from the Chest of Wisdom in the pavilion. (A/N: This is just the merchant NPC.)
Using the materials, Gaon made a sky lantern and launched it into the air. They then followed the lantern across Winter, where it finally reached a surprised Haia. Gaon approached Haia, who smiled tearfully upon seeing him. He then apologized to her, explaining that it was something that he should have said properly before leaving. He told her that he had realized that if they didn’t part well, they were bound to end up hurting each other.
He then explained that it wasn’t that she wasn’t as precious to him as everyone else, but before he could continue, Haia told him that he didn’t need to say anything else, admitting that it was all because she was being stubborn. She then pulled out the button and explained that though she had known that they were searching for it, it was the last thing that Maolang had given her, promising that it would be able to lead Haia back to her.
Maolang had explained that Haia didn’t have to go with her, but that if she trusted her, then she should keep the button with her. Haia explained that she hadn’t been able to refuse Maolang upon seeing how distressed she had appeared. She told him that though she had already known that Zigang suspected her, she hadn’t wanted to let go of her trusting heart.
The Adversary noted that Maolang must have been genuine about wanting Haia to trust her, and that it must have been painful to leave behind the buttons. However, they also pointed out that no matter how sincere Maolang had been, she had nevertheless taken advantage of Haia in order to cause distress amongst the researchers by leaving the button behind in Shangri-La. They then realized that Haia must have also wanted to confirm the truth, which was why she had been hovering around the area.
Haia pointed out that they had known that she had been following them, asking if they had wanted her to see the truth with her own eyes. The Adversary confirmed her suspicions and asked whether she understood now that she had seen the contaminated researchers. Haia promised that she wouldn’t turn away from the truth anymore and apologized for everything that she had caused. She then gave the Adversary the last button.
From the button emerged the silhouetted forms of Kaling and Shensung, playing out a scene from Kaling’s memories. Kaling handed the button to Shensung, who examined it and mockingly noted that Zigang’s disciple had made something quite interesting. He then asked Kaling whether she had benefited from being an Apostle of Darmoor, though he then snidely asked why Darmoor had reached out to them again when he already had such a ‘talented’ researcher at his side.
At Kaling’s silence, Shensung laughed that it was a shame that her skills had been so underappreciated by both Darmoor and Zigang. Kaling angrily told him to watch his mouth, reminding him that he wouldn’t be able to get what he wanted without Darmoor’s help. She told Shensung that Darmoor had already told her about his goal – to escape the will of the world – and added that it would be a waste to blow away his chance to make a deal with Darmoor with his bad attitude.
Shensung replied by telling Kaling that she had no idea what he was carrying inside him, explaining that he would do anything to know the feeling of liberation from being freed from his sense of duty imposed by the will of the world. He noted that Darmoor was quite clever, and upon recalling that he was also a Transcendent, he laughed that he must be a friend to them as well.
(A/N: The suggestion here is that both the elders and Darmoor know the feeling of being enslaved to the Overseers.)
After Shensung disappeared, Kaling cursed him and noted that he wasn’t the one who had been recognized by Darmoor. She spoke to herself that Darmoor was the only one who had recognized her research and cursed the Adversary, claiming that if it hadn’t been for them, she could have been reborn as the Adversary that Darmoor wanted. Suddenly, the memory changed itself and caused the sky to turn dark, just as it had been when Kaling had invaded Shangri-La. The silhouette of Kaling suddenly reshaped itself into her fully-powered appearance from when she had combined with the three Perils.
Just then, Zigang appeared and confronted the memory of Kaling, claiming that he had come to put an end to things. Kaling immediately recognized Zigang, who noted that from what he had just heard, the reason why the other elders had betrayed Shangri-La was because they had wanted to escape their sense of duty given by the will of the world. He added that he hadn’t expected that a Transcendent like Darmoor would be capable of doing so, though he noted that just as the Adversary had said, a lot had changed in the outside world.
He then explained that he had come to realize that he had gotten too comfortable looking at the world the way that he had known it. He told Kaling that in order to keep the long-established line that the will of the world had created, he had turned a blind eye to many things, and that one of those neglected things now stood before him. He then approached Kaling and told her that it had been some time before admitting that he should have talked to her real self, rather than just the thoughts that she had left behind.
The memory of Kaling recognized that he really was Zigang and noted that now, after so many years had passed, he was finally looking back at her, rather than turning his back on her. After a pause, she admitted that it hadn’t been his fault, as everything that she had done had been her own choice, from sending her robots into the world, to unsealing the Perils, to using the investigators. Because of that, she told Zigang that she didn’t need sympathy, as she didn’t regret anything that she did.
(A/N: I appreciate that the writers put a lot of effort into showing the effect of the contamination on the elders, as well as giving a resolution between Zigang and Kaling, and while I think it’s nice that Kaling chooses to take accountability for her actions, I still strongly disagree with the idea that these were all her own choices when her free will and decision-making were heavily impaired when she did these things.)
Suddenly, she noticed the button and noted that she wished that she hadn’t seen it. She explained that if she had known that she would be confronted with it, she never would have left her thoughts behind. Suddenly, she felt the presence of a light and wondered whether it was the light that she had missed. Just then, a powerful light - just like the light from the World Heart – engulfed the area. When the light dissipated, the memory of Kaling had vanished and the contamination of the seasons had been lifted.
Zigang then turned to Haia with a pained expression on his face and admitted that it hadn’t just been Kaling that he needed to say sorry to. He apologized to Haia for suspecting her and explained that the contamination had affected him too, and that because of it, he couldn’t trust himself or anyone around him.
Because of this, he had done everything that the will of the world had commanded him to do, believing that if he only followed rules that were supposed to be the right thing, he wouldn’t go down the wrong path. He admitted that he had lost so much because of his blindness, and that it was fortunate that he was able to finally open his eyes and look around before he had lost everything.
He then turned to the Adversary and told them that though it was late, he was grateful to them in many ways. He explained that he had lost face after only showing them his bad side, but he nevertheless requested them to take care of Gaon on their journey. He then added that on behalf of his poor disciple, he would watch their light. He explained that though he wasn’t very trustworthy anymore, they could call upon him for help whenever they needed it. He then suggested that they go back to the pavilion where their friends awaited, as there were a lot of things left to fix.
Haia then told the Adversary that if they ever met the traitorous elders, they were free to tell them off without mercy, adding that they could even tell the elders that Haia had asked them to do so as a wake-up call. She then told them that though Zigang had already thanked them, she wanted to thank them, too. She added that from now on, she would be waiting for not only Ara and Baekyeon to return, but them as well.
Tai Yu then told them that they had a hard time running back and forth, and that there was a real breeze in the air now, even if it was a bit precarious. Gaon noted that everyone had moved forward, one step at a time, to which Tai Yu agreed, adding that so had Gaon. Gaon then told the Adversary that they were slowly awakening too, as the journey wasn’t over yet.
(A/N: After finishing the storyline, you can go back to the pavilion and speak with Sino and her Sky Guardian, whose NPCs now appear after finishing the expansion. The dialogue is slightly different depending on whether you completed Fox Valley or not, and several classes also get some exclusive dialogue with them.
If you didn’t finish Fox Valley and click on Sino, you overhear Sino talking to Chouxian the ox elder about what happened in Fox Valley. She tells him that by checking the crystal that showed up at the end of the storyline, she was able to figure out the Apostle who had sent the lightning storm. She tells Chouxian that she had meticulously written and sent many messages to the elders - even at the cost of losing sleep over it - but she hadn’t known that they never received even a single one.
She explains that it now makes sense why he never got back to her, as communications were being intercepted, but she then asks Chouxian whether he really had no idea what was going on in the outside world. Chouxian replies that he had no idea that the situation was that serious, though he notes that it’s fortunate that the Apostle’s actions were stopped in Fox Valley before any more damage could be done.
Sino then asks him if he’s still being stubborn about upholding his sense of balance, adding that if an Apostle was almost able to block the vision of a village guardian, then the balance has already been broken. She then tells him that it’s time to discuss what comes next. This conversation is likely meant to tease the Arteria storyline, which features an identical crystal in Reina’s possession. However, for reason that I’ll get into in the next section, it’s not yet confirmed whether Reina was the one who attacked Fox Valley or not.
If you did finish Fox Valley and click on Sino, she greets you happily and notes that it’s been a while. She says that she knew that we were pretty strong, but she hadn’t expected us to come all the way to Shangri-La. Upon realizing that we’ve never met her, she explains that she was able to save the village, thanks to us bringing Maru to her.
She tells us that after stopping the storm, she had given a report to the elders, thinking that something unusual had been going on. However, she had gotten no reply back, which meant that the elders had no idea what was going on in the world below. Chouxian then tells Sino not to discuss the matter in front of outsiders, to which Sino asks him if he’s still being stubborn about upholding his sense of balance, adding that if an Apostle was almost able to block the vision of a village guardian, then the balance has already been broken. She then tells him that it’s time to discuss what comes next.
Shade gets some exclusive dialogue, which he can click specially as an option while talking to Sino, similar to how Lara can trigger exclusive dialogue with some of the elders. Sino tells Shade that there are some people who are connected, even without knowing each other. They miss each other, even without knowing that they do, and their guardian spirits take on each other’s forms in response to that desperate longing. She explains that those relationships are bound to continue somehow, and that she thinks that he understands what she means.
You can also talk to the Sky Guardian, which is different depending on whether or not you completed Fox Valley. If you didn’t do the theme dungeon, the Sky Guardian recognizes us as the stranger who saved Shangri-La and says that he’s heard a lot of stories about us.
If you did complete Fox Valley, he recognizes us from when we met him, and he thanks us for our actions, explaining that both the fox spirits and the elders of Shangri-La are indebted to us.
If you completed Fox Valley and play as Hoyoung, there’s some special excusive dialogue that you get. The Sky Guardian recognizes us from Fox Valley and tells us that when we had last met, he had mistakenly thought that we were Baekyeon the White Tiger, which explains why Hoyoung’s exclusive dialogue in Fox Valley has the Sky Guardian ask us why we’ve come down to the world below.
He explains that he’s heard that we’ve saved not only Fox Valley, but Shangri-La as well, and so he tells us that he can’t be rude to us anymore. After thanking us, he adds that Baekyeon must’ve been happy to hear our story. Although the dialogue was a bit vague about it, the Sky Guardian probably realized that we weren’t Baekyeon right after mistaking us, as there’s no way that he’d attack us if he really thought that we were one of the Four Symbols.)
Angler Company:
(A/N: Angler Company is the second epic dungeon released in the game during the Milestone update. Similar to how High Mountain let you roleplay as Mitra during the story, this dungeon lets you play as Senya Angler. This storyline is set after the events of Odium, but since the stuff with Shangri-La happens immediately afterwards in the main story, I placed this section right after Shangri-La with the disclaimer that these two events are happening concurrently. Similar to High Mountain, you can start the Angler Company epic dungeon by speaking with the traveling bard Selazar in Odium.)
Soon after the invasion of Odium, Senya Angler ordered a Lab Tech bot to play back a recording from her father ordering his Angler Company forces to capture Cosim, who had returned back to Company headquarters, and to restore him. After learning what her father had requested, Senya grew suspicious about why he would merely want to repair Cosim after going to such lengths to capture him, causing her to suspect that he had an ulterior motive. Nevertheless, she vowed that she wouldn’t allow things to go his way before ordering the Lab Tech to teleport her to Company headquarters.
Senya was then transported to headquarters – a large building enclosed behind a cracked glass dome in the middle of the stormy seas of Grandis. At the front entrance, Senya began wondering why the Company had still kept the ruined structure intact, as well as why Cosim would have returned back on his own. As she attempted to enter the building, the security sensor was immediately triggered upon scanning her, causing her to realize that her father must have anticipated her betrayal. Senya quickly broke down the door and entered the building, where she discovered masses of Angler Company robots guarding the interior.
Using her proficiency in combat and technology, Senya began destroying the robots and harvested their energy to use a nearby terminal and hack into the system, thereby allowing her to bypass the controls and enter the next area. Inside, she found more Angler Company robots, as well as the powerful Angler Duke, guarding the door. In order to disable the Angler Duke’s powerful shields, Senya redirected the electricity currents in the wiring to overload the shields, allowing her to easily destroy the machine and move ahead.
Senya then hacked into the mainframe and confirmed that Cosim was indeed at headquarters, after which she used the communication system to make contact with him. Cosim was surprised to see her and asked whether she had come to extract his heart, adding that their father could not have it under any circumstances. Senya assured him that she hadn’t come on her father’s orders, pointing out that she wouldn’t have had to hack into the system if she were still loyal to the Angler Company. She then asked Cosim why he had come back to headquarters, and whether being captured was part of his plan.
However, Cosim ignored her question and instead asked Senya why she had come if it hadn’t been on their father’s orders. Senya joked that perhaps she had gotten to the age that one would start rebelling before admitting that even if they had been programmed to think so, they were still family in the end. She noted that it would be strange if one were to keep losing one family member after another and still not feel anything, as that would mean that they were either a sociopath, or that they had never thought of the others as family in the first place. Her words caused Cosim to realize that Senya had decided to rebel against their father because of her feelings for her fallen siblings, noting that despite their loyalty being programmed, her emotions had won in the end.
Cosim then admitted to Senya that even if they had been turned into machines, they had still been human to begin with, which was why they needed to do whatever they could to stop things. After a pause, Senya asked Cosim why he had turned on their father, to which Cosim asked her whether she remembered anything about her past. He revealed that before they had all become cyborgs, their father had implanted them with memory chips which had overwritten their memories. Though Senya refused to believe that such a thing was possible, Cosim explained that he had a fragment of his old memories from before he had become a machine.
In order to prove his words, he asked Senya to hack into him and see for herself. Curious about why Cosim had betrayed their father, Senya agreed and hacked into his memory chip, allowing her to see Cosim’s earliest memories as a cyborg, in which he had implicitly recognized his creator as his father, likening it to a baby bird imprinting on the first face that they saw, and feeling a programmed desire to gain his father’s approval. Soon after opening his eyes, Cosim was given his name by his father.
Senya then jumped ahead to see another memory of Cosim reporting that several people had come to headquarters, claiming that they had been following the trail of their missing friend. Cosim’s father asked him what he believed was the right action to do, noting that Cosim had been programmed to have impeccable judgement. Though Cosim admitted that the intruders had no malicious intent, he nevertheless recognized that anyone who had discovered Company headquarters needed to be eliminated at once. Because of this, Cosim successfully carried out his first mission to eliminate the intruders, much to his father’s satisfaction.
Following this memory, the scene changed to Cosim’s father triumphantly holding a purple imitation Godsphere modeled into his cybernetic heart, laughing that he had finally completed it at last. In order to be made whole, he realized that he needed to fill the heart with a large amount of power. He then summoned Cosim and informed him that he was leaving the Company’s affairs in his hands, as it would be too risky for himself to leave headquarters with the heart. He explained to Cosim that if someone were to come after him, it would be to take the heart, but more specifically, the power contained inside the heart.
(A/N: Although it’s never explicitly stated that this heart is a Godsphere, it lines up perfectly with what we know about the Company founder, as his single-minded obsession is to become an Adversary and fulfill the programming that the elders instilled into him. Interestingly, the heart that he’s created is just a purple recolored version of the World Heart, and it even has the same animation sequence from when the World Heart absorbs power from higher beings.
Given that the World Heart is a relic made by the Overseers themselves, it’s incredibly unlikely that this imitation Godsphere is anywhere close to that kind of power, and it’s more likely that it’s just a man-made attempt at creating something that comes somewhere remotely comparable to the power of a Seal Stone or an actual Godsphere. It’s also left up in the air as to whether this Godsphere would even work, since everything we know so far about the power of the gods is that humans have never truly managed to reach those heights on their own. On the off-chance that it does work, it would be hilarious if both Freud and the Company founder could make Godspheres when Kaling, despite being a researcher of Odium, couldn’t.)
Cosim expressed his confusion, as he had been programmed to believe that his father’s memory chip was the most important thing, though his father impatiently dismissed Cosim’s words and emphasized that the memory chip was nowhere near as important as his father. He then declared that there had been many failures along the way, though he added that even those failures had been useful, which he could see just by looking at Cosim. Reveling in his success, he laughed as he wondered aloud what the elders up above would say if they could see him now. After placing the Godsphere heart inside him, he ordered Cosim to begin harvesting more power, to which Cosim obediently agreed. Cosim and his siblings then began undertaking missions to harvest more energy, no matter how risky, as they had been programmed to obey their father no matter what.
Cosim’s memories then shifted ahead to him walking in the Arcus desert for an energy-gathering mission, just as he was shot in the back of his head by an unknown sniper. After waking up, Cosim realized that the sniper must have been part of the Primacy, recognizing the Grandis resistance militia as formidable enemies. Just as he began turning back to report his failure to his father, the damage to his memory chip caused him to see a memory of his father capturing a rabbit Anima as several other rabbit Anima hid and watched in fear.
(A/N: The Primacy is a major faction in the continental Grandis storyline, which was first revealed by name in the Carcion storyline. The Primacy is a militia that seeks to overthrow Darmoor and the High Flora, and they make major appearances in future storylines after Carcion.)
Meanwhile, back at the Angler Company headquarters, Senya’s remote hacking session was prematurely terminated, causing her to lose access to Cosim’s memories. Just then, her Lab Tech bot reported that an enemy was approaching, with a powerful discontinued Angler Company superweapon called the Centurion arriving to destroy Senya. However, Senya was unbothered by its appearance, declaring that she had been designed to be her father’s most powerful creation. After destroying the Centurion, Senya – though curious about why Cosim had betrayed their father – resolved to rescue him first, deciding that saving him was more important than anything else.
As she reached the next levels, she noted that there were far more robots guarding the area, though she nevertheless defeated them and hacked into the controls to move forward and disable the shields on the Angler Duke sentinel guarding the room where Cosim was being kept. Upon entering, she discovered Cosim restrained in a large machine. Senya immediately began hacking into the machine to free him, though she noted that it would take some time. As she began wondering whether it would be simpler to just destroy the machine entirely, Cosim told her that he didn’t matter, as his heart was nearly restored anyway, warning her that their father’s body was somewhere nearby. He added that if the heart were to enter their father’s body, everything would be over.
Senya asked Cosim what exactly he meant, noting that if the heart’s restoration was nearly complete, it was imperative that they escape even faster, as their father was coming in-person once the heart was complete. As she began hacking into the machine controls, however, Senya’s memory chip began to glitch, causing her mind to be flooded with memories that did not belong to her. Senya began wondering whether her memory chip had been damaged in the battle, and whether it would allow her to see someone else’s memories, or whether somebody had tampered with her memory chip. However, she then began to consider the possibility that those memories were hers from before she had become a cyborg, and that they had been suppressed by the memory chip until it had begun glitching.
Nevertheless, Senya began seeing the memories of a rabbit Anima and his friends leaving the safety of their refuge to explore the flower field in the outside world, where Senya’s father had kidnapped him, calling it a lucky thing to find a rabbit Anima outside its burrow. Senya then watched the memory of the rabbit Anima being torturously experimented upon by her father, with his limbs and organs being torn apart and replaced by machine equivalents. Senya then heard Cosim’s thoughts as he came to believe that he was the rabbit Anima who had been kidnapped by their father, and that he had brutally killed his rabbit Anima friends who had come to headquarters long ago looking for him, leaving him unable to forgive himself or his father.
Senya then witnessed Cosim’s memories from after he had been shot by the Primacy sniper, in which he had awoken in the desert with the memories of the rabbit Anima. He then looked to find that a toad floating in a hoversuit was standing over him. The toad, realizing that neither of them could reveal their real names, decided to instead introduce himself by his nickname, the Hand of God, claiming that such a title was no exaggeration after he had managed to single-handedly repair a machine as curious as Cosim. Cosim asked the Hand of God whether he was part of the Primacy, to which the toad replied that he had forged an alliance with them.
(A/N: The Hand of God is a reference to a detail that we learn in the Hotel Arcus side quests, which is that Archelon described the friend who built his robot body as having the “hand of a god”, which is the power to create something that didn’t exist before. Although this is a reference to his friend’s engineering abilities, we later get confirmation that the Hand of God is actually an Ancient God named Gob who escaped the war between the Ancient Gods and the Adversaries by hiding in a pocket dimension. Gob would later return to the outside world to give Rusty the missing screw for Archelon to reconnect with his true body, which is when Darmoor attacks him and steals his power, causing him to form an alliance with the Primacy by offering his pocket dimension as a hideout in exchange for their protection.)
Cosim noted that he and the Primacy were enemies, to which the Hand of God explained that he already knew, and that he had merely been curious about Cosim’s internal structure, which was why he had fixed him. At Cosim’s confusion, the Hand of God clarified that Cosim’s base structure was robotic, yet with mechanical replacements for organic parts, as though they had once been human parts which had been modified into cybernetic equivalents. He explained that though he had come across people who had replaced certain parts with machinery, he had never seen anyone who had been replaced fully into a cyborg, as it didn’t make sense to do so just for the end result to essentially be a robot.
The Hand of God also added that what was more unusual was the fact that Cosim had a tracking chip placed inside of him, much to Cosim’s surprise. Noting that Cosim was from the Angler Company, the Hand of God wondered whether this was how the Company founder treated his creations. However, Cosim angrily refused to believe the Hand of God, claiming that his father had no need to place such a device on him when he trusted him completely. Just as he spoke, however, Cosim suddenly had a recollection of something that his father had said to him long ago after perfecting his heart – that the many failures along the way had still been useful, and that he could see it just by looking at Cosim.
As he thought about it, he began wondering whether his father had meant the words literally, and whether it was possible that he had been implanted with his father’s failed creations, including a failed attempt at the Godsphere heart. Confused and overwhelmed, Cosim began wondering whether he was really the rabbit Anima whom his father had turned into a cyborg, and whether he was originally a human, an Anima, or perhaps just a robot all along. Nevertheless, Cosim began feeling overwhelming anger at his father for what he had done to him, for which he immediately returned back to headquarters and hacked into the system, causing the Angler Company robots to turn on each other and destroy the building.
Back in the present, Senya awoke from seeing Cosim’s memories as Cosim declared that restoration of the heart was complete. Senya then turned to Cosim and told him that there was one thing that she still didn’t understand, as she was confused why their father wanted his failed heart when he already had his perfected heart. Cosim revealed that the reason why their father wanted him was because he had stolen the power source inside the perfected heart and placed it in the failed heart. Senya then asked him why he had chosen to return back to Company headquarters knowing that their father was after him, just as a large rumbling began shaking the room.
Senya asked Cosim whether their father had arrived, to which Cosim shook his head and explained that the Angler Triton failsafe had gone active. He then revealed that the reason why he had returned was to both destroy the power source and their father’s body simultaneously. However, he revealed that he had ultimately failed because he had been unable to separate the power source from his heart, for which he asked Senya to help him by destroying his heart. A shocked Senya refused to do so, lamenting that she couldn’t leave without him. However, Cosim assured her that she had the power to stop their father, as she possessed a human heart. He then made one last request of Senya, which was to ask their father about where he had truly come from, as he wished to know who he had been before their father had experimented upon him.
Cosim then extracted his heart, causing him to switch offline, as Senya ordered her Lab Tech bot to teleport her and Cosim to safety. With the Lab Tech unresponsive, however, Senya lowered her head in resignment as she accepted the heart and promised Cosim that she would learn the truth about his origins. As she placed it inside herself, the enormous anglerfish-shaped Angler Triton robot appeared to destroy her. After a fierce battle, Senya managed to defeat the Angler Triton before escaping the building with the heart. As she sailed across the stormy sea, memories of Cosim flooded into her, just as memories of the rabbit Anima had once flooded into Cosim.
In the memory, Senya witnessed Cosim confronting their father after ordering the Angler Company robots to turn on each other. Their father noted that he seemed to have made a mistake, as Cosim still appeared to have some memories of his old life left. Cosim immediately demanded to know whether the memories that he had seen belonged to him, and whether his father had forced him to kill his friends with his own hands. Cosim’s father laughed as he claimed that Cosim was merely a robot that he had created, adding that it wasn’t in Cosim’s programming to feel anger towards him either. A furious Cosim demanded to know how his father could feel no guilt over his actions, to which his bemused father pointed out that Cosim was the one who had killed his friends himself.
At Cosim’s shocked expression, his father noted that it wasn’t because he had been programmed to follow his orders, but because he had made the choice to do so himself after being asked what he believed to be the right judgement call. He noted that only one rabbit Anima’s sacrifice was needed to complete the Company’s research, and that it was Cosim who had created the needless deaths of all the others, as it had all been his own mechanical decisions. Furious, Cosim unleashed energy attacks at his father, who easily dodged them and noted that he seemed to be behaving irrationally, just like a human.
He then reminded Cosim that it didn’t matter if his main body sustained a small amount of damage, after which he offered to forgive Cosim for damaging the Company if he fixed his actions immediately. Cosim noted that it would be the rational thing to do by begging for forgiveness and fixing his actions, noting that doing so and continuing on with his usual life would be the mechanical thing to do, as only humans would risk their lives in a fight that they knew they couldn’t win. However, he declared that he could no longer live like a machine anymore, as his human heart was starting to come back to life.
At Cosim’s words, his father merely laughed and replied that he was nothing more than a robot with a modified heart, though Cosim retorted that he was different from him. His father admitted that he didn’t want to kill Cosim, claiming that hunting rabbits wasn’t easy, and that he had also poured valuable resources into creating him. As he moved to attack, Cosim noted that he knew that destroying his father’s main body wouldn’t achieve anything, as the Angler Triton failsafe would activate the moment that he tried to take the perfected heart, and that his father’s memory chip and heart would simply be moved into a new body.
Cosim’s father was surprised to learn that Cosim knew about the failsafe protocol, for which he regretted giving Cosim so much oversight on the Company. Just then, Cosim teleported behind his father and used a laser beam to push him away before taking the power source within his perfected heart and escaping. As Cosim fled the exploding Company headquarters, he concluded that he must have once had a human heart, as he would never have been programmed to have the capacity to feel guilt or anger or betrayal if he had only been a machine, making him certain that he must have been the rabbit Anima whom his father had kidnapped.
With those final thoughts of Cosim entering Senya’s mind, however, Senya realized that Cosim’s memories had entered her upon taking in the heart, just as the rabbit Anima’s memories had entered Cosim after he had taken the power source into his failed heart. Because of this, Senya concluded that since the memories flooding into her had belonged to someone else, rather than them being her own repressed memories from when she had been human, it meant that the memories of the rabbit Anima didn’t actually belong to Cosim at all. Though she regretted that Cosim, until his very end, hadn’t been able to learn his true roots, Senya realized that what mattered more wasn’t Cosim learning his roots, but him having the desire to live as a human, whether he was a machine or not.
(A/N: In the end, it’s never explicitly confirmed who the rabbit Anima was that the Company founder kidnapped. However, the most likely theory at the moment is that the rabbit Anima was killed and had his body turned into the robotic Constable that the Company founder uses when he masquerades as ‘Alter’ in Odium. The reasoning behind this theory is that Alter needed an Anima to turn into a Constable in preparation for the day that the path to Odium opens up, allowing him to infiltrate the laboratory and obtain a Godsphere to become an Adversary. Looking closely, the images of the rabbit Anima actually looks very similar to Alter in terms of hair color and style, and even the fact that Alter is a rabbit Anima Constable.
It’s likely that the Company founder transferred his memory chip and heart into Alter after his body was damaged in the explosion that Cosim set off at headquarters, after which he began sending his remaining children on missions to create a new power source after Cosim stole his. The rabbit Anima thing also adds another layer to Cosim’s name in KMS, Lepus, which is the Latin word for ‘hare’. Even though Cosim isn’t the rabbit Anima, his father does make references to ‘catching rabbits’ as a twisted joke about the rabbit Anima that he kidnapped before Cosim, even letting Cosim believe that the memories of that Anima are really his own. The fact that the imitation Godsphere contains the rabbit Anima’s memories might mean that it was the rabbit Anima’s literal heart which was used as the base for the Godsphere, which got passed down to Cosim, and then Senya, as their hearst melded.)
Battleship Arteria:
Tai Yu called the Adversary to the pavilion, noting that they likely must be making preparations to leave, now that their business in Shangri-La had been wrapped up. At the pavilion, Tai Yu bade farewell to the Glory Guard, warmly adding that the Adversary didn’t need any advice from him, and that he didn’t need to worry about Gaon, as he had faith that Gaon would return back safely. He told Gaon that he ought to take the opportunity to meet people in the outside world, reminding him that all the sages had left some trace behind in the world below. Gaon admitted that he was right and told Tai Yu that he would keep it in mind. After Oz and Brighton thanked Tai Yu for all his help, Tai Yu used his powers to send them back to Maple World.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue right before leaving. Tai Yu asks Hoyoung to take good care of the world in his place, to which Hoyoung replies that he’ll be fine, jokingly reminding Tai Yu that he’s his disciple. Tai Yu laughs and tells Hoyoung to come back and visit him once in a while before sending him on his way.)
Meanwhile, aboard the High Flora battleship Arteria, an Apostle of Darmoor named Reina arrived and met with her adjutant, Lystor, who greeted her and asked how her meeting at Aboris had gone. Reina told him that she had been reporting in to the God-King, who had entrusted her with a red crystal containing a strange, eye-like pattern, which she explained contained the power of a god. As the crystal glowed with energy, one of Reina’s purple eyes turned icy blue as her frost powers emanated out of her.
(A/N: This crystal is the exact same one that appears before Sino at the end of the Fox Valley storyline. The Carcion storyline reveals that there are many such crystals in Darmoor’s possession, and that each of them has the power to absorb the power of a higher being, similar to the World Heart. Sino teased in Shangri-La that she knows the identity of the Apostle who attacked Shangri-La based on the crystal, and although that might’ve been a tease for Reina in this storyline, I’m personally inclined to disagree, as Reina’s ice powers don’t match up with the storm that devastated Fox Point Village.
While it’s possible that the storm might have been caused by the divine power inside the crystal, the fact that Reina tells Lystor that Darmoor has just given her the crystal, and the fact that the crystal from Fox Valley was recovered by Sino, makes me believe that Reina had nothing to do with the attack on Fox Valley, and that it was actually Havoc who used his lightning powers and attempted to use the crystal to drain Sino’s powers until Sino stopped him and recovered the crystal that he was going to use.
The details of Reina’s meeting at Aboris were revealed in an animated cutscene, which showed Ypsilon, Havoc, and Limbo reporting to Darmoor alongside several other hooded Apostles. Ypsilon told Darmoor that he had extracted the memories of a captured Alliance soldier, in which he had seen memories of the final battle at Tenebris, with Cygnus using her partially awakened Transcendent powers to create a giant shield of light, as well as memories of Shinsoo in Ereve.
Darmoor immediately gives the order to capture Cygnus and take her Transcendent powers, to which Ypsilon nods in affirmation. Just then, however, he and the other Apostles turn to find that Reina has gotten up, and that she’s ascending the steps of the throne room, freezing the ground around her as she walks. It’s left ambiguous as to whether Darmoor had ordered Ypsilon to invade Ereve before Reina stepped up, or whether Darmoor had always been pointing to Reina, with Ypsilon just misunderstanding and assuming that Darmoor had asked him. We don’t see Darmoor giving Reina the crystal in the animation, but we can assume that it happened off-screen.)
An apprehensive Lystor asked her whether she planned to use that divine power, noting that he had heard that it required a heavy price to wield. He began expressing his worry that, despite it being an order from the God-King himself, wielding such a dangerous power may harm her, but Reina quickly cut him off and asked him whether he thought of his commander as someone who wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Lystor immediately retracted his statement and told her that there was nothing that she wasn’t capable of, to which Reina replied that his answer would suffice. She then told him that she had already made the necessary preparations before asking him if he had any further questions. When Lystor replied that he had none, Reina ordered him to depart for Maple World, leading an army of frost-enhanced Flora soldiers behind her.
Meanwhile, the Glory Guard was teleported to the Six Path Crossway. As Gaon began looking around in curiosity, Brighton noted his impressment that Tai Yu had managed to send them back to Maple World all in one go. Gaon then explained that even though it had been quite a long time since he had left Shangri-La, Maple World didn’t seem to be too different from the Grandis that he remembered.
Just then, however, he noticed a fight happening in the distance. The Glory Guard was shocked to find Flora mercenaries attacking a squad of Cygnus Knights. After they defeated the mercenaries, the Cygnus Knights thanked them for their help before explaining that the High Flora army had invaded Maple World.
At the shocked reaction of the Glory Guard, the Knights explained that though they didn’t know much about the specifics, several areas of Maple World were currently under attack, and that the Cygnus Knights had been mobilized in order to fight off the invaders. Brighton asked whether Edelstein was also under attack, which the Knights confirmed. He then turned to Oz and apologized, explaining that he needed to head back home immediately, entrusting her and the Adversary with delivering their mission report to Ereve.
(A/N: Main Resistance classes (but not Xenon for some weird reason) get some exclusive dialogue here, in which Brighton speaks with them just before he leaves. He tells them not to worry and asks them to move out with Oz. Upon seeing their expression, he asks them whether they’re worried about him, or about the Resistance, before reassuring them that there’s no way that the Resistance, which had overcome both the Black Wings and the Black Mage, would collapse over something like the High Flora’s attack. He then tells them not to worry about Edelstein, and to keep moving forward while the Resistance took care of the rest.)
After he left, Oz contacted Neinheart in order to report that the Glory Guard had returned back to Maple World. She informed him that they had heard the news about the High Flora invasion and asked whether the Empress was safe. Neinheart noted that she seemed to be caught up on what was currently happening and asked her to return to Ereve immediately with the Adversary. As they prepared to head out, Gaon asked whether he could accompany them, as the situation seemed quite serious, to which Oz agreed, explaining that she had just been about to ask him the same thing.
Together, the three of them traveled to Ereve, where they found Neinheart and Cygnus at the command center overseeing the battle with a holographic projection of the city. The pair greeted the Glory Guard, though Neinheart was confused upon seeing Gaon. Oz introduced Gaon as a resident of Shangri-La and handed Neinheart a report that she explained contained more details.
Neinheart briefly skimmed through the report, including the details on the World Heart, and noted that they seemed to have had their hands full during their mission, especially the Adversary, who had gained a new power. He then told the Adversary that they would speak more on the matter later before turning to Gaon and welcoming him to Maple World. As Oz and the Adversary had placed their trust in him, Neinheart explained that the Alliance would welcome him as a friend, though he added that now was not the time for pleasantries.
Oz asked Neinheart what was happening in Maple World, to which Neinheart explained that, as they knew by now, Maple World was under attack from the High Flora army, and that the Cygnus Knights were doing everything that they could in order to stop their advance. When the Adversary asked what the situation was like, Neinheart explained that the Knights had been able to hold their defenses in each region, with the Explorers working together with the Knights in order to defend Victoria Island, and with the Resistance protecting Edelstein.
He also explained that the Knights were working to minimize casualties in other regions, while Ereve was raising a defensive barrier around the newly-constructed command center. When the Adversary asked about the barrier, Neinheart told them that he had created it for just such a situation, in which the Chief Knights were away on various missions and unable to protect the Empress. He explained that four barrier stones had been placed in the north, south, east, and west regions of Ereve, with the barrier being created from all four activated stones.
(A/N: This barrier is different from the one that’s been mentioned in previous storylines. Earlier storylines explained that Ereve has a magical barrier created through the power of Shinsoo, which prevents evil energies from entering the boundaries of the island. This barrier was circumvented on three known occasions throughout the lore, with all those cases being a result of a loophole being exploited.
The first time was during the Black Witch storyline, when Eleanor tricked a Cygnus Knight into bringing a cursed object inside the island for her. As the barrier didn’t prevent the people of Ereve from bringing in evil energies, Eleanor was able to successfully bring her curse to Ereve and turn everyone to stone. The second time was when the Cygnus Knight protagonist was infected by Lucid’s dark energies in the Gate to the Future. As a result of the bond between Cygnus and her Knights, the Empress was cursed by Lucid and fell into a deep nightmare, similar to how Eleanor’s curse was invited into Ereve.
The third time is probably the most pertinent to this storyline, as it was when Damien and his demon army invaded Ereve and kidnapped Alicia. It was explained in the Empress in Training storyline that Ereve’s barrier requires an Empress to channel Shinsoo’s power, which is why Ereve was unguarded for so many centuries after Empress Aria’s death. When Cygnus left Ereve in order to travel to an off-site Alliance meeting, Damien was able to take advantage of the barrier being disabled in order to siege Ereve.
This would also be similar to why Ereve’s barrier is currently disabled, as Shinsoo left Ereve shortly after Cygnus’ awakening, meaning that Cygnus can no longer channel Shinsoo’s powers to maintain the barrier. This is likely why Ereve has been fortifying its defenses and creating an artificial barrier in the absence of their original one.)
However, Neinheart told the Adversary that he hadn’t anticipated that they would need to use it so soon, to which Cygnus added that they couldn’t afford to be negligent simply because their allies were on the move, as they had no idea when the enemy would attack again. She then asked Oz and the Adversary to enter the battlefield, apologizing for asking it of them so soon after they had just returned. Oz immediately obliged, noting that it was her duty, before asking where she should go. Neinheart ordered her to take charge of the Blaze Wizard squad outside and team up with Irena.
After Oz headed out for her assignment, Neinheart asked the Adversary to join Eckhart at the most dangerous battlefield, at the border between Maple World and Grandis, adding that they would be a great help by joining him. (A/N: Mihile gets exclusive dialogue here, in which Neinheart notes that he and Eckhart have worked together many times before.) He explained that they could head for the Sky Ferry once they were ready, where Kiriru would prepare a ship for them to depart.
He then asked Gaon what he wished to do, explaining that remaining in Ereve would be the safest thing to do if he wished to avoid danger. However, Gaon replied that he would join the Adversary on the battlefield, as he wished to repay them for their help in Shangri-La. Neinheart then noted that he was one of the Four Symbols who protected Shangri-La, and that according to Oz’s report, he was a person of considerable strength. After he entrusted the mission to them, the Adversary and Gaon headed to the Sky Ferry, where Kiriru greeted them and explained that he had been waiting.
Just then, the Adversary turned to Gaon and asked him whether he was really okay with accompanying them to the middle of a battlefield, reminding him that it would be dangerous. Gaon noted that he could feel the tremors and the distant sound of gunfire from afar. He told the Adversary that they were right about the war not being over yet, adding that though he had never thought that he would witness it with his eyes so soon, he was relieved to be able to face the battlefield head-on. He asked the Adversary to be careful and told them that he would do his best not to be a burden to them.
Noting that the two of them were ready, Kiriru began preparing the ship. Suddenly, however, he stopped and told the Adversary that there was a strange airflow preventing him from getting the ship afloat. Just then, Arteria appeared in the sky, causing them all to look up in shock at the massive battleship, which unleashed a powerful laser that decimated the shield around Ereve.
Neinheart immediately contacted the Adversary and explained that with the shield down, a large number of enemy soldiers were descending onto Ereve. Cygnus added that though Irena and Oz were keeping them at bay, they didn’t have enough manpower to repel them. The Adversary asked Neinheart where they ought to go, to which Neinheart explained that the situation was changing so quickly that he hadn’t received any reports on the current status. Because of this, he asked them to head to the Supply Point and meet with Kidan, who would guide them on where to go next.
The two then traveled to the Supply Point, dodging the heavy bombardment raining down from Arteria’s cannons. There, Kidan asked them to support Irena and her Wind Archer unit, which was fighting on the northern battlefield nearby. The pair then rendezvoused with Irena before reporting to Neinheart that they had arrived on the scene.
Neinheart explained that the barrier surrounding Ereve had been destroyed, and that the enemy had invaded the island. He told them that the situation was dire, as their main forces in Ereve consisted only of Irena, Oz, and the Adversary, with Oz explaining that both Mihile and Hawkeye were in Grandis, and Eckhart - who was still fighting at the frontlines - likely wouldn’t be returning from his battle for some time.
(A/N: If the player is Mihile, Oz will omit mentioning that he’s in Grandis. Mihile being in Grandis is interesting because he and the Dawn Warriors are supposed to be on the hunt for Will. Assuming that they’re still chasing after him during the High Flora invasion, it suggests that Will has escaped and gone to Grandis for some reason. Although there’s nothing much that we can glean from just that, it’s an interesting setup for future storylines.)
Oz then explained that something was bothering her, as it felt like too much of a coincidence that the High Flora would launch such a massive attack on Ereve when almost all the Chief Knights were away. Neinheart agreed and realized that the enemy had made a feint attack, with the High Flora soldiers being bait to split up the Cygnus Knights’ forces and reduce Ereve’s manpower, causing the Adversary to realize that it meant that Ereve had been the High Flora’s objective from the beginning.
Cygnus asked Neinheart what the statuses of all the Knights sent elsewhere were, to which he explained that he had received a report that most of the Flora soldiers had been defeated. However, Cygnus realized that as long as the enemy hadn’t been completely wiped out, they couldn’t risk recalling the Knights back to Ereve and leaving the rest of Maple World undefended. Though Irena protested that it would leave her in danger, Cygnus replied that it was only for a short time until the Knights could be recalled, adding that if they could withstand the High Flora invasion, it would their victory.
Neinheart then realized that once their forces returned, they would be able to launch an attack on Arteria and seize the battleship. He decided that they would follow Cygnus’ orders, emphasizing that in the meantime, they needed to be prepared to make any sacrifice necessary to hold their ground. The Adversary asked Neinheart what they should do first, to which he explained that the enemy barrage had stopped temporarily after their initial attack, which meant that they needed to repair the barrier around Ereve before the bombardment resumed.
As all four barrier stones had been deactivated, and with the High Flora likely having figured out the barrier’s structure, Neinheart realized that the enemy would likely have been stationed around all four stones. He then dispatched Irena to take back the northern and western barrier stones, while Oz handled the southern and eastern areas. He also asked the Adversary to help Irena first, and to reinforce Oz right after.
Irena then noted to the Adversary that they were working together again and suggested that they head out immediately, adding that she would make the High Flora regret setting foot in Ereve, and that she wouldn’t let them get away. After arriving at the northern barrier stone, Irena began gathering her mana in order to reactivate the barrier stone, while the Adversary and Gaon defeated the Flora mercenaries. She then transferred her mana into the barrier stone, which lit up a bright blue beacon into the sky.
Irena then looked around in shock at the bodies of all the Cygnus Knights littered around them, noting regretfully that though she had been prepared for it, the Knights had suffered many casualties. As she lamented their situation, however, she reminded herself that they didn’t have time to wallow. She noted that with the northern barrier restored, the enemy wouldn’t be able to enter the area. She then suggested that they hurry to the western barrier stone and defeat any enemies that they encountered along the way in order to prevent any further casualties.
The three of them then began fighting through the Flora mercenaries towards the western area. Suddenly, Gaon pointed out that the southern barrier stone had been activated by Oz, causing Irena to realize that Ereve’s barrier would be fully restored if they could finish reactivating the final two barrier stones. Just then, however, a large battalion of enemy soldiers began marching towards them. Neinheart contacted the Adversary through the radio and explained that as the enemy’s paths were growing narrower, they were concentrating their forces into the remaining unfortified regions.
He then asked them to reactivate the western barrier stone as fast as possible before reinforcing Oz in the east. Irena asked the Adversary and Gaon to help Oz in the east while she activated the barrier stone in the west, explaining that while she and her Wind Archers had been able to fend off the enemy because of their help, Oz and her Blaze Wizards were likely struggling without any support.
She reassured them that she would be alright, as their presence had brought a tailwind to her side. She explained that even while standing alone, she wouldn’t be stopped, for once the wind began to blow, it wouldn’t settle down easily. Meanwhile, Oz and her forces pushed through the enemy line in the east, where she began preparing to reactivate the stone, hoping that it would give Irena and the Adversary enough support to push through with reinforcements.
As she began preparing to activate the stone, a Cygnus Knight urged Oz to get out of the way, as the enemy was preparing to bombard them. However, Oz refused to move, believing that she could reactivate the barrier stone before the bombardment, emphasizing that it was critical that she succeed for everyone’s safety. Just as she was about to finish activating the barrier stone, however, the enemy bombarded the area, shattering the stone, killing many Knights, and critically wounding Oz.
From the air, Lystor flew down with his wings and noted that Oz was still alive. Using his sword, he casually slashed through the last Cygnus Knight still standing with Oz before ordering the Flora army to wipe out any survivors. As Oz struggled to stand, Lystor noted that the will of the Cygnus Knights, whom he called the pillar of the Alliance, was quite impressive if its members could still fight while on their deathbed.
In her weakened state, Oz ordered him to get back, to which Lystor scoffed and asked her what she could possibly do to stop him while she was so severely injured. He told her that though he didn’t enjoy fighting someone who could barely hold their weapon, his work was another story. Just then, the Adversary rushed in and attacked Lystor, who immediately teleported back.
Noting that reinforcements had arrived, Lystor mockingly told Oz that it was her lucky day. He then addressed his soldiers and told them that the situation was still under their control before ordering them to advance as planned. Turning to one of his officers, he told them that they could use as many mercenaries as needed, though he warned them not to let Reina’s plan fail at any cost. After he walked away, Oz noted that there were too many soldiers. Gaon reassured her that he would fend them off and asked her to call for backup in the meantime.
While Gaon held off the enemy, Oz contacted Neinheart, who asked her whether she was alright before explaining that he had already sent the Adversary to join her. The Adversary reported in and told him that they had already joined with Oz, and that Irena would follow as soon as she reactivated the western barrier stone. In pain, Oz weakly told Neinheart that she hadn’t been able to protect the eastern barrier stone, and that they needed a change of plans, as their frontlines had been thrown in disarray by the enemy.
Upon hearing how weak Oz’ voice was, Cygnus realized that she was badly hurt, though Oz reassured the Empress that she was fine. Neinheart asked Oz not to push herself and added that Irena had just reactivated the western barrier stone, and that she would soon arrive. However, Oz replied that they wouldn’t be able to hold out, as the Flora soldiers were flooding in. Though disturbed by their precarious situation, Cygnus told the Adversary that she was glad that they were by Oz’s side and asked them to protect her, despite how hopeless the situation seemed.
As the Adversary held off the Flora soldiers, Lystor contacted Reina and informed her that the structure of the barrier was just as they had anticipated, and with one of the barrier stones destroyed and the other three activated, the enemy had been gathered into one place, just as she had anticipated, to which Reina congratulated Lystor for his good work.
Meanwhile, as the Adversary and their allies struggled to repel the enemy, Oz noticed that the western barrier stone had been activated, which meant that Irena and her forces would soon arrive, for which they needed to hold out just a bit longer. She thanked the Adversary and Gaon for helping them reorganize their forces, to which Gaon noted that they had managed to break the enemy’s momentum before asking whether they should push ahead.
Oz asked them not to push themselves too hard, as she didn’t want them to get hurt. She also added that there was something else that she was suspicious of, and that though she hoped that she was wrong, she asked them not to push so far ahead that they wouldn’t be able to quickly retreat. As the battle continued, Lystor noted to himself that that their forces were struggling much more than he had anticipated before wondering whether there was a variable that they had overlooked.
Just then, a High Flora officer reported in to Lystor and informed him that the state of their frontlines wasn’t looking good, as the Alliance had a monster who was tearing through their forces. Realizing that the Adversary had entered the field, Lystor told the officer to merely keep them restrained, reminding them that their objective wasn’t to catch a monster. He then added that in just a short while, the next phase of their operation would begin.
Meanwhile, Irena and her Wind Archer reinforcements arrived on the scene after lighting the western barrier stone. Oz then pointed out Lystor to Irena and told her that they needed to defeat him, as he was the one commanding the enemy’s forces. As the Knights pushed forward, Lystor approached the group and noted that the Adversary really was a monster to have pushed their forces so far. However, he then laughed that the mercenaries had also earned their pay as well, having managed to stall them for so long.
Suddenly, an overwhelming wave of icy magic was unleashed by Reina, who arrived on the scene and froze both the Adversary and all of their allies in ice. Reina asked Lystor whether she had kept him waiting, noting that he had done well, as keeping the enemy restrained was no easy task. She explained that thanks to his actions, she had been able to conserve her strength so that she could easily wipe them all out at once. Lystor accepted her gratitude and replied that it was the least that he could do.
Noting that there ought to be no more disruptions, Reina ordered Lystor to kill all the Alliance members frozen in ice while she headed towards her objective. As Reina left, the Adversary and their allies struggled to break free from her ice, which remained study with her powerful magic. Suddenly, they noticed which way Reina was headed and immediately realized that Empress Cygnus was in danger.
At the command center, Neinheart and Cygnus desperately attempted to contact the Adversary, Irena, and Oz, but found that none of them were replying. Though Cygnus feared that something terrible had happened to them in the massive wave of ice magic that had just been unleashed, Neinheart reassured her that they would be fine, as the Adversary and the others had survived such dire odds before.
Suddenly, Reina arrived and used her powers to freeze all the Cygnus Knights guarding the Empress and Neinheart. Reina noted that it was unfortunate for Cygnus, as the Adversary and their allies’ lives were about to be snuffed out like candles in the wind. Recognizing Reina as the commander of the High Flora invasion, Neinheart demanded to know what her objective was, just as Reina teleported in front of Cygnus and used her ice cane to slash her.
Turning back to Neinheart, Reina replied that her objective ought to be obvious from her having come all the way to Ereve, explaining that she had come for only one thing – his Empress. Neinheart immediately raised his book and attempted to attack Reina, who quickly cut down Neinheart as well before telling him that he was in her way.
As Neinheart collapsed painfully on the floor, Cygnus cried out in shock. Critically wounded, Neinheart weakly told Cygnus to escape. However, Cygnus replied that she couldn’t do so when she was the Empress, as she could never make a choice to abandon someone just to save herself. She explained that standing alongside everyone on the battlefield was the sole reason why she could lead everyone as their Empress.
Impressed with Cygnus’ bravery, Reina noted that she could understand how Cygnus had been able to lead the Alliance, despite her young age, adding that Cygnus was a leader who truly deserved the loyalty that her soldiers had for her. However, she then added that such a story could only be true in a world at peace, as it had no place in a world ravaged by war like Grandis.
Despite her painful wounds, Cygnus asked Reina what she wanted from her, adding that the Alliance wouldn’t surrender and wouldn’t lose, even if she were killed, for the people who loved their world would remain, even after her death. Reina commended Cygnus for her courage in standing up to her, as her decision not to run was a good answer, though she warned that it was a foolish decision, and one that Cygnus would forever regret. Taking out the red crystal that Darmoor had given her, Reina used its divine power on Cygnus, unleashing a wave of frost throughout the area.
Elsewhere, Lystor ordered his soldiers to wipe out the enemy, telling them not to waste the opportunity that Reina had given them. Before they could attack, however, the Adversary and their allies used all their might to break free from the ice. Oz then asked the Adversary and Gaon to head to the command center while she and Irena held off the Flora army.
After the pair headed off, Irena asked Oz whether she could fight, to which Oz replied that she would be fine. However, Irena noted that Oz was badly hurt and asked her if she truly would be alright. Oz laughed that she couldn’t fool her, though she told Irena not to worry about her, as she was still one of the Chief Knights who protected the Empress, for whose sake she would risk her life to keep Ereve safe. Irena then declared that just as Oz protected Ereve, she would protect Oz. The two then stood together, vowing to survive and see the Empress again.
Meanwhile, the Adversary and Gaon arrived at the command center to find the Cygnus Knights encased in ice and Neinheart critically injured. Nevertheless, Neinheart – in a panicked frenzy – told them that the enemy had kidnapped the Empress, and that they needed to save her. As he struggled to stand, the Adversary asked Neinheart to calm down, pointing out that he was badly injured.
However, Neinheart dismissed their concerns and told them he needed to order Oz to rescue Cygnus, though he quickly realized that with Oz injured, he would need to send Irena instead. However, he then quickly changed his mind yet again and noted that with Irena likely injured as well, he needed to find other forces to form a rescue party. In a daze of anxiety and dread from losing Cygnus, Neinheart struggled to think of what to do and berated himself for his sluggishness in finding a solution until the Adversary snapped Neinheart out of his stupor and told him to get a hold of himself.
Regaining his senses, Neinheart apologized for losing his composure and agreed that they needed to remain calm. He noted that their first priority was to save the Knights, as there was no hope of saving the Empress without them. Just as he began turning to Gaon in order to ask him to help the Adversary, Neinheart suddenly stopped upon hearing a sound in the distance.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Irena attempted to defend Oz, who had lost all her strength due to her injuries and from expending all her mana. As Oz began to lose consciousness, Irena began to panic about how she could save everyone with the High Flora soldiers surrounding them. Suddenly, the sound of flapping wings was heard from above, with a large shadow passing over them from the sky.
As it did, a powerful magic formed a shield around all the Cygnus Knights in the area, healing Oz’s injuries. Oz immediately recognized that the energy belonged to Shinsoo, while Irena rallied the Knights with the knowledge that Shinsoo had returned back to them. Just then, Eckhart and his reinforcements arrived on the scene and began driving back the High Flora.
At the command post, Shinsoo landed in front of Neinheart and noted that they were in a difficult moment. Neinheart apologized for being unable to protect the Empress, though Shinsoo told him not to blame himself, as no one could have predicted such a situation. She then told Neinheart that what was more important was what they needed to do next. Neinheart agreed and explained that the enemy commander must have returned to their battleship after kidnapping the Empress. Shinsoo noted that she could feel Cygnus’ presence from within Arteria, to which Neinheart added that if kidnapping her was their only objective, the battleship would likely leave right away.
Suddenly, Gaon pointed out that, just as Neinheart had said, Arteria was indeed beginning to move. Shocked, Neinheart asked Shinsoo in a panic whether she would be able to stop the ship, to which Shinsoo used her power to freeze Arteria in place, though she warned that she would only be able to hold the battleship in place temporarily.
Neinheart then began to make a plan for their counterattack and asked the Adversary to handle infiltrating the battleship. He then asked Gaon to accompany the Adversary, apologizing for throwing him into one treacherous situation after another when they had only just met, though Gaon replied that he would gladly lend his aid. Neinheart noted that with Shinsoo’s help, the Knights around Ereve would be able to join them as well. Eckhart then arrived and volunteered to join them, adding that Irena and Oz were both safe due to Shinsoo’s timely intervention.
He explained that with the enemy commander withdrawing, morale had returned to the Knights, and that while there were quite a few enemies left, they were simply a pack of mercenaries with no leader, meaning that they would soon fall. Because of this, he told Neinheart that though it may take time, there was no danger of the tides turning back on them, which meant that the other Chief Knights would be fine without him.
Neinheart then approved the mission and ordered them to use small airships to reach Arteria and save the Empress, adding that it was imperative that they succeed, no matter how many sacrifices it would take. Eckhart noted that it wouldn’t be an easy mission, as they were heading straight into the heart of enemy territory. Before they could leave, however, Shinsoo stopped them and addressed the Adversary.
(A/N: Each class gets a different title that Shinsoo uses to address them:
Explorers: You who walk the path of adventure.
Cygnus Knight: Brave knight of the Empress.
Mihile: Shield of the Empress.
Heroes: Hero of Maple World.
Resistance classes (except the Demon, who sadly doesn’t get a title): Freedom Fighter.
Grandis classes and Kinesis: You who’ve come from another world.
Zero: Transcendent of a new era.
The Explorer, Cygnus Knight, and Zero titles are nearly the same ones that the White Mage gives them at the end of Limina.)
Shinsoo told them that they would need more power in order to save the Empress, and that they ought to be able to take her power in their current state. Suddenly, the World Heart began glowing and absorbing Shinsoo’s power. As Shinsoo left the task of saving the Empress to them, the Adversary expressed their shock at the fact that the World Heart was absorbing Shinsoo’s energy, causing them to realize the truth.
(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which Shinsoo wonders how long it’s been since they’ve spoken like this. She notes that it’s only been a short time for her, but it must have been a long time for a human like him. She adds that the small shield, which was once barely large enough to protect the Empress, has grown enough that it can now shield the entire world. She then asks him, as always, to use that power to protect Cygnus.)
Shinsoo explained that though her power would not be able to turn every situation around, it would still be enough to save them from peril. Upon witnessing the World Heart’s abilities first-hand, Neinheart realized that based on what Oz had written about the World Heart having the ability to absorb the power of higher beings, it meant that Shinsoo was an Ancient God.
(A/N: This is one of those cases where it feels like the writers added a retcon for the sake of a shoe-horned tie-in to the current lore, rather than because it makes sense. Shinsoo’s existence as an Ancient God doesn’t really make any sense at all with everything that’s been established, as the Ancient Gods are supposed to have fallen into dormancy during the age of the Transcendents
The other main issue with Shinsoo being an Ancient God is that there’s an issue of power-scaling brought up with how certain higher beings like her are presented in the story. In the Cygnus Knight storyline, is explained that Shinsoo had used up most of her energy to create Ereve and the Piyos, which is why she’s always asleep. As a side note, her fatigue could also be a result of her being awake while also feeling the effects of the Transcendents forcing her into slumber like the other gods.
The thing that’s really weird is the inconsistency in how the power of the gods works. We’ve seen the idea that only a god can kill another god being referenced constantly throughout the Grandis story, which is why only the Adversary could kill the Black Mage, why only the Adversary could shatter Azor with the power of the Seal Stone, and why only the Adversary had the power to destroy Kaling’s contaminated Godsphere buttons.
The main issue is that there seem to be two conflicting presentations in how the power of the gods actually works. On one hand, we have instances like the Black Mage, the superweapons in Hotel Arcus, Azor, and Kaling’s buttons, which can’t even be so much as scratched by mortals. On the other hand, we have characters like Shinsoo and Tana, who can be wounded by mortals, but can’t actually die.
Tana can be hurt by regular weapons, but she’ll just regenerate if the wound is fatal, and Shinsoo was heavily injured twice in the story – once by Orchid and Lotus when they ransacked Ereve, and once when Damien kidnapped Alicia. Contrary to popular belief, it’s said multiple times that Damien never actually killed Shinsoo, which lines up with her being immortal as an Ancient God. Damien’s sword was said to have similar powers as that of a Transcendent, which would explain why Shinsoo was able to be wounded, although that still doesn’t explain how Lotus and Orchid damaged her.
If I had to speculate on why these two specifically can get hurt by normal people, even though every other god in the story will only flinch at best if they’re not being attacked with a divine relic, I’d say that it’s a matter of mental fortitude. Every time that we’ve seen Tana get killed, it’s because she had almost no control over her powers or her mental state, and Shinsoo is constantly fighting against her fatigue and power deficit. In contrast, people like the Black Mage are at the top of their game, and objects like the holy relics are at full strength in every instance that we’ve see them.
I’d imagine that most gods would have a shield of some sort that protects them from mortal attacks, which would line up with the Demon destroying the Black Mage’s shield during the battle at the Temple of Time centuries ago, which is why the Heroes were able to deal some small amount of damage to him, as seen with Luminous’ fight with him at the very end, especially since the Black Mage’s powers were already weakened as a result of the backlash from him stealing Rhinne’s powers. In the case of Tana and Shinsoo, they’re likely so exhausted that they can’t put up that shield, which is why they can be wounded, but their divine power prevents them from fully dying.)
Gaon noted that despite Shinsoo being an Ancient God, she had a warm enough heart to sacrifice her own power to protect what was most precious to her. Nevertheless, Eckhart noted that Shinsoo being an Ancient God changed nothing, as Shinsoo was just Shinsoo, which was all that he needed to know. Neinheart then asked the Adversary to lend their aid once again by saving the Empress.
Meanwhile, Cygnus awoke in Reina’s throne room aboard Arteria. Severely wounded, Cygnus weakly asked Reina whether she had targeted her because the Alliance was a threat, reminding her that even if she - or even the Alliance itself - were to fall, there would always be people who would stand up and fight to protect Maple World.
Reina asked Cygnus whether she was still going on about the Alliance in her current situation, noting that she certainly had the qualities of a true leader. However, she explained that she had no interest in the Alliance, as what she was truly after were Cygnus’ powers. She noted that Cygnus possessed the qualifications of not only a leader, but a Transcendent as well, though she added that someone like Cygnus could never compare to Gerand Darmoor.
Just as Cygnus expressed her shock at Reina’s true goals, the battleship began shaking before being frozen in place. Reina noted that the Cygnus Knights were interfering once again, though she then turned to Cygnus and asked whether she was the one who had done it. She wondered briefly whether Cygnus had been hiding her abilities earlier, or whether Cygnus had been unable to use them at the time, before realizing that it was the work of Shinsoo.
She explained that she knew about who Shinsoo was, though she had never imagined that her powers would be so strong. As a shocked Cygnus realized that Shinsoo had returned, Reina noted that Cygnus’ underlings still lived. Cygnus warned Reina not to underestimate the Alliance, vowing that things wouldn’t go according to her plan.
In response, Reina merely used her ice powers to knock Cygnus out before contacting Lystor, who used his wings to fly down to her location. Reina told Lystor that she was going to begin extracting Cygnus’ powers, to which Lystor warned her that the process would cause a strain on Arteria’s energy supply, which meant that they wouldn’t be able to use their cannons.
Reina replied that they already had the Empress in their hands, and since they had no need to destroy the barrier anymore, they had no need to use the cannons. However, she warned him to take note of the enemy’s movements, as they would undoubtedly try to rescue Cygnus. She reminded him that the God-King wanted the Empress’ power and ordered him not to let the enemy seize her before they extracted it.
She then added that as long the enemy had Arteria frozen in place, stopping them was Lystor’s top priority. As Lystor began preparing Cygnus for extraction, Reina recalled Cygnus’ bold words, warning her not to underestimate the Alliance. Though Reina conceded that she admired Cygnus’ willpower, she noted to herself that willpower was useless without the strength to protect oneself before dismissing Cygnus as pitiful and foolish. Taking out her crystal, Reina turned to an unconscious Cygnus, whom Lystor had placed on a table, and began draining her powers.
Meanwhile, the Alliance airships landed in Arteria’s hanger, which Eckhart noted was unfortunate, as it was where the greatest number of enemies would be gathered. Upon looking around at all the airships, Gaon noted that it must be how the High Flora army had descended upon Maple World. The Adversary pointed out that if they stopped the enemy in Arteria, the High Flora would be unable to reach Ereve anymore, to which Eckhart laughed that the Adversary had guts.
Gaon added that once their base on Ereve was secured, their reinforcements would grow. Eckhart decided that they would undergo the mission until enemy reinforcements arrived, for which he ordered them to search the battleship. As the rescue party continued searching, they quickly realized that Arteria was so massive that they would never find the Empress with how few soldiers and little time they had, especially since they could be done for as soon as they picked the wrong route.
Suddenly, the Adversary began to hear Cygnus’ voice in their head. Though neither they nor Cygnus was sure of how it was happening at first, the Adversary quickly realized that Shinsoo – who shared a connection with the Empress – had given them her powers inside the World Heart, which Cygnus had unconsciously been able to form a mental link with. Cygnus realized that it was the most likely explanation, as even Reina had sensed Shinsoo’s powers earlier. She then added that thanks to Shinsoo sharing her power, she could now deliver her message to the Adversary.
Cygnus told them that assuming that she hadn’t been relocated since losing consciousness, she was on the topmost floor of the battleship. She added that she could vaguely feel the Adversary’s presence, and that they should be able to feel hers through their connection. With their bond, the Adversary was able to confirm that Cygnus was still on the top floor, though Cygnus soon began losing energy and fell unconscious.
After informing Eckhart and Gaon about what they had learned, Eckhart ordered the Knights to move forward towards the top floor. Suddenly, a large bulkhead fell onto the ground, cutting off the rescue party into two groups. As it would take too long to move the bulkhead, Eckhart and Gaon asked the Adversary to lead the front line towards the Empress while they found another way around. The Adversary then proceeded ahead and rendezvoused with a Cygnus Knight, who informed them that they had cleared the area, though he admitted that it would be hard for them to press forward on their own.
The Adversary replied that they would go together, to which the Knight rallied the other soldiers by informing them that the Adversary had arrived to help them. As they pushed ahead, the Knight thanked the Adversary and explained that they had saved him once before during Tenebris. Upon seeing the Adversary’s confused expression, the Knight laughed and noted that they must not remember him based on that, as they had saved quite a number of people. He then entreated them to save the Empress, as it was the very reason why all of them had come so far.
The Adversary then pushed further in and met with another Cygnus Knight, who reported heavy casualties on their side. As they began noting that they needed reinforcements to push through, Eckhart and Gaon suddenly arrived with their forces, having found another way to reach them. The Knight warned them to take caution, as the enemies were getting stronger as they pushed forward, to which Gaon wondered whether they could keep going, as they had sustained heavy losses from their forces being split apart.
Eckhart replied that they had no choice and asked the Adversary to help them push forward, explaining that he had contacted Ereve, who was sending reinforcements. The Adversary then thinned out the enemy’s numbers before the rescue party pushed ahead. As more and more High Flora soldiers arrived to repel them, Eckhart noted that the Adversary was right, as the high volume of enemies likely meant that the Empress was indeed on the top floor. However, he wondered whether they would be able to break through with the number of soldiers that they currently had.
Nevertheless, as they had no choice, he began ordering the Knights to advance, just as Lystor flew down behind them and cut through half their forces by opening his wings to launch a powerful dash attack. Lystor commended the Knights for their bravery in coming aboard Arteria, though he declared that they hadn’t thought things through, as their plans would all be for naught once he killed them.
However, Eckhart laughed and asked Lystor whether he truly thought that the Knights would undertake such a mission without knowing that they could lose their lives. He then rallied the Knights into pushing forward and ignoring the enemy’s line of defense, reminding them that their sole mission was to get the Adversary and Gaon to the top floor, much to the pair’s shock. Declaring that he believed in them, Eckhart asked them to save the Empress before rushing into battle.
Gaon bitterly noted that everyone was prepared to die fighting just for their sake, to which the Adversary apologized for getting him involved. Gaon told them not to worry about him before adding that he had merely been thinking whether their current situation was how it had always been for the Adversary. He noted that there were so many people’s wills and expectations on the Adversary’s shoulders and asked them how they withstood such a heavy burden.
The Adversary replied that it was something that they had to do, as there was no one except them who could accomplish it. Gaon explained that he had always done everything that he could to fulfill his duty of protecting Shangri-La, though, as the Adversary now knew, that duty was now meaningless, which was why he had come to the outside world, as he had wanted to find some other cause that needed his strength.
However, he admitted that at the same time, he hadn’t realized the weight of what it meant to protect an entire world. Though he was embarrassed to say so, he promised that he wouldn’t run away, just like the Adversary never would. He then apologized for talking too much at such a time and suggested that they move forward.
(A/N: I’m convinced that at this point, the writers are trying to make it a contest of making the Adversary more boring in each storyline than the last. It’s times like these when I realize that we were so blessed with Cernium that it just steadily started going downhill from there. The Adversary’s conversation with Seren where they talk about their trauma of wanting to end their lives to stop the Black Mage until Tana helped them find the will to survive, and then using that to kickstart Seren’s pivotal moment where she chooses to take back her own salvation is one of the top moments in the entire story.
Comparing that with how the Adversary’s gone back to the usual status quo of “head empty no thoughts” is almost embarrassing to watch. This conversation with Gaon could’ve gone an entirely different direction where we actually admit to him how much we’ve gone through in order to protect the world, and how we still hate how people are ready to sacrifice themselves just for us, even though we’re not even an Adversary anymore, but that would require the writers to actually put some level of effort into what they do.
At this point, I don’t even see why the Adversary is still so generic. If their goal was to make them a general protagonist that any class could be, they’ve already failed miserably at that because half the classes in this game don’t even share any personality traits with them. They might as well just commit to treating the Adversary as their own separate character at this point. That way, they’d at least be able to salvage some of their terrible story decisions by developing the Adversary as a person instead of this half-hearted, poorly-executed attempt at being class-agnostic.)
The pair then fought past the High Flora soldiers and proceeded ahead until Lystor suddenly appeared and attacked them with his sword. The pair managed to dodge the attack and jumped back, though Gaon immediately realized that if Lystor had managed to get to them when he had been fighting Eckhart, it meant that Eckhart may have fallen.
Lystor told the Adversary that they were persistent, if nothing else, as they simply didn’t know when to give up. However, he declared that things would finally end here, and that he would make them realize how powerless they were. Gaon told the Adversary to go on ahead, to which the Adversary immediately protested. However, Gaon replied that he wished to help bear the duties and expectations placed upon them, reassuring them that they didn’t need to worry about him, as he was one of the Four Symbols for a reason.
As Lystor moved to attack, Gaon intercepted the blow, allowing the Adversary to rush past them. As the pair fought, Lystor told Gaon that he was testing his patience, to which Gaon replied that he couldn’t give up. However, Lystor retorted that Gaon would regret not giving up, explaining that while the Adversary seemed incredibly strong, they would be no match for Reina. He mockingly asked Gaon whether he could still speak of hope after seeing the Adversary frozen to death, to which Gaon replied that it wouldn’t be happening, as the Adversary was stronger than Lystor realized.
Meanwhile, the Adversary took the elevator to one of the upper levels, where they noted that the air was much colder, with frost covering the windows. Realizing that the space had been created to keep the chill inside, they began wondering why such an area existed on the battleship. As they proceeded ahead, they suddenly encountered soldiers made completely out of ice, which made them realize that the purpose behind keeping Arteria so cold was to keep the ice soldiers intact.
As they fought through and destroyed the ice soldiers, they noted that the soldiers were quite strong, and that they were getting closer to Cygnus’ location, with her voice encouraging them as they went on. Cygnus then apologized to them for putting everyone in danger, explaining that it was all her fault, as the enemy was after her unawakened Transcendent powers. Before losing consciousness once again from the immense cold, Cygnus managed to warn the Adversary to be careful, as the enemy was powerful.
Reaching the top level, the Adversary entered the throne room, where they found an unconscious Cygnus and Reina draining the last of her powers into her red crystal. Reina declared that they were too late, as she had already extracted the power that she wanted, leaving Cygnus as nothing but an empty husk. When the Adversary refused to believe it, Reina replied that she had heard about them, and how they were an Adversary who had killed a Transcendent.
Believing that it would be a waste to leave without them, Reina offered them a chance to join her, declaring that it was a good opportunity for them to join the winning side, as an Alliance without its leader would soon dissolve into nothing, with Darmoor reigning victorious and undefeated. However, the Adversary retorted that they wanted no such opportunity before attacking.
Reina teleported to dodge their attack before using her ice powers to create an ice shield in front of the Adversary. She then took out her red crystal and attempted to use its divine power to kill the Adversary, though she was surprised when the crystal remained unresponsive, causing her to wonder whether the Adversary had destroyed her prisoners.
The confused Adversary wondered what prisoners she was referring to, and whether it could be the ice soldiers that they had defeated on the way to the throne room. Reina lamented that it was a shame, as she could have made more use of her prisoners. Turning back to the Adversary, she noted in annoyance that with them having destroyed all her prisoners and refusing to defect, she would have taken them out first if she had known that the situation would have turned out in such a way.
Just as she launched an attack, Shinsoo’s power inside the World Heart created a protective shield around them, which blocked Reina’s attack. A surprised Reina realized that it was the same power which had frozen her ship. She noted that they were quite impressive, and that she could see why their talents had caught Darmoor’s attention. However, she declared that it was too late before unleashing a torrent of ice spikes, though Shinsoo’s divine shield continued protecting the Adversary from all her blows.
Suddenly, Arteria began shaking, much to the Adversary’s surprise. Reina told the Adversary that Shinsoo’s power, which had been holding the battleship in place, had run out, and asked them how they hadn’t yet realized it, despite having received a portion of that same power. She explained that just as she had said, they were too late. Just then, however, a large crashing sound shook the airship once again, causing Reina to wonder whether they were under attack.
The Adversary’s radio then began ringing, with Claudine informing them that the Resistance had come to reinforce them after learning about the attack on Ereve from Brighton. She added that with Lystor having retreated, they were all heading for the top floor, for which she asked them to keep holding on. At the same time, Reina was contacted by Lystor, whom she ordered to wipe out the Alliance forces, causing the Adversary to warn Claudine that the enemy still had something up their sleeves.
On the lower floors, Claudine and Irena arrived with the Alliance, where Claudine noted grimly that there were more injured soldiers than she had anticipated, and that she hadn’t thought that the situation would be so dire. Irena realized that Eckhart, Gaon, and the Adversary were fighting up ahead, to which Claudine decided to push their forces ahead and pave the way forward.
On the upper floors, Eckhart met with an injured Gaon, who apologized for being unable to hold off Lystor. However, Eckhart replied that he should be the one apologizing for putting Gaon in danger by involving him in their situation, though he added that it was because of Gaon that they had been saved, as he had helped fend off the enemy for so long.
Just then, Lystor arrived and noted that he was surprised that the Alliance had managed to hold out with such a small force. However, he told them that it made no difference, as his forces held the advantage in numbers, and that they would soon be wiped out. Eckhart then told Gaon that he would buy time for him to escape, noting that Gaon surely hadn’t left Shangri-La just to die in such a place as the one that they were in.
However, Gaon refused, claiming that no matter how briefly, they were comrades who had each other’s backs, for which he could not leave Eckhart behind. Eckhart replied that he didn’t mind dying in such a way, as it had always been his dream to die fighting for Ereve. Just then, Irena – along with Claudine and their reinforcements – arrived and jokingly told him that while it was rather cool of him to have such a dream, it wasn’t his time yet.
Eckhart was shocked to see Irena and the Resistance, to which Claudine explained that they had rushed over as soon as they had received word that Ereve was in danger. Eckhart thanked her for saving them, though Claudine told him that she hadn’t done it to be thanked, or for a reward, as they weren’t on such bad terms that the Resistance would turn a blind eye to the Knights at such a moment, adding that they were comrades in the same Alliance, and that they would never turn away from a comrade in need.
Together, the Resistance and the Cygnus Knights began pushing forward to the top level in order to reinforce the Adversary. As the Alliance began breaking ground, Lystor reported to Reina that their defenses had fallen, and that the enemy had broken through the soldiers on the lower floors. He then told Reina that it seemed as though they would need to use the Vision Bomb after all, as they would be able to destroy all their enemies in one fell swoop if they overlooked the casualties that it would cause for them. Reina then gave Lystor her permission to activate the Vision Bomb and ordered him to get rid of all the Alliance forces.
(A/N: This conversation is meant to coincide with Reina’s call with Lystor in the throne room, which happens at the same time as Claudine contacting the Adversary.
I was so excited to see Vision Bombs get referenced in the game, as they were first mentioned way back in 2012 during Kaiser’s Heliseum prequest, then later in 2015 during Cadena’s class story, and now 8 years later, we’ve finally seen them in use. Unfortunately, they’re a bit underwhelming because they just release poison, but it was still cool to know that Vision Bombs haven’t been forgotten.)
Lystor then addressed his officers and told them that their final mission was to activate the Vision Bomb and wipe out the enemy. He explained that it didn’t matter how many mercenaries were killed, as their sole objective was to evacuate only High Flora soldiers, and to complete the mission. As his officers left to carry out his orders, Lystor wondered to himself whether Reina would be alright, as the crystal that she was using could hold the power of a god, and that - even for someone for her caliber - she wouldn’t be able to avoid the recoil from it. Because of this, he decided to rush to the throne room, praying that she would be safe until he got there.
Meanwhile, in the throne room, the Adversary – upon realizing that reinforcements were on the way – decided that they needed to hold Reina off until help arrived. As they fought against Reina, Cygnus began regaining consciousness, and though she was barely able to open her eyes, she saw that Reina was overpowering the Adversary.
Reina quickly surmised that the Adversary was stalling until help arrived, and though she admitted that the end was approaching, she told them that it wouldn’t be the end that they were hoping for. She then launched another attack on the Adversary, who collapsed on the floor as the divine shield created from Shinsoo’s power inside the World Heart faded away.
(A/N: One of the several reasons why I don’t like this storyline is the terrible sense of power-scaling that it has. The Adversary has beaten plenty of the Black Mage’s Commanders before - both before and after their 5th job advancement - and all of them were boosted by the Black Mage’s Transcendent powers, just like the Apostles. Here, the Adversary is facing off against Reina with not only our 6th job advancement and the power of the World Heart, but Reina also isn’t using her draining crystal here, either. We should’ve won this battle effortlessly, but we somehow end up losing for no other reason except because the plot demanded it.)
As the wounded Adversary struggled to stand, Cygnus looked on in horror as she realized that the Adversary was about to die because of her. The Adversary defiantly told Reina that they couldn’t lose here, to which Reina replied that it was unfortunate, as their life was about to end here. Just as Reina stabbed the Adversary, Cygnus used the last of her strength to rush forward and take the fatal blow in the Adversary’s place.
The Adversary looked up in shock at Cygnus, who smiled back sadly at them as she collapsed. The horrified Adversary asked her why she would sacrifice her life for their sake, telling her that she may never awake if she lost consciousness here. Dying by the minute, Cygnus weakly told the Adversary that she was alright, and that because of them, everyone in the world would be able to live on. Struggling to stay conscious, she told the Adversary that she was leaving the Alliance and the world in their hands.
(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue in place of this. He tells her not to lose consciousness, as she may never wake up if she closes her eyes. Cygnus replies that it’s alright, explaining that even though he’s the one who protects her, he doesn’t always accept help back. She then tells him how glad she is that he wasn’t hurt. She explains that though he’s the Knight of Light whose duty is to defend the Empress, because of him, everyone else in the world will be able to live on. She adds that from now on, she’ll leave the Alliance and the world in his hands.)
As her vision began blurring, Cygnus noted to herself that it felt as though she was falling into a deep expanse of water. Though she was unable to hear anything anymore, she could still see the Adversary crying over her, making her wonder whether this was what dying felt like. Cygnus asked the Adversary not to cry and apologized for everything, regretfully telling them that if she had been more capable, she could have been of more help to them, and that they wouldn’t have had to bear such heavy burdens. She then apologized one last time for leaving them with yet another burden.
(A/N: Grandis classes and Kinesis get exclusive dialogue here, in which Cygnus tells them that they’re too kind for having come to save her people from another world.
Phantom gets some exclusive dialogue that replaces the last few lines of the original dialogue. After Cygnus tells him that he wouldn’t have had to bear such a heavy burden if she had been more capable, she adds that she had always wanted to show herself as strong and healthy in front of him. She then reminds him of the promise that he had made her when he had first joined the Alliance - to become a true hero, not simply one hellbent on revenge - and asks him to keep it.
In yet another instance of why having a generic protagonist is a stupid idea, consider this POV: you’re a Bishop who’s mastered the art of healing for 280 levels by the time of this storyline, and you’re blankly staring back at Cygnus, completely at a loss for what you could possibly do to turn this situation around. Suddenly, you remember that there’s still something that you can do. You cast Heal once. Twice. And by the twentieth time, you have no idea what’s going on. But suddenly, a chill runs down your spine. You realize what happened, and why none of your spells are having any effect.
“Oh god, Cygnus, no! Why didn’t you accept my party invite in time?? Why?!”)
As she closed her eyes for the last time, Reina asked the Adversary whether they were finished with their goodbyes, reminding them that their Empress had given everything to save their life before asking whether they were planning to let that go to waste. As the Adversary furiously turned to face Reina, she noted that they seemed much sharper now and challenged them to see which of them would fall first.
On the lower levels, Claudine and the Chief Knights heard the Adversary’s words through the radio and were horror-struck to hear that the Empress had passed away. However, all of them refused to believe it until they saw it with their own eyes, declaring that the Empress was too strong to be killed. Claudine addressed the Alliance soldiers and told them that though they must all have heard what had just happened, she urged them not to lose hope, despite whatever thoughts they must be having, and ordered them to advance.
The rescue party then pushed forward and reached the topmost floor, where they began charging forward towards the powerful ice soldiers. Claudine called for back-up from the Resistance and ordered them to push through at all costs, declaring that they didn’t have a moment to lose. With all their combined efforts, the Alliance broke through the defensive line, allowing Gaon, Eckhart, Irena, and Claudine to enter the throne room, where they found Reina confronting the Adversary, who was barely standing between Cygnus’ body.
Shocked to find that the Empress had fallen, the Alliance leaders immediately surrounded Reina. Enraged at having been pushed to her limits, Reina decided that she had no other choice but to use her last-resort. Using her crystal, Reina unleashed its divine power to boost her ice magic with a strange red energy, which she used to freeze the Alliance leaders and the Adversary’s feet in place, though she immediately kneeled over in great pain as a result.
As Claudine wondered what sort of power Reina had used, the Adversary attempted to break free from the ice in order to continue fighting Reina, despite Gaon warning them that they were reaching their limit, to which Reina noted that the Adversary had been holding on for a surprisingly long time. Irena furiously declared that what Reina had just done to Cygnus was nowhere near the same as when she had ambushed Ereve, vowing that she would never forgive her.
Suddenly, Lystor flew into the room with his wings and quickly pulled Reina into his arms before taking her a safe distance from their enemies. Lystor desperately asked Reina whether she was alright, to which she replied that their mission was complete, and that the God-King would be satisfied. She asked Lystor whether he had made preparations for the Vision Bomb, which he confirmed, explaining that the gas would soon fill up the ship, and that they should hurry and leave.
Reina then looked back at the Alliance and grudgingly admitted that she had underestimated them all, and that she looked forward to the day that they would meet again. As they fled from the throne room, the Alliance leaders managed to break free from the ice. Gaon yelled that the enemy was getting away, to which the Adversary attempted to force themselves to pursue them, declaring that they had to avenge the Empress.
However, Claudine pointed out that they were grievously injured, and that it would be far too dangerous for them to pursue Reina in their current state. She also reminded them that the Empress wouldn’t have wanted them to hurt themselves like that. Just then, all eyes turned to Cygnus’ body, whose finger had just briefly moved. Claudine immediately rushed to her side and noted that Cygnus was still alive, though she was extremely weak and severely injured. She explained that she would provide as much emergency treatment as she could, though Cygnus needed proper medical care as soon as possible.
Suddenly, Irena realized that poison gas had begun to fill the ship from the Vision Bomb, causing Gaon to wonder how the High Flora could do such a thing when their own mercenary soldiers were still on board. Irena then noted that with the poison gas spreading throughout the ship, they couldn’t go after Reina with no plan and so many casualties, as they needed more time to recover their strength.
The others accepted her idea, after which the Alliance leaders began gathering their soldiers in order to escape. After fighting their way through the soldiers, the Alliance managed to escape Arteria and return to Ereve. Back on the ground, Claudine began treating Cygnus with her medical knowledge as Edelstein’s town doctor, though she told them that they needed Shinsoo’s help if possible.
Elsewhere, Lystor worriedly asked Reina if she was alright. Though severely weakened, Reina noted that she was alright, commending Lystor for his quick thinking in saving her. Lystor noted that he was merely doing his duty, adding that he was particularly worried about her body, as he had noticed that the prisoners who had been holding back the recoil of using the crystal’s power had been destroyed.
Reina confirmed his suspicions and explained that she was simply paying the price, adding that it was nothing but cheating in the end, as such a price couldn’t be helped if she was forcibly channeling the power of a god. Lystor asked Reina whether the enemy had been strong enough to warrant her using so much of her power, which Reina confirmed, explaining that after facing the Adversary, she could say for certain that the story about them killing a god was true.
As Lystor began regretting that he should have stopped them, Reina warned him that he was overstepping his bounds, reminding him that there was no chance that he could have faced an enemy that even she couldn’t defeat. Lystor apologized for his presumption, to which Reina reminded him that the purpose of their mission had been to take Cygnus’ Transcendent powers, and that they had accomplished their goal, which was enough. Though she admitted that it was a shame that they had lost their prisoners, she added that they could gain something far better, for the sake of their nation.
Soon after the battle, the Adversary met with Neinheart, who asked them whether they were doing okay. He explained that though Cygnus hadn’t yet regained consciousness, he believed that she would soon recover. He noted that it was fortunate that Claudine had been present, as her emergency treatment had helped them avoid the worst. He explained that as per the Chief Knights’ request, they had placed Cygnus by Shinsoo’s side at her refuge in Leafre, as Shinsoo’s powers would help the Empress recover her strength better than anything else.
He told the Adversary that following the battle, most of the Flora soldiers invading Maple World had been wiped out, as they had merely been bait for the enemy’s true goal. Though there were a few remaining, Neinheart hoped to capture them in order to gain intel from them, rather than kill them, believing that it would be easy to interrogate the soldiers, most of whom were merely common mercenaries with little loyalty to the High Flora.
He explained that from the information that they had already gathered through interrogation, they had learned that Reina was a God of the High Flora, as well as an Apostle of Darmoor. He noted that she seemed to be the lord of a snowy region – one of the six High Flora territories – and that she had only recently gained the position and title from a Syaman with the previous lord. However, he added that as the information had come from mere mercenaries, they couldn’t be sure of its true authenticity.
(A/N: Given that Reina took the position of lordship recently, it might be that she only recently became an Apostle of Darmoor, as it’s unlikely that a Priest could’ve gotten Darmoor’s attention. Khali’s storyline had her meet with someone from the snowy mountains, who left because they believed that their lord - while being a good person - was too focused on the immediate problem of saving their people from the cold, rather than joining the Central Army and conquering a better land for their people.
It’s left ambiguous in regard to whether Reina is that lord or the one who replaced that lord. In the former case, it’s likely that she decided to lead Arteria to attack Maple World after finally deciding to join the Central Army. In the latter case, which I think is more likely, Reina defeated the former lord in a Syaman in response to their ineffectual leadership. If so, it might be that the former lord was an Apostle of Darmoor until Reina defeated them and took their position, or that Darmoor gave her the position after seeing how powerful she was.)
He also told the Adversary that Arteria had been completely quarantined, and that there were still several soldiers inside, despite the interior being flooded with poison gas and damaged from multiple explosions. Though he had considered destroying it by attacking it from the outside, he had ultimately decided to leave it intact in order to capture and interrogate the High Flora soldiers still inside, adding that they may need to call on the Adversary for help in gathering information soon.
Having caught the Adversary up on the situation, Neinheart suggested that they visit the Empress and offered to take them to Shinsoo’s refuge. In Leafre, the Adversary met with Shinsoo and found a comatose Cygnus lying at her side. Shinsoo greeted them as the one who held the power and confirmed that Cygnus was in stable condition.
(A/N: Mihile gets some exclusive dialogue that has Shinsoo instead greet him as the Empress’ guardian. Cygnus Knights also get some exclusive dialogue that has Shinsoo greet them as the Empress’ knight.)
When the Adversary began apologizing for failing to protect Cygnus, Shinsoo told them not to blame themselves, as it had been her responsibility to keep the Empress safe, lamenting that she had been unable to do anything to help, even while knowing that Cygnus was a child who had possessed power far beyond what her body was capable of handling.
The Adversary asked Shinsoo whether Cygnus would ever wake up again, to which Shinsoo explained that Cygnus would need time – far more time than the Adversary could even imagine. The Adversary replied that they couldn’t let Cygnus stay in such a state for that long and asked whether there was any way to quicken her recovery. Shinsoo explained that the power of a higher being would be of help, whether that was the power of a Transcendent, or the power of the Ancient Gods, as her kind was now known as in the present day.
The Adversary then realized that in the search for that power, they would undoubtedly need to face Gerand Darmoor in the end. Shinsoo sadly noted that they bore a heavy burden on their shoulders once again, for which she explained that there was only one thing that she could do. She asked the Adversary to come close, upon which the World Heart immediately began reacting to Shinsoo and started absorbing her powers.
Shinsoo explained that while she had very little power left, she would offer whatever remained of it in order to help them on their journey. She told the Adversary that she planned to fall into a deep sleep alongside Cygnus, as someone needed to be there to guide her within her dreams. She then prayed that the Adversary remained safe until they met again, falling into a deep slumber soon after.
Elsewhere, Limbo reported that things were going smoothly, and that they could move on to the next stage of the plan.
(A/N: Although it was left unknown who said this in the Arteria storyline, as the illustration that accompanied this dialogue was a generic shadowed face without any identifier, the Carcion story heavily implies that it’s Limbo, given that he’s the main villain of that storyline.
I’m assuming that the reason why the writers decided to make Cygnus comatose is because they needed to give the Adversary a reason to find the power of the Ancient Gods, but I would’ve thought that wanting to stop a space elf Nazi from destroying the world would’ve been enough of a reason already. I feel like Arteria overall was decent on paper, but just poorly executed overall.
There were a lot of changes made between its release on the the KMST test server and its official release, with most of them being dialogue changes, as the original dialogue was fairly cringeworthy. The Adversary yelled out “I’ll avenge Empress Cygnus” twice like they were buffering worse than Internet Explorer, which quickly became a meme for KMS. Most of the other lines got a touch-up, some of which was warranted, while some of it was honestly better in the test server.
I think that even now, however, the dialogue isn’t the problem so much as the execution. Arteria, as a story, just doesn’t feel particularly compelling to me. It started out exciting enough, but a fourth of the way in, it started falling flat for me with how the Alliance was being completely overrun by the High Flora. It’s really weird for me because on one hand, it makes complete sense that the Alliance - which is already bankrupt and fragmenting - would be ill-equipped to face a planetary invasion, but when I see it happen in the story, it feels less like the High Flora is overpowered and more like the Alliance is just really weak.
It feels a little frustrating to watch because we’ve seen the Alliance in similar odds against Black Heaven, but the Black Wings being overpowered felt more earned with how much of an influence they’ve had in the story. We’ve seen little to none of the High Flora army outside Cernium, as even the Flora classes had their stories far-removed from the actual High Flora nation, with the sole exception of Khali. After rooting for the Alliance and seeing them reign victorious at Tenebris, I found myself getting kinda annoyed at them for losing to an enemy that appeared with little buildup and little time for the audience to get warmed up them.
Outside of that, it just felt like this story was just a bunch of events happening and nothing else to substantiate it. Cernium also had an invasion of the High Flora, but there was so much more to the story because of all the themes and symbolism that they introduced to make it more compelling than just watching a bunch of explosions and people fighting.
Arteria came really close to it with the idea of the Adversary carrying the weight and expectations of an entire world, but like I’ve mentioned before, the writers haven’t done anything substantial with the Adversary’s character in years. There was a moment when they really could’ve capitalized on it, when we don’t recognize that one Alliance soldier that we saved in Tenebris, which could’ve explored a really interesting idea with how, in contrast to how we made personal bonds with the people that we saved in earlier theme dungeons and storylines, we’ve become disjointed from the people that we now help as the Adversary, as our allies are just faceless masses to be saved, and we’re just a legend that people only hear about but never truly know.
It would’ve been a good chance for us to explore how being the Adversary has changed our relationship with others, and it could’ve added to the idea of burden and expectation with Reina, who similarly has the loyalty of her people, but unlike us, she uses her ice prisoners as meat shields to avoid having to carry the burden of using the power of the gods inside her crystal.
That’s also why I feel like Cygnus should’ve actually died in this story so that it adds more weight to her burden being passed down to us, instead of a cop-out where the writers wanted to exploit her death for emotional damage and motivating us to find the power of the Ancient Gods, but without having to actually commit to actually killing off a beloved character, even though there’s nothing that they gain from leaving her comatose, rather than putting the emotional weight of her death onto the Alliance, rather than just her being stable but comatose. I think that overall, Arteria could’ve been decent, but it felt too much like a story draft instead of a polished narrative.
Below are a series of side quests that can be completed after the main storyline.)
The Frozen Soldiers’ Final Words:
At the command center, the Adversary met with Eckhart, who explained that he had just been about to ask them for help. He told them that his ears had begun to hurt from how often Neinheart kept emphasizing that gathering information about the High Flora was crucial. As there was important information about the enemy soldiers aboard Arteria, he asked them to investigate the battleship and report their findings. He added that they would most likely be able to find it in a place that the enemy soldiers visited frequently, such as the upper floor of Arteria.
The Adversary entered Arteria and made it to the upper floor, where they were surprised to find countless High Flora soldiers completely frozen and kept in glass tanks. They also found several hidden notes scattered throughout the room. In the first note, the Adversary read that the writer was a knight of the snowfield. Though their territory was filled with cold and hunger, the importance of their role had spurred the knight to push forward and carry out their duty. However, they noted that the peace hadn’t lasted long.
In the second note, the knight wrote that they didn’t know where to begin, explaining that it was the first time that they had seen a Syaman between a God and a Priest. As there was typically an enormous power gap between a God and a Priest, such duels rarely ever happened. However, the knight wrote that it was a different story when the Priest was a direct family member of a God, as the difference in power was almost negligible. The knight noted that in most cases, magic was inherited from bloodline, and that they had seen this first-hand with the kind of power that ‘she’ had wielded.
(A/N: The implication here is that Reina is a direct descendant of the former lord, which likely means that she’s their child or grandchild. It also confirms that caste rank isn’t inherited from family, as the children of Gods will still be Priests. Given how caste is so intertwined with position throughout the story, the God caste is almost certainly reserved for high-ranking members of High Flora society, such as lords of territories.)
In the final note, the knight wrote that their God, the lord of their territory, had been killed in the Syaman, with their opponent taking their place as the new God and lord. However, in the hearts of many people, including themselves, they only recognized the former God as their one, true lord. The knight wrote that following the Syaman, they didn’t remember what happened – only that they had all challenged the new lord and had ended up becoming frozen after being defeated. They explained that they felt a strange pain every day, which took more and more of their memories. They added that they were leaving notes behind before their mind and body froze, hoping that they would be able to read what they had written and remember their past if they ever managed to get free.
After reading through all the notes, the Adversary returned back to Eckhart, who wondered whether the frozen soldiers aboard the ship were the knights of the former lord, though he added that it was likely that not all the frozen soldiers were knights. The Adversary explained that Reina had called them her ‘prisoners’, noting that many things had likely changed after she had ascended to lordship. Eckhart replied that the knights of the former lord must indeed be prisoners if they had been forced to obey her. He added that he hadn’t expected to gain much information about the frozen soldiers, though he thanked the Adversary for obtaining it, noting that Neinheart would be pleased.
The Armory’s Vision Bombs:
The Adversary met with Irena, who asked them whether they remembered the day when the Empress had fallen. She reminded them that there had been a strange, purple poison gas that had flooded Arteria, forcing them all to retreat. She explained that it had begun leaking again, and that it would cause harm to the soldiers who were investigating the ship. The Adversary agreed to help her, and so they traveled to the lower deck of the ship near the armory.
There, they found an injured Cygnus Knight, who explained that poison gas had begun leaking while he had been investigating the armory. He told Irena that he had already sent the other soldiers back to base, and that he had stayed behind in order to block off the entrance. Irena thanked him for his help and asked him to return back and get treated, promising that she could handle the rest. After the Knight left, Irena and the Adversary entered the armory, where they detected gas faintly leaking out.
The Adversary began to investigate the room and found frozen weapons used by the Flora army, which had strange symbols mixed into them. Though they believed that the symbols were significant, they were unable to learn anything more about them, and so they continued searching. (A/N: Cadena gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she recognizes the symbol as the Shadowdealer insignia.) They also found cavalry shields, which they noted were very different from the ones that they had seen the Flora army use in Cernium.
(A/N: Cadena gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she realizes that there’s a clear correlation suggesting that these weapons came from the Shadowdealers. However, while she determines that the weapons didn’t come from the Heliseum or Savage Terminal branches, she’s unable to figure out where they did come from. She also notes that though the Shadowdealers would do anything for profit, this is the first time that she’s seen such open collaboration with the High Flora.)
Finally, they encountered a bomb, which Irena recognized as a Vision Bomb. She explained that Neinheart had mentioned them several times in his past reports about Heliseum and Savage Terminal, and that it was considered a dead weapon because of how it painfully killed enemies and allies alike over a widespread area. She added that it was quite an inhumane weapon, which she would send specialized experts to carefully remove from Arteria.
The pair then returned back to the command center, where Neinheart was surprised to hear that the toxic gas had come from a Vision Bomb. He explained that he hadn’t originally considered that the Vision Bomb and leaking gas would be related, and that he hadn’t expected to see that they were one and the same. He added that it was well-known that some members of the Shadowdealers had sold the secret of Vision Bomb technology to the High Flora, though he hadn’t thought that he would see it aboard Arteria. He then revealed that it was Mr. Hazard of the Shadowdealers who had given Vision Bombs to the High Flora, and that he doubted that Mr. Hazard’s affiliation for poison was a coincidence.
(A/N: Cadena gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which she affirms his statement and notes that she had gone through a lot of trouble because of it. She then notes that the poisonous gas aboard Arteria is very similar to what she had smelled while fighting Mr. Hazard, and that she suspects that there’s some relation between the two.)
Irena asked Neinheart whether he intended to track down Mr. Hazard, to which Neinheart explained that there was likely no way that he could, as all news about him had disappeared after he had been handed over to the Shadowdealer High Council. However, he added that given how many weapons were in the possession of the High Flora, it was highly likely that it was an entire branch of the Shadowdealers – not simply Mr. Hazard – who were working with the High Flora, and that investigating them may yield a lead about Hazard. He resolved to investigate the Vision Bombs himself and asked Irena to handle removing the bombs from Arteria. He then thanked Irena and the Adversary for their help, though he added that there was much more information aboard the battleship that was yet to be uncovered.
The Soldier Who Didn’t Escape:
Aboard Arteria, the Adversary encountered a Cygnus Knight, who was relieved to see them. He explained that his comrades had gone into a nearby room, and that they still hadn’t come back out. Suspecting that they may have been ambushed, the Adversary agreed to accompany them inside. In the room, they were shocked to find a wounded Flora mercenary standing over a dead Cygnus Knight, with another Knight confronting them.
As the mercenary ordered them to stay back, the Adversary noted that they were injured, and yet they were still trying to fight. The mercenary replied that he had no choice, as he was conscripted to fight all enemies of the High Flora, including members of the Alliance. The Knight who had asked the Adversary for help was horrified and enraged, telling the mercenary that he had just killed a close ally who had saved a coward like him many times before. He added that his friend wasn’t supposed to have died and raised his weapon to fight, vowing that he would never forgive the mercenary.
However, the Adversary asked the Knight to wait, reminding him that the Alliance’s policy was to capture enemy soldiers for interrogation. The mercenary told the Adversary to let him die with honor, rather than being taken captive. The Adversary then asked the mercenary why he fought so fiercely for the High Flora, even being willing to give his life for them, adding that every mercenary that they had encountered had been loyal to the end, even though the High Flora had abandoned them.
The mercenary explained that he was well aware that the High Flora had retreated and abandoned them, even as they had taken the commoner soldiers, who were weaker and more useless than any mercenary. The Adversary persistently continued questioning the mercenary, who noted in annoyance that this was the first time that he was seeing an enemy who wanted to talk this badly. He finally relented and explained that as they likely already knew, the mercenaries of the Flora army were conscripted to fight, while the commoners worked in the middle between them and the officers.
He added that there was currently a shortage of soldiers due to the high number of colonies, and that most mercenaries were members of other races, many of which were commonly known throughout Grandis. He explained that their nations had been subjugated by the High Flora, who had forcibly conscripted them. He addressed the Cygnus Knight and explained that just as he had loved ones that he fought for, so too did the countless mercenaries whose family, friends, and countries were being held hostage by the High Flora. He told the Knight that running away wasn’t an option, and that the only way to keep their loved ones safe was to die an honorable death in service to the High Flora.
(A/N: Wow, that might be one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in this game. It makes killing Flora mercenaries in the game that much more depressing, with how we’re essentially fighting a slave army.)
Upon seeing the Adversary’s expression, the mercenary told them that he didn’t need their pity, as there were many others, including children, in a far worse situation than him. After hearing the mercenary’s story, the Knight asked the Adversary for permission to escort him back to Neinheart. Soon after, the Adversary checked in with Neinheart and learned that the Knight had indeed safely escorted the mercenary back to Ereve, where they had learned a great deal of information from him. He thanked the Adversary for reminding the Knight about their policy, as the Knight had told him that he didn’t know what he would have done with the mercenary if the Adversary hadn’t been there.
(A/N: Unlike most quests, you can trigger a “bad” ending by choosing “no” when you wonder to yourself whether you should ask the mercenary why he fights so hard for the High Flora. If you do this, you task the Cygnus Knight with bringing the mercenary to Ereve and then leave. After that, you meet with Neinheart and ask him whether the mercenary was successfully escorted. Neinheart will tell you that he hasn’t heard of any mercenary being escorted to Ereve recently, but he has heard of a Cygnus Knight who avenged his dead friend. Big thanks to the people on the lore server for finding this.)
Mihile’s Return:
(A/N: I was curious at first to see how they handled Mihile doing this quest, but it turns out that they just made this quest inaccessible for Mihile characters. I don’t really know what I was expecting them to do, but it’s either the laziest or most brilliant solution ever.)
Oz reached out to the Adversary and asked them for their help. She explained that Mihile would soon be returning from his mission, and that she needed them to help break the news to him about the Empress. The Adversary noted that it would be a big shock to Mihile, which Oz explained was why she and Neinheart were worried about how he would take it. Because of this, Oz asked the Adversary to stay at Mihile’s side while he processed everything.
Soon after, Mihile returned to Ereve and reported to Neinheart that the Dawn Warriors had been tracking Will, and that they had found a clue regarding his location. He added that he had returned back early after being told that something major had happened, and that he had left the task of recapturing Will to his unit, which would likely be capturing Will fairly soon. He then asked Neinheart where the Empress was, as he hadn’t seen her since coming back.
After a pause, Neinheart asked Mihile not to be shocked, and to listen. He explained that the Empress had been mortally wounded by an enemy Apostle, and though the Adversary had saved her life, she was currently asleep in a coma. A dumbfounded Mihile asked Neinheart to repeat what he had just said before asking when Cygnus would wake up again, adding that she surely had to be waking up soon. Neinheart gently replied that he didn’t know yet, as Shinsoo had mentioned that it would be a very long sleep.
Soon after, the Adversary met with an aghast Mihile, who was still attempting to process the devastating news. Upon seeing the Adversary, Mihile thanked them for saving the Empress’ life, explaining that he had just heard the news from Neinheart. He explained that they had done his job to protect the Empress in his stead, for which he was grateful. After a pause, he asked them whether they could do him one more favor. He requested that they be with him as he visited the Empress, which the Adversary agreed to.
Together, the two of them traveled to Shinsoo’s resting spot in Leafre, where they found both Shinsoo and Cygnus asleep together. After taking in the sight of the comatose Empress, Mihile noted that she seemed to be sleeping peacefully. He then cast his gaze down for a moment before asking the Adversary if they could recount how the Empress had fallen. He apologized for making them recall such a painful memory, but he explained that it was something that he needed to hear.
The Adversary explained how they had infiltrated Arteria in order to rescue Cygnus, who had been captured by Reina. With the help of the Alliance, they had managed to reach Reina’s throne room, where they had fought her in order to save Cygnus. Despite their best efforts, however, they had been defeated by Reina, who had been preparing to finish them. In that moment, Cygnus had rushed forward and taken Reina’s attack in their place.
After a pause, they admitted that they had kept hoping that the memory of that day had all been a dream, but no matter how much they wish it wasn’t, it had all really happened. They also added that as time went on, the memory wouldn’t go away, but instead, it continued growing even sharper with each passing day. They apologized for being powerless, and for being unable to save her, to which Mihile immediately told them that it wasn’t their fault, and that it was his duty to protect the Empress – a duty which he had failed.
He regretfully admitted that if he had been faster in completing his mission, he might have been able to be there when she had needed him.However, he then caught himself and realized that even if he had been there, there may have been no stopping it, as he admitted that he just couldn’t solve everything. He added that if anything, he felt more guilty about leaving them with his emotional baggage.
(A/N: Mihile: “Sorry for trauma dumping on you”
Also Mihile: proceeds to trauma dump even harder
You know what, though? Same.)
After a moment, he told them that he had just one last thing to ask. He asked them how the Empress had fared during the battle, to which the Adversary explained that, as always, she had tried to protect everyone. Mihile noted that the Empress had always been that kind of person, and that both in the past and even now, helping as many people as she could was something that she would do as long as she was able to.
He told the Adversary that Cygnus had helped many people quite often, including him. He explained that even on days when he had lost his meaning to live, the Empress had always been there to guide him, showing him the way ahead. He added that even when his destiny had been just to live as a boy trapped in a forest, it was Cygnus who had first discovered him and given him a purpose. He added that even now, he wished that Cygnus could tell him what to do now, and what to fight for.
As his face turned grim, the Adversary reassured him that the fight was not over yet, and that Shinsoo had told them that Cygnus would reawaken faster if she regained her strength. They added that even though they weren’t the Empress, they could speak as a member of the Alliance and asked Mihile to fight with them all together in order to open the Empress’ eyes again. After a moment, Mihile’s face turned dark as he asked them whether they had mentioned that the Apostle who had attacked Cygnus was named Reina. He then declared that he would never forgive her for what she had done.
Soon after, the Adversary and Mihile returned back to Ereve, where Oz was relieved to see them both safe. She explained that everyone had been worried after they had disappeared so suddenly. When Mihile remained silent, the Adversary quickly explained that they had gone to see the Empress. Upon seeing how distressed Mihile was, Oz asked him not to shoulder all the burden himself, reminding him that they were Knights, and that they were stronger together.
She then asked him to tell her when things were hard if he felt that they were hard, and to ask her for help if he felt like he needed help. She added that she knew that he was the type of person to shoulder burdens alone, but she explained that she, Neinheart, Irena, and everyone else sincerely cared about him, to which Mihile gave both her and the Adversary a heartfelt thanks for everything that they had done for him.
(A/N: Goddamn wow, this quest came at me like a truck doused in kerosene going full-speed into a children’s hospital. As much as I hate Mihile as a playable class, his relationship with the Empress is one of my favorite in the game, and seeing the writers actually get his character is such a nice, cathartic moment. They also showed images from Mihile’s class story when he first meets Cygnus and when Atan dies, which adds yet another gut punch while he’s stabbing us with words.)
The Need for Change:
Claudine called the Adversary and told them that Neinheart was looking for them, adding that it was important. The Adversary met with Neinheart, who explained that all the Chief Knights had returned from their missions, and that he had finished speaking to them about their opinions on the war. He told the Adversary that he wished to speak with them about it and asked them to accompany him on a walk. As they walked through the forest, Neinheart asked the Adversary for their opinion on why they had lost the battle. The Adversary replied that just as he had said before, the Alliance had been caught off-guard by the enemy’s attack.
Neinheart agree and noted that it was perhaps the first time that he had ever been caught off-guard in such a way before. He explained that the Empress, as always, had moved to protect all of Maple World when it had fallen under attack, moving troops and even the Chief Knights out of Ereve in order to help other regions. He added that though they had perhaps made too many complacent judgements, there was one critical detail that everyone had overlooked, which was that the fundamental difference in strength between the Alliance and the enemy was not military size.
He explained that the enemy had moved as though it had known all about the Alliance, which may have made their defeat inevitable. He told the Adversary that the real difference between them and the enemy was the amount of information held, as the enemy had been able to predict all their actions after knowing everything about them. The Adversary realized that that was why Neinheart had grown so obsessed with learning everything that they could about the High Flora, to which he replied that though it may be too late to catch up, he still couldn’t stay still and give up on trying, as the Alliance would continue to evolve and eventually catch up to the High Flora.
The Adversary suddenly asked Neinheart whether he was feeling okay, as he didn’t look very good. Neinheart explained that he was still processing the shock of losing Cygnus, with him being unable to do anything about it. He told the Adversary that one thing that Reina had said kept going around in his head, which was her claim that Cygnus’ story only fit in a world at peace like Maple World, and that it had no place in a world filled with endless war like Grandis. He explained that they had been dealing with Darmoor just as they had with the Black Mage, treating the enemy as one single evil, without any other complications, as even many of the Commanders themselves had been working against the Black Mage the whole time.
In contrast, Gerand Darmoor had many different factions, including the Apostles, all moving together meticulously and systematically. He explained that as proof of that, he had a report from Eckhart, who had been facing the Specters at the border between worlds, which the Adversary recalled from the Alliance meeting before their mission to Odium. Neinheart revealed that several soldiers from Eckhart’s unit had gone missing, causing the Adversary to wonder whether the enemy had been extracting information from them.
Neinheart explained that according to the Flora mercenaries whom they had interrogated, the captured Alliance soldiers had been brought to Aboris, the High Flora capital. He added that it was certain that Ypsilon, an Apostle of Darmoor, had used his power to extract in order to extract the memories from the Alliance soldiers. Neinheart explained that whereas the enemy knew all about them, they had almost no information about the High Flora at all.
He added that they couldn’t keep fighting the enemy as they were currently, as they needed to work closely with each other and cover each other’s weaknesses. The Adversary was impressed and noted that Neinheart had changed, to which Neinheart explained that he had to change, as the Alliance had been losing because they hadn’t been changing at all.
The Adversary asked Neinheart what their future strategy was, adding that they were worried, as the Cygnus Knights drew their power from the Empress. Neinheart admitted that the power of the Knights and Ereve were linked to the Empress, and that the Cygnus Knights had gotten weaker since the Empress had fallen asleep. However, he explained that their weakness was not crippling, as the root of the Cygnus Knights’ power was the divine power of Shinsoo, not the Transcendent powers of the Empress.
(A/N: During the Moonbridge storyline, Cygnus developing her Transcendent powers is what upgraded one of the Cygnus Knights’ 5th job skills from “Empress Cygnus’ Blessing” to “Transcendent Cygnus’ Blessing”. Although that power boost has canonically gone away, the actual skill doesn’t get downgraded after Arteria. There’s already some precedent for in-universe events not correlating to game mechanics, such as all the Cygnus Knight revamps in 2013 and 2022.
When the Cygnus Awakens update was first announced in 2013, Cygnus Knight character creation was temporarily disabled, with the reasoning being that a massive water shield has been created around Ereve as the Empress awakens her new powers. The suggestion is that Cygnus’ awakening is, in-universe, meant to upgrade Cygnus Knight skills from their original version to their revamped version.
However, given that we already start out with the revamped skills in the story, the explanation about her awakening revamping our skills doesn’t really make sense. Similarly, us not going back to using the pre-revamp skills from before Cygnus awakened doesn’t line up with the given explanation, but all that’s just a reminder that game mechanics and lore are two separate things that shouldn’t be treated as hard and fast canon together.)
With both the Empress and Shinsoo alive, he believed that they were safe, and that Ereve – which floated in the sky because of Shinsoo’s power – would not fall, adding that he had been temporarily worried that they would need to evacuate. He told the Adversary that Ereve could continue to serve as a major base for the Alliance, though he admitted that they were facing the worst crisis in the Alliance’s history with the damage to their forces and the loss of their leader.
However, he added that there was a silver lining to it all, which was that in the face of the High Flora attack throughout Maple World, there was an opportunity to unite the people once again to serve a common goal. He explained that it was because of the Empress’ commitment to protecting all of Maple World by scattering their troops that had given them such an opportunity.
He added that though there was no one set policy or strategy for the future, he explained that they would need to change in order to defeat the High Flora. He then apologized to the Adversary for constantly relying on them, noting that if the Alliance had continued to grow and change like them, their current situation may never have happened. He added that though he was currently lacking as a strategist, he asked that they stay with him as they moved ahead.
Carcion, the Cradle of Life:
(A/N: I want to add a disclaimer that many names and terms mentioned in this storyline have been localized by satsuha, who did a complete translation of the transcript for this story. These names are subject to change once the GMS localization comes out, and so you might find that the names which I’ve used here are different from other sources that you might’ve seen.)
Soon after the battle with Arteria, Neinheart called the Adversary and explained that he was contacting them because Ereve had more or less finished recovering from the High Flora’s attack. He added that Ereve was still in an unstable state, but with the Empress out of commission, he believed that it would be best that they organize an Alliance conference in order to plan out their next move.
He explained that other than the Cygnus Knights and the Resistance, the other members of the Alliance across Maple World and Grandis had also agreed to meet, though he added that they wouldn’t be able to proceed without the Adversary’s attendance. He told the Adversary that he felt as though the Alliance was making them shoulder too much, though he noted that they now possessed a much greater status than just being the Adversary.
He began saying that there was only one choice for who could lead the Alliance with the Empress asleep, but he stopped himself before he could finish and asked the Adversary to forget what he had just said, adding that he was being hasty by stating his own opinion as that of the Alliance. He then asked the Adversary to meet them at the command center, where the Alliance conference would take place.
The Adversary arrived at the command center, where they were surprised to find that Gaon had also been invited. Gaon explained that he had been intending to go after Baekyeon and Ara, though he explained that it was difficult for him to track their energy, which he speculated was because they had been sealed inside the scrolls. He told the Adversary that he had been discussing the matter with Neinheart, who had invited him to attend the conference.
Neinheart explained that Gaon had been extremely helpful during the last battle, and that, as the Alliance’s tactician, he couldn’t allow someone so talented to pass him by. He noted that though Gaon had been invited as a guest to the conference, he hoped to formally induct Gaon into the Alliance soon. With all the major leaders of the Alliance having arrived, Neinheart decided to begin the meeting.
(A/N: Right as the meeting starts, Mercedes gets some exclusive dialogue, in which Athena Pierce greets her and explains that she’s heard that Mercedes has accepted Shinsoo’s power. She asks Mercedes how she’s feeling, to which Mercedes replies that she’s feeling fine. She then explains that she’s heard that Athena had protected Elluel during the High Flora attack and adds that she’s grateful to her as always, though Athena replies that what she did is nothing compared to what Mercedes is doing.
Mercedes then asks about Lucid’s condition, to which Athena explains that Lucid is still unconscious, and that she may need more time. She then tells Mercedes to come visit Elluel soon, as everyone is worried about her. With how many reminders about Lucid we’ve gotten since Karote, I’m hoping it means that she’s gonna wake up soon.)
Neinheart first began by giving an update on Cygnus’ status, explaining that though her condition had stabilized, she appeared to show no signs of waking anytime soon. He then added sadly that Cygnus was sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face, as though she would wake up at any moment and call his name. He explained that when he saw her in such a state, he was reminded of when she would sleep at Shinsoo’s side as a young girl, noting that since she hadn’t been able to rest at all since her powers awakened, it was the first time in a long time that she would be able to rest so deeply.
Neinheart then caught himself and apologized for his emotional tangent, explaining that his point was that the Empress was out of commission, and that it was his job, as tactician, to guide the Alliance in such a time. He then introduced the Alliance to Gaon, explaining that as he had detailed in the Alliance report, Gaon had come to Maple World after helping the Adversary defeat Kaling, and that he had aided the Alliance during Reina’s attack.
Gaon greeted the Alliance leaders and explained that he was a black tortoise Anima, and that he would do everything in his power to help Maple World. Edea was surprised to hear that Gaon was a black tortoise Anima, which were one of the strongest amongst the Anima subspecies that possessed special powers.
Neinheart then continued and summarized Reina’s attack on Ereve, which had pushed the Alliance to the brink in the face of the High Flora’s superior strength and technology. He noted that thanks to the combined efforts of the Alliance, the worst-case situation had been averted with the successful rescue of Cygnus from Arteria. However, he added that Cygnus’ powers had been stolen, forcing her into an indefinite slumber, with Shinsoo following suit after giving her powers to the Adversary.
He explained that without a leader, the Alliance had little chance of defeating Darmoor. He also noted that Reina’s attack had proven that the High Flora were no longer a threat in just Grandis, but Maple World as well, emphasizing that though the Black Mage had been defeated, their battle against a fallen Transcendent was not over yet. He then reminded the Alliance leaders that the Empress was a Transcendent-in-reserve, and that the purpose of the High Flora invasion was to obtain that power.
He noted that the crystal which had absorbed Cygnus’ Transcendent powers was proof that Darmoor had been planning the invasion for a long time, as he doubted that such an object could be created on such short notice. In summary, he explained that the battle had been a complete loss for the Alliance, for despite being aware of the nature of their enemy, they had been resting on their laurels, simply because they had erroneously believed that their world was not in danger anymore, adding that as the Alliance’s tactician, he was deeply ashamed.
However, he explained that they couldn’t continue as they had before, adding that there were three things that the Alliance needed to do: first, to recover Empress Cygnus’ stolen powers; second, to determine the reason why Darmoor had been after the powers of a Transcendent; and finally, to take the initiative once they learned Darmoor’s true goal. The Alliance leaders were surprised to hear that Neinheart intended to attack Darmoor first, with Claudine and Edea noting that it was quite a bold strategy compared to his usual standards.
Neinheart clarified by explaining that he didn’t mean to suggest that the Alliance would attack Darmoor, but rather, they would go after what Darmoor was really after and obtain it first. Edea asked Neinheart whether he meant to say that Darmoor’s objective was something beyond Cygnus’ Transcendent powers, which Neinheart confirmed, adding that Edea must have some idea about it as well, given that she was part of the Alliance mission to Cernium, where they had first begun to gain an understanding of Darmoor’s actions.
He pointed out that Darmoor – disguised as Aaron – had spent quite some time researching the Ancient Gods in the Cernium Royal Library. He also noted that in Arcus, Darmoor had confirmed the power of the Ancient Gods by using the Angler Company, while in Odium and Shangri-La, he had used Kaling to obtain the World Heart, which had the ability to steal the powers of the Ancient Gods.
A surprised Edea realized that Neinheart was suggesting that Darmoor’s goal was to obtain the power of the Ancient Gods, to which Neinheart replied that he understood her concerns, as there were certain things that still didn’t fully make sense, such as why Darmoor had used the power of time to restore the burnt library in Cernium, which had given vital information to the enemy.
However, he explained that it was undeniable that Darmoor had taken an interest in the power of higher beings, and that he had now obtained the power of a Transcendent, adding that it was no ordinary occurrence that a fallen Transcendent would be gathering such power. He added that for now, there was nothing that they could do but protect the power of the Ancient Gods from falling into Darmoor’s hands.
He then asked the Adversary to present the World Heart, which they took out and showed to the Alliance. Claudine asked the Adversary whether it was true that the World Heart could absorb the power of the Ancient Gods, which the Adversary confirmed, explaining that it currently held a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers within Kaling, as well as the power that Shinsoo had given them. Neinheart added on that the World Heart was the only thing that could stand up to Darmoor, and that if Darmoor truly intended to gather the power of the Ancient Gods, then restoring the World Heart was in the same vein as his objectives.
Claudine noted that it was clear that the Alliance needed to secure the power of the Ancient Gods as soon as possible, which Neinheart agreed with, though he added that they were severely lacking in information regarding the gods. He also pointed out that they needed to determine the movements of the High Flora army before mobilizing the Alliance, as they didn’t have many forces who were capable of moving out at the moment.
As he continued talking, Gaon suddenly began shifting uncomfortably, as though there was something that he wanted to say. Nevertheless, Neinheart continued on by explaining that many of the Alliance’s communication lines had been severed, and that despite this, their main priority was to strengthen Ereve’s barrier and continue gathering intel.
Gaon quietly attempted to interrupt Neinheart, who continued speaking and asked Edea to gather information from her contacts in Grandis. He also asked Irena to contact Rusty in Hotel Arcus in order to see whether he had any new information to share. Gaon again attempted to quietly interrupt, though Neinheart once again didn’t hear him and began asking Claudine to mobilize the Resistance. Gaon then spoke up and loudly told everyone that there was something that he needed to share.
Just as everyone turned to look at him, the tip of Gaon’s spear lit up with a magical blue light, emitting a stream of glowing water. A surprised Neinheart noted that the stream of glowing water seemed to be a compass of some sort, as it was pointing towards Grandis. Gaon explained that the spear was what he had just been about to explain. He then revealed that the jewel embedded into his spear had been given to him by an old friend, an Ancient God named Keira, who had placed her divine blessing upon it.
Neinheart was confused by how Gaon could have been friends with an Ancient God when he had been chosen by the will of the world to seal the gods away. After hesitating for a moment, Gaon told them that in order to explain, he needed to tell them a story from the time from before he had been chosen as one of the Four Symbols. Gaon began by explaining that during the beginning of the Ancient War, the black tortoise Anima had been swept away in the flames of war, resulting in his entire species going extinct, leaving his as the last survivor. (A/N: When Gaon starts telling his story, there’s an image of a giant lava rock monster attacking the black tortoise Anima, which is presumably an Ancient God.)
Following the end of his species, Gaon had traveled the world, saving those who had been caught in the chaos that the Ancient Gods had wrought in order to prevent anyone else from dying needlessly. He explained that one day, he had sustained a grave injury, and though the black tortoise Anima had the power to heal themselves, they needed a source of pure water in order to do so.
However, as there were few sources of pure water amidst the carnage of war, he had instead wandered the world with his dying body, eventually stumbling by chance across the place where his spear pointed towards now: Carcion, the Cradle of Life. He explained that Keira had been ruling over Carcion, and that she had found him heavily injured on the beach.
When Keira had offered to treat his injuries, he had been surprised that an Ancient God would ever help someone, to which Keira had told him that she pitied him for having been caught in a war waged between foolish gods. She had explained that she was different from the rest of those fools, after which she had healed him and allowed him to remain in Carcion. Gaon explained that Keira had been a staunch opponent of the Ancient War, and because of this, she had taken him in as a victim of a war that she hated.
Eventually, Gaon had been chosen by the will of the world as one of the Four Symbols, which meant that he would need to leave Carcion. Keira had then promised him that in order to end the age of chaos, she would fall into a deep slumber. As a symbol of their friendship, she had also placed a portion of her divine power into his spear.
Neinheart noted that the researchers of Odium had been chosen to destroy the Ancient Gods and wondered how they would have allowed him to defend Odium when he held the same power that they sought to eradicate. Gaon explained that Keira’s blessing had faded away by the time that he had reached Odium, which he believed was because Keira had already sealed herself away into a deep slumber.
The Adversary then realized that the fact that Gaon’s spear had started glowing meant that Keira must have opened her eyes once again. Edea added that the light from the spear was likely a sign that Keira was calling to him, possibly because something had happened to her. The Adversary noted that Neinheart was right about the High Flora being after the power of the Ancient Gods, as they likely must have invaded Carcion, just as they had invaded Ereve.
Neinheart lamented that the Alliance was, once again, one step behind, as it was possible that Darmoor had already stolen Keira’s power. Gaon then apologized to Neinheart for leaving so suddenly after being invited to the conference, but he explained that he needed to hurry to Carcion at once. Neinheart asked the Adversary to accompany Gaon, which the Adversary immediately agreed to, noting that just as Gaon had helped them, it was now their turn to help him.
With few forces capable of moving out, Neinheart asked Eckhart to accompany them on their mission. Edea then explained that the Nova would not be able to send their people, as most of them were busy reinforcing the barrier around Pantheon and Heliseum. Realizing that they would need to ask the Resistance for help, Neinheart requested that Belle join the mission, believing that her quick movements would complement Eckhart.
However, Claudine volunteered herself for the mission instead, explaining that there was something that she needed to confirm. She also added that they would need a doctor on board. She admitted that she understood what it meant for the representative of the Resistance to abandon her post at such a time, but she explained that it was in precisely such a time that the leaders of the Alliance needed to step forward, just as the Empress had. She added that she wanted to see for herself exactly what kind of enemy they were facing, as well as what they needed to do in order to stand up to them. The other Resistance instructors accepted her reasoning and wished her luck on the mission.
Soon after, Neinheart finished preparations for the mission and arranged for a high-speed ship for the Glory Guard to take. He then met with the Adversary and told them that they had determined Carcion’s location by using the light being emitted from Gaon’s spear. He noted that there didn’t seem to be any Flora battleships on the way there, though he warned them to take care, as they had no idea what the state of Carcion was at the moment.
He speculated that just as one of the Apostles had led the attack on Ereve, it was highly likely that another Apostle would be overseeing the attack on Carcion. He also reminded the Adversary that the Alliance’s goal was not simply to protect the power of the Ancient Gods, but to take that power and make the Adversary stronger. He reminded them that though Shinsoo may have graciously bestowed her power upon them willingly, they shouldn’t assume that the other gods would ever join forces with an Adversary, no matter how difficult it would be to face off against a Transcendent.
However, he added that they didn’t necessarily need to fight every single god that they encountered. Upon seeing the Adversary’s confused expression, he explained that they were the only one who could come up with the right solution, and that he hoped that they would be able to find that solution on their mission. With that, the Adversary and the Glory Guard prepared to head for Carcion.
Meanwhile, aboard a High Flora battleship, Limbo, Albaire, as well as two of the six traitorous elders – Shensung and Xula the dog elder – headed for Carcion as well. (A/N: Since his appearance in Ark’s storyline, Limbo has been promoted from Brigadier General to General, with the trimmings on his uniform being upgraded from silver to gold in order to reflect this.) Limbo informed Albaire that Reina had finished securing the power of the Transcendent-in-reserve, though Albaire pointed out that the power of Shinsoo had been absorbed into the World Heart.
Limbo noted disdainfully that even with the power of the gods bestowed upon her, Reina couldn’t even manage to secure Shinsoo’s power, noting that it spoke volumes about her capabilities. He then ordered Albaire to increase the ship’s speed, as they would be arriving at the sanctuary soon. Upon hearing Limbo give the order to increase speed, Shensung approached him and smirked before asking whether he was feeling nervous that he wouldn’t be able to successfully complete his mission, mockingly reassuring him not to worry, as that was what he and Xula were here for.
An annoyed Limbo warned him to remain quiet so long as they were in his ship. He then wondered exasperatedly why Darmoor had requested the help of such fools, to which Shensung amusedly retorted that it was because the elders’ powers were on another level entirely compared to Limbo’s Specter powers. Xula then scolded Shensung and told him to have some manners, reminding him that it has been their own decision to accompany Limbo.
(A/N: Shensung continues to be the most entertaining character that Nexon has ever released in a while. I’m also fully convinced that Limbo is supposed to be the Grandis version of Arkarium, and everything he does throughout this section will prove it. The instant that I knew that Limbo was gonna be in this story, I was already mentally bracing myself for the cutting-edge angst that I’m gonna be feeling with the long-awaited reunion of Ark and Albaire’s situationship. And yes, I’m already deceased at the time of writing this.)
Shensung dismissively replied that he understood that they only had to do what they had come for, to which Xula told him that though she understood that he was excited about coming outside for the first time in a long time, she reminded him that it was only the beginning for them. She then apologized to Limbo for Shensung’s insolence and promised him that they wouldn’t interfere with his work. Limbo huffed and told Xula to see to it that they didn’t hinder his plans. Just then, Albaire reported that they had arrived, to which Limbo laughed and told him not to let a single person get away.
Elsewhere, above the skies of Grandis, the Glory Guard flew full-speed towards Carcion. As they sat in silence, the Adversary noted that Gaon seemed uneasy and asked whether he was worried about Keira. Gaon explained that when the beam of light had emerged from his spear, he had been able to feel Keira’s heart shaking. He noted that Keira was strong enough that he couldn’t imagine her being defeated, but nevertheless, he was quite uneasy.
Claudine told him to try not to worry too much, as it would hurt his decision-making. Gaon realized that she was right, noting that they could only do what they could. He pointed out that it would take a while until they arrived and asked whether they ought to plan out their attack formation once again. Eckhart replied that their current plan ought to be sufficient, adding that he was more curious about Carcion itself, such as its terrain and layout.
Gaon told him that though it had been a long time since he had been there, the area likely wouldn’t have changed at all, as it was a hidden place in the corner of the continent. He explained that Carcion surrounded a large river that flowed into a sea, consisting of an archipelago called Pinjar and a tropical rainforest called Laguna, with the river separating them being called Ishfira, all of which collectively made up Carcion.
Eckhart noted that the terrain sounded quite dangerous and asked why Keira had chosen to remain in such a place. Gaon explained that the waters of Ishfira were extremely pure, and that it was said that the river had existed since the creation of the world itself. He noted that Keira, as a river goddess, had wished to take up residence around such a pure source of water, adding that it had also been a paradise to the Anima subspecies that lived near water, such as himself.
He explained that snake and turtle Anima had dwelt in Carcion even before he had arrived, and that they had worshiped Keira as their patron god and guardian after fleeing the Ancient War. Claudine noted that Keira hadn’t fought in the Ancient War, to which Gaon explained that Keira despised war and destruction of any kind, likening the world to a cycle, just like the flow of water, which was most beautiful in its natural state. Believing that the war had broken the natural cycle, she had taken in the Anima refugees in order to protect them as much as she could.
Gaon explained that when he had first met Keira, he had believed that the power of the gods could only bring chaos and destruction, though seeing how Keira used her powers to protect living things had changed his mind. When he had been chosen by the will of the world, he had been deeply conflicted about following its call, as it would mean that Keira would be forced into eternal slumber by another higher being.
Because of his mental conflict, Keira had chosen to alleviate his pain by making the decision to fall asleep on her own, accepting her fate and asking him to protect the cycle of life in her stead. He explained that Keira had told him not to worry about her, as it was undeniable that her kind had brought great chaos to the world. When he had asked whether they would ever meet again, she had reassured him that she would be awaiting him in a new world.
Gaon noted that he was a fool, for even though he had known the burden that she had been shouldering, he had desperately wanted to make himself believe that following the will of the world was the only path that he could walk. However, he explained that he would no longer act on someone else’s whims, and that he would make his own path, just as the Adversary did.
Suddenly, Eckhart told them to focus, explaining that their destination was in sight. As the Glory Guard looked down, they were amazed to see the beautiful greenery of Carcion. However, as they got closer, they were shocked to find several High Flora battleships, identical in appearance to Arteria, which had already landed by the beach. In order to avoid being detected by the enemy, the Glory Guard landed a safe distance away and decided to travel by foot.
Gaon explained that Keira was located on the central island between Pinjar and Laguna, where a large tree grew. At the top of the tree was the source of Carcion’s pure water, which was also where Keira’s temple had been built. Gaon noted that it was the most likely place where Keira would have sealed herself. He then noticed the waters around them, which had been stained purple in many places, and noted that the High Flora must have mixed something into it.
The Adversary wondered why the High Flora would want to pollute the water, to which Gaon explained that the waters of Carcion were imbued with Keira’ divine power. He told the Adversary that in the past, there had been an Ancient God who had resented Keira for not opposing the Overseers, for which they had attacked Carcion.
Keira and the Anima of Carcion – including himself – had fought against that god and had successfully fended off their attack, though many Anima had been killed, with many others wounded. In order to heal the wounded, Keira had blessed the waters with the power of the gods, which had not only healed the Anima, but had strengthened them in all the ages since. Though he wasn’t sure whether the High Flora knew about its properties, he noted that something strange was happening, and that he was worried about the Anima living in Carcion.
Meanwhile, in Keira’s sanctuary, Limbo, Albaire, and the elders found Keira sealed inside a large water bubble. Limbo opened his Flora wings and attempted to use the Transcendent powers that Darmoor had bestowed upon him in order to shatter the barrier, though his attacks had no effect. Shensung noted that the barrier which Keira had created was powerful, and that it wouldn’t break unless the entire thing were to be damaged for a sustained period of time.
(A/N: Limbo uses several such attacks throughout this storyline. The one that he uses here is extremely similar to Kaling’s claw attack, and later on, he uses a piercing-style attack that’s identical to one of the attacks that Ypsilon uses against Khali during her class story. Based on this, we can conclude that Ypsilon was also given a portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers, and that it’s almost certain that all the Apostles share these abilities.)
Limbo seethed at being forced to waste his time, to which Albaire offered to have the ships barrage the shield. However, Limbo told him that they couldn’t afford to use such extreme measures if they wanted to fill the crystal properly. He supposed aloud that he would use his valuable time to pluck Keira out himself, noting that such a method would undoubtedly work. He then asked Albaire how effective the experiments that the ‘monkey idiot’ had created were, to which Albaire replied that they were working effectively, as the Anima had not yet discovered the identity of the experiments. Limbo nodded, noting that there was no easier target than an enemy in the midst of infighting.
(A/N: The experiment that Shensung made was a special type of Specter that can disguise itself as a normal person, and specifically, it was made to disguise itself as the snake and turtle Anima of Carcion. It’s similar to the concept of partial Specters, which can switch from their host’s appearance and their Specter appearance, but the main difference is that there’s no host in the case of this type of Specter, and its appearance is just a disguise – although you’ll later see that it’s a very realistic disguise that mimics not only the appearance and scent of an Anima, but their bioenergy as well. These Specters are being sent to confuse the two Anima tribes by making each think that the other sided with the High Flora.)
Limbo then turned to the elders and asked them whether it was true that the Anima were strengthened by the divine blessings of the area, which Shensung confirmed, explaining that though it was faint, the water around Carcion held the power of the gods, which was likely why the Anima were currently embroiled in a civil war. Limbo noted that it was good news for them and ordered Albaire to carry out their plan by subjugating the Anima with the experiment. He then bestowed a portion of his own portion of Darmoor’s Transcendent powers upon Albaire in order to give him the strength to seize control of Carcion.
As Albaire headed out, Shensung suggested to Xula that they find a nice place to conduct their experiments, though he doubted that they would be able to find a suitable candidate in the area. Xula noted that Darmoor may be trying to test their skills, to which Shensung replied that for the sake of ‘that day’ to arrive, he would gladly do any kind of research. After the elders left, Limbo laughed and noted to himself that though he wasn’t the type to enjoy something so sadistic, it seemed as though he would truly enjoy himself this time.
Meanwhile, along the beach, the Glory Guard found large purple fragments polluting the region with a strange energy. Unable to find any trace of the Anima, Gaon wondered what had happened there. As they proceeded ahead, the World Heart suddenly began reacting to divine energy in the area. As the Adversary worked to calm it down, they realizing that the power which had polluted Carcion was similar to the power that Kaling possessed, which had been given to her by Darmoor. They then realized that it meant that an Apostle of Darmoor had indeed invaded Carcion.
However, the Adversary was also concerned about how little control they had over the World Heart, though Gaon reassured them not to be disheartened, as the World Heart was on a completely different level from the Seal Stone that they had in the past. He also pointed out that all of Carcion was filled with the power of an Ancient God, and that it wasn’t strange for the World Heart to be reacting in such a way.
The Adversary realized that the World Heart was reacting to the two different kinds of power mixed into the river – Keira’s Ancient God powers and Darmoor’s Transcendent powers. They then thought to themselves that simply filling the World Heart with power wouldn’t be enough to control it. They noted that the World Heart only absorbing power bestowed upon them, or having it absorb power independently of their own will meant that they would never be able to truly master it.
Just then, Eckhart pointed out the arrival of several Specters. The Glory Guard fought past the Specters and attempted to push forward towards the central island. However, Gaon pointed out that the enemy was coming from the mainstream river, which was the fastest route to the island, indicating that the High Flora had already taken control of the temple. He suggested that they follow the side streams and hide themselves there, as the Anima lived at the ends of the various streams that branched off from Carcion, which would also give them a better idea of the situation.
(A/N: I just want to say that the design for this area is incredible. Every single Specter mob is chef’s kiss.)
As they followed the side streams, Gaon explained that Carcion’s two Anima races had separated in order to live in places that suited them best, noting that the Anima were primarily a tribal species. He added that the turtle Anima lived in the Pinjar tributaries, while the snake Anima lived in their village built around the Laguna tributaries. He explained that if the Anima were still around, they likely wouldn’t have changed their way of life.
Fighting their way through, the Adversary defeated several Monstrous Shadow Birds throughout the area, which Gaon noted seemed similar to the wildlife of Carcion. Eckhart pointed out that even the monsters’ general structure seemed different from usual Specters, which made him believe that rather than being Specters themselves, they were merely animals corrupted by Specters, which Claudine speculated may have been because of the polluted waters.
Arriving at the beach, Eckhart noted that there were fewer Specters in the area compared to the mainstream parts of Carcion. Based on his experience fighting Specters at the border between worlds, he explained that it likely meant that it hadn’t been long since the troops had expanded their reach to the outskirts. Suddenly, he realized that there were still Specters in the area, surrounding several turtle Anima warriors. Claudine noted that they needed to hurry, as there was someone injured amongst the warriors.
After the Glory Guard defeated the Specters, Claudine approached the turtle Anima, who immediately raised their weapons at her. Claudine assured them that she wasn’t their enemy and asked them to let her treat their wounded, explaining that she was a doctor. However, the leader of the warriors, Duhan, replied that he would never leave the life of one of his own in the hands of a stranger and ordered her to identify herself.
He noted that though they didn’t seem to be High Flora, outsiders shouldn’t have been able to enter their territory. Because of this, he concluded that they must be affiliated with the Flora army and told Eto, his second-in-command, not to let her guard down. Gaon attempted to reason with him and asked him to allow them to get his injured comrades to safety, as their condition looked severe and more enemies might be on the way.
Upon seeing Gaon, Duhan realized that he was a black tortoise Anima, causing Eto to realize that he was Keira’s guardian. Gaon was surprised to know that he had come to be known as Keira’s guardian amongst the turtle Anima, though he confirmed that he was indeed the person whom they knew from their ancestors’ stories. Duhan explained that according to the legends, all the black tortoise Anima had perished, save one, and that the black tortoise Anima who had saved the turtle Anima in the distant past must have been Gaon. Though he still didn’t trust Gaon’s companions, he nevertheless agreed to allow them to enter the village.
At the turtle Anima village, Duhan told them that they would be safe, as the Flora army had not yet managed to push so far in. Gaon asked Duhan whether Keira was safe, though he was shocked to hear that the turtle Anima had no idea about Keira’s conditions. He asked Duhan how they could be so irresponsible when the Anima of Carcion had worshiped Keira as their patron god for ages.
Duhan explained that after Keira had sealed herself away, the Anima had continued to thrive under her protection, guarding her sanctuary where she lay dormant. Gaon realized that the snake Anima had also protected Keira and asked Duhan where they were, to which Duhan angrily told Gaon not to speak of those snakes to him, explaining that the turtle and snake Anima were currently at war.
He told the Glory Guard that the Anima of Carcion had long since been strengthened by Keira’s divine blessings. However, over the ages, that blessing had weakened as a result of the seal. Gaon realized that the snake Anima had gone against Keira’s desire to avoid war simply to seize the power of the gods for themselves.
Duhan explained that as a result of the snakes’ greed, the snake and turtle Anima had been at war ever since, with control over the water source constantly shifting back and forth between them. He also added that the snake Anima had gone even further by calling the High Flora to wipe out the turtle Anima, allowing them to pollute the waters of Carcion so that they could take the power of the gods for themselves. Gaon refused to believe that the Anima would conspire with the High Flora, and that the High Flora would even agree to work with a race that they had deemed ‘inferior’.
(A/N: Hoyoung gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he adds that there’s no way that an Anima would ever betray a fellow Anima. Taotie then chimes in and asks Hoyoung whether he’s forgotten about how an entire group of Anima had betrayed him not that long ago, to which Hoyoung tells him to lay off.
Lara also gets some exclusive dialogue, in which she agrees with Gaon and adds that even the land spirits find it to be strange. The land spirits then appear and agree with Lara.)
However, Duhan angrily asked Gaon what he would know about the situation after having abandoned Carcion for so many years. He explained that even in isolation, they had heard rumors of the High Flora and their interest in unique powers and special life forms. He noted that the Anima of Carcion had long since possessed stronger bodies than ordinary Anima thanks to the divine blessings of the gods, adding that it wasn’t surprising at all that the High Flora would take an interest in them.
When Gaon retorted that they still had no proof of the snake Anima working with the High Flora, Duhan claimed that they needed no proof, as all the turtle Anima in the village had seen it with their own eyes. He explained that on the day that the High Flora had attacked Carcion, their battleships had headed towards the water source.
As the source had been under the snakes’ control at the time, the turtle Anima had been delayed in arriving at the temple. There, however, he explained that it was the snake Anima, not the High Flora, who had stopped them. Though the strength of the turtle and snake Anima had originally been the same, the Flora army aiding the snakes had resulted in the utter defeat of the turtles.
He also explained that the High Flora had attacked various turtle Anima villages through Pinjar, kidnapping their incapacitated comrades in the process. He believed that the snake Anima must have promised to sell out the turtles to the High Flora in exchange for their support. He added that despite their best efforts, the turtle Anima could do nothing against the snakes, who had inexplicably boasted an abnormally fast recovery rate. (A/N: This is another clue about the snake Anima actually being Specters in disguise, as Specters are known for being able to recover their health at an unnaturally high rate.) In order to hinder the turtles’ own recovery, the High Flora had also polluted the waters of Pinjar with a strange substance, incapacitating those who had drank from it.
Claudine then realized that the injured turtle Anima in the village were those who had drank from the polluted water. At Gaon’s silence, Duhan noted that Gaon still didn’t want to believe his words. He angrily demanded to know where Gaon had been all these ages when their ancestors had called him Keira’s guardian, adding that it wasn’t just the snake Anima who had forsaken her.
At Gaon’s guilty expression, Duhan declared that he had nothing more to say to them. He then ordered them to tell him why they had sought him out, adding that depending on their answer, he may chase them out for good. Eckhart retorted that they wouldn’t simply accept Duhan’s words lying down, to which Claudine cautioned him to remain calm.
Suddenly, Eto rushed over and told Duhan that the incapacitated Anima had gotten even worse. Duhan and the Glory Guard rushed over to the wounded, where Claudine immediately took out her supplies and began assessing their condition. After a moment, however, she regretfully told them that there was nothing that she could do for them anymore, as the water that the Anima had ingested was polluting their bodies from the inside.
She explained that in order to cure them, she would need to remove the polluted water from inside their bodies, or to neutralize the pollutant with another substance. However, she added that they didn’t have enough time or the right materials to treat them. Gaon asked Claudine whether there was really no other way, to which Claudine explained that just as the Adversary had said before, if the pollution had come from the power of an Apostle, there was nothing that they could do.
Suddenly, Claudine’s words caused the Adversary to realize that the power which had polluted the waters stemmed from a higher being. Upon examining the injured Anima closely, the Adversary began sensing the two different powers inside them. They then had an idea and approached the incapacitated warriors with the World Heart. Though Duhan was immediately suspicious, the Adversary asked everyone to trust them.
By channeling their strong will, the Adversary consciously controlled the World Heart in order to absorb Darmoor’s power inside the polluted water that the Anima had ingested. As the Anima warriors began recovering, Claudine was amazed to find that the Adversary had absorbed the power of the gods from within the Anima in order to save them. Eckhart noted that it was quite a spectacular sight and asked them whether their body was alright after performing such a feat. Gaon was shocked and told the Adversary that they had truly managed to bring the World Heart under their control for the first time.
Duhan immediately ordered the Adversary to explain themselves, to which the Adversary told Duhan about their past adventures, the Alliance’s goals, and the power of the World Heart. Realizing that the Alliance stood against the High Flora, Duhan asked the Glory Guard for their aid in saving Keira and the kidnapped turtle Anima.
After agreeing to work together, Claudine expressed her relief that after such a difficult process, they had finally managed to join forces. However, Eckhart told her that it was still too early to be relieved, as they still had very little information about the enemy, including the Flora army’s objective. Just as Duhan began explaining that his scouts had been sent to find the kidnapped Anima, a warrior arrived and reported that the scouts had been attacked by the snake Anima. Duhan immediately ordered Eto to prepare for battle, declaring that they would be leaving at once.
Together with the turtle Anima, the Adversary fought through the Specters in order to break the enemy lines. They then found the turtle scouts facing off against snake warriors. Just as Duhan arrived at the battlefield, the leader of the snake Anima, Hinya, arrived in order to lead her forces against the turtles. As the two leaders began to fight, Claudine noted that they wouldn’t be able to convince the Anima with words. Nevertheless, the Adversary ran between the two forces and asked them to listen. Immediately upon seeing the Adversary, however, Hinya ordered her warriors to retreat.
As the snakes ran back into the rainforest, Gaon wondered why they had fallen back. Claudine noted that the snakes must have been wary of them, especially the Adversary. However, Eckhart realized that the fact that the snakes hadn’t expected them in the first place was suspicious. He pointed out that the snakes had very few warriors, as though they had only expected to meet the turtles. The Adversary then realized that if the snake Anima had truly been allied with the High Flora, they would have already known about the Alliance’s involvement.
Duhan then called to them and explained that with the injured being sent back to the village, they would begin pushing into the rainforest of Laguna. Gaon asked Duhan whether he was no longer planning to find the kidnapped Anima, to which Duhan explained that even if they were to rescue their people, the snake Anima would not halt their assault, meaning that before they could attack the temple and rescue the kidnapped turtles, they needed to destroy the snakes once and for all.
Upon seeing Gaon’s expression, Claudine told him that though she agreed with him that destroying the snakes wasn’t the answer, it was also true that they needed more information about the kidnappings. The Adversary agreed, adding that they ought to try talking to the snakes one more time, as there was something bothering them about the whole situation. They then asked Eckhart to scout ahead in order to see if the missing Anima were being held at the temple, to which Eckhart agreed, adding that he would regroup with them in Laguna.
(A/N: Mihile gets a slightly modified version of this script. It’s nothing major, but the way that he talks to Eckhart is different from the generic dialogue, which is meant to reflect their dynamics as colleagues who’ve worked together for a long time. There are a few other places where this happens, but they’re so minor that I probably won’t mention them all. From what I gather, these instances of exclusive dialogue are a bit jarring in KMS anyways, as there are plenty of moments between them where Mihile doesn’t get exclusive dialogue and talks to Eckhart as the generic Adversary, which makes their interactions pretty inconsistent throughout this storyline.)
Meanwhile, at the sanctuary, Limbo continued attempting to destroy the barrier around Keira, using his opened wings to boost his strength as he unleashed powerful attacks using Darmoor’s Transcendent powers. Just then, Shensung and Xula arrived and found the area polluted with Darmoor’s power, as well as several kidnapped turtle and snake Anima lying on the floor.
Shensung amusedly noted that he had been wondering what Limbo was doing with the Anima after requesting for them to be sent to the temple after experimentation. He asked Limbo whether he was screening the Anima while Keira watched, laughing that he had poor taste in hobbies. Limbo asked Shensung whether he was feeling empathy for the Anima, adding that they would be dead either way, causing Keira to stir uncomfortably within her seal.
Shensung laughed and noted that he hadn’t heard the word ‘empathy’ in a while, adding that it seemed that even an Apostle of Darmoor could believe the elders as being capable of having humanity. At his words, however, Xula told Shensung to stop being so crass. Just then, Albaire reported that the Adversary had been sighted with two members of the Alliance and the Black Tortoise, with the news of Gaon’s arrival surprising both Shensung and Xula. Limbo asked Albaire to buy him time until he could finish his work. Before sending him off, Limbo also warned Albaire not to disappoint him a second time, to which Albaire paused for a moment before nodding.
As Albaire headed off, Shensung followed him and offered to give him some advice. He asked Albaire whether he had a plan to deal with the Alliance, to which Albaire replied that it was none of Shensung’s business, adding that they should all focus on their own work. Shensung laughed and told Albaire not to be so serious before explaining that he had a guaranteed method to secure victory.
He noted that unlike themselves, the Adversary was a hero of justice with a noble heart, and that Gaon was similarly the same kind of naïve fool. He told Albaire to exploit that weakness by using the kidnapped Anima, explaining that the Adversary would undoubtedly throw everything aside just to save them. After a pause, Albaire simply told him that he would take it into consideration before walking away. As Albaire left, Shensung spoke aloud to himself that he was looking forward to seeing how Gaon would fare in the outside world.
At the beach, Duhan told the Glory Guard that the snake Anima village was deep in Laguna, and that even the turtle Anima had no idea where its exact location was. However, he explained that Laguna was already under the control of the High Flora, which meant that they had no choice but to act quickly before the snakes’ trail would get washed away. He suggested that they divide their forces into two, with one squad diverting the High Flora, while the other scoured the rainforest.
Claudine replied that such a plan was reckless, as splitting up would only increase the risk of being attacked. Duhan told her that it couldn’t be helped, as it was their only option with the limited amount of time that they had. Gaon then volunteered to act as bait and asked Claudine and the Adversary to search Laguna in his place. Duhan sardonically asked Gaon whether he was finally planning to act like a proper guardian before telling the Glory Guard that he would leave the mission in their hands.
The Glory Guard then entered Laguna, which was filled with Specters, and attempted to follow the trail of the warriors who had retreated. Soon enough, however, they realized that the snake Anima’s tracks had completely disappeared. As they wondered what they ought to do, Claudine noticed a strange building in the woods. Inside, they were shocked to find that the building was an abandoned laboratory filled with test tubes and computer monitors.
Duhan wondered what something like that was doing in the rainforest and realized that it must have been built by the High Flora. Upon examining the tools in the laboratory, Gaon realized that the entire place was filled with technology from Odium, and that the kidnapped Anima must have been taken to the laboratory.
The Adversary asked Gaon whether he knew what kind of experiments had taken place, though Gaon replied that the details of the experiments was outside the scope of his knowledge. Duhan was enraged to know that someone had been experimenting on his people, while the Adversary grimly realized that the presence of the laboratory meant that the elders who had betrayed Shangri-La were here in Carcion.
Claudine was equally furious as Duhan to know that the High Flora would stoop so low as to experiment on Anima children, declaring that they needed to change their plans and put all their efforts into saving the test subjects. Suddenly, Eckhart appeared and explained that he had finished scouting the central island. He revealed that just as he had thought, the sanctuary had been taken over by the High Flora, with the enemy soldiers mostly being Specters. He also added that he had felt a powerful energy from the top of the tree, which he believed must be an Apostle of Darmoor.
The Adversary immediately realized that the presence of Specters meant that the Apostle who had invaded Carcion was Limbo. Eckhart then noted that there was something strange going on and told Duhan that despite his claim that the snake Anima were working with the High Flora, he hadn’t seen a single one at the enemy base. However, Duhan retorted by claiming that it didn’t matter before asking where the kidnapped Anima were. Eckhart explained that he had found some clues, though he didn’t know their exact location, as they were likely being held elsewhere.
As Duhan cursed the snake Anima, Claudine declared that they needed to hurry, adding that she was all too familiar the High Flora’s type with how they kidnapped and experimented on innocents. She vowed that she wouldn’t fail at saving them this time, causing Eckhart to look curiously at her. As the others began leaving the laboratory, Eckhart called after Claudine to stay behind.
Claudine asked him what was wrong, to which Eckhart asked her whether she was still bothered by the fact that she hadn’t been able to save Vita, reminding her that it wasn’t her fault. Claudine paused before telling Eckhart that she hadn’t forgotten about any of them, explaining that it wasn’t just Vita whom she mourned, but all the countless others like her who had been killed by Gelimer, adding that she would never forget their names.
(A/N: Hey, story team? Yeah, this is what we need more of. Like this is literally the one thing I’ve been asking for so long: interconnected stories, making the most of the character roster in each area, and actually acknowledging that past storylines happened. If we could get more of this in future content, I’ll take back maybe 30% of all the things I’ve called you throughout this site. Maybe 36% if you hire me.)
Claudine and Eckhart then left the laboratory, where Duhan asked Eckhart what clues he had found about the missing Anima. Eckhart explained that while most of the Flora army was concentrated around the temple, there were several forces that kept moving back and forth between one location. Give how inconsistent that was with the enemy’s objective, Eckhart speculated that those forces were being redirected to guard a secondary location away from their primary objective.
He explained that the location was a sea cavern in-between the border of the shores and the rainforest. Duhan noted that he had originally ruled out the caverns as the place where the captured Anima were being held, as the tides were normally too high for them to be accessed. When Gaon suggested that they move out together, however, Duhan replied that Eto would lead the rescue party, while the others would push ahead and find the snake Anima. Gaon immediately began protesting that they didn’t have time to waste, to which Duhan explained that now that they knew where the missing Anima were being held, time wasn’t an issue anymore.
However, he explained that they only had one chance to wipe out the snakes, adding that as long as they still lived, more turtles would continue to be attacked and captured in the future. Realizing that Duhan would not give up his reckless plan, Claudine asked the Adversary what they, as the leader, believed they ought to do. The Adversary noted to themselves that Duhan couldn’t make a rational decision because of his need for revenge.
(A/N: Here, the player gets to choose between two options.
For the first option, we note that the actions of the snake Anima are bothering us, but we believe that we should focus on saving the captured turtle Anima first. We point out that the enemy has greater numbers, and that we need all the strength that we can get. Duhan will retort that it makes no difference, as they need to get rid of the snakes before reclaiming the water source. Eckhart notes that we both make good points and suggests breaking up into two teams, with the rescue team heading to the cavern and the assault team going after the snake Anima.
For the second option, we note that while it’s important to rescue the Anima, the snakes’ actions are nevertheless suspicious. We note to ourselves that while Duhan isn’t thinking clearly because of his need for revenge, we also need to understand the snakes’ actions before retaking the sanctuary. We voice our concerns and suggest breaking up into two teams, with the rescue team heading to the cavern and the assault team going after the snake Anima.)
Claudine suggested that Duhan and Gaon join the rescue team, as they knew the geography of Carcion best, and volunteered to accompany them, as there would likely be injuries amongst the captured Anima. She then asked the Adversary and Eckhart to lead the assault team into Laguna. With their missions assigned, everyone split off and headed towards their assignment.
Eckhart and the Adversary proceeded through the Specter-infested rainforest, remaining hidden in the treetops as they did so. However, Eckhart noted that there was no reason why so many Specters ought to be in the area. He also noted that the Specters in the rainforest appeared to have more intelligence than the ones which he had encountered before. He asked the Adversary to collect the Specters’ armor for him to study, and so the Adversary fought through the Specters and collected crystal fragments.
Eckhart observed that the crystals, which had been used to infect the rainforest, had already been used, which meant that it had been quite a while since the Specters had taken over the area. He told the Adversary that he had found a trace of the snake Anima while they had been collecting the crystals and led them deeper into the rainforest towards a waterfall.
The Adversary noted that the waterfall, which flowed all throughout Carcion, was the source of all the pollution in the water, as it was filled with the same energy as the crystals that the Specters were holding onto. However, Eckhart pointed out that just because the Specters were the ones who had polluted the water, it didn’t necessarily remove the snake Anima from suspicion.
Suddenly, Hinya and her warriors surrounded the pair, whom she called lackeys of the High Flora. When the Adversary denied being affiliated with the High Flora, Hinya retorted that the Flora army must be terrible at deception. She bitterly noted that stealing the water source and polluting the waters hadn’t been enough for them, as they were now targeting her people as well.
Eckhart attempted to explain that they weren’t part of the Flora army, to which Hinya told them that she didn’t believe them, as she had already seen them working with the turtle Anima, who had sided with the High Flora. The confused Adversary asked her what she meant, as the turtles had claimed that the snakes were the ones working with the High Flora.
Just as Hinya’s second-in-command, Ropa, asked for permission to execute them, the Adversary, thinking quickly, asked Hinya whether she had people who had been infected from the water. They then offered to heal her people, to which Ropa immediately told Hinya that she couldn’t possibly listen to them. Just then, a horde of Specters appeared and surrounded the group. After the Adversary helped the snake Anima defeat the enemy, Hinya reluctantly agreed to trust them and brought them back to her village.
Though Ropa protested, Hinya told him that the fact that the Specters had attacked the Adversary and Eckhart meant that they couldn’t be affiliated with the High Flora. She also added that since they claimed to have the power to heal the infected, she had no choice but to take the risk in order to save her people. Back at the village, Hinya gathered the incapacitated snake Anima before the Adversary, who used the World Heart in order to absorb the polluted energy from within them.
After healing the Anima, the Adversary told Hinya about the World Heart and the Alliance, as well as what the turtle Anima had told them. Hinya explained that the turtles were lying, and that they were the ones who had called the High Flora after realizing that Keira had awoken from her slumber. She told the Adversary that not long ago, an enormous flash of light had appeared in the west, with Keira awakening shortly after.
However, she explained that Keira hadn’t been able to speak with them, as she was likely weakened from being in the seal for so many ages. Since then, the snake Anima – who had been in control of the water source – had been trying to find a way to cure Keira, which was when the High Flora battleships had invaded Carcion.
The Adversary realized that the flash of light in the west must have come from the convergence of Maple World and Grandis, which had awoken Keira and the other Ancient Gods. Hinya explained that the snakes had been prepared to give their lives in order to stop the enemy, which was when the turtles had shown up. She noted that despite being at war with the turtles, the snakes had hoped to unite together in order to protect their home.
However, the turtles had suddenly turned against them, attacking the snakes alongside the High Flora and forcing them to fall back and abandon the sanctuary. She added that the turtles had even worked with the Flora army to kidnap their wounded and incapacitate their warriors, noting that the pollution must be their doing as well.
Eckhart realized that the snake Anima must also have been kidnapped alongside the turtle Anima, causing Hinya to express her surprise that the turtles had been captured by the enemy as well. Upon learning that Duhan was leading a rescue party, Hinya believed that her people must be amongst the prisoners. The Adversary asked Hinya for her help in reinforcing the rescue party, to which Hinya reluctantly agreed, explaining that she was choosing to trust them after they had cured her infected people. Eckhart then noted that it had been a while since the rescue team had reported in, causing the Adversary to suspect that something had happened. They then led the snake Anima towards the caverns in order to reinforce their comrades.
Meanwhile, at the caverns, Duhan began to sense the presence of the captured Anima as they proceeded deeper into the cave. However, he noted that the energy was quite faint, to which Claudine speculated that it may be a result of the experimentation, reassuring him that she would be able to treat them. However, Gaon noted that it was quite strange that they hadn’t seen even a single guard inside since they had entered the cave, wondering why the enemy would be sending troops back and forth if they didn’t intend to guard the area.
Proceeding deeper inside, the group found the captured Anima trapped behind a force field. Though they were surprised to know that both snake and turtle Anima had been taken prisoner, Gaon decided that they should free the captives first and used his power to break open the force field. Claudine immediately rushed ahead in order to treat the prisoners. However, upon sensing a strange energy emanating from them, she yelled at everyone to fall back, warning that it was a trap.
Suddenly, another force field appeared around the rescue party, trapping them where they stood. Claudine then revealed that the prisoners weren’t Anima, just as the Anima transformed into Specters. Duhan was shocked to see that his people had been turned into Specters, to which Gaon explained that it was the opposite, and that the Specters themselves had been disguised as Anima. He added that the Specters had been able to replicate not only the shape of the Anima, but their scent and bioenergy as well, noting that the only ones capable of such a feat were the elders.
Just then, the elders and Albaire arrived at the caverns. Shensung laughed that it had taken Gaon quite a while to realize the truth, adding that he still had a long way to go. Gaon was shocked to see Shensung and Xula, whom he referred to as ‘elders’, causing Shensung to laugh that Gaon would still refer to them as such.
Shensung noted that after hearing how Gaon had left Shangri-La, he had been interested in seeing how determined Gaon was to see his decision through, though he laughed that Gaon was still as naïve as ever. Duhan then demanded to know where the real Anima were being kept, to which Shensung told him not to worry, as the captured Anima were sound asleep, alongside their precious goddess. He then mockingly imitated the cries of the Anima children begging for Duhan and Hinya to save them, and for Keira to grant them her blessing, adding that they had sounded quite pathetic.
(A/N: This is gonna be a weird take, but Shensung totally reminds me of a darker version of Phantom. Both of them have the same default personality where they’re jokers that like to get on people’s nerves and never take things seriously, but then underneath that, there’s this extremely vindictive and cruel streak that comes out like a switch. There’s this moment in Phantom’s storyline when he realizes that Lotus’ body is being kept in the Verne Mine, and when his staff aboard the Lumiere warns him that it might be a trap, he just casually says that if he doesn’t find Lotus there, then he’ll just kill Orchid. Seeing him and Shensung both go from being laidback and chill to being straight up psychopaths is one of my favorite things in the game.)
Albaire suddenly interrupted and told Shensung to be quiet before addressing the Glory Guard, noting that they had fallen into his trap so easily that it was almost laughable. Claudine asked him what he planned to do with them, to which Albaire asked her whether she really had no idea what awaited her. He declared that the High Flora eliminated their obstacles, and he then ordered his forces to begin the extermination. Suddenly, the water levels in the cavern began to rapidly rise, threatening to drown the rescue party, which was still trapped in the force field.
(A/N: I’ve been hoping for Albaire to be a double agent since he was first released, and part of me is hoping that moments like this are teases for it. There are a lot of moments throughout the story where Albaire is shown to remain pointedly silent when Limbo or Shensung are being particularly cruel, and even this scene is a little bit sus to me because as Shensung points out later on, this is such a strange way of killing the rescue team because of how slow it is. Given that Albaire knows that the Adversary isn’t with them, it’s possible that he’s buying time for them to arrive.
But at the same time, I’m like 70% sure that this is me inhaling copious amounts of copium just so that I can see the Albaire redemption arc and have him and Ark end up happily ever after. Realistically speaking, Albaire is almost certainly on-board with the High Flora genocide, and even though he knows that a lot of it is wrong, he’s just going along with it anyways and ignores the stuff that he knows isn’t right. MapleStory M actually explicitly made Albaire a double agent, but the mobile game has a wildly different continuity from the PC version, and so it shouldn’t be used as reference anyways.)
Meanwhile, the Adversary, Eckhart, and the snake warriors arrived at the caverns and began fighting through the Specters in order to reach their comrades, whose energy they could sense up ahead. At the same time, Gaon and the others attempted to break the force field, which refused to budge. Gaon realized that the barrier had also been created by the elders, and that it had been designed to absorb any attack that they made from the inside.
As the water levels continued rising dangerously, Shensung noted that Albaire had chosen a cautious method of killing them, adding that he had been looking forward to a battle between a High Flora colonel and one of the Four Symbols. However, Albaire curtly replied that there was nothing that he would gain from exerting himself, as he had already seen Gaon’s martial prowess.
Disappointed, Shensung decided that he would return back to the sanctuary, noting that as much as he wished to see Gaon’s final moments, he also had work that needed to be finished. He then told Xula to follow him back before heading off. However, Xula remained for a moment and looked at Gaon silently before addressing him. She then revealed to him that Ara and Baekyeon were still alive and asked him to let that knowledge give him ease in his final moments before leaving as well.
Just as the water threatened to drown them completely, the Adversary arrived and attacked Albaire, declaring that they wouldn’t let him get away with it any longer. Albaire noted that it seemed as though the Specter army was insufficient to deal with them. Realizing that he couldn’t avoid confrontation any longer, Albaire opened his wings and charged at the Adversary.
(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive scene that replaces the generic one. After Ark arrives and attacks Albaire, he calls out Albaire’s name, to which Albaire tells Ark that he’s late. Ark notes that the fact that Albaire is here means that Limbo must be too, though Albaire merely gives him a noncommittal answer. Ark asks Albaire if that’s really all that he has to say to him, but just then, he groans in pain as he feels the power of the Specter overflowing in him.
Albaire tells Ark to look at himself, noting that he really has become a monster. Ark retorts that though that might be true, he, at least, hasn’t changed his heart. He explains that he finally understands now that Albaire will never stop making meaningless sacrifices. However, Albaire asks Ark how he still doesn’t understand, even after having a killed a god. He then adds that though Ark is meant to have special treatment, he’ll hang out with him for a just little while longer. Ark vows to stop him, to which Albaire notes that Ark hasn’t changed a bit, adding that he’ll regret it one day. He then opens his wings and charges at Ark.
I wasn’t lying earlier when I said that I’m deceased at the time of writing this. This was the first blow of a million that I sustained. I am currently bleeding out angst and broken dreams of these two living on a farm together. Someone should really call 911.)
Meanwhile, Eckhart arrived and attempted to free Gaon and the others. Gaon told Eckhart to aim for the corners of the force field, explaining that its weakness was any external force applied from the outside. Meanwhile, Albaire was pushed back by the Adversary, surprised at how powerful they were. He noted that even with a barely-filled World Heart, their strength was too much for him. With no other choice, Albaire called the Specter army and ordered them to finish things before flying away. Realizing what Albaire was planning to do, the Adversary warned everyone to get back. Suddenly, all the Specters denoted themselves, unleashing a powerful explosion throughout the cavern.
After the dust cleared, the Adversary found that Gaon had protected the Glory Guard and the Anima with a barrier created from Keira’s power imbued into his spear. The Adversary rushed to their allies, and after ensuring that they were okay, they explained that Albaire had escaped amidst the blast, having had enough strength to move after their fight, even through the explosion itself. Eckhart noted that the Adversary, too, was something else to have withstood the explosion as well.
With enemy gone, Hinya and Duhan immediately raised their weapons at each other, demanding to know where each had taken the other’s people. Claudine attempted to remind them that the kidnapped Anima were at the sanctuary, though neither warrior would put down their weapon. Gaon then attempted to reason with them, explaining that the enemy had disguised the Specters as Anima in order to turn them against each other.
Eckhart added that they had even confirmed that the High Flora were the ones who had polluted the waters, though Duhan refused to listen, claiming that it didn’t change the fact that the snake Anima had failed to protect the sanctuary. However, Hinya retorted that the turtle Anima hadn’t even shown up to defend the sanctuary.
With hostilities continuing to rise, Gaon begged the Anima to calm down, noting that he was sure that the reason why Keira had asked for his help instead of theirs, despite them having protected her for generations, was because of their pointless feud preventing them from doing what needed to be done. Suddenly, Gaon’s spear began to glow and produced brilliant shining water, which took the form of Keira herself.
Keira addressed everyone and introduced herself as the goddess of Carcion, explaining that she had been observing everything that had transpired through her powers contained within Gaon’s spear. The Adversary asked Keira how she was able to manifest herself, to which Keira explained that she had been waiting for them to reach the sanctuary, as her powers were too weak to reach them when they had been so far from her physical body.
Hinya and Duhan immediately apologized for failing to protect the water source and asked whether she was unharmed. Keira explained that she was fine for the moment, though she told them that they didn’t have much time, as the Apostle of Darmoor was breaking through her barrier as they spoke, with the kidnapped Anima being slaughtered indiscriminately.
She then turned to Duhan and Hinya and noted that they were the leaders of their tribes and the descendants of the Anima who had inherited her will. However, she rebuked them both for having forsaken that will by taking the power that she had given to heal the Anima and twisting it into an object of possession for which they had waged endless war. She noted that even when their people had been in danger, they had failed to look past their obsession over meaningless revenge as they had attempted to monopolize her divine blessings.
However, she told then told them that it wasn’t too late and implored them to work together and save the Anima, adding that by combining their strength, they could become far stronger than the sum of their parts. Suddenly, Keira began fading as the barrier began to break. She asked Gaon to hurry and save her before the barrier completely failed, explaining that the enemy had something that could rob a god of their powers. Resolved to make up for their mistakes, the turtle and snake Anima agreed to work together in order to save their god.
At the sanctuary, Albaire reported to Limbo that the Adversary would soon arrive. He then apologized for failing to eliminate the Black Tortoise, though Limbo told him that it wasn’t an issue, as the barrier would soon be destroyed. He then turned to address Keira and noted that she was quite soft-hearted for a god, given how easily she had yielded simply because a few meaningless lives had been lost.
Albaire remained silent at Limbo’s words until Limbo turned back to him and ordered him to face the enemy, though he added that he wished to deal the final blow himself after taking Keira’s power. He also ordered Albaire to dispose of the remaining Anima, and to make the enemy watch, adding that he was sure that they would enjoy the show.
After Albaire left to carry out his orders, Shensung laughed that Gaon was quite persistent, though he noted that if they were to leave him be, he would continue to be a nuisance. Realizing that they still needed to take care of Ara and Baekyeon as well, he wondered what they ought to do. However, Xula told him that they would decide what to do after discussing it with the other elders.
She then asked him whether he was thinking of staying, pointing out that they had already gathered enough data, and that they could safely conclude that there was no suitable candidate amongst the Anima in Carcion. Shensung agreed, adding that they ought to get back to the others before Maolang started making a fuss again. He then addressed Limbo and informed him that they were heading back before things became noisy, to which Limbo merely snapped at him to leave if they were done, adding that they would only get in his way. The elders then opened up a hanging scroll that sent them into an unknown place with a dark skyline.
(A/N: The hanging scroll is almost identical to the one that Tai Yu used to transport us to Shangri-La during the Odium storyline, with the main differences being that while Tai Yu’s scroll shone with golden energy and opened up into an idyllic mountainside, the elders’ scroll shines with purple energy and opens up into a city skyline. It’s currently unknown where the scroll leads to, although I like to think that the traitorous elders created a dark version of Shangri-La that they’ve hidden themselves in. It’s also possible that the scroll sends them to an actual city in the real world, possibly Aboris or somewhere else. However, it’s almost certain that wherever the scroll leads is where all six traitorous elders currently live.)
At the beach, the turtle and snake Anima gathered their forces and prepared to break through to the central island. Duhan explained that he would handle the vanguard, while Eto’s squad would handle defense, giving everyone else the chance to attack. Hinya added that her archers would cover the rear, reassuring them that they wouldn’t hit their allies. The Adversary then asked Claudine to take care of the injured in the rear, and asked Eckhart to target the Specter commander.
(A/N: Mihile has a slightly modified script while talking to Eckhart, in which he asks Eckhart whether he already knows what to do before telling him to target the Specter commander.)
The Glory Guard and their allies then charged towards the beach, where they found Albaire ordering the Specters to finish off the prisoners. Eckhart immediately took out the Specters, while the Anima secured the captives. Opening his wings, Albaire flew into the air and commanded the Specters to wipe out the enemy. (A/N: Ark gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he tells Albaire that he’s his opponent. Albaire replies back that Ark is tenacious before ordering his Specters to wipe them all out.)
As the battle raged on, a dark energy emanated from Keira’s tree, causing them to realize that something was happening. Declaring that they were too late, Albaire flew off towards the tree, with the Adversary and Gaon in pursuit. (A/N: Ark also gets some exclusive dialogue here, in which he calls out to Albaire as he flies away. Take a shot every time that Ark calls out to Albaire. You’ll be under the table faster than you can say Gay Panic™.)
Inside the sanctuary, the Adversary and Gaon were shocked to find that Limbo had successfully broken through the barrier, with Keira collapsed on the floor. Limbo was amused to find that they had manage to come this far and decided to give them an opportunity. Just as the Adversary advanced, however, Albaire landed down between them, blocking them from reaching Limbo.
Using Darmoor’s Transcendent powers, Limbo absorbed Keira, amazed at what the power of the gods felt like. He noted that it was completely different from anything that he had seen before, declaring that with its power, he was one step closer to reaching the Abyssal Source. He then decided to take the chance to enjoy himself with his new powers before sealing Keira into the draining crystal. He ordered Albaire to send the Adversary and Gaon, whom he called ‘those fools’, over to him before flying up towards the treetop. Albaire told the Adversary to be honored that the general wished to face them himself in battle before opening his wings and flying away.
(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive script that replaces the generic interaction here. Upon encountering Limbo, Ark yells out to him and orders him to stop what he’s doing at once. Limbo greets him as Second Lieutenant Ark and notes that the Specter inside him seems to be growing smoothly. He then adds that since it’s been so long, he’ll give Ark an opportunity. Just then, Albaire drops down and blocks him, allowing Limbo to absorb Keira.
Limbo then orders Albaire to allow Ark through before flying away. Albaire tells Ark that Limbo seems to have some business with him. He then adds that if Ark survives the encounter, he’ll make sure to kill Ark himself next time. Ark then tells Albaire to wait, explaining that there’s something that he needs to say. However, Gaon interrupts Ark and reminds him that they need to save Keira. Albaire then opens his wings and flies away, leaving Ark frustrated that Albaire ran away.
God, I hate you so much right now Gaon. We were this close to a tragic love confession and you just had to go and ruin everything. This is why the Flying Fish was the better travel buddy - he didn’t even talk for 80% of the trip just kidding I love you both equally, please don’t scatter into Erdas again.)
Though the Adversary was frustrated that Albaire had gotten away, Gaon reminded them that Keira was their top priority. He noted that Keira had been absorbed by Limbo, who fortunately hadn’t yet used the crystal which had stolen Cygnus’ powers. Because of this, Gaon hoped that they would still be able to save Keira.
At the top of the tree, the Adversary and Gaon confronted Limbo, whose body glowed with divine power. The Adversary demanded to know what Limbo had done to Keira, to which Limbo laughed and noted that the Adversary was quite entertaining, and that he wished to see for himself why Darmoor had taken such an interest in them. He then transformed himself into his enormous Specter form.
(A/N: Ark gets an exclusive script that replaces the generic interaction here. When Ark demands to know what Limbo did to Keira, Limbo laughs and replies that he should at least say hello first to his boss after seeing each other for the first time in a long time. However, Ark retorts that Limbo isn’t his boss, and that he doesn’t work for him anymore. Limbo then asks Ark whether he’s denying the noble blood of the High Flora that flows within him.
He declares that Ark can never escape the call, noting that he must be feeling the power of the Abyss engulfing his body. He then adds that if it hadn’t been for Darmoor’s orders, he would’ve already claimed Ark’s soul by now. Ark invites Limbo to try and take his soul if he can, vowing to defeat him and save Keira. Limbo then declares that he’ll see for himself why Darmoor is so interested in Ark before transforming into a Specter.)
Immediately, Limbo pulled the Adversary into an unknown space, where he towered over them and laughed that after making countless attempts to reach the Source, he had finally succeeded in replicating an illusory space of a region close to the Source. He then challenged the Adversary to see just how long they could endure inside his space, warning them that it would be difficult, even for them, to last in a space that he fully controlled. The Adversary then fought against the Specters that Limbo created, eventually breaking out of the space and returning to the real world.
(A/N: This scene where Limbo pulls us into his illusory space was added after the Limbo boss fight was introduced in the Milestone update. Originally, the player fought the Specter form of Limbo and had to survive for a certain amount, although this was later changed to the player fighting all the stages of the official Limbo boss fight, minus the actual fight against the black and white Limbo who reached close to the Source.
Something interesting to note is that the two Specters that you fight in phase 1 are modeled after the turtle and snake Anima, which is likely a nod towards the Specter experiments that Shensung and Xula are performing in Carcion. Later on in the side quests, we learn that the elders are trying to research the Source and the ‘special soul’ that Ark has, which prevents the Specter from taking him over fully, and it’s likely that the Specters we fight in the Limbo boss fight might have been Anima who were sacrificed in their experiments.)
As the Adversary and Gaon continued fighting, they noted that no matter how much damage they dealt, Limbo continued recovering from any damage sustained at an abnormally fast rate. Gaon realized that at the rate that things were going, they would run out of stamina, while Limbo would easily regenerate. Limbo then told the Adversary that he had been looking forward to fighting them ever since hearing about how they had gotten rid of Kaling, though he noted that they were still far from complete.
Just as he attempted to finish things, however, Keira manifested before them in her watery form. She explained that Limbo had absorbed her without being able to fully control her powers, which had allowed her to regain some of her strength. She told them that she would damage him from the inside, which would weaken his recovery rate and give them the opportunity to defeat him.
As Keira disappeared, Gaon began attacking Limbo, while the Adversary took out the World Heart and attempted to absorb Limbo’s stolen power. However, the World Heart refused to obey their will, giving Limbo the opening to gravely wound Gaon. Refusing to give up, however, the Adversary continued pouring all their will into the World Heart, which finally responded with a brilliant light that extracted Keira’s powers from within Limbo, allowing her to manifest her physical form once again.
As Keira fell unconscious, Gaon grabbed her and held her in his arms, just as Claudine, Eckhart, and the Anima arrived. The Anima immediately rushed to Keira’s side and asked her whether she was okay. Keira explained that she was unharmed, though Gaon and the Adversary were wounded. Claudine began treating Gaon and explained that while his life wasn’t in danger, his wounds were quite serious, for which she would give him emergency treatment.
She then checked on the Adversary, who told them that they were fine, adding that they needed to secure Limbo first. Eckhart told them to let him handle it and began approaching Limbo, who was crawling on the ground and attempting to get up again. Limbo seethed in fury at being reduced to such a state by the likes of them, to which Eckhart dryly told Limbo to spare him the pointless resistance. However, Limbo declared that he refused to be captured and began gathering all his power within his body into a single spot.
He then began laughing at the shocked expression on their faces and declared that he would detonate himself and create an explosion large enough to wipe out all of Carcion and everything in its vicinity. A shocked Claudine realized that there was nothing that they could do to stop it, as attacking him would result in them setting off the detonation themselves.
Suddenly, Duhan and Hinya approached Limbo, much to everyone’s surprise. Duhan explained that Keira had protected them with her power for generations, and yet they had done nothing but wage pointless wars to monopolize her power for themselves. Hinya added that she had only realized what they had done after seeing so many of her comrades sacrificed, and that just as Keira had protected Carcion and its people, it was now their turn to protect Keira and their home.
The Anima leaders then manifested their share of Keira’s divine blessings within them and ordered their warriors to do the same, declaring that they would protect their land by combining all their strength together. All across Carcion, the snake and turtle Anima manifested their blessings and brought them all together into an enormous ball of energy.
(A/N: Following the tradition of shamelessly lifting things wherever possible, the writers went from plagiarizing the Thanos snap in Limina to plagiarizing the Spirit Bomb here. They must’ve been doing a Dragon Ball Z marathon when they wrote this story.)
Just then, however, Keira teleported everyone a safe distance away from Limbo before choosing to face him herself. Duhan and Hinya called out to Keira, warning her that she hadn’t yet recovered her strength. However, Keira replied that it was something that she had to do, as she would no longer allow anyone else to be sacrificed. She explained that the reason why the Anima had fought against one another for so long, and why Darmoor had attacked Carcion and killed so many of her people was all because of the power that she possessed. She then declared that she would disappear from the world, and that she would take her damned power of the gods along with her.
Rising into the air, Keira flew into the center of the ball of divine energy, channeling every ounce of her power into defeating Limbo. As she pushed with all her might, Eckhart marveled in awe at the incredible amount of power that she was producing. However, Claudine was shocked to realize that even in spite of Keira’s immense strength, Limbo was still pushing her back.
Realizing that they needed to do something to help, the Adversary suddenly recalled that the World Heart had absorbed some of Keira’s power throughout their time in Carcion. Summoning all their willpower, the Adversary controlled the World Heart in order to expel all of Keira’s power that it had stored within itself, giving it back to its owner in order to help her defeat Limbo once and for all.
As the light of the World Heart faded away, Limbo collapsed onto the ground once again, his power completely spent. Keira was surprised to know that the Adversary had possessed some of her power, and she was even more surprised to learn about the World Heart and its properties, noting that much had happened while she had been asleep. Turning to Gaon, she also noted that Gaon had suffered immensely as well, though he assured her that it was nothing compared to what she had gone through, adding that he was glad that she was alright.
Eckhart then approached Limbo in order to secure and interrogate him. With the elders and Albaire having already left, the Adversary and the others followed Eckhart in order to confront Limbo. Eckhart reminded Limbo that he was completely powerless, and that he ought to answer their questions if he valued his life. Though Limbo seethed at having been defeated, Eckhart ignored him and instead demanded to know why Darmoor was targeting the power of the Transcendents and the Ancient Gods.
At his words, Limbo immediately growled at Eckhart not to speak Darmoor’s name so flippantly, adding that lower lifeforms such as them would never be able to comprehend Darmoor’s grand purpose. Realizing that they wouldn’t get a straight answer, the Adversary instead asked Limbo what the purpose of the elders’ experiments were with the captured Anima.
However, Limbo merely laughed and claimed that such experiments were nothing more than idle distractions for Darmoor to pass his time, declaring that their sole mission was the destruction of all life. Gaon was furious to know that the captured Anima had been killed for nothing more than a pastime, though Eckhart simply noted that Limbo could still afford to offer some clarification, adding that he would hear the rest of his explanations in the dungeons of Ereve.
Suddenly, however, a flash of red lightning struck down from the sky, forcing Eckhart to jump back. In another flash of lightning, Havoc landed in front of Limbo, causing the Adversary to immediately recognize him from Cernium. Havoc looked down at Limbo and noted that the Alliance had done quite a number on him. He added that Limbo should have used the crystal right away, and that he was going to lose his job at this rate.
Limbo was overjoyed to see Havoc, laughing that Darmoor had indeed been watching over him after all. He immediately began groveling, begging Havoc to save him quickly. However, Havoc gruffly asked Limbo how he could shamelessly ask to be rescued when he hadn’t even finished doing the job that he had been sent for.
(A/N: If all the other Limbo moments in this story haven’t convinced you yet, this scene is giving peak Arkarium vibes with how Limbo is this sadistic, cruel person who looks down on everyone, using cheap tricks like his Specter regeneration to keep himself alive like a cockroach because he doesn’t have any real skills to put his money where his mouth is. The only difference is that Arkarium, at least, had some dignity, and he’d never have turned into this pathetic mess just to get bailed out.
On the other hand, Havoc is hands-down the best Apostle, the best villain, and the best character in the entire game. This is honestly what the Grandis story has been missing all along - actual interactions between villains. Seeing Arkarium, Hilla, the Demon, Damien, Von Leon, and all the other Commanders interacting and bantering each other made the Maple World story so engaging. Grandis has sorely been missing things like this for so long because of how streamlined everything’s been, and it’s nice to see the story return closer to form with Carcion.)
Havoc then launched into the air and began raining down red lightning from the sky, injuring everyone in the vicinity. Though the Adversary attempted to move, they found that their body would not respond to them, causing them to wonder whether it was because of the World Heart. With the Adversary rooted in one spot and everyone else injured, Havoc landed back on the ground and took out the draining crystal, which he used to begin extracting Keira’s power. As he did, he began complaining that his mission was such a hassle and wondered how many more gods he was going to have to eliminate.
As Keira’s power continued being absorbed into the crystal, Gaon vowed that he wouldn’t allow Havoc to finish. With Keira’s divine power inside his spear, Gaon created a protective barrier around the goddess, shielding her from the effects of the crystal. Havoc noted with mild interest that Gaon had managed to create a shield, though he declared that it didn’t matter, as he had already filled the crystal, with the empty shell of a god meaning nothing to him. He then manifested his demon wings in a flash of red energy, preparing to take off with Limbo.
(A/N: The Demon gets some exclusive dialogue here. Upon seeing Havoc’s wings, the Demon realizes that Havoc really is a pure-blooded demon and wonders how that could be possible. Havoc asks the Demon why he looks so surprised and sarcastically asks him whether it’s his first time seeing a pure-blooded demon. As Havoc prepares to leave, the Demon tells him to wait, to which Havoc tells the Demon that if he really is a demon, then he should prove it by showing his strength.)
As Havoc began to leave, he looked back at the Adversary with disdain and noted that they seemed to have a lot to say for someone who was barely alive. He explained that he had been looking forward to what they would be like, now that they had gotten their hands on the World Heart, but he added that after seeing them again, they were nothing more than a disappointment. He then asked them to be more entertaining in the future, even more so than Seren, whom he simply called ‘that Celestial’, adding that he would see them again before leaving with Limbo slumped on his shoulders.
Claudine then asked the Adversary whether they could stand, while Eckhart noted that the High Flora had disappeared, alongside their battleships. The Adversary asked Keira how she was feeling, to which she explained that though her powers had been taken from her, Gaon’s intervention had saved her physical body. However, Gaon noted sadly that he hadn’t been able to do anything as Keira’s powers had been stolen right in front of him, adding that the Apostle of Lightning had incredible strength.
Eckhart then suggested that they return back to Ereve, to which the Adversary asked Keira to come with them. Claudine agreed with the Adversary’s suggestion, noting that without her powers, it would be best for her to stay in Ereve for her protection. Though Keira was hesitant, Gaon’s reassurance about the Alliance’s integrity convinced her to agree.
Before she left, Hinya and Duhan apologized for all their mistakes, though Keira told them that it wasn’t their fault, as it was her own power which had brought destruction upon Carcion. She then lifted herself into the air and unleashed a wave of energy, explaining that she had used the last of her power to eradicate the pollution from Carcion. Though she didn’t have the strength to restore the land to how it had been before its destruction, she told the Anima that given time, the land would return to how it used to be.
However, with her divine power completely depleted, she explained that there were no longer any blessings left in Carcion, and that the Anima would need to protect themselves with their own strength. Duhan and Hinya both vowed never to stain their ancestors’ honor again, to which Keira told them that she would leave Carcion in their hands, and that she prayed that the cycle of water would guide them both.
(A/N: This entire storyline seems like it drew a lot of its story beats from Heroes of Maple. Limbo absorbs Keira and loses control of her powers, similar to how Damien absorbed Alicia and grew unstable from holding more power than his body could handle. The Abyss Crystal is extremely similar to the crystals that the Apostles use, as both of them have the ability to steal the power of a god and destroy their physical form. The way that Carcion gets polluted is similar to how Damien drained the life force of Maple World and corrupted the World Tree, and Keira using the last of her power to restore Carcion is just like how Alicia scattered the last of her power in order to restore Maple World.)
The Glory Guard then returned to Ereve, where they introduced Keira to Neinheart. Neinheart greeted Keira and told her that he had heard that she didn’t intend to stay with the Alliance for long. Keira explained that she planned to leave as soon as she regained enough of her powers, as even without them, she was still a target in the eyes of Darmoor, which would endanger the Alliance if she were to remain.
Neinheart told her that nevertheless, she was welcome to stay in Ereve for as long as she liked, and that he would even ask that she stay as long as possible, as he had much to ask her. Keira thanked him for his hospitality and agreed to do whatever she could in order to help them. Neinheart then spoke to the Adversary, who told them about everything that happened in Carcion.
Neinheart noted that their mission had confirmed that Darmoor was indeed gathering power from higher beings, namely Transcendents and Ancient Gods. He added that while Keira’s powers may have been taken away, they had been able to protect her physical body. However, the Adversary pointed out that their position hadn’t changed, as they still needed a plan for their next move. Neinheart explained that in regard to that, he had been able to contact Carlisle while they had been away in Carcion, and that Carlisle had something important to say.
With the open communication channel, the Adversary connected with Carlisle, who told them that he had heard about their encounter with two of Darmoor’s Apostles. He explained that stories about their actions had reached Cernium as well, and that there were many who wished to meet them. He noted that it must be difficult for them to visit Cernium anytime soon, though he hoped to invite them whenever they could come. Neinheart replied that it was something that they ought to discuss in the future, as it was important that the Alliance maintain its relations with the cities of Grandis.
Carlisle then explained that it wasn’t simply Maple World and Carcion that had been attacked by the High Flora, as numerous such operations had been carried out all through Grandis, with their target being the Ancient Gods awakening from their slumber. He told them that with nothing left of the Ancient Gods, Cernium had been safe from the attacks, which had allowed them to gather information from across Grandis.
He explained that the ones who had carried out the attacks were the Apostles of Darmoor, who had finally begun leading the Flora army directly, rather than remaining in the shadows like they had for so long. Neinheart noted that it seemed to be a declaration of war, to which Carlisle emphasized that they needed to prepare a counterattack immediately.
He told the Adversary that just as they had seen first-hand, the Apostles were using crystals to absorb the power of higher beings, and that Darmoor’s target was only the power of the Ancient Gods, not the gods themselves. At his words, the Adversary wondered to themselves whether the crystal was a type of Godsphere as well. Carlisle also explained that during the recent attacks, Darmoor had managed to secure the powers of many Ancient Gods already.
Neinheart realized that given the speed of the enemy’s movements, the High Flora must have been planning their attacks for a long time, which also meant that it was unlikely that an attack of such magnitude would happen again so quickly. As the Alliance couldn’t hope to fend off the enemy’s simultaneous attacks in so many different places simply through rearranging their defenses, he declared that they needed to create an environment where such attacks could not occur.
He explained that the High Flora used overwhelming numbers to plan coordinated strikes, which meant that the Alliance needed to raise its numbers and spread its influence across Grandis. The Adversary asked Neinheart whether he was proposing to form a new alliance, to which he replied that it was his desired end result, though for now, they needed to gather as many allies as possible. Carlisle explained that the reason why the High Flora had been able to control Grandis was because there was no force of resistance against them, aside from the small armies of individual cities, which could barely defend themselves.
However, as a result of the High Flora’s recent attack, forces were mobilizing against the Flora army, and that amongst them was a military group which had long since been shrouded in rumors. He explained that it was an organization that opposed the High Flora in the darkness, known to many as the saviors of Grandis who pointed their blades at the bloodied throne, the usurpers of freedom: the Primacy.
(A/N: Given the teases that we got in Adele’s Aftermath cutscene and the Hotel Arcus side quests, I’m 99% convinced that Jerome - Adele’s liege - and Kelly - the other mechanic from Hotel Arcus who left to fight the High Flora - are gonna be members of the Primacy.)
The Adversary asked Carlisle where the Primacy was now, to which he explained that Seren had provided them a clue in her latest message. The Adversary read through the message from Seren, who had written that she had found a way to restore the holy sword Azor, and that she had also found the ones who had the power to oppose Darmoor, whose strength they needed to borrow. She had also asked Carlisle to send her message to the Adversary, and to request that they cross the continent and meet her at ‘the place where the world starts again’.
Carlisle explained that Seren couldn’t leave any more details in the message for the sake of security, though he added that she was looking for the Adversary. Neinheart noted that while it was possible that the people whom Seren had met weren’t the Primacy at all, they had no choice but to follow every lead that they had. Carlisle explained that his people were still investigating what ‘the place where the world starts again’ referred to, though he assured them that he would follow-up with any new information that he found.
After the call ended, Neinheart told the Adversary that their next move was to gather enough forces to face the High Flora while the enemy was busy reorganizing for the next attack, as well as to find a way to wake Cygnus up again. He also told the Adversary to remain vigilant, as he had heard from Eckhart how they were having trouble controlling the World Heart. He added that he didn’t have any helpful advice for them, but he encouraged them to keep following their own path.
The Adversary then admitted that there was something else that they were wondering about, which was that Havoc – despite having been able to kill them easily – had deliberately spared their life, which made them believe that Darmoor still needed them alive. Neinheart assured them that the Alliance would keep looking into Darmoor’s motives, and that he would contact them once they finished deciphering Seren’s message.
Soon after, the Adversary met with Gaon and Keira, and learned that they were planning to go after Ara and Baekyeon together. Gaon explained that after learning from Xula that they were both still alive, he felt that he needed to save his family. However, he promised that he would lend his aid to the Alliance, and that he would rush to the Adversary’s side whenever they called.
The Adversary asked Keira whether she would consider staying in Ereve, to which she replied that with how much Gaon lacked common sense, she would feel more at ease staying by his side before he caused trouble everywhere he went. Though Gaon began laughing at her words as a joke, Keira told him not to laugh, leaving him to wonder whether she was being serious or not.
She then told the Adversary that she was grateful to them for their help, and that they only needed to say the word if they needed anything from her. She also added that just as she had mentioned before, it wouldn’t be easy to gain the power of a god. She explained that there were two ways to obtain that power and restore the World Heart: either by swearing to inherit the will of a god, and, in turn, inheriting their power, or by defeating a higher being and forcibly absorbing their power. She added that neither path was an easy one to walk, and that she prayed that they chose the correct one.
The Adversary noted to themselves that they had already experienced both methods, first by defeating Kaling and absorbing her powers, as well as inheriting Shinsoo’s powers after swearing to protect Empress Cygnus. Keira also told them that wielding the power of a god wasn’t easy, and that as the World Heart grew stronger, they needed to grow stronger with it. She then warned them to take care not to be consumed by that power.
(A/N: Like I mentioned in earlier sections, this more or less resolves the plot holes that were created in Shangri-La and Arteria. One of them was why the World Heart didn’t immediately absorb the Adversary’s powers if the player was a character whose power stems from a Transcendent or an Ancient God, such as Luminous, Zero, Kain, Pathfinder, Mihile, or the Cygnus Knights. The other was why the World Heart didn’t absorb Shinsoo or Cygnus’ powers immediately upon coming into contact with them.
Both of these can be resolved with the knowledge that the World Heart will only absorb power after the target is defeated, or if they give that power willingly. We can also assume that defeating and forcibly draining power causes the target to disintegrate like Kaling, whereas the target willingly giving their power lets them keep their physical form, which would explain why Shinsoo didn’t disappear after she gave up all her power to us.)
The Adversary noted to themselves that they still hadn’t been able to fully control the World Heart, and that they needed to find a way to properly wield a Godsphere. They then told Keira that they understood, and that they would keep her words in mind. Gaon told the Adversary that they ought to get going, promising to return to Ereve every now and then. As Gaon and Keira headed off, the Adversary wondered to themselves just what it was that Darmoor was after, and what choices they would have to make in order to defeat him.
Meanwhile, at the Aboris Royal Palace, Havoc and Limbo finished giving their report on the mission to Carcion. Darmoor was interested to know that the Adversary had managed to consciously use the World Heart, to which Havoc added that the Adversary had also made a mess of Limbo. Alarmed by how Darmoor would take it, Limbo began fearfully stammering that he hadn’t planned on it, swearing that it wouldn’t happen ever again.
However, Darmoor cut Limbo off and assured him that he wasn’t disappointed in him. He then explained that it was time, noting that he could hear the prayers meant for the false gods. He then ordered the Apostles to bring them to him, declaring that he would bring forth a true paradise. From his throne, Darmoor held up a draining crystal, with many others floating throughout the room, filled with the power of countless other gods.
(A/N: Below are a series of side quests that can be completed after the main storyline.)
Laboratory Investigation:
Neinheart contacted the Adversary and explained that the Specters from the High Flora invasion were still running rampant in Carcion, and that the Alliance had begun investigating them. He told the Adversary that according to Eckhart, the behavior of the Specters in Carcion was different from the ones that the Alliance had encountered before. Neinheart explained that due to the strength of the Specters, the Alliance had been struggling in their investigation, with the Anima of Carcion facing similar difficulties.
In order to help gather intelligence, Neinheart asked the Adversary to aid in the Specter investigation. The Adversary traveled to Carcion, where they spoke with a hologram of Neinheart, who told them that some of the Specters were carrying an infectious agent inside crystals. As the samples which the Adversary had obtained during the mission to Carcion weren’t adequate for analysis, Neinheart asked them to obtain intact, unused samples, adding that they should speak with Hinya and Duhan for more information.
The Adversary then spoke with Hinya, who greeted them and noted that Keira had gone on a trip with Gaon. Though she was worried about Keira’s safety, she explained that if Keira was traveling with Gaon, things would most likely be fine. Duhan agreed and added that in the meantime, they should be more focused about their own problems. Hinya told the Adversary that after the Alliance had left Carcion, the snake and turtle Anima had formed their own alliance to restore Carcion, though they needed to first destroy the remaining Specters first.
Hinya explained that even though the High Flora army had left, many of the Specters still remained, polluting Carcion with the infectious agent that they carried. As the Specters traveled in large groups, the Anima had been unable to fight them without sustaining heavy losses, and so Hinya asked the Adversary to lend their strength by defeating the Specters in the sea caverns and obtaining the crystals containing the infectious agent.
The Adversary gathered the infectious agent and returned back to Hinya, who noted that given how easily they had defeated the Specters, the fact that Limbo had given them such trouble meant that Limbo must be quite powerful as well. Upon seeing the Adversary’s expression, Hinya asked them what was wrong, worried that they had gotten injured in the battle.
However, the Adversary explained that while they had been fighting the Specters, something had happened to the World Heart. Hinya wondered whether it had reacted to the infectious agent and offered to deliver the crystals to the Alliance on the Adversary’s behalf so that they wouldn’t need to hold onto them any longer.
Soon after the Adversary handed the crystals to Hinya, Neinheart contacted them and asked whether they were okay, as Hinya had told him about how the infectious agent had affected the World Heart. The Adversary clarified by explaining that the World Heart had been rebelling against the energy of the Specters, even though it hadn’t reacted to Specter energy during the mission.
Neinheart realized that the World Heart’s rebelling could be seen as a sort of rejection reaction, and that the reason why it was reacting now was because the World Heart had gotten much stronger. Though he admitted that it may just be circumstantial, Neinheart noted that from what he had observed, it seemed as though the World Heart’s ability to sense power was increasing as it got stronger.
He then added that they needed more evidence to determine whether the World Heart’s reaction to Specter energy was simply a testament to its growth, or whether there was indeed some sort of relationship between Specter energy and the Godspheres. He then asked the Adversary to take on a new mission related to such research, explaining that the elders’ laboratory in the rainforest had been left intact, as the High Flora army had left in quite a hurry.
He explained that the Alliance investigation team hadn’t been able to find a way inside, though he asked the Adversary to try again with an Odium key card which Gaon had given him before leaving with Keira. He explained that since Odium had been a facility built by the elders, it was possible that its key card might be compatible with the new facility built by the traitorous elders.
The Adversary then entered the laboratory with the key card, which they used to access the data within the computer. They first began by accessing data about the Anima research log, most of which was corrupted and unreadable. However, one intact portion detailed the results of the elders’ seventh test subject experiment, which revealed three different stages to the experiment.
The Adversary learned that both the absorption rejection reaction experiment and the energy bonding reaction experiment had both failed, while the results of the infectious agent infection experiment were corrupted in the system. The Adversary also found records of the elders’ Specter research log, which detailed how different reactions occurred based on the type of soul. From the various test subjects gathered, the elders had been able to confirm the existence of a ‘special’ soul.
The elders had also noted that the total amount of energy known as the Abyssal Source was greater than expected, which they had concluded to be due to the influence of the Odium study. At the end of the report, the elders had noted that with all the other test subjects being failures, the probability of creating Adversaries was significantly low.
(A/N: The concept of a special soul was first explained in Ark’s storyline, in which the Specter tells Ark that there were two main reasons why Ark hadn’t been fully transformed into a Specter. The first reason was that Albaire had interrupted the ritual prematurely. However, the second reason is that Ark possesses a special soul, which is described as a sort of impurity that prevents the Specter from taking him over.
The concept of special souls and Adversaries mixed together is interesting because from what we know about the Adversary experiments, the Godspheres only bind to those whose humanity can be fully erased, whereas those who have special souls have a protection that prevents their humanity from being erased at all, which makes them seem antithetical to each other.
The fact that the elders are combining Specter experiments and Adversary experiments makes me wonder whether they might be trying to replicate us, the player, as someone who can exist as an Adversary with their ego fully intact. There’s also another possibly route which they can go in, which is tricking the Godspheres into awakening for a Vessel, even without their ego being erased.
From what we saw in Cernium, Gilmore was a special Specter filled with countless Specter souls, which tricked the holy sword into awakening for him, as it mistakenly believed that Gilmore was filled with the energy of countless others believing him to be the Chosen One. Since the holy relics of the Ancient Gods operate on a similar principle as the Godspheres, it’s possible that a special Specter could bond with a Godsphere and turn them into an Adversary without their ego needing to be erased.
It's highly likely that only those who possess special souls can withstand having countless Specter souls inside their body, and so the elders’ research might be to find someone with a special soul, fill them with Specter souls, and then bond them with a Godsphere to create an Adversary with an ego intact. Personally, I still think that Darmoor’s Adversary will be Asha from the Sefirot’s Gardener storyline, as she embodies his ideals of a perfect being, which would mean that he’d want her to retain her ego and humanity for what she represents.
The concept of contamination and Specters also seem to be related in some capacity, as both of them are forces that erase one’s humanity. Personally, though, I think that these concepts are more just meant to be thematically similar, rather than stemming from the same source, as a major theme of the game is the idea that in order to use the power of the gods, you have to give up the things that make you human.
This can be seen with how the Adversaries of Odium lost their egos in exchange for the power of the Godspheres, the elders were contaminated and began losing their egos in exchange for the power to create demigods, Specters gained immortality in the form of infinite regeneration in exchange for their host’s soul being erased, Reina’s prisoners lost their memories when she pushes off the cost of using the draining crystal’s power onto them, the White Mage losing sight of the value of life in exchange for becoming a Transcendent (although this is more symbolic than a literal cost), Aeona losing her free will and turning into a puppet in exchange for being a Transcendent, the Overseers literally having no form or feelings in exchange for being universal gods, and countless other examples.)
After gathering all the data they could in the laboratory, the Adversary returned back to the sanctuary and reported their findings to Neinheart, who was unsurprised to know that most of the important data had already been destroyed. However, he was surprised to know that the elders were researching Specters while working for the High Flora, noting that the biological experiments, the Specter experiments, and the Adversary experiments may all be related.
Based on this understanding, Neinheart concluded that the Alliance needed to restart their investigation on Specters from the very beginning so that they didn’t miss a single clue. As the Alliance had little information about the Specters, he explained that he would ask Edea for any details that the Nova had about them. The Adversary also noted that they might also be able to ask the elders in Shangri-La about the research that the traitorous elders were performing.
Neinheart agreed and told the Adversary that they could speak more about it once the Alliance finished its investigation. In the meantime, he asked them to share what they had learned with Hinya and Duhan. After learning about the experiments, Hinya noted that part of her was glad not to know the full details about what happened, as she would hate to know the pain that their fellow Anima had gone through.
Duhan agreed and added that it might be best not to dig too deep into what happened for a while. Hinya explained that for now, the Anima wished to focus on healing and rebuilding, though she added that they couldn’t stay still for long. She told the Adversary that after Carcion was mostly restored, they would start searching for all the Anima scattered and hidden throughout Grandis.
Duan explained that there must be countless other Anima suffering from the High Flora, and that they wanted to find and protect them all. Hinya added that it wouldn’t be easy to wash away the sins that their tribes had committed, nor would it be easy to find all the hidden Anima. However, she told the Adversary that they deserved to know, and she requested that they tell Keira about it if they met with her before she and Duhan did.
Carcion Public Works:
In the snake Anima village, the Adversary met with a village elder named Lupamo, who told them that he had been looking for them. He asked them whether they could feel Keira’s energy around Carcion, to which the Adversary noted that they could faintly sense her power around the Tree of Eternity. Pleased that they could sense her power, Lupamo asked the Adversary for their help, explaining that he couldn’t complete his task without them.
He revealed that Keira’s power that they were sensing around the tree came from the divine barrier that she had created long ago. He explained that after the battle against the Ancient God who had attacked Carcion long ago, Keira had begun to use her power to protect the Anima by blessing the waters, as well as creating a barrier around Carcion.
After Keira had fallen asleep, the power of the barrier had weakened, which was how the High Flora had been able to invade in the first place. As a new enemy could attack in the future, Lupamo believed that their first priority was to restore the barrier. Though Keira’s power had disappeared from the waters, Lupamo explained that it might still be possible to restore the barrier, whose power stemmed from the guardian stones.
As the guardian stones could only be reactivated by the power of the gods, Lupamo asked the Adversary to use the World Heart in order to restore the barrier. The Adversary then traveled all throughout Carcion and activated the four guardian stones with the World Heart before returning back to Lupamo.
Lupamo thanked the Adversary and explained that while the barrier was currently weak, it would continue strengthening with time. In order to show his gratitude, he offered to repay them by telling them a story about the Ancient Gods, whose power the Adversary was searching for. He explained that though the Anima knew little about the outside world, as they had settled in Carcion ages ago, they had heard stories from Keira, which had been passed down in the form of legends. He asked the Adversary how much they knew about the Ancient Gods, to which the Adversary replied that they had encountered some in their travels.
Lupamo was impressed to know that the Adversary had encountered other gods, though he noted that they likely didn’t know much about them. He explained that no one knew when the beings which they knew as the Ancient Gods had begun to be referred to as ‘gods’, though their incredible powers had been enough for mortals to revere them as such.
However, the different powers and beliefs of the gods had led them to conflict, just like the Ancient God who had fought Keira during the Ancient War. He revealed that the name of the god who had attacked Carcion was Brihini, an enormous sea dragon who could create a whirlpool the size of a mountain range, regarded by mortals of that time as a natural disaster in itself.
He explained that people were naturally attracted to stronger power, and that the Ancient Gods inherently brought chaos with their mere existence, which was why Keira had chosen to seal herself away. However, he revealed that not all gods were powerful, as there were rumors of some gods who were small and weak, but had the power to change the laws of the world.
He then joked that perhaps there were gods that walked amongst them even now, hiding their powers and living as ordinary people. His words caused the Adversary to realize that there could be clues about the Ancient Gods in places where they hadn’t even looked. Lupamo then told the Adversary that he hoped that his story had helped them, thanking them once again for their help.
Path of Harmony:
In the snake Anima village, a warrior named Rami called the Adversary and explained that though they didn’t know her, she knew them, as she had been watching them for a while. At their expression, she laughed and told them not to think of it as strange, as it was just a scout’s habit. She explained that it felt different from a distance, and that it wasn’t like the battle at the Tree of Eternity when they had faced the Specters.
She then told the Adversary that she had important information for them, revealing that the turtle Anima were planning to break from the alliance and attack the snakes. Upon seeing that the Adversary didn’t believe her, she told them that the turtles were constantly going in and out of the coral colonies, which wasn’t part of the reconstruction plan, and that she believed it was because they were discussing strategies and preparing weapons in secret.
Rami noted that the turtles seemed discontent with the idea of the alliance, and that she shared their feelings, as it was senseless that after generations of killing each other, they were simply expected to start laughing and holding hands. The Adversary told Rami that they needed hard evidence of her claims, to which Rami explained that the very reason why she called them was to gather evidence in order to convince Hinya that the turtles were indeed preparing for war.
As it would be too suspicious for the snake Anima to be seen hanging around Pinjar, she asked the Adversary to help gather evidence on her behalf and stop another war from breaking out. Reluctantly, the Adversary headed to the turtle village and met with Eto, who was surprised to see them and explained that Chief Duhan was at the sanctuary. Realizing that they were formally meeting for the first time, Eto introduced herself as a tribal leader of the turtle Anima and apologized for being hostile during their first meeting.
The Adversary then told Eto that they had come to see how the turtle Anima were faring, to which Eto replied that thanks to them, the infected Anima warriors were well again, and that they were helping rebuild the village. She added that she was extremely grateful to them, and that she was thankful that they could meet properly under better circumstances.
Following Rami’s lead, the Adversary asked Eto whether the coral colonies were part of the restoration plan. Eto explained that the coral colonies were quite polluted, and that the turtles were trying their best to clean it up. She added that she herself stopped by for another reason, and that she wanted to ask them for their help about it.
She explained that waterdrop flowers grew exclusively in the coral colonies on the coast of Pinjar, and that they contained pure water, which helped the Anima of Carcion restore their health. She told the Adversary that she had been collecting waterdrop flowers, but the Specters were making it difficult for her. As she was collecting the herbs for a personal reason, she explained that she couldn’t send the warriors to gather them on her behalf.
The Adversary asked Eto whether she was collecting them to heal the injured Anima, to which she told them that most of the turtle Anima were already healed, and that she was actually collecting them for the snake Anima, as she wasn’t sure whether similar herbs grew in Laguna. The Adversary was surprised to hear this and asked Eto whether there was any ill will between the turtles and the snakes.
Eto explained that she already knew that what happened in the past couldn’t be changed, and that when Duhan had announced the alliance, there were some who simply couldn’t accept it. However, she noted that if one could not escape the shadow of the past, they would only end up being swallowed by the darkness. She explained that many Anima, including herself, were tired of the endless fighting, which had contributed to the atmosphere of change.
After hearing her words, the Adversary agreed to help her and collected waterdrop flowers from the coral colonies, fighting the nearby Specters in the process. Eto was pleased with the gathered herbs and placed them together with the ones that she had already collected. She then asked the Adversary whether they would deliver the flowers on her behalf, as she felt awkward going to the snake Anima village.
The Adversary then returned to the snake village and gave the flowers to Rami, who was immediately suspicious of the gift, as she believed that there was no way that the turtles would give them medicinal herbs. Furious at the Adversary for siding with the turtles, Ropa told them that she didn’t need their help anymore.
She explained that she shouldn’t have brought in an outsider into their affairs, and that though she was grateful to them for saving Keira’s life, she wanted them to stay out of the snakes’ business from now on, adding that they ought to leave Carcion if they didn’t want to get caught up in it. Rami then snatched the raindrop flowers from the Adversary’s hands and crushed them to pieces.
Just then, the Adversary noticed Ropa watching them from afar. They decided to meet with Ropa, who formally introduced himself as a tribal leader of the snake Anima. He explained that he already knew about their conversation with Rami, as well as Rami’s need for revenge. He explained that Rami had lost her younger brother in the civil war, and that many other snakes had similar stories and a similar drive for vengeance.
However, he told the Adversary that the Anima must never again fight amongst themselves again, as too many meaningless sacrifices had already been made from their conflict. He explained that he had been looking for a way to curb the snakes’ need for revenge, though he hadn’t found any good solutions yet. Noting that the Adversary had been to Pinjar, he asked them whether there were any turtle Anima who felt the same way about revenge.
After hearing about Eto’s story, Ropa realized that they needed to speak with Eto and try to find a solution themselves before bringing the matter up to the chiefs. As he needed to keep an eye on Rami and the other snakes, he asked the Adversary to talk to Eto on his behalf. The Adversary returned to Pinjar and told Eto about everything that had happened at the snake village.
Eto explained that she hadn’t considered how the snakes would feel, though she understood their feelings, as she had once felt the same way. As they needed to find a way to reconcile, Eto decided to go to the snake village and talk to them herself. Just then, they noticed smoke rising in the rainforest, close to where the snake village was. Believing that there was a fight going on, Eto asked the Adversary to accompany her and resolve the situation before Duhan or Hinya noticed.
Near the outskirts of the village, Ropa confronted Rami, who was leading a band of snake Anima warriors. Upon seeing that she was preparing to attack the turtles, Ropa noted that he should have intervened sooner. However, Rami replied that it would have changed nothing, asking him whether he truly believed in the turtles.
She pointed out all the countless families, lovers, and teachers who had been killed by the turtles, adding that none of them would be avenged if they simply gave up and held hands. She noted that Ropa should understand better than anyone, as his lover had been killed by the turtles as well. After a pause, Ropa asked Rami what would happen after she finished taking her revenge, explaining that her actions would drive someone else to get revenge, on and on until everyone would be killed, with no one left to mourn the souls of those who died first.
He then entreated her to put her weapons down, promising that he wouldn’t even tell Hinya about her actions. Just as Rami refused, the Adversary and Eto rushed to the scene. Upon seeing that the Adversary had brought a turtle into their business, she noted angrily that there really was no more turning back.
As she and her warriors raised their weapons, Ropa raised his own bow in response. Just then, however, Eto rushed between them and approached Rami, asking whether it was true that she had lost her younger brother. Ropa furiously explained that her brother had only just become a warrior when the turtles had killed him on his very first mission.
Eto asked Rami what her brother’s name was, to which Rami angrily demanded to know why she was asking such nonsense. Eto explained that her older sister’s name was Erin, and then unfasted a piece of her sister’s shield from her belt. She revealed that on the same day that she had become a warrior and been sent to battle, her older sister had died protecting her from a snake Anima ambush.
She explained that since that day, she had vowed revenge on the snake Anima, keeping a piece of her sister’s shield with her as a keepsake and a reminder of her need for vengeance. However, she then told Rami that she wouldn’t keep that reminder anymore, crushing her sister’s keepsake in her hands.
At Rami’s surprise, Eto explained that it was only after seeing countless other Anima die that she had realized that for the sake of their people’s future, they needed to escape the clutches of hatred, adding that her sister wouldn’t have wanted her to live for the sake of revenge, either. However, Rami asked Eto what of her brother – Ranin – and his revenge, angrily noting that dead people couldn’t come back.
Eto then approached closer to Rami and told her that all those deaths were a mistake that they all had to bear. She then asked Rami not to hurt herself anymore, explaining that all they needed to do was not to forget those names – Erin, Ranin, and the countless others who had sacrificed their lives to protect the future of the Anima. Defeated, Rami collapsed and dropped her weapons, too upset to remain angry anymore.
Soon after, the Adversary met with Ropa, who explained that Rami had calmed down a little. He added that she and all the other warriors who had tried to start a rebellion had been placed on probation, and that they were now under surveillance. He explained that while they wouldn’t publicly announce news of the rebellion, they would continue monitoring the situation closely. He then told the Adversary that he was deeply indebted to them and Eto for their help, adding that this would allow the Anima to walk down the path to harmony.
He then asked the Adversary for one more favor, explaining that they were planning to hold a memorial service for their fallen warriors. He revealed that the memorial service was an important tradition to the Anima of Carcion, as it was a chance for them to pray for the departed to find peace, and to pray for those who remained. He explained that the memorial service would be a good opportunity for them to put an end to the history of war and death, and to announce a new cycle of peace and life.
He told the Adversary that the memorial service would conclude by sending the keepsakes of the victims in the sacred waters of the Ishfira and offering prayers. He explained that for the keepsakes, he planned to use the warrior tokens received at adulthood, as those tokens honored the souls warriors. However, with the Specters around Carcion making it difficult for the recovering warriors to take back the tokens, he asked the Adversary to help them obtain the tokens, adding that it would be more meaningful if they – the person who gave them the opportunity to form the alliance in the first place – would be present at the service.
The Adversary then defeated the Specters and recovered the warrior tokens, which they brought back to Ropa. Ropa thanked them and explained that after talking to Eto, the snakes and turtles would hold a joint memorial service together. He then asked them to speak with Eto, who was having a similarly difficult time recovering her people’s warrior tokens.
The Adversary met with Eto, who asked them to recover the turtle warrior tokens, which were small, shield-shaped amulets. After the Adversary recovered the tokens, the memorial service was held, which was attended by all the snake and turtle Anima. After the chiefs gave a final farewell to the departed, the warrior tokens were placed aboard a small boat, which was sent across the Ishfira River in order to honor their souls.
If you’re still reading this, thank you so much for being as crazy as I am and reading over two thousand pages worth of content.
This project first took life as a twenty-page summary for a friend who wanted to know the full lore of MapleStory. Over the next few weeks, I started adding more bits and pieces, and I quickly realized that the plot of this game is so convoluted and complicated that even twenty pages isn’t enough to cover the full scope of how interconnected the story has become over nearly two decades. That was when I had the idea of creating a chronological ordering to the story just for the hell of it.
Over the next seven months, I began digging into every possible piece of relevant story, both in-game and online. Because of the severe lack of story documentation online, I ended up power-leveling a lot of characters in order to transcribe their story myself. A happy side-effect of this was that my Legion is now over 7.5k at the time of writing this.
From many of the online resources I found, I discovered that this game has a huge history of dialogue changes, many of which are now regrettably unrecoverable. There are a plethora of tiny character details referenced in the game that have come from now-removed pre-Big Bang quests, such as Grendel mentioning his dabbling in dark magic coming from a removed Ellinia town quest that talked about how he accidentally created Zombie Lupins. I’ve done my best to document every tiny scrap of these old quests for the sake of historical preservation, although I’m sad that a lot of little details are now lost forever.
Another big difficulty was that most story dialogue text is stored server-side, rather than client-side, meaning that it’s impossible to obtain story text from the source files. I was pretty disappointed when I found this out, as it would’ve made it a lot easier to grab exclusive dialogue from high-level content. I’m always grateful to people who post high-level content playthroughs online, and even low-level content, as Nexon always manages to surprise me with exclusive lines of dialogue in places that I wouldn’t have expected them, such as theme dungeons.
It took some pretty in-depth research to grab every piece of content that I could get my hands on, which included not only in-game dialogue and removed content, but also things like licensed webcomics and reference books, all of which came in varying degrees of accessibility. Some of them were only in Korean, some I could only get my hands on through obscure forum links to an archived page from 2004, and some were only second-hand summaries of things that are no longer accessible.
Half the struggle in making this site wasn’t just getting all the content together, but putting it all in chronological order. As much as I love this game, anyone who’s read this site knows how much I complain about the continuity errors and constant retcons. I have several dozen pages worth of notes and scribbles when I tried jotting down a timeline for a story filled with messy time travel and plot holes. I used a lot of throwaway lines for timeline ordering, like how the fairies of Ellinia knowing about elves in Mercedes’ storyline but not knowing about them in Luminous’ storyline meant that Luminous’ story should take place before Mercedes’, despite Mercedes being released before Luminous.
It definitely wasn’t easy trying to reconcile a chronology filled with mistakes, and I ended up having to settle for having one with the fewest glaring continuity issues. I complain a lot about the Destiny update and what the Explorer revamp did to the timeline, but if you had to scrap and redo two months’ of effort, you’d be annoyed too. Still, at least fixing the timeline wasn’t as hard as coming up with it from scratch.
I initially wrote this site up on Google Docs until I went over the maximum character limit for the document, which I didn’t even know was a thing until then. In hindsight, this was probably for the best because it took a full three minutes to load the whole document in the browser. I ended up trying out a bunch of different blogs and I found that Squarespace had a good UI and could load all 700+ pages instantly, back when this site was only 700 pages. Later on, I created individual pages for each section as an alternate way of viewing the site due to popular request.
I never could’ve imagined that what started out as a simple summary could evolve into a project this massive in scale. Even more than that, I never could’ve imagined how much this blew up in the MapleStory community. It’s no secret that most people aren’t too invested in the story, and some even demand for a smaller focus on the story, which I personally think is stupid because imagine complaining about there being too much story in a game that literally has the word 'story’ in it.
Regardless, I was really surprised that people were so receptive to the idea of a complete and chronological guide to the game’s story. Before making this site, there wasn’t really a centralized place for people interested in the lore to discuss and speculate. I feel like at least on some level, making this site created a revival in story interest, especially when I created a Discord server for people who like the story to talk about it. I’m really happy that there’s finally a place for lore nerds to talk and share things that they discover. Because of them, I’ve been able to find a lot of exclusive dialogue to add on this site, as well as Easter eggs and speculations.
It goes without saying that a project as big as this couldn’t have been possible without a great number of people, and so I’d like to recognize all of them here:
First and foremost, I want to thank PirateIzzy and Saught for being absolutely indispensable resources, both while developing this site and long after. For anyone who doesn’t know, Izzy kept the MapleWiki up to date for a good number of years until he retired, with everything from monster data, quests, bosses, game mechanics, and more. He’s also extremely knowledgeable about the lore and has posted a good number of high-level content playthroughs, as well as a bunch of class stories and miscellaneous storylines that include exclusive dialogue. Izzy was one of the most important pillars holding up accessibility to game information and the community was extremely lucky to have him. I’m fortunate enough to be able to rely on him for everything from grabbing obscure dialogue, extracting game assets, finding relevant resources online, and even just making memes about the game.
Saught has god-tier knowledge about the history of the game, from release day to the present. He’s made fantastic lore videos about extremely obscure topics, such as event stories and town quests. I would highly, highly recommend checking out his videos. Not only are they extremely informative, but he presents them in a way that’s clear and easily digestible. I’ve asked him a lot of questions while developing the GMS-verse section of the lore site and he was gracious enough to go the extra mile and give me in-depth answers to everything that I was curious about.
In terms of making information accessible, I want to thank the contributors of MapleWiki and Namu, a Korean wiki with a plethora of data. I’ve been giving back to the MapleWiki community by expanding lore articles, but I’m still grateful to everyone who’s added information before me. Namu was something I stumbled across because of Izzy, and I’m really glad that I did. Namu is kept up-to-date by KMS players and it’s a treasure trove of information and speculation. Unlike normal wiki pages, the writers of Namu articles include personal opinions, theories, and astute observations about story connections. A lot of the fan theories and fun facts that I’ve included in this site come from Namu.
The site is written in Korean, but I use Google Translate to get a rough understanding of what it says. Sometimes, it makes really funny mistranslations that keep me entertained while I suffer through keeping this site up-to-date. For example, one of the Black Mage’s quotes in Luminous’ storyline is, “Another foolish moth to my flame,” which Namu translates to be, “Another stupid moth flew in.” Another great example is Cannoneer’s Maple M article, which describes what happens after he escapes Coco Island: “When he opened his eyes, the cannon shooter was in an unfamiliar bedroom, and in front of him was a stoner with a remarkably neat appearance.” For context, Cannoneer’s job instructor is Cutter, whose name is Stoner in KMS.
On the topic of translations, I want to give a huge thanks to satsu, who’s done an incredible job with providing accurate English translations to the community. Typically when new stories come out in KMS, I usually translate them by holding up my phone and using the camera feature on the Google Translate app. For the most part, I get a decent idea of major plot points, although some of the finer details get lost in translation. I can usually always rely on satsu to provide a better translation soon after, and she’s always kind enough to do smaller translations and clarify any questions that I have about the differences between the direct KMS text and what GMS localizes it to.
I’m also forever indebted to all the people who’ve posted story playthroughs online. They’ve saved me literal months of time by not making me have to play through those stories myself. In addition to PirateIzzy, I want to thank Shiang for his MSEA playthroughs. MSEA localizations themselves aren’t always too great, as they typically have a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes, with the early MSEA translation team even being as lazy as to simply put the raw Korean text in Google Translate and copy it into their region’s source code.
Still, MSEA is generally more faithful to the direct KMS text and it’s always helpful to compare it to what we get in GMS. Shiang has more class story playthroughs than anyone else on the Internet, and just the fact that the MSEA videos are in English is enough for it to be accessible to people, and so I’m very grateful to everything that he does.
I also want to thank the following YouTube channels for their story playthroughs. Unfortunately, I don’t remember every single channel that I used, but here are the main ones:
Mapler LeeTBeats for their class story playthroughs and a plethora of exclusive dialogue from the Glory event.
MasteringGaming for their high-level playthroughs.
blushiemagic for power-leveling to keep the lore server up-to-date with the latest areas as soon as they come to GMS.
Rhydog for a lot of canon, overseas, and event storyline playthroughs.
Aside from sources and references, I also want to give special thanks to a few other people.
I want to give the biggest thanks to Sacrix and his chat for all the lore readings on his streams. Site traffic to this website tripled in number when Sacrix began doing his lore readings, which was actually insane when I first read the statistics page. I made this site with the hope of making the story more accessible to people, but I’m well aware that reading over two thousand pages of lore is a pretty daunting task, even with all the things I do to make it easier on people.
I’ve been asked many times in the past to make YouTube videos or to even make an audiobook for the lore site, but unfortunately, I’m just far too busy for that sort of commitment, not to mention that my boring, monotone voice is probably gonna do the opposite of getting people into the lore. Because of this, I’m especially grateful to Sacrix for his lore readings.
I also want to give my sincere thanks to our lore server. I got into MapleStory when I was thirteen, right around the Legends patch, and I think I had a grand total of two friends who played the game. Because of this, I became that one middle-schooler kid who started unsolicited conversations about MapleStory lore like I was a Jehovah’s Witness. Kid me would’ve killed for a community of lore nerds like I have now, and I’m appreciative of every single one of them, whether they’re a regular or a lurker. We’re always happy to have more people, so feel free to join if you’re reading this.
Finally, I’d like to give thanks to the following:
My friends for putting up with me every single time that I didn’t pick up their calls because contrary to what they believe, I’m not a magician who can talk and write at the same time.
My family for making sure that I don’t die when I get so absorbed in my work that I don’t realize that I’ve gone like five days without eating yes this actually happened once lol.
Spotify for getting me through days and weeks and months of editing hell.
All the people reading this. Whether you’ve read this site from cover to cover, whether you’ve skimmed through, or even if you didn’t make it this far, this site would be nothing without the people reading it.
Despite how much I complain about it, I really do love this stupid mushroom game story. I never could’ve imagined that the story of five heroes fighting an evil wizard could have expanded into a colossal epic spanning across time and space: a battle against the gods, the philosophical struggle between fate and free will, and the emotional highs and lows of countless heroes striving to protect what they love.
I’ll keep updating this site with more information as it comes out in KMS and changing small details once the GMS localizations come out. I’ll also try to fix any spelling and grammar errors that I see when I check in from time to time, but if anyone notices anything off about spelling, grammar, chronology, or lore mistakes, feel free to let me know!