PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 18: 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.)