PART I: BEFORE THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 8: 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 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.