PART III: AFTER THE UNSEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 36: Vanishing Journey

(A/N: The Vanishing Journey storyline was revamped in the NEXT update in order to create a more cohesive narrative for the Arcane River as a whole. A good number of changes made here revolved around connecting with the new Kao timeline that the KMS story team created shortly after the Destiny update, as well as tying together some major plot elements in Esfera. If you want to see the original version of the story, see the pre-Destiny page here.

Vanishing Journey is called the Road to Extinction outside of GMS, which alludes to it being the path towards the Black Mage, who intends to destroy the world at the end of the Arcane River. Something cool that you can see is that the Vanishing Journey contains objects from Maple World, Grandis, and Friends World. This is because the Arcane River was created as a result of the collision of these three worlds, allowing elements from each of them to manifest across the Arcane River.

A common confusion that arises in regard to this is the misconception that the Arcane River was formed out of equal amounts of Erda from these three worlds. The Arcane River storyline revamp makes it clear that the Arcane River was primarily created from the Erdas of Maple World generated from the world collision, while the Erdas of Grandis and Friends World are only there incidentally. In fact, Vanishing Journey is the only place you’ll see elements from those other words in the Arcane River, and even the main element of Friends World is literally just a city that got sucked in through a portal, rather than fragments of objects like some elements of Maple World and Grandis.)

Upon visiting the Nameless Town, the Adversary was surprised to find that it was inhabited by Erdas that took humanoid forms, all of whom mistook the Adversary for Kao and cursed them for destroying their memories. As the Adversary resolved to find Kao and ask them about what had happened, the powerful monster Arma sensed the arrival of new memories into the Vanishing Journey, for which he created a duplicate of himself in the form of a human to lure the Adversary towards him. Meanwhile, the Adversary found Kao nearby, who confessed that it was because of them that the townspeople had lost their memories.

Kao explained that the Lake of Oblivion on the outskirts of town could erase the memories of anyone who fell into its waters, and that the townspeople had been slowly losing their memories due to their proximity to the lake. Because of this, they had created the Tree of Memory, where they had hung up precious memories so that they wouldn’t be forgotten. Kao revealed that after hearing about the tree, they had approached it in the hopes of finding their own memories there. Upon touching it, however, all of the memories hung upon the tree had been scattered. Kao revealed that as a result, the townspeople had stopped their daily activities and had even halted the boat that could cross the Lake of Oblivion.

As Kao lamented that their attempt to regain their memories had resulted in everyone else losing theirs, the Adversary placated Kao by noting that they merely needed to restore the scattered memories back onto the tree. As Chief Legato wouldn’t speak with Kao, the Adversary decided to speak with him themselves. Legato recognized that the Adversary appeared identical to Kao, though he noted that they were a different person entirely. His words caused the Adversary to realize that Kao was indeed entirely identical to them, causing them to wonder who Kao really was.

The Adversary then offered to help restore the villagers’ memories, to which Legato explained that the powerful Erda monsters around the area had already devoured the memories, and that the villagers were too weak to recover their memories on their own. However, Legato noted that the Adversary, unlike Kao, appeared to be strong enough to fight the Erda monsters, for which he asked them to collect the villagers’ happy, sad, raging, and joyful memories. After collecting the memories from the Erda monsters, the Adversary hung them back on the Tree of Memory.

With their memories back, the villagers were able to resume their normal lives and the oarsman returned to ferry people across the lake. Legato told the Adversary that he had been curious about whether Kao’s memories were amongst the recovered ones, though he had found no trace of them when he had checked. However, he explained that the Fountain of Reflection, somewhere beyond the Nameless Town, had waters which reflected one’s past, though he added that he wasn’t sure whether the fountain was still there, since everything within the Vanishing Journey seemed to fade away in time.

The Adversary told Kao about what Legato had said, to which Kao excitedly decided to accompany the Adversary across the Lake of Oblivion in order to recover their memories. The pair met with Kima the oarsman, who ferried them across the lake on a large paper boat. On the other side of the lake, they climbed a large cliff and found themselves in a desolate forest with burning blue flames all around them. Just as they were about to cross an enchanted bridge, they were stopped by a girl named Rino, who told them that the bridge was an illusion created by the blue flames of the Extinction Zone in order to trick them into falling off the cliff.

Rino asked the Adversary why they had come to such a dangerous place. Upon hearing that they were hoping to reach the end of the Vanishing Journey, she offered to guide them through the Extinction Zone, claiming that they would need her expertise in order to avoid the blue flames, which would destroy their physical forms upon contact. Kao then told the Adversary that their journey together may end soon, as reaching the fountain was more important to them than anything else.

Sensing Kao’s resolve, the Adversary suggested that they ask Rino about the fountain. Though Kao agreed that it was a good idea, they noted that they couldn’t help but feel a sense of unease when it came to her. The Adversary asked Rino about the fountain, to which she asked them why they were seeking it, as she had thought that they were trying to reach the end of the Vanishing Journey. Upon learning that Kao was hoping to regain their missing memories, Rino offered to lead them to the fountain while the Adversary collected the necessary materials to cross the Extinction Zone.

She explained that the only way to safely cross the blue flames was to ride the Flame Birds, for which she asked the Adversary to collect Solid Claws from Stone Erdas, Sticky Oil from Blazing Erdas, and Hard Shells from Soulful Erdas in order to call and tame the birds. While the Adversary collected the materials, Rino escorted Kao to the Fountain of Reflection. At the fountain, Kao looked into the waters and felt their head about to burst from the onrush of memories that were flooding into them.

Within the reflection of the water, Kao saw their fight against the Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River, the moment in Esfera when they had been faced with a choice to kill Tana and stop Will’s ritual, and their power being drained by Arma in the Vanishing Journey. Kao then realized that they were the Adversary from the future, and that they had fought and lost to Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River after losing the ‘crucial power’, and that it had all begun when they had been tricked by Arma’s clone, Rino. In order to change the future, they had used all their power to travel back in time to warn their past self, though they had lost all their memories in the process.

(A/N: Although the revamp made it less clear what the ‘crucial power’ is, the original version explicitly states that the ‘crucial power’ refers to Arcane Power, which the player must strengthen by collecting the Arcane Symbols in order to deal damage to the monsters in the Arcane River.

Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for Kao’s timeline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

In regard to Kao traveling back in time, although Kao believes that they went back in time on their own, it was actually the Black Mage who sent them back in order to ensure that the Adversary succeeded in killing him. As Kao was unconscious when this happened, they most likely believed that they had somehow gone back in time themselves.)

Realizing that the Adversary would also meet the same fate, Kao resolved to stop Rino before she could lure them to Arma. Rino noted that Kao was someone whom she had already fed upon, though she amusedly added that there was nothing that they could do to change things with such a weak body. She declared that she would feed upon the Adversary and use them as sustenance. Kao demanded to know why Rino was luring the Adversary, both in the past and in the present, to which she replied that she had no choice, as she needed to keep feeding on memories in order to not disappear.

She explained that she bore no ill will towards them, and that it was simply a matter of them having far more memories to feed upon than the Erda villagers in the Nameless Town. However, Kao retorted that Rino wasn’t just feeding on memories, to which she noted that she could feel a strange, yet familiar power inside the Adversary, which she would devour from inside them. Surprised to hear this, Kao wondered whether Rino had sensed the power of the Seal Stone inside the Adversary. Rino then pushed Kao off a cliff and created a doppelgänger to take their place, hoping to lure the Adversary directly to her main body. However, Kao managed to follow Rino and replace the doppelgänger without her knowing.

(A/N: It’s never explicitly shown that Kao replaces their doppelganger, but it’s clear that Kao has replaced them by the time that the player sees them again after Kao and Rino return back from the Fountain of Reflection.)

Meanwhile, the Adversary returned back with the materials and asked Kao if they had recovered their memories. Kao told them that the waters had reflected a fragment of their memory, which had helped them recall other memories buried deep within their minds. Having achieved their purpose, Kao told the Adversary that they had no reason to stay any longer, for which they resolved to return back to the Nameless Town. Nevertheless, the Adversary noticed that Kao’s gloomy expression seemed unusual for someone who had just gotten their memories back. They decided to ask Rino, who told them that Kao had been rather downcast ever since recovering their memories. Though she hadn’t seen Kao’s memories, she supposed that they must have been rather sad.

With all the necessary materials gathered, the Adversary then blew on the Hard Shells to summon the Flame Birds, fed them Solid Claws to tame them, and applied the Sticky Oil so as not to fall. The three then began to fly across the Extinction Zone and Rino, believing that Kao was still a doppelgänger, told Kao that they could turn around at the upcoming mountain peak to return back to the village. Suddenly, however, Kao swooped toward Rino on their Flame Bird and pushed her off.

The Adversary immediately rushed down after Rino, who had barely survived the fall by landing on the soft sand. Rino told the Adversary that they had arrived at the entrance to the Cave of Repose, and that the end of the Vanishing Journey was at the end of the cave. Though the Adversary was concerned by her injuries, Rino told them that she would be fine, and that they needed to focus on reaching the end of the cave first. The pair then pressed on, with the Adversary harvesting Tranquil Solvent from the Tranquil Erdas and Lantern Erdas in order to dissolve the Slaws blocking their path. Just as they reached the end of the cave, an injured Kao suddenly appeared and told the Adversary that Rino was leading them into a trap.

Kao revealed that Rino was leading them to her true body - the giant monster Arma - revealing that they had learned the truth about Rino from the Fountain of Reflection, as well as how they had lost their memories in the first place. After explaining Rino’s true purpose, Kao told the Adversary that the power which Arma possessed was no ordinary energy, and that the strange yet familiar power that Rino had sensed inside the Adversary’s Seal Stone was the power of the gods, with that same divine power existing within Arma.

(A/N: Please note: the following text contains major spoilers for Kao’s timeline. If you don’t want spoilers, skip to the end of the author note.

The reason why divine power exists within Arma is because Tana was inadvertently responsible for creating him as Arkarium escorted her through the Arcane River. As we learn in Arcana, Tana’s unstable power manifested uncontrollably, with her power of creation being responsible for reshaping the Erdas of the Arcane River into monsters, explaining how Arma was made.)

At the Adversary’s surprise, Kao revealed that if they hadn’t been attacked by Arma in the past, they may not have been defeated by the Black Mage. Though Rino admitted that she should have been more careful in getting rid of Kao, she declared that it didn’t matter anymore, as they had already reached their destination. Transforming back into his true form, Arma declared that they would now become part of his memories.

As Arma launched his attack, Kao jumped forward and took the attack in the Adversary’s place. Their sacrifice allowed the Adversary to defeat Arma once and for all, after which they carried Kao’s fading body out of the cave. The Adversary to Kao apologized for not being able to protect them, to which Kao asked them not to blame themselves, noting that it had all been inevitable. However, Kao also admitted that they were glad to have been able to regain their memories and make up for their mistakes, even if it had all come too late.

(A/N: All classes get exclusive dialogue here.

For Explorers, Kao talks about how they had lived a long, free life with Sugar’s help. However, they had found out too late that it wasn’t easy to protect what they loved, though they tell the player that there’s hope now because of them. This dialogue is shared with all Special Explorers and Jett, which is dumb because Pathfinder and Jett don’t share the main Explorer storyline and they’ve literally never met Sugar once in their lives for them to be talking about her. Despite many other classes talking about their companions, such as Evan and Mir, Cannoneer doesn’t get any unique lines about Monkey, which is the biggest travesty of them all.

For Cygnus Knights and Mihile, Kao tells the player to seize the opportunity and to carry out the Empress’ will to protect the world. Kao explains that they had lost their memories in the fight against the Black Mage and had forgotten the promise that they had made to the Empress, because of which, they believe that they no longer have the right to call themselves a Knight.

For the main Resistance classes, Kao asks the player if they remember when Edelstein was freed from the Black Wings at the end of Black Heaven. Kao notes how they had risen up from the despair of losing Vita and had attained freedom, after which they had promised to help others achieve that same freedom as well. They tell the player that the same promise is engraved in them, though Kao regrets having forgotten all of it.

For Xenon, Kao asks him if he remembers the day when he had broken free from Gelimer’s lab. He explains that even after being changed into a machine, his heart had still remained human. Though he had lost his past, he had thought that it would be fine because he had made new memories. However, Kao notes that even after all that, he had still managed to lose his memories once again, and he wonders if things would have been different if he had been stronger.

For the Demon, Kao explains that he had known that he couldn’t beat the Black Mage when he had faced his old master centuries ago, though he had hoped desperately for just one more chance to face him again, which he had miraculously gotten. For his people, his mother, and Damien, he had focused all his rage in order to face the challenge, though he had soon forgotten everything, including his rage. He explains that he doesn’t think that someone like him will ever be given another chance, though he says that it’ll be different for the Demon.

For Aran, she asks where Kao has left Maha. Kao says that thought she can’t be sure, she believes that Maha has ceased to exist. She recalls how Maha was there with her for her entire life, but after losing him and seeing how she’s fallen after losing her memories and her power, she believes that she no longer has the right to fight anymore.

For Evan, he realizes that if he and Kao are the same person, then that must mean that Kao has his own Mir. When he asks where Kao’s Mir is, Kao apologizes and says that he wasn’t able to protect Mir because he wasn’t strong enough, which had hindered Mir’s growth in turn. He believes that if he had been more careful, he could have saved the world and Mir as well. Evan’s Mir then speaks to Kao and calls him by the player’s IGN, after which Kao thanks him and says that he had never thought that he’d ever hear Mir call his name again.

For Mercedes, Kao asks her if the people of Elluel are alright. After Mercedes says that they are, Kao tells her that it’s a relief to hear. Kao then laments that she had caused her people to be frozen in the past, and that she couldn’t save the world either. She regrets that not only had she been unable to save the world, but she had also been unable to secure a better future for her people and their home. Without her memories or her power, she notes that it means that she no longer has the chance anymore. She then asks Mercedes to gift their people a hopeful future in her place.

For Phantom, Kao apologizes for being unable to protect the world that Aria loved. He explains that when he sees Aria again in the afterlife, he doesn’t know what she’ll say to him. He wonders if she’ll forgive him for his failures before supposing that she’d be kind and say that he had done his best, after which he says that the only person who isn’t ready to forgive him is himself.

For Luminous, he notes that he can’t sense the power of light or darkness inside Kao. Kao explains that he himself isn’t sure, but when he had come to his senses, the power of darkness had dissipated and only a faint power of light remained. He asks Luminous if Lania is doing alright, to which Luminous says that she’s doing fine. Kao is relieved to hear it, explaining that she had sacrificed herself for him in her past life, and that she hadn’t resented him when she had learned the truth in her current life. He recalls how he had given thanks to her and had promised to do better, though he had ultimately failed to protect both the world and Lania. He then wonders what she had thought when the world had been destroyed and supposes that since she’s kind, she must have pitied him for his failures. He then tells Luminous not to let Lania down like he had.

For Shade, Kao asks to let his sacrifice be enough. He then wonders if it would be arrogant of him to hope that his sacrifice will save the world. Shade then asks Kao where he kept Moonbeam’s guardian spirit, to which Kao explains that when he had regained his memories, he couldn’t sense the spirit’s energy anymore. He recalls how, despite being a stranger, Moonbeam had trusted him without hesitation and had given him her power that he had to eventually return. He notes that Moonbeam’s spirit and her world don’t exist anymore, despite how much he had wanted to protect them. He then asks Shade if Moonbeam is doing alright, after which he apologizes, as he had forgotten about the curse for a moment. He adds that he’s sure that she’s doing fine before reminding Shade that he needs to protect the world, adding that they both will remember the charge that had been entrusted to them, even if the memories fade away.

For Ark, he notes that he can’t sense the Specter’s energy inside Kao and asks if something has happened. Kao explains that the Specter has ceased to exist, as he suspects that going back in time might have affected it.

For Hoyoung, he asks Kao where he’s left his Taotie. Kao notes that his Taotie must have sacrificed himself. Hoyoung’s Taotie then emerges from him and calls Kao a buffoon before telling him to stop it with his sob stories. Kao smiles sadly at hearing Taotie calling him a buffoon, adding that it’s been a while since he’s heard that.

For Zero, the script is the same no matter whether the player was Alpha or Beta at the time of accepting the quest. Zero asks Kao, who’s revealed to be Alpha, where Beta is. Kao explains that she was with him until the last attack on the Black Mage. When he had woken up and had come to his senses, he had found that he was alone. He believes that Beta was killed because there’s no way than anyone could walk away unscathed after losing to the Black Mage. He notes that Beta had always helped him, and that she had always been hurt because of him, from the time that he had been Alpha to when he had become Kao. He recalls how Beta used to tell him that if the two of them cooperated, their combined strength would be unstoppable. However, he laments that he’s lost all his power, and now, he’s also lost his sister.

Every other class in the game - Kaiser, Angelic Buster, Cadena, Kain, Illium, Adele, Khali, Lara, Kinesis, Hayato, Kanna, and Beast Tamer - get a generic script for classes not from Maple World. What’s dumb is that Beast Tamer gets the non-Maple World script about saving a dimension that’s not her own, despite the fact that she’s literally from Maple World. I’m also gonna give the disclaimer here that Kao is talking about themselves throughout this script, not the player, since it’s gonna sound weird with only gender-neutral pronouns.

Kao asks the player if they remember when they had awoken with the power of the Seal Stone. Kao recalls shouldering the responsibility to save another dimension instead of their own. Though they hadn’t shown it, Kao notes that it must have weighted on them, and for good reason, as it was someone else’s world and not their own. However, Kao notes that they had taken their responsibilities seriously, and though they want to say that their heart was true, they find that they’re not sure anymore. They then wonder whether there’s someone better than them who can actually save the world, after which they suppose that they had lost their worthiness the moment that their faith had wavered.

A lot of the dialogue for certain classes was written in order to account for why they don’t have their partners like Maha or Mir, or why they don’t have any magical mechanics that would either reveal their identity or influence their decision-making, such as Luminous losing his darkness or Ark losing his Specter. It does make me wonder why they didn’t give any lines to Angelic Buster to account for Eskalade, since he’s technically her partner and could easily ruin the Black Mage’s plans by distracting Kao or making the present-day Angelic Buster suspicious when she sees a second Eskalade.)

As the Adversary continued carrying Kao’s body through the cave, they were surprised to find that Kao was fading away. Kao explained that their body would soon lose its form and scatter into Erda. The Adversary apologized and blamed themselves for allowing Kao to get attacked by Arma, but Kao told them not to be sorry, as their regrets had faded away because of the Adversary. Kao then noted that it was the end for them, and that, if they could, they would pinpoint the exact moment when they had lost.

Though Kao wanted to come with the Adversary and see the future with their own eyes, they regretted that there was nothing more they could do after losing their power. Kao noted that they were sure that they had made more mistakes aside from being tricked by Arma, but found that they were unable to remember, as their memories were fading away by the minute. They then apologized to the Adversary for not being able to warn them about any other fatal mistakes that they had made, after which they asked the Adversary to take their body to the waterfall up ahead.

At the waterfall, Kao explained that they had one last important thing to say. Kao explained that amongst the memories that they had seen at the Fountain of Reflection, there was one which had stuck in their mind more than anything else. Kao revealed that it was a memory of someone who was in great pain, as well as Kao feeling great regret over something. Though Kao was unable to remember who that person was, they urged the Adversary not to make any choices that they would regret, and to make their own choices without being swayed by anyone else.

Declaring that the Adversary would walk a different path, having survived Arma with their power intact, Kao told the Adversary that they would be able to fully embrace the power of the Arcane Symbols. Kao explained that they would need to collect Arcane Symbols from the many Erdas that they would encounter along the Arcane River in order to strengthen their power. Though Kao noted that many threats existed in the shadows, they also added that there were also just as many allies who would help them on their journey. Before vanishing, Kao asked the Adversary for one final favor - to make their dream come true - after which they scattered into Erdas, leaving behind the Arcane Symbol of Vanishing Journey.

(A/N: The remainder of this storyline is new content added in the revamp, which adds more context about how the Alliance prepared to enter the Arcane River, as well as the Adversary keeping them updated about their journey.)

The Adversary then returned back to the Nameless Town and met with Chief Legato, who asked them whether Kao had found their memories. After the Adversary told him about Kao’s death, Legato noted that it was a shame that Kao had passed away, explaining that though he had once resented Kao for losing the town’s memories, he no longer felt that way, as he realized that his feelings of despair at losing his memories must have been exactly how Kao had felt at the time. He added that it was fortunate that Kao had regained their memories in the end, and that he hoped that Kao could now rest in peace.

Legato then asked the Adversary what they planned to do now, and whether they were going to continue going up the Arcane River. He warned the Adversary that going downstream would be more dangerous, as the flow of Erdas grew stronger the further one went. Upon hearing this, the Adversary realized that it would be better to first contact the Alliance about what they had learned, for which they asked Legato whether there was a way to contact Maple World. (A/N: Yeah, I know a way. Go two maps to the left and you can tell them yourself.)

Upon hearing the term ‘Maple World’, Legato noted that it sounded vaguely familiar, explaining that the Erdas of the Vanishing Journey didn’t have many memories left. However, he revealed that the reflection of what had appeared to them in the waters of the Arcane River may have been Maple World, adding that Kima the oarsman would know more about it, as he traveled back and forth across the river more than anyone else in town. The Adversary met with Kima and asked him about the world seen under the river, to which Kima explained that he had seen things like mushroom houses, a town made of toys, deserts and snowfields, and even a temple that floated in the sky.

Kima explained that the world beneath the Arcane River was real, and that it likely existed at the starting point of the Arcane River. The Adversary asked Kima how they could contact Maple World, to which he noted that since they likely didn’t have time to go back upstream, they could instead send a paper boat with a message. As the Arcane River was nothing more than a current of Erdas, Kima explained that the Adversary could manipulate the Erdas in the paper boat to flow upstream against the current into Maple World. Following Kima’s advice, the Adversary found a sturdy piece of paper and wrote about everything that they had learned in the Vanishing Journey before folding the letter into a paper boat. Hoping that the message would reach Maple World, the Adversary sent the boat floating upstream before preparing to continue on their journey towards the Black Mage.

Some time later, Starling arrived at the Temple of Time, where she began studying the energy leak from the Gate of the Present alongside the Temple Keeper. After finishing her observations, Starling asked the Temple Keeper whether it was true that the Adversary had gone through the door, to which the Temple Keeper confirmed that after hearing the call of the Erdas, the Adversary had gone in search of Kao. However, he added that he had no idea what was behind the door, as the present was something that everyone already experienced for themselves, meaning that there was no reason why there should be anything different from what they were already seeing.

The Temple Keeper explained that the only reason why such an anomaly was appearing behind the Gate of the Present was because the Black Mage must have used his Transcendent powers to exert a great influence upon the world, to which Starling thanked him before preparing to head back to inform the Alliance. Just then, a Guardian of Time named Johanna rushed over to the Temple Keeper and presented the Adversary’s paper boat, which had crossed through the Arcane River and reached Maple World.

After reading through the letter, Starling met with Bastille, Cygnus, and Neinheart in Ereve, where Starling reported that though they couldn’t confirm how the Adversary had sent it, the letter had definitely been written in their handwriting. Bastille then reported that the Silent Crusade had confirmed that an enormous amount of Erda was being sucked through the Gate of the Present, and that the Memory Keeper had confirmed that the Black Mage had created a world called the Arcane River beyond the door.

Just as Neinheart declared that the Alliance needed to come up with a plan, enormous chains began falling from the sky, latching onto Ereve. Though Neinheart wondered whether it was an attack, Starling noted that it didn’t seem as though whatever was happening was already over. Just then, 10 Boogies rushed to the scene and reported that the massive chains had also fallen down upon Henesys and other regions of Victoria Island. Realizing that they needed more information, Neinheart asked Bastille and Starling to get the status of the various regions of Maple World.

Both Starling and Cygnus realized that the chains had something to do with the Arcane River, and that the Black Mage was making his move. Cygnus then ordered Neinheart to mobilize the Alliance into the Arcane River at once, to which Neinheart agreed, adding that it was fortunate that the Adversary had already gone ahead, as he believed that they had an important role to play in the battle ahead.