PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 15: Wings of Brilliance

On Grandis, in the pocket dimension of Sanctuary, a Verdant Flora boy named Illium was studying the history of the Flora with the help of his robot, Ex. Illium needed parts for his machines, but since the Verdant Flora were isolated in Sanctuary, his only hope was to use the Crystal Gate in order to enter the outside world, though he knew that attempting to leave Sanctuary was punishable by imprisonment. Illium briefly considered using a flash bomb to sneak past the guards around the Crystal Gate, but he ultimately decided against it.

However, Ex interpreted his words as a command and launched a flash bomb on the guards. Though he was startled by Ex’s unexpected actions, Illium used it as an opportunity to sneak past the blinded guards and made his way to the Crystal Gate. Just as the guards regained their sight, Illium entered the Crystal Gate and arrived in Savage Terminal. He was shocked to learn that the Verdant Flora were hiding in a scrapyard, but Ex pointed out that it was the ideal place for them to hide. Illium then began hunting Hedgehogs in order to obtain the parts that he needed.

Meanwhile, Agate, the headmistress of the Crystal Academy and the disciple of the God of the Verdant Flora, arrived in Savage Terminal and asked two of her fellow Verdant Flora, Darius and Curly, whether they had seen anything during their patrol. (A/N: I’ve mentioned this in an earlier section, but the word ‘God’ refers to his caste rank, not him being an actual god. The God of the Verdant Flora is also known as the Ancient Master, which you might see me use occasionally.)

Curly reported that he had overheard a conversation earlier about someone having sighted a High Flora in Savage Terminal. Agate grew concerned and asked if the rumor was true, but Curly believed that it was likely a Verdant Flora because their wings had been reported to be mechanical, making the others realize that someone had illegally left Sanctuary. Agate asked Darius to investigate and to ensure that their safety hadn’t been compromised.

Just then, one of the Crystal Gate guards contacted Agate and reported that a child had just left Sanctuary. After a brief investigation, they confirmed that the missing child was Illium. Agate told the others that she would find Illium and ordered them to wait for her in Sanctuary. She soon found Illium and Ex being attacked by a group of Hoodlums. Ex was worried that Illium’s vitals were critically low, but just then, a flash of light emanated from Illium that defeated all the Hoodlums and knocked out the exhausted boy.

Agate took Illium and Ex back to Sanctuary, where the boy woke up to Agate and the guards standing over him. Agate asked Illium how old he was, to which he responded that he was 153. She noted that the mytocrystal on the back of his hand was faint for his age, and that his wings lacked magical aura, meaning that the power that he had exhibited earlier had been much greater than he seemed capable of. Agate told him that leaving Sanctuary was forbidden and asked if he was prepared to accept the consequences.

When Illium apologized to her, she asked if he even knew who she was. Ex answered for him and explained that she was the Seeker of the Verdant Flora and the Headmistress of the Crystal Academy, and that accompanying her were Darius, the Guardian of the Verdant Flora, and Curly, the Engineer of the Verdant Flora. Agate was impressed by Illium’s engineering abilities and told him that because of his young age and his mechanical aptitude, she was willing to let him off with a warning. However, as punishment, he would begin courses at the Crystal Academy, much to the shock of both Illium and the guards.

Later on, Ex told Illium that it was hardly a punishment, as many dreamed of attending the prestigious Crystal Academy. Illium asked what had happened before he had been knocked out, to which Ex explained that Illium had had a magical overload, and that the resulting explosion had defeated the Hoodlums.

The next day, Illium and Ex met Agate outside the Crystal Academy. She gave them a tour of the facility and told Illium that while he didn’t seem to possess control over his mytocrystal, he still possessed power, however unstable. She explained that she had brought him to the Academy so that he could learn how to control his powers in a safe environment.

Illium then went to his first class, where he was surprised at how many students there were. Though he was afraid of social interaction, he decided to engage in class nonetheless. Professor Kalsat then began his lecture about the different types of mytocrystals. The first crystal he showed was grossular, a green crystal used to treat wounds and recover health. Next, he showed a red crystal called pyrope, which had explosive power, but was difficult to extract mana from.

Throughout the lecture, Illium tried to answer the professor’s questions, but he spoke very quietly in order to avoid attracting attention. When Kalsat asked about a third type of crystal, Ex grew frustrated by Illium’s reticence and loudly answered that it was obsidian, which was difficult to find and held dark magical energy, which one should be cautious of. Kalsat was impressed by Ex and told the class that for the rest of the lesson, they were to collect grossular shards from Green Grossular monsters. Having little magical power, Illium took much longer to collect the shards and became late to return to class.

For his next lesson, Illium went to magical combat training, led by Professor Andrada. The students took turns attacking a dummy, but when Illium’s turn came, he was only able to use a weak physical attack. Andrada instructed him to gather the mytocrystal energy inside his wings and transfer it to the mytocrystal on the back of his hand in order to launch a magical attack.

When he realized that Illium had no wings, he encouraged the boy to find other ways to use magic, even if they were unorthodox. Illium then used one of his mechanical javelins to attack the dummy, causing it to explode. The other students were awestruck by his attack and wondered how he had done it. Andrada was impressed and then instructed the class to eliminate practice robots in the combat training room. Though Illium was unable to meet his quota of robots to destroy, Andrada accepted his work nevertheless.

As Illium and Ex moved to their next class, Agate spoke to them telepathically and asked how classes were going, explaining that she could communicate with him through the lights. Knowing that he was struggling, she told him not to be discouraged and offered private tutoring lessons after school in order for him to be able to catch up with the rest of his class.

After Illium’s next lesson ended, two students named Dean and Sinaria approached Illium and introduced themselves. Dean was curious about Ex and why Illium had no wings, as well as why the mytocrystal on his hand didn’t glow. Illium was overwhelmed by Dean’s rapid-fire questions, which Sinaria interpreted to mean that Illium didn’t want to talk to them. As they left, Illium called out that he really was happy to have met them, adding that he had just been nervous. A girl named Carnelian then introduced herself and explained that Dean was generally overenthusiastic. With that, she left for her next class and Illium left for his.

Illium’s third class was on Gate Creation and taught by Professor Citrine. She explained that the mana that the Verdant Flora drew from mytocrystals was used for their spells, and that one application of it was the creation of Crystal Gates. She explained that Sanctuary existed within a Crystal Gate, and that it served as a virtual space created with magic, which was why the sky was perpetually dark and filled with crystalline shapes. Though the Crystal Gate was extremely useful in hiding themselves from the High Flora, she explained that construction of a gate was quite difficult.

For their first class exercise, Citrine asked them to get into pairs of two. Illium was quite flustered at having to interact with others, but despite his best efforts, he was unable to find a group. (A/N: I can relate to Illium on a spiritual level.) Just then, a boy named Morian approached Illium and suggested that they team up, since they were the only two without a group.

After everyone found their groups, Citrine told them to collect Amethyst Shards for their gates. Illium and Morian struggled to gather enough shards and eventually returned late to class, where Citrine told them that she expected further improvement in the future. After class ended, Ex guided Illium to the Headmistress’ office so that he could begin his lessons with Agate.

Outside the office, Illium overheard Darius asking Agate what she had been thinking by rewarding Illium for behavior that could have endangered all the Verdant Flora. He warned her that Illium’s actions could have resulted in their discovery, or worse, the loss of the Elder Crystal, and suggested that they strengthen security around it by stationing more guards. Agate assured him that the Elder Crystal was safe before greeting Illium, whom she had noticed standing outside. With that, she asked Darius to take his leave.

After he left, she asked Illium if he had overheard everything, which he sheepishly confirmed. Ex then explained that some of the students had behaved unfavorably towards Illium, but Agate reassured Illium that it would get better with time. She told him that he was special because he was the only one to have overcome his limitations so spectacularly, and she encouraged him to believe in himself and train hard.

For their lessons, she had Illium attack larger practice dummies with his javelin. After successfully defeating them, Agate told him that he would grow more powerful with practice. Illium asked if it would be possible for him to become as strong as her, to which she promised him that with his talents, he had the ability to surpass her. Over the next few months, Illium continued to practice under Agate’s tutelage, fondly considering his lessons with her to be the best time that he ever had at the Crystal Academy. With her help, Illium grew much stronger and honed his unique style of fighting in the absence of his wings. (A/N: As someone who used to tutor a lot in the past, Agate was a role model for the kind of teacher that I wanted to be.)

One day, Illium left Agate’s office and decided to head to the library for his studies. Just then, he heard somebody shouting for help. He entered the training room and found Dean being attacked by haywire training robots. After Illium and Ex rescued him, Dean thanked them and apologized for his behavior in the past. Illium accepted his apology and even helped Dean recover his belongings from the training robots. After Dean left, Ex told Illium that someone had tampered with the training robots and warned him that no one in the Crystal Academy was safe. Illium assured him that they would tell Agate during their lessons tomorrow.

The next day, Illium was studying history in Professor Lutil’s class. Sinaria summarized their last lesson on the Flora Civil War, in which Prince Gerand Darmoor had nearly wiped out the Verdant Flora and had banished their God. In exile, their God had helped the Verdant Flora recover their power by creating mechanical wings, which allowed them to draw mana and channel it through the mytocrystals on the back of their hands.

(A/N: Sinaria actually got this backwards. The Verdant Flora and their God were first banished for conspiring to share their power with the commoners. In exile, their God developed their mechanical wings and created the Elder Crystal. Eventually, they were framed for the murder of the God-King by Prince Darmoor, which was the catalyst for the Flora Civil War. The exact details of the Flora Civil War always seem to vary between sources, but I’m going off of the Ancient War webcomic that Nexon had officially commissioned before Illium was introduced in the game.)

Professor Lutil told the class that the God of the Verdant Flora was the hero of their race, and that the annual Festival of the Gods was intended to honor him and bring hope to their people. She reminded them that the festival would be held at the end of the semester, and that the Crystal Academy would be responsible for organizing a grand display of lights and magic. 

As the end of the semester approached, the students were tasked with creating sculptures. Ex helped Illium construct his sculpture by directing him to gather Pyrope Shards. As Illium and Morian finished gathering their shards, they heard someone crying. They discovered Carnelian, who told them that Dean had transformed her crystals into candy. Illium and Morian gave her some of the crystals that they had gathered, which she was greatly appreciative of. After making up the difference, Illium and Morian returned to class, where Lutil reminded them to display their sculptures in the town square.

Next, they went to their Crystal Gate class, where Citrine explained that those who hadn’t finished their homework would need to stay after class. She then told everyone that after the lesson, they would be able to create a small Crystal Gate to hide in. She instructed them to gather Obsidian Shards, which were held in the classroom, since they were dangerous. After gathering their mytocrystals, the class succeeded in creating a small Crystal Gate that allowed everyone to enter. After class was over, Morian was required to stay behind since he hadn’t finished his homework.

Agate then contacted Illium and told him that their lesson would take place at the Sanctuary Entrance. At the entrance, Illium and Ex overheard some soldiers saying that there were rumors that Specters had managed to get through. However, their superiors had managed to stop the intruders and had moved the Crystal Gate as a precaution. As Illium began to look around for Agate, the guards asked him to help them extract mana from nearby mytocrystals. Illium harvested Sanctuary mytocrystals and brought them back to the guards.

Just then, Agate appeared and thanked the soldiers for their hard work. Illium asked her if they were in danger from the Specters, but Agate assured him that nothing would happen as long as they stayed vigilant. After their lesson, Illium began to head back to the school. Just then, Morian arrived and told him that he had just finished his private tutoring lesson with Professor Citrine. He asked Illium if he wanted to get food, but Illium told him that he wanted to start on his sculpture.

Illium and Ex went to the lab and got started on their sculpture using the Pyrope Shards that they had gathered in class. Illium was determined to do his statue justice, as the festival felt much more meaningful to him as of late. He told Ex that when he was younger, he would visit the Festival of the Gods every year and look at the mysterious lights. However, his time with Agate and the others had taught him to appreciate the lights as testaments to their efforts. After gathering more materials, he continued to work and soon created a mechanical statue.

Just then, Darius appeared and scoffed at Illium’s efforts, calling him a low-level engineer. He ordered Illium to throw away his project immediately, claiming that it was an affront to the Gods of the Flora. Ex attempted to console Illium by telling him that the Verdant Flora had regained their magic by combining mytocrystals and technology, and so in all likelihood, the Gods of the Flora would have been pleased by Illium’s unique creation. Illium thanked Ex and decided to continue enhancing his project with rarer metals.

After improving his statue further, he sensed a crystal glowing nearby. As he approached it, the light that it gave off in response to Illium’s presence significantly increased. Against Ex’s recommendations, he touched the Elder Crystal, causing a strong magical reaction. Just then, Agate appeared and chastised Illium for using Academy crystals without permission. After she left, Illium wondered why Agate had been unnecessarily harsh. Unbeknownst to him, Darius had been watching in secret.

Soon after, Illium finished the rest of his sculpture and was pleased by his final product. At the Festival of the Gods, everyone was unanimously impressed with Illium’s creation, which combined mytocrystals with technology flawlessly. After the festival was over, Illium was inspired to enhance his sculpture and transformed it into another robot named Machina.

(A/N: One of Illium’s fourth job skills combines Ex and Machina into a robot named Deus. The names of these three robots are a reference to the phrase “deus ex machina”, which literally means “god out of the machine”. The meaning of the term came from Ancient Greek theater, in which actors who were portraying gods would be lifted by machines and placed on stage, after which they would abruptly resolve the conflict in the play.

Although the phrase has come to refer to any sort of plot device that appears out of nowhere to fix the problem in a story, I believe that the writers had its literal translation in mind when they had made up those names, as Illium eventually fuses with the God of the Verdant Flora using the Elder Crystal, thus making him the “god out of the machine”, which also references his aptitude for engineering.)

Just then, Illium heard a disturbance and went outside to see what was going on. He was shocked to find that the tampered training robots from the other day were attacking the Crystal Academy. Outside, the Crystal Gate had opened to allow Specters to invade Sanctuary. Curly reassured the soldiers that if they defeated all the Specters, they wouldn’t be found out. However, Darius appeared and opened several more Crystal Gates. Curly asked Darius how he could have betrayed his people, to which Darius explained that he would rather destroy everything than see the future tainted by the abominations created by engineers such as Curly.

Agate and the other professors rushed to the school entrance, where Darius told Agate that all of it could have been avoided if she had only handed over the Elder Crystal to him without a fight. The other professors tried to tell Agate that it was too late to save Sanctuary, but Agate refused to give up hope. She ordered the students to take shelter from the Specters, just as Illium rushed outside to see the situation. He told Agate that he could help, but Agate told him that he could do more good by protecting his friends.

The students then rushed into the school and barricaded themselves inside, but Specters still managed to enter the halls. The students then watched in amazement as Illium single-handedly drove back the Specters with the help of Ex and Machina. They all wondered how Specters could have entered the school and briefly wondered whether the professors had been defeated. However, Illium refused to believe it, claiming that Agate was stronger than that.

Just then, a wounded Agate arrived and Ex noted that her magic was dangerously out of balance, likely from excessive energy expenditure. Against Illium’s protests that she needed healing, Agate opened a Crystal Gate for the students to escape through. All the students disappeared through the gate except for Illium, who continued to stay behind. He asked Agate if she was coming with them, but just then, Darius appeared with the Specter army. Illium jumped in front of Agate, promising to protect her. However, Darius began charging up an attack that Ex noted would be fatal to them, and so Agate pushed Illium aside and blocked the attack single-handedly. Darius was shocked that Agate still possessed such power in spite of her exhaustion and immediately retreated.

Severely drained, Agate collapsed on the floor, and with last bit of strength that she had left, she gave Illium the Elder Crystal, explaining that it was the relic of her master, the last God of the Verdant Flora, and that it was the last remaining key to unleashing his power. She told Illium that the door to the Sanctuary of the Ancient God awaited him in a different dimension and tasked him with finding it in order to awaken the Elder Crystal’s power. With her dying breath, she entrusted the fate of the Verdant Flora in Illium’s hands and reminded him that no matter what anyone else said, he was special. 

Just then, a horde of Specters arrived and surrounded Illium. Ex detected an immensely powerful force radiating from the crystal and warned Illium that he was detecting a foreign consciousness within the relic. (A/N: The foreign consciousness is because the God of the Verdant Flora had imprinted his personality and powers into the Elder Crystal.)

Against Ex’s recommendation, Illium grasped the Elder Crystal in both hands, allowing its power to flow through him. Illium’s appearance and personality then fused with that of the God of the Verdant Flora, turning his dark hair, which normally covered his eyes, short and snow white, and from his back grew radiant blue wings. With his new powers, he easily destroyed the Specters around him and promised his fallen teacher that he would master the powers of the Elder Crystal in order to protect the Verdant Flora and defeat Darmoor.

He and Ex then rushed outside the Academy and found Morian and Sinaria trapped beneath rubble. After rescuing them, the trio fought their way past Specters until they met Dean and Carnelian. Illium explained what had happened with Agate and the Elder Crystal and told them that they needed to survive and carry out Agate’s final wish. They gathered the rest of the students and rushed to the main Crystal Gate. Morian noted that there was something off about the gate, but the students nevertheless jumped through it and arrived in Savage Terminal.

However, the Crystal Gate suddenly collapsed, cutting them off from Sanctuary. The students wondered whether they would ever be able to reach Sanctuary again, but Dean rallied them together and vowed that they would return to Sanctuary together as the Verdant Flora Youth Expedition. Illium was pleased that everyone had agreed to follow him and told them that, together, they would find the Sanctuary of the Ancient God.

(A/N: Although all the students in the Academy escape with us, most of the unnamed students kind of just disappear and the only people whom we ever see again are Morian, Dean, Sinaria, and Carnelian. I’m sure that everyone is canonically there with us, it’s just that they’re suffering from extra syndrome and have faded into the background because the developers don’t bother to include their NPCs anymore.)

As he was the only one who had been outside Sanctuary before, Illium led them around Savage Terminal. Just then, a group of Roving Hoodlums approached them and mistook them for High Flora, who had been recently sighted around Savage Terminal. The Hoodlums decided to rob the students, but Illium managed to defeat them all. He then demanded that they tell him everything that they knew about the other dimension. The terrified Hoodlums told him that the Nova would know more about it and begged him to let them go.

Illium then took his friends to Pantheon, where they marveled at the strange architecture. Just then, Beldar spotted them and, mistaking them for High Flora, ordered the knights to arrest the children. The students explained that they were Verdant Flora, but Cartalion retorted that the Verdant Flora had been wiped out by Darmoor during the Fall of Aboris. Beldar added that the Verdant Flora were said to have nursed a vicious hatred for the High Flora, which had caused Darmoor’s awakening as the Transcendent of Life and had brought destruction upon them all.

Illium and the students protested that those were merely rumors, and that the survivors of the Verdant Flora had been in hiding for ages. Ex also added that unsubstantiated rumors were a foolish means by which to judge others. Irritated, Beldar told them that Heliseum didn’t need the Verdant Flora’s interference to survive. Morian pointed out that since they were all victims of Darmoor, they should be united against him. Cartalion then told Beldar to calm down and asked what they were all doing in Pantheon. Illium told him that they were looking for the other dimension, and that they would leave Pantheon as soon as they could, to which Cartalion ordered them to leave before sundown.

Meanwhile, Kaiser had overheard the entire exchange and let Kylan know about what had happened. (A/N: As I’ve mentioned at the beginning of this section, Kaiser can’t have been in Pantheon at this time, since he’s supposed to be out exploring Maple World.) Kylan invited the students to the Great Temple and explained how Kaiser had mentioned that they were looking for information about the other dimension. He asked why they were looking for it, to which Illium responded that he was looking for an object that might be able to prevent Darmoor from causing further destruction. As their goals were united, Kylan told them that he would assist the students in going to the other dimension and asked them to bring him Gravi Stonegar Magic Stones.

After giving him the materials, Kylan began to tell them about the other dimension when Beldar and Cartalion arrived. Cartalion reminded them that they had been ordered to leave Pantheon immediately, but Kaiser then stepped in and explained that the students had offered to help him with his mission. He told them that with the Magic Stones, the Interdimensional Portal had become much easier to activate. Beldar was still suspicious of the students, but Kylan told him that he believed them to be trustworthy. He then explained to Illium and the others that they would find the other dimension beyond the portal and cautioned them to take care. With that, the students entered the portal and emerged in the Six Path Crossway in Maple World.

Upon arriving, they encountered Pilot Irvin, who asked them if they wanted to go to Gold Beach. Carnelian asked him if he could answer a few questions instead, but Irvin told them that he was busy and suggested that they ask Chief Stan in Henesys. The students went to see Chief Stan, who was amazed at their brilliant wings. They asked him if he had ever heard of the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, to which he explained that he had heard of the Temple of Rhinne, the Goddess of Time, in Leafre.

However, he added that Rhinne was a goddess of Maple World and doubted that she was also the God of the Verdant Flora whom they were looking for, though he hoped that they would be able to find him one day. Having reached a dead end, Illium suggested that they all split up to look for clues. As the Crystal Gate in Professor Citrine’s class that the students had all constructed together in class still remained, they decided to use the classroom as their hideout.

(A/N: At this point, there are several quests in Illium’s storyline that have you go through Gold Beach, then Kerning City at level 45, Riena Strait at level 50, Sleepywood at level 67, Ariant at level 85, the Lion King’s Castle at level 115, Leafre at level 120, and finally the Golden Temple at level 130 in order to find the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. They’re meant to trigger when you arrive in those areas, but I haven’t yet gotten around to looking for them. The quests are just small cutscenes with no lore impact, and so you’re not really missing anything at all here.)

Soon after, Carnelian reached out to Illium and told him that she had made a new friend who had seen something similar to the Crystal Gate. They traveled to the Relic Excavation Camp in Perion, where Carnelian introduced them to Shuang, an archeologist working at the camp. Sinaria wondered whether the Crystal Gate could really be found in such a dust pit, but Carnelian snapped at her to not insult Shuang’s work. Illium then told everyone to calm down and asked Shuang if she had seen anything like the Crystal Gate before.

Shuang led them deeper into the excavation area where she had last seen the gate, but she was surprised to find it missing. They decided to wait for a while to see if the gate would appear, but after waiting for some time, Shuang asked them to help her with her work until the gate appeared. She explained that progress on the excavation had been slowed because of the monster attacks and asked Illium to defeat Wooden Masks and Rocky Masks. After helping Shuang, Illium and the others returned back to where they had been waiting.

Soon enough, a Crystal Gate began to manifest before them. Dean stepped towards the gate, but it refused to open for him. However, it reacted to Illium and opened so that only he could enter. Illium then stepped into a white void filled with fog, where a large crystal glowed with power. From the void, he heard a voice telling him that he stood on hallowed ground, and that though he was weak and incomplete, the power of the Elder Crystal lay within him and with the Verdant Flora. With that, the power of the Ancient Master surged within Illium and pushed him outside the Sanctuary back into Maple World.

As the other students rushed to see if he was okay, Illium confirmed that he had indeed entered the Sanctuary of the Ancient God. Sinaria excitedly asked him how they could get there, to which Illium told her that it had concealed itself, preventing him from reentering without searching for it again, much to Sinaria’s annoyance. However, Carnelian pointed out that they had made progress. Illium thanked his friends for all their help in reaching the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, even if for a brief moment.