PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 15: Wings of Brilliance

• After the end of the Flora Civil War, the surviving Verdant Flora went into hiding in a pocket dimension called Sanctuary, led by Agate - the disciple of the God of the Verdant Flora. Unlike the High Flora caste system of the God-King, Gods, Priests, and commoners, Verdant Flora society sought to remove the inherent classism by creating roles based on function, rather than power - for this reason, the Verdant Flora’s societal system was composed of Seekers, Guardians, and Engineers, with Engineers being the equivalent of magic-less commoners in High Flora society.

• Illium was a young Verdant Flora Engineer who had a talent for creating machines, such as his robot, Ex. One day, he and Ex were caught trying to escape Sanctuary by Agate, who discovered that Illium had powerful innate magic, despite being unable to manifest wings with his the mechanical constructs of the Verdant Flora.

• For this reason, Agate enrolled Illium in the Crystal Academy, where she hoped to nurture and awaken his talents. Though Illium was socially awkward, he soon made friends with several other Verdant Flora students - Morian, Dean, Carnelian, and Sinaria.

• During his time in the academy, Illium was tutored by Agate, who helped him hone his unique style of fighting in the absence of his wings. However, Illium faced discrimination from Darius, a Guardian of the Verdant Flora, who looked down on Illium because of his lack of magic.

• During the Festival of the Gods - created to honor the past Gods of the Verdant Flora - Illium constructed a statue that incorporated machinery with crystals, which were pervasive in Flora society - earning him the respect of the Verdant Flora. He later turned this statue into another robot, which he called Machina.

• Illium also came across the Elder Crystal in Agate’s office, which was created by the God of the Verdant Flora. The crystal immediately reacted in Illium’s presence, confirming Agate’s belief that Illium was the Chosen One who would save the Verdant Flora.

• Soon after, Darius betrayed the Verdant Flora and allowed the Specter army to enter Sanctuary. Agate sacrificed herself to stop Darius from killing Illium and the other students, opening a portal for them to escape to safety. As she lay dying, she entrusted the Elder Crystal to Illium and tasked him with awakening its power in the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, which dwelled somewhere in Maple World.

• The Elder Crystal, upon which the God of the Verdant Flora had imprinted his powers and personality, fused with Illium, physically changing his appearance and personality to blend with the God, as well as granting him immense power that allowed him to manifest enormous blue wings. Illium then led his friends - the last surviving Verdant Flora - on a mission to honor Agate’s wishes and awaken the Elder Crystal.

• The students arrived in Pantheon, where the Nova were immediately hostile towards them upon seeing that they were Flora. Though the students assured them that they were Verdant Flora who stood against the High Flora, the Nova claimed that according to their historical records, the Verdant Flora were the ones who had started the Flora Civil War by killing Darmoor’s father, the former God-King, as revenge for the High Flora exiling them and taking their wings.

• Because of this, the Nova blamed the Verdant Flora for starting the war which had led to Darmoor awakening as the Transcendent of Life and losing his sanity, which resulted in him waging a war against the other races to remake all life.

• However, Kaiser vouched for the Verdant Flora and allowed them safe passage through the Interdimensional Portal into Maple World. There, the students began scouring Maple World for the Sanctuary of the Ancient God, leading them to make friends and help the people of Maple World.

• During their adventures, a gateway opened that allowed only Illium, as the bearer of the Elder Crystal, to enter. Inside, the voice of the God of the Verdant Flora spoke to him and filled him with power before sending him back to Maple World.