Kao

Kao
Hometown	Same as the player
Gender	Same as the player
Race	Same as the player
Affiliations	The player Temple Keeper and Temple of Time NPCs
Enemies	Black Mage Rino and Arma
Status	Deceased
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	카오 (Kao)
JapanMS	カオ (Kao)
ChinaMS	卡奥 (Kǎ ào)
TaiwanMS	卡歐 (Kǎ ōu)
MapleSEA	Kao

Kao is the player from the future who lost to the Black Mage in the final battle. Kao was unknowingly sent back in time by the Black Mage, who intended for Kao to help their past self change the course of destiny in order to defeat him, thereby freeing the world from the influence of the Overseers. After traveling to the past, Kao lost their memories and subsequently became a Temple Keeper in the Temple of Time as they worked to learn about their past, taking on the new name of Kao after forgetting their original one. During the events of Vanishing Journey, Kao helped the Adversary - the player - change the past, which allowed them to eventually defeat the Black Mage and save the world.

Story (Post-Remaster)

Kao's storyline was remastered under the KMS story team's new continuity in the KMS Spring 2022 Update.

The Path to Genesis

As the player from the future, Kao shared an identical history with the Adversary up until the start of their journey through the Arcane River. In the Vanishing Journey, Kao was tricked by Rino, who hoped to feed Kao to her master, Arma, who had been inadvertently created through Tana's influence as she was escorted to the Black Mage by Arkarium. Though Kao was able to survive the ordeal, a portion of their Arcane Power was drained by Arma, resulting in a significant power deficit. Kao then continued through the Arcane River until reaching its end at Esfera, where they rendezvoused with Ollie, Shubert, and Melange, who had been sent by the Alliance as the advance guard. While using Melange's staff to learn more about what the Black Mage was planning, Kao and Ollie discovered that Will was planning to conduct a ritual involving Tana, who had fallen into the Origin Sea as a result of a masked figure's interference. Will then appeared and launched an attack at Kao. Ollie immediately came between them and blocked the attack with her sword, after which Kao immediately counterattacked. Will laughed and told them that he had merely come to say hello, adding that he was reminded of the words which had inspired him, “The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness.” He told them that they could only face him after learning the truth behind his words, after which he disappeared. Soon after, Kao and Ollie discovered where Tana had fallen and attempted to recover her. As they pulled her out from the sea, Ollie's bandages fell off, revealing a spider mark that Will had branded her with during his previous attack. Immediately, the Light Executors created through Tana's influence on Will's Mirror World recognized the mark and, believing Ollie to be a threat, summoned more Light Executors to destroy her.

Despite Kao's best efforts, however, their lack of Arcane Power rendered them weak and unable to defeat the onslaught of enemies fast enough, resulting in Ollie succumbing to the poison from the mark. As Ollie collapsed, Will arrived and began goading Kao about Ollie's condition. Ollie then contacted Shubert and told him to extract Tana while she held off Will for Kao to escape. Though Kao told him to instead extract Ollie while they defended Tana, Ollie told Kao that her real mission was to protect them. Nevertheless, Shubert listened to Kao and extracted Ollie back to the base camp. Will then launched a powerful attack on Kao, which surprised them, as they had believed that Will was weaker because of Tana's power. However, Will explained that they themselves had weakened Tana's power when they had fought off the Light Executors attacking Ollie. He then laughed that Ollie was merely a pawn to sacrifice in Kao's place. When Kao expressed confusion, Will explained that they were the great Adversary, the only one with the power to face the Black Mage, and that the obvious choice was to sacrifice others to save them if necessary. After the masked figure intervened and sent Kao back to the base camp, where they found Ollie slowly succumbing to the poison. Kao rushed to her side and apologized to her for their weakness, to which Ollie told them not to, as her mission had been to protect them all along, and that she had been prepared to die from the moment that she had received her orders.

She asked Kao not to cry, telling them that if her sacrifice would let them save the world, then it was good enough for her. She then asked them whether she had been helpful, to which Kao immediately told her that she had, thanking her for protecting them. Satisfied, Ollie asked Shubert and Melange to carry on in her place, after which she passed away. Kao immediately began blaming themselves for her death, lamenting that if they hadn't been so weak, they would've been able to protect her. Both Shubert and Melange reassured Kao that they were powerful, but they reminded Kao that they couldn't protect everyone. Kao replied that they knew that, but they explained that people like Ollie were completely willing to die for them, simply because of who they were, which they could not allow anymore. Just as Kao decided to go after Will inside Mirror World, they were contacted by Neinheart. However, Kao told Shubert to cut the signal, completely disinterested in what Neinheart had to say. As Neinheart protested amidst the static and asked them to listen, Kao curtly told Neinheart that Ollie was dead, and that they already knew that Neinheart must've been the one who had given her the order to die for them. Neinheart began telling them that he understood their anger, though he asked them to promise not to hesitate when the time came to make a choice. After the signal faded, Kao vowed to never fail again and proceeded to enter Mirror World. Kao then confronted Will, who told them that they would need to kill Tana in order to stop the ritual. Kao's thoughts turned towards Ollie's death, as well as how they had already jeopardized the fate of the world because of all their mistakes. Vowing not to make the same mistake again, Kao challenged Will, who merely laughed and told them that it was when faced with a difficult decision that a person's true self was revealed, adding that he was eager to see what kind of ‘hero' they truly were.

Between their lack of power, Ollie's death, and all their mistakes, Kao fought and managed to defeat Will, who amusedly told them that there was only one thing left to do. Kao then turned to face Tana, preparing themselves to end her life, though they felt sorry for her upon realizing just how much she had suffered. As they raised their weapon, hoping to free Tana from her pain, they heard her call out to Jean for help. Kao began struggling in their convictions, while Will asked whether they were thinking about sparing her life. He pointed out the consequences of making such a rash decision, explaining that he didn't care whether they were an enemy or an ally, as he simply wanted to see them think things through and make their choice. He told them to think about Ollie, how she had risked her life to cross the Arcane River in order to protect them, and how, when the moment had come, she had sacrificed herself without hesitation, all just for their sake. He asked Kao whether, after having allowed her to die, they were truly prepared to throw her sacrifice away, pointing out that Ollie wouldn't be the only sacrifice, as the Black Mage would hold the power of two worlds' Transcendents, for which the Alliance would need to bear countless sacrifices in order to send them anywhere near him. Upon hearing Will's words, Kao began regretting allowing Rino to trick them, as well as how their weakness had prevented them from stopping Ollie's death. Realizing that they couldn't give in to hesitation, Kao attacked Tana and attempted to kill her. Will immediately began laughing at how they had chosen to stab Tana simply from a small nudge on his part. Kao angrily asked Will why he was laughing when they had just ruined everything for him by stopping the ritual. However, Will explained that far from thwarting him, they had been dancing to his tune the entire time, explaining that they were in his web, no matter what they did. Suddenly, Kao turned to find that Tana was reforming herself. Will asked whether they were seeing the power of the Transcendents for the first time, adding that the grimace on their face told him that it was. He explained that they didn't have the power of the Adversary at the moment, laughing at whether they had thought that simply having a Seal Stone would be enough to kill a Transcendent. As Tana channeled her powers, she painfully asked to be saved, to which Will told her that he would, using the Black Mage's power. He then turned to Kao and thanked them, explaining that their actions had removed the final variable, thereby clearing the way for the ritual to begin.

A New World

With the ritual complete, the Black Mage gained the power of creation and destruction, paving the way for the Genesis Ritual to begin. In order to stop him, the Alliance launched its fleet to Tenebris and sent Kao inside the giant's heart, where the Black Mage awaited them. Despite Kao's best efforts, however, they were unable to harm the Black Mage, who merely declared that they would not live to claim the true power of the Adversary. As the Black Mage entered the Genesis Crux, Kao lamented how even this very moment had been preordained. Refusing to give up, however, Kao attempted to draw out the power of the Adversary one last time, focusing all their determination on their willingness to die in order to stop the Black Mage. However, at the crucial moment, Kao was unable to activate the Seal Stone, resulting in the Genesis Ritual succeeding in creating a new world, which appeared as a black hole around which blue and purple stardust curved and formed an accretion disk. On the rim of the solid stardust, Kao fell unconscious and collapsed as the White Mage manifested himself. Approaching the unconscious Kao, the White Mage noted that the world that Kao had tried to protect had been destroyed, while a new world had taken its place. As he spoke, the black hole behind him trembled as chunks of solid, glowing rock began gathering around the black hole core, slowly forming together into the shape of a planet. The White Mage noted that while everything had gone according to plan, his own continued existence as the last remnant of the Overseers had resulted in his plan failing. He explained that he had labored and prepared to create a world unconfined by order and fate. Though it had been painstakingly difficult to satisfy every condition - the disappearance of the world, his own death, and the creation of the new world - he had been unable to break the shackles of causality and the order of the world.

While the destruction and recreation of the world had been attainable, he noted that Kao had been unable to kill him. He began wondering where everything had gone wrong, as Kao - exactly as he had hoped - had become the greatest beacon of light and the bearer of the world's determination and will. Furious at the failure of his life's work, the White Mage looked into Kao's memories in order to find where the flaw in his plan had been. Upon seeing Kao's memories of the Vanishing Journey, the White Mage immediately understood what had happened. Though he had thought that his plan had been a failure, he realized that there had been no flaws in his design, as he had controlled every variable leading up to the intended outcome, though he discovered that there had been one exception. He noted that Tana - a Transcendent like himself - had been the greatest unpredictable variable in his equation, for which he had dealt with her meticulously by locking her in Kritias for centuries and having Arkarium lead her straight to him. Despite all his careful planning, however, he had been unable to hold back her power entirely, which had manifested in unexpected ways, such as the Erdas in the Vanishing Journey. Realizing where he had gone wrong, he concluded that he wasn't facing a setback, but rather, it was simply another step in his plan. Though he admitted that he had known that it would be difficult, he also noted hat he was content with the knowledge that he still had one last chance to fix things. Using his powers, the White Mage sent Kao back to the past, explaining that even though Kao hadn't been able to change their destiny, if they truly wanted to change the future, he told them to struggle for it and escape their fate, addressing them as the Adversary, the possessor of the Seal Stone.

Gate of the Past

Kao was sent back in time and emerged from the Gate of the Past, resulting in the loss of their memories, their power, and their companions. Soon after, a Guardian of Time encountered an unconscious Kao in the Gate of the Past. Believing that the monsters had attacked them, the Guardian of Time revived Kao, who then explained that they couldn't remember anything, not even their own name. Unsure of how to help them, the Guardian of Time began escorting them to the Three Doors, explaining that she had heard that those who forced their way through the Gate of the Past without permission would lose their memories, though she added that she'd never seen it happen before. As they began walking, the Guardian of Time noted that Kao seemed quite uneasy and suggested that they stop somewhere else first. She took Kao to the Resting Spot of Memory, where she found that the Memory Keeper was away. As Kao still couldn't remember their name, the Guardian of Time decided to give them a temporary one. After thinking for a moment, she thought of a perfect name before asking Kao what their opinion on time, as a concept, was. She noted that time was difficult to define, as everyone had the same amount of it, yet some never seemed to have enough time, while others seemed to have too much. Even so, however, she pointed out that to a clock, or to a turning world, time was always the same, with each moment being perfectly equal. She added that on top of that, she wasn't even factoring in other variables, such as how a year in Maple World could be a hundred years somewhere else.

The Guardian of Time noted that time was, at once, a mathematical constant, yet so subjective that no two people ever experienced it in quite the same way. She explained that she herself associated time with chaos, adding that she had become a Guardian of Time in order to research its properties. Drawing on the idea of ‘chaos', she decided to give them the name ‘Kao', a variation of how the word 'chaos' was spelled. The Guardian of Time told Kao that she didn't know whether they had been good or bad before losing their memories, and she hadn't observed them enough to define them, adding that she might never be able to define them, even if she had a lifetime to do so, as there was nothing more chaotic than a blank slate in an ocean of time. She told Kao that if they didn't like the name, she could think of something else, though Kao told her that they believed that it would grow on them. Until then, they asked her to keep their new name between the two of them while they searched for their real one. After traveling to the Three Doors, they encountered another Guardian of Time, who noted that it was rare to find someone who had lost their memory. The Guardian of Time explained to Kao that their mind may repair itself in time, with the tides of their future uncovering their past. She then welcomed Kao to stay in the Temple of Time until their memories returned, offering to let them even become a Guardian of Time, as she believed that it may help them find their memories faster. Soon after, Kao donned their Temple Keeper robes and the Guardian of Time granted them permission, as a proxy of Rhinne, to come and go through the Gate of the Past.

Meeting the Adversary

While exploring the Temple of Time on their journey, the Adversary encountered Kao, who asked them for help, as they had gotten lost. The Adversary gave them directions to the Three Doors and soon encountered them standing near the head Temple Keeper when they returned. The head Temple Keeper thanked the Adversary for helping Kao, who was known simply as the amnesiac Temple Keeper without having revealing the name given to them by the Guardian of Time to anyone else. The Adversary asked him whether the amnesiac Temple Keeper was new, to which the head Temple Keeper explained that the amnesiac Temple Keeper kept getting lost in the temple while trying to find their old memories. He told them that the Temple Keepers had found them in the Gate of the Past with their memories missing and had decided to take them in. The Adversary then agreed to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper's memories back. The Temple Keeper sent the Adversary to the Memory Keeper, who explained that the memories which the amnesiac Temple Keeper had lost were the innocent childhood memories that defined who they were, and that the amnesiac Temple Keeper would need to retrieve those memories on their own in order to get the rest of their memories back. The Adversary returned back to the amnesiac Temple Keeper and told them what the Memory Keeper had said. After realizing that they would need to find the memories on their own, the amnesiac Temple Keeper dejectedly thanked them.

Just as the Adversary was about to leave, the Temple Keeper pulled them aside and told them that he had a plan to help get the amnesiac Temple Keeper's memories back. He asked them to visit the Sorcerer, a greedy man who was adept at making potions. The Sorcerer offered to sell them Tinglebrain Potion, which he believed could help the amnesiac Temple Keeper get their memories back. The Adversary paid the fee of 100,000 Mesos in exchange for him brewing the potion. They brought the potion to the amnesiac Temple Keeper, who eagerly drank it, though they were disappointed when they were unable to recall anything more. Frustrated, the Temple Keeper asked the Adversary to see the Record Keeper, who had recorded all events of the past. The Record Keeper explained that he had been awaiting their arrival, but he added that he couldn't help. He told them to return to the Temple Keeper and to tell him precisely that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had ‘lost their time'. The Adversary told the Temple Keeper what the Record Keeper had said, but the Temple Keeper was confused by the Record Keeper's words and decided to give up. The Adversary asked him what the Record Keeper had meant, to which the Temple Keeper replied that he wasn't sure, though he wondered whether it might mean that the amnesiac Temple Keeper had actually come through the Gate of the Past, rather than merely being a vagrant whom he had found wandering in the halls. As the Adversary approached the amnesiac Temple Keeper to tell them about their failure, the amnesiac Temple Keeper excitedly told them that they now remembered their name - Kao - which had been given to them by the Guardians of Time. They then removed their hood and, to the Adversary's shock, revealed that they had the exact same face.

Vanishing Journey

After the Gate of the Present was opened, Kao joined the Temple Keepers in exploring the Arcane River. In Vanishing Journey, they heard stories that the Tree of Memory held precious memories of the villagers of Nameless Town. Upon touching the tree, however, all the memories hung on its branches floated away. The Adversary soon came to investigate the Arcane River and worked with Kao in order to recover the memories. Together, they proceeded through Vanishing Journey in order to reach the Fountain of Reflection, which reflected one's past. Along the way, Kao and the Adversary encountered Rino, who led Kao to the fountain. After regaining their memories and learning that they were the Adversary from the future, Kao attempted to prevent Rino from leading the Adversary to Arma, but Rino pushed them off the edge of a cliff and created a doppelganger of them. However, Kao survived and managed to defeat the doppelganger before pushing Rino off of her Fire Bird, which the three had been riding to the end of Vanishing Journey. Despite Kao's efforts, Rino led the Adversary before Arma. Before Arma could attack, Kao sacrificed themselves to save the Adversary, who was then able to defeat Arma. Having fulfilled their mission to change the future, Kao gave the Adversary an Arcane Symbol, explaining that it was the 'crucial power' necessary to defeat the Black Mage. Kao then passed away, with their body fading away in the Vanishing Journey.

Legacy

Because of Kao's sacrifice, the Adversary was able to survive with their power intact. After reaching Esfera, the Adversary was able to save Ollie from dying, and at the critical moment, they chose to spare Tana's life. During the final battle against the Black Mage, Tana reciprocated the Adversary's selflessness by showing them the way to awaken the power of the Seal Stone. She told them that the world was crying out that it didn't want to disappear, and because of that, it would not lend its power to the Adversary, who was ready to kill themselves for the sake of victory. Her words helped the Adversary realize that they had been prepared to sacrifice themselves all the while that they had faced the Black Mage, but what they had instead needed to believe was that they needed to survive and save everyone, including themselves, not to give up on themselves and die for the sake of a world that wanted them to live. By focusing on their determination to survive, the Adversary awakened the power of the Seal Stone and successfully killed the Black Mage. Soon after, the Adversary entered the Erda Flow and spoke with the White Mage, who revealed to them that Kao had influenced destiny even beyond saving them from Arma, as he explained that following Kao's defeat, he had grown shaken by the integrity of his plan. While retracing his plan from the start, he began noticing the value of life that he had lost sight of, realizing that the people of the present were capable of coming together in a way that he had never thought possible during his time. As a result, he had begun doubting his plan, and - with the Adversary demonstrating their pure selflessness by sparing Tana's life - he ultimately decided that the world, in spite of being incomplete, was not beyond salvation through the courage and bravery of everyday people, for which he chose not to enact the Genesis Ritual and allowed the Adversary to inherit the responsibility of leading the future in a world without Transcendents, free from the influence of the Overseers. During the Adversary's own journey, they encountered cracks in time throughout Esfera and Tenebris, allowing them to see Kao's timeline. After seeing the regrettable choice that Kao had made to kill Tana, they realized that the reason why Kao's memories appeared so fuzzy was because Kao must have been attempting to subconsciously hide and erase those moments of guilt and shame.

Story (Pre-Remaster)

Ellin Forest

Kao is the player character from an alternate timeline in which they began the journey across the Arcane River in order to face the Black Mage. In Vanishing Journey, Kao faced Rino and her master, Arma. Because Kao was tricked by Rino, they were unable to acquire the 'crucial power' in Vanishing Journey, resulting in a significant power deficit. As a result, they were defeated by the Black Mage at the end of the Arcane River. Using the last of their power, Kao attempted to travel back in time, hoping to change the future by warning their past self about Arcane Power. While traveling back in time, Kao inadvertently ended up in Ellin Forest at one point, where they become acquainted with the residents of the Altaire Camp. When the player ends up travelling through the Time Gate in Ludibrium's Helios Tower back to Ellin Forest, almost everyone that the player encounters, except Athena Pierce and Perzen, mistakes the player as Kao, as they look identical, confusing the player, who has no idea who Kao is. Tess, who was friends with Kao, also mistakes the player for Kao when they arrive. In the present day, Tess becomes an Explorer and encounters another new Explorer, whom he believes to be Kao, as they look identical. However, the Explorer has no idea who Kao is and claims that Tess must be mistaking them for someone else.

The Lost Temple Keeper

Eventually, Kao traveled to the Temple of Time and began to work as a Temple Keeper. Kao continued attempting to recover their lost memories, but frequently lost even more of their current ones while wandering across the Temple of Time. Eventually, Kao ran into their past self, the Adversary in the Gate of the Past. The Adversary helped Kao return back to the Three Doors and began working with the head Temple Keeper in order to help Kao recover their memories. After obtaining Tinglebrain Potion from the Sorcerer, the Adversary brought it back to Kao, who recalled brief glimmers of their time in Ellin Forest when they had traveled back through Ludibrium's Crack in Time. Eventually, Kao was able to recall their name, Kao. They then removed their hood, shocking the Adversary with the fact that they looked identical.

Vanishing Journey

After the Gate of the Present was opened, Kao joined the Temple Keepers in exploring the Arcane River. In Vanishing Journey, they heard stories that the Tree of Memory held precious memories of the villagers of Nameless Town. Upon touching the tree, however, all the memories hung on its branches floated away. The Adversary soon came to investigate the Arcane River and worked with Kao in order to recover the memories. Together, they proceeded through Vanishing Journey in order to reach the Fountain of Reflection, which reflected one's past. Along the way, Kao and the Adversary encountered Rino, who led Kao to the fountain. After regaining their memories and learning that they were the Adversary from the future, Kao attempted to prevent Rino from leading the Adversary to Arma, but Rino pushed them off the edge of a cliff and created a doppelganger of them. However, Kao survived and managed to defeat the doppelganger before pushing Rino off of her Fire Bird, which the three had been riding to the end of Vanishing Journey. Despite Kao's efforts, Rino led the Adversary before Arma. Before Arma could attack, Kao sacrificed themselves to save the Adversary, who was then able to defeat Arma. Having fulfilled their mission to change the future, Kao gave the Adversary an Arcane Symbol, explaining that it was the 'crucial power' necessary to defeat the Black Mage. Kao then passed away, with their body fading away in the Vanishing Journey.

NPC

Temple of Time

Memory Lane 2

Amnesiac Temple Keeper
Quests involved	[Temple of Time] Lost Temple Keeper
Location	Memory Lane 2

Three Doors

Amnesiac Temple Keeper
Quests involved	[Temple of Time] Bringing Back the Brain [Temple of Time] Remembering, Bit by Bit [Temple of Time] What's in a Name
Location	Three Doors

Mirror World Temple of Time

Amnesiac Temple Keeper
Location	[Mirror World] Dark Temple of Time

Vanishing Journey

Nameless Town

Kao
Quests involved	[Vanishing Journey] Amnesiac Temple Keeper Kao [Vanishing Journey] Restoring the Tree of Memory
Location	Nameless Town

Lakeshore (Lake of Oblivion)

Kao
Location	Lakeshore

Lakeshore (Extinction Zone)

Kao
Quests involved	[Vanishing Journey] Huge Cliff of Fire Zone
Location	Lakeshore

Mirage Cliff

Kao
Quests involved	[Vanishing Journey] The Fountain of Reflection [Vanishing Journey] A Memory's Reflection
Location	Mirage Cliff

Split Road of Destiny

Kao
Quests involved	[Vanishing Journey] Defeat Arma
Location	Split Road of Destiny

Damp Falls

Pile of Clothes
Quests involved	[Vanishing Journey] Arcane Symbol: Vanishing Journey
Location	Damp Falls

Gallery

• 
  NPC Portrait of Kao (2025 - present)
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  NPC Portrait of Kao (2025 - present)
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  NPC Portrait of Kao (2025 - present)
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  NPC Portrait of Kao (2016 - 2024)
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  NPC Portrait of Kao (2016 - 2024)
• 
  Talking to Kao as Pink Bean
• 
  Talking to Kao as Yeti

Trivia

• Kao's name comes from Kao (顔, かお), the Japanese word for face. When Kao takes off their hood in the Temple of Time questline, they will be revealed to have the exact same face as the player.
• If the player finishes the Lost Temple Keeper quests with the monster job (Pink Bean or Yeti), Kao will take the appearance of the monster with Kao's suit, resulting in an awkward appearance.