Black Mage

StoryMonsterNPC

For the update, see MapleStory: Black Mage.

For his FriendStory counterpart, see White Mage (FriendStory).

Black Mage
CurrentOriginalWhite Mage
Title	Maple World's Transcendent of Light (formerly)
Hometown	Edelstein
Current Residence	Limina (gameplay)
Gender	Male
Race	Transcendent (Human)
Family	Luminous (physical incarnation of his discarded light)
Emblem	Chains
Affiliations	Aurora (formerly) The Adversary
Minions	His Commanders: -Will -Lotus (deceased) -Hilla (deceased) -Arkarium (deceased) -Von Leon (deceased) -Lucid (formerly) -Orchid (formerly) -Guwaru (formerly) -Magnus (formerly) -The Demon (formerly) -Damien (formerly, deceased) Guard Captain Darknell and the Elite Bosses (deceased)
Enemies	Maple Alliance: -Explorers -Cygnus Knights -Resistance -Heroes -Heroes from other worlds Anti-Black Mage Alliance Orchid Damien Guwaru The Demon Rhinne Alicia Gerand Darmoor Aeona
Status	Deceased (Lore) Fightable (Gameplay)
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	검은 마법사 (Black Mage) 하얀 마법사 (White Mage)
JapanMS	暗黒の魔法使い (Black Mage) 白い魔法使い (White Mage)
ChinaMS	黑魔法师 (Black Mage) 白魔法师 (White Mage)
TaiwanMS	黑魔法师 (Black Mage)
MapleSEA	Black Mage White Mage
Voice Actors
GlobalMS	Unknown (2012 - 2018) Edward Bosco (2018 - present)
KoreaMS	Beomgi Hong Hosan Lee (Borderless/Convergence) Sangbaek Kim (White Mage, FriendStory) Youngsun Kim (White Mage, Borderless/Convergence) Seongtae Park (Explorer Storybook, before version 1.2.362)
JapanMS	Ryōtarō Okiayu (Black Mage/White Mage)

“The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness.”

― White Mage

The Black Mage, formerly known as the White Mage, is the primary antagonist and former Transcendent of Light of Maple World. Centuries ago, the White Mage's forbidden research led him to discover that the Overseers had placed the world on a predetermined path towards annihilation. In resistance, the White Mage cast aside his humanity and awakened as the dark Transcendent of Light, seeking to create a new world without Transcendents to destroy the Overseers' influence on the universe. With the help of his Commanders, the Black Mage waged a war against Maple World until he was sealed away by the Heroes. Centuries later, the Black Mage broke free from his seal and continued to threaten the world as he prepared to destroy and recreate the world. In response, the Maple Alliance was created, banding together heroes across Maple World and other dimensions to stop him. The final battle against the Black Mage took place at Limina in the Arcane River, where he was defeated by the Adversary.

Story

The White Mage

Over 800 years ago, a child was born on the continent that would one day be known as Edelstein. This boy was eventually found in a snowstorm in El Nath by a group of mages, who brought him to the Mage Tower. Although the boy could not remember anything from before he had been rescued, including his name or his home, the mages sensed a powerful aura emanating from him, and so they took the boy in and decided to teach him magic. Over the years, it soon became clear that his magical power was so unparalleled that his talent quickly exceeded that of even the wisest among them. On the day that he came of age, the mage council summoned him in order to bestow his official title upon him. To their shock, however, the boy performed the forbidden art of light magic before them. His masters strongly admonished him for his actions, reminding him that light and dark magic stemmed from the same root, which was the reason why both were forbidden. However, the boy responded by simply asking them if they would let their fear prevent understanding. That night, the shaken elders met in secret and peered into the future, in which they discovered that if the boy were to continue his pursuit of ultimate light, he would bring about the end of Maple World. Horrified, they resolved to kill him before their prophecy came to pass. Upon storming his quarters, however, they found the room empty. The boy then revealed himself on the roof and asked if they had come to teach him one final lesson. The mages used their most powerful spells, but none of them did even the slightest damage to him besides a small cut on his cheek. Realizing that his masters really had come to kill him, he decided that he wouldn't hold back either. He showed them his mastery of light magic, which he used to slay them all. As he disappeared into the snowstorm, the boy told them that he had hoped to study light magic in the Mage Tower, lamenting that their actions had made it impossible.

Years later, the boy became a wandering mage who traveled the world for over a decade, saving people from the powerful monsters around them. Because of his platinum hair, he became known as the White Mage. During his travels, he observed that there existed great corruption and instability in Maple World, with countless civil wars, monster attacks, and criminals who took advantage of the helpless amidst the chaos, all of which broke the balance of light. He took it upon himself to find a solution, believing that light magic held the answer to saving the world. At one point, the White Mage built an underground laboratory in the Nihal Desert, where he conducted experiments on the nature of light and dark magic. His research built the foundation for alchemy, and his contemporaries would later found the town of Magatia, built atop the White Mage's laboratory. The White Mage's travels eventually led him to meet Ephenia the Fairy Queen, who ruled the Sylphs of Ellin Forest. Though Ephenia loathed humans, she quickly grew fond of the White Mage and liked to watch him study magic, enamored by his pure-hearted idealism that made her truly believe that his research would create peace between fairies and humans. Eventually, however, the White Mage had a moment of epiphany, declaring that “the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness”. With those words, he vanished into the deepest recesses of Ellin Forest, known as the Forest of Peace: a land where no daylight could pierce through. Along with a handful of followers, he founded the society of Aurora to study the nature of light magic.

Aurora's Research

As the White Mage continued his research, he hoped to understand the power of darkness in order to further understand the power of light. In order to do so, the White Mage sought out two Spirits of Darkness. In exchange for helping him understand the darkness, he granted them human bodies and gave them the names Orchid and Lotus. With the help of the twin spirits, the White Mage gained a deeper understanding of magic and soon began his journey into the forbidden. As a result of this research, powerful creatures of darkness known as Omens began to appear around the world, whose influence caused undead monsters to appear around Maple World and terrorize the land. Though the White Mage and the lead researchers of Aurora began to suspect that their research had spawned such evils, they nevertheless continued on, believing that the sacrifice of a broken world was necessary to create one without suffering. Several months later, the White Mage encountered a wandering mercenary who had been hired by an Ariant mogul to find him and convince him to destroy the Omens and undead monsters disrupting his trade. Along with the mercenary was also a girl named Arin, who sought to avenge her parents' death by destroying the Omens. After the White Mage vaporized the Omens attacking the pair, the mercenary immediately recognized the White Mage by his long, white hair, his deep eyes, and his trustworthy voice. They told the White Mage about everything that had happened, as well as everything that they had seen. The White Mage nodded quietly, seemingly engrossed in the mercenary's words, though the mercenary supposed that it was likely a habit of his. He noted that between the poachers and grave robbers in Ellin Forest that the mercenary had encountered while searching for him, it seemed that human greed had reached a new level. The mercenary explained that Ephenia was completely disgusted by humans, though she had seemed quite fond of him. The White Mage told the mercenary that he had made a promise to Ephenia and that he was still working to keep that promise.

He then turned to Arin and asked the mercenary who she was. The mercenary explained that she had lost her family to the Omens, to which the White Mage noted that it was his first time learning the name of those dark creatures, adding that he heard little of the wider world in his isolation. The mercenary then asked the White Mage what such a renowned magician was doing alone in the forest. The White Mage explained that he studied light, to which the mercenary grew uncharacteristically angry and replied that it wasn't what they had meant. They were surprised to find that they were losing their temper, as the White Mage hadn't done anything wrong. Nevertheless, they heatedly retorted that they themselves were a simple mercenary who fought people for money. However, they pointed out that the White Mage had the kind of power that could change the world to make it a better place, and yet he remained in isolation and did nothing but study. In response to his words, the White Mage smiled faintly, as though he had read the mercenary's mind and had understood all their frustrations. He replied that though there were many things that he wanted to say, he wanted to first explain that he wasn't working alone. He then led the mercenary and Arin to the Aurora Great Temple, where he introduced them to Mars, Aurora's lead researcher, whom he asked to prepare a place for their guests to stay. Though Mars protested that the pair were outsiders, the White Mage insisted that they were harmless and that they should be permitted to stay. Soon after, the mercenary - at Arin's behest - went to the temple roof in order to give him Omen Pieces that Arin had collected, hoping that they would help him with his research. On the roof, the mercenary found the White Mage gazing up at the auroras in the night sky. After the mercenary handed the Omen Pieces to him, the White Mage noted that Arin had been quite clever to collect them and promised to put them to good use.

He explained that they didn't know why the Omens were appearing, though he reassured the mercenary that the Omens would disappear once he finished his studies on the ultimate light. As he spoke, the mercenary noted that the White Mage's eyes seemed to wander elsewhere. They began to wonder what it was that the White Mage sought, with his back turned against the world's wealth and honor. The White Mage then asked the mercenary what it was that they placed their faith in. He elaborated by asking to what power the mercenary would reach towards in the final moments when everything else fell away - whether it was the gods, wealth, or something else. He then explained that what he was studying was something beyond simply power - he revealed that he sought to find an infinite knowledge that existed just beyond their comprehension: a knowledge that could complete and evolve humanity into perfect beings by replicating the Divine City into their world. The mercenary began pondering the White Mage's words and tried imagining what it would feel like to be complete, though they found that it was quite difficult to imagine. Nevertheless, they noted that if humans could reach such a stage, they would be able to create a world without sorrow or pain. The White Mage explained that he was a man of towering ambitions and that he would never stop or tire until he learned what existed beyond that light. Over the next three months, the mercenary often had short conversations with the White Mage, though they always felt that talking to him, even for a short time, felt like a long journey. During that time, the mercenary decided to stay at the Aurora Great Temple and help the White Mage and the mages of Aurora with their research on light magic. Soon after, the White Mage entered the final stages of his research, secluding himself in his laboratory without food or drink as he worked tirelessly to attain the ultimate light. During this time, however, the mercenary soon pieced together the truth about the Omens, realizing that they were the shadows of the Black Mage's research.

The Ultimate Darkness

The White Mage awakens as the Transcendent of Light

As the mercenary began arguing with the mages of Aurora, the White Mage - within his laboratory - completed his research and stepped into the divine realm, beyond the horizon of awareness, where he reached for the ultimate light. His heart grew filled with indescribable joy at the prospect of moving forward, at last, to a completed world free of irrationalities and evil. Just then, however, the will of the world - the Overseers themselves - held the White Mage back, constricting him with the shapeless, abstract force of order. This conceptual essence of balance, rules, and principles wrapped itself around him like an unbreakable chain, colder and heavier than any metal in existence. Through his forbidden research, the White Mage learned the secret of the world - a truth that was never meant to be known by mortals - that the Overseers controlled the world through the Transcendents, and that their sole function was to enforce order, not to help humanity. Upon realizing this truth, the White Mage grew furious at the Overseers and demanded to know why, in spite of their omnipotence, they allowed such stagnation and refused to change. He angrily asked them whether they intended to leave the world incomplete for all eternity, leaving humanity to suffer with no end. Refusing to accept the destiny of the world, the White Mage chose to reject the Overseers and claimed that even by binding him, they would not stop him from moving forward, no matter the cost. He vowed to break free from their chains that kept the world from changing and moving on to a better existence. He declared that he would do anything it took to liberate the world from their indolence, even if he had to seal himself away, erase the world, or become darkness itself. Believing that there was no way to change humanity's destiny as a mortal when the Overseers had stripped them of their ability to change themselves, the White Mage chose to accept the power of the divine by seizing the ultimate darkness, thereby accepting the Overseers' destiny for him.

In the Aurora Great Temple, the mercenary and the mages of Aurora heard the White Mage speak aloud, wondering whether he had succeeded or failed. He declared that he had journeyed into the forbidden and that he alone had reached the ultimate light. However, he claimed that at the end of his research, he had seen that there was no ultimate light - not because he had been unable to attain it, but because it had never existed to begin with, for as long as there was light, there would always be darkness. However, he then declared that an ultimate darkness existed, and that it was the sole conclusion of his research. As a shocked Mars asked the White Mage what he meant, the mercenary ordered Mars to force open the door. Inside the laboratory, the mercenary and the mages of Aurora were shocked to discover the White Mage immersed in dark magic, his eyes glowing crimson. Immediately, they all realized the truth - that the White Mage was no longer human. As Vieren attempted to check on the White Mage's condition, Mars immediately yelled at everyone to get out. The mercenary called out to the White Mage to stop, telling him that there was still time. However, the White Mage ominously declared that it was too late, just as he accepted the power of the gods. Embracing the ultimate darkness - the power to destroy - the White Mage awakened as the Transcendent of Light. In order to fully embrace the power of darkness, the White Mage expelled all the light inside himself, thereby severing his ties to everything that had once made him human. With his awakening as the dark Transcendent of Light, a powerful substance known as the Abyss Crystal was created. Imbued with absolute darkness, the Abyss Crystal held the power to devour everything, including the power of the gods. The resulting explosion from his awakening destroyed the Aurora Great Temple, killing many of the researchers and critically wounding many others.

Soon after, the mercenary chased after the White Mage, rushing past the faint, fading crystal of light that the White Mage had cut out from himself. Though they feared what they were about to encounter, the mercenary realized that they couldn't afford to leave, as it was their only chance to stop the White Mage before he could do any more damage. The mercenary then yelled out for the White Mage to show himself. The White Mage appeared before them in a dark cloak that hid everything except the flames from his crimson eyes. The mercenary stood frozen, realizing that they had known from the beginning that his power was impossible to stand against. They began wondering why they, in spite of knowing what it would cost them, had chosen to follow him, though they then realized that it was because they had wanted to see it on their own. They addressed the monster standing before them as the White Mage, though they realized that after seeing what he now was, they couldn't call him that anymore. They then rechristened him as the Black Mage, who told the mercenary that they had been raised in shackles, and that their world could not free itself from the fate that the gods had given it. He then offered to give the mercenary strength if they wished it, calling it the power to free themselves from their chains to create a new world. However, the mercenary laughed darkly and told the Black Mage that he had lost his mind, explaining that the one whom they had followed was a magician who could save the world, not a monster like him who sought to destroy it. They then raised their sword and declared that it seemed that they were the only one who could stop him, vowing that they would carve a wound onto him that he would never be able to forget. After remaining silent for a moment, the Black Mage called the mercenary foolish and declared that if they wished to perish with the world, then so be it. He then unleashed his powers of darkness and killed the mercenary before retreating.

The Path of Destiny

Believing that the Overseers had placed humanity on an unavoidable destiny for destruction, the Black Mage came to believe that, with no way to save the world from its preordained end, the only path to salvation was to create a new world in its place. Knowing that the Overseers could only shape the universe by using the Transcendents as their proxies, the Black Mage sought to remove their influence from the world that he would create by destroying the Transcendents. In this way, he intended to create a new world free from any preordained end from the Overseers' machinations. Though he was standing against a primal power, his sole advantage was that the Overseers, in creating a fixed universe, made it so that all possible futures could be calculated based on known variables. While some mortals possessed the ability to see fragments of the future, the Black Mage was able to take advantage of the fixed variables in the universe to divine all the countless futures based on those fundamental laws. In this way, he could manipulate events to ensure that his plans succeeded. From his laboratory in Magatia, the Black Mage used his enhanced perception as a Transcendent to create the Path of Destiny: an optimal trajectory for the world that would allow him to achieve his ultimate goal: the destruction of the world, the elimination of all Transcendents, and the creation of a new world free from the influence of the Overseers. In addition to his research about the powers and limitations of the Transcendents, the Black Mage created countless prophecies that foretold every major event that would take place leading up to his ultimate design. These prophecies were kept in an enchanted lake deep beneath his laboratory, with a magical projector that could show images of all the events that he would engineer to take place. These writings were preserved in his laboratory, as the Black Mage intended for his future opponents to encounter those prophecies in order to further motivate them to resist the idea that their future had been decided by him.

In order to carry out his plan, the Black Mage began amassing an army of powerful creatures. Due to the fundamental laws of the Overseers that governed Transcendent powers, the Black Mage was incapable of killing the other Transcendents, including himself. As he could not battle the Transcendents directly, the Black Mage began recruiting powerful Commanders to aid him in his mission, carefully stoking their own desires in such a way that allowed him to convince them that their goals aligned with his, in a way that did not reveal his true intentions, while also ensuring that they did not turn on him to advance their own goals. Because of this, the Black Mage created the Path of Destiny in such a way that his Commanders would aid him until they became unnecessary or actively hindered him, at which point he would arrange for their deaths at the hands of his opponents:

• In Ellin Forest, the Black Mage sought out Orchid and Lotus, whom he had once granted human bodies with his light magic. Promising them the chance to cause chaos and mayhem in the world, Orchid and Lotus became his first Commanders. As they had lost their original spirit powers after receiving their human bodies, the Black Mage granted them a portion of his Transcendent power, allowing them to become his twin Wing Masters with the power to manipulate gravity.

• In the Temple of Time, Arkarium - the ambitious High Priest of Rhinne, the Transcendent of Time - experienced a vision of the future, in which he foresaw that Rhinne would be sealed away by the Black Mage. Realizing that the Black Mage would reign victorious, Arkarium secretly sought out the Black Mage and offered himself as a Commander in order to gain power and influence in the new world that the Black Mage would create. In exchange for his loyalty, Arkarium was bestowed a portion of the Black Mage's power, which he kept inside his staff.
• In southern Leafre, the Demon - a half-blood demon who had brought his family from Tynerum to Maple World in order to escape the persecution of the pure-bloods - began to observe the Black Mage's growing influence and soon came to believe that the Black Mage would conquer Maple World. In order to protect his family, the Demon pledged himself as a faithful Commander in exchange for the Black Mage's word that he would leave the Demon's family alone. With his overwhelming demonic power, along with some of the Black Mage's own power, the Demon quickly gained a reputation as the Black Mage's strongest and most loyal Commander, even becoming the Black Mage's right-hand, much to the jealousy of Arkarium.
• From Grandis, Magnus - an exiled Nova knight who served Gerand Darmoor, the fallen Transcendent of Life on Grandis - used an Interdimensional Portal to cross into Maple World after his defeat at the hands of the Former Kaiser. Having lost much of his lifespan to Kaiser's final attack, Magnus was ordered by Darmoor to travel across dimensions in order to find a way to restore what he had lost. In Maple World, Magnus sought out the Black Mage and swore fealty to him, becoming a Commander and gaining a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent powers in addition to the Transcendent powers given to him by Darmoor.
• In Azwan, the High Shamaness Hilla became renowned for her magical mastery and beauty. Despite her humble facade, Hilla secretly coveted the adoration of her people, reveling in her beauty and youth. However, as Hilla began to age, she quickly realized that she would soon lose all the praise of her people, causing her to fall into despair. The Black Mage then appeared before Hilla and offered her eternal youth and beauty if she were to give him Azwan. Readily accepting his offer, Hilla betrayed her people and brought about the fall of her kingdom, resulting in the deaths of all its citizens. With the Black Mage's power, Hilla used her newfound necromancy magic to resurrect Azwan's citizens into an undead army.

As he began gathering his Commanders, the Black Mage gained the forces that he needed to eliminate the other Transcendents and prepare for his plan to create a new world. However, the greatest problem that remained was how he would be able to destroy himself. In all possible futures, there was no situation in which he, as a Transcendent, could be killed. He knew that he needed to create a being who could change fate, and so he decided to create an Adversary. Just as in eons past during the Ancient War, a mortal who bonded with a Godsphere would gain a power greater than that of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents alike. Though he knew that he could create an Adversary, he also knew that they would be the most unpredictable variable in his plan, as the Adversary needed to be pushed to their very limits to gain the determination needed to activate the power of the Godsphere. In order to force the Adversary into awakening that power at the critical moment, the Black Mage planned to subliminally influence their decisions.

As the Godspheres operated on the collective determination of the masses, he made it a priority to push the world into resisting the idea of a fixed future, as their strong desire would be channeled through the Godsphere as the Adversary championed their strongest wish. Simultaneously, he promised his Commanders a place in his new world order, though he secretly intended to have them eliminated before they realized that he intended to destroy everything. In this way, he would force the people into rallying against him, while also keeping his Commanders in line. To carry out the Genesis Ritual, the Black Mage needed the powers of creation and destruction, along with a high volume of pure Erdas, the building blocks of reality. To obtain the power of creation and to aggregate a high concentration of Erdas, he needed to create a convergence of worlds, which would allow him to not only siphon the Erdas generated from the collision, but also steal the powers of creation from another Transcendent of Light. As a world without active Transcendents automatically sought out another world to merge with in order to maintain its balance of Transcendents, the Black Mage planned to seal the other Transcendents of Maple World, as well as himself. He began preparing to invade Maple World with his Commanders and planned to use them to fight against the other Transcendents, while simultaneously drawing out the very heroes who would seal him.

Invasion of Maple World

Fall of the Onyx Dragons

As his army grew stronger, the Black Mage began working to push those in his Path of Destiny towards their fate of banding together and sealing him away. In Minar Forest, the Black Mage approached Afrien, the King of Onyx Dragons, and offered to form a Spirit Pact with him, rather than with the Dragon Master Freud. Sensing the Black Mage's evil soul, Afrien refused the Black Mage's offer, believing that the Black Mage intended to take the power of the Onyx Dragons for himself. In response, the Black Mage and his Commanders waged war against the Onyx Dragons, and despite their race's powerful magic, they were eventually wiped out entirely, leaving only Afrien and his egg as the sole survivors.

Attacking Aurora

Simultaneously, the Black Mage soon attacked the survivors of Aurora, who had used the power of light to reincarnate the fading crystal of light expelled by the Black Mage into a human named Luminous. Because that crystal of light had been shot into the heavens and fallen back down on earth, Luminous was also known as the Starchild. Believing that the Black Mage thought that the remnant of his light was a threat to him, the mages of Aurora attempted to protect the Starchild by moving their headquarters to a pocket dimension called Harmony. Even in spite of their countermeasures, however, the mages knew that the Black Mage would one day come for Luminous. In order to protect him, they raised a girl named Lucia, who was also strong in light magic, as the false Starchild. Luminous grew up as best friends with Lucia, unaware that she had been raised as a lamb for slaughter. When the Black Mage came to destroy the last of his light, Luminous managed to escape and Lucia remained behind to be killed in his place in order to make the Black Mage believe that the threat of the Starchild had been dealt with. Unbeknownst to them, however, the Black Mage had intended for Luminous to survive and eventually become one of the heroes who would seal him away.

The Lion King and the Dragon Master's Tower

As the Black Mage's army began growing larger and more formidable, several factions of resistance appeared in response to the threat of invasion. In Ereve, Empress Aria formed the Silent Crusade in order to gather information about the Black Mage and his Commanders as Aria attempted to negotiate with the Black Mage. Meanwhile, in El Nath, the Anti-Black Mage Alliance was formed in response to the Black Mage's growing threat. Despite its name, however, the alliance was small in both numbers and influence, though it sought to gain greater numbers by appealing to Von Leon, the Lion King of El Nath. However, Von Leon refused to join the alliance, believing that his kingdom was too small and poor to be targeted by the Black Mage. Soon after, Hilla used her illusion magic to drive the members of the alliance to insanity, resulting in them attacking Von Leon's kingdom while he had left to negotiate with them. Von Leon mistakenly came to believe that the alliance had turned on him after viewing his refusal as a sign that he had joined the Black Mage. With the destruction of his kingdom and the deaths of his knights, his citizens, and his beloved wife, Ifia, Von Leon fell to despair and sold his soul to the Black Mage in exchange for a portion of his Transcendent power, allowing him to take on the form of an enormous lion-like beast to wipe out the Anti-Black Mage Alliance and exact his revenge upon those who had taken everything from him.

Following the alliance's destruction, Von Leon and Hilla led their forces to attack the survivors of El Nath's destruction, who had banded together under the leadership of a mercenary-turned-bard named Ryude, who attempted to light the Dragon Master's Tower to signal the end of the world. Though Ryude and his soldiers were wiped out, they nevertheless succeeded in lighting the beacon with the help of Alicia, the Transcendent of Life, who aided Ryude while gathering the creatures of Maple World in the Tower of Oz to protect them from the Black Mage's imminent invasion. As a result of Ryude's sacrifice, several powerful heroes gathered together to fight the Black Mage: Freud and Afrien, Luminous, Aran, Mercedes, and a pirate hero whose name was lost to time. Together, the five courageous warriors became known as the Heroes of Maple, banding together to fight the Black Mage. In order to fight the Black Mage, Freud planned to harness the divine power of the Godspheres, whose energy had permeated the continent after the fall of the ancient Adversaries eons ago. After refashioning that energy back into the Godspheres, Freud rechristened them as the Seal Stones, as he had created them to seal away the Black Mage. However, Freud also hoped to use the Seal Stones as a failsafe in the event that the Heroes could not defeat the Black Mage. To this end, Freud began distributing the Seal Stones to the various regions of Maple World, such as Ereve, Orbis, El Nath, Mu Lung, and several others.

Attacking Ereve

Soon after, the Black Mage send Orchid and Lotus to Ereve in order to negotiate terms of peace with Empress Aria. However, the Wing Masters quickly revealed that it had all been a ruse, wiping out Ereve's defenses and gravely wounding Shinsoo with the other Commanders' help.. Unexpectedly, Lotus killed Empress Aria, much to Orchid's surprise, as she had been under the impression that they were to spare the Empress's life. With the death of Empress Aria, Phantom - a legendary thief who had fallen in love with the Empress - grew furious at her murder and joined the Heroes in order to exact revenge upon the Black Mage and his Commanders. Around this time, the Black Mage used his power to split the continent of Ossyria in two, causing a large chunk of landmass near Ellin Forest to float away, becoming Victoria Island.

Sealing the Transcendents

With Maple World having lost its Empress and the world reaching the verge of destruction, the Black Mage began to enact his plan to seal away the Transcendents, which would cause Maple World to slowly begin converging with Grandis over the centuries. The Black Mage and his Commanders first attacked Alicia, who was gravely wounded in the battle. Alicia's life spark was recovered by the Heroes, with Alicia offering her aid to the Heroes in their mission to seal the Black Mage. Despite the fact that Alicia had managed to escape, the Black Mage knew that Alicia would eventually need to seal herself away in order to recover her strength after helping the Heroes. Soon after, the Black Mage and his Commanders prepared to siege the Temple of Time. As the sole restriction on the Transcendent of Time was that they could change the fate of anyone but themselves, Rhinne knew that she couldn't stop the Black Mage from taking her power. However, she attempted to create a new future by creating the Child of the Goddess through her teardrops, who she hoped would succeed her as the Transcendent of Time in the distant future. Rhinne handpicked loyal priests to take the child to safety and watch over it in a different dimension that she created with her time magic, thereby masking the power of time within her child from the Black Mage. However, around this time, Arkarium used his time power to twist Rhinne's dreams and blind her to the incoming assault just as she hid her successor.

With Arkarium having blinded her vision, the Demon stunned Rhinne in place, allowing the Black Mage to steal a portion of her Transcendent powers by using the Abyss Crystal, which had been formed with the power of darkness after his awakening as the dark Transcendent of Light. Using its ability to steal the power of higher beings, the Black Mage transferred the stolen power of time into himself before sealing Rhinne in ice within the Temple of Time. As the Abyss Crystal would need to recharge for many years before it could be reused, the Black Mage decided to hide it in a secure location where no one could find it. With his new powers over time, the Black Mage opened a portal to a subspace that existed between Maple World and a parallel world called Friends World, which loosely mirrored the people and events of Maple World. Though both Maple World and Friends World existed within the same dimension, a dimensional barrier separated the two worlds that made it impossible to travel between them. For this reason, the Black Mage stored the Abyss Crystal in the subspace between them, thereby ensuring that no one would be able to take the crystal before the time was right. As Alicia and Rhinne grew weakened, the balance of the Transcendents - and thus, the world itself - shifted towards darkness. Because of this, the King of Spirits, Guwaru, who had been born from nature itself, fell to darkness as well. Having once fought fiercely to protect nature from human greed and destruction, Guwaru's nature was warped and twisted, causing him to grow corrupted and serve the Black Mage against his own will, becoming his final Commander during the invasion.

Having gained the portion of the Transcendent of Time's power, the Black Mage began setting events into motion that would lead to him securing the power of creation. Many years ago, long before the Black Mage had awakened as a Transcendent, Aeona - the Transcendent of Light on Grandis who wielded the power of creation - had become a vagabond after fleeing the Temple of Light in an attempt to escape the will of the world, taking on the name of 'Tana' as a form of symbolic resistance against the Overseers and the title of 'Aeona' they had forced upon her. As she wandered across the world, the Black Mage used Rhinne's power to speak to her across time, offering to help her escape her destiny. A surprised Tana asked the Black Mage whether he could really give her what she wanted, as she noted that escaping the will of the world was something that not even he could accomplish, as he, too, was a Transcendent bound by the Overseers' chains. However, the Black Mage revealed to her that he planned to change destiny by combining the powers of light and darkness to create a new world without Transcendents. Realizing that the Black Mage's plan would put an end to her painful life in bondage, Tana agreed to help him with his plan, for which he instructed her to go to Kritias.

There, however, Tana was captured by the mages of Kritias, who conducted brutal experiments upon her in order to bestow her immortality to King Hekaton. In Kritias of the past, Arkarium - before he had become a Commander - had led the experiments on Tana, which had broken her mind and caused her to lose her memories with each experiment that caused her physical form to be recreated after being destroyed. During Hekaton's Ascendancy, in which he sought to steal Tana's immortality, Tana used an anti-magic stone to interrupt the ritual, causing Hekaton and his guards to become gruesome monsters, while Tana was forced into an endless, painful cycle of dematerialization and reconstitution. Using the power of time, the Black Mage and his Commanders invaded Kritias of the past in order to destroy any trace of Tana's existence, while also sealing her away in order to save her from endless torment. Knowing that Tana had the power of the gods as well, the Black Mage also intended to isolate her as much as possible to prevent her from interrupting his Path of Destiny as an unpredictable variable. For this reason, the Black Mage sealed the kingdom itself away, with time standing still for its citizens until Tana was needed for the Genesis Ritual. Due to the safeguards that the Overseers had placed, a magical backlash was created from the Black Mage stealing the powers of Rhinne, which not only weakened the Black Mage, but also created a tear in the fabric of spacetime in the form of several Interdimensional Portals that led to Grandis.

The Final Battle

After conquering the Temple of Time, the Black Mage decided to set in motion the fateful events that would cause him to be sealed. He chose to praise the Demon's contributions in the battle while deliberately ignoring Arkarium's efforts, knowing that it would make Arkarium jealous of his rival. While the Demon rested after the battle, the Black Mage ordered the other Commanders to destroy the rest of Ossyria. Hoping to get revenge, Arkarium attacked the Demon's family home in southern Leafre, resulting in the Demon's mother being killed. In order to get insurance against the Demon, Arkarium also manipulated the Demon's younger brother, Damien - whose latent demon powers had awakened in the attack - into joining the Black Mage, promising that the Black Mage would help bring his mother back to life. Soon after, the Demon learned about the attack on Leafre and rushed home, only to find his house aflame. Believing that both his mother and Damien had perished, the Demon swore revenge on the Black Mage and wrote a letter to the Heroes, outlining his betrayal. He then engaged in a fierce battle with the Black Mage and managed to destroy the Black Mage's protective barrier, but he was ultimately no match for his former master. Meanwhile, the Heroes - who were evacuating Ossyria and bringing the refugees to Victoria Island - received the Demon's letter and realized that they had the perfect opportunity to face the Black Mage.

While Aran held off the Black Mage's army in Ossyria, Phantom, Luminous, and the pirate hero pushed forward to the Temple of Time in order to face the Commanders, while Freud, Afrien, and Mercedes entered the throne room in order to face the Black Mage himself. As the battle turned hopeless, Freud quickly realized that there was no chance of defeating the fallen Transcendent, for which he resolved to seal the Black Mage away with the Seal Stones. Soon after, Luminous and the pirate hero entered the throne room, where Freud temporarily froze time in order to explain his plan. He revealed that he had planted five Seal Stones around the Black Mage during their battle, and that he had placed a spell on the Seal Stones, which would allow them to absorb the power of time that the Black Mage had stolen and turn it against him. As the sealing spell required the time of a living person as a catalyst, the pirate hero chose to sacrifice his existence, removing every trace of his existence from the world. Freud then restarted time, allowing Luminous to face the Black Mage. Luminous used the full extent of his light magic to counter the Black Mage's dark magic, causing the Black Mage to use the power of time. Immediately, the Seal Stones absorbed the stolen power and activated the Seal of Time, which would bind the Black Mage to eternity. As the Black Mage attempted to break the seal, Luminous charged forward to stop him. However, the physical contact between the Black Mage and the last remnant of his light resulted in a power transfer, and Luminous inadvertently absorbed a trace of the Transcendent's dark power, turning one of his eyes crimson red. The Black Mage and Luminous were then sealed behind the Gate of the Present. With the power of time sealed away with the Black Mage, the Interdimensional Portals on Maple World also disappeared.

Centuries of Peace

Before he was sealed, however, the Black Mage cast a final curse upon the Heroes, causing them all to be frozen in ice. Centuries in the future, after the Black Mage's seal was already broken, Arkarium used his time magic to open a crack in time, allowing him to travel back to the moment after the Black Mage's seal was created, hoping to kill the Heroes and the Demon while they were weakened from the battle. Though Arkarium was able to find the Heroes collapsed across Leafre, he was unable to find the Demon, whom he particularly wanted to get his revenge on. Because of this, Arkarium hoped to go back even further in time to kill the Demon before he betrayed the Black Mage, thereby making it so that the Demon wouldn't be able to weaken the Black Mage's defensive barrier, which would cause the Heroes to fail and be killed easily. However, Arkarium found the he was unable to go back any further, as Freud had used his own time magic to create a powerful Barrier of Time that would make it impossible to travel back in time any further than the moment the Black Mage's seal was made, thus preventing any of the Commanders from stopping the Black Mage from being sealed. Though Freud's time magic was extremely powerful, his limitations as a mortal meant that the power of a Transcendent of Time could break through the barrier that he had created. As Rhinne and her child were already in the custody of Will - a future Commander recruited by the Black Mage centuries later, tasked with imprisoning the Transcendent of Time - Arkarium hoped to take Rhinne's powers long before she would be given over to Will in his present day. In order to take the remainder of Rhinne's Transcendent powers that the Black Mage hadn't taken, Arkarium planned to break the seal on the Black Mage to reach the area where she had been sealed away, knowing that the Heroes were in no position to stop him. Soon after Arkarium traveled back in time, however, several agents of the Silent Crusade pursued him in order to prevent him from achieving his goals. The Silent Crusade found a clone of Arkarium conducting a magical ritual to destroy the seal. They successfully defeated Arkarium and forced him to retreat before he could finish his task. Nevertheless, however, the Black Mage's seal was weakened, with one of the Seal Stones cracking and slowly degrading over the span of hundreds of years.

Meanwhile, the surviving refugees of Ossyria fled the continent by airship and crash-landed in Victoria Island. Under the leadership of an elf named Athena Pierce, the refugees began settling the region, which eventually became a great center for Explorers. Soon after the refugees began colonizing Victoria Island, Alicia - whose life spark had been safely transported by Athena Pierce - sealed herself away beneath the lush greenery of Sleepywood, creating Root Abyss as the place where she would recover her power amidst the strong life energy of the area. With all three Transcendents of Maple World sealed away, Maple World slowly began to merge back together with Grandis without the Transcendents to maintain the dimensional boundary created by the Overseers. In the centuries after the Black Mage's invasion, Maple World experienced an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, with its people slowly rebuilding everything that had been lost in the war. Hundreds of years later, however, the Commanders slowly began resurfacing as the time for the Black Mage's planned resurrection began growing closer. During this time, Orchid created the Black Wings, a militaristic cult which sought to revive the Black Mage, though she also intended to use their resources to revive Lotus, who had been beaten into a coma by Phantom in revenge for Aria's death. In order to ensure that nothing would impede the Black Mage's resurrection, Orchid ordered the Black Wings to find and destroy the Seal Stones hidden across Maple World, which unconsciously channeled the people of Maple World's greatest wish for the Black Mage not to return to full strength. With the rise of the Black Wings, Empress Cygnus - the young descendant of Empress Aria - formed the Cygnus Knights in response to the growing threat to Maple World. Additionally, the Heroes slowly began to awaken from their curse as the Black Mage's seal weakened. However, despite the best efforts of the Heroes and their allies, the Black Wings successfully managed to steal all but two Seal Stones: the Seal Stone of Victoria Island and the Seal Stone of Ereve.

Facing the Maple Alliance

The Big Bang

The Black Mage breaks free from his seal

As the Black Wings continued their operations across Maple World, one Explorer discovered a maple leaf on Maple Island, which contained the power of the First Explorer, an ancient Adversary who had fallen during the war against the Ancient Gods eons ago. As the Explorer began their adventure, they - along with their friends - successfully recovered the Seal Stone of Victoria Island after the Black Wings momentarily managed to take it from the Cygnus Knights. Soon after, the Explorer was tasked with checking on the Black Mage's seal in the Temple of Time, where they discovered that the Gate to the Present - which was normally closed to all - appeared open to them. Inside, they entered the Black Mage's throne room and discovered that one of the Seal Stones powering the Seal of Time was cracked. After conferring with Athena Pierce, the Explorer decided to replace the broken Seal Stone with the Seal Stone of Victoria Island, as the residual power of the Adversary inside their maple leaf allowed them to enter the Gate of the Present. The Explorer then entered the Black Mage's throne room once again, where the Black Mage began to speak to the Explorer, sensing the power of the Adversary inside their maple leaf and calling them "one who had broken free from order". He then ordered them to turn back, claiming that it was not yet time. He declared that he would soon break free, and that he would soon grasp the world's order in his hands and set a new order for the world. He then offered the Explorer a place in his new regime, but the Explorer decided to ignore his words and began to replace the Seal Stone. The Black Mage then asked whether the Explorer had chosen to walk the Path of Destiny in the end, just as the cracked Seal Stone shattered. The Black Mage immediately broke free of his seal and quickly disappeared, teleporting the Explorer back to the Tree Doors.

The Black Mage then traveled to Ellinia, where he destroyed the forest and corrupted Luminous' friend, Lania. After Luminous freed Lania from the clutches of the darkness, the Black Mage appeared and mocked Lania for her weakness, claiming that she had faltered before a mere sample of his power. Having both Lucia and Lania taken away from him, Luminous swore that the Black Mage would suffer for what he had done. The Black Mage asked if Luminous was shaken and called his compassion a rotten crutch. Disgusted with the Black Mage considering love a weakness, Luminous challenged him to a duel and promised to show him the power that love had granted him. However, the Black Mage refused, explaining that he wanted to save their final battle for another time. Soon after, the Black Mage sent his shadow to destroy Maple Island as punishment for the Explorer failing to obey him. However, the Explorer was able to tap into the residual power of the Adversary inside their maple leaf, allowing them to defeat the Black Shadow. They then used the Seal Stone of Victoria Island to undo the damage done to Maple Island, leaving the Seal Stone of Ereve as the final Seal Stone in existence. With the Black Mage's return, Maple World's most powerful monsters were strengthened by his dark influence, including Zakum, Papulatus, and Horntail. In response to the Black Mage's return, Empress Cygnus united the Explorers, the Cygnus Knights, the Resistance, the Heroes, and warriors of other dimensions under the banner of the Maple Alliance, formed to face the Black Mage and his forces.

The Dream Master

The Dream Manipulator

Centuries ago, the elves of Elluel were frozen alongside Mercedes due to the Black Mage's curse. After centuries of remaining awake inside her prison, an elf child named Lucid - who could use dream magic - desperately projected her consciousness as far as it could go in an attempt to escape, allowing her to inadvertently stumble into the Black Mage's subconsciousness. Sensing Lucid's presence, the Black Mage recognized her talents and promised her eternal life and the chance to see the new world that he would create in exchange for her loyalty. To hear that such a powerful being needed her was all that Lucid desired, and so she readily accepted his offer. The Black Mage freed Lucid from the ice and granted her a portion of his Transcendent powers, strengthening her ability to weave dreams such that she could bring those dreams into reality, for which she became known as the Dream Master. He then ordered Lucid to create a false future in the Temple of Time, one in which he reigned victorious after Empress Cygnus betrayed the people of Maple World. Lucid broke into the Temple of Time and used her powers to manipulate the Gate to the Future, creating the dreamlike illusion which the Black Mage had asked her to make.

Confronting Shade

Having broken free from his seal, the Black Mage reached out into the mind of the pirate hero - now known as Shade - who had sacrificed his existence centuries ago to power the Seal of Time. Shade was then subjected to a terrible nightmare of his Anima friends running in fear of him, the other Heroes looking at him with anger in their eyes, and himself disappearing as he sacrificed himself to power the Seal of Time. The Black Mage then appeared before him and revealed that the only reason why Shade hadn't disappeared was because, as a Transcendent, the Black Mage was still able to remember him, and that Shade would disappear once he did. He then asked Shade if he would make the same choice again, knowing what it had cost him. As a result of this nightmare, Shade resolved to do whatever it took to stop the Black Mage, even if it meant that he would cease to exist, prompting him to join the Maple Alliance.

The Spider King

Soon after the Black Mage broke free from his seal, a scholar from Magatia named Will sought him out after piecing together the Black Mage's ultimate goal to create a new, perfect world free from the influence of the Overseers. Will became his newest Commander and was granted a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent abilities that allowed him to wield spider-like abilities, for which he became known as the King of Spiders. Unlike the other Commanders, Will fully knew and supported the Black Mage's true goal to create a new world, for which he became the Black Mage's most loyal Commander. For this reason, the Black Mage entrusted Will with all matters regarding the Transcendent of Time, for which he granted Will full command over Rhinne, who remained sealed in ice within the Temple of Time. Using the hypothesis that he had developed as a child regarding Rhinne's secret plot to undermine the Black Mage, Will began using Rhinne's power to search for the dimension in which she had sealed her successor away.

The White Mage of Friends World

With the world slowly falling out of balance due to the sealing of the Transcendents, the dimensional barrier between Maple World and Friends World slowly began to weaken over the centuries. After the Black Mage's return, the White Mage of Friends World - a mysterious parallel counterpart to the Black Mage of Maple World - began a plan to bridge the two worlds together. As a result of his manipulations, the barrier between the two worlds was broken, causing Maple World's magic to flow into Friends World and spawning monsters that threatened the people of Friends World. Though the Magician Association of Ellinia attempted to handle the new threat, a high-school boy named Kinesis gained the magical power of telekinesis from the influence of Maple World. Using Kinesis as a catalyst, the White Mage of Friends World began the process of fusing Maple World and Friends World together through cataclysmic sinkholes. Though Kinesis was able to close the sinkhole in his city, the two worlds nevertheless began an irreversible process of convergence. With Maple World slowly fusing together with both Friends World and Grandis, the collision resulted in the loosening of Erdas that the Black Mage intended to use in order to create his new world.

Finding the World Tree

Centuries ago, Damien - the Demon's younger brother - was sent to Tynerum in order to amass an army of half-blood demons after Arkarium took Damien under his thumb. In the time before the Black Mage's sealing, Damien returned to Maple World with his army, becoming a new Commander. Following the Black Mage's return, Damien was tasked with finding the World Tree, with the Black Mage instructing him to ensure that she had regained her full Transcendent power. Damien and his demon army discovered Alicia hiding in Root Abyss, where he installed the four Seal Guardians - Von Bon, the Crimson Queen, Pierre, and Vellum - in order to keep Alicia trapped until she regained her full power. After the Alliance discovered the location of Root Abyss, a rescue team was mobilized to defeat the Seal Guardians and escort Alicia to Ereve, where she was placed under Shinsoo's protection as she regained her power. Soon after Alicia regained her full powers, Damien led the demon army to attack Ereve while Cygnus and her Chief Knights were away. Using the power of the Sword of Destruction, Damien gravely injured Shinsoo and kidnapped Alicia, just as Cygnus and her Knights rushed to Ereve and found Shinsoo mortally wounded. Believing that Shinsoo had been killed, Cygnus's shock and grief triggered the latent Transcendent powers in her bloodline, causing her to awaken as a Transcendent-in-waiting.

The Elite Bosses

As he required minions of unimpeachable loyalty, the Black Mage hoped to create monsters infused with his Transcendent powers that would remain incapable of betraying him under any circumstances. In order to do so, the Black Mage targeted the surviving Sharenian Knights who had been trapped inside an illusion of Sharenian, an ancient kingdom which had fallen centuries ago at the hands of the devil Ergoth Dunamis. Within the illusion, Commander Kellad and his knights had spent centuries reliving the fall of Sharenian over and over again, eventually losing their sanity from the mental fatigue and trauma of being forced to kill each other, leaving Kellad as the last man standing. As Kellad had sworn an ironclad oath to protect the people of Sharenian, the Black Mage decided to take advantage of the situation in order to turn the Sharenian Knights into his minions. The Black Mage used his powers to disguise himself as Prince Sharen IV, who had died centuries ago during the fall of Sharenian, and took advantage of Kellad's weakened mental state by revealing the truth about the mirror dimension to him. Posing as Prince Sharen, the Black Mage reminded Kellad about his oath to serve the people of Sharenian and manipulated him into pledging eternal loyalty to him, claiming that he was the last living person in Sharenian. After securing Kellad's loyalty, the Black Mage gave Kellad the Rubian - a gemstone said to have rare powers, which had originally spurred Ergoth into attacking Sharenian. Though the Rubian had no powers in actuality, the Black Mage infused it with his Transcendent powers and gave it to Kellad, claiming that he could use it to revive his fallen knights. Kellad then broke out of Ergoth's mirror dimension and returned to the real Sharenian. There, he encountered five Explorers who had come to the palace ruins in search of treasure and used the Rubian to fuse their bodies with the souls of his fallen comrades, who became known as the Elite Bosses. Kellad then fused himself with the body of Ergoth Dunamis, transforming himself into Guard Captain Darknell. Darknell and the Elite Bosses then pledged themselves to the Black Mage, who shed his disguise as Sharen and appeared to them as the White Mage.

Eliminating the Transcendent of Time

Soon after, Will discovered Rhinne's child within the hidden dimension that she had created with the power of time. Entrusted by the Black Mage with ensuring that the child would never awaken as the new Transcendent of Time, Will - with full authority over Rhinne and her powers - moved Rhinne from her icy prison within the Temple of Time and transferred her over to the same dimension where her child and the priests who served them were trapped. Inspired by Ergoth's ability to create a perfect replica of Sharenian, Will used Rhinne's powers to recreate the prison dimension into what he called Mirror World, an imperfect replica of Maple World. However, Will soon realized that he was unable handle the immense power of Rhinne's child. In order to weaken them and to corrupt them with his influence, he split the child into two beings. He trapped the girl inside the Child of the Goddess's own temple and brainwashed the boy into serving him and his Shadow Knights, who had been tasked with keeping the boy trapped inside Mirror World. Despite his attempts at containing them, however, the boy eventually freed his counterpart. Renaming himself as Alpha and his sister as Beta, the twins were able to defeat Will and free their mother, after which they awakened as the new Transcendents of Time. However, in order to change Rhinne's fate and keep her from disappearing after the succession, Alpha and Beta used all the Transcendent power which Rhinne had transferred to them to recreate Mirror World, resurrecting Rhinne in the form of a mortal child. As a result, Alpha and Beta lost access to all the Transcendent power which they had gained, leaving them divided and incomplete, thereby allowing Will and the Black Mage to succeed in eliminating one of Maple World's three active Transcendents. At some point following the events of Mirror World, the Black Mage confided in Will that he had another goal besides the creation of a new world, leaving Will to wonder what the Black Mage truly aspired for beyond just Genesis.

Second Future Investigation

As the Maple Alliance began investigating Lucid's nightmare within the Gate to the Future, Lucid reported to the Black Mage that the Alliance had begun investigating the Second Future. When she asked him whether she ought to stop them, the Black Mage instructed her to do nothing. He explained that it was the only way that they would learn fear, noting that in doing so, the Alliance would learn about the lie of free will and the chains of fate, and that they would learn to hate those chains. In this way, the Black Mage hoped to strengthen the Alliance's resolve in defying destiny, thereby rallying the wishes of the world for the final battle against him.

Unsealing Kritias

As the time for the final battle slowly began approaching, the Black Mage released the kingdom of Kritias, allowing the Alliance to investigate the area while Tana remained sealed deep within the floating castle of Trueffet.

Black Heaven

As the Alliance battled the Commanders and their forces, Orchid was betrayed by Gelimer, a Black Wings scientist whom she had hired to revive Lotus. Gelimer transformed Lotus into a Xenoroid in order to gain complete control over him, after which he forced Lotus to drain Orchid of her half of the Wing Master powers. Gelimer then launched an immense airship called Black Heaven, intending to rain down Retoxin bombs across Maple World and turn its people into an emotionless hivemind centralized around Lotus. With the combined efforts of the Alliance - particularly one member known as the Ace of the Alliance - Gelimer, Lotus, and the Black Wings were defeated once and for all. However, with the Ace of the Alliance on the verge of death after being exposed to the Retoxin gas, the Alliance used the Seal Stone of Ereve - the last Seal Stone left in the world - to save their life. As the Seal Stones had been implicitly channeling the desperate wish of the people of Maple World that the Black Mage not return to full power, its destruction removed the final limitation on the Black Mage. Unbeknown to them all, however, the Seal Stone recognized the Alliance member as one who represented the will of the people, causing it to choose them as its Vessel. As the people of Maple World celebrated the Alliance's victory, Arkarium reported Gelimer's defeat to the Black Mage, though he added that Gelimer's death had been assured when he had approached them with deceit. However, the Black Mage ignored his words and instead told him that the axis of destiny had been twisted, and that a new Adversary had appeared with the power of the Seal Stone. Arkarium offered to handle them personally, but the Black Mage forbade him from intervening, instead tasking Damien and his demon army to carry out their next move. Meanwhile, Orchid - after realizing that the Black Mage's Path of Destiny was the true reason why Lotus had been tortured and killed - swore revenge against her old master and sought out Guwaru, who had regained his free will after the Black Mage had been sealed away. Knowing that the final battle was fast approaching, Guwaru agreed to teach Orchid how to channel her original Spirit of Darkness powers in her human vessel in exchange for her promise that she would help the Adversary when the time came.

Eliminating the Transcendent of Life

Following the Black Mage's command, Damien led his demon army to find the Abyss Crystal, which the Black Mage had sealed away in Friends World centuries ago after using it to steal Rhinne's power, leaving it to recharge as the time came to take Alicia's power. However, Damien secretly planned to use the Abyss Crystal to take Alicia's power for himself and manipulated the Heroes, who had gathered together under the leadership of Evan, into obtaining the crystal for him. Just as the Black Mage had planned, however, Damien was consumed by the power of the Transcendents and the Sword of Destruction, resulting in his death. Additionally, the Abyss Crystal - which had been formed out of the Black Mage's dark awakening - began corrupting Alicia, who attempted to use her power to return all life to its origin. Though the Heroes were able to help Alicia regain her senses, Alicia revealed that her power had grown deeply intertwined with the Abyss Crystal, and that she would soon lose her ego entirely and become part of the crystal. However, she explained that there was one way to save Maple World, noting that just as her powers were tied to the Abyss Crystal, she could also use the power of the Abyss Crystal herself. Because of this, she planned to scatter her power contained within the crystal across Maple World in order to restore its vitality. With that, Alicia scattered her life force across Maple World, restoring vitality to the withered lands.

The Arcane River

Opening the Gate to the Present

With Alicia eliminated as a variable, the Black Mage began to siphon the Erdas of Maple World that once flowed through the World Tree under her protection. With the collision of three different worlds - Maple World, Friends World, and Grandis - generating a high volume of Erdas, the Black Mage was able to create a new world called the Arcane River behind the Gate of the Present. After entering the Arcane River with Hilla, Will, and Lucid, the Black Mage created his stronghold in the shape of a Black Moon at the end of the Arcane River, where he awaited the final battle. Soon after, Arkarium - after nearly being killed by Damien after his betrayal - arrived in his snake form, causing Hilla to laugh and inform him that things were going smoothly without him. Arkarium demanded to know if there was a plan that he was not aware of being put into motion, though Hilla merely asked if Arkarium had really thought that the Black Mage hadn't been aware of what he had been planning. She told him to consider his snake form a punishment for his jealousy before reporting to the Black Mage that his plan was continuing smoothly, and with the Transcendent of Time imperfectly split and the Transcendent of Life scattered across the world, they were ready for his next orders. The Black Mage then told them to allow the Alliance to enter the Gate of the Present, where he awaited them at the end of the river. Soon after, Arkarium slithered up the stairs to the Black Mage's throne, fuming at Hilla's declaration that he was being punished, rather than the Black Mage merely allowing him to rest. Gathering his power, he transformed back to his human form and appeared before the Black Mage, who ordered Arkarium to bring Tana to him. Arkarium protested that Tana couldn't even control her own powers, but the Black Mage told him not to presume to judge what he couldn't understand. As he turned to leave, Arkarium seethed that he would not allow that ‘stupid girl' to go anywhere near the Black Mage, vowing to finish things for good. Arkarium then traveled to Kritias and released Tana from her seal, after which he began escorting her through the Arcane River. However, Tana's unstable mental state resulted in her power inadvertently manifesting in unexpected ways, such as her power of creation remaking the Erdas of the Arcane River into terrible monsters.

Lucid's Betrayal

As the Black Mage and his Commanders awaited the Adversary, Lucid met with the Black Mage and noted that a new world was about to unfold. Curious about what sort of world he was planning to create, Lucid asked him to show her a glimpse of what he was hoping to bring about. The Black Mage then showed her a vision of ultimate darkness, causing a shocked Lucid to realize that there was absolutely nothing in the new world that the Black Mage planned to make - and most importantly, not even the Black Mage himself would exist. Upon realizing that the Black Mage sought to end his own existence through the Genesis Ritual, Lucid grew shocked and saddened, as the Black Mage was the center of her world. Hoping to change his mind, Lucid chose to betray the Black Mage and created Lachelein in the Arcane River. By creating a festive city with no sadness or pain, Lucid planned to grow her dream beyond the Arcane River and envelop the world, believing that showing the Black Mage the joys of life would be enough to convince him not to end his own life. As Lucid forced the Erdas of Lachelein to go through the motions of festivities against their will, she slowly began losing control over her power as a result of her betrayal. Soon after, the Adversary arrived in her city and began working with the Erdas to liberate Lachelein from the nightmare that plagued it. The Adversary then defeated Lucid before moving forward through the Arcane River. Following her defeat, Lucid grew increasingly consumed by her nightmares as she continued trying and failing to reach the Black Mage's mind. Nevertheless, she persistently attempted to reach her master, who had once saved her from despair, as she believed that it was her turn to save him from his own despair, even if she became trapped in her own nightmare as a result. Within the darkness, Lucid cried out and apologized to him for her betrayal, explaining that she had only acted because she had been afraid of losing him. Suddenly, Lucid managed to reach the Black Mage's subconscious, and though she didn't know whether it was because her heart had reached him, or whether it had simply been pure coincidence, she was overjoyed at having finally reached him nevertheless. Before the Black Mage was able to detect her presence, Lucid quickly sensed that there was a disturbance inside his unconscious mind. Peering deeper inside, Lucid sensed a faint yet intense memory filled with sadness and relief, which had soon turned into unbridled hatred towards some unknown entity that she could not perceive. Just then, however, the Black Mage became aware of Lucid accessing his memories and pushed her out of his mind, leaving her trapped in her own nightmare forever with the knowledge that the person who had meant everything to her had abandoned her for good.

Echo in the Morass

As the Adversary continued their journey through the Arcane River, they soon encountered Arkarium leading Tana to the Black Mage. As they attempted to stop him, Tana - whose mental state had been deteriorating from the failed Ascendency ritual centuries ago - lost control of her powers and inadvertently trapped them all inside the Morass, which had responded to her powers and recreated the coral reef into a perfect replica of her memories of Kritias. Eventually, the Adversary and Arkarium both managed to escape from the memory. Believing Tana to be unworthy for the Black Mage, Arkarium attempted to steal Tana's powers for herself, though he was stopped by the Adversary. After regaining control of her powers, Tana effortlessly vaporized Arkarium, who barely managed to escape alive. As a result of Tana's power, an echo of the Black Mage from the past was created that played out Tana's memory of the Black Mage traveling back in time with Rhinne's power and invading Kritias. As Transcendents existed beyond space and time, the echo of the Black Mage was able to feel the intent of the real Black Mage, who commanded him to deal with Arkarium. As the Adversary and Tana left her memory, Arkarium - whose body had been destroyed by Tana - transferred his life force into his backup snake body, just as he had done when Damien had used Alicia's powers to destroy his body. Badly damaged, Arkarium awaited the Black Mage of the past, believing that Rhinne's power would allow him to enter Kritias of the past and restore his powers. Just then, the Black Mage of the past appeared and told him that the real Black Mage had commanded him to say, “You have done well. Rest.” The Black Mage's echo then killed Arkarium, who had finally outlived his usefulness.

The Genesis Ritual

A Failed World (Kao's Timeline)

Following Arkarium's death, Tana moved forward alone and was soon captured by Will in Esfera, where Will attempted to enact a ritual that would allow the Black Mage to take Tana's power of creation. With the Alliance having managed to send an advance party to assist the Adversary, their forces worked together with Orchid - who hid her identity with a special mask that disguised her face and energy - to face Will and stop the ritual. As the Adversary worked to save Tana, however, one of the Alliance's members - Ollie - was killed after being poisoned by Will and attacked by the monsters in Esfera, with the Adversary being too weak to save Ollie in time. As a result, the Adversary was plagued with guilt, fear, and anger, unbalancing their mental state as they fought and defeated Will. After being told that the only way to stop the ritual was Tana's death, the Adversary told themselves that they could not afford to hesitate at such a crucial moment after already having failed to save Ollie. At Will's goading, the Adversary dealt a mortal wound on Tana, who immediately collapsed in pain before reforming herself. Will then laughed and revealed that the Adversary had been dancing to his tune the entire time. Unbeknownst to the Adversary, the Black Mage and Will had intended for the Adversary to try and kill Tana, as she - a Transcendent - could not be killed without the power of the Seal Stone activating. Because of this, the Black Mage had intended for Tana - the final variable in his equation - to be eliminated, as Tana would lose her emotions and memories each time that she reformed, thereby ensuring that she could not interfere during the Genesis Ritual. Following this, the Black Mage was able to absorb Tana's power of creation for himself, thereby gaining everything needed to conduct the Genesis Ritual. During this time, Gerand Darmoor - who had been observing the events of the Arcane River from afar - attempted to directly intervene and use his power as a Transcendent to influence the Path of Destiny and create multiple other futures in an attempt to directly sabotage the Black Mage's attempt to create a new world. Despite his influence, however, the Black Mage was nevertheless able to direct the shape of destiny in the direction that he wanted.

Soon after, the Alliance launched an expedition to the Arcane River, where they fought through the Erda monsters and Hilla - reborn with even greater power from the Black Mage. As they did, the Alliance - which had found the Black Mage's records and prophecies in Magatia - pieced together the truth and discovered the existence of the Path of Destiny which they had been placed on. Despite everything, however, the Alliance continued pushing forward, with their strong determination to survive filling the Seal Stone inside the Adversary with energy. However, the Adversary - plagued with doubt and fear at the idea of their destiny being decided - instead attempted to draw out the Seal Stone's power by focusing on their strong desire to sacrifice their existence, as the Black Mage had anticipated. As the Genesis Ritual drew near, the Adversary lamented how even this very moment had been preordained. Refusing to give up, however, the Adversary attempted to draw out the power of the Seal Stone one last time, focusing all their determination on their willingness to die in order to stop the Black Mage. However, the Adversary's individual determination merely resulted in a fraction of the Seal Stone's power manifesting, which proved too weak to defeat the Black Mage. As a result, the Genesis Ritual succeeded in destroying the universe and 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, the Adversary fell unconscious and collapsed as the Black Mage manifested himself as the White Mage. Approaching the unconscious Adversary, the White Mage noted that the world that the Adversary 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's 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 the Adversary had been unable to kill him. He began wondering where everything had gone wrong, as the Adversary - 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 the Adversary's memories in order to find where the flaw in his plan had been. Upon seeing the Adversary'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. Because of this, Arma - a monster in the Vanishing Journey inadvertently created by Tana - had drained the Adversary's Arcane Power, weakening them such that they were unable to protect Ollie, and thereby creating a cascade of dominos that culminated in the Adversary's failure to draw out the Seal Stone's power. 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 that he was content with the knowledge that he still had one last chance to fix things. Using the power of time, the White Mage sent the Adversary 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.

Defying Destiny (Current Timeline)

After the Adversary was sent back in time, the Black Mage - as one who transcended the laws of space and time - was able to use the knowledge of everything that had transpired in the failed timeline to reformulate his Path of Destiny. Heavily shaken by his failure, the Black Mage - as he carried out the same events that he had planned out - began to reexamine and question everything that he understood about the world in order to reevaluate the integrity of his plan to create a perfect world. As he did, the Black Mage began observing the way that humanity had reshaped itself in the centuries following his sealing, realizing that many things had changed from his time as the White Mage, when corrupt, greedy rulers had lined their pockets as the common people had fallen prey to endless civil war, poverty, and monster attacks. As he did, he slowly began to question the validity of his mission to overthrow the Overseers, and whether it was possible that he had been mistaken about whether humanity's only salvation lay in destruction. Nevertheless, the Black Mage continued moving forward with his ideals, with the Adversary whom he had sent to the past being divested of their power and memories, becoming a Guardian of Time named Kao. With Kao having lost their memories, they continued working in the Temple of Time in an attempt to find them, and when the Arcane River was created, Kao entered the Gate of the Present in order to search for their missing time. Just as the Black Mage had anticipated, Kao's intervention as a new variable allowed for the Adversary of the current timeline to preserve their Arcane Power, with Kao sacrificing themselves in order to protect the future. However, Kao - after regaining some of their memories in the Vanishing Journey - also warned the Adversary not to hesitate or make choices that they would regret when the time came to make a crucial decision when they saw someone in great pain. With their Arcane Power preserved, the Adversary continued forward through the Arcane River and fought alongside Ollie and the other Alliance members against Will in Esfera. With everything transpiring perfectly according to plan, the Black Mage anticipated that everything would adhere according to his Path of Destiny, with the Adversary eliminating Tana as a variable and ultimately succeeding where Kao failed by defeating him when the time of Genesis approached. To his complete shock, however, the Adversary - against all odds - went completely against what he had planned by refusing to take Tana's life.

Though the Adversary's decision made no difference in the end, as the ritual would have taken place regardless, Tana's memories and emotions were preserved when the Black Mage gained the power of creation, thereby making it so that her actions could not be controlled during the final battle. Because of the Adversary's actions, the Black Mage was shaken by their seemingly senseless decision to put the world in danger solely for the sake of protecting everyone, rather than choosing to sacrifice one life for many others. Having already begun doubting his plan at the start of the new timeline, the Black Mage began reflecting on the Adversary's decision and the value which they placed on life. Thinking back on his own life and purpose, the Black Mage wondered whether he himself was the one who had been mistaken, having lost sight of the value of life in pursuit of a perfect world. Having been alone all his life, with no peer or mentor to walk at his side, the Black Mage realized that - now that he had stopped believing in himself - he had grown quite uncertain in whether he was truly qualified to carry forth his ideals. After considering the Adversary's pivotal decision, the Black Mage ultimately decided against his original plan to create a new world, believing that a world being led by good-natured beings who fought while refusing to sacrifice lives as he did was enough to complete humanity. Thinking back on the Adversary's choice, the Black Mage noted how the Adversary had rejected their fate. He also noted that the power of the Seal Stone - which he described as the power of chaos, the power to refuse control, and the power of the gods - was what had allowed them to do so. However, he added that the decision to use that power had been the Adversary's alone. He realized that the Adversary's decision was, at once, a victory and a defeat, as it had demonstrated both the power of the gods and the will of intelligent beings. Because of this, he realized that if the Adversary could defeat him - the last Transcendent of Maple World - then the universe would, without the enactment of the Genesis Ritual, return to its original state, causing the reawakening of the Ancient Gods after Maple World and Grandis returned back to being one world.

During the final battle, the Adversary and the warriors of the Alliance arrived at the Black Mage's throne room, where the Black Mage addressed them from the Throne of Darkness and declared that their path had always been preordained, and that they were only quickening their pace to its end. As everyone charged in, the Black Mage used his power to create his two knights of light and darkness, the Aeonian Rise and the Tanadian Ruin. After the Adversary and the Alliance defeated the knights, the Black Mage got up from his throne and addressed them, claiming that he had seen a world constricted by chains in the name of balance, an indolent god, and mankind that had lost the meaning of its own existence. Ignoring the Alliance's retorts, the the Black Mage invited the Adversary to approach and meet their destiny. The Adversary and the Alliance then began fighting fiercely against the Black Mage. As their battle intensified, the Black Mage declared that the end of the world was approaching as an unknown energy burst forth from him and swallowed the Temple of Darkness, transporting the exhausted Alliance into an ethereal, galaxy-like realm, where he manifested before them as a powerful being of light, having ascended to become a god on-par with the Overseers themselves, capable of creating and destroying all of existence. Vowing to sacrifice their own life if necessary, the Adversary fought the Black Mage alone in a fierce battle, just as the Genesis Crux appeared before them.

Realizing that the critical moment had arrived, the Adversary began to summon the full power of the Adversary by focusing on their strong determination to sacrifice their own life, but to their shock, the small amount of divine power drawn from the Seal Stone proved to be insufficient in destroying the Genesis Crux. The Black Mage mocked them for believing that they had escaped the Path of Destiny. He declared that they would not live to claim the true power of the Adversary, and that their destiny had already been decided. He then entered the Genesis Crux, leaving the Adversary aghast that even this very moment had been preordained. As the time of Genesis approached, the Adversary collapsed in exhaustion and found themselves in a dreamscape filled with crystals containing scenes from their own memories. They began lamenting how, even at the end, they had been unable to defeat a Transcendent who had become a god. As they closed their eyes, however, a formless white light appeared and spoke with Tana's voice, asking them whether this was truly the end that they wanted. With her sense of self preserved due to the Adversary's refusal to harm her, Tana used her power of creation to manifest a voice close to the Adversary, allowing them to understand 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. As a result, the Adversary was finally able to utilize the full power of the Seal Stone through reaffirming their belief in the value of life, going against what the Black Mage had mistakenly believed would awaken the power of the Adversary - thereby granting them the strength to defeat him once and for all. The Adversary declared to the Black Mage that there was no fixed fate, which was why they stood now before him. The Black Mage retorted that their hopes were futile, to which the Adversary vowed that their collective determination would bring forth a miracle before cleaving through the Black Mage and the Genesis Crux. As the Alliance began celebrating their victory, however, the Adversary suddenly scattered into Erdas and vanished.

The Erda Flow (Current Timeline)

In the Erda Flow, the Adversary awoke and wondered whether they had died before finding that the White Mage was standing before them. The White Mage explained that their body had been annihilated, and that their soul would dilute and disappear after some time. He then congratulated them on their victory, explaining that they had saved the world. The Adversary asked why he had appeared before them if the battle was over. The White Mage replied that he only wanted to share a few words, as he had been waiting to speak with them for a long time. The Adversary was surprised that he had been waiting for them, to which he explained that they were the only one who could save him from the prison of immortality. He noted the irony that the very nature of a Transcendent prevented them from destroying themselves. The Adversary then realized that his ideal world without Transcendents also included erasing himself. The White Mage confirmed their suspicions and explained that it was the very reason why he had needed them. The White Mage revealed that as a result of their actions, they had shattered the fate that had bound them both. He explained that the axis of fate had been tilted the moment when they had refused to take Tana's life. He then asked what had led them to make that decision, to which they replied that it had been because Tana had cried out for help, and that she hadn't wanted to disappear. After a pause, the White Mage told them that though he had been the one to ask them why they hadn't killed Tana, he had perhaps known the answer all along, explaining that he had been in a similar situation. He revealed that the moment he had awakened as a Transcendent, he had also become a pawn of the Overseers. He explained that while trapped in his destiny set by the Overseers, he had tried going against them and had eventually succeeded in carving out the future that he had desired. He noted that it was ironic that the same destiny that he couldn't accept had been forced upon the Adversary. He explained that even if someone had set the path of destiny, a soul like the Adversary's, which had been forged from the belief engraved in their heart, could not waver or bend to another's will.

He told the Adversary that such a soul was the result of having lived a life and added that they really were just like him, as they were both people who had fought against destiny. He noted that as the Adversary had traveled, they had likely experienced the beauty of the world, and that they must have met and walked alongside many others. He explained that those experiences had made them evolve into a being who didn't forget to live with harmony, even in the face of despair, and one whose heart could lead the way by shining a light in the darkness. The White Mage then told the Adversary that life was precious because it was finite, and that, having lost sight of the value of life, he believed that he wasn't qualified to realize his grand ideals. He explained that he had believed that he couldn't change fate as a mortal, and so he had sought to borrow the power of the divine by becoming a Transcendent. He then wondered whether he had lost his qualifications to realize his ideals from the moment that he had cast aside his humanity. The Adversary suddenly felt a strange sensation as their body began disappearing from their fingertips, to which the White Mage told them that it couldn't have been stopped for long. The Adversary then asked him why he had kept fighting if they had already won when they had changed fate in Esfera. The White Mage replied by asking what they had felt as they had walked the Path of Destiny, when they had begun to question their own free will.

After considering it, the Adversary replied that they had felt a sense of helplessness, as they had known that mortals didn't have the power to change their destiny, as those destinies had been set by gods who were too powerful to overcome, just as the White Mage himself had learned firsthand. The White Mage then asked them why they had gone ahead anyway, to which they replied that they couldn't give up simply because it was difficult. The Adversary then noted that what they had really felt upon learning about the Path of Destiny was both anger and the will to live, all at once. They added that their desire wasn't some grand dream of wanting to protect the world, but merely the will to fight for what they believed in, their free will, their belief, and their unwavering faith. They told the White Mage that destiny wasn't set by anyone, but rather, it was shaped by them simply living in the present. The White Mage then noted that the higher beings whom they fought against would see their resistance as futile and asked if they still wouldn't give up, even while knowing that. The Adversary agreed that those higher beings would regard them as pathetic and weak, but nevertheless, they believed that they shouldn't accept their destiny without question. The White Mage was satisfied with their answer, after which the Adversary noted that they now had a better understanding of his thoughts and goals, as being deprived of one's free will and being forced to live in accordance with someone else's destiny was a painful existence. However, they told the White Mage that even though they understood his suffering, it still didn't justify his evil deeds. After a pause, the White Mage told them that when he had first learned about the chains of destiny, he had likely felt the same as they did. Though he had felt rage when he had realized that he had been losing his free will, he had still felt uncertainty. As he had been alone for all his life, he had tried deciding his own path himself, but the moment that he had stopped believing in himself, he had been shaken. In contrast, he told the Adversary that making connections with countless people must have helped them during moments when their faith in themselves had been wavering, which made the Adversary recall Empress Cygnus and Tana.

After a pause, the White Mage told them that even though his plan had been perfect, he had started questioning it. He cited how Kao had lost to him in the past, and how he had sent them back in time, adding that such a risky action of sending a variable back in time could only be done once. He then revealed that it was then that he had begun to think deeply and had actually begun to notice the Adversary and the world more closely, noting that so many things had changed since he had first tried to take over the world centuries ago. He explained that, unlike the selfish people of his time, so many good people had banded together in order to try and change the world. He added that the one who would lead them was not one who lived in fear, but rather, someone who could unite everyone, unlike himself. He then told them that their anger, the answer to his question about what they had felt upon discovering the Path of Destiny, was enough. He explained that life was full of trials and tribulations, but if people like the Adversary could come together and work together, they would be able to overcome any ordeal. He then told them that if the feelings they had felt were real, then it was enough. As the Adversary began disappearing from the Erda Flow, the White Mage told them to never forget their anger. After a pause, he told them that the world which good-natured beings like them would create would be more perfect than anything that he could have made, and so he was content with leaving it all behind to them. As the Adversary disappeared, the White Mage used the power of creation to restore the Adversary and all the fallen Alliance soldiers back to life. Returning into the material world, the Adversary heard the White Mage's final words congratulating them for their victory in having escaped the destiny that he had set for them and finding a new path. He told them that the future was now in their hands, adding that though he didn't know what kind of enemies they would face next, he trusted them to face it. He then asked them once again to keep persevering, and that he would give his blessings for the future that they would create.

Genesis Weapon

Having come to believe in the Adversary, the Black Mage decided to leave behind the Genesis Weapon - a weapon containing a fragment of Tana's power of creation and his own power of destruction. By sealing its power away, the Black Mage hoped that by breaking the seal and unlocking its potential, the Adversary would not only be armed against future threats to the world, but they would also inherit his will and carry on his battle against the Overseers. In order to do so, the Black Mage sealed the weapon's power in such a way that it would require facing afterimages of his Commanders and imbuing it with the Transcendent power he had bestowed upon them. For this reason, the Adversary - with the guidance of Neinheart and Grendel the Really Old - faced the Commanders' afterimages, and as they did, they began to see certain key memories of the Commanders which the Black Mage had intended for the Adversary to see.

While facing the afterimage of Magnus, the Adversary witnessed Hilla infiltrating Tyrant's and confronting Magnus, whom she gave one final chance to explain himself. She asked Magnus why he had never bothered to attend the Commander meetings, even though he was alive and well, and asked whether he opposed the Black Mage's will. Magnus simply laughed and asked if the seal would be broken soon before congratulating the Commanders for all that they had accomplished thus far. Hilla told him to keep his mouth shut, but Magnus was merely amused that he seemed to have struck a nerve. He reminded Hilla that he had never promised his utmost loyalty to the Black Mage and explained that the one he served used very different methods than the Black Mage, adding that he wouldn't embarrass himself further by continuing to play a part in such a ridiculous masquerade. Hilla appeared genuinely upset by Magnus' betrayal and, holding back tears, she told him that it was only right to call him an enemy, swearing that she would take back everything that the Black Mage had given him. Magnus sneered and replied that it should have been that way all along, as he could use a good fight. They then engaged in a fierce battle, the outcome of which was unknown.

While facing the afterimage of Damien, the Adversary witnessed Damien's first meeting with Von Leon. In the memory, Damien was approached by Von Leon during one of his first meetings with the Commanders. Damien was intrigued to learn that Von Leon was a kindred spirit, as they had both lost loved ones and had chosen the path of revenge. Von Leon then unexpectedly told Damien that some things were impossible, even for the Black Mage. Damien was surprised and asked Von Leon why he was so interested in him. Von Leon ignored the question and asked Damien whether he had ever felt as though what he was doing might be pointless. Damien retorted that Von Leon was one to talk about stopping his quest for vengeance, adding that there was no going back for either of them after having sold their souls to the Black Mage. However, Von Leon simply told Damien that even if his mother were to return to life, Damien's tainted soul wasn't fit to be anywhere near her. He explained that he was sure that Damien had expected as much, but added that to be so close to something without being able to touch it was a fate worse than death.

While facing the afterimage of Will, the Adversary witnessed Will's past a scholar attempting to research the Black Mage's goals. After the Interdimensional Portals had appeared, Will had grown increasingly curious about its role in the Black Mage's grand design. Through his research, he had learned that the Interdimensional Portal was an aberration that occurred when a Transcendent stripped the power from another Transcendent and used it. He had concluded that the Interdimensional Portal was a sign of collapse, and that if left unchecked, Maple World and Grandis would destroy one another. Though he had initially wondered whether it was part of the Black Mage's plan to destroy Maple World, he hadn't been able to believe that simple destruction was all that the Black Mage had planned, as there were far simpler methods to destroy the world. He had noted that the Black Mage had deliberately introduced countless variables into his plan, despite knowing that they would get in the way of his goal. Will had pondered endlessly about the Black Mage's goals and had wondered whether it was ambition, a thirst for immortality, intellectual curiosity, or simply a desire to plunge Maple World into chaos. He soon began to grow frustrated when his research simply brought him back to the beginning. Just then, however, that thought triggered an epiphany. He decided to look back to the beginning when the Black Mage had been the White Mage, before he had become the Transcendent of Light. Will successfully finished his research and concluded that the Black Mage's goal was to create a new, perfect world. Having grown convinced of the Black Mage's return, Will had later sought the Black Mage and become a Commander of his own accord, after which he had been tasked with imprisoning Rhinne and preventing the full awakening of a new Transcendent of Time. After the events of Mirror World, Will - as the Black Mage's sole confidante - had been told one more thing by the Black Mage - that he wanted something more than just the creation of a new world.

Finally, while facing the afterimage of Lucid, the Adversary witnessed a memory of Lucid after the Adversary defeated her in Lachelein. Having learned that the Black Mage intended to end his own existence by destroying the world, Lucid had attempted to change his mind after growing obsessed with him, as she saw the Black Mage as her entire world. For this reason, she had created Lachelein in order to change his mind about destroying the world, though she had grown increasingly consumed by her nightmares as she continued trying and failing to reach the Black Mage's mind. Nevertheless, she persistently attempted to reach her master, who had once saved her from despair, as she believed that it was her turn to save him from his own despair, even if she became trapped in her own nightmare as a result. Within the darkness, Lucid cried out and apologized to him for her betrayal, explaining that she had only acted because she had been afraid of losing him. Suddenly, Lucid managed to reach the Black Mage's subconscious, and though she didn't know whether it was because her heart had reached him, or whether it had simply been pure coincidence, she was overjoyed at having finally reached him nevertheless. Before the Black Mage was able to detect her presence, Lucid quickly sensed that there was a disturbance inside his unconscious mind. Peering deeper inside, Lucid sensed a faint, yet intense memory filled with sadness and relief, which had soon turned into unbridled hatred. Just then, however, the Black Mage became aware of Lucid accessing his memories and pushed her out of his mind, leaving her trapped in her own nightmare forever with the knowledge that the person who had meant everything to her had abandoned her for good.

After defeating all the Commanders and unlocking the power of the Genesis Weapon, the Adversary gained the ability to summon the Aeonian Rise and the Tanadian Ruin. Following this, Neinheart told the Adversary that he was certain that the Commanders' memories were the very reason why the Black Mage had left the Genesis Weapon with them. He explained that there were four things that he had concluded from the memories: first, the Black Mage had desired something more than Genesis; second, Lucid had sensed great animosity from within the Black Mage's subconsciousness towards someone; third, there were some things that were impossible, even for the Black Mage himself; finally, the Black Mage's will was quite different from the one whom Magnus served. Neinheart told the Adversary that the Alliance believed that the Black Mage's desire for something greater than Genesis had stemmed from the animosity that he held towards some unknown being, and that he had trusted the Adversary with fulfilling what he couldn't. Grendel noted that while the Black Mage might be gone, his plans hadn't completely failed yet. Neinheart added that what had transpired made sense, as someone as big as the Black Mage wouldn't have simply disappeared without leaving something behind. He noted that on top of that, disappearing without having fulfilled his purpose would have been an even more undesirable ending for him. The Adversary was surprised to know that the Black Mage's designs had extended so far, to which Neinheart told them that the Alliance would keep investigating in the meantime, as all they had to go on was speculation. As none of them knew of the Black Mage's true intentions, Neinheart told the Adversary that he would contact them once he had more information, adding that they should also let him know if they discovered anything else.

Convergence

Following the Black Mage's death, Grendel the Really Old was given a Core by Will that contained the Black Mage's thoughts, causing him to go on a mission to understand the truth behind the Black Mage's actions. The Adversary and Grendel's apprentices - Elwin and Lily - chased after Grendel, who slowly began to understand that the Black Mage had intended to lose from the beginning. In the Morass, they discovered that the echo of the Black Mage created by Tana had transformed into the White Mage after the real Black Mage had become the White Mage in his final moments. The White Mage reassured them that he wasn't the Black Mage and that they had nothing to fear from him. Lily asked what he had told Grendel, to which the White Mage explained that he hadn't told Grendel anything, but rather, Grendel had realized the truth about the purpose of the Transcendents on his own. The Adversary asked him to tell them what Grendel had learned, and so the White Mage told them that long ago, before the Transcendents had existed, the universe had been ruled by many unpredictable and uncontrollable gods who had their own independent aims and goals. In some cases, they had actively interfered in the world, resulting in an inevitable age of chaos. In resistance, the world had desired order and control. Its will had forged chains of law that began suppressing the Ancient Gods, whose creations had gradually become insignificant as a result. Over long years, the chaos had gradually subsided, but the will of the world had not yet been satisfied, as there was a possibility that the Ancient Gods, who had been chained into an unnatural slumber, could still awaken someday, and the countless factors of causality that stemmed from this created countless futures, which spelled an uncertainty that would never end. The White Mage explained that up until that moment, the future remained open, as it wasn't something that could be predicted or manipulated. Because of this, the Transcendents had been created, whose mere existence suppressed the Ancient Gods from ever awakening again. Simultaneously, they had exerted tremendous influence on the universe, and as a result, uncertainty was eradicated, and the future became set in stone. Lily was shocked to know that even the Transcendents were slaves to order and asked if Grendel had any more questions. The White Mage told them that Grendel had asked what would become of Maple World with the absence of the Transcendents, and that he had set out to confirm his suspicions. With their questions answered, Elwin created a new portal to follow Grendel. The White Mage then smiled softly as they left before scattering into Erda.

Destiny Weapon

Following the battle at Shangri-La, the elders of Grandis summoned the Adversary and asked to inspect the Genesis Weapon, as they were shocked that a corrupt Transcendent would not only forge a weapon for someone who had ruined his plans, but allow them to wield that same weapon against another corrupt Transcendent. After examining the weapon, the elders revealed that the Adversary was not wielding the full potential of the Genesis Weapon, much to the Adversary's surprise. They explained that the Adversary's existence as one who wielded the World Heart and retained their sense of self as an Adversary was an entirely unique existence, and that the Black Mage must have thought the same thing, which was why the elders found it improbable that the Black Mage would have left the Genesis Weapon behind merely to lend his own Transcendent power. Zigang, the leader of the elders, explained that what the Black Mage had ultimately left behind wasn't his Transcendent power, but the full potential of the Genesis Weapon itself. Zigang then told the Adversary that they wouldn't be able to overcome the trials that awaited them in the future without their own power as the Adversary. He then unleashed his power as a sage, creating a flash of brilliant light that enveloped the Genesis Weapon. At the Adversary's surprise, Zigang explained that he had merely opened the door for the weapon to react to them, adding that their belief was what would determine whether they could now cross the threshold on their own.

With the guidance of the elders, the Adversary began to awaken the full power of the Genesis Weapon by infusing it with the Adversary's Resolve, assimilating the power of the World Heart into the weapon by defeating afterimages of powerful enemies whom they had once faced in Grandis. Having fulfilled the criteria to unlock the weapon's full potential, Zigang noted that there was only one more question left to answer: what the Black Mage had wished to pass on to his Adversary. At Zigang's question, the Adversary thought back to when they first unlocked the power of the Genesis Weapon, in which they had witnessed several memories of the Commanders that the Black Mage had intended for them to see. From those memories, Neinheart had concluded four things: first, the Black Mage had desired something more than Genesis; second, Lucid had sensed great animosity from within the Black Mage's subconsciousness towards someone; third, there were some things that were impossible, even for the Black Mage; finally, the Black Mage's will was quite different from the one whom Magnus served. The Adversary recalled how Neinheart had believed that the Black Mage had wanted the Adversary to achieve a goal that was impossible for him, and as they thought back to everything they had learned in Grandis, the Adversary's Resolve within the Genesis Weapon began to awaken as they began to piece together the Black Mage's final message to them. They realized that the Black Mage had been considering what would happen to the world after the Genesis Ritual failed, as their universe would not only still be bound to the will of the world, but it would face yet another great tragedy at the hands of Gerand Darmoor.

They then recalled the Black Mage's final words in the Erda Flow – that life was finite, and that he had lost his qualifications to achieve his dream the moment he had given up his humanity. He had noted how he had tried to go against the Overseers by taking the power of the gods, believing that being human was not enough to face such higher powers, which he wondered was the moment that he had been destined to fail. The Adversary then realized that the thing that was impossible – even for a Transcendent – was to face the world's destiny while retaining one's humanity with the finiteness of their own life. They recalled the Black Mage's parting words – for them to never forget their anger towards higher powers that decided their fate, and that the world which good-natured beings would create by coming together would be more perfect than anything he could ever make with the power of the gods. The Adversary then realized the final message that the Black Mage had wished to pass down: that they were qualified to fulfill his dream because they were one who went against destiny while retaining their humanity. Because of this, they resolved to gather the determination of those around them so that they would not be defeated by those who sought to do as they pleased with the world. As the Adversary's Resolve transformed the Genesis Weapon into the Destiny Weapon, the Adversary saw a vision of the White Mage smiling at them and passing down his will in their hands.

Tallahart

Despite the Black Mage's death, the Adversary continued keeping the lessons which they had learned from him during their adventures in Grandis. After the Adversary defeated the supreme Ancient God, Noctis, in Tallahart, Noctis asked them to finish her off with the World Heart, claiming that it was her destiny as an Ancient God and theirs as an Adversary. However, the Adversary refused to take her life, claiming that someone else had once told them about their predetermined destiny, and that they would tell her what they had told the Black Mage – that destiny was not something decided for them, but rather, it was something they created for themselves in their present. Noctis was intrigued by the idea of an Adversary who created their own destiny and eventually agreed to hear the Adversary out, causing her to realize that they were not her true enemy.

Webtoon

Nexon has commissioned the author and artist to make a webtoon called Black Mage: Origin, which serves as a prologue of the Black Mage's story.

• Black Mage: Origin - Part 1
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 1 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 2
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 2 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 3
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 3 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 4
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 4 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 5
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 5 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 6
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 6 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 7
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 7 (English)
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 8
• Black Mage: Origin - Part 8 (English)

Gallery

• 
  Black Mage as he appears in-game.
• 
  NPC Portrait of the White Mage
• 
  NPC Portrait of the White Mage
• 
  NPC Portrait of the White Mage
• 
  NPC Portrait of the White Mage
• 
  NPC Portrait of the White Mage
• 
  Black Mage Maple Guide icon
• 
  Black Mage Boss UI artwork (current)
• 
  Black Mage Boss UI artwork (old)
• 
  Black Mage Boss Entry UI artwork
• 
  Boss Phase 1 Cutscene
• 
  Boss Phase 2 Cutscene
• 
  Boss Phase 3 Cutscene
• 
  Boss Phase 4 Cutscene
• 
  Boss Fail Cutscene

Videos

MapleStory - Legend: Mercedes Animated Intro

Mercedes and Freud confronting the Black Mage. (KMS)

MapleStory - Legend: Demon Slayer Animated Intro (Male version)

Demon Slayer battling and losing against the Black Mage. (KMS male version)

MapleStory - Legend: Demon Slayer Animated Intro (Female version)

Demon Slayer battling and losing against the Black Mage. (KMS female version)

MapleStory - Legends: Mercedes Animated Intro Video

Mercedes and Freud confronting the Black Mage. (GMS)

MapleStory - Legends: Demon Slayer Animated Intro Video

Demon Slayer battling and losing against the Black Mage. (GMS)

MapleSEA Legends Class - Mercedes

Mercedes and Freud confronting the Black Mage. (MSEA)

MapleSEA Legends Class - Demon Slayer

Demon Slayer battling and losing against the Black Mage. (MSEA)

MapleStory - Tempest: Luminous Animated Intro

Luminous battling and sealing the Black Mage. (KMS)

新職業ルミナス実装！！

Luminous battling and sealing the Black Mage. (JMS)

MapleStory: Luminous Anime Video

Luminous battling and sealing the Black Mage. (GMS)

MapleSEA - Luminous

Luminous battling and sealing the Black Mage. (MSEA)

MapleStory - You & I: Eunwol (은월) Animated Intro

Black Mage and Lucid taunting Shade.

[MapleStory] Kinesis Animation Video 2 [HD] (English Subtitles)

MapleStory: Kinesis All Animation Videos [ENG Ver]

【MapleStory】 Kinesis All Animation Videos [JP Ver]

MapleStorySEA - Heroes of Maple: The Black Mage

MapleStory - Animated Sequence of Arcane River's Road of Vanishing

MapleStory - Ending Sequence of Arcana

에스페라, 종말의 시작

Esfera, the Beginning of the End

메이플스토리 검은마법사 - 영웅집결

MapleStory - Black Mage: Call for the Alliance

English subtitles

하현우 - 검은마법사 테마송 'DARKNESS'

It's the theme song of the Black Mage. This song was sung by Hyun-woo Ha, who's famous South Korean rock star.

때가 되었다 - 검은마법사 TVC 15"

MapleStory - Black Mage: "It is time" TV commercial

MapleStory - The End of the Black Mage

MapleStory Black Mage: Chapter 1 "Life"

MapleStory Black Mage: Chapter 2 "Death"

MapleStory Black Mage: Chapter 3 "Rebirth"

MapleStory Black Mage: Chapter 4 "War"

MapleStory Black Mage: Final Chapter "Gathering of Heroes"

MapleStory Black Mage: Prologue "Origins"

MapleSEA Black Mage Alliance to Arms

메이플스토리 검은 마법사 Origin 애니메이션

【メイプルストーリー】Black Mage プロローグムービー

【メイプルストーリー】Black Mage「ヒルラWEB CM」

【メイプルストーリー】Black Mage第一弾「英雄集結」アニメーションPV

【新楓之谷-一切的起源】

Black Mage Origin (TMS)

【新楓之谷】英雄集結，即刻備戰！

MapleStory Black Mage: Prologue

MapleStory BlackMage: Gathering of Heroes

THMS BlackMage Gathering of Heroes

[메이플스토리] 챕터1. 끝나지 않은 이야기

Chapter 1. A Story Has Not Ended

MapleStory Glory Story: Chapter 1

MapleStory Chapter 1. A Dark Destiny

[GLORY]Chapter 1-未完的故事

A Story Has Not Ended

Trivia

• The Black Mage shares many similarities with Gerand Darmoor, Grandis's Transcendent of Life. Both are evil Transcendents of their world, had robbed their world's Transcendent of Time's powers, and Magnus is both of their servants.

• Black Mage's leitmotif/theme BGM is DarkMage (Black Mage). It is rearranged to ThroneOfDarkness, which is boss monster Black Mage's one of theme BGMs.
• The Black Mage's signature weapon of chains is meant to symbolize how he weaponized the Overseers' own chains of law against them through using the Seal Stones - their own creation - to destroy the Transcendents, as well as by using their predetermined destiny for the world into creating the future that would lead to his victory.