Draining Crystal
 Spoiler Alert!
|
| The details below contain SPOILERS, you may want to view this after completing the storyline in-game. |
A draining crystal is a relic used by Gerand Darmoor and his Apostles. These crystals have the ability to absorb the power of higher beings, such as Ancient Gods and Transcendents. The term 'draining crystal' is used conjecturally, as these objects do not yet have official names in the story.
Properties and Use
Draining crystals form a strange, eye-like pattern through a dark purple crystal in the center, with red energy formed around its exterior. These crystals have a red, smoky aura and discharge lightning that surrounds their exterior.
The main property of a draining crystal is that it can forcibly absorb the power of a higher being. These crystals have the ability to store the power of multiple gods, as seen with Reina's draining crystal holding both Cygnus' unawakened Transcendent powers and that of an unknown god.
The user of a draining crystal can also use the stolen power stored inside it. However, channeling the power of a god as a mortal comes at a great cost, severely weakening the user. In order to circumvent this, Reina made use of several prisoners whom she had frozen solid, using her connection to them in order to avoid the physical recoil of using the crystal. This recoil was described by one prisoner as a sharp pain, which resulted in their memories slowly being erased as Reina continued forcibly channeling the crystal's power. When Reina used the crystal, one of her purple eyes turned icy-blue, although it is unknown whether this was a result of using the crystal, deflecting its recoil to her prisoners, or her innate power.
The draining crystal's ability to absorb the power of a god is almost identical in property to the World Heart and the Abyss Crystal. It is speculated by the Adversary that the draining crystal is a variation of the Godsphere. As the Godspheres and the Seal Stones themselves were modeled off the World Heart and modified to respond to the will of the people, it is possible that the draining crystals are weaker imitations of the World Heart without the alterations made by the elders of Grandis and Freud. If the draining crystals are indeed variants of the Godsphere, this would mean that the crystals contain the power of the Overseers.
History
Fox Valley
Although it is unknown who originally created the draining crystals, it is highly likely that Gerand Darmoor or one of his accomplices were the creators of the crystal. The purpose of these crystals was to absorb the powers of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents. At one point, an unknown Apostle of Darmoor was sent to Fox Valley with a draining crystal. After Sino the Fox God repelled the Apostle, she discovered the draining crystal that they had left behind, which she used to determine the Apostle's identity. Concerned about Darmoor's plan, Sino attempted to contact the elders of Grandis in order to request their aid in stopping him.
Attacks on Maple World and Grandis
Soon after the Adversary obtained the World Heart, Darmoor ordered his Apostles to launch multiple, coordinated attacks all across Maple World and Grandis, hoping to absorb the power of multiple Ancient Gods who were slowly awakening.
Arteria
Reina was sent to Ereve in order to steal the Transcendent powers of Cygnus and the Ancient God powers of Shinsoo. In order to aid her, Darmoor presented her with a crystal that already contained the power of a god. Reina used the crystal to kidnap Cygnus and absorb her Transcendent powers, bypassing the recoil of forcibly channeling the power of the gods with her ice prisoners. However, she was unable to absorb the power of Shinsoo, which was instead given to the Adversary by Shinsoo, who surrendered her power to the World Heart.
Carcion
Soon after, Limbo was sent to Carcion in order to drain the power of Keira, the Ancient God of Carcion. Though Limbo managed to break through Keira's protective barrier, he instead chose to physically absorb Keira's power into himself first before using the draining crystal, as he wished to enjoy the feeling of wielding the power of the gods for himself. After the Adversary defeated Limbo and recovered Keira's powers, Havoc arrived in order to reinforce Limbo. Using another draining crystal, Havoc stole Keira's powers, grumbling about having to steal the powers of yet another god. Following the battle at Carcion, it was later revealed to the Adversary by Prince Carlisle that the Apostles had been attacking many locations throughout Maple World and Grandis, and that they had used the draining crystals to steal the power of many Ancient Gods all across the world. After Limbo and Havoc reported back to Aboris, Darmoor was seen with countless draining crystals floating throughout his throne room.
Tallahart
During the mission to Tallahart, Baldrix attempted to use a draining crystal to take the dormant power of the fallen Ancient Gods of Tallahart. However, upon sensing the power of the supreme god Noctis in Tallahart, he instead changed goals and allowed the Adversary to claim the full power into the World Heart. In order to help facilitate this, Baldrix used a draining crystal to attack the Adversary, who responded by unleashing the power of the World Heart and shattering the draining crystal. Later on, Baldrix confronted Noctis' twin sister, Luce, and presented five draining crystals to demonstrate how many gods he had defeated. He then killed Luce and absorbed her power into a draining crystal before giving the crystal to the Adversary, intending for Noctis to turn on them after seeing them with the crystal containing her sister's power. However, the Adversary was able to make a deal with Noctis, giving her the crystal in exchange for the remainder of her power.
Known Crystals
- A crystal was used by an unknown Apostle for an unknown purpose in Fox Valley. It is unknown whether this crystal contains the power of a god, although it is speculated that the storm that nearly drowned the fox Anima village was due to the crystal's power. It is also possible that the crystal was intended to absorb the power of Sino the Fox God.
- A crystal in Reina's possession contains the power of an unknown Ancient God. Although unknown which god's power is contained in it, it is possible that it contains the power of a god with ice powers to complement Reina's own ice powers. This crystal was later used to absorb Cygnus' Transcendent powers.
- A crystal in Limbo's possession was brought with him to Carcion, though it was ultimately unused, as he instead chose to absorb Keira's power directly into himself in an attempt to reach the Abyssal Source.
- A crystal in Havoc's possession, containing the power of several Ancient Gods, was used to absorb a large majority of Keira's power.
- At least five crystals in Baldrix's possession contained the power of many Ancient Gods. One crystal was used to steal the power of Luce, though this was later given to the Adversary, who in turn surrendered it to Noctis.
- Dozens of draining crystals remain in Darmoor's possession within Aboris after the Apostles' raids were conducted upon the Ancient Gods. One crystal is likely to hold the power of the Ancient God Gob, who was attacked and drained by Darmoor some time before the convergence of Maple World and Grandis.