Genesis Weapon/Story

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Story

What the Black Mage Left Behind

After the final battle, Neinheart reached out to the Adversary and thanked them once again for defeating the Black Mage and bringing peace to Maple World. However, he explained that even though the Black Mage was now dead, there were several questions that still remained. He told the Adversary that they had discovered something several days ago, and that the entire Alliance had come together in order to investigate it. However, as the Alliance was experiencing certain problems that they couldn't overcome on their own, he asked the Adversary whether they would help in the investigation efforts. After the Adversary agreed, Neinheart asked them to travel to Limina in order to defeat an afterimage of the Black Mage, which had appeared in the area. After defeating the Black Mage's afterimage, the Adversary traveled to Ereve, where they found Neinheart and Grendel awaiting them. Noting that the Adversary had defeated the Black Mage's afterimage, Neinheart explained that it served as further proof of their strength, which meant that they were ready to see what the Alliance had discovered. He showed the Adversary a chest dripping with dark energy, explaining that after the Black Mage's death, Alliance members investigating the area had discovered some type of weapon inside the giant's heart.

Believing that the Black Mage had left it behind, the Alliance members had taken it back to Ereve, where Grendel had locked it away. Grendel told the Adversary that he had inspected the weapon in every possible way that he could, and that his investigation had led him to conclude that it contained incredible potential. He explained that it was called the Genesis Weapon, which contained the powers of creation and destruction that the Black Mage had wielded. Neinheart told the shocked Adversary that the Alliance believed that the weapon had the power to face an even greater enemy, and that they hoped to take advantage of it as the catalyst that the Alliance needed in order to become stronger and defend their world against the coming threat. Grendel explained that in order to control something that strong, the wielder would need to become that much more powerful, as otherwise, they could never hope to wield such a weapon.

As only someone with the ability to control that power could wield the Genesis Weapon, Grendel told the Adversary that they were the first person that the Alliance had thought of. He then opened the chest and invited the Adversary to inspect the weapon. The Adversary was surprised to find that the Genesis Weapon looked identical to their own. Neinheart explained that he believed that the Black Mage had intended to leave the weapon behind specifically for them. However, he added that they needed to be cautious, as it was still a weapon created by the Black Mage. He explained that he had asked them to defeat the Black Mage's afterimage as a test in order to ensure that they wouldn't lose control of the weapon's power. Grendel added that there was one final test, though it would be administered by the Genesis Weapon itself. As the weapon was sealed with a mysterious strength, he explained that the Adversary would need to remove the seal in order to unlock its full potential.

Traces of Von Leon the Lion King

Neinheart told the Adversary that both he and Grendel suspected that the key to unlocking the seal had to lie with the Black Mage and his Commanders, though he warned that they could be certain that anything to do with the Black Mage and his Commanders wouldn't be easy. He then allowed the Adversary to think on whether they were willing to embark on such a dangerous mission, as they had already saved the world and defeated a god, meaning that the decision was theirs alone whether to return to the difficult path. After considering it, the Adversary agreed to unseal the Genesis Weapon and claim the power within. Neinheart explained that according to Grendel, they could imbue the Genesis Weapon with Traces of Darkness by defeating afterimages of the Commanders. He told the Adversary that the Black Mage had given his Commanders power from the Traces of Darkness, and that the traces would appear in the place of the Commanders' afterimages as soon as they disappeared. The Adversary then traveled to the Lion King's Castle, where they defeated Von Leon's afterimage. The Adversary then returned back to Ereve, where Grendel greeted them and noted that they had successfully managed to imbue the Genesis Weapon with the Trace of Darkness inside Von Leon's afterimage.

Traces of Arkarium, the Guardian of Time

After examining the weapon, however, Grendel explained that there was still a missing element. He speculated that they would likely need part of the Black Mage's power in order to unleash the weapon's strength. Neinheart realized that the Adversary would likely need to face another Commander's afterimage, and so the Adversary traveled to the Dimensional Schism and obtained another Trace of Darkness from within Arkarium's afterimage. After defeating Arkarium's afterimage, the Trace of Darkness inside him was imbued into the weapon, which the Adversary brought back to Ereve. There, Grendel extracted the magical power from within the Trace of Darkness and transferred it inside the Genesis Weapon. Immediately after the power transfer, everyone nearby experienced a vision of Arkarium from shortly after the World Tree incident, in which Arkarium slithered up the stairs to the Black Mage's throne, fuming at Hilla's earlier declaration that he was being punished for his jealousy, rather than the Black Mage merely allowing him to rest. Gathering his power with his staff, 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. Neinheart realized that according to the memory, Arkarium had needed his staff in order to fully restore his powers after having barely survived his battle with Damien. Grendel realized that the staff's power had likely been similar to that of the Black Mage, adding that the combination of the Commander's power and the Black Mage's power must have been quite potent. He then realized that it served as confirmation that in order to fully unseal the Genesis Weapon, they would need part of the Black Mage's power through his afterimages, as well as those of his Commanders.

Traces of the Tyrant Magnus

The Adversary then traveled to Tyrant's Castle in Heliseum, where they defeated Magnus' afterimage and obtained a Trace of Darkness from inside him, which was absorbed into the Genesis Weapon. After the Adversary returned back to Ereve, Grendel began infusing the Trace of Darkness' power into the weapon, resulting in one of Magnus' memories flowing into their minds. They 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.

Traces of Lotus, the Wing Master

Next, the Adversary traveled to the Scrapyard and defeated Lotus' afterimage, from whom they obtained a Trace of Darkness. After the Trace of Darkness was absorbed into the Genesis Weapon, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel noted that it had accumulated considerable power, and that it seemed like the first stage of that power was ready to be awakened. After he unlocked the first restraint on the weapon, the Adversary found that the weapon held the ability to use a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent powers of destruction, allowing them to summon the Tanadian Ruin.

Traces of Damien, the Sword of Destruction

Neinheart then told the Adversary that the next afterimage that they would need to face would be Damien's, from whom they would need to obtain the Trace of Darkness. The Adversary then traveled to the Dark World Tree and defeated Damien's afterimage. After the Genesis Weapon absorbed the Trace of Darkness, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel infused the Black Mage's powers into the weapon. As his power was transferred into the weapon, everyone was able to see one of Damien's memories, in which they witnessed his 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.

Traces of Will, the King of Spiders

Next, the Adversary traveled to Esfera and faced Will's afterimage. After absorbing the Trace of Darkness inside Will's afterimage into the Genesis Weapon, the Adversary returned back to Ereve, where Grendel infused the power of the Black Mage into the weapon. As the power transfer occurred, a memory from Will's past flooded into the minds of everyone nearby, in which they witnessed Will's past a scholar attempting to research the Black Mage's goals. After the Interdimensional Portal 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.

Traces of Lucid, Keeper of Nightmares

The Adversary then traveled to Lachelein and faced Lucid's afterimage, from whom they obtained another Trace of Darkness that the Genesis Weapon absorbed into itself. After Grendel transferred the Black Mage's power into the Genesis Weapon, everyone was able to see 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.

Traces of Verus Hilla the Red Witch

With only one Commander left to face, the Adversary battled Verus Hilla's afterimage, from whom they obtained the final Trace of Darkness, which was imbued into the Genesis Weapon. After the Adversary returned back to Ereve, Grendel imbued the Genesis Weapon with the entirety of its power. He then fully broke the seal on the weapon, unlocking its full potential and allowing the Adversary to use a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent powers of creation, with which they could summon the Aeonian Rise.

Lingering Question and Fresh Start

Neinheart congratulated the Adversary for fully awakening the power of the Genesis Weapon, explaining that he now understood why the Black Mage might have left such a weapon behind. He told the Adversary that while they had been fighting the afterimages of the Black Mage and his Commanders, the Alliance had been doing follow-up investigations regarding the memories that they had seen of the Commanders, adding that he was certain that those 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 for 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 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 discover anything else.