Orchid

Orchid
Current Masked Masked (Chipped)Commander Past Spirit
Title	Wing Master (formerly)
Hometown	Forest of Peace
Gender	Female
Race	Spirit of Darkness (originally) Human
Family	Lotus (twin brother)
Emblem	Rabbit Wings
Affiliations	Adversary Guwaru Francis Black Mage (formerly) Black Wings (founder, formerly) Gelimer (formerly)
Minions	Black Wings (formerly)
Enemies	Black Mage Gelimer Hilla Phantom
Status	Alive
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	오르카 (Orca)
JapanMS	オルカ (Orca)
ChinaMS	奥尔卡 (Orca)
TaiwanMS	殺人鯨 (Orca; Killer Whale)
MapleSEA	Orchid
Voice Actors
GlobalMS	Kira Buckland^[1]
KoreaMS	Yeojin Yoon^[2]

“Without you, Lotus, there's no Orchid. And without Orchid, there's no Lotus.”

― Orchid, talking with Lotus after being transformed into a human

Orchid is a former Commander of the Black Mage, one of the twin Wing Masters, the founder of the Black Wings, and the twin sister of Lotus. After the events of Black Heaven, Orchid betrayed the Black Mage and worked alongside the Alliance to defeat him in the Arcane River.

Story (Post-Remaster)

Note: Orchid's storyline was remastered under the KMS story team's new continuity in the NEXT Update.

Spirits of Darkness

Orchid and Lotus were Spirits of Darkness, born from the negative thoughts of humanity, and lived in the Forest of Peace, a land where no daylight could pierce through. During their time as spirits, Orchid would often coax Lotus into playing pranks on humans who wandered in the Forest of Peace. On one such occasion, Orchid overheard a human talking about gathering food for a festival. Intrigued, Orchid convinced Lotus to follow the human back to his camp, where they found a gathering of humans, both young and old, celebrating and enjoying themselves. Wishing to partake in the festivities, Orchid and Lotus possessed stuffed rabbits held by two different children, remaining still during the day and exploring the campsite at night. Orchid was deeply interested in human food, drinks, and merriment, causing her to wish that she could become a human and experience such things for herself.

While inside the rabbit dolls, Orchid and Lotus were carried around by the two children, one of whom was the son of a hunter, and the other being the daughter of a musician. In the hands of the girl, Orchid was enchanted by her father's wondrous descriptions of beautiful places across the world, such as floating castles, golden sand, and fluffy snow. Meanwhile, Lotus listened to the hunter giving sober warnings to his son about the struggles of survival and the hardships that he would have to deal with from being forced to grow up too soon. Later on, Orchid and Lotus began discussing about what they had heard, with both of them having differing stances on being human. Whereas Lotus believed that being human was filled with sorrow and hardship, noting the dead, animalistic eyes in the hunter and his son, Orchid was convinced that being human was to experience joy and possibility, dismissing Lotus's concerns about death by claiming that it was unrealistic that humans would ever worry about a natural part of their lifecycle. Convinced by Orchid's entreating, Lotus agreed with her that they ought to become human. One day, they encountered the White Mage, who offered them human bodies in exchange for helping him understand the darkness, which was part of his research to attain the ultimate light.

Wing Masters

After the White Mage awakened as the Black Mage, he sought out Orchid and Lotus and made them his Commanders. Naming them his twin Wing Masters, he also gave them the power to manipulate gravity. During the war, the Black Mage arranged a conference with Empress Aria under the pretense of peace negotiations. However, he instead sent Orchid and Lotus to attack Ereve and kill the Empress. During their assault, Orchid and Lotus killed a large majority of the Noblesse, as well as the Knight of Light who protected Aria. After Lotus killed Aria, Orchid expressed her surprise that he had finished her off. When Lotus asked Orchid whether she was feeling sorry for Aria, whom he called a "toy", Orchid replied that she had been hoping to play with her more. Despite her injuries, Aria managed to speak and asked the Commanders to turn away from the Black Mage, claiming that it wasn't too late to protect the world.

In the last days of the war, the Black Mage and his Commanders assaulted the Temple of Time, where the Black Mage stole the powers of Rhinne, the Transcendent of Time. Shortly after the battle, Orchid was present at a meeting between the Commanders who weren't away on missions, which included herself, the Demon, Von Leon, and Arkarium. During the meeting, the Demon reported that he had learned about the existence of a resistance movement that called themselves the Heroes. Orchid laughed that their resistance hadn't put up much of a fight when she had taken Ereve or eliminated Aria. Arkarium retorted that the battle at Ereve had been easy because of the Black Mage's involvement, not her power, and warned her to watch her tongue. Orchid petulantly replied that since the Black Mage had taken care of everything, she hadn't needed to use her full power.

The Demon then asked her where Lotus was, to which Orchid replied that Lotus was busy because he was always looking for more to do, even without being assigned tasks. As the meeting devolved into Arkarium bickering with the Demon, Von Leon attempted to defuse the situation. Orchid then asked why the Black Mage had changed their orders to destroy all of Ossyria, as they would have no one left to rule over. The Demon soon realized that the Black Mage had broken his promise and ordered Leafre to be destroyed, which had resulted in his family's death. Vowing revenge on the Black Mage, the Demon sent a letter to the Heroes outlining his betrayal, after which the Heroes stormed the Temple of Time. During the battle, Phantom went after Orchid and Lotus in order to get revenge on them for killing Aria. After a fierce battle, Phantom managed to severely wound Orchid and render Lotus comatose. Following the battle, Orchid vowed that she would do anything to bring Lotus back.

The Black Wings

Over the centuries, Orchid spent all her time trying to find a way to revive her comatose brother. Eventually, she came across Gelimer, a scientist who specialized in medicine and biotechnology. When Orchid approached Gelimer, he was amazed at the perfect body that Lotus had been given by the White Mage. Though he promised that he would revive her brother, Gelimer secretly plotted to keep Lotus for himself and turn him into the ultimate android. Orchid then founded the Black Wings to carry out her plans and recruited members by claiming that she was planning to resurrect the Black Mage, who would grant them all their wishes. Under her command, the Black Wings seized control of the town of Edelstein and placed it under authoritarian rule. After taking control of the Verne Mine, the Black Wings began expanding their reach across Maple World as Gelimer continued his experiments to revive Lotus.

A New Empress

Soon after the founding of the Black Wings, Orchid received word that an envoy of Ereve had sought children's medicine in Mu Lung. Realizing that Aria's descendent may have been found, Orchid prepared for the Black Wings to invade Ereve. As their invasion began, Cygnus - who had been discovered and trained by Neinheart and a wandering warrior - accepted the power of Shinsoo, and under her leadership, the army of Ereve managed to repel the Black Wings.

Facing Aran

As the time of the Black Mage's return drew near, Orchid began preparing for his resurrection by ordering the Black Wings to obtain the Seal Stones that the Heroes had hidden across Maple World, intending to destroy them and break their limitations on the Black Mage's power. As the Black Wings scoured Maple World for the Seal Stone, Aran was freed from the ice and began working to thwart the Black Wings while regaining her lost memories. After discovering the location of the Seal Stone of Orbis, Orchid dispatched Hiver and Dargoth the Giant to break into the Sealed Garden. There, Aran, who was investigating the Black Wings' activities, managed to defeat Dargoth, just as Orchid used her Wing Master powers to freeze Aran in place inside a gravity sphere, opening a portal for Hiver to emerge and claim the Seal Stone. Hiver realized that Aran was the one who had defeated Dargoth and Francis, just as Orchid appeared from another portal, recognizing Aran as the polearm hero. Orchid was amused to learn that Aran had lost her memories and strength due to the Black Mage's curse, laughing that it was ridiculous that she was still trying to be a hero in spite of it. Hiver then presented the Seal Stone to Orchid, who noted that he and the others had been so useless that she had been forced to come herself in order to ensure their success. Though she declared that she didn't have time to play with Aran, she vowed that she would get rid of her the next time they met before retreating with Hiver through the portals and disappearing. Soon after, Orchid once again used her powers to open a portal for Hiver to obtain the Seal Stone of Mu Lung, as well as to trap Aran in a gravity sphere, though Aran was able to dodge Orchid's attack just in time. Later on, Orchid used he power to open a portal for Hiver to claim the Seal Stone of Ellin Forest after he and Aran traveled back in time through a portal in Ludibrium.

Facing Mercedes

Orchid soon learned from Francis the Puppeteer that Mercedes had awoken from her curse, as well as the location of Elluel. Orchid then ordered the Black Wings to attack the elven kingdom, although Mercedes, Athena Pierce, and the elders managed to drive them out. Following the battle, Mercedes formed an alliance with Cygnus, who dispatched Cygnus Knights to guard Elluel. Soon after, Orchid ordered the Black Wings to poison Elluel's water supply, though Mercedes once again managed to stop them before they could do any further damage. Orchid then had the Shadow Knight lead Mercedes into a trap, though the Shadow Knight disobeyed orders and instead challenged Mercedes to a duel. Soon after Mercedes defeated the Shadow Knight, Orchid sent Hiver and Dargoth to ambush Mercedes by tricking her into believing that they knew how to lift the curse on the elves. After their attack failed, Orchid had Baroq shapeshift into Mercedes and free an elf child - Moonie - from the ice and kidnap him. Soon after, Orchid sent Mercedes a letter ordering her to come to the Verne Mine for Moonie and signed it as someone who remembered her. Mercedes entered the Verne Mine and was led by Le Tierre to Orchid's room, where where the Wing Master was waiting for her.

Orchid mocked Mercedes for her one-track mind, claiming that once Mercedes focused on something, she was unable to notice anything else. At first, Mercedes couldn't believe her eyes, but after realizing that it was indeed Orchid, she asked how the Wing Master could still be alive, to which Orchid merely said that she could ask the same of Mercedes. Orchid explained that ever since she had heard that Mercedes had been freed from the Black Mage's curse, she had wanted to meet her. Mercedes then realized that Orchid was the leader of the Black Wings, which explained why the Black Wings seemed to know so much about her. She asked Orchid what the point of reviving the Black Mage was, to which Orchid began to hint at something that the Black Mage was planning, even in spite of being sealed away, but stopped herself mid-sentence and joked that she had almost given away a secret. The two then engaged in a battle, which Mercedes was barely able to win, causing Orchid to retreat.

Attacking Rien

After Francis discovered that the Seal Stone of Victoria Island was being kept on Rien, Orchid arranged for the Black Wings to attack the island, personally leading the invasion and trapping Maha's spirit inside a gravity cage, after which she attempted to break down the barrier to the Rien Library, where Lilin had kept the Seal Stone of Victoria Island. Aran rushed to the scene and confronted Orchid, ordering her to stop at once. She then turned to Maha and asked her where Lilin was, to which Maha replied that he didn't know, and that Orchid had somehow been able to perceive him and suppress his power. Orchid then laughed that she would play with Aran slowly in order to pay her back for what Mercedes had done to her. Realizing that Rien was a precious place to Aran, Orchid summoned hordes of Black Wings henchmen to raze it down, to which Aran stood her ground and defeated them all. Just as Orchid decided to fight Aran personally, she suddenly stopped in surprise upon Phantom arriving to reinforce Aran. Realizing that she couldn't handle two of the Heroes without Lotus, she decided to retreat without the Seal Stone, though she declared that she would soon return and face Aran with her full power.

Black Wings Schism

Over time, Orchid began growing impatient with Gelimer, who continued delaying his promise to revive Lotus. Unbeknownst to Orchid, Gelimer had secretly been funneling resources into his secret research to create a special type of android called a Xenoroid, which he hoped to turn Lotus into as his puppet. After Xenon - Gelimer's perfect prototype - managed to escape, Gelimer ordered several Black Wings officers to recover Xenon while keeping it a secret from Orchid. Soon after, Orchid confronted him about him falling behind his timetable once again. Gelimer told Orchid that there was no need to check up on him in person, promising that his research would be finished soon. However, Orchid snapped at him, claiming that Arkarium's plans were well under way, and that she couldn't let him beat her and Lotus. Gelimer explained that there had been complications, and that it wasn't easy creating a creature as powerful as what she was asking for, though he promised that he would have it ready soon. She told him that he had better be right, as it was the very reason why she had formed the Black Wings in the first place. Gelimer told her that if she had spent so many years waiting, then a few more days wouldn't make a difference. He assured her that once he finished, the resulting creature would be more powerful than herself and Lotus put together.

In order to help Gelimer revive Lotus, Orchid ordered the Black Wings to obtain a secret document in Magatia on life creation, which had been written by the Black Mage. However, the Black Wings failed to obtain the document, as it had been enchanted with a powerful truth-concealing alchemy. Following this, Orchid personally traveled to Magatia and met with Bedin of the Zenumists. Orchid masqueraded as a pitiful little girl and asked Bedin about a way to reveal concealed truths, claiming that she needed the knowledge to save her brother, who was the only surviving member of her family. Bedin told Orchid about how to make a truth-revealing potion, but as his recipe would take a hundred years to craft, he sent her to speak with Russellon of the Alcadnos. Russellon told Orchid that Homunscullo's Blood was a truth-revealing potion and told her to obtain it from a Homunscullo. Orchid easily managed to obtain it, though Gelimer sent Beryl in order to obtain the document first.

Evolution Lab

Orchid being attacked by a brainwashed Lotus.

As the schism between Orchid and Gelimer continued to grow, she once again confronted him and demanded to know whether his experiments would truly bring Lotus back. Gelimer assured her that Lotus would return in perfect form, after which he proposed the draft of a massive airship that he was planning to build, Black Heaven, and convinced Orchid to approve the project. Soon after, Gelimer moved Lotus from Orchid's room to a new area of the laboratory called the Evolution Lab. There, he finished transforming Lotus into the perfect Xenoroid, making him far stronger than his prototypes, Xenon and Beryl. Orchid soon discovered the Evolution Lab and demanded to know why he had moved Lotus without her permission. She threatened Gelimer and reminded him that his experiments should have concluded months ago. Gelimer promised that Lotus would awaken imminently and demonstrated his claim by releasing Lotus from his pod. Orchid was overjoyed to see her brother awaken, but she quickly grew confused when he wouldn't respond to her. Gelimer then commanded Lotus to execute Program Alpha-97, which caused Lotus to turn on his sister and drain her half of the Wing Master powers. Gelimer revealed that he had succeeded in taking control of Lotus, who himself had the ability to control others, and explained that he had deliberately kept Lotus's brain in hibernation, since his powers were all that Gelimer wanted. Severely injured, Orchid weakly asked Gelimer why he needed Lotus's body. Gelimer explained that the Black Mage required a vessel, not another follower, and with that, he left Orchid to die and took Lotus with him.

Soon after, the Resistance discovered the Evolution Lab and found an unconscious Orchid, whom they brought back to the Secret Plaza. Claudine briefed the other Resistance leaders on what had happened between Orchid and Gelimer, adding that Orchid was now just like a normal little girl without her powers. She explained that she hadn't put Orchid in prison because of her fragile condition, though she hoped to make Orchid pay for her crimes soon enough. In order to learn more about what Gelimer was plotting Claudine decided to send Belle to investigate the Evolution Lab. Several days later, Brighton rushed urgently to Claudine and informed her that Orchid had managed to escape. Meanwhile, Orchid traveled to the Evolution Lab, where she encountered a hologram of Lotus, which had been created as the interface for the Evolution System. Orchid quickly realized that the hologram was an AI created by Gelimer and grew angry, causing the last remnants of her Wing Master power to manifest. The AI detected Orchid as a threat and attacked her, immediately knocking her out. The Resistance then discovered Orchid and brought her back to the Secret Plaza, where Claudine treated her injuries. Soon after, she spoke with Brighton and explained that though she had done all that she could medically, Orchid had fallen into a coma. Just then, Belle arrived from the Evolution Lab and explained her findings. She told them that the Evolution System had evolved by itself without any changes to its internal system and begrudgingly admitted that Gelimer was a genius, despite how much it pained her to say. She explained that the system was capable of making its own judgements, allowing it to evolve into a stronger model on its own. Having recognized Orchid as a strong enemy, it had enhanced its own system to accommodate. As they wondered what this would mean, Orchid suddenly called out to Lotus from her coma, surprising the group. Far away, Lotus shed a tear for the sister whom he had been forced to turn against. Gelimer was surprised to see Lotus crying, as he had believed that he had suppressed all of Lotus's emotions and desires. As Gelimer set out to correct the behavior, Lotus also called out to Orchid.

Black Heaven

After the Alliance learned about the existence of Black Heaven, they sent an Alliance member inside Orchid's memories through a special mirror brought by Grendel the Really Old. Inside Orchid's memories, the Alliance witnessed Orchid's past memories as a Commander, as well as the memory of Gelimer proposing the Black Heaven project to her, allowing them to realize that it was an enormous airship. As the battle between the Alliance and Black Heaven raged on, Orchid was able to feel Lotus's immense pain from being forced to obey Gelimer, causing her to awaken from her coma. Soon after, Francis betrayed Gelimer and infiltrated the Secret Plaza, where he rescued Orchid from the Resistance. Orchid and Francis then set off to save Lotus and get revenge on Gelimer. Inside Black Heaven, Orchid and Francis encountered a small Alliance infiltration team, which included the Alliance member who had entered her memories. Orchid was furious that the Alliance member had accessed her memories and ordered Francis to fight on her behalf, as she had no powers left. Neinheart attempted to keep the peace when Gelimer appeared on a monitor and showed Lotus to Orchid in order to rub in the fact that her brother was now his puppet. Lotus, detecting the intruders, manifested a Pulverizer to drop down onto the elevator, scattering the group on different levels. The Alliance member found themselves stuck with Orchid and formed a temporary truce with her, as they both needed to get to Gelimer and Lotus. They continued traversing their way to the core until they ran into Francis. Though she was hesitant about doing so, Orchid trapped the Alliance member and left with Francis, explaining that she couldn't trust the Alliance when they treated Lotus like a monster.

Soon after, the Alliance member encountered Lotus and began to fight him. After they managed to defeat him, a furious Gelimer ordered Lotus to get up and continue fighting. As Lotus continued powering up, the Alliance member realized that he was overexerting himself to breaking point. Just then, Orchid arrived and hugged her brother in order to calm him down. She asked Lotus to go back to becoming a Spirit of Darkness with her, explaining that the Black Mage could give them back their original forms once his full power returned. Lotus told Orchid that his soul had spent centuries roaming Maple World trying to get his voice to reach her. Though, at first, he had only wanted revenge against Phantom for what he had done to them, he had begun changing after Gelimer had forced him to hurt her. He asked Orchid if she would continue living as a human for a bit longer together when Gelimer, unable to abide his creation rebelling against him, used his kill switch on Lotus. As Orchid continued holding onto her dying brother, the Alliance member confronted Gelimer, who poisoned them with Retoxin gas. He then launched his Retoxin bombs, which began raining down on Edelstein. Just as the bombs were about to fall on the city, Orchid used the last of the Wing Master power that Lotus had given to her before his death in order to levitate the bombs back into the air around Black Heaven before causing them all to detonate at once.

Orchid then returned to carry the poisoned Alliance member out of the crashing airship and brought them to Athena Pierce, who took them the rest of the way. Orchid told Athena that it was likely too late for the Alliance member, who would become an emotionless zombie if the Retoxin didn't kill them. However, she confided to them that Lotus had been happy in his final moments to be free of Gelimer before she walked away. After the Alliance's victory, Orchid came to realize that the Black Mage had manipulated events for centuries in his favor, including the events which had led to Lotus's death. Furious, Orchid vowed to take revenge on the Black Mage. As she had lost her Wing Master powers that the Black Mage had given her, Orchid - and Francis, who had been following her - sought out Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits, where she asked him to give back her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness. Guwaru agreed to help her, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Alliance member, who had awakened as an Adversary, at the final battle. Guwaru also gave her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would not only hide her aura, but would also allow her to communicate with him. With Guwaru's help, Orchid was able to use her original powers as a Spirit of Darkness, though the cost of doing so was that Orchid was forced to eat away at her life force in order to forcibly channel her spirit powers in her human form.

Esfera

After learning that Will was planning to conduct a ritual for the Black Mage to absorb the powers of creation from Tana, Grandis's Transcendent of Light, Orchid traveled to Esfera and used her powers to disrupt the ritual, forcing Will to lose hold on the glass coffin containing Tana, which fell into the Origin Sea. Soon after, the Adversary and the Alliance advance guard arrived in their airship over the skies of Esfera, which Orchid used her powers to shoot down. Orchid then hid in the shadows and observed Will fight the Adversary, who was attempting to defend a poisoned Ollie. After the Adversary had Ollie extracted, Will called out for Orchid to reveal herself, claiming that he had seen through her plan of trying to have him use the power of Mirror World by fighting with the Adversary. He then gave Orchid a choice between saving the Adversary and stopping the ritual before throwing the Adversary into the Origin Sea. Orchid immediately moved to save the Adversary, allowing Will to escape with Tana. The Adversary asked the masked Orchid why she had saved them, rather than Tana, to which Orchid replied, “To destroy him… I need to create an Adversary,“ before teleporting them back to the base camp. After the Black Mage absorbed the power of creation from Tana, Orchid followed Will to the deepest part of Mirror World. Orchid told Will, who was surprised that she could follow him so far into Mirror World, that he could not escape, to which Will, realizing that he had no choice, decided to settle their feud once and for all. Orchid soon managed to win the battle by knocking Will unconscious.

Labyrinth of Suffering

After the Adversary used the power of the Seal Stone to break free from Hilla's illusion in the Labyrinth of Suffering, they engaged in a fierce battle with her. As they did, Hilla admitted that the Adversary was indeed different from ordinary people. Hoping to make matters more interesting, she used her powers to drag Lotus' soul from the depths of death. As Lotus began attacking the Adversary, the masked figure appeared once again to block his attack, chipping their mask and revealing Orchid underneath. The Adversary was shocked to see Orchid and realized that she was the one who had been helping them all along. As they began wondering why, Orchid furiously demanded to know what Hilla had done to her brother. Hilla was amused to see Orchid, noting that she had betrayed the Black Mage, and realized that Guwaru's influence had been masking her energy. Hilla told Orchid that she had initially decided to leave her alone, since Orchid had seemed to keep to herself, but her continued interference had left Hilla irritated. Though she told Orchid to leave, Orchid continued to demand an explanation from Hilla about what she had done to Lotus.

Realizing that Orchid wouldn't let it go, Hilla mocked her and explained that Lotus was now her slave, adding that Orchid should have taken better care of him if he had been so precious to her. As Orchid vowed to never forgive Hilla, the Adversary realized that though they had no idea why Orchid was helping them, the rift between the Commanders may work out in their favor. They then told Orchid to move out of the way if she wasn't going to help, declaring that they would defeat Hilla themselves. However, Orchid stood with the Adversary and worked alongside them to defeat Hilla, who had also summoned Damien's soul alongside Lotus to aid her. After a fierce battle, Hilla was defeated once and for all, and was shocked to find her power and youth disappearing, leaving her as an old, withered hag. She then wailed and perished in black flames, causing the altar to break and flood the Adversary with a vision of Hilla and the fall of Azwan. The Adversary then turned to Orchid and asked her how she had managed to appear in the first place.

Limina

Destroying the Labyrinth Core

At the Labyrinth Core, the Adversary demanded to know why Orchid had been hiding her identity from them all along. Orchid revealed that after Black Heaven, she had gone to see Guwaru in the Forest of Spirits in order to reclaim her original power as a Spirit of Darkness, as she had learned that the Black Mage had been manipulating events for centuries, including the events which had led to Lotus' death. She explained that Guwaru had agreed to grant her power, but only on the condition that she lend her strength to the Adversary at the final battle. Guwaru had also given her a mask to hide her identity from those who would take revenge on her, which would also allow her to communicate with him. She then told the Adversary that in order to face the Black Mage, they would need to destroy the Labyrinth Core. The Adversary expressed their doubts about whether they could trust her, causing Guwaru's spirit to manifest from Orchid's mask. Guwaru told the Adversary that Orchid's words were correct, to which the surprised Adversary asked him whether he was the one who had given Orchid back her power. Guwaru revealed that he hadn't bestowed his power upon her, but rather, he had merely shown her some of the powers that spirits could use, as she would need it to aid them in the final battle against the Black Mage. He revealed that only the Adversary had the power to escape the Path of Destiny that the Black Mage had set, and that they needed to destroy the labyrinth and face the Black Mage.

The Adversary suddenly noticed that the Labyrinth Core was glowing and wondered whether it was because Hilla had been defeated. Guwaru explained that the core contained the power of the Transcendents, and that it could not be destroyed through normal means. He revealed that only the power of the Adversary could destroy the core, to which the Adversary paused. Orchid asked them why they were hesitating, believing that it was because they still didn't trust her. Frustrated, she attempted to use her powers to destroy the core herself, though her attack did no damage. Guwaru told Orchid that just as he had said, the power of the Transcendents could not be damaged through normal attacks, causing Orchid to note in frustration that she couldn't avenge Lotus with her own power. Guwaru then told the Adversary that the great power to bend causality had been granted only to them, though the Adversary replied that they had no idea how they could draw out that power for themselves. Guwaru told them that they already knew the answer and asked them what it was that drove them. He explained that for himself, he had fought with great willpower centuries ago, driven by his desire to protect nature. However, he added that he lacked a sense of direction, as he himself had been a product of nature as well, and that it was for that very reason why he had become a minion of the Black Mage as the shifting balance of the Transcendents had shifted his own balance as well. He then asked Orchid what drove her, to which she explained that in the past, she had originally only wanted to have ignorant bliss and fun, as she had been too naive to know what was precious to her and what wasn't. However, she revealed that what motivated her now was vengeance, as she would do whatever it took to avenge Lotus' death.

Guwaru then asked the Adversary what drove them, to which they began thinking back to their journey. They admitted that there were still too many things for them to know for sure, though they noted that what they wanted most was to protect the lives of their loved ones, their own life, and the world itself, and that they knew for certain that they would sacrifice their own life if they had to. Guwaru told the Adversary that risking their own life was a powerful drive, and that it would certainly be enough to draw out the power of the Adversary. By focusing on their strong determination, the Adversary summoned a small portion of the Seal Stone's power, shattering the Labyrinth Core and collapsing the labyrinth to reveal Limina, a cascade of waterfalls. Immediately, Tana's necklace which Neinheart had given them earlier began shining, with Guwaru recognizing the red jewel as an anti-magic stone. However, he noted that there was something different contained inside it, to which the Adversary revealed that it had belonged to Tana. Orchid recognized Tana as the Transcendent of Light and wondered whether the necklace was responding to the presence of its owner. The surprised Adversary realized that Tana must be close by, with Guwaru adding that the Black Mage must be there as well. He warned the Adversary that the Black Mage would soon create the Genesis Crux, explaining that it was a seed from which the new world would blossom and replace what came before. He explained that the Adversary would need to destroy the Genesis Crux, as the Genesis Ritual would not stop otherwise.

Just then, several Alliance soldiers found the Adversary, with Orchid quickly pulling her hood up to hide her face peeking out from the shattered mask. The Alliance soldiers were relieved to find the Adversary and explained that with communications back online, everyone had been ordered to return back to the fleet immediately in preparation for the final assault. Suddenly, Orchid spoke up and told the Adversary that they couldn't leave, as they had barely managed to make it as far as they had. She asked them whether they were truly going to turn back when it was their destiny to face the Black Mage, after which she told the Alliance soldiers to leave without them. Recognizing Orchid as a dangerous foe, the Alliance soldiers prepared to stand off against her, to which an unconcerned Orchid reminded the Adversary that only they had the power to defeat the Black Mage, and that everyone else who couldn't help would only get in the way. However, Guwaru then spoke up and told Orchid that she was wrong, as everyone's collective determination was needed to defeat the Black Mage. The Adversary then asked the Alliance soldiers to return back and inform the Alliance that Orchid was on their side. They also explained that they were planning to go with her to face the Black Mage themselves, for which the soldiers reluctantly agreed before Orchid used her power to teleport them back to the White Spear.

The Elite Bosses

The Adversary and Orchid then proceeded to move ahead, following the trail of red light from Tana's necklace leading to the Genesis Crux. As they made their way past the waterfalls, Guwaru warned them that he was sensing pure Erdas up ahead. They soon discovered several strange monsters, which Guwaru explained were primordial creatures which had sprung from the raw power of creation. He added that though the creatures had no egos, they would instinctively attack anyone attempting to scale up the waterfalls. He also warned the Adversary to take care, as the waters of the Arcane River were different from those of Maple World. As the Adversary fought past the monsters, they took care to hide from the Erda Surge that occasionally washed away all the monsters. Scaling up the waterfall, Orchid noted that Tana's necklace was glowing even brighter, meaning that she must be close by. Suddenly, they were stopped by Guard Captain Kellad, who warned them that they would not be permitted to go any further. Though Kellad appeared human, Orchid warned the Adversary to be on their guard, as she could sense the Black Mage's energy inside him. She explained that though Kellad may have once been human, he certainly wasn't anymore. Kellad admitted that it filled with him sadness to hear that, claiming that though his body and the power inside him weren't human, the emotions that he felt very much were. He then warned the Adversary to heed his words, claiming that the more they raised their blade to protect others, the more their future and everything they sought to protect would crumble before them. He added that having experienced that first-hand, he could say that with more certainty than anyone else.

Suddenly, Kellad transformed into Guard Captain Darknell and told the Adversary that he would test the will in their blade. Declaring that he would stop all his liege's enemies, Darknell summoned the five Elite Bosses to face the Adversary and Orchid while he disappeared to guard the Genesis Crux. Realizing that they had little time, Orchid teleported herself and the Adversary to the top and ordered them to reach the Genesis Crux while she handled the Elite Bosses, claiming that they needed to save their strength for the final battle. She also gave them her mask, claiming that Guwaru's power would mask their presence from the Elite Bosses. Orchid then teleported back to face the Elite Bosses alone, declaring that they would not be able to defeat her so easily. Though the Adversary was worried about Orchid, Guwaru assured them that she would be fine, as she was stronger than before. The Adversary was surprised, as they had believed that Orchid couldn't use her powers without Lotus. Guwaru told the Adversary that they were correct, and that Orchid was instead drawing out her original Spirit of Darkness powers. However, he revealed that since Orchid now had a human body, the cost of using her spirit powers in such a way was her lifespan, adding that perhaps there may even be a greater cost than that.

Meanwhile, Orchid began facing the Elite Bosses, who quickly began gaining the upper hand. In order to pursue the Adversary, the Bad Brawler, the Mad Mage, and the Black Knight broke off from the battle, leaving behind the Vicious Hunter and Rampant Cyborg. Nevertheless, Orchid refused to be beaten, explaining that she hadn't felt alive ever since Lotus had died, and told the pair to attack her with everything they had using their weapons, not their words. Eventually, the Elite Bosses were summoned to reinforce Darknell, though they were all defeated by the Adversary and killed. Orchid then arrived and realized that the Genesis Ritual had already begun. She noted in frustration that even if they were going to die, she wanted to hit the Black Mage at least once, to which the Adversary told her that even if the ritual had begun, they could still stop it by defeating the Black Mage. Realizing that they still hadn't given up after everything, Orchid realized that they truly were the Adversary destined to stop the Black Mage. She then told the Adversary that she couldn't guarantee their safety if they were to get caught up in the ritual, for which she decided to use the last of her strength to send them back to the Alliance. She tasked the Adversary with preparing alongside the Alliance for a final offensive while she delayed the ritual for as long as she could. As she refused to give up on her revenge, Orchid told the Adversary that she would trust them because they hadn't given up either, after which she told them to be sure to escape the Path.

Facing the Black Mage

After Orchid sent the Adversary back to the White Spear, she confronted the Black Mage and began fighting him an ethereal, galaxy-like inner realm, though her attacks had almost no effect on him. Soon after, the Adversary and the greatest heroes of the Alliance entered the realm and met Orchid, who revealed that after the Genesis Ritual had begun, she had found herself within the inner realm, where she had been fighting the Black Mage the whole time. She explained that her attacks seemed to have no effect, and that the Adversary would have to end things after all. She revealed that the best time to finish off the Black Mage was now, as things would change as the time of Genesis approached. She told the Adversary that if such a time came, their only chance was to destroy the Genesis Crux before the ritual completed. As the Adversary vowed to do whatever it took to destroy the Black Mage - even sacrificing their own life - the Black Mage suddenly manifested before them as a powerful being of light, having ascended to become a god in his own right. The Black Mage then told the Adversary to risk everything they had as the Adversary and Orchid worked together to fight the Black Mage and his godlike powers of creation and destruction.

The overwhelming energy from their battle soon engulfed everything in the surrounding area and created a void of black and white, where the Adversary found that the rest of the Alliance had vanished. They realized that Genesis was about to begin, just as Orchid had warned, and that they would need to summon the power of the Adversary in order to win. They noted that everyone would die if they failed to stop the Black Mage, and that they would risk everything they had for it, just as he had asked of them. After the Adversary awakened the power of the Seal Stone within them, they cleaved the Black Mage and the Genesis Crux in half. Orchid noted that the Genesis Crux had vanished, while Oz realized that she couldn't sense the Black Mage's aura anymore. As everyone began celebrating their victory, Cygnus outstretched her hand and asked the Adversary to come back with her, as everyone was waiting. To her shock, however, the Adversary suddenly scattered into Erdas and vanished. As Cygnus fell to her knees in anguish, the Chief Knights reported that the giant was moving, with Claudine urging her to retreat. With Cygnus remaining unmoving, Claudine told Cygnus not to let the Adversary's sacrifice be in vain, to which Orchid asked everyone to lend her a portion of their magic, as it was her first time teleporting so many people. Orchid then brought the Alliance heroes back to the fleet, with the Adversary and those who had fallen in the battle being revived by the Black Mage's power of creation. Following the battle, Orchid fled the scene and disappeared, with the Alliance sending a team to track her down, as Guwaru refused to reveal her location.