Shinsoo

Story and NPCMonster

Shinsoo
Title	Divine Bird
Hometown	Ereve
Current Residence	Leafre
Gender	Female
Race	Ancient God (Piyo)
Affiliations	Cygnus Maple Alliance Adversary
Minions	Piyos
Enemies	Black Mage Damien Reina Gerand Darmoor Ancient Gods
Status	Alive
Name (Other Servers)
KoreaMS	신수
JapanMS	神獣 (Shinjū)
Voice Actors
GlobalMS	Laura Post

World Archive

“Shinsoo, the guardian of Ereve, the island of the Empress of Maple World, and protector of Her Majesty herself.
Shinsoo astonished me the first time I saw her. She takes the form of a magnificent feathered beast. I once witnessed her take flight, and words cannot describe the awe I felt in that moment.
May Shinsoo continue to protect Her Majesty forever.”

― Chronicler Q

Shinsoo is an Ancient God and the Divine Bird of Ereve. Tasked with protecting the Empress's bloodline, which would one day give rise to a new Transcendent, Shinsoo watched over Cygnus and her ancestors throughout the ages until Cygnus prematurely awakened as a Transcendent-in-waiting after Shinsoo was nearly killed by Damien. Following this, Shinsoo left Ereve on a mission to find a way to help Cygnus master her powers, eventually returning to lend her strength during the final battle against the Black Mage. After Reina attacked Maple World and left Cygnus in a coma, Shinsoo bestowed the remainder of her power to the Adversary and fell into an indefinite slumber alongside Cygnus.

Story

The Ancient War

In the beginning, the Primordial God made 365 creations - the sun, the moon, the stones, the trees, the wind, the rivers, the seas, and countless others - each adhering to 365 laws that governed the universe. From these 365 creations that made up the world, powerful beings were brought into existence that embodied these natural laws, including Shinsoo. Over time, these beings were revered as gods by mortals, and ages later, they would be known as the Ancient Gods. Unlike many of the other Ancient Gods, Shinsoo was a compassionate being who sought to protect the people of Maple World from the chaos of her brethren. To this end, she used her divine power to shield the mortals of her world from the rampage of the uncontrollable gods. Eventually, the Primordial God - unable to abide the chaos in the universe - created the Overseers to establish order in the universe. To this end, the Overseers tasked the elders of Grandis with creating beings known as the Adversaries. Imbued with the divine power of relics known as the Godspheres, the Adversaries began a war to defeat the Ancient Gods. After a fierce struggle, the Adversaries successfully sealed most of the gods away, leaving only a handful of gods - including Shinsoo - who remained awake. After the war, the Overseers created the Transcendents in order to ensure that the sealed gods would not reawaken from their long slumber. Following the creation of the Transcendents, Shinsoo was tasked with protecting a particular bloodline, which had grown intertwined with the Transcendents, such that a descendent of that bloodline would one day awaken to become a replacement Transcendent should the need arise.

The Noblesse

In order to carry out her duties, Shinsoo used her power to create the floating island of Ereve, which became a seat of power for members of that bloodline, with each of their descendants ruling as the Empress of Maple World after accepting Shinsoo's divine power. Shinsoo also created the Piyos, a race of bird-like creatures, who would carry out her will to aid the Empress. To defend the Empress, Shinsoo bestowed a portion of her power to a guardian known as the Knight of Light, who used the power of light inside their Soul Shield to serve as the Empress's protector, with the Knight of Light's title and power being passed down across generations to worthy inheritors chosen by the Soul Shield. In the absence of the Ancient Gods, a brief time of peace began as the people began rebuilding and creating new kingdoms. However, chaos soon reigned once more as these different kingdoms waged war on one another. Amongst those who had been protected by Shinsoo, a small number chose to stay at her side in Ereve, where they learned from her teachings. Having expended most of her power on protecting humanity, as well as creating Ereve and the Piyos, Shinsoo had considerably weakened in the aftermath of the war. In her stead, her followers chose to carry out her will and protect the weak. Shinsoo gave them her blessings and named them the Noblesse. Though they were bound by ideology, rather than bloodline, the Noblesse fought bravely to defend humanity. The Noblesse also built a large mansion on Ereve, in which they and those who joined their ranks resided, though they spent much of their time away from Ereve in order to fight in the many wars that took place across the ages.

Shinsoo's Teardrop

Eons after the Ancient War, the Black Mage - Maple World's fallen Transcendent of Light - began a war against Maple World alongside his Commanders. To oppose him, Freud the Dragon Master drew upon the divine power of the Godspheres which had permeated deep beneath the continent, fashioning his own version of the Godspheres called Seal Stones. Freud began distributing the Seal Stones to the leaders of Maple World, hoping that the Seal Stones could undo the damage that the Black Mage inflicted upon their homes. In Ereve, Freud entrusted Shinsoo with the Seal Stone of Ereve, tasking her with safeguarding it. Soon after, Empress Aria and her Knight of Light were killed by Commanders Lotus and Orchid, who sieged Ereve and wiped out a large number of Noblesse. With the death of Aria's Knight of Light, he was succeeded by his disciple. Having grown weak without an Empress to claim her power, Shinsoo decided to entrust the Seal Stone of Ereve to the new Knight of Light, who placed it within the Soul Shield in order to ensure that none but an awakened Knight of Light could retrieve it. Shinsoo also gave a new name to the Seal Stone: Shinsoo's Teardrop, in memory of Aria's death. Soon after, Shinsoo entrusted Skaia - a common gem that Aria had favored - to Phantom, who had fallen in love with Aria during his attempt to steal Skaia.

Guiding the Refugees

In the final days of the war, the Black Mage ordered his Commanders to destroy the rest of Ossyria. The Heroes quickly moved to evacuate the refugees, who escaped in an airship under the guidance of Athena Pierce. In order to help the refugees escape, Shinsoo personally guided the airship towards Victoria Island, though a sudden attack from dragons caused the airship to crash in Ellin Forest.

Extinction of the Noblesse

Around 300 years before the present day, a mysterious war broke out, which quickly engulfed Maple World. Though the war was ultimately won through the combined efforts of countless heroes, it ultimately resulted in the complete extinction of the Noblesse, though their ideals continued persisting over the centuries through their descendants.

A New Empress and Her Guardian

Over the centuries, Ereve fell into obscurity without an Empress seated on the throne. Without an Empress to claim the power of Shinsoo, the barrier that protected Ereve also disappeared. Eventually, a collateral descendant of Empress Aria - a young girl named Cygnus - was discovered by a scholar named Neinheart. After training to become an Empress, Cygnus was crowned the new Empress and accepted the power of Shinsoo, restoring Ereve's protective barrier. Some time later, Mihile - a young boy descended from the last known Knight of Light, Chromile - was discovered and brought to Ereve to be trained as the new Knight of Light. During this time, Atan - a man who had kidnapped Mihile as a child and raised him as his father to trick him into extracting the Seal Stone of Ereve - invaded Ereve and fought Mihile, who defeated him in combat, though at the cost of the Soul Shield's destruction. After Mihile accepted the position of Knight of Light, Shinsoo created a new Soul Shield, infusing it with her divine power.

The Black Witch

A powerful Black Wings officer named Eleanor the Black Witch manipulated the newly-formed Cygnus Knights into bringing a cursed scale into the bounds of Ereve, as Shinsoo's barrier did not prevent residents of Ereve from bringing in dark magic into the city. As a result, Shinsoo and all the people of Ereve were turned to stone until a Cygnus Knight who had been away investigating Eleanor's scheme defeated her.

Lucid's Nightmare

Shortly after Lucid used her powers to create an illusion of the Gate to the Future, a Cygnus Knight and their Chief Knight went to the Temple of Time in order to investigate. After the Knight was affected by Lucid's powers, their ties to Empress Cygnus - whose power was linked to the Knights through Shinsoo - caused Lucid's energy to infect Cygnus, overriding the barrier of Ereve, until the Knight freed Cygnus from her nightmare.

Root Abyss

After the Maple Alliance rescued Alicia in Root Abyss, Alicia came to reside within the gemstone on Shinsoo's forehead for her safety.

The Birth of Shinjo

A Cygnus Knight who had bonded with their mount, Mimio, soon found that Mimio had grown weak because the Knight was growing too fast for it to keep up. After being unable to heal Mimio, Kiridu instructed the Knight to take Mimio to Shinsoo, whose power had created every mount in Ereve. Shinsoo told the Knight that Mimio had grown tired from its constant battles alongside them and asked them to let Mimio go. The Knight refused and began arguing with Shinsoo, claiming that they would not let go of their dear companion. However, Shinsoo soon helped the Knight understand that Mimio was in pain, and that selfishly holding onto it would only make it suffer more. Reluctantly, the Knight agreed to give Mimio up, and Shinsoo used her power to send it back to where it came from. To her surprise, however, Mimio returned back to the Knight's side on its own. Shinsoo explained that the Knight's attachment to Mimio combined with its strong will had allowed it to manifest itself without her power. She then gave it the new name Shinjo, declaring that it no longer needed her power to stay in the world.

Cygnus Awakens

Shinsoo is killed by Damien

While Cygnus and her court were traveling to an Alliance meeting away from Ereve, Damien and his forces attacked Ereve, where Damien fought and defeated Shinsoo before shattering the gemstone on her forehead and kidnapping Alicia. After learning about what had happened, Cygnus and her Chief Knights rushed back to Ereve, where they found Damien standing over Shinsoo's broken body before teleporting away with Alicia. Mistakenly believing that her friend had been killed, Cygnus burst into tears and began to cry over Shinsoo's body. Suddenly, a surge of power welled up inside her, causing a large water barrier to envelop around herself and Shinsoo. Neinheart was shocked at the sight of Cygnus constructing a barrier with her own power, and not with Shinsoo's, which he had believed to be impossible. Within the water barrier, Cygnus experienced an awakening and a transformation, as the latent Transcendent powers within her bloodline manifested in response to her traumatic feelings. However, with Cygnus's powers awakening prematurely - as all the Transcendents of Maple World still remained in the world - the requirements to become a replacement Transcendent were not met, and thus, she instead awakened as a Transcendent-in-waiting - a being who held a portion of the Transcendents' power until the time came for her to replace a Transcendent fully.

Soon after Ereve was rebuild, Shinsoo left in order to find a way to revert Cygnus or to complete the transformation, as she believed that it was too dangerous for Cygnus to remain as she was. Shinsoo later called a trusted Cygnus Knight, the sixth Chief Knight, and asked them to come find her, as they deserved to know the truth. The Knight followed Shinsoo's call to Leafre, where they found the divine beast waiting for them.The Knight followed Shinsoo's call to Leafre, where they found the Divine Bird waiting for them. The Knight asked Shinsoo what had happened to the Empress, to which Shinsoo asked them if they knew about the three Transcendents of Maple World who had maintained balance over life, light, and time. However, she explained that the Transcendents hadn't existed from the beginning, as they had been created after the chaos of the world had been quelled by the Overseers, proxies of the Primordial God, adding that she herself had also been working to maintain balance, though that balance had now been broken. As the Transcendents were needed to keep the balance of the world, it had been ordained that in the distant future, a descendant of Cygnus would be born with the power to become a new Transcendent, for which Shinsoo had been waiting many years.

Though Cygnus had been destined to lay the foundation for a future Transcendent, the shock of seeing Shinsoo at the verge of death had caused her to prematurely awaken as a Transcendent-in-waiting. Due to her sudden and incomplete awakening, Cygnus could now use a portion of the Transcendent's powers, though she remained in a strange state of not actually being one. Shinsoo confessed that the situation was something that she had never expected, which made her worried that Cygnus would be adversely affected. She admitted that she had little power of her own left, as she had expended most of it on building and maintaining Ereve, as well as creating the Piyos, who would carry on her will. As a result, she feared that she didn't have enough power left to protect Cygnus. Nevertheless, she explained that her mission to keep the world in balance still stood, which was what she, as a survivor of the Ancient War, would continue doing until the very end. In order to do so, Shinsoo explained that she would need to correct what had gone wrong, though she didn't know whether that duty meant that she would need to revert Cygnus back to her old self, or to complete her awakening as a full Transcendent. She explained that she was unsure whether that duty meant that she needed to separate Cygnus from her Transcendent powers or to teach her how to use it. In order to find answers, Shinsoo had left Ereve, as she feared that without those answers, Cygnus would get hurt. She realized that Cygnus was likely worried and confused, and she added that she was sorry that she couldn't be at Cygnus's side. She then asked the Knight if they would watch over Cygnus in her stead, believing that they had the strength to do so.

After the Knight agreed, Shinsoo told them that she felt a sense of nostalgia looking at them, as the purity of their heart and their beliefs reminded her of the Noblesse. Shinsoo explained that perhaps the Knight's distant ancestors were Noblesse, or that the Knight had simply taken on the mantle themselves, but regardless, their selflessness endured in the Knight. She explained that in the time of the Noblesse, ignorant rules had sent waves of people to their pointless deaths. Though she had done what she could to try to stop it, she had only been able to do so much. However, others had taken up the cause and had stood for peace on her behalf, and so she had given them the name ‘Noblesse'. Despite this, war had still taken the lives of their noble hearts, with many dying with Empress Aria, and the survivors perishing in the war from 300 years ago. Shinsoo told the Knight that they and the people of Maple World would soon have enormous decisions to make and asked that their principles guide them in making those choices wisely. She then asked the Knight to help the Empress quell the chaos of the world.

Gate to the Future

After an Alliance member was pulled into the Gate to the Future, Shinsoo attempted to reach out to them, but with her voice unable to reach them, she used her power to guide them deeper into the Gate to the Future. After the Alliance member defeated the corrupted Cygnus, Shinsoo, and Chief Knights in the future, Shinsoo once again spoke to them, relieved that her voice could be heard at last. Shinsoo revealed to the Alliance member that the future which they had seen beyond the Gate to the Future was nothing more than an illusory dreamscape created by the Black Mage's minions. She explained that the Black Mage's minions had failed to open the Gate to the Future, and that they had merely taken advantage of their failure by creating a false reality to demoralize the Alliance from staying united. She then told the Alliance member that a dream world contained the subconsciousness of its creator, and that it would be helpful to find it. However, she lamented that she could not help them any further, as she, too, existed as a resident of the dream by reaching out to them with her mind. She explained that they had little time to talk and asked them to return to reality, though she told them to remember that even the creator of a dream couldn't control everything about it.

Mihile and Shinsoo's Teardrop

Shinsoo's voice reached out to Mihile, telling him that he had proven his place beside the Empress as her protector. She explained that though the light inside him had grown from a spark to a brilliant star, there was still something that he needed to learn about the connection between the Knight of Light and Shinsoo's Teardrop. Through her power, Shinsoo summoned Mihile to her hidden resting spot in Leafre, where she began telling him the truth. She explained that before the invasion of the Black Mage, when Empress Aria was still alive, Freud had come to Ereve in order to make a request. He had shown her the Seal Stone of Ereve, which he had explained held the power to restore the world as a failsafe in the event that the Black Mage succeeded in destroying it. With the Seal Stones imbued with the power of time, Freud had hoped that they would be able to restore Maple World to the way it was, and so he explained that he had been hiding several all over the world, with the one that he had been presenting to Shinsoo being meant for Ereve. Shinsoo explained that she had accepted the Seal Stone from Freud and had agreed to become its keeper.

She then explained that soon after, Empress Aria had lost her life to Lotus and Orchid, who had also killed many of the Noblesse, as well as her protector, the Knight of Light, and had destroyed his Soul Shield. In the tragedy, however, the light had still persisted in the form of the Knight of Light's protégé, who had taken on his master's mantle as the next Knight of Light. As Shinsoo had grown too weak to protect the Seal Stone without a living Empress to claim her power, she had instead reforged the Soul Shield and had placed the gemstone inside of it. Having shed many tears for Aria on that sad day, Shinsoo had also given the Seal Stone a new name - Shinsoo's Teardrop - in memory of Aria's death. Since then, it had been the Knight of Light's duty to guard the Seal Stone, until Chromile's death had broken the chain. However, centuries later, a new Empress had returned to lead Ereve, with Mihile's actions securing the Seal Stone's safety as well. Mihile told Shinsoo that with or without the Seal Stone, he was still the Knight of Light, and that he was still committed to protecting the Empress, Ereve, and Maple World. Shinsoo was pleased by his dedication and sent him back to Ereve, where Cygnus gave him a token made from Chromile's broken Soul Shield.

Tenebris

As the Alliance prepared to face the Black Mage in Tenebris, Cygnus was plagued by nightmares of the Alliance losing. Fearing that she would be leading her people into a destruction that she would be too weak to protect them from, Cygnus had sought out Shinsoo at her refuge in Leafre. There, Shinsoo had noted that a dark shadow had fallen, blotting out the brilliant light. Neinheart explained that Cygnus had confided her nightmares and worries that she kept buried deep within to Shinsoo. Upon hearing her troubles, Shinsoo had asked Cygnus who ruled the world, to which Cygnus replied that it was all the people who inhabited it. Shinsoo had then asked Cygnus what she would do if someone threatened to destroy their world, to which Cygnus had hesitantly replied that they would fight, though she admitted that she nevertheless had fears about what would happen in such a battle. Shinsoo asked Cygnus whether she believed that their destiny had already been decided by the Black Mage's prophecy, and whether that meant that everything which they had done up until that moment was rendered meaningless.

After reflecting, Cygnus noted that their efforts had not been in vain, with Shinsoo encouraging her to put aside her fears. She then created a jeweled bracelet upon Cygnus's wrist, explaining that the wings of the Divine Bird had the power to protect and embrace the weak. However, she admitted that her body was in such a weakened state that she no longer had the power to do so. She then explained that she had bestowed her strength upon Cygnus and asked her to use that power to protect the determination of the Alliance, as only Cygnus had the power to do so. Shinsoo then told Cygnus that humans were delicate and fragile beings, as they had moments of weakness when fear could easily grip their hearts. However, she revealed that Cygnus was the light of hope that would save them all in the depths of their despair. Shinsoo had also revealed that the determination of countless warriors would become their strength to fight in the coming battle. He explained that after Cygnus had returned with a shield imbued with Shinsoo's divine power, Shinsoo had fallen back into slumber at her refuge in Leafre.

Aftermath

After the battle of Tenebris, the Cygnus Knight traveled to Shinsoo's refuge in Leafre, where Shinsoo greeted them and noted that their noble beliefs had grown even stronger, adding that their ancestors – the Noblesse – would be proud. She then asked them how they had felt while facing a god, to which the Knight replied that they had merely been keeping their oath to the Empress. However, Shinsoo warned them that things were not yet over and reminded them of how she had once told them that sooner or later, they would have to make a difficult choice. The Knight was surprised, believing that the time of making that choice had already come to pass, though Shinsoo told them that she had a feeling otherwise. She explained that the destiny of the world had begun to change long ago, and that there was no way for her to know what would happen next. She added that the only thing that was clear was that the balance of the world was still broken, for which she asked the Knight to continue working hard, as a new darkness would soon engulf both them and the Empress.

Arteria

After the High Flora invaded Maple World, Shinsoo rushed back to Ereve, which was under attack by Reina, who led a massive battleship called Arteria in order to kidnap Cygnus and steal her Transcendent powers. With the Cygnus Knights spread thin across Maple World, the remaining soldiers struggled to repel the invasion army. In order to aid the besieged Knights, Shinsoo brought Eckhart and his Night Walkers as reinforcements to Ereve, where she used her powers to create a divine shield that protected the Knights. At the command post, Shinsoo landed in front of Neinheart and noted that they were in a difficult moment. Neinheart apologized for being unable to protect the Empress, though Shinsoo told him not to blame himself, as no one could have predicted such a situation. She then told Neinheart that what was more important was what they needed to do next. Neinheart agreed and explained that the enemy commander must have returned to their battleship after kidnapping the Empress. Shinsoo noted that she could feel Cygnus's presence from within Arteria, to which Neinheart added that if kidnapping her was their only objective, the battleship would likely leave right away. Suddenly, Gaon pointed out that, just as Neinheart had said, Arteria was indeed beginning to move. Shocked, Neinheart asked Shinsoo in a panic whether she would be able to stop the ship, to which Shinsoo used her power to freeze Arteria in place, though she warned that she would only be able to hold the battleship in place temporarily.

After making a plan to rescue Cygnus, the rescue party began to head out when Shinsoo stopped the Adversary and addressed them, Shinsoo told them that they would need more power in order to save the Empress, and that they ought to be able to take her power in their current state. Suddenly, the World Heart began glowing and absorbing Shinsoo's power. As Shinsoo left the task of saving the Empress to them, the Adversary expressed their shock at the fact that the World Heart was absorbing Shinsoo's energy, causing them to realize the truth. Shinsoo explained that though her power would not be able to turn every situation around, it would still be enough to save them from peril. Upon witnessing the World Heart's abilities first-hand, Neinheart realized that based on what Oz had written about the World Heart having the ability to absorb the power of higher beings, it meant that Shinsoo was an Ancient God. With Shinsoo using her power to freeze Arteria in place, the rescue party was able to infiltrate the battleship. Through Shinsoo's power inside the World Heart, the Adversary was able to use Shinsoo's mental link with Cygnus in order to find her location. The Adversary reached the throne room and began battling Reina, using the World Heart to create Shinsoo's divine shield to protect themselves. As they fought, the battleship began moving when Shinsoo was unable to maintain her power any longer. During the battle, Cygnus sacrificed herself to save the Adversary, resulting in her sustaining a mortal blow.

With Cygnus barely alive, the rescue party escaped Arteria and brought Cygnus to Shinsoo's refuge in Leafre. The Adversary soon visited Shinsoo and found a comatose Cygnus lying at her side. Shinsoo greeted them as the one who held the power and confirmed that Cygnus was in stable condition. When the Adversary began apologizing for failing to protect Cygnus, Shinsoo told them not to blame themselves, as it had been her responsibility to keep the Empress safe, lamenting that she had been unable to do anything to help, even while knowing that Cygnus was a child who had possessed power far beyond what her body was capable of handling. The Adversary asked Shinsoo whether Cygnus would ever wake up again, to which Shinsoo explained that Cygnus would need time – far more time than the Adversary could even imagine. The Adversary replied that they couldn't let Cygnus stay in such a state for that long and asked whether there was any way to quicken her recovery. Shinsoo explained that the power of a higher being would be of help, whether that was the power of a Transcendent, or the power of the Ancient Gods, as her kind was now known as in the present day. The Adversary then realized that in the search for that power, they would undoubtedly need to face Gerand Darmoor in the end. Shinsoo sadly noted that they bore a heavy burden on their shoulders once again, for which she explained that there was only one thing that she could do. She asked the Adversary to come close, upon which the World Heart immediately began reacting to Shinsoo and started absorbing her powers. Shinsoo explained that while she had very little power left, she would offer whatever remained of it in order to help them on their journey. She told the Adversary that she planned to fall into a deep sleep alongside Cygnus, as someone needed to be there to guide her within her dreams. She then prayed that the Adversary remained safe until they met again, falling into a deep slumber soon after.

Story (FriendStory)

Although Shinsoo does not physically appear in Friends World, Cygnus's family is said to own the Shinsoo Corporation, which set up Shinsoo International School in Seoul, which Cygnus manages by herself.

False Future (Gate to the Future)

In the illusory future created by Lucid in the Gate to the Future, Cygnus - deeply worried about the threat of the Black Mage – attempted to seek out the World Tree, who had disappeared long ago, believing that she would be able to help them face the Black Mage. However, when Cygnus and her Knights finally discovered the World Tree, they learned too late that it had all been a trap set by the Black Mage. As a result, Cygnus's soul was stolen by the Black Mage, who turned her into his puppet. Having lost its divine power, Ereve crashed onto Victoria Island, with Cygnus leading her fallen Knights - who had been corrupted through their connection with a fallen Shinsoo - against Maple World. During the Alliance's investigation of the Gate to the Future, they fought and defeated the future version of Cygnus, Shinsoo, and the Chief Knights.

NPC

Ereve

Shinsoo
Quests involved	[Cygnus Knights] The Birth of Shinjo [Knight Stronghold] Shinsoo's Call [Knight Stronghold] The Truth Revealed
Location	Ereve

Leafre

Shinsoo's Refuge

Shinsoo
Quests involved	[Cygnus Knights] Shinsoo's Call [Alliance] Shinsoo's Call
Location	Shinsoo's Refuge

Grand Athenaeum

Calcified Empress (The Black Witch)

Shinsoo
Location	Calcified Empress

Gallery

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  Full size NPC Sprite of Shinsoo
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  NPC Portrait of Shinsoo
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  NPC Portrait of Shinsoo