Transcendent

For the Zero V skill, see Transcendent (Skill).

For the Kinesis 3rd Job skill, see Transcendence.

The Transcendents of Maple World

Transcendents are powerful beings that serve as agents of the Overseers and wield control over the three fundamental laws of the universe: light, life, and time. The most notable Transcendents are the Black Mage and Gerand Darmoor, the main villains of Maple World and Grandis, respectively. The Transcendents play an important role in the story and have shaped much of the world's history.

History

Origin

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 known as the Ancient Gods were brought into existence that embodied these natural laws. These Ancient Gods were unpredictable and uncontrollable, each with their own independent aims and goals, causing them to come into conflict with each other. Their incredible power and disregard for the natural order created an age of immense chaos that led to devastation and destruction in the mortal world. Unable to abide such chaos, the Primordial God created three abstract beings known as the Overseers in order to restore balance to the universe. The Overseers then waged a war against the Ancient Gods, using the Adversaries to cast down the gods and seal them away.

Despite the Ancient Gods being sealed away, the Overseers remained unsatisfied, as there remained a possibility that the Ancient Gods could still awaken someday, with the countless factors of causality that stemmed from this creating countless futures, which spelled an uncertainty that would never end. For this reason, the Overseers split the world into three separate dimensions - Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum - each governed by the three laws of light, life, and time. To enforce their will, the Overseers created three Transcendents for each world: a Transcendent of Light, a Transcendent of Life, and a Transcendent of Time. By using the Transcendents as their proxies to enforce order throughout the universe, uncertainty was eradicated and the future became set in stone.

Purpose

As agents of the Overseers, the Transcendents were brought into existence to enforce order and predictability, serving as the fulcrums of balance for the world itself. By the very nature of their existence, the Transcendents suppress the primordial chaos of the Ancient Gods, ensuring that they remain sealed away in an unnatural slumber. Simultaneously, the presence of the Transcendents maintains the dimensional boundaries created by the Overseers, ensuring that the world remains artificially separated into its three respective dimensions. As the embodiments of the three universal laws, the primary function of the Transcendents is to maintain the balance of their domains in accordance to the will of the Overseers.

Though it remains unknown whether some Transcendents were created as immortal entities, many of the known Transcendents are mortals who have 'transcended' human limitations, thereby awakening into their role. Upon reaching the divine realm, the White Mage was faced with the abstract shape of the Overseers, who bestowed the power of the Transcendent of Light upon him. Similarly, Tana was bestowed the power of the Transcendent of Light by the Overseers upon being chosen in a selection against her sister. According to the White Mage's conversation with the Adversary in Limina, awakening as a Transcendent was a choice that he himself had made, as he reveals that he had chosen to accept the Overseers' destiny, believing that only the power of the gods could help him liberate the world from its predetermined extinction.

It is largely regarded that the balance of the world is tied to the balance of the Transcendents themselves. Transcendents are stated to awaken in response to a great imbalance of their domain. For example, Gerand Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life when his father, the God-King of the High Flora, was driven to insanity as he attempted to start a war of genocide against all other races, thereby breaking the balance of life on Grandis. In the event that a world loses one of its Transcendents, a new replacement will be chosen, with the previous Transcendent disappearing, such as when Rhinne disappeared after Alpha and Beta became the new Transcendents of Time, though this was averted when the twins used the power of time to recreate Rhinne's body in Mirror World.

However, the awakening of a new Transcendent can be prevented under certain conditions, such as when a Transcendent is physically alive but unable to perform their role. One instance of this was Alicia, whose physical form was scattered across Maple World to restore its vitality, thereby creating a situation in which Maple World has a Transcendent of Life who cannot perform their role and cannot pass on their power. In the event that a world should lose all three of its Transcendents - such as when the Black Mage, Alicia, and Rhinne were sealed away centuries ago - the dimensional boundaries created by the Overseers will begin to weaken, causing that world to slowly begin merging back with the other dimensions, thereby returning the world back into its original state. This phenomenon is mistakenly regarded by some as the world falling out of balance, with the world merge occurring as a result of the world without Transcendents automatically seeking to fuse with another world to restore its balance of three Transcendents. With the presence of the Transcendents keeping the Ancient Gods sealed away, the absence of even one world's Transcendents is enough to cause the Ancient Gods to awaken once again.

Limitations

Created to enforce the will of the world itself, the Transcendents are fundamentally bound by the laws of the Overseers, often described as cold, constricting chains. Since the time of their awakening, active Transcendents are able to hear the voice of the Overseers, described as "beautiful yet cold", directing them to obey their will. The destiny of the Transcendents is said to be inescapable, with Tana describing how she continually felt bound in chains to the will of the world, even as she attempted to escape their will. Although it remains possible for a Transcendent to defy the will of the world through extremely strong willpower, the sensation that they experience in doing so is said to be extremely painful, causing extreme dizziness and disorientation for as long as they feel the power of the Overseers compelling them to obey. Despite this, both Tana and the Black Mage have exhibited the ability to resist the Overseers' destiny upon them.

Additionally, when Alpha and Beta were corrupted by Will and attempted to claim the power of the Transcendents, Rhinne was able to resist the Overseers' mandate to keep the power of the Transcendents from corrupted beings, claiming that a mother's instinct not to harm her child was far stronger than even the calling of the Transcendents itself. Furthermore, although it remains unconfirmed, it is speculated by Shensung that Gerand Darmoor also seeks to escape the will of the world. Before the Esfera storyline revamp in the NEXT Update, it was revealed that Tana's sister - who was originally the previous Aeona in the pre-remaster continuity - was forced by the Overseers to wipe out over seven races on Grandis with the power of destruction. However, the removal of this detail in the Esfera revamp in the new continuity suggests that the Overseers do not have the power to completely override the free will of the Transcendents.

Unlike other higher beings, such as the Ancient Gods, the Transcendents appear to have certain limitations on their divine power created as safeguards by the Overseers. For instance, whereas the Ancient Gods are capable of slaying any higher being - whether it be another god or a Transcendent - Transcendents are fundamentally incapable of killing other Transcendents, nor are they capable of taking their own lives. To circumvent this, Black Mage used his Commanders to defeat Rhinne and Alicia and manipulated events so that the Adversary would kill him. Though Transcendents are unable to be directly harmed by mortals or other Transcendents, they are vulnerable to being physically and magically bound. There are many instances of this being seen in the story, such as Rhinne, Alicia, and Tana being sealed by the Black Mage, the Black Mage being sealed by the Heroes, and Chronica being sealed by Gerand Darmoor.

Additionally, Transcendents are susceptible to having their powers stolen by others. This can be done by another Transcendent, such as Tana and Rhinne having their powers stolen by the Black Mage, as well as Chronica having their powers stolen by Darmoor, or it can happen through mortal means, such as King Hekaton attempting to steal Tana's powers, or objects such as the World Heart, the Abyss Crystal, or draining crystals - all of which have the power to absorb the power of higher beings. Because of the Overseers' safeguards, however, a Transcendent stealing the powers of another Transcendent creates an intense backlash that tears open a hole in spacetime, resulting in the creation of one or more Interdimensional Portals that led to other dimensions. In addition, the Transcendent who steals the power of another Transcendent is severely weakened, such as when Gerand Darmoor was weakened after taking the powers of Chronica, resulting in him spending many years recovering his strength in the shadows.

Although Transcendents boast tremendous power, it appears that when a large majority of that power does not reside within the Transcendent themselves, the power deficit renders them incapable of functioning as a full Transcendent. For instance, when Alpha and Beta defeated Will in Mirror World and freed Rhinne, their bodies contained a limited amount of the Transcendent of Time's power, gathered from the Goddess Teardrops. After Rhinne was freed from her seal, she attempted to transfer all of her Transcendent power into her children, which would allow them to awaken as full Transcendents. However, as a large majority of Rhinne's power was being used to maintain the existence of Mirror World, the power transfer into Alpha and Beta would mean that Mirror World would cease to exist, with Rhinne fading away after being replaced. In order to circumvent this, Alpha and Beta used the entirety of the Transcendent power give to them by Rhinne in order to recreate Mirror World and Rhinne alongside it. In this way, though Alpha and Beta had become the new vessels for the Transcendent of Time's power, that power remained outside their body to maintain Mirror World, effectively leaving them in the same situation and strength that they possessed before awakening as Transcendents, functionally negating their status as active Transcendents.

Powers

Though each Transcendent has their own unique powers, there are certain abilities shared amongst all three types of Transcendents. All Transcendents are immortal and have the power to slay higher beings, such as Ancient Gods, though they are unable to kill a fellow Transcendent or themselves. Additionally, Transcendents are capable of sharing a portion of their power with another. In the case of the Black Mage, Will was given spider-like powers and Von Leon was made immortal and given the power to turn into a large lion-like monster. In the case of Darmoor, Kaling was given a portion of his own Transcendent powers, augmenting her strength immensely. As the power stems from the Transcendent themselves, the death of the Transcendent will cause that power to disappear from anyone to whom it had been bestowed. Furthermore, all Transcendents are capable of resurrecting the dead, which is a feat that Arkarium claims that only a Transcendent is capable of doing. This was seen when Darmoor, the Transcendent of Life, resurrected Asha, as well as when the Black Mage, using the power of creation, resurrected the Adversary and the fallen members of the Alliance after the battle of Tenebris. Though a Transcendent of Time has not been shown to resurrect the dead, Arkarium had told Damien that Alpha and Beta would be able to rewind time on his mother's corpse and bring her back to life. Given that the other Transcendents have been shown to have this power, and since Transcendents exist outside the physical limitations of the universe, it is likely that it would be possible for a Transcendent of Time to accomplish such a feat.

Transcendent of Time

Abilities and Responsibilities

The Transcendent of Time has control over all the spacetime of their world. They have the ability to slow, reverse, speed, and even stop time for a particular area in their world. The most basic example of this was when Gerand Darmoor, who stole the powers of Chronica, turned back time on the burned down library of Cernium in order to fully restore it. On a larger scale, Rhinne stopped time in Ludibrium at the request of its king, who wished for his subjects to remain child-like and innocent forever. However, Rhinne warned that attempting to restart time would have dire consequences. This was seen when time began to fracture, which created several cracks in spacetime that led to moments in the past and dimensional rifts from which monsters emerged. A similar situation happened in Mirror World, which Alpha and Beta were able to solve by freezing time as their mother had done in Maple World in order to stabilize Mirror World's Ludibrium.

Freud was also able to devise a spell using time magic, by which he used the Seal Stones as a medium draw out the power of the Transcendent of Time stolen by the Black Mage, which created a powerful Seal of Time, capable of sealing a Transcendent. The power of time can also be used to create pocket dimensions, such as when Rhinne created Mirror World using spatial magic to hide her child from the Black Mage. Additionally, the Black Mage was also capable of bringing himself and his Commander back into the past, by which they invaded Kritias of the past before he sealed the kingdom away in a a pocket dimension in which time stood still. The Transcendent of Time has the power to see all moments in the past, present, and future. On a more sublime level, Rhinne granted the Goddess' Promise to the people of Maple World, gifting them with the power of oblivion to allow them to forget both painful and cherished memories alike as the passage of time flowed through them.

One of the Transcendent of Time's responsibility is to maintain the temporal flow of time, ensuring that the past and future remain fixed and unchanging. Despite this, however, Rhinne - driven by her deep love for Maple World's people - allowed for time to remain frozen in Ludibrium, despite the fact that the kingdom's attempt to restart time would cause temporal collapse. Although unconfirmed, it is speculated that the fracture of time in Ludibrium resulted in the Time Control Room to break down, creating a rift in time that led to Ellin Forest from centuries ago. As a result of this temporal rift, the Overseers themselves actively intervened to ensure that history would remain unchanged as those from the future entered the past.

Limitations

Unlike the other Transcendents, a unique limitation for the Transcendent of Time is that they are unable to change the future that they have foreseen. For example, while Rhinne was able to foresee that the Black Mage would steal her powers and seal her away, the limitation on her powers as the Transcendent of Time meant that she was unable to prevent it from happening. Nevertheless, Rhinne was able to create a contingency plan by creating a successor to inherit her Transcendent powers in the future and free her from her seal. In this way, although Rhinne's powers were stolen by the Black Mage, just as she had foreseen, her children - split into Alpha and Beta - were eventually able to free her from her seal and awaken as the new Transcendents of Time.

Sanctum

On Maple World, the Transcendent of Time's sanctum has historically been the Temple of Time, devoted to the Goddess Rhinne and maintained by the Guardians of Time. The Temple of Time was said to have once been home to the Dusk Temple, home to gods who existed before the Transcendents, where the Mirror of the Goddess exists - a relic capable of physically moving the past, and one said to be impossible to utilize correctly by mortals. The Temple of Time is home to the Three Doors - the Gate of the Past, the Gate of the Present, and the Gate to the Future. Due to the nature of the temple, the Gate of the Past remains the only accessible part of the temple to anyone with Rhinne's blessing, with the Guardians of Time studying the nature of the past in their attempt to understand time itself. Traversing through the Gate of the Past eventually leads to the Dusk Temple, where the Mirror of the Goddess is held.

Although the Gate of the Present once remained accessible, leading to a deeper part of the temple, the Heroes' battle against the Black Mage resulted in the Gate of the Present remaining sealed and inaccessible to anyone who did not possess the power of the Overseers, such as the Explorer wielding a maple leaf containing a residual power of the Adversary. However, after the Black Mage created the Arcane River beyond the Gate of the Present, the gateway was opened once again and remained accessible for all to enter.

However, the Gate to the Future remain firmly closed and inaccessible to mortals. Because of this, it remains impossible to see the future, for which Lucid - unable to open the Gate to the Future - instead created an illusion with dream magic of a false future in which the Black Mage reigned victorious. Although the Temple of Time remains a sanctum for the Transcendent of Time, the current Transcendents of Time - Alpha and Beta - have instead made the Mirror World Temple their sanctum. This temple, home to priests whom Rhinne had selected to watch over her successor, exists in Mirror World and remains Alpha and Beta's true home, with the twins using a large portion of their Transcendent power to maintain the temple, Rhinne's new form, and Mirror World itself.

On Grandis, the Chronica Sanctuary is said to be the sanctum of Chronica, the Transcendent of Time. It is unknown whether this sanctum has a similar role to the Temple of Time on Maple World, although it is stated that the Chronica Sanctuary is where Chronica has been sealed away after Gerand Darmoor stole the power of time.

Transcendent of Life

Abilities and Responsibilities

There have been few instances in which the power of the Transcendent of Life has been seen. On a basic level, the Transcendent of Life is capable of spontaneously creating sentient life, such as when Alicia created the guardians of the Tower of Oz. The Transcendent of Life is also capable of resurrecting the dead, as seen when Darmoor used his powers to resurrect Asha after her death at Sefirot, as well as Hundun after his death in Odium. As Hundun was a robot who only later developed sentience, it demonstrates that the Transcendent of Life's power is not limited only to organic matter. However, it was described by Brighton that Hundun was not 'truly' alive, as Hundun appeared to have little to no sentience compared to before his death, though this could have been an intentional decision on Darmoor's part.

One of the Transcendent of Life's responsibilities appears to be managing the reincarnation cycle of living things. Before entering the Arcane River, the Adversary learned that the Erdas of Maple World had once flowed through the World Tree under Alicia's protection in their cycle of reincarnation until her life force was scattered throughout Maple World, after which the Black Mage began to siphon them in order to create the Arcane River. Additionally, Alicia revealed that she had taken on the responsibility of protecting all life, for which she created the Tower of Oz to protect the native species of Maple World when it seemed that the Black Mage was planning to destroy the entire world.

Despite her self-proclaimed role as the "mother of all life", Alicia did not originally feel a sense of responsibility to protect humanity, believing that human beings only existed to harm other living things. For this reason, Alicia believed that the extinction of humanity would not upset the balance of life, as she viewed humanity as the source of life's imbalance itself. Nevertheless, Alicia eventually experienced a change of heart after seeing the bravery and compassion of Ryude, who sacrificed his life to warn the world about the Black Mage's invasion. On a similar line, Gerand Darmoor believes in the idea of a "noble life" - one who would sacrifice their entire existence for a higher purpose - and seeks to purge the world in a great culling, ensuring that only such worthy beings will remain in the true paradise that he will create. While both Alicia and Darmoor seem to believe in the idea of choosing which lives have enough value to preserve, it appears that the primary difference in which of their actions constitutes "balance" is direct intervention. Whereas Alicia merely sought to preserve life when threatened with extinction, Darmoor actively interfered outside his mandate of protection to deliberately cause mass genocide of living things.

Limitations

Although there are few limitations on the Transcendent of Life's power, one instance seen is when Darmoor, in healing Magnus' injuries from Kaiser's attack, was supposedly unable to fully restore his lifespan, for which he sent Magnus to Maple World in order to fully recover his life force, where Magnus stole Guwaru's energy. However, it is possible that Darmoor had deliberately chosen not to heal Magnus fully in order to force him to travel to Maple World and learn about the Black Mage.

Sanctum

On Maple World, there exists no direct sanctum for the Transcendent of Life, as Alicia herself is an embodiment of the World Tree which grows on Victoria Island. It is said that the Erdas of Maple World flow through the World Tree in their cycle of reincarnation, and so it can be loosely stated that the World Tree itself is Alicia's sanctum. Root Abyss was said to be a safe haven that Alicia had created beneath the World Tree to recover her powers, though this sanctuary was corrupted by Damien after he created the Seal Guardians to keep Alicia trapped inside.

On Grandis, Sefirot is the sanctum of the Transcendent of Life, home to the Monks of Life who tended to its magical garden, as well as guardians who protected the sanctuary from invaders. Although this sanctum was home to the Transcendent, an unknown event resulted in the deaths of many guardians, as well as the Transcendent of Life disappearing, resulting in the disappearance of the monks, who were illusory creatures made with the Transcendent's power. Following this, Gerand Darmoor awakened as the new Transcendent of Life, though it appears that he has forsaken Sefirot after Asha the gardener - the last person left in Sefirot - was brought to the capital city of Aboris after Darmoor deemed her a "noble life".

Transcendent of Light

Abilities and Responsibilities

Creation vs Destruction

Although the Transcendent of Light wields the power of light and darkness, these terms are merely analogies for their true power, which is that of creation and destruction. Unlike the Transcendent of Time and the Transcendent of Life, who have mastery over all aspects of their power, such as time and space, or life and death, the Transcendent of Light is unable to naturally possess command over both light and darkness. Although the reason for this is unknown, it is highly likely that command over both creation and destruction would grant the Transcendent of Light power that far exceeds what a Transcendent should possess. For instance, when the Black Mage claimed the power of creation and destruction, he was described by Will to have reached a state that "transcended the Transcendents themselves", being regarded as a universal god, on par with the Overseers and their ability to destroy and create the universe itself. Because of this, a Transcendent of Light can only awaken with the power of light or darkness, though it is possible to forcibly take the other power from another Transcendent of Light, such as when the Black Mage took Tana's power of creation.

The power of light and creation is the ability to manipulate Erdas, the building blocks of reality. In this sense, even the Adversary, who gained the power to manipulate the Erdas after obtaining the Arcane Stones from the Goddesses, uses a rudimentary form of light magic. The greatest wielders of light magic in Maple World were the White Mage and Luminous, who were capable of performing powerful feats of magic, such as crafting barriers, creating protective wards, healing others, and using a variety of offensive and defensive spells. However, as mortals, their power paled in comparison to an awakened Transcendent like Tana, who held unparalleled mastery over the light, to the point that her power exceeded even that of the Black Mage. Even in her unstable metal state, Tana's mere presence was capable of reshaping the very landscape of the Vanishing Journey and Arcana, resulting in the corruption of the Erda spirits there. Tana also reshaped the entire Morass, a large coral reef system, into a perfect replica of her memories of Kritias. Upon stabilizing her mind, Tana effortlessly vaporized Arkarium with a single, overwhelming attack of light magic. However, the greatest feat of light magic was when the Black Mage, having stolen Tana's powers of creation, attempted to create a new world through the Genesis Ritual. In Kao's timeline, it was demonstrated that the Black Mage had successfully been able to achieve his goal, though Kao's inability to kill him meant that his plan had failed, as his existence in the new world meant that a remnant of the Overseers still remained.

The power of darkness and destruction, conversely, corresponds to the destruction of Erdas. The Black Mage, often seen as darkness incarnate, used his powers of destruction to lay waste to the entirety of Maple World. He was capable of launching devastating attacks on entire continents, even causing Victoria Island to break off from Ossyria, and commanding legions of dark creatures, such as Omens. He was also capable of corrupting monsters and augmenting their strength, such as when he used his Transcendent powers to create the Elite Bosses. The Black Mage's most favored dark magic spell was to create chains of darkness, which he could use both offensively and for magical rituals, such as the Genesis Ritual when he shot his chains into the Arcane River in order to absorb the Erdas within. The Genesis Ritual also demonstrated the apex of his power over darkness, erasing the universe altogether before creating a new world in its place, which was shown to have been accomplished in Kao's timeline.

Selection

The selection of a Transcendent of Light is heavily tied to the separation of the two powers of light and darkness. Though the exact details about this selection remain somewhat ambiguous, the explanation given by the Executors during the Esfera storyline implies that there can either be one or two candidates for the Transcendent of Light, with the latter case involving the two candidates having opposite powers, such as the case of Tana and her sister. In such a situation, the two powers being separated into two candidates will result in a selection battle, in which the voice of the Overseers will be heard by both candidates. Following this, a battle of destiny is held, in which the two candidates must duel each other with the power of light and darkness, with the surviving champion being granted the power of the Transcendent of Light. However, in the case where only a single candidate exists - such as the White Mage - a selection will not take place, with the candidate being granted either the power of light or darkness directly by the Overseers.

In the selection that took place for the Transcendent of Light on Grandis, the title bestowed upon the chosen candidate is Aeona, given to the Transcendent of Light. Meanwhile, the title for the candidate who was not chosen is Tana, given post-humorously to the deceased candidate. However, Aeona - rejecting the destiny of the Transcendent - refused her title and adopted the name 'Tana', signifying that she identified herself with the title of one who did not accept the Overseers' fate. As the White Mage was not given any such title, it remains unknown whether the titles of 'Aeona' and 'Tana' are unique to the Transcendent of Light's system on Grandis, or whether these titles are only applicable in a situation where there are two candidates, rather than one.

In the case where a candidate is selected by the Overseers, it appears that the power which they receive corresponds to their mastery over light or dark magic at the time of their selection. This can be seen with Tana, who held mastery over light magic when she first appeared for the selection, and was then granted the power of creation upon her awakening as a Transcendent. However, the White Mage - who wielded light magic as a mortal - instead awakened with the power of destruction. As light and darkness coexist with each other, it can be assumed that the White Mage's choice to expel the light inside of himself was a deliberate action to leave him with only darkness inside him, thereby allowing him to choose the power of destruction and become a dark Transcendent of Light.

Before the Esfera storyline revamp in the NEXT Update, it was originally stated that the Transcendent of Light is unique amongst the Transcendents, as the two powers of creation and destruction are split between the awakened Transcendent and their reserve. This was seen in the case of Tana and her sister, in which Tana existed as a reserve to her sister, who was Grandis' original Transcendent of Light wielding the power of destruction. In the case that the Transcendent of Light is killed, the reserve will immediately awaken to replace them as the new Transcendent, such as when Tana killed her sister and awakened as her replacement. Although Luminous was speculated to be the reserve to the Black Mage, wielding the power of creation while the Black Mage held the power of destruction, it was never explicitly confirmed in the story. However, this system created several continuity errors, such as how Tana was able to kill a Transcendent without being one, as well as why the Black Mage's unknown reserve had not awakened to replace him. As a result, this system was removed in the continuity and replaced with the system described above.

Equilibrium of Light and Darkness

From extensive research on the nature of light and darkness, the researchers of Aurora have concluded that light and darkness are merely two opposite sides of the same coin. This theory is supported by the Executors, who claim that light and darkness coexist together, and that the simultaneous existence of these two opposing forces does not inherently lead to imbalance. This can be see in the case of Luminous, who was created from the White Mage's discarded light magic and was later imbued with a trace of darkness from the Black Mage's power as the Transcendent of Light. Although these two opposing forces initially created a great imbalance within Luminous, he was eventually able to hone these conflicting forces into a state called Equilibrium, in which light and darkness came together to achieve a state of pure harmony.

Although unconfirmed, it is speculated that the balance of light corresponds to knowledge and enlightenment. The White Mage's research alongside the mages of Aurora was done with the hope of attaining infinite knowledge and wisdom from the divine realm, through which the White Mage hoped to complete and evolve humanity. This was done through many experiments by studying light and dark magic, resulting in the creation of dark entities called Omens, allowing the White Mage to eventually reach the divine realm and claim the power of the Transcendent of Light. Similarly, many abilities used by Luminous correspond to knowledge and truth, such as the Door of Truth (Gate of Light in the GMS localization), which opens a gateway to Truth beyond light and darkness, as well as Harmonic Paradox, which summons a harmonic entity of light and darkness who appears to have come from beyond the gateway to Truth.

It is also speculated that the Truth has some relationship with the Abyss - the home of all Specters. According to Ark's Specter, the Abyss is home to the Abyssal Source, which is said to contain all the knowledge of the universe - a concept extremely similar to the White Mage's dream to reach the divine realm and attain infinite knowledge. Furthermore, Limbo attempted to use Keira's divine power to reach the Truth, attaining a form of light and darkness and replicating a region of the Abyss close to the Source itself. Given the White Mage's belief that "the ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness", it is speculated by some that the divine realm itself is the "ultimate light" within the Abyssal Source, found amidst the "ultimate darkness" of the the Abyss, with the Truth being the threshold where light and darkness blend together into infinite knowledge.

Balance of Domain

Unlike the other Transcendents, it remains ambiguous what the responsibility of the Transcendent of Light is in regard to maintaining the balance of their domain. In the case of both the Black Mage and Tana, neither was seen to adhere to their responsibilities, as both had attempted to defy the Overseers' command since the moment of their awakening. Given the ties between knowledge and the domain of light, it is possible that its balance revolves around shedding light upon and casting shadows over Truth itself, corresponding to a cycle of creation and destruction of reality and its perception. During the time of the White Mage's awakening, a great darkness hung over the world as humanity reached a point of unending war and corruption, for which the White Mage sought to reach the ultimate light in the midst of ultimate darkness, hoping to stop the world's moral decay with the wisdom of the gods themselves.

Limitations

The main limitation on the Transcendent of Light is that they are unable to naturally wield light and darkness together, for which the Transcendent must take the opposite power from another Transcendent. However, because of the division between dimensions, such a thing is normally impossible without the existence of the Interdimensional Portals, which themselves are unnatural aberrations created in the extremely singular situation of a Transcendent stealing another Transcendent's power. Another limitation to the Transcendent of Light, seen only in the case of Tana, is that it remains possible for mortals to physically harm a Transcendent in the case that their physical and mental fortitude has been severely depleted, such as when Tana was damaged from the exploding anti-magic stone, as well as the mages of Kritias experimenting upon her. In such a situation, it appears that while Tana remained immortal and able to regenerate her form, her memories and emotions were erased from her without an "anchor", such as Jean, to stabilize her mental state. When King Hekaton attempted to take Tana's power, the disrupted ritual resulted in Tana being stuck in an endless cycle of decomposition and rematerialization, with only the Black Mage freezing Kritias in time halting her agony.

Sanctum

On Maple World, the Transcendent of Light has no official sanctum, although the Aurora Great Temple in the Forest of Peace was once home to the White Mage during his time as a mortal, where he conducted research on light and dark magic. For a small period of time, the Black Mage's sanctum became the Temple of Darkness in Limina, where he battled the Adversary during the time of the Genesis Ritual.

On Grandis, the Temple of Light (the Radiant Temple in the GMS localization) is the sanctum of Aeona, Grandis' Transcendent of Light. This sanctum is home to the Executors - a minor race in Grandis who gave up their names and forms in exchange for new bodies of light and darkness, after which they were tasked with serving the Transcendent of Light in accordance with the will of the world.

Relationship Between Transcendents

All three Transcendents of a world share a special bond with each other, with each of them holding a fascination with each other's powers. However, this fascination can sometimes escalate into desire, with a Transcendent coveting the other two powers. Most Transcendents are able to restrain themselves, as Rhinne and Alicia were described as being "content in their roles", although the Black Mage and Gerand Darmoor coveted the power of the Transcendent of Time for themselves. Although Transcendents are incapable of destroying each other, it is possible for a Transcendent to steal the powers of another. However, safeguards were created by the Overseers to deter Transcendents from breaking the balance by stealing each other's powers.

In the case that a Transcendent robs the powers of another, the subsequent use will severely weaken them. This was seen when the Black Mage was weakened upon using Rhinne's powers, and when Gerand Darmoor was weakened upon using Chronica's powers. Though the extent of this damage is unknown, Gerand Darmoor was said to have needed many years to recover. A side effect of using another Transcendent's power is the collapse of spacetime, resulting in the creation of one or more Interdimensional Portals that lead to other dimensions. Darmoor's use of Chronica's powers created several Interdimensional Portals across Grandis, with one such portal being created in the Great Temple of Pantheon that led to Maple World. Likewise, the Black Mage's use of Rhinne's powers resulted in an Interdimensional Portal being opened to Grandis, which Magnus used to return to Maple World after stealing Guwaru's powers. However, this portal disappeared immediately after the Black Mage was sealed with the stolen powers of time, appearing shortly before his return as the seal degraded, allowing the stolen powers of time to trickle out of the seal.

Transcendents of Maple World

The Transcendents of Maple World, with the exception of the Black Mage, have largely removed themselves from the affairs of mortals, intervening only to maintain the balance of their domain. Following the events of Limina, Maple World has no active Transcendents, as Alicia's physical form has been destroyed, Alpha and Beta have lost access to a majority of their Transcendent power while maintaining Mirror World, and the Black Mage has been killed by the Adversary.

Name	Title	Race	Status
Alicia	Transcendent of Life	Human	Alive (Inactive)
Black Mage	Transcendent of Light	Human	Deceased
Alpha and Beta	Transcendent of Time	Human	Alive (Inactive)
Rhinne	Transcendent of Time (formerly)	Human	Alive

Alicia, also known as the World Tree and the Mother of All Life, is Maple World's Transcendent of Life. After the Black Mage tried to steal her powers, Alicia sealed herself in Root Abyss beneath the World Tree in order to recover from the attack. Centuries later, Damien - one of the Black Mage's Commanders - eventually discovered Root Abyss and created Von Bon, Pierre, Crimson Queen, and Vellum to keep her sealed, although the Maple Alliance mobilized to defeat the Seal Guardians and rescue Alicia. Alicia was later kidnapped by Damien and had her powers stolen by the Abyss Crystal. After the Heroes stopped Damien, they used the crystal to scatter her life force in order to restore Maple World's vitality. However, this was planned by the Black Mage in order to ensure that Alicia would be unable to pass on her powers to a new Transcendent of Life, thus removing one more Transcendent from the Overseers' control. In her absence, the Black Mage was able to disrupt the reincarnation cycle of life by siphoning the Erdas under her protection in order to create the Arcane River. Despite Alicia's physical form being destroyed, her soul still exists in the Tower of Oz, as it was severed by her shortly after the tower's creation in order to protect the creatures inside from the Black Mage. It is unknown what the consequences of Maple World's fusion with Grandis mean for Alicia, who now shares the role of the Transcendent of Life with Gerand Darmoor. Because of the destruction of her physical form, however, it is likely that Darmoor constitutes as the sole Transcendent of Life for both worlds.

The Black Mage was Maple World's Transcendent of Light and main antagonist. Once a mortal known as the White Mage, his quest to attain the ultimate light ended in failure upon learning that the Overseers had placed the world a predetermined extinction for humanity. Believing that their influence had left the world broken beyond repair, the Black Mage sought to create a new world without Transcendents that would exist outside the Overseers' control, thereby ensuring that it would not be destined to meet the same fate. For this reason, the Black Mage manipulated events for centuries to eliminate the three Transcendents of Maple World, as well as to destroy and recreate the world by claiming the power of both creation and destruction. At the final battle of Tenebris, the Adversary defeated the Black Mage, thereby leaving Maple World bereft of all three Transcendents. However, it is likely that Maple World's fusion with Grandis means that Tana now satisfies the requirement for a Transcendent of Light.

Alpha and Beta are the children of Rhinne, the former Transcendent of Time. Before being sealed away by the Black Mage, Rhinne created a child who would inherit her powers, hiding them within a dimension filled with the power of time to mask their aura. Centuries later, however, a Commander of the Black Mage named Will discovered Rhinne's child and imprisoned them within that dimension, which he reshaped into Mirror World using Rhinne's power. In order to weaken them, Will split the child into two beings - Alpha and Beta - and kept them separated in order to prevent them from regaining their full power. However, the two halves of the Child of the Goddess were eventually able to defeat Will and freed Rhinne, breaking free of Mirror World and becoming the new Transcendents of Time in the process. Though Alpha and Beta were able to inherit the full power of time from Rhinne, the twins used that power to recreate Mirror World and maintain its existence, thereby preventing them from inheriting the full power of the Transcendent of Time and leaving them "divided and weak" in the words of Hilla and Will. As a result, Alpha and Beta - similar to Alicia after scattering her power - are incomplete Transcendents, leaving Maple World without an active Transcendent of Time. Similar to Alicia and Darmoor, it is unknown what it means for Alpha and Beta as the Transcendents of Time after the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, as they share the role with Chronica. As Alpha and Beta are incomplete, and Chronica is sealed away, it is likely that Maple World and Grandis are both bereft of an active Transcendent of Time, with Zero's division and Chronica's sealing ensuring that a new Transcendent of Time cannot awaken.

Rhinne is Maple World's former Transcendent of Time. Centuries ago, Rhinne's power was stolen and misused by the Black Mage in his quest to liberate Maple World from the Overseers. Rhinne was sealed away in the Temple of Time for centuries, later being moved to Mirror World by Will, who used her to maintain control of the dimension. However, Rhinne was eventually freed by Alpha and Beta, her children whom she had created in order to unseal her and inherit her power. Though two Transcendents of Time could not exist in Maple World, Alpha and Beta changed Rhinne's fate by recreating Mirror World as soon as it was destroyed upon their awakening, reviving her in the form of a mortal child. Although Rhinne is no longer a Transcendent, her original power - passed onto her children after their awakening - is currently being used to maintain Mirror World, with Rhinne being the focal point for channeling and maintaining the whole dimension.

Transcendents of Grandis

Unlike the Transcendents of Maple World, the Transcendents of Grandis are said to have taken an active role in shaping their world, such as Gerand Darmoor attempting to reshape all life in his image.

Name	Title	Race	Status
Gerand Darmoor	Transcendent of Life	High Flora	Alive
Aeona	Transcendent of Light	Human	Alive
Chronica	Transcendent of Time	Unknown	Alive (Inactive)
Gerand Darmoor's Predecessor	Transcendent of Life (formerly)	Unknown	Unknown

Gerand Darmoor is Grandis' Transcendent of Life and main antagonist. Once the Prince of the Flora, Gerand Darmoor grew jaded and disillusioned with the selfishness of living things who prioritized their own lives above all others. For this reason, Darmoor sought to break the balance of life on Grandis, awakening as the new Transcendent of Life in the hope of seeing the worth of humanity through the eyes of a god. Upon failing to see the worth of mortal lives as a Transcendent, however, Darmoor sought to create a true paradise by purging all those unworthy of living, leaving behind only those selfless and noble enough to live in a world free of self-interest. After becoming the God-King of the High Flora, Darmoor leads the High Flora in a war of genocide to create a utopia for their superior race, even as Darmoor secretly abhors his own people. Darmoor robbed the powers of Chronica, the Transcendent of Time, and infiltrated the Holy City of Cernium in order to gain access to its ancient scriptures and to destroy the Seal Stone within the Adversary. With the death of the Black Mage, Darmoor is now the target of the Maple Alliance, which promised to help the Nova in exchange for their aid in defeating the Black Mage. The Alliance and the High Flora now wage war against each other, with Darmoor sending his forces to capture the power of the Ancient Gods and the Transcendents to enact his plan to create a true paradise. It is unknown what the consequences of Maple World's fusion with Grandis mean for Darmoor, who now shares the role of the Transcendent of Life with Alicia. Because of the destruction of Alicia's physical form, however, it is likely that Darmoor constitutes the sole Transcendent of Life for both worlds.

Aeona is Grandis' Transcendent of Light. Long ago, Aeona and her sister were brought before the Executors, a minor race who served the Transcendent of Light. The twins were then forced to participate in a selection for the Transcendent, with Aeona using her light magic against her sister's dark magic. After defeating her sister, Aeona heard the voice of the Overseers and gained the title of 'Aeona', signifying her as the Transcendent of Light. Feeling herself trapped by the Overseers' chains of destiny, Aeona rejected her title and instead adopted the name Tana, a title referring to the candidate who had not been chosen by the Overseers. Tana began a long, painful journey to escape the will of the world, with the Black Mage eventually enlisting her aid, promising that he would help her escape her fate by creating a new world without Transcendents. Tana's power of creation was taken by the Black Mage, who attempted to use her abilities to create a new world, though Tana - after finding a reason to live - begged the Adversary to save her. From within the Genesis Crux, Tana helped the Adversary awaken the power of the Seal Stone in order to kill the Black Mage, after which Gerand Darmoor tasked Melange with finding her and the Genesis Crux in an unknown location. With the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, and the death of the Black Mage, Tana is the sole Transcendent of Light for the merged worlds.

Chronica is Grandis' Transcendent of Time, though little is known about their identity. After the Flora Civil War, Gerand Darmoor confronted Chronica at their sanctuary, insisting that they help him remake all life. When Chronica refused, Darmoor sealed them away and stole their power, just as the Black Mage had done with Rhinne. Chronica currently remains sealed within the Chronica Sanctuary, with no information available about its whereabouts. It is unknown what the fusion of Maple World and Grandis means for Chronica, who now shares the title of Transcendent of Time with Alpha and Beta. As Alpha and Beta are incomplete, and Chronica is sealed away, it is likely that Maple World and Grandis are both bereft of an active Transcendent of Time, with Alpha and Beta's weakness and Chronica's sealing ensuring that a new Transcendent of Time cannot awaken.

Gerand Darmoor's Predecessor is Grandis' former Transcendent of Life. This Transcendent once resided in the sanctum of Sefirot in the past, creating illusory Monks of Life to tend the garden. At one point, Sefirot was attacked by unknown enemies, with the Transcendent of Life seemingly disappearing from the sanctum. In their absence, the Monks of Life continued tending the garden, believing that the Transcendent would return someday. Eventually, however, the Transcendent of Life disappeared completely, resulting in the conjured monks disappearing as well. Though unconfirmed, it is speculated that Gerand Darmoor was involved in attacking the sanctuary, as well as causing the Transcendent to fully disappear, allowing him to replace them as the new Transcendent of Life.

Transcendents of Tynerum

It is unknown who the Transcendents of Tynerum are. However, unlike the Transcendents of Maple World and Grandis, the power of the Transcendents of Tynerum has repeatedly been under siege by the mortals of Tynerum - with the demons attempting to steal or replicate the power of a Transcendent for thousands of years. There also exists a portal in Tynerum, as well as a portal in Leafre, which bridges both worlds together and leads into a region of Tynerum called Azmoth Chasm. It was speculated by Grendel the Really Old that the portals had appeared as a result of Tynerum being on the verge of extinction. It is also speculated that the main antagonist of Tynerum is a corrupt Transcendent of Time, which would create a complete set of the main antagonists from the three dimensions being Maple World's corrupt Transcendent of Light and Grandis' corrupt Transcendent of Life.

Name	Title	Race	Status
Unknown	Transcendent of Life	Unknown	Unknown
Unknown	Transcendent of Light	Unknown	Unknown
Unknown	Transcendent of Time	Unknown	Unknown
Morghulas	Unknown Artificial Transcendent (unconfirmed)	Unknown	Unknown

Morghulas is an entity created by a pure-blood demon named Drak, who built a fortress in Azmoth Canyon of Tynerum, where he conducted twisted blood alchemy experiments in order to become a Transcendent and rule the realm. Under his rule, half-blood and weak pure-bloods were captured by slave hunters and forced to fight each other in an arena to shed a great amount of blood. These experiments resulted in a number of different creations, such as terrible monsters that roamed the fortress, as well as the Sword of Destruction, a powerful blade which contained the combined souls of countless half-blood demons who had been sacrificed over millennia. Ultimately, Drak succeeded in creating Morghulas, rumored to be an artificially-created Transcendent. However, Morghulas's power was too great to handle, resulting in the death of Drak and all the demons of the fortress, as well as a curse being placed upon Azmoth Canyon. It currently remains unknown whether Morghulas is indeed a Transcendent or simply a powerful creature. If Morghulas is indeed a Transcendent, it also remains unknown which of the three laws it embodies, or whether it embodies a new law altogether.

Transcendents-in-Waiting

Name	Title	Race	Status
Cygnus	Transcendent-in-waiting (formerly)	Human	Alive (comatose, powerless)

Cygnus is the Empress of Maple World and a former Transcendent-in-waiting. Following the end of the Ancient War, 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. To this end, Shinsoo used her power to create the floating island of Ereve, which became a seat of power for the Empress of Maple World, whose bloodline held the power of the Transcendents. When Damien mortally wounded Shinsoo while kidnapping Alicia, who was residing within the divine beast's jewel, the shock of seeing Shinsoo's body triggered Cygnus' latent Transcendent powers to awaken. As a result of awakening too early, Cygnus became a Transcendent-in-waiting, rather than replacing a Transcendent completely, as all the Transcendents of Maple World were active at the time.

Following the events of Shangri-La, the Apostle Reina invaded Ereve and kidnapped Cygnus before absorbing her powers into a draining crystal. During the Alliance's attempt to rescue her, Cygnus sacrificed herself to save the Adversary from dying, resulting in her being mortally wounded. Though she survived her injuries, Cygnus was placed into a coma that would require an inordinately long time for her to recover without the power of higher beings. In order to help Cygnus recover faster, the Adversary hoped to obtain the power of the gods, with Shinsoo surrendering the remainder of her power to them before falling into a deep slumber beside Cygnus. Cygnus' powers are current in the possession of Gerand Darmoor and his Apostles.

Cygnus' existence as a reserve is a unique situation stemming from her awakening before the need for a replacement Transcendent arose. It is unknown which Transcendent Cygnus was meant to replace, although it has been shown that she has used powers of all three domains. She used the power of life to revive Shinsoo, the power of time to foresee events such as Black Heaven and Tenebris, and the power of light to create a shield that blocked Gloom's attack and a beacon to rally the Alliance forces in the fog of Moonbridge. It is possible that Cygnus's ability to use powers from all three domains stems from her aptitude to replace any of the three Transcendents, and it is speculated that her awakening as a full Transcendent would result in her ability to use the powers of the other two domains disappearing.

Beings with Partial Transcendent Power

Name	Power Source	Race	Status
Luminous	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light)	Human	Alive
Hekaton	Aeona (Transcendent of Light)	Human -> Monster	Alive
Limbo	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life)	High Flora/Specter	Alive
Albaire	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life)	High Flora	Alive
Baldrix	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life)	High Flora -> Unknown	Alive
Ypsilon	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life) (unconfirmed)	High Flora	Alive
Magnus	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life) Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Nova	Alive
Kaling	Gerand Darmoor (Transcendent of Life) (formerly)	Sage (Fox Anima)	Deceased
Will	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human	Alive
Lucid	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Elf	Alive
Orchid	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Spirit of Darkness -> Human	Alive
Guwaru	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Spirit	Alive
The Demon	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Half-Blooded Demon (1/2 Demon, 1/2 Human)	Alive
Lotus	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Spirit of Darkness -> Human (Cyborg)	Deceased
Hilla	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human	Deceased
Arkarium	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human	Deceased
Von Leon	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human	Deceased
Damien	Alicia (Transcendent of Life) (formerly) Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Half-Blooded Demon (1/2 Demon, 1/2 Human)	Deceased
Guard Captain Darknell	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human -> Monster -> Human	Deceased
Black Knight	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human -> Monster -> Human	Deceased
Mad Mage	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human -> Monster -> Human	Deceased
Vicious Hunter	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human -> Monster -> Human	Deceased
Rampant Cyborg	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Cyborg -> Monster (Cyborg) -> Cyborg	Deceased
Bad Brawler	Black Mage (Transcendent of Light) (formerly)	Human -> Monster -> Human	Deceased

Luminous is a being created from the discarded light of the White Mage upon his awakening as the Transcendent of Light. Though the White Mage's crystallized light was destined to fade away, the mages of Aurora used their light magic to reincarnate that crystal into a human child, whom the mages called the Starchild. Although Luminous was created from the White Mage's light, he himself did not originally create any Transcendent power, as the White Mage's crystallized power came from a time when he was still human. However, when Luminous fought the Black Mage during the Heroes' battle at the Temple of Time, a trace of the Black Mage's dark Transcendent power flowed into him upon physical contact when Luminous attempted to stop the Black Mage from breaking the seal. As a result, Luminous inadvertently absorbed a portion of the Transcendent of Light's power. Centuries later, Luminous would combine the Black Mage's darkness with his own light magic, fully assimilating it into himself in a new Equilibrium state. With that darkness now having become a part of him, the power of the Transcendent of Light has not disappeared from Luminous after the Black Mage's death.

Hekaton is the once-benevolent king of Kritias who grew obsessed with becoming immortal. After Tana came to Kritias and proved her immortality by surviving an anti-magic stone explosion, Hekaton ordered his mages to find a way to transfer Tana's eternal life into himself. With the help of Arkarium, who had been called from the Temple of Time to lead the experiments, the mages of Kritias began experimenting on many test subjects, attempting to transfer Tana's power into them. The brutal experiments resulted in many failed experiments that lost their bodies upon having Tana's power transferred into them, resulting in their souls creating monstrous forms to inhabit. Eventually, the mages attempted to enact the Ascendancy ritual to transfer Tana's power into Hekaton. However, Tana disrupted the ritual prematurely, resulting in Hekaton being partially infused with the power of the Transcendent of Light. Because of this, Hekaton was able to gain the immortality that he had coveted, though at the cost of him fusing with the castle of Trueffet, turning him into a golem-like monster.

The Apostles of Gerand Darmoor, as well as some who serve them, possess a portion of Darmoor's Transcendent of Life powers:

• Limbo is an Apostle who was given power by Darmoor and first exhibited it while attempting to break the barrier around Keira, the Ancient God of Carcion. This power was also used to infect the waters of Carcion, with the pollutant existing within the poison of the Specter army. Darmoor's power within Limbo manifested as a dark piercing attack, similar to the claw-like energy used by Kaling. A portion of this Transcendent power was absorbed within the World Heart when the Adversary attempted to draw out the pollutant from the infected Anima of Carcion.
• Albaire is Limbo's adjutant who was given a portion of Darmoor's power by Limbo from his own pool of Transcendent energy. This power was given to Albaire in order to defeat the Alliance, who had come to Carcion in order to rescue Keira.
• Baldrix is an Apostle and the Captain of the Knights of the Einherjar who was given power by Darmoor. Believing Baldrix to possess the qualities that made him the ideal being, Darmoor transformed him into an undead entity sustained by Darmoor's Transcendent power, allowing Baldrix to freely wield the power of the Ancient Gods within the draining crystals without sustaining any backlash upon his body.

• Ypsilon is an Apostle who has exhibited extremely similar abilities as Kaling and Limbo when they made use of Darmoor's power, such as the dark piercing attack that he used against Khali, which was identical to the attack that Limbo used to break Keira's seal in Carcion. Given that Kaling and Limbo are fellow Apostles, it is highly likely that Ypsilon - as well as the other Apostles - have all been bestowed a portion of Darmoor's power.
• Magnus is a servant of Darmoor who was given the power of the Transcendent of Life, allowing him to survive what would have been a fatal blow at the hands of the Former Kaiser. After Magnus traveled to Maple World to heal his injuries, he pledged himself as a Commander of the Black Mage, gaining the power of the Transcendent of Light as well. After the Black Mage's death, his power has disappeared from Magnus, who nevertheless still possesses Darmoor's power. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Magnus' afterimage at Tyrant's Castle to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power, allowing them to uncover one of Magnus's memories, which revealed his confrontation with Hilla and his declaration that his true loyalties lay with Gerand Darmoor. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Kaling is an Apostle who was given Darmoor's Transcendent power for the purpose of creating a new Adversary for him. Using Darmoor's power, which manifested as a claw attack, Kaling attempted to create a Godsphere on Yum Yum Island, though all her efforts were met with failure. After the battle of Odium, Kaling invaded Shangri-La and attempted to take the World Heart from the Adversary, though she was ultimately defeated, with the World Heart absorbing Darmoor's Transcendent power from within her, resulting in her death.

The Commanders of the Black Mage, as well as the Elite Bosses, were bestowed a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent of Light powers, granting them unique abilities and immortality, though these abilities have now disappeared after the Black Mage's death:

• Will is a Commander who was given the power to command spider monsters by the Black Mage, earning him the moniker 'King of Spiders'. Using the Black Mage's Transcendent powers, Will was also able to create his own version of Mirror World without needing to use Rhinne's power while she remained bound to him. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Will's afterimage in Esfera to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power, allowing them to uncover one of Will's memories, which revealed how he had discovered the Black Mage's true plan for Genesis. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Lucid is a Commander who had the power to control dreams. After being recruited by the Black Mage, Lucid's abilities were augmented by the Black Mage's Transcendent power, allowing her to manipulate Erdas and create powerful illusions, such as the Gate to the Future and Lachelein. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Lucid's afterimage in Lachelein to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power, allowing them to uncover one of Lucid's memories, which revealed how she had inadvertently stumbled into the Black Mage's mind and discovered his hatred of the Overseers. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Orchid is a former Commander and a Spirit of Darkness who was given a human body by the White Mage. Though Orchid had no power as a human, she was granted the power of the Wing Master by the Black Mage after she became a Commander, allowing her to manipulate gravity. This power was later absorbed by Lotus, who drained her energy while being controlled by Gelimer, leaving her with only a fraction of her original power. After Lotus was defeated by the Adversary, he gave Orchid the remainder of his own Wing Master power, which Orchid used to destroy Black Heaven. Following this, Orchid was left with none of the Black Mage's original power, for which she met with Guwaru to find a way to forcibly channel her Spirit of Darkness powers in her human form, allowing her to regain her abilities at the cost of burning away her lifespan.
• Guwaru is a former Commander and the King of Spirits who was forcibly turned into a Commander against his will after the balance of the Transcendents shifted towards darkness centuries ago. As a Commander, Guwaru was granted the Black Mage's power, though he was soon attacked by Magnus, who stole Guwaru's spirit energy for himself. After the Black Mage was sealed away, Guwaru was freed from his influence and sought to make amends for his actions as a Commander. With the Black Mage's death, Guwaru is now completely free of the power of darkness.
• The Demon is a former Commander who once served as the Black Mage's right-hand. After turning on his master, the Demon joined the Alliance and later participated in the final battle to defeat the Black Mage once and for all. During the Genesis Weapon liberation questline, the Demon gets exclusive dialogue after defeating Damien's afterimage and claiming the Trace of Darkness within him, in which he notes to himself that he can feel the Black Mage's power inside him loosening after making peace with Damien's death.
• Lotus is a Commander and a Spirit of Darkness who was given a human body by the White Mage. Similar to Orchid, Lotus had no abilities as a human until the Black Mage bestowed his Transcendent power upon him, granting him the power of the Wing Master. This power was later given to Orchid shortly before his death, and was used to destroy Black Heaven. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Lotus' afterimage at the Scrapyard to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Hilla is a Commander and a Shamaness of Azwan who held the ability to wield illusion magic. After becoming a Commander, Hilla's powers were augmented by the Black Mage's Transcendent powers, granting her the strength to create even greater illusion that could break one's spirit or even drive one to death. During the battle of Tenebris, Hilla was once again granted even more power by the Black Mage, giving her the ability to create an illusion strong enough to encompass the entirety of Tenebris itself, as well as to pull the souls of Lotus and Damien from the afterlife. After Hilla's defeat at the hands of the Adversary, the Black Mage's power disappeared from Hilla, causing her to wither away and perish from old age. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Hilla's afterimage at the Labyrinth of Suffering to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Arkarium is a Commander who once served as the High Priest for Rhinne at the Temple of Time. After becoming a Commander, Arkarium was granted a portion of the Black Mage's Transcendent powers, granting him greater mastery over time magic, with which he attempted to travel into the past and destroy the Heroes and the Demon. Amongst all the Commanders, Arkarium is unique for having attempted to steal the power of the Transcendents from all three domains - the power of time from Rhinne, the power of life from Damien (who had absorbed Alicia's power), and the power of light from Tana. However, Arkarium has been bested during each of his attempts, with his death following his failed attempt to take Tana's power. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Arkarium's afterimage in the Temple of Time to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power, allowing them to uncover one of Arkarium's memories, which revealed how he had been ordered by the Black Mage to escort Tana to him. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• Von Leon is a Commander who joined the Black Mage after the Anti-Black Mage Alliance destroyed his kingdom and his wife. After becoming a Commander, Von Leon was given the Black Mage's Transcendent powers, which allowed him to transform into a large lion beast, as well as to make him incapable of falling in battle. Centuries later, Von Leon lost the Black Mage's power after his master's defeat in Tenebris, resulting in his end, though his afterimage and the monsters in his castle still remained. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Von Leon's afterimage in the Lion King's Castle to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential
• Damien is a former Commander who betrayed the Black Mage by using the Abyss Crystal to take Alicia's Transcendent powers for himself. Having already been granted the Black Mage's power, Damien attempted to take the entirety of Alicia's power in order to become the new Transcendent of Life. However, as unqualified mortals were unable to become Transcendents, Damien was instead consumed by that power, causing him to lose his sanity and control. He was eventually killed by the Heroes and the Demon, with Alicia's power being reclaimed and used to restore Maple World's vitality. During the Adversary's quest to liberate the Genesis Weapon, they defeated Damien's afterimage in the Dark World Tree to obtain a Trace of Darkness containing the Black Mage's power, allowing them to uncover one of Damien's memories, which revealed his first meeting with Von Leon. This power was later absorbed into the Genesis Weapon to unlock its full potential.
• The Elite Bosses were Sharenian Knights who had been trapped in an endless time loop by the devil Ergoth Dunamis. After the Black Mage saw the potential to make them his servants, he used his Transcendent powers to transform the fallen knights, fusing them together with the bodies of living Explorers to create the Elite Bosses. During the battle of Limina, the Adversary defeated the Elite Bosses, resulting in the Black Mage's Transcendent power disappearing from them and putting an end to their long service.