Overview • War of Kindred and Elves
A story that came with the Stele Sphere event. It takes place after Chloris removed the seal on Shadow City in V2: Chapter 3 Starlight- Reflection.
Completing all the stories rewards the Shadowy Lakeside background.
Counsel[]
The moonlight burned the lilies into ashes, offering a glimpse into the forgotten past. In the place of darkness and gloom, the king wakes up from a long slumber.
- (Year 680, New Era, Kindred Palace, Shadow City.)
- (In a dark palace dimly lit by candles, Cesare sits on a throne at the end of stairs.)
- Cesare: How did it go, Derrick?
- Derrick: You Majesty, those who left the Shadow City without permission have been brought back and are now being detained.
- Cesare: But I heard many more were still on the loose.
- Derrick: When the seal of the Shadow City was lifted, everyone was eager to leave, especially the followers of Helsin...
- Cesare: Keep a closer watch at the city gate. Don‘t let this happen again.
- Derrick: Yes.
- Derrick: Your Majesty, forgive me for saying this, but since the Curse of Blood, our people have suffered greatly from their increased thirst for blood. Some of them even went utterly mad.
- Derrick: If this goes unchecked, the Kindreds will never regain the glory it had a thousand years ago. Even in the Shadow City, countless eyes are watching us from the dark.
- Derrick: Now the Shadow City is reopened, and you have the method to break the Curse of Blood. This is a once-in-a-thousand-year chance.
- Cesare: I get your point. You can go now.
- Derrick: ...Sure.
- (Cesare ponders over Derrick's words with a frown. As he looks at the quiet palace, his thought drifts back to ten years ago.)
- (Year 670, New Era, Shadow City)
- (After waking up from his long slumber, Cesare returned to this city of darkness.)
- (The blackened trees remain the way they were a thousand years ago. The river has no ripple like it's solid. It‘s a city of death.)
- (As Cesare makes his way to the Kindred Palace, pairs of red eyes emerge in the darkness. They dare not to approach but only whisper in the distance.)
- Shadow A: Who is that? He seems to be even more powerful than Lord Helsin.
- Shadow B: Don't be silly. No one is stronger than Lord Helsin in Shadow City.
- Shadow A: Unless... he's the legendary Lord of Kindred, Cesare?
- Shadow B: But didn't he sunk to the bottom of Lake Bovaly ages ago? His body has probably rotted away by now! Haha...
- (The sound of laughter and whispers suddenly stops. Silence returns to the gloomy forest.)
- (Except for two panic-stricken kindreds who are running wild in the dept of the forest.)
Hellish Arena[]
A booming roar breaks the silence and muddies up the clear lake waters. The king ascends the stair of corpses and blood to his throne.
- Style:
- Tag(s):
- Opponent: Cesare
- Base score: 20,000
- Beat by: 5,000 for B‑rank, 10,000 for A‑rank, 20,000 for S‑rank
- Skills: Smile 4, Critical Eye 6, Sleeping 9, Picky Bounce 1
- Drops (first time only): 30
- (Year 670, New Era, Kindred Palace, Shadow City.)
- (A panicked soldier dashes into the palace.)
- Kindred Soldier: Your Majesty, Helsin has entered our territory with her soldiers. They‘ll reach the palace gate soon!
- Cesare: Humph, saves me the trouble of finding her. Assemble the soldiers, put on armor, and get ready for a fight!
- Kindred Soldier: Yes!
Concluding Dialogue[]
- (Helsin, the purest evil born out of war and killing, feels at home on this corpse-littered battleground.)
- (She tramples on the dead bodies on the ground, letting the splattering blood stain her pure white half-wings.)
- Helsin: Interesting prey. I haven't felt so charged for a long time.
- (The Curse of Blood sends the battlefield into a frenzy. Physical pain consumed the soldiers‘ minds, leaving them only a thirst for blood, turning them into killing machines.)
- Kindred Soldier: Kill them all!
- (Cesare plunges his blood-covered sword into the chests of his own people.)
- (That sword is not the Dark Verdict, but it doesn't matter. To Cesare, a sword is only as good as the person who wields it.)
- (Blood, war, cry.)
- (Cesare feels as if he's returned to the battlefield from a thousand years ago. Then the ruins remind him that he's not in Pigeon Forest, but where Kindred was banished.)
- Cesare: Ah!
- (Now he thrusts his sword with greater ferocity. The searing pain burning in his bones and blood saps his sanity.)
- (More people fall, and the originally blackened earth gets even more muddy with blood.)
- (Only a blood-red figure remains still.)
- Helsin: My loyalty is forever yours, my king.
- Cesare: Be my sharpest sword.
- (Since then, under Cesare's leadership, Shadow City has partially regained the glory it had a thousand years ago, but Cesare knows it is no match for Pigeon Forest.)
- (Cesare brings his mind back to the present, and gazes upon his nearly transparent fingertips—a sign of the complete loss of his power.)
- (The thousand-year-long slumber at the bottom of Lake Bovaly has exhausted his vigor. The wound in his chest from a thousand years ago still remains open.)
- (Cesare recalls Derrick's worried look. He understands every word Derrick said.)
- (The suppression of Blood Curse to Kindred's power must be undone. And he has to make elves pay back their debts to kindred.)
- (Everything must be settled, before he returns to dust.)
- (And he has no time to hesitate.)
- Cesare: Guard!
- Kindred Soldier: What are your orders, your Majesty?
- Cesare: Follow me.
Pure Evil[]
As one end of the scale tilted, the delicate balance was instantly gone. Light is gone and what's left is infinite void and loneliness.
- Style:
- Opponent: Soldier
- Base score: 20,000
- Beat by: 5,000 for B‑rank, 10,000 for A‑rank, 20,000 for S‑rank
- Skills: Smile 6, Critical Eye 5, Sleeping 1, Picky Bounce 4
- Drops (first time only): 30
- (In a dark, cavernous grotto, there‘s the sound of iron chains clanking and faint moaning)
- (The strong smell of blood in the air almost makes the guards around Cesare faint.)
- (Cesare frowns slightly. He never likes visiting Helsin's abode, a place filled with death.)
- (A skinny, small Kindred greets them at the entrance.)
- Helsin's Follower: Lord Cesare. What brings you here, your Majesty?
- Cesare: Take me to Helsin.
- Helsin's Follower: But... she...
- Kindred Soldier: What? Are you going to disobey your king?
- Helsin's Follower: No, never. Please come with me.
- (Inside a cage in the depths of the grotto.)
- (With both hands chained to the wall, Helsin's eyes are bloodshot, her lips pierced by her fangs, and her chin and neck covered with patches of blood.)
- Kindred Soldier: Why have you done to Lord Helsin?!
- Cesare: What's going on?
- Helsin's Follower: Your Majesty, it's the order of Lord Helsin herself!
- (Without saying a word, Cesare signals the soldier with his eyes to go on.)
- Helsin's Follower: Ever since Shadow City's seal was lifted, the Curse of Blood inside our master has been growing stronger day by day.
- Cesare: Nonsense! What does Shadow City‘s seal have to do with the Curse of Blood?
- Helsin's Follower: After the seal was removed, one of our prisoners, Evelyn, disappeared. Since then, our master has grown more and more violent and the curse inside her body has intensified...
- (Cesare has heard a little about what happened between Helsin and the elf she imprisoned.)
- (But he's not interested in those bygone events. He only wants Helsin‘s power.)
- Cesare: Open the gate.
- Helsin's Follower: Yes!
- (Cesare walks up to Helsin. A white beam of light emits from his fingertip and immediately disappears into her forehead.)
- (Helsin's unfocused eyes gain some clarity. She stares in a daze at the corner, where a withered lily lies.)
- Helsin: Is that you?
- Cesare: Helsin.
- (As if startled from a dream, Helsin's daze gives way to her usual arrogant look.)
- Helsin: You Majesty, sorry to let you see me like this.
- Cesare: I'll get straight to it. I want you to come with me to Pigeon Forest to retrieve something.
- Helsin: As you wish. But I wonder what is so important that you would use your elven power to seek my help.
- Cesare: Tree of Life.
- (Cesare utters those words in a cold tone. A cruel smile lifts the corner of Helsin‘s mouth.)
- Helsin: Allow me to change into a glorious war robe that fits this exciting feast.
Eclipse Night[]
The thick dark fog spreads without restraint under the cover of night, dyeing the full moon an ominous tint. A sharp arrow of light pierces through the skies, bringing with it the smell of blood...
- (The night falls. In the serene Pigeon Forest, a few columns of black fog rise from Lake Bovaly and drift into the trees.)
- Kindred General: (Whispers) Follow me. This way!
- Kindred Soldier: (Whispers) Yes!
- (In the boundless azure sky, a touch of shadow silently crawls up a corner of the silver full moon.)
- (An eleven archer is patrolling by Lake Bovaly.)
- (Suddenly, a gust of wind rises, carrying the smell of blood and carnage.)
- Elven Guard: Who's there?!
- (The only response he gets is the thickening black fog.)
- (The elven soldier swiftly draws his bow. Before he's stricken down, a burning arrow files across the sky and breaks the serenity of the night.)
- (Meanwhile, the moon, as if bitten by a gluttonous wolf, is broken.)
- (There's the sound of hurried footsteps. A team of elven guards quickly arrive at Lake Bovaly.)
- Elven Captain: Filthy kindred. How dare you ruin the sacred Pigeon Forest!
- Kindred General: Drop your holier-than-thou attitude! Kindreds and elves share the same origin. A thousand years ago, we also lived in your so-called sacred Pigeon Forest!
- Elven Captain: Nonsense!
- Kindred General: Kiddo, let me give you a lesson!
- Kindred General: Our ancestors were a group of elves dedicated to the purification of the world. But excessive exposure to evil corrupted their souls and turned them into Kindreds.
- Kindred General: The world purifiers yesterday have now become outcasts, spurned by all. How ironic!
- Elven Captain: That's a good story. But I will not believe a word of it!
- Kindred General: Story? Hahaha, of course you'd deny it. You elves don't even have the guts to talk about it!
- (On the other side, at the Tree of Life.)
- (Skillfully wielding her whip, Helsin fights the elven guards and keeps them from nearing Cesare.)
- (Standing under the Tree of Life, Cesare seems more stressed than Helsin.)
- (The ice crystals on the trunk of the tree gives off a soft glow.)
- (The black fog wreathing around Cesare's hand keeps drifting toward the crystals, only to be purified by their glow.)
- (The black fog grows and grows until the crystal‘s glow begins to dim.)
- (Suddenly, a sacred beam of light pierces through the fog.)
- Chloris: I told you to not come back to Pigeon Forest.
- (The darkness continues to devour the bright moon and what's left now is a crescent.)
Kindred and Elves[]
An invisible aura overcasts everything. The conflict that lasted a thousand years a thousand years was ignited again. The wound may have recovered, but the scar will never disappear.
- (The arrows of light pierce through the bleak night wind yet are knocked down from their course by long swords with dark auras.)
- Chloris: Our people and yours both suffered hugely from the war a thousand years ago. Why go through this once more?
- Cesare: You Elves must pay for the crime you committed, Chloris.
- Chloris: Must this hatred and animosity never end?
- Cesare: It's the destiny of you and I, is it not?
- Chloris: What exactly do you want?
- Cesare: What do I want?
- (Cesare surveys the lush forest with vibrant green leaves and paths lined with blossoming, colorful flowers.)
- (Something he's always yearned for—yet also something he longs to destroy.)
- Cesare: I want my people to have the right to bask in sunlight instead of always hiding in the shadows. I want to free them from the Curse of Blood. They're innocent and don't deserve this!
- Cesare: You find it funny, huh? You Elves know nothing of this pain—this pain our people are doomed to suffer from since birth!
- Chloris: What do you want?
- Cesare: Simple. I want to take the crystal and break the Curse of Blood.
- Chloris: Insolent fool! The Tree of Life protects not only the Elves but all living beings in the Pigeon Forest. If you take the crystal, all of them will perish!
- Cesare: It's unfair, you say? Perhaps it's you guys' turn to get a taste of darkness and death in Shadow City, then?
- Chloris: We didn't choose to be depraved like your people!
- Cesare: We chose to be depraved? Hahaha...You know nothing... nothing at all.
- (Cesare begins laughing with abandon but soon falls deathly silent, face solemn. He takes a few steps towards Chloris.)
- Cesare: 1,000 years ago, the noble Elven Queen arrived at Pamir Forest, not to visit her son but to convince my father, Lord of Kindred, that our people cannot remain in the Pigeon Forest!
- Chloris: Do you mean... Mother was the one who...
- Cesare: That's right. Father dedicated his life to the opening of Shadow City solely to eliminate all threats to the Elves on this land!
- (Chloris turns even paler, but Cesare doesn't plan to stop there, not before dealing the final, devastating blow on the man before him.)
- Cesare: And you, esteemed King of the Elves, Chloris, my twin of destiny—you‘re as much of a Kindred as I am.
- (The Elven guards all freeze in place. Helsin's whip may have torn apart their skin, but the pain their bleeding flesh brought them is way less of a shock than... this.)
- (The truth, once deliberately ignored, now lies in the open. Overwhelmed, head spinning, Chloris squeezes his eyes shut.)
- (Pigeon Forest is now totally shrouded in darkness. High in the pitch-black sky hangs a blood moon, gazing upon the lands in impassive silence.)
Purification[]
Dust can never stop the gem from shining. It's the most brilliant light in the world with a firm resolution to erase the darkness.
- (When Chloris opens his eyes once more, there is no life in them, much like the emotionless skies.)
- Chloris: But what about the other living beings in Pigeon Forest? Are you going to destroy them all, too?
- Cesare: I see you haven't changed a bit. You should be worrying about yourself, yet you're still thinking about others.
- Chloris: No... this is my burden and I shall carry it myself. I won't let you destroy the Tree of Life!
- (Chloris's footsteps are steady as he strides towards the Tree of Life and takes down his crown.)
- (A beam of blinding light shoots out of the gem embedded in the crown. Instantly, as if in reply to Chloris‘s vow, the crystal in the Tree of Life begins to glow brightly as well.)
- (Cesare tries to stop Chloris, but the light, like chains without form, keeps him rooted in place.)
- (Chloris takes step after step towards the Tree of Life, until his form merges into one with the tree amidst the bright glow.)
- (The white light continues to shine brighter, brighter, extending its tendrils all the way from the tree to the shores of Lake Bovaly, until it envelops the entire forest.)
- Kindred Soldier: What's this light? Why can‘t I move?
- Elven Guard: It's the Elven King's light of purification! Wait... are my powers fading away...?
- (The Kindred soldiers, rendered immobile, watch as the Elven guards collapse one by one, while their own bodies too, are crushed by an invisible weight, an unbearable pain...)
- (The forest, filled with loud noises of clanging weapons just minutes ago, quiets down instantly. No sound can be heard. Even the waters, winds and birds have fallen silent.)
- (After an indeterminate period of time, the all-encompassing light fades out. Up in the sky, the full moon continues to shine. Pigeon Forest is back to its original peaceful state.)
- (Cesare is finally freed from his invisible bonds. The painful backlash from the Curse of Blood that constantly torments the Kindred, too, is no longer in effect.)
- (Meanwhile, Chloris is seated on his throne of branches and leaves on the Tree of Life. His eyes are closed, and he seems to be unconscious.)
- (Cesare notices that Chloris's hands, still tightly grasping his longbow, are nearly transparent, as if a gust of wind could scatter the man's form like ashes into the dark night.)
- (At this moment, it's as if the thousand-year-long animosity between the two has been wiped away by the bright light.)
- Cesare: Chloris...
- (Cesare reaches up to touch Chloris's face. The latter‘s eyes are closed, but Cesare remembers how untainted yet resolute his gaze once was. Like the waters of Lake Bovaly.)
- Cesare: So this is your choice, huh...
- (Taking solace in the warmth in his palm, Cesare can't help wishing that he weren't the Lord of Kindred, and Chloris weren't the Elven King.)
- (They could sit and chat side by side at the Lake Bovaly shores, go hunting in the woods, and... just do normal things. Like normal brothers.)
- But everything,
- Everything is but an illusion.
- Helsin: Your Highness, aren't we supposed to take the crystal now that we have the chance to?
- Cesare: Leave. And bring the others with you.
- Helsin: Huh? But I thought the battle's just started.
- Cesare: Don't make me repeat myself. Leave, and bring the others with you.
- Helsin: ... No.
- (Cesare approaches Chloris and leans down, biting on Chloris's and his own wrists until the blood gushes out. He then presses his own wound onto Chloris's.)
- (The identical marks on the two wrists begin to glow faintly together. Cesare's blood is now flowing into Chloris's body...)
- (...And along with it wisps of warmly glowing aura. It's the Elven powers that had once been taken from Cesare by Lakris and have later returned to their rightful owner.)
- (As the final wisp of Elven powers, along with the gushing blood, is absorbed by Chloris's body, the Elven marks on both wrists are dyed red, like two budding roses.)
- Cesare: It's not over yet between you and I.
- (Cesare gazes deeply into Chloris's eyes one last time before turning around and disappearing into the waters of Lake Bovaly under the full moon.)
- (Shadow City is still shrouded in a dark fog, but it somehow seems a bit brighter tonight—perhaps because of the full moon.)
Dream of Reflection[]
With the eyes of his kin, he lived his slumbering time for a thousand years. The memories of the past are still so vivid, but also so strange and painful.
- (Chloris is dreaming...)
- (In the dream, his younger self is sitting on the meadow by the shores of Lake Bovaly, playing the harp.)
- (It used to be his favorite hobby. The younger Chloris could play on the harp all day... all night, even.)
- (But something doesn't seem right with this Chloris. It's as if he's concealed behind a thin veil. Even the clear, sweet notes from the harp seem fainter.)
- (Chloris finally realizes that he's seeing himself from someone else's point of view. How strange...)
- (The Elven youth in front of him looks so pure, so full of light, yet Chloris himself seems to be enveloped by a gloomy chill.)
- (He reaches out, trying to touch his younger self, yet a gust sweeps past the lake, sending ripples down the surface.)
- (When it all calms down, Chloris looks down to see a lifeless Dazzle Butterfly lying in his palm.)
- (Despair, rage, envy... a mess of conflicting emotions threaten to rip his heart apart, emotions so unfamiliar yet so real.)
- (A tear slides down his cheek. He hears himself screaming—a garbled voice that doesn't sound like him at all.)
- Mom...
- Are elves so important to you?
- But I am also your son...
- (Chloris no longer has control over his own body. His fist tightens, and the Dazzle Butterfly is crushed into mere powdery dust, slipping away through his fingers.)
- (The powdery dust is light, so light, easily carried away by the wind, yet they slam onto his heart with the devastating force of a thousand rocks.)
- (Suddenly, Chloris senses a heavy stench of blood in the air. The previous tranquil scene has changed.)
- (He knows he's still near Lake Bovaly, but the woods reeking of death and the corpses lying around tell him that this is 1,000 years ago—when the War of Kindred and Elves happened)
- (And right in front of him is a familiar figure —the former Elven King, his mother's elder brother.)
- Elven King: It's clear who's won, isn't it?
- Cesare: So you're surrendering?
- (Chloris finally realizes that he's seeing—and speaking—from Cesare's perspective.)
- (Through the eyes of the one who shares his blood, Chloris is seeing the past memories of the Cesare of a thousand years ago.)
- Elven King: You're all bark and no bite.
- (The Elven King aims his sword at Cesare's heart. Cesare dodges and raises his sword, yet his counterattack is blocked by his opponent.)
- (The fight goes on for a few rounds. Both sides are wounded, but the results are yet to be decided.)
- Elven King: By the way, your mother left a message for you before she died.
- Cesare: What?
- (The sudden information distracts Cesare for a split second. And a second is all his opponent needs)
- (Cesare's long sword is sent flying. The Elven King picks up the Dark Verdict calmly.)
- Elven King: Too bad you'll never get to hear it.
- (The sharp sword pierces through Cesare's chest. Chloris, too, feels the burst of mind-numbing pain.)
- (A sudden chill overtakes his body, which topples backwards, completely out of his control. The next thing he knows, he's landed in the frigid waters of Lake Bovaly.)
- (The water devours him. He sinks, slowly, until he feels his back hit a rock at the bottom of the lake.)
- (The sword is still stuck in his chest. Blood continues seeping out, dyeing the water red as it drifts towards the surface, towards the light that's just out of reach.)
- Darkness.
- Is darkness my destiny?
- Chloris: So you really yearn for the light, huh...
Significance of War[]
Familiar words awaken a long-forgotten memory. Perhaps, behind those fleeting moments, a tiny flame may have been ignited momentarily.
- (Year 680, New Era, Pigeon Forest.)
- (Surrounded by armored soldiers, Elle arrives in Pigeon Forest. However, what greets her is not the battlefield she had imagined, but an eerie, deathly silence.)
- (Under the pale moonlight, Chloris sits, back against the Tree of Life. He seems to be unconscious, but still breathing judging from the weak rise and fall of his chest.)
- (Sharp blades and arrows are scattered all over the green grass. Countless Elves are lying around—it's impossible to tell if they're still alive at first glance.)
- (Elle hurries to Chloris's side and whispers his name.)
- Elle: Chloris...
- (Chloris‘s lashes tremble. After a few moments, he opens his eyes groggily.)
- Chloris: Your Highness... You have come.
- Elle: I brought my army as soon as I received the news. But I see that I'm too late...
- (Chloris turns, gaze sweeping over his men scattered on the ground, eyes melancholy.)
- Chloris: It's all over now.
- Elle: What happened to the Kindred?
- Chloris: They've got what they wanted and saw no point in remaining here.
- Elle: You mean... the crystal...
- (Elle whips her head to face the enormous Tree of Life. The crystal embedded in the trunk continues to shine, if a tiny bit dimmer than normal.)
- Chloris: What they wanted was not the crystal. They simply wished to lift the Curse of Blood.
- Elle: Lift the Curse of Blood? But doesn't that mean they can now wreak havoc however they like?
- Chloris: Don't worry, Your Highness. I used the crystal to cleanse the Kindred of the bloodthirsty tendencies they were born with. They will no longer feel the pain from the curse—
- Chloris: —-But if they use violence in any way, they will still be punished by the Curse of Blood, just like any other person.
- Elle: But wouldn't using magic this powerful affect you and Pigeon Forest?
- (Chloris looks down at his wrist. The bite wound has healed and a scar is already forming. A faint crimson glow is emitted from his Elven mark.)
- Chloris: It was the best choice.
- Elle: No. Destroying them all is the best choice. As long as the Kindred continue to exist, Pigeon Kingdom can never rest easy.
- Elle: Besides, you have sacrificed way too much for this short-lived peace already.
- Chloris: A thousand years ago, the Elves and the Kindred had a war that lasted years. After that, I would often ponder over the question: Why, exactly, do people go to war?
- Elle: For profit, of course.
- Chloris: That was what I thought at first. But what happened today changed my mind.
- Chloris: The Kindred and the Elves both have our own reasons for fighting. What Cesare wants is not much different from what I want—for our people to be safe.
- Chloris: There's always a winning side in war, but is winning really so important if it means countless bloody sacrifices? The massacre a thousand years ago—I don't want it to happen again.
- (Elle falls silent. It's as if she's hearing another familiar voice speaking through Chloris.)
- (In the Royal City of Pigeon Kingdom, the princesses are enjoying some rare leisure time in the study.)
- (Ace is staring at the chessboard, frowning.)
- Ace: Oh, I got it! What if I make this move next?
- Elle: You'll lose that way, Commander.
- Ace: Aw... you've won again...But it‘s fine! I'll defeat you next time!
- Elle: Is winning that important?
- Ace: Of course! Why else would we play chess?
- Elle: To me, what makes chess fun is discovering endless possibilities through every move we make.
- Ace: Hm, possibilities? But feels to me that you could predict every move I'm going to make.
- Elle: It's because you're so easy to read!
- Ace: Fine...Anyway, since playing chess with you makes me happy, I guess winning really isn't that important!
- (Fleeting snippets of conversations and scenes appear briefly in Elle's head, but soon vanish without a trace.)
- Elle: So... is winning really that important...?
- (There's still a long while before the new day dawns. As for those trivial matters... they can probably be left till later.)