Rise of Mars was an epic RP that occurred at The Temple of Kraden. It told the tale of how a group of heroes sealed the Elemental Lighthouses so that the evil Regnoare couldn't use Alchemy for evil.
Rise of Mars has a sequel called Fall of Mars which borrows ideas from Rise of Mars and references the main characters of it.
The main characters
Shippings
The users Alex, Adnarel, and Dracobolt put their heads together to think of RoM shippings. Here is a cursory list of a few:
Randomviolenceshipping - Felix/Regnoare
Tangoshipping - Meg/Kuhja
Trustshipping - Scyian/Kuhja
Darksideshipping - Ciel/Scyian
Strifeshipping - Ciel/Etoile
Seriousshipping - Meg/Simeone
Table of Contents
(Use CTRL+F to find the section headers and skip to particular sections.)
The Council
The First Lighthouse
Travels to Venus
Venus Lighthouse
The Journey to Indra
A Change of Plans
The Other Mercury Adept
The Prison Camp and the Lighthouse
The Resistance
Regnoare
Epilogue
The plot
The Council
The RP starts out with a council in Vale. There are a lot of characters at this council who disappear shortly after. The Wise One and Kuhja, both controlled by Werebarret, decide that the Elemental Lighthouses must be sealed to keep Regnoare from using Alchemy.
The First Lighthouse
The first lighthouse to be sealed is Mercury Lighthouse. The group who leaves to complete this task consists of Kuhja, Meg, Simeone, Wevay, and Yaffa. Originally they plan to first go to Venus Lighthouse. At this point in time, Regnoare is busy getting together a force to attack Vale. As the group journeys on, Kuhja suggests that they stop at Imil and tell the Mercury Adepts their that they would be needed. The group decides to split up. Kuhja and Meg go to Imil, and Simeone and Wevay go to Altin. In Altin they would be able to pick up some technology.
Regnoare takes this opportunity to attack Vale. A horseman from Vale reports this to Meg and Kuhja. They decide to press on to Imil, taking with them the horseman, a mercenary named Zero. The group reaches Imil, and Meg gains them entry and a meeting with the council of elders. Kuhja informs Zero that in Imil they can expect lots of buttsecks. This is where it is learned that Kuhja is "special" and has "MAD SKILLZ". During the meeting with the elders, Gangeya's presence is sensed in Indra, and an elder tells about the differences between the Adepts in the North and in the South. Also, Kuhja causes property damage. They get permission to enter the Lighthouse. Meanwhile, Felix enters the area.
At the lighthouse, the group meets the mysterious Luna Adept Scyian. Scyian is actually an agent of Regnoare. Kuhja mistrusts him initially. Then Felix bursts in out of nowhere and begins his tradition of occasionally making an attempt on Meg's life. Felix is neutralized as a threat, and Kuhja and Meg discuss the two newcomers. Simeone appears on the scene, bringing news of Vale. There is a scene of Regnoare defeating the Valean resistance member, Zeal. Kuhja learns that as soon as Mercury Lighthouse is sealed, Regnoare loses one fourth of his power. Meanwhile, resistance member Rik has a showdown with Regnoare, which ends with Regnoare killing him. Regnoare gets his hands on the Stone of Sages, and the party races to seal Mercury. Meg seals the beacon away, although this effort is quite draining.
Travels to Venus
As soon as Mercury is sealed, Felix leaps out to attack the group. He gets owned, and Scyian appears, offering the group use of a boat. Felix offers use of a boat, too, and is allowed to join the group. However, his boat is where the group needs to be and is of no use. The group decides to use Scyian's boat. They head along a cliff face to get to the boat, talking about their plans.
The groups boards. A pirate ship is spotted. Scyian, like, totally asplodes it to bits. The group goes fishing. Scyian once again goes overboard (figuratively) and uses Searing Beam to send broiled fish flying on-deck. The group decides to visit Ankhol to stock up on supplies. Felix wants to play cards, but he settles on a new way of playing, lighting the cards on fire and throwing them. Scyian and Simeone talk about the people and culture of Ankhol.
The group arrives at Ankhol. They decide to split up. Kuhja comes ashore but decides he will go back and wait on the boat. Scyian goes to buy items. After doing so, Scyian makes contact with Regnoare. They plan to trap the party on the aerie of Venus Lighthouse, but as he leaves to rejoin Kuhja on the ship, Scyian finds that he does not like the idea of betraying the group. Meg and Simeone decide to talk to the chief of Ankhol, per Scyian's suggestion. They stop off at the weapon shop first, and then meet with the chief of Ankhol. He is initially skeptical, but Meg and Simeone manage to convince him of the threat that Regnoare poses. They then return to the ship with the others. Scyian guides the ship through the night, insisting that the others get to sleep. Most of the party find themselves wondering about their mission and motivation; Meg falls right asleep. Kuhja and Scyian talk, and Felix joins them. The next morning, the ship arrives at Lalivero.
Venus Lighthouse
The group disembarks at Idejima. As the group journeys on, Felix accidentally triggers a trap, causing Scyian to get fed up with him. Felix, in turn, grows angry at Scyian. Felix arrives at Venus Lighthouse first. He uses a hookshot to grapple up to the aerie, but Link comes and shoots him down, taking the hookshot back to Hyrule. The group progresses on past the lighthouse to enter through the Lalivero Catacombs. Kuhja is a bit depressed at this point. Meanwhile, the guards at Lalivero recognize Felix as a thief, and they take him to jail. Felix finds a way out of the dungeon and takes it. The main group progresses on to the Catacombs.
The entrance to the Catacombs is a scary-looking hole in the ground. Scyian shoves Meg in, but before she can fall in, Felix darts onto the scene and rescues her. He points out the floor full of spikes at the bottom. To overcome this, Meg fills the pit with water and freezes it around the spikes. Scyian hops down and then destroys the spikes. Scyian mentions the arcane Quick Jump spell, and the group decides to use it to warp to the aerie.
Simeone and Scyian bicker about how to deal with possible traps on the aerie. Due to an error with the Quick Jump, Felix ends up on the other side of the lighthouse. Meg proposes letting him know where they are so that he can trigger any traps when he approaches. They finally decide to approach the beacon. Felix gets attacked by monsters. Though wounded in the process, he manages to defeat them. Simeone and Scyian get ready to seal the beacon. Kuhja whips out a lawn chair and proceeds to tan. Meg Douses him. Kuhja looks at Meg, smiles, and sets her clothes on fire. Meg is not pleased with that.
Just then, Chaos makes an appearance. The party is not amused. Amid the madness, Simeone seals Venus. At this point, Scyian reveals his deception to the group and announces that they are trapped. Chaos tries to godmode an escape, but his attempt fails and Regnoare kills him dead. Kuhja is deeply hurt by Scyian's betrayal, having finally come to trust the Luna Adept, and Felix is furious as well. Also, it turns out that Chaos is not quite dead.
When Regnoare aims an attack at Meg, Scyian's indecision comes to a head, and he diverts the attack, calling out to the party to escape while they can. In the process, Scyian is grievously wounded. Simeone grabs Scyian's body and casts Retreat. In order to put some distance between themselves and Regnoare, the group decides to press on to Indra.
The Journey to Indra
After leaving Venus Lighthouse, Meg uses her Psynergy to heal Scyian, and Chaos leaves briefly to pick up a healing plant from his camp. Felix is disoriented and tries to attack Scyian before Kuhja stops him and explains that Scyian saved them all. Soon after, Scyian wakes up and, in a haze of self-pity, begins to go on about how he doesn't deserve saving or friendship. He also tries to leave, and when that fails, asks to be bound at the wrists. Kinky. Kuhja and Felix state that they still trust Scyian and consider him a friend; Meg wants an explanation first. The group decides that they will hear the explanation as they travel to Indra.
Scyian recounts a loveless existence devoid of any sort of happiness. He explains how all this changed when he began his assignment to infiltrate the group. He grew to trust the others, to love their wit, courage, kindess... The realization that they would be dead and he would never again be with them caused Scyian to turn against evil and Regnoare. Having made this decision, Scyian now vows to atone for the sins of his Mantrak race.
This explanation brings understanding to the group. Scyian senses a powerful Mercury energy signature, possibly OVER 9000!, emanating from northern Indra. Meanwhile, Kuhja suggests that they all turn emo. This irritates Meg, and she gets even more irritated when Kuhja starts singing along to his iPod and ignores her. When Chaos inquires about what songs Kuhja has, Meg steals away the iPod and destroys it, maligning Kuhja's taste in music as she does so.
A bunch of bandits pop out of nowhere and accost the group. There's a flash to Regnoare as he readies his army for a malicious deed. Scyian and Kuhja take care of the bandits, and Scyian senses Mercury Psynergy again. Meg and Scyian are all for moving along, but Kuhja and Chaos insist on wasting time with their anachronistic electronics. Kuhja then asks Scyian to tell him about Prox. Scyian reveals that Prox is now a desolate place, with the Mars Adepts there being held under horrible conditions. There is no news of Kuhja's friend Falor, however, though Scyian postulates that he might be part of the underground resistance in Prox. Felix and Chaos try to get in on the background angst, but Kuhja is upset by this. Scyian cheers him by joking that he's succeeded in turning people emo.
Scyian gets fed up when the levity gets out of hand. Meanwhile, Kuhja gets back to discussing bands. This annoys Meg, and she walks ahead of the group. Felix appears, knocks her out, throws her in the bushes, and goes back to the main group. Scyian retrieve Meg and hints that she should exercise physical violence towards Felix. Felix, for his part, cowers behind Kuhja. Meg freezes his drawers. Felix gives her a wedgie, and Chaos gives Kuhja a new iPod with a mythril case. Meg reminds herself that it is bad form to murder party members. She knocks out Felix and gives him to Kuhja to carry. Chaos asks for a cookie. Meg quips that they seem to be running a daycare center before chewing Chaos out. Chaos continues to pester her for cookies and juice until she blasts him with water and decides to take a walk to regain her composure.
Chaos blabs about stealing his mythril armor from Imil, and Felix wakes up and decides to secretly follow Meg. Scyian casts a sleep spell on Chaos, but this has no effect because of the aforementioned armor. Scyian then punches him in the face. Chaos runs off to find Meg, howling about how her "boyfriend" broke his nose. Once Meg manages to secure a straight face, she heals Chaos. He explains how he got the bloody nose, and in the telling, he says how he stole his armor from Imil. She gets angry at this, but then Scyian strolls over and tells Chaos that he and Meg are madly in love. Meg gets the joke and plays along.
Chaos apologizes for stealing, saying he needed to in order to buy a ship and a Cloak Ball and a Quick Jump spell. Then Izorok makes a comment about "young love" from the ground where he is apparently passed out. Meg comments to Scyian about how they attract strange people. Chaos dares them to have "buttsecks" on Izorok. Scyian decides to show Chaos exactly why Mantrak are so feared. Meg freezes his nether regions for her part. Kuhja jokingly proposes a threesome, and Izorok wants to get in on the maiming of Chaos. Scyian ties Chaos's limbs in a knot. Chaos godmods himself out of his punishment and kicks Izorok. Scyian gets disgusted and leave. Izorok messes with Chaos' nose, and Kuhja references a Family Circus strip.
Kuhja and the others follow Scyian to find the Mercury Adept whom they seek. Felix drags Meg into the bushes and ties her up. Kuhja frees her, and Izorok decides to join up with the group. Kuhja gets fed up with the directionally-challenge party members. Chaos gets into a snit and Quick Jumps away.
Kuhja suggests that they take a break, and he asks everyone about their pasts. Chaos finds Kandorean Temple devastated. Izorok is a Luna Adept who had been forced to work as a weapons scientist for Regnoare before running away with a sword of his own invention. Pyro starts heading toward the group. Meg lived in Lemuria for most of her life. Being more than normally skilled with Psynergy, she was sent to Imil to train as a lighthouse guardian and future clan leader. Chaos finds a map that supposedly leads to a way to defeat Regnoare. Meanwhile, Felix, hearing that Meg is from Lemuria, makes another attempt on her life. Meg doesn't even flinch, and Scyian sends a pulse of Luna energy at Felix. Chaos has a moment of introspection that reads like a cheap imitation of Scyian's. Kuhja briefly brings up the idea of going emo and slitting Felix's wrists.
Scyian suggests a nap, and the others agree. While they nap, Seth appears, hoping to speak to Scyian. Felix and Simeone note Seth's approach, and Scyian wakes to deal with him. Felix grapples with Seth, and Simeone pulls him off. Seth is told to speak his piece in front of all of them. Kuhja wakes up, and they give Seth a chance to speak. Meanwhile, Chaos discovers some "Cave of Light" and proceeds to pass trials so that he can get some magical sword. Also meanwhile, Pyro comes across the group and begins to approach. Meanwhile back at the ranch, Meg wakes up and is rather ticked off at the commotion. Pyro introduces himself to Meg, and she is exasperated that yet another strange person has found their group. Pyro turns out to be a Mars Adept who escaped the devastation at Prox and wants revenge. Meg comments that at least he's harmless, so maybe he can come. Seth and Pyro are told to seek Kuhja's approval. Kuhja agrees as long as they all make him sandwiches. Chaos continued his quest through the cave, solving really lame riddles that seem to have been pulled straight from Highlights magazine. Scyian explains to the newcomers their exact reasons for the quest.
A Change of Plans
Since they are unable to locate the Mercury Adept, the group decides to turn their focus to Jupiter Lighthouse. There is discussion of how to find a boat, and Chaos continues his trip through the cave. He earns the power of the magic sword and teleports to a harbor where a pirate is trying to steal his boat. Chaos performs the noteworthy feat of vocalizing "WTF", but then it is revealed that the whole trip through the cave was just an unusually vivid dream.
Chaos believes that he brought the magic sword with him from the dream, but Scyian tells him its just a stick and Kuhja adds that it has "vermin ****" on the end of it. Chaos insists on thinking that the stick is really a sword, however.
The group reaffirms that they are bound for Contigo and Jupiter Lighthouse. They wonder if they should go by sea or by an underwater tunnel. Kuhja is very iffy about traveling in an undersea tunnel. Someone else mentions that Regnoare has a blockade set up. The group decides not to use the tunnel. Chaos PMSes about how no one listens to him, gets mad and storms off in a huff, only to decide, erroneously, that his presence is necessary to the quest and return.
It is then revealed that everyone should have paid more attention in geography; at this point the continents are still basically one landmass. The group will be walking to Atteka. Meg decides that walking is inferior to dancing, so she begins to dance her way to their next destination. When Simeone says that he prefers to stay serious, Meg offers to dance with him, but he declines. Kuhja, however, takes Meg up on her offer. Meg and Kuhja breakdance to music that Simeone provides, and then they tango. After a rousing bout of dance, Meg suggests that they someday enter the Weyard International Competitive Tango Circuit. Then Chaos, ever one to try and top the achievements of others, spins on his head for five minutes straight. This intrigues Ciel, and he steps forward to challenge Chaos.
Ciel Mindreads Chaos and is disappointed by what he finds. Ciel challenges any of the group to fight him. Seth steps forward to accept the challenge. Meg turns out to be a dirty rotten liar - she has a secret stash of cookies in her pack, which she offers to Kuhja, Simeone, and Scyian. Seth launches an attack at Ciel, who is caught off guard. Ciel quickly recovers and uses a variation of the attack against Seth in a maneuver which earns him an 8 from Meg, who felt it "lacked flair". Seth and Ciel continue trading blows, using their elemental powers to great effect. Neither wants to give up. All of Meg's cookies are gone by this time, and she's bored, too, so she calls it a draw and freezes the combatants' feet to the ground.
After the battle ends, Seth asks if they've confirmed the route. Ciel says that he didn't get much information from Chaos' mind, so he asks to read Seth's. Meg points out that Seth has not been with the group for long and recommends that Ciel Mindread Kuhja, Simeone, Felix, Scyian, or herself. Felix gets upset that he's mentioned now, but not when Meg was dispensing cookies, and Meg offers licorice as consolation. Scyian tells Ciel that he can read his mind. Then Chaos assaults Ciel, slamming him to the ground and punching him in the nose. Meg pulls Chaos off Ciel and threatens him with a nether freeze. Felix bind Chaos, takes Meg's offered licorice, then steals her glasses and stomps on them. Meg totally hauls off and punches Felix in the jaw. Kuhja tells Meg that Felix's wussy stomp did nothing to her glasses, and on inspection Meg sees that this is true. There is a little more foolishness involving Felix, and Seth asks why he always picks on Meg. Kuhja gets upset and decides to go off to the nearby village to find an inn.
The Other Mercury Adept
Demons attack a temple in Indra, and the monks there are powerless because Mercury Lighthouse has been sealed. Only Gangeya with his ring has Psynergy. He decides to fight the demons. However, Gangeya doesn't know that he is the demons. Scyian senses the disturbance in the force and tells the group that they need to help the anonymous Mercury Adept. Gangeya begins to fight, using his Psynergy to attack the demons. The group arrives on the scene to help. Gangeya gets wounded by the enemies. Meg and Simeone go to heal Gangeya. Seth, Izorok, Felix, and a few others fight against a "shadow Regnoare". All of the party members except Scyian, Kuhja, Meg, Simeone, Felix, Ciel, and Gangeya are killed by this shadow creature. Kuhja defeats the enemy Mantrak with a Meteor attack. As Gangeya lays unconcious, Ciel reads his mind and find out that the boy is not a Lemurian.
Kuhja proposes a game of Truth or Dare. He also explains, when Scyian asks, that he learned powerful Mars Psynergy under the guidance of his clan leader. In Truth or Dare, Scyian tells that he didn't buy an N-Gage, and Meg tells that she has never killed anyone. In a facetious comment, she tells about hiring herself out as an assassin to gain money to feed the crack habits of street children she once sheltered in Tolbi. Meg dares Ciel to give Scyian a bear hug, getting him thrown into a tree for his trouble. Felix gets dared to climb a tree without using his hands, and he does so, but then he falls out. Scyian chooses truth but is cajoled into picking dare. Felix dares him to kiss Meg. Adding fuel to the darksideshipping fire, Scyian is not pleased with the thought of kissing a pretty girl, but he pecks Meg on the cheek before blasting Felix with Luna Psynergy. After this, Felix recommends getting on with the adventure, but Kuhja complains that he didn't get to play. Scyian dares him to run around in circles, clucking like a chicken, then backflip fifty times up a tree, jump from the crown and glide, squirrel-style, to a spot about four hundred yards away, breakdance, sing 'I'm a Little Teapot' with actions, then cast Meteor on himself. When Kuhja points out that the last bit would be lethal, Scyian dares him to bite the head off a bat, but Kuhja asks for a chicken. Scyian again changes the dare, this time to doing a barrel roll, and Kuhja does this while biting the head off a passing bird. Meg gives this a 9.0. Ciel wonders where Meg gets all her cardboard. Meg gets defensive.
Gangeya wakes up. When he sees Scyian, a Mantrak, he gets scared. Felix menaces him with a sword. A brain spasm of Gangeya's causes Felix to get hit in the head with water. Meg talks to Gangeya to calm him. She explains that they rescued him. Ciel adds that no demons got into the temple because Kuhja cast Meteor. Scyian tells Gangeya that he should stick with the group because his power signature is probably what drew the demons to the Temple in the first place. He then asks why Gangeya has so much power. Felix suggests that Gangeya is actually much older than he appears, being a Lemurian like Meg. Gangeya says that he knows nothing of Mercury and tells about how his village has the power of Mercury. Scyian explains how it is because of Regnoare that all the Adepts in Gangeya's village lost their power and how the group opposes Regnoare.
Gangeya has no knowledge of Regnoare. He asks if he's an "Asura", an enemy of the gods, and Scyian says that it's as good an explanation as any. Kuhja jokes that Regnoare must have bought an N-Gage, and Meg chides him for trivializing matters. Scyian offers to let Gangeya come with them. Felix just wants to depart. Gangeya asks Meg if she has the gift of healing. Meg confirms this. Scyian and Kuhja are ready to leave for the next lighthouse. Gangeya says he needs to speak to the Temple elders and that Meg should accompany him. The others can go on to the lighthouse. Scyian says that the others will wait for Gangeya and Meg at the barricade. Kuhja proposes a game of Spin the Bottle, but Felix gets upset at Kuhja messing around. Scyian agrees with Felix, adding that they are all men in the group. However, the discerning reader can tell that this is just denial talking.
The gate to the Temple is barred, so Gangeya asks Meg if she is skilled with physical Psynergy. Meg feels that she and Gangeya could break through if they pooled their energies, and Gangeya is up for this. Gangeya shows Meg a meditation technique for focusing energy.
Kuhja suggests a contest for causing the most destruction. Scyian takes him up on it. Scyian goes crazy on the Mantrak camp, hurling Luna Ki every which way. Kuhja does him one better, bathing the landscape in flame and summoning Meteor for a finale. Scyian admits defeat. They talk about continuing to Jupiter Lighthouse since Meg and Gangeya are taking too long. Ciel makes his own contribution to the destruction contest, showing finesse in cutting a boulder into eighths. Meanwhile, Meg and Gangeya are ready to bust down the Temple door.
Scyian gets his group moving again, and they eventually reach Anemos. Mantrak are occupying it. Kuhja proposes creating a distraction to lure the Mantrak away from their prisoners and the lighthouse. Felix wonders why Kuhja can't just use his Psynergy, and he shows that he has difficulty with basic mathematics, thinking that there are two lighthouses left to be sealed after Jupiter. Gangeya and Meg burst open the door to the Temple and try to find someone.
The Prison Camp and the Lighthouse
Kuhja finds a bassist, and Scyian moves out, using his Mantrak appearance to disguise himself. He takes over the guard shift at the prisoner cage. Meanwhile, it turns out that Simeone had gotten captured. Seeing Scyian conversing with the other Mantrak and not seeing the rest of the group, Simeone wonders if Scyian has betrayed them, so he rattles his chains to get Scyian's attention. Scyian sees Simeone and, under the pretense of disciplining him, explains the deception. Kuhja and two random guys have formed a Black Sabbath cover band as a distraction. Scyian begins freeing the Anemos citizens, who teleport away. In the middle of a song, the bassist asks Kuhja how they're playing if electricity hasn't been discovered. The sound disappears, and Kuhja makes a break for it. Seeing that there are no prisoners who could get hurt, Kuhja summons Meteor. The party runs for it, and after Meteor destroys the enemies, Kuhja asks what Scyian thought of the show. Scyian comments that Kuhja should start a rock band, and then Felix tries to get inside Jupiter Lighthouse. He can't, however, so Ciel is called upon to open the lighthouse.
Ciel unlocks the door with a cyclone, and gets verbally owned by Kuhja, who stole the joke that Ciel had contemplated using. Scyian tosses off a srs bsns line and urges the others to get moving. Felix is chilled, not odd for someone in the lighthouse of wind, and he also feels like someone is watching him. Scyian wonders if it could be a gryphon. Cue a gryphon attack. Felix is knocked unconscious. Simeone wonders about how Scyian has come to have a capacity for good. Scyian knows not, though he throws out a couple hypotheses. They hear Felix's yells and go to help him. Ciel has a rough time with the gryphon and starts coughing up blood. Kuhja finishes off the gryphon with a Pyroclasm. He asks if Ciel's okay, and Ciel assures Kuhja that he's fine and then promptly collapses onto Felix. Felix gets out from under Ciel and uses Aura in hopes of healing the Jupiter Adept. Kuhja adds his own power to this, and Scyian comments on how they could use the two Mercury Adepts who aren't present.
Ciel gets slowly to his feet. He explains that a few years before, he awoke in the forest with only a sword and no memories in his head. He has a condition where after too much exertion, he coughs up blood and passes out. Ciel says that he feels that staying with the group may lead him to his past, and then asks for a drink of water, as internal bleeding leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, which is completely true. Kuhja and Scyian both offer Ciel water, and Scyian says that once the lighthouse is sealed, the Mercury Adepts in the group could see if it's possible to help Ciel. Ciel tosses Scyian's flask back, and Felix catches it to take a few swigs. Then he offers some ale he has.
The group makes it to the top of Jupiter Lighthouse. There's no one up there, and Scyian tells Ciel to seal the lighthouse but to not exert himself. Ciel uses a mythril glove to pull the star out of the beacon, but he needs to use both hands to grab it, and ends up subjecting himself to a massive amount of pure Jupiter Psynergy. In great pain, it's all he can do to appeal to his friends for help. Scyian does his best to help Ciel, and if you're looking for darksideshipping subtext, this is a good place for it. Scyian notes that Ciel will bear the marks of this for the rest of his life. Ciel says that he is feeling better. Meanwhile, Felix is drunk. Ignoring Felix, Scyian asks Kuhja if Kalt is under control of Regnoare. Kuhja says that a traitor caused the resistance there to collapse. The two discuss where they will head next, with Kuhja telling of an island in the northwest. Scyian wonders about when they'll meet back up with Meg and Gangeya.
SUDDENLY! Anemos rose into the sky, just as Yaffa had predicted all the way back at the council. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Regnoare uses the Mars Star's power to transform Prox into a hellish land of fire.
Meg and Gangeya arrive at the base of Jupiter Lighthouse. The boys in the lighthouse are ready to get moving to Prox. Scyian says that Mars Lighthouse should be sealed before they tackle Regnoare, and he pledges loyalty to Kuhja. Regnoare, for his part, plans to burn Weyard to ashes, but this will take a couple weeks to build up to. The lads leave the lighthouse and tell Meg and Gangeya to join them.
The Resistance
The party reaches the mountains near Mars Lighthouse. Scyian outlines the plan for the group, saying that their priority is to get Kuhja to the lighthouse aerie. Scyian plans to distract Regnoare himself while the rest of the group goes to free the people of Prox. Kuhja will take the other three Elemental Stars so that he will be able to draw on all of the power once Mars Lighthouse is sealed. Kuhja suggest enlisting the aid of the resistance in drawing Regnoare's forces away from the lighthouse. He says that the resistance is on an island surrounded by ice, so the group can walk to it. Kuhja takes the group to the island, as he will need to explain the presence of a Mantrak in the group.
As the group walks across the tundra, the snow begins to pick up. They debate about making camp, but since weathering out the storm could take too long, they decide to risk pressing on. The group keeps moving, but the storm proves too much for them. Ciel tries to ask Meg about his condition, but before he can get an answer, the group finally gives in to the weather.
Kuhja wakes up in the infirmary of the resistance's base. He talks to another Proxian and learns that the others are fine but Scyian is locked in the dungeon. Scyian is enraged by his treatment but is unable to use Psynergy in his cell. Kuhja gets the guards to let Scyian out. Scyian menaces a guard and then heads to the infirmary with Kuhja.
Meg had awoke in the infirmary and was busy healing resistance soldiers. Scyian stops in the infirmary and asks Meg how everyone's doing. She tells him that while Ciel is still unconscious, Felix and Simeone are fine. Kuhja comes in and tells the others that they have a meeting with the resistance leaders in two hours. Scyian gently casts a healing spell on Ciel, and Ciel wakes up recalling the pleasant feeling of that healing in a very subtexty way, in my opinion. Once everyone is awake and ready, Scyian asks what they should do during the two hours they have to wait. Kuhja suggests that they all turn emo, but then adds that they could just eat. Ciel asks how long he was out, and Kuhja tells him that it has been two days, adding that Meg and Scyian recovered earlier. Meg says that Mercury Adepts heal swiftly and then says that they should go get food, for eating is serious business. Felix asks if she's being sarcastic, but Meg informs him that she was serious and offers a cookie. Scyian snags it. Then a guard comes and tells the group that the elders will see them immediately.
The party enters the council chamber, and Kuhja is greeted by an elder. Kuhja explains Scyian's presence. Scyian testily asks if the elder has a problem with his presence. The elder explains just why he loathes Scyian, and Ciel states that he trusts Scyian, even giving the Mantrak his sword and exposing his neck to Scyian in a gesture of trust. Scyian raises the sword and plunges it into the table near Ciel's neck. He goes on about trust, telling the elder that if he wants to, after everything is over, he may destroy him. The elder tells Scyian that he has earned his trust.
Scyian outlines the plan. Kuhja will sneak into Mars Lighthouse to seal the beacon, taking with him the three other Elemental Stars. When Mars is sealed, Kuhja will be able to use the power of the Stone of Sages to defeat Regnoare. Meg, Ciel, Simeone, and Felix are to lead an attack on Regnoare's prison camps. They will attempt to liberate the imprisoned Proxians, but this would be really just a diversion from Kuhja's mission. Scyian offers himself up as a decoy to fight Regnoare until Kuhja can accomplish his goal. One of the elders objects to Kuhja entering the hazardous lighthouse alone, and Meg offers to accompany Kuhja and lend her healing skills to him. Scyian agrees that this would be wise and suggests that everyone go to the lighthouse, leaving only him to lead the attack on the prison camp.
Ciel, meanwhile, uncovers that one of the Proxians is actually a spy for Regnoare. Scyian menaces the mole, but Ciel has to read his mind. Although Ciel initially thinks that he is no longer able to use his Psynergy, Ciel turns out to be able to, and he reveals that the Proxian was indeed a spy and that another spy had just left to tell Regnoare. Scyian proposes using the spy as his ticket into the prison camp. Scyian states that the spy will cooperate because their group is inclined to be at least slightly merciful if the spy cooperates. Ciel then breaks the spy, Dahvid's, wrist when he tries to pull a knife. Meg points out that the time they have to execute their plan is limited. Before they leave, Kuhja takes a few swings at Dahvid because of his betrayal.
Kuhja finishes, and he and the others prepare to leave when Felix jumps up and draws his sword. The odd Adept yells that they will not get to Regnoare without going through him, and he runs at Meg, planning to kill her. Meg freezes Felix in place and asks him what he was doing. Felix melts the ice and swings his sword at Meg. Kuhja incinerates Felix, killing him, and Meg stands at a loss. Scyian pulls himself together and says that they must leave. Meg is worried about splitting up, although she understands that if they must, they must. Scyian says that with so few of them, they must all go to Mars Lighthouse together. The Proxian elder delivers a dour warning that failure will not be accepted, and then the group departs.
Regnoare
After an introspective timeskip monologue, the group, along with five score Proxian soldiers, are near Mars Lighthouse. Kuhja tells the Proxians to attack Regnoare's army. The party makes their move to infiltrate Mars Lighthouse. Regnoare appears before them. Regnoare totally disses Meg by telling her that she was never a concern to him. Then he tells Scyian and Kuhja that they should have been on his side. Scyian makes a heroic speech about defying fate and atonement. Regnoare laughs in his face. Then he sees Ciel. Ciel's mind starts to grow fuzzy because of Regnoare's look. Ciel tries to be defiant, but Regnoare starts asking Ciel if he knows what he's doing. Ciel's fighting stance is thrown off, and he gets a terrible headache. Still, he asks Regnoare who he is, and Regnoare tells about being Luna's representative on Weyard. Then he asks Ciel again who he is.
While this showdown is occurring, Kuhja goes against all his instincts and creeps off. Although he dearly wishes to fight, he knows that it's more important to seal Mars Lighthouse. Kuhja finds a hidden door to the lighthouse and opens it. Regnoare tells Ciel that he is really Etoile. A change comes over Ciel, one that is unnoticeable to the others. He retreats to Meg's side and gives Regnoare a wink. Regnoare turns his attention to Scyian, and the two begin to fight. Ciel, meanwhile, draws his sword and points it at Meg, startling her. She demands to know what he's doing, and Ciel begs confusion. Then, when Meg is looking at Scyian and Regnoare, Ciel (or rather, Etoile) draws his sword once again and tells her who he really is. Meg gets ready to face off with Etoile, depending on her Psynergy to counter Etoile's sword skills. She freezes his feet to the ground, but Ciel deals with it easily. He taunts Meg, and she blasts him in the face with water and then quickly freezes it, also attacking with her staff. Etoile knows he can't keep fighting for long, so he grabs Meg by the wrist and casts a sleep spell. The spell affects them both, and they fall asleep. Kuhja, meanwhile, makes his way through the lighthouse, which is deserted.
Scyian witnesses Meg and Etoile fighting. Regnoare gets the upper hand and beats Scyian around for a bit before telling Scyian that he never had a chance. Regnoare speaks of how Scyian will be betrayed just like he betrayed Regnoare, and he offers Scyian a chance to return to the ranks of Luna. Scyian resists, telling Regnoare that Kuhja, should he keep the power of the Stone of Sages, would be a benevolent ruler, unlike Regnoare. He speaks of people acting not for their own self-interest, but for the greater good. Then Scyian takes Regnoare by surprise with a kick to the stomach. Regnoare is wounded, but he is far from incapacitated, and he attacks Scyian in return. Spirits rise up to bind Scyian, and Regnoare goes to take care of business with Meg and Etoile. To Meg, Regnoare offers a vision of a world at peace, a place where the healers of Mercury can rest.
Etoile sleeps, but in his mind, he is confronted by Ciel. Etoile says that he was once Regnoare's servant until his memories were locked away by Jupiter and Sol. Ciel doesn't care, demanding that Etoile leave. Etoile overpowers him, imprisoning Ciel in his own head.
Regnoare's talk is tempting to Meg, and as she slowly comes awake, she is almost ready to accept his offer. She sees Ciel, though, and thinks of all the hardships she and her friends have come through without giving up. She realizes that she can't abandon the cause just because it would be easy. However, she decides that playing along may be the smart thing to do. Meg humbly asks Regnoare if he will also spare her friends if they agree to serve him. Regnoare agrees to this and tells her to convince Scyian to join. Meg goes to do so, after giving Regnoare a bow in hopes of pleasing him. Regnoare is indeed pleased. He then wakes up Etoile. Scyian, meanwhile, sees Meg and guesses from her nervousness that she must have submitted to Regnoare.
Kuhja seals the Mars Lighthouse and gets the Mars Star.
Scyian is freed from his spirit bonds when Regnoare loses the power of the Mars Star. Scyian taunts Regnoare, but Regnoare reminds him that he still has the power that comes from being Luna's representative. Regnoare does a total final boss transformation into a second form. At this point, Kuhja is up on Mars Lighthouse, when it goes bonkers, splitting in half and such. Regnoare is distracted by this, and Meg and Scyian seize the opportunity to talk. Regnoare goes to confront Kuhja, thinking that Meg and Etoile will take care of Scyian. Meg informs Scyian of how she's pretending to serve Regnoare and that Ciel seems to be under Regnoare's power. Kuhja does his awesome thing and doesn't even look at Regnoare when the Luna Adept speaks to him. However, when Regnoare speaks his name, Kuhja becomes enraged. Regnoare speaks to Kuhja about the power he has, butchering "thou" and its various declensions in the process. While he's saying this, Kuhja takes the opportunity blast Regnoare, saying that actions speak louder than words. Regnoare gets back up to fight and says that he's basically immortal. Regnoare charges Kuhja and wounds him, and Kuhja asks Regnoare what the point of all this killing is. Regnoare says that only death and destruction will sate his desires. Regnoare lost his swords in charging Kuhja, and Kuhja returns one of them so that he won't have to kill an unarmed man. Regnoare launches a darkness attack, and Kuhja counters with a Pyroclasm, leading to explosive results. Regnoare compares Kuhja's spirit to that of a Proxian captive who had been turned into a Mantrak. That man was Kuhja's friend and he had become Scyian. Kuhja responds that he knows his friend would be honored to now be one of the ones who would overthrow Regnoare once and for all. He charges. Regnoare only narrowly dodges and then begins yelling at Kuhja with more mangles "thous" about the temptations of power.
Etoile joins Meg and Scyian, seeing them conversing. Meg explains that she doesn't want Scyian to be killed, so won't Etoile help her convince him to join Regnoare? Etoile gives a mockingly sweet speech about Scyian's failure, and in return, Scyian manhandles Etoile, telling him how much stronger Ciel was and how Kuhja's gonna kick Regnoare's butt. Etoile rejoins that he must be the stronger one if Ciel is not in control. He also mentions that Kuhja will be corrupted by the power he gets. Finally Etoile says that as a Jupiter Adept, he can sense that Scyian wants to return to Regnoare. Scyian says that he follows his heart, not his mind, and he says that Kuhja does likewise, and that's why he won't become the next Regnoare despite the power he's gained. Etoile laughs this off and also says he'll give Ciel a chance to take control back, but there's no reaction. Etoile gets ready to fight Scyian. Meg steps in timidly here, saying that Etoile should wait to finish off Scyian, for Regnoare may want to do so himself. Scyian launches his own attack at Etoile, but when he hears Meg, he subsides and heads for Regnoare. Etoile manages to get behind Scyian, but Scyian has a trick up his sleeve and kicks Etoile down. Etoile strikes back with lightning, and Scyian weilds Luna Psynergy in return. Etoile feels his illness manifesting again, and he quickly lunges at Scyian. However, he stops short of killing the Mantrak, and it turns out that Ciel has prevented him from doing so. With a little assistance from Scyian, Ciel defeats Etoile and turns him into his shadow. Meg asks if Ciel is back, and he does a merry dance to prove his point. Meg says that being as how Ciel didn't try to murder her just then, she'll trust him.
Scyian, Meg, and Ciel sneak around to where Kuhja and Regnoare are battling. Scyian ends up getting grabbed by Regnoare, and Regnoare demands the Stone of Sages, saying that should Kuhja attack, Scyian would get hurt as well. Meg contrives a plan. She and Ciel will creep a bit closer and hit Regnoare with first a water blast and then lightning, stunning him and allowing Scyian to escape. The two execute the plan, and then they both just run past Regnoare, snagging Scyian, and making it deeper into the lighthouse. Regnoare charges Kuhja and bursts into the lighthouse, and Scyian tells the others it's time to finish things. Regnoare throws a burst of Luna Psynergy at the heroes. Scyian and Kuhja are unharmed, and Kuhja taunts Regnoare. Scyian makes up a plan. He, with the help of Meg and Ciel, as well as a piece of the Stone of Sages, will sever Regnoare's connection to Luna. Kuhja gives Scyian the Venus Star and holds of Regnoare. Ciel and Meg step forward to lend their aid. They end up rendering Regnoare human.
Regnoare proposes a duel with Kuhja, each of them setting aside their godly powers. Kuhja agrees, and after he heals up, he gives his friends the Elemental Stars to keep a hold on. Regnoare attacks, and Kuhja counters, but then Regnoare pulls out the more powerful Luna Psynergy. Kuhja diverts the sword that Regnoare summoned, by it hits Scyian instead. Ciel grabs Scyian and tells Meg to heal him. With the Mercury Star, Meg pours her all into healing the large wound. Kuhja charges Regnoare, who also attacks, and ends up killing him. Kuhja, also injured, collapses, and Scyian is also affected by the loss of Luna energy that had been fueling his existence. However, Scyian turns into a Sol Adept and heals Kuhja. Kuhja is confused, and so is Meg. Scyian says he now has an angel's heart, and he also says that Fate is granting each of them a wish. Kuhja comments about always wanting a pony, and Ciel wants to know if he can ask a few questions. He wants to know about what's next for Scyian and what Scyian meant about positions of prestige. Scyian says that he has been chosen as Sol's representative. Ciel struggles with his emotions and passes on using his wish until the others have done so. Meg also tries to come to terms with her feelings. She's upset about losing so many friends, though she is glad that Regnoare is gone.
Scyian makes himself a Jesus figure when he tells them that he'll always be with them, in the goodness of strangers, etc. Then he asks what wishes they've decided on, as well as adding that the Golden Age will not be returning because of mankind's cowardice. Only a few areas of Adepts will remain. Kuhja turns his wish over to Meg, who wishes first for Lemuria's protection and secondly for a box of never-ending candy. Ciel requests to become Jupiter's representative. Scyian relays the request, and Ciel is accepted. Regnoare's body disappears, and Scyian says that he has been reclaimed by Luna. He tells them to keep an eye out for Regnoare being reborn. Ciel hands over his sword to Meg as something to remember him by. Meg is on the verge of tears as Scyian ascends, and Ciel starts crying as he ascends himself. Kuhja and Meg exit the lighthouse, and the Proxians rejoice.
Epilogue
Kuhja lives extraordinarily long, but life is boring him. He sneaks away from Prox and sails the world in a Lemurian ship Meg gave him. Eventually, he makes his way to Lemuria. Meg and Kuhja meet and sit up late talking. They miss the old days of adventure. The two of them sneak away from Lemuria and go to the Apojii Islands, where they become tango champions until the end of their days.
Finis.
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