Wait, Zephiel's the bad guy? Let's Play Fire Emblem: Sword of Seals!

Gonzales and Elphin lure another few closer.



Fa takes out one of them, gaining a level from it.



Elphin gives her a boost...



And Fa takes out the other, leveling up again.



Roy: Who are you?

Karel: I am Karel. I hereby have decided to assist your army.

Roy: You're the Sword Saint... I have heard of your skills. You are most welcome.



Wendy lures an enemy Mamkute close, gaining a level upf rom the move. Her defense growth continues to astound me.



The move also attracts a pair of dragon riders as well...

Sophia and Hugh team up to heal up Fa and Wendy, since they've been taking hits for a while into the battle.



Geese weakens down the Mamkute a bit further...



And Fa finishes him off, gaining a level up from it.



The two dragon riders from earlier make their move, attacking Geese and Hugh.



Seems like the other dragon riders took notice of our presence.



Three of the druids near Brenya are wielding status staves - two Sleep staves and one Berserk - and one of them takes aim at Wendy.



Gonzales and Geese move Wendy a little back and prepare to deal with the approaching dragon riders.

One of the dragon riders attacks Wendy, cheeky bastard.



Two others take aim at Geese, getting criticaled back in the process.



The dragon lords attack as well, one going after the defenseless Wendy.



Learning from his comrades, one of the dragon riders tries to attack from a distance instead.



Geese gets put to sleep by one of the druids...



Karel deigns to take out one of the dragon lords with a Killing Edge he borrowed from Rutger, while Wolt is simply content to weaken the other one down.



Fa finishes off the weakened dragon lord, gaining a level from the kill.



Gonzales and Lilina take out the last few, the former criticaling while the latter makes due with a damage boost.

Karel actually ends up dodging one of the blasts of sleep here, but the second manages to knock him out anyway.



Lilina heals him up anyway, gaining more magic in the process. Two more points!



Gonzales and Geese were in range, so they take the last two blasts of Sleep for the team.



Lilina's the closest mage to the north, so Fa takes her magic so she can beging wearing it down. My fears are confirmed when she goes berserk anyway, but she's unarmed and thus harmless.



She dodges the last two blasts thankfully.



With her equipment back in her possession, she falls back and begins healing the others.

Wendy starts to move north, but accidentally moves into Brenya's range...

Brenya: Even if I fall, Bern will rise back up and fight again!



Wendy gets nailed pretty hard by Brenya's Bolting, forcing Saul to heal her from the attack.



Fa fares better, though instead of being hit hard she's being doubled instead. Yeesh.



Her tome breaks quickly enough, so we heal up and move on.



Wendy lures in the Mamkute nearby, attacking again to soften him up.



Fa then finishes him off, reaching level 10.



Elphin gives Lilina another boost, so she can heal Wendy's wounds.



Luring the Mamkute seems to have triggered the others' charge, but five against eight is still odds in our favour.

Wolt kills one of the druids, gaining more defense and HP.



Wendy softens up one of the snipers...



Who Fa then kills. Level up!



Elphin refreshes Wolt so he can take out the other sniper.



Lilina takes out one of the other druids.



Saul heals up Wolt so that he'll have a better chance of surviving.



Not that it matters when the remaining druid goes after Wendy instead.



Fa then finishes the last druid, reaching level 12. She's looking quite good, isn't she?

Wolt begins weakening Brenya down with his Killer Bow, though he takes a heavy hit and misses both attacks. Lilina's on hand for healing, thankfully.



Roy visits the last shop, picking up some tomes for the ensuing battles.



Wolt criticals Brenya down a bit more...



And Fa finishes her off.



Brenya: Now I can go... to your side...

It's always a shame taking Brenya down... she's the perfect soldier - loyal, honorable. Under better circumstances, she and Roy could've been allies, but as the last woman standing, she can't back down, can't betray her nation. And so we're forced to take her out with the rest, bringing an end to the great Bern empire with her...



There's one Mamkute left on the map, which Wendy lures up.



Fa finishes him off, reaching level 14. Not quite as high as the others, but more than enough to deal with the battles ahead.



Time to move on to the Dragon Temple...

Elphin: We can count on that. But... something is bothering me...

Roy: What?

Elphin: In one of the legends of the Scouring, it is said that the Dragon Temple holds the power of the dragons.

Roy: What does that mean?

Elphin: It is also said that the temple's power protects the Dragon itself?

Roy: What...? I don't understand.

Neither do I. Stop being so vague, Elphin! Geez.

Elphin: This is just my estimate, but perhaps it means that the Dragons inside the temple have much greater power than those on the outside.

Roy: So... Our tactics against the Dragons until now might now work?

Elphin: Right. But perhaps if one worthy of using the Divine Weapons uses one to its fullest potential, then we might have a chance.

Roy: ...We have no other good ideas. All right. Then we'll choose those who have the best skill to enter the temple.

Elphin: Be careful who you choose. We might not be able to leave once we're inside...

Take Elphin's warning seriously, gang - the party we choose next chapter will be sticking with us until the very end, so you should only pick the team that you're certain of. And such...



Next time: Yahn explains the plot!

For a minute there I was really confused and thought I missed something about Fa being dragon royalty. ;p

Fa's dragon form is pretty much the best thing. And she's an unstoppable killing machine, to boot!

If I remember correctly, her stone provides a pretty hefty boost to her base stats, right?

Man, does she ever:



Believe it or not, she actually ends up maxing out her strength and luck before the end of the next chapter. Ridiculous, isn't she?

Say, I was reading the support conversations over at the awesome serenesforest.net site you pointed out, and noticed one prominent recruitable character who I don't think we've seen in this run (aside from the dancer and rebel leader who we missed by taking the Elphin path). Of course it's possible we saw him and my memory just sucks.

Unless that's the case, what's the low-down on a certain famous clan chief?

Ah, you mean [The Silver Wolf, Dayan]? He was on a different route - starting from chapter 17, the path splits between Sacae and Ilia, depending on whether the sum gained experience between your nomads is greater than your pegasus knights. Since Thany and Tate had gained more experience, we ended up on the latter path where we recruited Yuno instead.

So here we are, at the Dragon Temple. A month ago, we set out to war merely as a captain in the Lycia Alliance Army, and now we're in front of an ancient draconian temple, ready to beat down an ancient God-like Dragon. Feels like we've come a long way, doesn't it?

In any case, it's time we finished things up and went home.



He searched for the Dark Priestess to prevent the same wars from happening again. Here in the temple, Roy was to learn the truth of the legends he had always heard. What Roy was about to hear was completely different from what he had always believed to be true...

Join us now, as we learn about...

Chapter 24: The Truth of the Legend





Roy: Did the Eight Heroes fight under such pressure as well?



Roy: What... Who are you! When did you...

Yahn: I am Yahn.

So is this chapter.

Yahn: I am the last remaining Dragon of the Dragon Temple.

Roy: The last dragon? You seem different from the other dragons... Are you the Dark Dragon?

Yahn: The Dragons who you have been fighting with are War Dragons who know nothing but battle. And the Dark Dragon is something completely different from me. I am a full-blooded dragon who fought you humans in the faraway past.

Roy: Different? Wasn't the Dark Dragon supposed to be the leader of the Dragons?

Yahn: The Dark Dragon is an 'object' that is meant to bring hope to us Dragons again. It is no leader.

Roy: What? Then what is the Dark Dragon?

Yahn: It seems you have much to learn.

Roy: Tell us! What is the Dark Dragon? We... I have to fully understand my enemy before I fight!

Yahn: Well... I have no reason to tell you. And yet, I have no reason not to tell you. What should I do?

Roy: ......

Yahn: ...All right. I shall test you to see if you are worthy of hearing the truth. I am deep inside the temple. Fend off our attacks and come to me. Then I shall explain everything.

Roy: But you're right here!

Yahn: What you are seeing is just an illusion. If you wish to know the truth, then come to me. If you prove yourself worthy of my time, then you shall hear it all...



Biggest map yet? Possibly.

The gimmick to this stage is that we'll have to claim the altar in each room here, where Yahn will appear and give us some information pertaining to the Scouring. After we claim an altar, the next room will open up, and so on and so on until we reach the big man himself.

The entire map is crawling with Mamkutes, as you'd expect from the Dragon Temple, so conventional weaponry won't work as effectively against them as they did earlier on. However, we've still got the Divine Weapons in our possession, so we'll be busting them out to pierce their defenses and take the fight to them. The strategy, essentially, boils down to attack, attack, attack - finish off the Mamkutes before they can counter and make sure you can heal yourself if you can't.

This is the last chapter where we can alter our formation - the characters we'll be bringing along here are stuck with our party until the end, and as such you'll want to choose your party carefully. As such, here's the final incarnation of our team. The weapons we've traditionally been using won't be serving us well any more, so it's time to bring out the big guns and field Divine, Silver and Killer types.



...A red-haired youth from Pherae, whose inner character has served him well in his long journey...

Roy sort of petered out near the end because he promoted so late, but up until then he turned out awesomely. His strength and speed are much higher than they should be for this level even without the boosts, and with the Sealed Sword in his hands he can deal insane amounts of damage to enemies. He's developed beautifully, and we're glad for him.



...A little dragon girl who yearns for a world where she can live with humans peacefully...

We're forced to bring Fa along for the last two battles, but I'd bring her along anyway. She's got great stats all-around, and her Divine Stone is just as powerful as any of the Divine Weapons against Mamkutes. In addition, we can use her to mule some extra elixers along just in case one of our characters runs out, though hopefully that won't be the case.



...A troubled swordmaster who swore to use his blade to bring revenge against those who ruined his life...

Rutger was probably our MVP over the course of the game. We had to stop using him around halfway through so we could bring some of the others up to speed, but even when the others caught up he was dominating map after map.

...A loyal dragon rider who would follow her liege into the very depths of hell itself...

It was a tight race near the end for our lance-user, but Miledy went ahead and outgrown all of the other competitors. She's one of our best fighters on our team, and we're glad to have her with us with the battles to come.



...The strongest of the berserkers of the Western Isles, whose crushing blows are feared by many...

I'll admit, I wasn't too enthused with Geese's growth at first, but once he promoted he turned right around and developed as he should. He's a bit middle-of-the-road as far as berserkers are concerned, but he's still a good fighter nonetheless.



...A loyal archer who would do anything to serve his master well...

It was a tough call for who was going to use Miurgre, as Wolt and Shin were dead-even in terms of strength. In the end, Wolt came out on top as the stronger of the two. Besides, he's been carrying our team for most of the game, so he kind of deserves it more, don't you think?



...The princess of Ostia, whose magical prowess is only matched by her father's strength...

Lilina's growth at first was pretty galling, with her magic falling farther behind than it should have. However, despite this she managed to catch up and become one of our strongest characters as a result. Despite the RNG's best efforts, she'll be maxing out her magic before the game's end.

...The most perverted of St. Elimine's bishops, but also the most powerful...

Saul is... well, he's far overleveled for what he should be at this point in the game. But can you blame me? We had to bring his Light Rank up for him to use Aureola, so it was a necessary evil. Nevertheless, he's strong all-around and we're glad to have him with us.



...A rude, but powerful, druid who's almost as hard on others as he is on himself...

Ray is pretty awesome. He's got great stats all-around and can fight with the best of them. His C-Rank in staves will also prove useful, as he can use the Hammerne staff just in case one of the Divine Weapons nears its breaking point. Besides, it's tradition to bring the avatar character along, isn't it?



...The heir to the throne of Etruria who wishes for a time when he can reunite with his father...

Elphin's not as strong as the other fighters, but he's invaluable in the Final Chapter, as we'll see later on. Otherwise, he'll be helping to move our group forward, his songs helping our fighters eliminate Mamkutes before they can fight back.

The Reject Room





Nothing against these guys personally - in fact, any one of these guys could have been brought along as well, as they've all S-ranked a weapon type, barring Cath, and are more than strong enough to survive - however, we've only got 10 spots so they got squeezed due to space. I'd love to bring some of them along with the group, but this just isn't their battle.

(...Yes, I forgot to screenshot their profiles. Don't rub it in.)

EDIT: And then I realize I could just use the trial maps to get them anyway. D'oh.

And that's it. Let's make these last two battles ones for the ages!



The battle starts out slowly, with our groups positioning themselves to run at the first group of enemies.



Wolt misses his second attack on the throne guard, but Geese picks up the slack and criticals him to death.

Elphin gives Lilina a boost...



And she takes out another with the Infernal Element, Forblaze. The animation is a little different from its appearance in FE7, though only slightly.



Rutger moves into range of the third Mamkute and criticals him to death. Which is absurd overkill, considering that he was already killing him in one blow, hits 100% of the time and is doubling.



Ray heals Rutger back up with his Recover staff.



And we claim the first altar.

Roy: Or...

Yahn: This is but the entrance. You have a long way to reach me. But you seem strong enough not to die immediately.

Roy: Of course. We have gone through many hardships.

Yahn: So I see. Very well, I shall tell you a little more about the Dark Dragon. The Dark Dragon is not the leader of the Dragons as you thought. The Dark Dragon was created to bring us victory.

Roy: Created...? So it wasn't the Dark Dragon making more Dragons...

Yahn: The Dragons you speak of are correctly referred to as War Dragons. As I said before, they are different from pure Dragons such as I. Indeed, the War Dragons are created by the Dark Dragon. And the Dark Dragon was created out of the Divine Dragon, the most powerful of our kind.

Roy: Created out of the Divine Dragon? Then the Dark Dragon is actually... the Divine Dragon agreed to become the Dark Dragon?

Yahn: Agreed? No. We destroyed its soul so that it would follow our leader's every command.

Roy: What...!

Yahn: We desperately needed the power of the Divine Dragon. Our entire species was at stake.

Roy: You needed the power of the Divine Dragon... But... why did you have to destroy its soul!

Yahn: Why, you ask. If you want the answer, then seek me out again. I shall witness your power further...



And the second room opens up.



Elphin gives Fa a little boost so she can move to the front...

...and she takes out the first in the next room, leveling up.



Mamkutes have been spawning at the entrance for some time now, so you'll have to keep that in mind as you move through the map.



Ray busts out Apocalypse for the first time since the Scouring, ripping another Mamkute to pieces.



Miledy takes out another Mamkute with Malte, though she takes a hit and needs healing from Saul.



Elphin gives Saul a refresh...



And he pulls out Aureola, purging another Mamkute from the land.



Lilina uses her Bolting tome to take out another Mamkute, leveling up.

Onto the next altar...

Roy: I want you to go on with your story.

Yahn ...No matter how much we fought, you humans just seemed to multiply endlessly. Eventually, we began to lose because of the humans' sheer number. Therefore, we created the Dark Dragon.

Roy: War Dragons... Dragons only meant for battle.

Yahn That is correct. But the Divine Dragons did not agree with us. They said that would be defying the laws of nature. As we were discussing how we could persuade the Divine Dragons, they suddenly disappeared.

Roy: Why?

Yahn They most likely left us to prevent us from taking advantage of them. We could not find the Divine Dragons, but fortunately, we were able to capture one.

Roy: And that became the Dark Dragon?

Yahn Right. And that Divine Dragon Idoun was to become the Dark Dragon. However, she felt hesitation in letting the Divine Dragons and us other Dragons going on in to bad terms. Hesitation... such nonsense is for humans only. We have no need for it.

Roy: Then that hesitation worked against you...

Yahn The Divine Dragon we captured was still young, but we had no problem because it was good enough for our purpose. However, its heart was not with us. It would not follow our commands.

Roy: So... You destroyed its heart.

Yahn Exactly. We destroyed its soul to make it follow our every command.

Roy: That's... terrible.

Yahn That is enough for now. If you want to know more, then show me more of your power.



Elphin gives Roy a boost so he can charge one of the spawned Mamkutes.



Lilina takes out another with Bolting...



And Miledy takes out the last two next turn.



Wolt's fallen a little behind, so Elphin helps him move further north.



Roy: We shall still reach you!

Yahn: You have a stout heart. What do you wish to hear next?

Roy: You succeeded in creating the Dark Dragon. The Dark Dragon produced War Dragons. Then why did you lose to the humans?

Yahn: Indeed, the Dark Dragon continueed to produce War Dragons to use in the battlefield. We were able to turn the tables on the humans.

Roy: ......

Yahn: However, the humans soon found out about the Dark Dragon. They concluded that their numbers would not be enough to defeat us. Therefore, they put their efforts into constructing powerful weapons that would pierce our scales. They are what you would call the Divine Weapons.

Roy: That part is the same as our legends...

Yahn: The most powerful and potent were chosen out of the humans to wield their newly crafted weapons. They came and charged this temple. However, when the imsne power of the weapons and our power clashed near Bern, something unexpected happened.

Roy: What happened?

Yahn: The laws of Nature started to collapse. Snow began to fall in mid summer. Stars shone in the middle of day...

Roy: Is that the Ending Winter? I heard that happened because you Dragons unleashed too much power into the world...

Yahn: Is that how your legends go?

Roy: The power in the Divine Weapons were used to restore order in nature. That's what our legends say.

Yahn: All the bad things that happened are all our fault. I would have expected you humans to think like that. But the truth is what I said.

Roy: Then the Divine Weapons were sealed away so as not to let such a disaster happen again? Then all those traps that protected them were to warn us...

Yahn: You sealed them away? That was a good decision. But they seem to be in your hands right now.

Roy: ......

Yahn: Do not worry. The weapons do not seem to have as much power as they did in the past. They are unable to bring about a disaster again.

Roy: ......

Yahn: The great disaster hurt us Dragons greatly.

Roy: How?

Yahn: The disaster was originally the reason why we lost to the humans. I shall continue when you advance a bit further...



Wolt opens up the assault on the next room by taking out another Mamkute. He gets an HP-only level up from it...

Miledy takes the time to heal herself with the Elixer we gave her.



Lilina uses up the last usage on her tome of Bolting to soften up one the Mamkutes further along.



Geese moves into range of one of the other Mamkutes...



And he takes it out handily. Level up!



Wolt takes out another Mamkuet with Miurgre.



Ray heals up Geese from his luring to level up.



Geese crushes another Mamkute further down.



Some of the other Mamkutes further down catch up but Lilina falls back to meet them.

Miledy picks up Lilina and, with some help from Elphin, drops her off with the others.



Wolt takes a heavy hit from a Mamkute here...



Roy pulls out his Sealed Sword and criticals the Dragon back, leveling up.



Saul heals up Wolt from the blow, while Elphin helps Fa catch up.



Roy: ...Please continue the story.

Yahn: When the order of nature collapsed, we Dragons took a fatal blow. The forces of nature weakened, and it became difficult for us to retain our original Dragon form. Therefore we decided to seal our powers in gemstones and take human form instead.

Roy: Those must be the Dragon Stones...

Yahn: Yes. Now we were utterly powerless against the humans. In human form, we were just as weak, no, even weaker than the humans. The humans took advantage of our handicap and started attacking the Dragons that had taken human form.

Roy: Why did you take human form?

Yahn: In the new order of nature, the human was the form that required the least energy to transform into. The Eight Heroes mercilessly crushed us, helpless in our human form. I too suffered a deep wound.

Roy: Do you have hate for the humans who wounded you?

Yahn: Hate? Only humans have such ridiculous emotions. We battled to maintain our species, and we lost. That is all.

Roy: ......

Yahn: However, you humans might lose this time. Some human named Zephiel brought the Dark Dragon back to life again.

Roy: !! Then Zephiel did break the Dark Dragon's seal!

Yahn: That is correct. If you want to hear more, then show me some more of your worthiness.



Elphin gives Roy a boost so he can move on...



Saul shoots down another Mamkute with Aureola to clear a path for the others.

Rutger's a little behind the others, so he stands his ground against the Mamkutes spawning behind the group. Ray, meanwhile, moves forward and takes out the one guarding the next altar.



Elphin gives Fa a little push forward...



And Fa takes out another. Level up!



These Mamkutes are getting on my nerves. Shall we teach them a lesson?



Geese pulls out Armads to smash one of the Mamkutes.



Wolt takes out the last one at the next altar with Miurgre.



Lilina blocks the path from behind and kills the assaulting Mamkute. Saul pulls out his Physic staff and heals her back up.

Yahn: Hm... It seems that you did indeed defeat Zephiel... You might make it far enough to be able to fight me.

Roy: What relation did the Dark Dragon have to Zephiel?

Yahn: You know that the founder of Bern is the Hartmut, the leader of the Eight Heroes, do you not?

Roy: I know that.

Yahn: Then do you know that Hartmut didn't kill the Dark Dragon but only sealed it away?

Roy: I know. But I still don't know why he did that.

Yahn: Hm... I see. The Eight Heroes eventually defeated our leader, and they made their way deep into the temple to find the Dark Dragon. However, when they arrived at the Dark Dragon's chamber, all they saw was a human girl, looking off into space. It was Idoun.

Roy: They didn't fight?

Yahn: The Dark Dragon had its soul destroyed to follow our leader's commands. Since our leader had been killed, there were no further commands to follow.

Roy: Then what happened to the Dark Dragon?

Yahn: The Eight Heroes naturally hesitated. They had expected to see the most powerful Dragon, but all they saw was a girl who wouldn't respond even if spoken to.

Roy: ......

Yahn: But the Dark Dragon still must be defeated, so the Eight Heroes prepared for battle. The girl must then have reacted to their attack. She changed into the Dark Dragon and fought back, just like the War Dragons who have no heart. Hartmut then used a blade stronger than the Divine Weapons and slashed at the Dark Dragon's scales.

Roy: The Sword of Seals!

Yahn: I don't know what you humans call it, but that must be it. Anyway, when the sword cut through the Dark Dragon's flesh, it suddenly fell unconscious.

Roy: It didn't die?

Yahn: Yes, apparently the sword reacted to its wielder's feelings and changed its power accordingly.

Roy: So Hartmut didn't want to kill it, so the Sword of Seals reacted to his emotions and only knocked the Dark Dragon unconscious?

Yahn: I understand that Hartmut did know a little bit about the Dark Dragon. And then seeing her as the little girl Idoun, he must have felt pity for her. It is another emotion that we Dragons cannot comprehend.

Roy: Pity...

Yahn: And thus at the bottom of his heart he didn't want to kill her. In my opinion, I would never have something that would be a danger to me alive.

Roy: So Hartmut's heart changed the sword's strength...

Yahn: Hartmut persuaded his comrades and decided to seal the Dark Dragon. He built a temple deep in the forests of Bern and sealed Idoun away using the sword and a gemstone. They are what you call the Sword of Seals and the Fire Emblem. He then created a nation near the temple that would watch over and protect the seal from being broken. They are the ancestors of Zephiel.

Roy: ...How do you know all this? Were you watching?

Yahn: No. I had been deeply wounded, so I was leading a hidden life healing myself. I heard the story about the seal from Zephiel. Although he said that he read it in the ancient scrolls that are kept in the court library.

Roy: How did you meet Zephiel?

Yahn: With him? Hm... If you reach me, I will tell you. It is not far now.



Fa charges the next room, killing the Mamkute within.



Elphin boosts Roy again so he can keep moving...



Fa was in reach of another Mamkute, so she ends up luring it to her. She kills it and levels up.



Saul heals her up just in case.



A few of the Mamkutes spawning behind us have caught up, and Lilina gets to work routing them.



Back in the north, Ray gets to work clearing the next altar.

Wolt takes out the last, leveling up.



Lilina kills a bunch of Mamkutes over the course of the next few turns...



Miledy joins in as well, leveling up.



Lilina's a healer, so she patches Miledy up...



And Lilina finishes off the last, finally maxing out her magic.



With some help from Elphin, Miledy and Lilina rejoin the others.

Yahn: It has been long since I last met humans in my true form. I have not left this place ever since the war.

Roy: You... You were always here?

Yahn: One thousand years... Having survived the Scouring, I waited, healing my wounds in the process. I waited for the resurrection of the Dark Dragon that would bring hope to us Dragons again. And that time came. The Dark Dragon's seal was broken, and I felt power flowing through my veins again.

Roy: How does the Dark Dragon's seal being broken make your strength recover?

Yahn: The Dragon Temple's power depends on the Dark Dragon's, and thus the Divine Dragon's power. If the Dark Dragon were to be sealed, then there is no way I could have recovered to full strength by using the Temple's power.

Roy: I see...

Yahn: After my strength fully recovered, I set out to look for the person who had broken the seal. I used my illusion to search hum out and ask his intentions. I did not wish to go outside in my true form, knowing that you humans now ran the world.

Roy: Wait... I thought that Dragons in their human form lost most of their powers. Then how are you creating this illusion?

Yahn: This temple is for the Dragons. IIt is the only lpace that Dragons can use a little of their power even in human form. I am a fairly powerful Dragon. Even in human form, as long as I stay in the temple, creating illusions is easy. Still, I would not be able to create actual things like the Dark Dragon can.

Roy: So you found Zephiel.

Yahn: Right. I found Zephiel and asked him, 'Why did you break the Dark Dragon's seal?' Zephiel was an odd man. He didn't seem to be the least bit surprised. He looked me right back in the eye and asked me who i was. After I told him that I was a Dragon, he started to smile mysteriously. He then said, 'My intentions are to give the world back to your kind.'

Roy: ......

Yahn: I cannot say that I fully trusted him, but he was still the Dark Dragon's new master, so I decided to work with him. Zephiel then ordered the Dark Dragon to lead the world in the place of foolish humans.

Roy: But Zephiel's dead. What is the Dark Dragon doing now?

Yahn: Although he is gone, the Dark Dragon resides in the chamber behind me. She is waiting for the chance to free the world.

Roy: But her master is gone! Are you her new master?

Yahn: I did not need to become her master. She was commanded to carry out Zephiel's orders even if he were to die. Idoun has absolute obedience to her master. She will make sure that humans are banished from this land.

Roy: What? Her heart was destroyed, and now she's bound to orders given by a person long dead?

Yahn: Do you feel pity, like Hartmut did? ...You humans are truly difficult to understand. But let me tell you this. No matter how hard you try, humans and Dragons will never be able to live in harmony. The gap between species is impossible to fill.

Roy: That's not true! I know a place where Dragons and humans are living together. Dragons and humans were both brought into the same world. They can, and will, understand each other!

Yahn: Dragons and humans, living together in harmony? Rubbish. I have no intention of listening to such nonsense. Now, enter my domain. Let us see who has more power!



Saul leads the charge into the next room, anihilating the nearby Mamkute with Aureola.




Elphin helps Roy catch up to the others while Miledy picks him up and drops him off.



Rutger takes out one of the Mamkutes guarding Yahn with Durandal, leveling up.



Ray, meanwhile, takes out the other.



Elphin gives Wolt a boost so he can stop by Roy to give him a support boost.



Look at this guy. It's a good thing we've got Divine Weapons on our side, otherwise I don't think we could beat him.

Fa farms a few level ups before we end the map, growing ridiculously overpowered in the process.



Yahn: My strength has long recovered. I can feel it...

Yahn's battle theme, "The Last Dragon" plays for the first, and last, time.



Roy and Yahn begin their duel, with Roy coming out as the victor...



I don't know how I should feel killing Yahn... he's been perfectly gracious in our coming here, filling in our gaps in the knowledge of the Scouring, and he's survived all this time only to be cut down again. It's a shame, really.



Our last level up...



Saul takes the time to show off the last Divine Weapon, the Holy Maiden.



Well... let's go.

Roy: ? What's wrong, Fa? You look you're about to burst into tears.

Fa: Is... Is Fa also an enemy?

Roy: Huh?

Fa: When... When Fa gets big, will Fa become a bad Dragon too?

Roy: !? Wait, Fa. Tell me what want to say, slowly.

Fa: That man said so... Dragons and people can't live together...

Roy: But you were living in Nabata with people, weren't you?

Fa: But the Dark Dragon is a Divine Dragon like Fa is! And you're going to fight Dark Dragon, right? What about Fa? If Fa grows up... and Becomes like the Dark Dragon, then...

Roy: You don't have to wory about that. Even if you grow up, you'll always be Fa. You'll always live together with humans, and with us.

Fa: ...Really?

Roy: Sure! And also, I actually want to help the Dark Dragon.

Fa: Help?

Roy: The Dark Dragon is not acting on her own will. She had her soul destroyed. I... I don't want to kill her, if I can avoid it...

Fa: ...Fa doesn't get it.

Roy: You'll understand when you get a little older. [Fa leaves.] Hartmut posed a question. And I'll give an answer to it!



Next time: The dramatic conclusion!

Wow, this has turned into a truly epic story. It was pretty good before but "The War of the Blond Nobles" didn't get me like the "Tragedy of the Dark Divine Dragon." It helped set the mood when Final Fantasy 6 heroic music started playing in my head during the character introductions.

I wonder if you can save the Dark Dragon after all. ;_; Fa! Roy! Use the power of Human Kindness!!

Five bucks says they'll end up heartlessly killing Idoun. Roy and co. don't seem to have many qualms about killing good people, as long as they're on the other team.