Part 2: Pure Platinum Destruction
Update 01: Pure Platinum Destruction
Part 1: No talking over cutscenes(Polsy) | Talking over cutscenes(Polsy) | Download
Part 2: No talking over cutscenes(Polsy) | Talking over cutscenes(Polsy) | Download
Rakshasa
A pair of swords that absorbed the demon god Rakshasa and were cleansed with Soma.
Energy from Rakshasa'a chakra flows from the swords into their user, making them easy to handle.
Accolade
A large angel belonging to the Third Sphere, tasked with commanding the lowest-ranking angels.
Accolades are adept at using many of Paradiso's weaponry, including swords, spears, hammers, and whips. They use these to instill fear into the hearts of all those who doubt the might of God. Accolades have long lived in legend; at times, they were said to have answered the prayers of the most devout followers by temporarily bestowing upon them one of these divine instruments.
Valiance
Valiance is a First Sphere Cherub considered particularly ascendant as a spiritual being even among the other angels. Physical shape means little to angels of this rank; they exist in a metaphysical form that demonstrates the majesty of God.
The most ambitious and brave of the Cherubim, there are some sources that believe Valiance first arrived on Earth thousands of years ago, riding a comet of God's wrath that destroyed everything in its way.
Valiance's sword, the Valiantium Blade, is said to have the power to cut in two anything in Paradiso or Inferno, and is prophesized to one day assist a team of over a hundred heroes in saving humanity from an invading evil.
Cachet & Compassion
Belonging to the lowest rank of angels, these two angels are said to have been sacred weapons brought to Paradiso after the heroes they traveled with came to the end of a long journey.
Charged with protecting the gates of Paradiso, their powerful blades deal swift justice to anyone who carelessly trespasses into the divine realm.
Urbane
The changes of a new era will always give birth to new angels. This is because angels are given form by the fears, doubts, and prayers mankind bases its faith on--feelings which change with mankind's material obsessions.
As a notably advanced being even compared to other angels, Urbane, a Virtue in the angelic hierarchy, is said to be shaped by the subconscious fears of humans. In modern eras, he often appears as a giant with a ball and chain on each of his arms.
Urbane's power to reduce the triumphs of civilization to mere ashes with a single swing of his arm most likely reflects the subconscious fears man harbors towards both the natural world and their own society.
Mictlantecuhtli
A gigantic bat that lurks in one of the darkest and deepest of Inferno's endless caves. It is said to leave trails of the plague wherever it goes.
The protrusion on its head is not an eye, but a spiritual sensory organ that can allow Mictlantecuhtli to access the world in far deeper ways than beings who must only rely on sight alone.
A New Beginning
For reasons I will not get into here, I have dedicated my life to searching for the truth of the Umbra Witches. You could even say I sacrificed the best years of my life pursuing this story.
Working backward from the legends these women left behind, my search took me to Vigrid, a town in the remote hills of Europe the witches once called home.
I ended up getting myself involved in a crazy tale of my own while in Vigrid. I'm thinking of getting it published one of these days, so the details will have to wait for the paying customers.
My fascination with the witches has not waned, far from it; but something new has captured my inquisitive eye. A story of even greater depth calls to me: I had to know more about the true source behind the power of sage and witch alike.
I grew restless, and before long I found myself back on the investigative trail. It wasn't long before I found the very place referenced in that ancient scripture. A quiet town nestled between sea and mountain: Noatun.
Not five minutes in town, I was shocked to see something that confirmed my suspicions, and what a sight it was to behold!
There was nothing less than statues depicting the familiar form of Sage and Witch--statues that were second to none, even when compared to those found in Vigrid.
Divine Retribution
If you're going to spit in the face of God, you're probably going to incur some of his wrath. That's just common sense to me.
Still, I can't help but feel a little sorry when I hear the level of divine retribution some of these witches get dealt.
One case I witnessed was particularly bad. The type of punishment that never gets better, hurting for all eternity, like a curse. An Umbra Witch had the Resting Place that carried her remains shattered into pieces and her soul flung into a rift in time and space, never to be saved again.
Just thinking about what this witch must've done to get dealt a hand like that drives me almost insane with curiosity. I'd kill for the chance to sit down and chat with the Lumen Sages that did it to her.
Yet, judging from the witches I know, you could expel them to the ends of the universe and they'd still find a way back.
Unknown Entrance
Have you ever heard of gates that connect worlds?
It might sound like strange fiction, but the truth is these gates exist all over the world we live in.
The gate that connects the three worlds and makes the foundation of our own is relatively well known, so if you're reading this, I'll just go ahead and assume you know of it; however, there are stories of doors that lead to the secret lairs of the supernatural, and I've got a great source who just gave me the information I need to bring things to light.
I can't reveal who my source is, but according to them, there is a gateway that leads to a primordial world cut off from the flow of time--a place called Muspelheim.
The place is full of demons, angels, witches, and sages, who spend their days pursuing nothing other than battle. This limitless world disregards the wounds and deaths of yesterday, always breathing life into its warriors so that they may live to fight another day.
You know the stories about some guy who just suddenly disappears, is gone for months, then reappears out of thin air, as if nothing ever happened? There's a large probability that guy accidentally stepped into Muspelheim and somehow found his way back.
I know it's the job of a journalist to explore and uncover the truth behind rumors like these, but as far as traveling to other dimensions in a state of endless war, I think I'm good for now.
Fragments of Memory
Strange events sometimes work their way into our everyday lives.
Stories abound: flashbacks from places you have no memory of, a kid who suddenly starts speaking a foreign tongue, or a voice in your head that ends up saving your life... The list goes on and on and on.
These are said to happen when people come in contact with the remnants of memory left in this world by God.
The God of the human realm had special eyes that could see all existence and happenings across the Earth. They could see the fate of whomever they gazed upon--their present, past, and future. Everything.
God loved the human world, and his kind heart began to feel sadness for mankind. He decided to commit to memory every detail of their fleeting lives, almost like you'd take a photo.
He ended up doing it so much that eventually even he forgot about them, and these records were left scattered across the Earth. These are known as the remnants of memory.
They usually can't be seen or felt, but the truth is these memories could be anywhere: you could be standing within God's memories right now.
Sealed Time
Sometimes, you come across something you lost long ago, and it's been untouched, found exactly as it was when lost, almost like ancient towns frozen in time after volcanic eruptions.
Sometimes children even discover these ruins while playing.
When I arrived here, I was circling around the harbor, doing some research, and happened to hear a story from the local fisherman:
There seem to be these large pools of water about the city. These are ruins, containing statues of witches and sages and the God that gave them their powers. They say there was a devastating tsunami that hit the city long ago and cracked its very foundation, causing water to seep in and creating the vista you see today.
I'd be interested in taking a peek at these ruins before they completely crumble away, but I'm not going in the water at this time of year. Freezing cold. That being said, I know a witch who probably wouldn't think twice about dancing her way down into that freezing water though.
I... might come back after it warms up a bit. Make a little vacation out of it. Yep. That's a plan.
Relics
Noatun is full of ruins and strange sculptures, worn down by time.
Most of them have long since fallen to pieces, yet these ruins are still said to have a strange connection with the God of Chaos.
For example, that ramp-looking object in front of the city's church is said to be a hidden path that once led to the god's home.
Or so I was told from some old guy who walked by as I was looking at the ramp. He said those chosen would use it to be able to walk on walls.
Not the most reliable source, but I'll take it. He must've been able to tell I was from out of town seeing how intently I was staring at things.
Maybe this used to be able to control gravity...
If only I knew a descendant of these chosen ones...
I'd love to ask them about it.
Purification Grounds
The brilliant church in central Noatun has aged gracefully, maintaining its beauty as if unfazed by the passage of time.
Its value is not only sentimental; the people living in the city make regular visits to the church for prayer, nuptials, and funerals.
However, word has it that long ago it served yet another purpose.
Pilgrims chosen by God would stop by the church on their way to the sacred peak of Fimbulventr, purifying themselves in the waters that flow through the hallowed grounds.
While the road to the summit is lost, holy water continues to flow, purging the impurities of those who bask in it. After ruining a perfectly good pair of shoes, I'd say my feet are pure enough for one lifetime.
Entry No. 001
-Witch's Recipes-
Found this cleaning up some old journals and documents scattered about in my dad's office.
Actually, note to self: I'm going to be a little proactive and try organizing these things by number. Just came up with that now.
It'll take some time for me to parse everything that's written here, but according to my dad's notes, it seems to be talking about something like alchemy: working materials in different combinations to create something completely different than what you started out with. This particular one seems to be about making some secret potion from the extract of rare crystals and jewels. Has a few pictures with it too.
If somebody would collect the materials here, they might be able to test out if these secret arts work.
Leaders of the Umbra
What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "witch"? I bet you probably thought of some old grandma flying around on a broom kidnapping children and saving poor little girls with magic.
I've got quite the personal history with witches, so allow me to teach you a thing or two about their kind... and let me tell you, they're nothing like the fairy-tales.
First off, they find the spiritually gifted members of their clan and put them through intense training from a young age. If their latent magical abilities aren't up to snuff, they're pushed aside, even if their bloodline is that of the clan elders.
These candidates polish their entire mental and physical being until they're grown women, and only those who are able to learn the complete repertoire of magic arts can then complete the final step to becoming a witch: a ritual contract with what you and I know as demons.
In exchange for offering their soul to the contracted demon upon their death, witches are entrusted with incredible destructive powers.
Witches with particularly impressive skills have the ability to push the limits of their magical powers and temporarily control their demon as if they were using their own arms and legs.
Witches were said to have been completely killed off in the witch hunts of 500 years ago, but the ones I know are a little too tough, too smart, and too classy to go down that easily.