Part 118: A Look Back

Entry 109: A Look Back

4 crystals.
4 Warriors of Light.
5 worlds.
8 chapters plus an intro and finale.
14 jobs.
23 Eternians met 166 times over the course of 83 battles.
A story in turns touching and fun, tedious and stupid, spread out over the course of 126 party chats and 613 cutscenes so far (not counting repeats and other versions not in the event viewer).

And now...



We've come to The End. We stuck around for it, through the good and the bad. We promised a little fairy we would.

But what happens next...?






Hee hee... Hee hee hee... I did it...



Something new! Uh... For better or worse.

...Hm?

Hmm?

The party wakes up and gets to their feet.



...Where are we?

You did what, Airy?

I did it! I did it, I tell you! Get up, everyone!

Ah! The Great Chasm?

Everyone races to the window.



Ringabel checks the wheel.

No good. The rudder took quite a beating. It'll take some time to repair.

To the deck!

Let's go!

Yes!

The party runs outside, but Airy doesn't follow right away...



Nevermind her; she's probably just happy to be done with the journey, too, in her fairy own way.

Out on deck, the party bumps into Datz and Zatz.



Hm? What's with the excited looks?

The Great Chasm has closed!

Edea dashes off.



But who can blame her for being excited?

Er, sorry...ha ha!

We've fixed the world!



Just goes to show: keep chasing your dream despite mounting evidence your method is causing large-scale destruction, and eventually everything will work out fine!

Really? The entire chasm?

...Closed?

Seems that way. Oh, and Datz, I'll need a hand repairing the bridge later.

Sure, anything you need.

The party starts over towards a good viewing spot, Tiz and Edea running ahead like kids at a carnival. Along the way, Ringabel shows his happiness in his more subdued fashion:



Yes, at long last...

Wrong way! That's the trader over there!

Ha ha ha! I'm so happy, I can't think!

Tiz and Edea are just as excited as I, it appears.

It is thanks to you, Ringabel. You saved Tiz on the canyon road...

We were fortunate the dark knight Alternis Dim infiltrated Caldisla.

...So you knew about that?

But you do realize that was not me, don't you?

And the person I rescued was Tiz from the world before we met. The Tiz who is with us now...

He was saved by the Alternis Dim we defeated in the first world. And the person you spoke with when you reached Caldisla, too, was no doubt--

Even so, we still owe a debt to you. For you are who brought us all together. And after we left Caldisla, we have been traveling the world, guided by your mysterious journal.

Ringabel, it is all thanks to you.

Really? Well, Alternis would've been happy to hear that, too.

Agnès, Ringabel, hurry! Let's go take a look!

Coming!

Let's go, Agnès.

Yes, let us go.

All four characters have changed over the course of the story, but Ringabel's arc has been great.

His personality change has happened so gradually and naturally over the course of worlds, it's easy to forget how much he's changed from the Intro. The Alternis Dim from his journal was a humorless curmudgeon. His early days as Ringabel were the opposite, a silly playboy. After remembering his past, he struggled to find who he really was. Now, he's grown comfortable with himself and found a balance: someone thoughtful who loves adventure and quietly looks after his friends.



Airy's lagging behind the others. Maybe she's tired from doing the Holy Pillar ritual.

...Strange. There seems to be more...color?...than expected.

Probably not important.



The party finally finds a good viewing angle for Norende.

Whew, I'm impressed.

Ah ha ha ha.

The party gathers at the side of the ship, merrily searching for landmarks--



When Airy talks to herself.

Despite their excitement, the others turn to Airy.

Airy...? Who are you--

The Dark Aurora above the chasm?

Yes, Lord! I'll tidy up here, then go straight away!

Above the-- But the chasm...?

Edea glances back over the side of the ship.



!? The chasm... It's still...

Wh-what!?



Hmm.... You know what? I'm starting to think something's not right.

What's happened?

Answer me, Airy.

The Great Chasm's still here! What in the world is going on, Airy?

Oh, the Great Chasm mustn't shut. It's far too important.

Airy...? But...you just said, "I finally did it."

I guess it was too much to expect the party to save the world this easily.



Especially considering we've fallen right for Airy's trap, according to what we learned in the Finale.

You still have no idea? Talk about a ship of fools!

You've all been deceived! By yours truly, no less! I had you going the whole time!

Airy, what are you saying?

Hmph!

I suppose you need some convincing, and I can't do that in this form.

We know what that means. Whenever the vestal and her party get suspicious, Airy kills them on the deck of Grandship.



This time, Airy didn't even bother hiding her true intentions from us. She didn't care if we got suspicious.



Because it's a safe guess from the Finale and the countdown on her wings...



The party's important role in her plan is over.

Y-you!

Airy, are you-- No, it can't...

This feeling... It's pure evil.

Who or what are you!?

I am Airy, demolisher of world-bounds! Faithful servant to His Malevolence, Ouroboros--God of Destruction!

It seems the situation here is the same as in the Finale: Airy's just working for a higher, evil, power.



Airy excitedly raises her teeny T-Rex arms.

Demolisher?

Ouroboros?

God of Destruction!

Will? What will?

Unlike us, this version of the party never experienced the Finale, so pull up a chair, because it's time to get the situation explained again.



It'd help if Airy could use a whiteboard or something.

Numerous Luxendarcs exist simultaneously as worlds in parallel.

......

I've made you send the crystals spiraling out of control, piercing the boundaries between worlds, linking them.

In the Finale, we stopped Airy before she could link all the worlds. But this time, we worked with her until her countdown was complete.



Whoops!

But there is one upside to all this.

And what is that!?

Heh heh heh, the advent of Lord Ouroboros!

In the Finale, we'd barely discovered Ouroboros existed before the game ended. We only defeated his servant and never found out his true plan beyond "blah blah evil". This time, maybe we can find out more, and maybe stop his plan for good.



...Whatever this plan means.

The Celestial Realm?

At last, the time has come. You have been most useful pawns, and for that I praise you.

But I...I fought to close the--

The time for talk is over. I must hasten to My Lord's side and bid Him welcome to this world.

I will leave you to die, writhing in your regret!

We've never heard of the Celestial Realm before, but Ouroboros invading it is probably a bad thing we should stop. Maybe? If nothing else, Ouroboros eating worlds almost certainly won't do the worlds any favor.



Airy is about the same as the Finale.



But this time, she's facing a party even stronger than before (at least according to the story), and so is missing her automatic battle-ending one-shot attack.



What are you talking about?

The pattern on my wings... It heralds the beginning! I have attained a perfect form!

So those were numbers!

Ahh, yes. You've borne witness the longest. Heh he heh... Ha ha ha ha ha!

From your hiding place in the shadows, frozen in fear. A lowly worm, too cowardly to save the one you loved.

Rgh!

Airy's in a great mood, which means lots of taunting.



It doesn't take much to get Airy to back off.

Ha ha ha, pesky mortals.



But how will you stand up to this!?



Some of the scenes and dialogue here are repeated from the Finale.



Any concerns Airy might have about the party being stronger than expected appear offset by the joy of completing her mission.



She probably considers these battles the cherry on top before she goes and reports to Ouroboros in person.

No...!

Ahhh, how many worlds has it been since last I took this form? Hundreds of thousands of years have passed without the need.

It feels a bit foreign, yet... But no matter, heh heh heh.



For her, being defeated here, at the victory party of a plan spanning hundreds of millions of years or whatever, is unthinkable.



This battle is again very similar to the Finale. Elemental and status effect protection make the party invincible.



At first, the dialogue is repeated from the Finale.

Now, too late, I see the fool I've been.

Those who act by emotion are the easiest to master. I pity your father. To know of me, only to be thwarted by his own daughter.

We first met on that precipice overlooking the Great Chasm. You had come forth from the chasm's depths.

But you had only just slain us! Our blood had yet to dry!

Indeed, you have served me well. Now, die a bitter death knowing you served your enemy!



But later on, Ringabel speaks up with a new line.

I ought to have seen through you sooner... I knew of your evils! I ought have...

You style yourself a hero? Arrogance! You did nothing but stand in awe of my might!

Rgh! I... I...!

In this version, Ringabel's concerns were shrugged off in favor of continuing with the original plan. Only now, after it's too late, has he found his fears were justified.



Like the Finale, on hitting 0 HP the first time, Airy heals to full, not that buying more time to attack will do her any good.



But all your efforts shall be in vain! You mortals shall know your place!

I'll never forgive you for violating Agnès's trust!

Always the same. Always about Agnès. I hate that about you most of all!

In her own way, maybe Airy wanted love, too -- the love of her master.



Too bad she considers mortals beneath her, otherwise she could've had the party's friendship the whole time.

How... How are they different from the last?

Warriors of light, bah! Mere mortals! Pawns! You shall pay dearly for this defiance!

Instead we find ourselves here, beating her up.



Examine your life choices, Airy.



Airy reverts to her fairy form after battle. Maybe a way of conserving energy?

I must return to the Dark Aurora.

Lord Ouroboros will grant me a new form. Grant me power! I must hurry...to the chasm...

Curse you!!

Airy flutters off.



Leaving the party to recover and reorganize.

Some time later:



...I'll survive.

Good to hear. Though I'm not so sure I will if I don't find something to do.

It's no surprise the frustration is eating at Ringabel. Luckily he's the type to put his feelings to productive use. After all, that's what being a dark knight's all about.



He needs work to do and the ship needs fixing. He'll take care of himself.

Don't worry about me. You should go talk to the ladies.

Edea isn't quite as experienced as Ringabel, and for Agnès, Airy's betrayal is far more personal. Plus, neither they nor Tiz have shipwork to distract them.



Tiz wanders away. After he's out of hearing:



What's with the serious look?

Oh, no, it's just, well...

*sigh* You're worried Grandship is on her last leg, aren't you?

So you've noticed, too!

Sure, I've known. We've entered the Holy Pillar five times now. Passing through that intense light and extreme turbulence, and weathering Airy's monstrous attacks...

That would leave more than a few scratches on any ship.

Yes, but "more than a few scratches" doesn't even begin to describe the damage.

I know. It's far more than some damaged or worn-out parts. The hull itself is not long for this world.

If we suffer that kind of turbulence again, this ship is sure to--

I know. But let's just keep this between you and me for now.

Understood.

Datz and Zatz leave.

...... *sigh*

Gotta admire their work so far. Three guys managing a ship the size of a small city is, uh, no small feat.



Tiz can go back and badger the shipworkers, but they just want him out of the way.



Let's go provide moral support to the others instead. Tiz may not know airships, but he knows how to be a good listener.

It's just as Father and Master Kamiizumi said. But I was blind. Completely ignorant. I saw everything in black or white...

How could I let this happen? How could I have been such an idiot!?

While Ringabel's character arc was in the background, Edea's was in the foreground. The Eternian storyline had her at the center, her simplistic worldview being challenged and slowly matured over the course of several alternate realities. She went from seeing individuals as either good or evil to acknowledging that sometimes, people trying to do good end up doing bad things, and selfish people can help do good things. At least, that's how her storyline worked in theory.



...Right, sure, definitely no way.

Airy is going to pay for this betrayal, along with her master Ouroboros, too! That much I know, but still, I...

I'll never be able to forgive myself!

In practice, all the pieces of Edea's story arc are there, but they aren't quite fit together properly. Part of the problem is perhaps because so much of her growth occurs during optional scenes, so they had to accomodate players skipping some or all of them. There are deeper problems with the handling, however.

One of the highlights of Edea's arc is when she goes from fatally clashing with her teacher to peacefully convincing him to leave the Black Blades. It's a great side story on its own, but becomes awkward when it can be seen as a replacement for calling out Kamiizumi on his actions as leader of the Black Blades in continuing a violent civil war which has killed thousands, enslaved orphaned children, and involved employing particularly horrific people and weapons. In the game's efforts to humanize the Eternians for our and Edea's benefit, it ends up glossing over the war crimes it rightly presents as terrible in the first world.



The game's first half brings up an excellent problem of whether ends justifying the means with Braev's strategy of terrorizing the rest of the world to prevent its prophesized destruction. Then, instead of providing an answer, it white-washes the Eternians more and more each world until clearly they're the good guys, no questions needed. Instead of letting Edea deal with a morally grey world, she literally moves on to other worlds where the grey is slowly replaced by clearly defined black and white personalties, with any other moral positions rendered irrelevant to the party and player's interests.

Qada, DeRosa, and Profiteur are black. Einheria, Braev, and Kamiizumi are white. Victoria, Victor, and Khint have the depth of their issues taken offscreen.

The main plot is no better. Airy lies. According to Edea's system at the start of the game, she's as black as they come, as is Ouroboros so far as we know. In the Finale, trying to apply a more complex morality to Airy's situation resulted in nothing but Airy mocking the party. The game desperately wants to fit Edea's character arc lesson in here, but it just doesn't work when one side has a simple mission plan of "Save the world! " and apparently the other is "WORLD DESTRUCTION EXCEPT MORE TERRIBLE, MUAHAHAHAHA, DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE".

...Have you seen Agnès?

Edea pulls herself out of her thoughts and shakes her head.



Now that you mention it, I did see her. She was headed into the Drunken Pig.

On the other hand, maybe Ouroboros's plan is more complex than Airy's letting on. It might not be bad to keep an open mind, just in case.



Agnès is tucked away in the pub's balcony.



Agnès doesn't move.

...

The repairs are almost done. It's time we talk strategy.

...She then turns around in a rush.



And that includes you, Ringabel, and Edea, too! All because I was a fool.

That's not true! You're not responsible for anyone's fate but your own!

...

You're all blaming yourselves...

Agnès and Tiz's stories are probably best considered together as a pair.



The whole game, each has supported the other through their worst moments. Tiz has felt anger and guilt over his brother's death. Agnès has felt guilt and despair over the death of her friend and her part in awakening the crystals.

But the minute the repairs are done, all that ends!

Neither of them has changed much compared to Ringabel and Edea, but they've grown more comfortable with each other. They've learned how the other thinks and feels. That's their shared character arc.



It's been a slowly building relationship, mostly in the background except for a few key moments, but that's arguably the best way to handle a relationship like this in a game where it's not the primary focus.

But that's why we can't sit here wallowing in sorrow. She must be stopped. And we're the ones to do it. The time to put an end to this is now!

Come to the bridge when you're ready. We'll await you there.

In the beginning, they were sympathetic strangers, each with a lot of baggage. Now, they easily trade off the leadership position between the two of them. Agnès trusts Tiz enough to listen to him despite her sadness, even in a time as hopeless as this. Tiz trusts Agnès to do all she can to save Norende and the multiverse once she gets a pep talk.



After Tiz's speech, both have cheered up.

Once repairs are finished, everyone's called to the bridge.



We understand.

So, what are we to do now?

We go see the sage. I don't see any other options.

He foresaw that this would happen.

What do you think, Agnès?

Yes, I agree. Please set a course immediately.

Our four flawed but likeable heroes are one of the strong points of the game, and a lot of my complaints about the plot are because the first half of the game has their constant lively reactions, while the back half is largely repeated scenes, focusing solely on the Eternians when it does have new content.



The party's still got a bit more adventure left, though, and now that we've reached The End there's a good chance of getting content more along the lines of the early chapters.


Next: Who's the most powerful entity in Bravely Default? Let's take a breather for the super secret hidden boss!

--

Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
At Long Last!
The Chasm Closed?
Airy's Ridicule
His Will Shall Be Done
Stand Up to This!
Airy Flees into the Chasm
Restless Legs
Never Forgive Myself
I Was a Fool
A Visit to the Sage

Party Chat:
Thanks to You
Grandship