Part 88

Episode LXXXVIII: Covenant


Video: Click Here For the Ending of Shadow Hearts! It's exactly the same until the post-credits.



Nobody believed the crazy tales from the Welsh about how an unholy castle rose from the sea and exploded just shortly before...



...whatever the hell all of this looked like from the ground. Indeed, I don't think anyone even so much as casually mentions the time a golden halo encircled the planet for a few weeks. People back in the early 1900s lost interest in that sort of phenomena extraordinarily quickly, you see.


Music: Black Cat Floating in Blue Sky



And so, our battle came to an end. The god awakened by human hands was returned to sleep once again by human hands. On the morning after, a refreshing breeze blew across Wales and the horrible events leading up to yesterday seemed like nothing more than a bad dream. Soon, it was time to say farewell to everyone.

There was a day with nice weather in Wales. So you know something weird was up.



Keith, our handsome vampire, grew weary of the hustle and bustle of the outside world and so he returned, once again, to his peaceful castle in Transylvania. I wonder how long he’ll sleep this time. Goodnight and sweet dreams, dear friend...

Keith REALLY wants to just take a nap but he's too polite to tell his succubus roommates to give it a rest for the night.



Master Zhuzhen, our brave Adept, has gone back to Shanghai to mend the disruptions in the energy fields of China. You taught us so much, Master Zhuzhen. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts. And please, try not to over-exert yourself!

Thus Zhuzhen went back to the land where random battles were at a reasonable rate for a guy still only at Level 29 at his age.



Our beloved spy for hire said she planned to go home to Paris, but she joked that her next assignment was probably already waiting for her. So there’s no telling where she might be right now.

Well, she has about three more years to go before she faces a firing squad for being just an awful spy. So there is that...



Halley, that cute little street boy we met in London, set sail from Southampton with his mother, Koudelka, to find his long-lost father in America. Finally, they’ll be able to live together as a family. I pray you’ll all find happiness.

And they were never heard from again... Even in the spin-off sequel that takes place in America 15 years later that would be an easy lay-up for a nice little cameo.



As for me... I’m headed for Zurich, where my mother’s waiting. With Yuri, of course!

"Hey, mom. So you might have heard dad exploded a year back. Sorry, I haven't gotten in touch with you. I got teleported to China and then taken into custody by Imperial Japan before a warlock tried to abduct me. It's a really long story. Anyway, that's how I met Yuri here. He is a... hmm... between jobs. And residencies. We've had quite the adventure together. So, is it OK if we move home for a bit while we sort things out...?"


Music: Shadow Hearts



In the stardust desert, an abandoned fish tank and us
With our arms around our knees,
By the moonlight that fell on the water's surface
And the shades of flowing clouds I measured the time.

What I see with open eyes is the heat haze - a lie
What I only see with eyes closed might be the future
Now, with closed eyes, I’m watching you.
Shadow hearts colour’d all in blue. Shadow.

The endless caravan drags its heavy feet,
Continuing to the other side of the horizon

Surely this wounded world is filled with wounded people among us also.
If that fish tank were to overflow with the tears of the fish and the blood this planet sheds
Would everyone realize their mistakes?

Now, with my eyes closed,
I’ll listen to your dream.
Shadow.

What I see with open eyes is the heat haze - a lie
What I only see with eyes closed might be the future
Now, with closed eyes, I’m watching you.

Shadow hearts color'd all in blue. Shadow.
Shadow hearts color'd all in blue. Shadow.



Hey, it's almost like that was the same exact ending. Well, here comes the key difference...







As the warlock said in the end...



...even if another age of storms buffets this world...



I intend to go on living and fighting. For you who freed me from the darkness.



For the one I love...



I mean... Franz Ferdinand was an archduke, not a prince, but the outcome was the same...



In retrospect, it was probably kind of ominous they named it World War I as soon as it started. For reference, this blurb also appeared in the Good Ending path. I just omitted it because well... "Hey, by the way Europe is engulfed in one of the most horrific wars in human history until the next one in a couple decades" is a bit much of a bummer for an ending that isn't even canon.



In any event, that is the canonical conclusion of Shadow Hearts. It was a strange, kind of blatantly rushed in places, somewhat sloppily translated and very poorly balanced journey full of early PS2 era jank. But I still enjoyed my time with it, warts and all, none the less. And I hope you did too.

It's a shame Yuri and Alice's story ends on such a downer note. But, I suppose it cannot be helped... Shadow Hearts the last game Sacnoth Digital Entertainment ever made, after all...