Part 29: Chapter 8-5: Sophia

Chapter 8-5: Sophia



No time to rest, everyone, we're right at the end of the Sham Sanctuary. Time to push on. If the party is suffering from any status ailments, the third crystal will cure them so long as you have the Clear Quartz from Helga's final quest.

Directly in front of this staircase is a bag with a key. It provides a slight shortcut through the winding hallways to this portion of B8, cutting future trips down significantly.



This is the final stretch of hallway to the stairs. Not only are there loads of turn-tiles (They spin you about until you're facing a random direction), the Reaper will almost always spawn here as well. Possession isn't too hard to avoid... but if you want to get the whole party possessed to see the Reaper-exclusive AAs, this is undoubtedly the best place to try it.

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...g-ledua-5353254



Your field of vision is narrowing. Your ablity to think is weakening. Deep malice is hanging in the air. Your mouth has the unique taste of blood in it.

- The spectacle I saw in the crystals surpassed my expectations.

It was Sir Eugene Guestam. The man who signed his soul to the King of Darkness, to overthrow the throne.



- Glancing over history, the start of the tragedy had many trivial things, but this is an example of one man's madness destroying the world. Now I finally understand the tragedy that has befallen our country. But I have yet to comprehend the true intentions of LeDua. Thinking of the people, it explains why LeDua was using inhuman reasoning. If the people knew that the Queen is missing, they would lose all hope. But still......

Eugene stopped. He went into deep thought.

- Did the Queen really perish in the Flash...? Even so, why does LeDua make no effort to rebuild Duhan? Is that not the will of the late Queen? If he did that, I'm sure the people would accept him as the new king. In spite of that, why is he so obsessed with this Labyrinth? What could possibly be the purpose of going this far, to be despised by many, to deplete the Treasury?

- If I am correct, the Queen is alive. And LeDua knows that. All the pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming together.

Eugene winked at the monsters behind him as to give an order.

- Now it seems that I must meet LeDua. And bring this tragedy to an end.

Charming as ever.



A small stretch of hallway, and a raised platform later, we've finally reached the stairs leading down.



Like I said, it was a straight shot, but with the turn-tiles and monsters wandering around, it took quite a while.

As we approach the stairs...

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...st-wish-5352657



- Sagoon.

You stopped at the sound of a gentle voice that was supposedly lost in the Flash.

There was.........



- It is because you were able to remember me...... that we were able to meet again. I have been waiting for this moment. From the time I became a soul, ever since then.......

Sophia, who you thought you'd never meet again, was standing within arm's reach.

You gently reached for Sophia with trembling hands. But your hand went straight through.

- Alas, you can no longer touch me. But I can speak with you like this for a short time.

- I feel that this is a miracle. Compared to the time when I could only just watch you fight and get hurt......

Your chest fills up with emotions that cannot be expressed.

With your memory regained, you now understand. She sacrificed her body in order to save you and Kulgan. And she has been watching over you all this time. The fact that you are standing right here right now is undoubtedly thanks to her.



When you tried to thank her her face grew clouded.

- Stop it. I have no right to be thanked. I destroyed your peaceful life. If I did not get caught, right now you would still be living there peacefully. No apology would be enough. In spite of that, I am speaking so that I may ask you to do a very difficult task.

Sophia overlapped her transparent hands with yours.

- The Flash of destruction that overcame Duhan... It was not just any magical destruction. It was a ritual... It was a ritual that extracts souls by destroying their vessels! The extracted souls become sacrifices to the sinister god.

- There are souls that still remain, unable to understand that their body was destroyed...... And there are souls that remain due to their strong feelings. But all of them will eventually assimilate with that god. Right now the god has an exalted soul. Only a few more souls and the god will resurrect......!

- An exalted soul? It can't be...!

Kulgan who had kept quiet, suddenly turned pale.

- Her Majesty's...... soul.

- Please, Sagoon. Free Her Majesty's soul!

You sensed it.

This was her last wish.

You nodded, and she gave a slight smile.

- Sagoon, thank you. Now, I can......

Sophia began to fade away.





- So long, Sagoon.

Leaving behind a smile that makes your heart sink, the Sacred Healer Sophia faded away.

A shining Magic Stone appears in your hands. It seems as if it is Sophia herself.

You got a Will Stone!





Kulgan calls out to you as you stand there.

- I shall grant the final words of Queen's Guard Sophia. You can use me as much as you like. We must save Her Majesty and stop the resurrection of that sinister god. We must respond to Sophia, who protected us with her life!

You shook Kulgan's hand with a mingling of emotions.

Kulgan has been registered as a member. You can add him to the party at the Tavern.



- True strength is not the heart that can resist fear and pain, but the calm heart that can envelop and negate even darkness.

- Sophia's soul is limitlessly pure, and stronger than anything. Even if it is death, it cannot harm her willowy soul. I feel I have been awakened to the truth. The truly strong are among the kind...



- Even as a soul, it doesn't fade. I was touched... Love and friendship change easily, right? No one seriously goes around looking for it. But you showed me that love can last forever.



- ...then I just saw the model priestess. Just healing the injured you see isn't the job of a priestess. Giving people happiness and smiles, and letting them know that the world is overflowing with light...

- To teach people that, that is a priestess' true objective. Sophia must have been that kind of person. Those next to her felt kindness...

- I will grant Priestess Sophia's wish... Even if it's the last thing I do.



- Her kindness is like that of an affectionate mother. She was able to give her life without expecting anything in return. What can I do to become as strong as her? They say that love knows no boundaries. But no one can be like her.

Michele's face clouded with grief. The thought of Sophia's soul was troubling her.

- Like those who died in the Flash, her soul was chained to this Labyrinth. Even still, she's worried about others rather than her own agony...... Her attatchment (sic) to this world was Sagoon and Her Majesty.

Michele's eyes became watery and tears ran down her cheeks.

- Please let her soul rest in peace. Only we, the ones left behind, can do so.



- Evil god, huh... That's way too much for me, a mere adventurer. So I was thinking of sneaking away while you weren't looking...

- But... thinking about it, it eats your soul, right? I thought that it might not exactly be good if I became one of the statistics. Either way, if everyone's gone, then I have no place to make money. Like it or not, I'm gonna have to do it.



- You know what he said? He said that a thief should never take a double or nothing risk. The right way to do things is to securely steal things that exist, quick, and without greed. But he kept saying that he was worried about me, cause I had a big dream, till he died.

Daniel sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.

- My dream is to become a phantom thief that strikes all over the world. I can't be afraid of one or two evil gods.



- Finally finding the one I need to defeat is good enough for me. As long as I am a warrior, I was always prepared for death. But I didn't want to die in vain.

Orphe smiled fearlessly. Her lifeless eyes filled with ferociousness.

- My foe is the evil god, worth risking my life on... In place of my father, be it once, I shall strike you with this sword!

Tears flowed out of Hina's beautiful eyes.



- There are those who are tormented by not being able to express their feelings...

- I...... believe I understand... How hard it is to walk the path of righteousness concealing one's feelings...

In her mind, she must be picturing her older brother, who had become a demon.........

- Sophia wasn't mistaken. She carried warm light within her body, and walked all the way through...... The power of love is so beautiful, so strong.

- For one more time......... I would like to try and believe in the feelings of people.

After wiping her tears, she smiled bashfully.

And so, we say goodbye to Sophia. Depending on your responses, you can also get a Fealds Stone, or nothing but her blessing.



See you on B9.

Videos:

Eugene Confronting LeDua - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...g-ledua-5353254

Sophia's Last Wish - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...st-wish-5352657

Sophia's Last Wish Alternate - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...ternate-5352397