"...Oh dear. You can... speak, right?"

"Um... Is it reasonable to assume that the lore of this place holds no interest for a bru- er, warrior, such as you?"

"Please, be on your way. Leave the study to me, and I'll leave the Shade killing to you."

"Ooh! Ooh! Pardon me! You're an Explorer, right?"

"It's my pleasure! I'm Thenis, a professor and scholar from Yannia's famous Magic Academy! But none of that matters right now, not really."

"The important thing right now is this great Ruin! Who would have thought that such a magnificent place resided beneath our feet?"

"If you thirst for knowledge like I do, feel free to come back sometime. I've got a great offer for you!"

"The Aeon Ruins. That's what people are starting to call this place. And its a fitting name."

"Just from a cursory examination of this dock's stone, it's obvious that it is unfathomably old... maybe old as time itself!"

"Sure, there's a lot going on right now. Phantasms and Shades, all that fuss. But there are hundreds of Explorers, just like you, battling their way through the Ruins without a care for what they're trampling on!"

"History is irreplaceable. No matter how common, not even a single event will ever happen more than once. And that's where you come in."

"I'm looking for able bodied warriors, who, like me, have an interest in preserving the lore of these Ruins. If you think you fit that description, I'd like to enlist your aid, on the behalf of my Kingdom."

"So, what do you say? Will you join forces with Yannia, in the name of the past?"

>Yes

"Splendid! I knew you had it in you! Oh, before I forget..."

>Given Binoculars

"Let this place's beauty not be lost on you. Take the scenic route, search through every nook and cranny!"

"Many Explorers have come before you, leaving flags to mark their way. Though none have explored the Aeon Ruins in its entirety. May you be the first!"

"If you find any Explorer's Flags, bring them back to me, and I will share with you what I have learned about where they came from. It's a bit of a talent of mine, if I do say so myself."

"Happy hunting!"

>No

"Well, no matter. I suppose there are more crucial tasks to be done at the moment..."

"But if you ever feel up to the task, I'll be waiting with bated breath!"

"I try not to make enemies on principle, but some people just have no culture whatsoever. These are the people I mentioned before, those who leave valuable artifacts underfoot."

"I've tried again and again to tell them, but they turn a blind ear to my pleas. Those Dorainians especially, with their naive superiority and childish dreams of revenge."

"In a way, those of Lencoter are worse. They don't even try to hide their prejudice under a veil of virtue. Their words are as blunt as their so-called art."

"Those who don't heed the past are doomed to repeat it. As long as people like that are around, we'll always be caught up in these sour situations..."

"Oh, have you met my apprentice, Geten? He's a downright magical prodigy."

"However, he's a bit... hesitant... to explore the Ruins. No matter how much I urge him, he's convinced that he'll die to the first Shade he meets. It's quite sad, actually."

"But he does have great knowledge of Sorceries. Talk to him if you require magical aid... but I do ask of you one thing."

"If you see him at all during your travels, won't you help him along? It might help his courage a bit."

"...Oh, the Phantasm? I'm not too concerned about that."

"We've got the combined forces of nine Kingdoms working towards a solution. Or, heh, eight and a half in the case of Doraine."

"Either way, I'm not worried. Things like this have a habit of working out on their own."

"And even if this is truly the end of the world... I'd rather not spend doomsday struggling hopelessly against my fate."

"Why even live if you can't spend your life doing what you were truly meant to do?"

"There's something that's been vexing me... more vexing is the fact that I haven't noticed it until now."

"These Aeon Ruins... they were not built as one. It is like a patchwork world, almost."

"Surely you have noticed that some regions are wildly different from one another? That some stones are aged and others are still young and smooth?"

"I had hoped to make sense of it all, but the more I learn, the less I understand it."

"Have you come across a Soul that shines with a particularly unique light?"

"Usually, Souls are nondescript, with only the slightest hint of the former owner's identity. But here, abstract concepts like self take on greater meaning."

"There are some people with inexplicable powers over the Soul... who can extract that essence to create spells of untold power."

"Isn't that such a fascinating idea? If only I could meet someone with such a power..."

"There's a cellar nearby, leading underneath this dock. It has a most unusual keyhole, and I've heard the oddest noises behind it."

"Since I've been near it, I've felt drawn to it... as if it were a great vortex, trying to pull me in."

"Maybe I'm just crazy! Hahaha!"

GREETING

"Oh, hello! How go your travels? Any new discoveries?"

INTERRUPTED MENU

"Ahaha, I know the feeling!"

FAREWELL

"Come back alive, won't you? It's not impossible to get info from a corpse, but damn, it's hard!"

POSITIVE TENDENCY GREETING

"It's been ages! Tell me everything!"

POSITIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL

"No wait, I have more questions!"

NEGATIVE TENDENCY GREETING

"Let's make this quick. I am not in the mood for idle banter."

NEGATIVE TENDENCY FAREWELL

"Hm."

LORE: HIGHLANDS DISTRICT

"Oh! A flag! The Highlands District, you say?"

"In the city's prime, those upper scaffolds did not exist. In fact, the entire upper half of the metropolis was simply not there."

"Apparently it was a prosperous place, nearly perfect. But disaster struck elsewhere, and refugees came to the one city they thought would save them."

"But it quickly became overpopulated. The city was expanded to its very limit, then built vertically to compensate."

"Upwards, and upwards, they built. Over time, the original city was buried. To think of what knowledge may lie hidden... preserved in the entombed alleyways, hidden from sunlight for so long..."

LORE: MANSION OF DUSK

"A musty old mansion? Yes, I know the one."

"Supposedly it belonged to a particularly vicious lord. He would throw parties for his peers, but they would never leave the mansion."

"But his home was taken from him. Maybe someone in authority caught onto his murderous schemes?"

"I've heard that the Shade of that man is still imprisoned underneath the floorboards..."

LORE: SANGUINE COURT

"Hmm... a great castle, crowned by flame. The Sanguine Court, no doubt."

"The origins of the fire are surely unknowable now. The inferno seems unquenchable, but does not grow, recede, or consume. It merely burns, now and forever."

"Is it true that Shades are bound to repeat the actions of the dead? If so, perhaps the places here are the same... forced to act out the events that led to their ruin."

LORE: THE FLOWING BRIDGES

"Ah, so you have set foot on that dizzying array of bridges."

"The ornate carvings there are telling of a great civilization, one so unconcerned with worldly affairs that they had almost reached a state of enlightenment."

"Looking at it, I can't help but feel a sort of envy. Though, not too much, considering what happened to them."

"Some great disaster visited them, and rid their great structures of all life, while leaving the stone itself untouched."

"A disease, maybe? Or something akin to a disease."

LORE: ICECREST PASSAGE

"Those deep, desolate caves... I applaud your bravery."

"The caverns are not natural, but carved out by ancient warriors."

"But strangely, they seem to have been carved out from within, as if the inhabitants originated from beneath the earth."

"Behind them, they left myriad traps and obstacles, as if to deter pursuers from below. Curiouser and curiouser...

LORE: SEA OF SOULS

"What was that? An ocean brimming with Souls?!"

"I see... you've confirmed its existence."

"Well, you must know that... not all Souls are absorbed or devoured. Even those that are leave some kind of fragment behind."

"When mortals are left to die naturally... entombed and forgotten... their Souls simply fade away. As do those fragments."

"But energy does not simply disappear, nor does it spring forth eternal."

"It was an old, deranged theory, that Souls had an origin... and a final resting place. But if you found such a sea, it may be true."

LORE: THE KILLING FIELDS

"A dismal place indeed... I wonder if there's even soil anymore, beneath those steppes of bone."

"When that place was in its prime, it was not much better. Death was a comfort."

"Somehow, they found a way to cheat death, and abandoned their physical bodies."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

LORE: NECROPOLIS

"I've seen that Necropolis. Only from a distance, of course."

"Apparently it was intended as a great tomb. Royals congregated there, to enshrine their shed bodies."

"Before long, it was as engorged with the dead as the Killing Fields, and defiled all the same."

"Not that it bothered the corpses."

LORE: SHEOL

"Ah, the subterranean land of exiles, blanketed in shadow. Not unlike our own predicament, hm?"

"No matter where you go, there are always people who want to live. It's in our very nature. But similarly, you have those who detest rebels, ones who go against the flow."

"The dead saw the living as ignorant, stubborn. And so to Sheol they were taken, and locked up for the rest of time."

"I can only imagine what it would be like, trapped in that eternal blackness..."

LORE: DESERT IN THE SKY

"A desert, held in the sky by a replica of the sun. How interesting!"

"A great war seemed to have raged in these sandy lands long ago."

"Shades now eternally reenact the bloodiest skirmishes."

"Do not attempt to join in the battle, unless you intend to become a casualty!"

LORE: BLOODY OASIS

"A fortified oasis, with the water replaced by blood. What a sad story..."

"There were those in the desert who opposed the fighting, but both sides tantalized them with the promise of victory."

"Those new recruits were placed on the front lines, and those who refused to ally with either faction were caught in the crossfire when the two clashed once again."

LORE: SALTSTORM

"The ones who remained neutral in the desert war were attempting to escape to the ocean."

"To those people, who had always been landlocked, it was a mythical place of endless water."

"The victors of the war attempted to reach this fabled place, but the legends led them to an ever-present storm of burning salt."

"They never emerged from the storm. Perhaps they reached their destination."

LORE: PAPER CAVERNS

"Oh, you have visited the Paper Caverns? It is one of the few places I have gone to personally."

"It seems to have once been a library, but it was assaulted by the elements."

"Now the faded pages line the walls, crawling with those disgusting Magic Eaters."

"Don't bother trying to strike them with any sort of spell. They are devious things, and only consume them to grow stronger."

LORE: MONOLITH OF FATE

"That monolith, glowing with preternatural light... this was the forbidden section of the great library."

"Ancient spells and lore lie undeciphered, carved into the very stone."

"That is all that I know about that mysterious place... if you meet Archmage Halvard, he is sure to tell you more."

"He came down with me and Geten, but he is beyond my level. When he speaks, he speaks in magic tongues."

LORE: HALL OF MYSTICS

"The inner sanctum of the Mystics..."

"Halvard told me that he was headed there. In fact, that was his only reason for coming."

"There aren't any records of this place, but... he felt drawn to it somehow."

"Maybe the Mystics are calling to him."

LORE: HILL OF THE SKYLIGHTS

"The Wilds? Oh dear, why would you ever go there?"

"Well, those lights over that hill are rather pretty."

"I've heard that you can see the whole of the Ruins from its peak."

LORE: UNENDING WOODS

"That wilderness between regions is like a hundred shards of pottery, all thrown together as if they were one. It's bizarre, as if its what's left over from the other places."

"But that forest disturbs me... it's too big, too whole."

"How it ended up down here, I cannot even begin to imagine."

LORE: DARK COTTAGE

"A cottage? Down here in the Ruins? I've heard nothing of the sort."

"What sort of Shades dwelt within? Artifacts? Nothing at all...?"

"How utterly bizarre... I must admit ignorance."

LORE: BRIDGES OF THE EDGE

"Have you seen those dancing images beyond the Aqueducts?"

"That's the World's End, the outskirts of the Ruins."

"Curious, no? That a place such as this would need a defined edge?"

"It's strangely artificial, circling what's left in almost a perfect ring."

"The Shades are too feral to build such a complicated structure. The only other explanation is particularly intelligent demons, or else those bridges must have just fallen naturally into place!"

LORE: INSANITY TOWERS

"I've heard that a man with a strange sort of magic made his home in those towers."

"But he's long gone now, or so they say."

"What's left behind is pure nonsense. Not even gravity works properly in there."

LORE: ABYSSAL HEART

"That monstrous heart, suspended in the air... you could almost consider it the moon of these Ruins."

"Just looking at it gives me the sense of some demonic presence, glowering down at me."

LORE: LIGHTHOUSE DOCK

"The sight of a lighthouse is a comforting one."

"It represents a safe return from a dangerous journey. A beckoning light, calling across a black ocean."

"I wonder if the architects of this place had that in mind when these towers were erected."

FORSAKEN LORE REWARD

"The first rule of history is that you'll never really know what happened in the past."

"Never stop doubting the facts. If you do, you'll end up wronger than you realize."

"Thank you for exploring that city for me. Here is your reward."

>Given a Soul Syphon

AQUEDUCTS LORE REWARD

"You've uncovered more mysteries than you've solved, I'm afraid."

"But still, even that is worthy of praise. If we didn't know what we didn't know, how would we ever know anything?"

"Did that make sense? No? Oh, whatever, just take this."

>Given the spell Soul Gravity

MONUMENT LORE REWARD

"It's a strange thought, but the world two hundred years ago was a different one from the one today."

"Not a single person could truly remember that far back. What's to say that the world even existed back then?"

"There's fascination hidden everywhere around us. Where we least expect it."

>Given a Linen Wrap

MIRAGE LORE REWARD

"People are too concerned with being the first to discover something."

"If they share it, everyone will know eventually. And if they don't, then the knowledge is useless."

"Er, pardon my distraction. This is for you.

>Given the Conductor's Baton

ROTTING LORE REWARD

"So, you've explored the entirety of the Rotting Stones?"

"How was it? I'm sure it was glorious... in a way.""

"Tell Halvard that you're ready to become his apprentice. I'm sure of it."

>Unlocked Ancient Soul Synthesis

SPECIAL LORE REWARD

"Why do we call this place the Aeon Ruins? It's much more than just an old temple."

"The names of all these places... did we really just come up with them, or did the Ruins itself give them to us?"

"I wouldn't be too surprised if this place was alive. Watching us as we crawl in its innards.

>Given a Blank Ring

AEON LORE REWARD

"It's hard to believe, but you've explored every corner of these Ruins!"

"It's almost sad, isn't it? That there's nothing left to discover?"

>Given the Underworld Catalyst

YANNIA CHAMPION BONUS

"You're an example to all Explorers, and all who accrue knowledge for knowledge's sake."

"Your efforts have allowed us to create something truly great."

"Behold! Yannia's Aeonic Map!"

>[Message Appears: Yannia's map reveals the Aeon Ruins at Beacons.]

"U-uh... hello. My name is Geten. I'm an apprentice of the esteemed Professor Thenis."

"I'm... I'm quite well learned in the Yannite art of Sorcery, if I do say so myself."

"If you have the knowhow to cast them, I could share them with you."

"It's really quite wonderful, the gift of magic."

"I didn't... really want to come down here. I was just following my master, and... well, fleeing from that horrible soul-eating thing."

"And now he's telling me to go 'Explore the Ruins.' But I don't want to even look at another Shade..."

"I don't want to die... I don't want to die!"

"What? You'll... you'll help me explore the Ruins?"

"I hadn't considered receiving aid... but..."

"Professor Thenis put you up to this, didn't he? He just won't let this go, will he?"

"(sigh)...Very well. I'll... test the waters, so to speak."

"I'll be relying on you to protect me. So if you see my Soul Beacon, please don't ignore it."

"Oh god, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."

"Don't rush me! I'll get going when I feel like it, alright?!"

"I must admit... things haven't been as bad as I was expecting. Thanks to you, of course."

"Allow me to show you my gratitude. I have more advanced spells to give you, straight from the Academy archives."

"I can't believe it! I never thought... I mean, to think that I was able to defeat such powerful foes!"

"I owe it all to you. My friend, I must share with you a secret... promise to never tell Thenis."

"I can perform a particular form of Sorcery... I call it Soul Synthesis."

"The Souls of those great beasts we defeated... I can transform them into otherworldly Sorceries!"

"So bring more Souls, and I can endow you with magic almost as superb as mine!"

"Haha... is this what it feels like to be a great wizard like Halvard?"

"I can see why so many aspire to this level. The power... it's intoxicating!"

"My magic feels as though it could rend the earth apart with its ferocity...!"

"I think I may delve back into the shadow once more. Adventure, and more importantly, Souls await!"

"I just need to, hehe, test out my spells."

"It's only natural to exercise one's power, is it not? To reject magic would be to reject my very identity."

"The student must become the master eventually."

GREETING

"Oh, do you want Sorcery? I've got plenty to offer."

INTERRUPTED MENU

"I understand. It took a while for me to get it too..."

FAREWELL

"Don't die, alright?"

SMUG GREETING

"Hungering for arcane power? I can relate."

SMUG FAREWELL

"So long! Go kill a demon for me, alright?"

"...What do you see before you, stranger? Do you see a feeble old man, groveling in the trash?"

"A wiser eye would see boundless knowledge teetering between existence and oblivion. And I assure you, I am no defenseless elder."

"My name is Halvard. Some know me as an Archmage. I admit that I once felt pride in that name, but now that pride rings hollow."

"I have unearthed Sorceries from ancient times. If you think your mind can withstand their ineffable intricacies, then I will gladly share them."

"This place is separate from the other domains in these Ruins. It is a bastion of knowledge, tarnished by the flow of time."

"The Mystics, as they were known, lived in these halls. This was their library, before it was overtaken by vermin. Their legacy had all but vanished from the surface, kept alive by whispered rumors."

"They stood far above the rest of the world, and the ordinary folk hated them for it. I too, have felt the sting of the simple-minded, who seethe in envy at my accomplishments. I cannot help but sympathize."

"But something destroyed them. The Mystics were never heard from again, and I intend to find out why."

"I've wasted far too much time here. There's naught but moldy scraps left in this library. I must venture deeper in."

"If you have the same spark of curiosity as I, then you will follow in my footsteps without delay."

"No knowledge should be forbidden, nor lost to time. Rest is for those who have no drive, no determination."

"This... is sacred ground. Where the sad history of the enlightened ones is carved into the stone."

"They created spells that they had no use for. Priceless gems, tossed aside in boredom."

"They turned to asceticism. Pondered the meaning of existence. But no answers came to them."

"For all their power, they could do nothing. They had no desire to rule over the unwashed masses, dying of plague."

"And so they remained in these halls, desperately looking for meaning."

"Finally, the Mystics discovered a Sorcery of value to them. A Sorcery that only men of their caliber could truly harness."

"They called it Waking Dream. It created worlds inside of the minds of the Mystics, extrapolated from their own memories."

"They dove into these worlds, and manipulated them with their own will. It was a perfect replication of the real world."

"The spell spread among the Mystics, growing in popularity. In a way, it was an escape beyond these great stone walls."

"But the rest of the chronicle lies deeper within. I will seek it, and the fabled Waking Dream."

"Sometimes, I am asked why I chose the path of a Sorcerer."

"My first reaction is one of disbelief. How could I not embrace Sorcery?"

"But I have begun to think back... to my time in the War. There was much magic back then."

"The Miracles, from the divine. Pyromancy, flames of the spirit. And Demonica, of course. Each had their own identity."

"Sorcery, on their other hand, has a strange, mysterious nature. It is magic. Pure magic, with all trace of identity stripped away."

"Its own existence is an illusion. It is not just an absence of identity. It is the rejection of it, made manifest."

"I suppose that only the wisest can achieve such levels of ignorance. To deny even the self, in the search for knowledge."

"My final destination is the inner sanctum. Then, my pilgrimage will end."

"You have followed me this far. I hope to see you in the halls ahead."

"The truth... as it always is, is more mundane and disappointing than could be imagined."

"The Waking Dream, being a dream, was tainted... corrupted by the Mystics' basest fantasies. Their emotions, repressed by their own discipline."

"Their false worlds were more enticing than reality. And so there they remained, until their bodies withered away."

"I will no longer seek the Waking Dream. Some knowledge is, after all, better off lost."

"Now it has become obvious. The true nature of these Ruins. Why this crumbling palace of hubris is here, rather than on the surface."

"The other domains, and this one, hold only one thing in common: they were all destroyed, hollowed out. All life extinguished."

"Who was left to claim their Souls, to keep them floating and turning? No one."

"Their Souls sank, deep into the earth. And with it, the civilization they belonged to. Down into these Ruins, where they were strung up, like puppets with a grim part to play."

"The Aeon Ruins is a graveyard. Or rather, a netherworld. Where dead worlds dance without respite."

"But why?! Why does this realm exist, and for what purpose?"

"Alas, my mortal gaze is too narrow. If only I had more time... but these old bones of mine have taken their final journey."

"Sometimes, I wonder if, at the core, there is something deeply wrong with humanity."

"Even the Mystics, prime specimens, fell prey to their own weakness. I too, have caught myself sneering in pride at those less fortunate than I..."

"For everything, we have only ourselves to blame. Our lack of understanding, our prejudices, our simple lack of empathy. Our love of cruelty, of the pain of those we hate."

"Are we fated to be shackled with our own infinite iniquities? Is this where we reach our limit, where our beings are so flawed that we can no longer survive?"

"I tire of my mortality. My decaying body is a constant, tedious reminder. Once I die for the final time, all my petty worries, my insignificant knowledge, my deepest regrets, will have been for nothing."

"I wish to escape. To become more, or less than mortal. Anything to escape this nightmare."

"I'm... I'm sorry. I wish I could've been of better use. Not just to you, but to the whole world."

"Yannia was... vicious, during the Soul Wars. Because of me."

"I hungered for power. For Souls. Only Rame matched my lust."

"I cannot lie any longer. Not to myself, and not to the world."

"War makes demons of us all. Regret is what makes us human again."

GREETING

"Can you handle an Archmage's knowledge? Or will you wither at its touch?"

INTERRUPTED MENU

"Show some respect, child."

FAREWELL

"Do not take my teachings lightly, or they will destroy you."

ANCIENT SOUL SYNTHESIS UNLOCKED

"I see. Thenis thinks you are ready, does he?"

"Very well. You have taken the same journey as I, and it has led you here."

"Bring me Souls, child. They are the keys that unlock the gates of memory."