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Game Summary Part I: Sylvarant
Part II here.
Part III here.
For this summary, I'm going with the "normal" route through Sylvarant rather than the "hard path": that is, taking the ship from Izoold to Palmacosta immediately after Ossa Trail instead of taking the bridge to Hima and Luin.
Iselia & Martel Temple
In the world of Sylvarant, the legend goes like this: Long ago, the Giant Kharlan Tree was the source of mana for the world, but a great war brought about by the Desians caused the tree to wither away. The hero, Mithos, ended the war in the Holy Ground of Kharlan and made a pact with the goddess Martel to seal away the Desians. Mithos sacrificed his life to give mana to the world in the Giant Tree's place; Martel grieved his loss and disappeared into the heavens, leaving the angels to oversee the World Regeneration. The regeneration occurs when the seal weakens, the Desians reappear, and mana again begins to deplete since the Desians consume great amounts in their human ranches. The Chosen of Mana must release the various seals around the world to reawaken the Summon Spirits, in the process becoming an angel, and travels to the Tower of Salvation to wake the sleeping goddess. This journey restores mana to the world and once again seals the Desians away.
...Or so goes the legend that Raine teaches her students, including Lloyd, Genis, and the Chosen Colette, within the schoolhouse in Iselia, the Village of Oracles. Iselia is situated close to a Desian human ranch, but the village has a non-aggression treaty that means they'll be safe as long as they leave the ranch alone.
The lecture is interrupted by a bright light from the Martel Temple, which signifies the coming of the oracle for Colette. Raine orders the students to stay put and leaves to check the temple. Lloyd gets curious anyway and he, Genis, and Colette also go to the temple, only to find it under attack by what appear to be Desians under the command of Botta, who are looking for the Chosen. Even though Lloyd is equipped with an Exsphere, which augments his abilities, they have a difficult time in the fight but are saved by the intervention of Kratos, a travelling mercenary who also has an Exsphere. Botta and his men retreat.
Colette must undergo the trial in the temple, but since the priests that were supposed to go with her were slain, Kratos offers to go in their place if he is paid. He tries to make Lloyd stay behind, but Colette wants him to come along, so Lloyd and Genis also go. They retrieve the Sorceror's Ring from inside the temple, fighting monsters along the way, to reach the altar. Colette is greeted as the seventh Chosen by an angel, Remiel. He attaches the Cruxis Crystal, which she born with, to her body and bestows the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant. He instructs her to release each seal in order to unlock the Tower, and tells her that Cruxis will grant her the power of the angels at each seal so that she will began the transformation into an angel. After Remiel vanishes, Colette and Kratos go on ahead. Lloyd and Genis are caught by Raine (who has been who-knows-where the whole time), who punishes them for disobeying instructions.
Once they return to Colette's house, a meeting is finishing up where it's been decided that Kratos and Raine will accompany Colette on the Journey of Regeneration. Lloyd and Genis both express wishes to join, but Kratos and the mayor forbid them. Lloyd promises to give Colette a birthday present before she leaves, so she says she'll let him know the time.
Lloyd lives through the forest, and Genis asks to go part of the way with him to see a friend. However, it turns out that this friend, Marble, is one of the prisoners of the Desian human ranch. Genis wants to tell her about the oracle but during their brief meeting, Lloyd notices that Marble has an Exsphere attached to her hand but no Key Crest, which is dangerous. Genis begs Lloyd to ask his dad, a dwarf, for help. When Marble then gets in trouble with the Desians, Genis and Lloyd try to distract them without being seen. The two escape, thinking they're all right but not realizing that Lloyd was caught on camera. Genis returns to Iselia while Lloyd continues home.
Lloyd asks Dirk to make a Key Crest, but Dirk doesn’t believe Lloyd’s cover story and makes him tell the truth. He makes sure the Desians didn’t see Lloyd’s Exsphere, and then reveals that it’s special: the Desians killed Lloyd’s mother when they tried to take it from her, and that was how Dirk found them at the bottom of a cliff. Angry, Lloyd demands to know why Dirk never told him before and asks about the Key Crest again, causing the two to have a fight. Lloyd runs out only to find Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos there. Lloyd talks with Colette and expresses that he wants to go on the journey with her, so she tells him that they’ll be leaving the next day at noon.
In the morning, Lloyd makes up with Dirk, who presents him with a Key Crest. But then Genis shows up to tell him that Colette and the others left a long time ago, so they hurry to Iselia. Lloyd receives a letter from Colette that sounds like a will or final farewell, but before he can get an explanation, the village is attacked by the Desians from the ranch, led by Forcystus, as revenge for Lloyd violating the non-aggression treaty. Forcystus makes them fight a giant monster, who is revealed to be Marble after her Exsphere went berserk. Lloyd and Genis defeat her, but the fight causes Forcystus to realize that Lloyd has the special Exsphere from the Angelus Project. Marble turns on Forcystus, injuring him and dying in the process, so the Desians retreat; Genis picks up Marble’s Exsphere and uses it with the Key Crest. Iselia’s mayor exiles Lloyd and Genis from the village.
Triet, Renegade Base, Triet Ruins, Ossa Trail, & Izoold
Lloyd and Genis head south to Triet, since that was the direction of the next seal. However, upon entering the town, they find Desians putting up wanted posters and forming search parties for Lloyd. The two get information about Colette’s whereabouts but are attacked by Desians when trying to leave town. They win, but then Lloyd is incapacitated from behind by what also appear to be Desians; they take him to their base in the desert, letting Genis go. When Lloyd wakes up, he’s in prison and overhears that he’ll likely be executed. He escapes by using the Sorceror’s Ring and retrieves his equipment, noting that these Desians seem a little different from the others. While trying to escape the base, Lloyd runs into Yuan and they have a brief confrontation before Botta shows up to warn that the Chosen’s group has invaded the base. Yuan doesn’t want his face to be seen so he leaves; Colette, Genis, and Kratos join Lloyd to fight Botta, who takes off when defeated. Raine enters and announces that she opened the escape route; she then notices an Exsphere in Botta’s dropped weapon and takes it.
Back in Triet, Raine wants to use the Exsphere but has no Key Crest, and Lloyd needs processed inhibitor ore in order to carve the charm. Raine shows off a collection of rare materials she brought from home and they spot a worn Key Crest, so Lloyd fixes it for her. Raine tells Lloyd that it’s all right for them to continue with Colette on the journey.
They head for the Triet Ruins southwest of town to find the fire seal. When they reach the entrance, Raine goes a little nuts over the polycarbonate covering the surface but then identifies the oracle stone, which recognizes Colette and opens the entrance to the ruins. After clearing the trials, Remiel appears again at the seal. He grants Colette angelic powers that give her wings, warns that the transformation will be painful for a night, and instructs them to go east across the sea for the next seal. As they exit the ruins, Colette collapses and they decide to camp for the night so she can rest.
When they enter the Ossa Trail, they are attacked by Sheena who tries to assassinate Colette. Colette trips over a switch that opens a trapdoor, and Sheena falls through. She reappears at the end of the trail and summons a guardian to fight, but retreats once she’s defeated. Raine appears to recognize her strange clothing. In the meantime, the group comments that Colette’s appetite seems to have decreased and that she’s eating foods she didn’t used to like. Raine also questions Kratos’ intentions and seems to be suspicious of his motives. The group makes it to Izoold, a small fishing town, and manages to get a boat to Palmacosta.
Palmacosta & Palmacosta Human Ranch
They find Chocolat, a girl at a shop, refusing to sell items to the Desians since they took away her grandmother. The Desians already met their quota for the year and need Magnius’ permission to exceed it, so for the time being, they leave. The group finds out that Palmacosta’s Governor-General Dorr is recruiting soldiers and resisting the Desians. While looking for clues about the next seal at Hakonesia Peak, some pilgrims warn them that Magnius and the Desians are headed from the ranch to Palmacosta. The group rushes back to Palmacosta and find that Chocolat’s mother, Cacao, is about to be executed while the city’s militia is out on training exercises. Lloyd goes to intervene while Raine tries to get him to stop, warning him that the situation could turn out like Iselia. Lloyd refuses to back down and Colette and Genis agree with him. Colette throws her chakram to cut the rope holding Cacao, while Kratos injures Magnius. Raine is furious and reprimands them, but Lloyd just vows to destroy the entire ranch. Magnius retreats and they defeat the leftover Desians.
Afterwards, Chocolat and Cacao thank them, but with a cooler head, Lloyd starts to wonder if Palmacosta will really be all right after this. Raine nevertheless urges them to just think about the regeneration. When they try to get back underway, however, a messenger from Dorr informs them that Chocolat was captured by the Desians and that Dorr would like to mount a join attack on Magnius with their help. They meet Dorr’s assistant Neil at the ranch, but Neil instead warns them to leave the region. Raine and Kratos realize that it’s a trap, and Neil reveals that Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap. Neil also reveals that Dorr didn’t used to be like this and isn’t sure why he changed. Kratos and Raine are both in favour of continuing the journey, but Colette, Genis, and Lloyd want to stay and help Chocolat. Raine concedes that the decision is up to Colette and states that their options are to either infiltrate the ranch immediately or confront Dorr. They end up doing both, but Lloyd gets to decide which option they take first.
Returning to Dorr’s manor in Palmacosta, they discover Dorr giving money to a Desian, who demands more before Dorr’s wife can be saved. Lloyd confronts Dorr and asks if his wife was taken hostage; Dorr pulls aside a curtain and reveals that she was turned into a monster like Marble. Lloyd and Dorr have a furious debate before Colette steps in and offers to find the cure for Clara, which causes Dorr to reconsider, but then his daughter abruptly attacks him. She then transforms into a monster and proclaims that she is a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, and that Dorr never realized his real daughter had been killed and replaced. The group fights and defeats her, but as she dies, she sets Clara loose on them. Colette gets her to stop attacking but she runs off. Raine is unable to save Dorr but they promise to save Chocolat and Clara.
Back at the ranch, Neil accompanies them on the infiltration. He takes care of releasing the captives, and the rest continue to Magnius. On the way, they find Chocolat and save her from the Desians, so she volunteers to show them the rest of the way. They reach the control room where Magnius is waiting for them; he had seen them as well as Neil on the projector and seals off the captives’ escape. Magnius suggests letting their Exspheres go out of control just like Marble, who was Chocolat’s grandmother. Magnius tells her that Lloyd killed Marble, and horrified, she backs away to the Desians, who take her away again. They defeat Magnius, and Raine releases the captives again. They see Chocolat being taken away on the projector but aren’t able to do anything, so Raine sets the ranch to self-destruct. They meet back up with Neil and advise him to contact Dirk about the captives’ Exspheres.
Thoda Geyser, Asgard, & Balacruf Mausoleum
They continue to Thoda Dock, where they are apparently supposed to ride washtubs across the water to Thoda Island. Raine refuses to get in until Lloyd suggests that she might be afraid of water. They go ahead to the island and find the Seal of Water there. Remiel appears again after they defeat the guardian, though he seems a bit stiff when conversing with Colette this time and she wonders if she displeased him somehow. He grants her additional angelic power and advises them of the next seal’s location. Colette collapses again on the way out and Raine terms the syndrome Angel Toxicosis while they set up camp. Lloyd notes that Colette is still awake very late but she sends him back to bed. They then continue over Hakonesia Peak to Asgard.
At the Asgard Ruin, Raine goes into lecture mode and Lloyd, wandering around, finds a human (Linar) and half-elf (Harley) trying to blow up the dais. Raine overhears and accidentally sets off the bomb, which Lloyd disarms. Linar and Harley take off as the mayor approaches, and so does Lloyd’s group. Raine wants to talk to them some more, so they go to Linar’s house and discover that ever since Linar accidentally unlocked the seal on the dais, the guardian awoke and began demanding sacrifices. Linar’s sister Aisha is slated to be the next sacrifice. Raine wants to continue to study the dais but the mayor won’t allow it, so she volunteers to be the dancer in Aisha’s place with the logic that the guardian of the seal might be seeking the Chosen, and the mayor agrees. Raine performs the ritual the next day and a monster appears for the sacrifice, but Colette warns that it’s an evil creature and not the guardian of the seal. They defeat it and acquire a stone tablet; Linar praises Raine and the two rush off to decipher the tablet. Harley also declares that Raine is a half-elf like him, which Genis protests, and Harley corrects the statement after a moment to say that Raine and Genis are pure-blooded elves. Later, Raine explains that the monster was the source of a calamity that afflicted the ancient Balacruf Empire and that the Summon Spirit of Wind was used to defeat it. The dais was then erected to seal the calamity away, and over time, people confused it with the Seal of Wind.
The same stone tablet is used to unlock the real seal at the Balacruf Mausoleum. At the altar, Remiel does his usual, though he’s even more curt. On their way out of the Mausoleum, Sheena attacks with another guardian. They defeat her and she claims that if the regeneration succeeds, her country will be destroyed. When pressed for answers, she simply says that this world will be saved and disappears again; Kratos appears to have an idea of her origins. Outside, Colette falls again and Lloyd notices her hand is bleeding, but she brushes it off. They make camp and Lloyd tricks her into revealing that she can no longer feel; she also tells him that she doesn’t need sleep or food anymore and her eyesight and hearing are better. He’s upset but she doesn’t want him to tell the others.
Luin & Asgard Human Ranch
The group continues to Luin, which they find in a complete state of devastation. They find a badly wounded Sheena in the city and Colette begs Raine to heal her, but Raine first wants to hear what happened. Sheena tells them that people in Luin were hiding escapees from the nearby human ranch and when the Desians discovered this, they destroyed the city and captured the entire population. She won’t say how she was injured, but when she tries to save a survivor from a monster, they realize she probably tried to help the people of Luin. Both Lloyd and Colette ask Raine to save her, and though she doesn’t like the idea, she agrees. Sheena then requests that they help her save the people of Luin; again, Raine disagrees, but everyone else wants to help.
They ambush a Desian patrol and manage to steal one uniform, which Raine wears, and the rest of the group pretend to be her prisoners. They successfully get inside the ranch and note that it looks like an Exsphere manufacturing plant before Botta and some of his “Desians” run into them. Botta decides not to fight since Kratos is there and takes off, but the leader of the ranch, Kvar, shows up. He mentions he thought that the intruders were Botta’s Renegades and is surprised to find the Chosen instead. He also declares that Lloyd’s Exsphere is the product of his Angelus Project. The group escapes but run into where the Exspheres are harvested, and there they see that the Exspheres are produced from the human prisoners. Kvar catches up and explains that the Exspheres extract nourishment from the host bodies, which is why the Desians run the human ranches in the first place. He also mentions the name of the Desians’ leader, Yggdrasill. He then goes on to explain that Lloyd’s mother escaped with the special Exsphere but then turned into a monster and was killed by Lloyd’s father. He gloats, angering Lloyd and Kratos, and Sheena uses her last guardian to allow the group to escape.
They return to Luin to contemplate the new revelations about the Exspheres, and Lloyd considers throwing his away until Colette and the others persuade him to keep it for the time being in order to finish the regeneration. Sheena had previously helped a ranch escapee to Hima, so they go there to see if they can find another way in. A woman caring for him tells them what he knew on the condition that they heal him, since those who escape from the ranches become cursed and die. Although they don’t yet have the skill to do so since the need Boltzmann's Technique from the Tower of Mana, they promise to heal him when they do and are able to get information about a hidden passage into the ranch. In the control room, Raine brings up the ranch map, causing Sheena to comment that people on “this side” can also operate machines. They split into two teams to take on Kvar and rescue the prisoners. Lloyd’s team defeats Kvar, with the others showing up quickly. Kvar tries to take one last swing at Lloyd and Colette takes the hit for him; Lloyd and Kratos then both stab Kvar. Despite the grave wound, Colette says it doesn’t hurt, and Lloyd reveals that she no longer feels from the angel transformation. Raine decides the best thing to do is activate the ranch’s self-destruct mechanism.
They retreat to Asgard, where everyone expresses worry for Colette, while Lloyd wishes there was another way.
Tower of Mana & Lake Umacy
After retrieving the key to the Tower of Mana, the group unlocks the door and heads inside to find the next seal. At the altar, the Summon Spirit of Light, Luna, briefly appears to ask where Aska is so that she can restore her power. She then vanishes and Remiel appears, declaring that Colette has released the final seal and can now continue to the Tower of Salvation to complete the regeneration. On the ground floor of the tower, they pick up a book on Boltzmann’s Technique to save Pietro, but Raine notes that she can’t use it without an amplifier like a unicorn horn or the elven Mana Leaf Herb. Outside, Colette collapses again but this time, she can’t answer when asked if she’s all right. Kratos deduces that she’s lost the ability to speak and they make camp.
Sheena decides that night to tell them why she tried to assassinate the Chosen. Raine tells her to talk about her homeland that isn’t part of Sylvarant. Sheena is surprised, but Raine’s logic is that Sheena agreed the regeneration would save Sylvarant, but her homeland would still be destroyed; therefore, it must be somewhere other than Sylvarant. Sheena explains that she is from Tethe’alla, a world intertwined with Sylvarant and that although the two worlds exist adjacent to each other, they can’t see or touch each other yet nevertheless affect each other. The supply of mana flows from the ‘declining’ world to the ‘flourishing’ world and Raine therefore deduces that the Chosen’s journey is actually the process of reversing the mana flow. Sheena agrees and says she was sent to Tethe’alla to prevent the mana flow from being reversed, but she’s been unable to ignore the suffering of the people in Sylvarant, either. Colette communicates by writing on Lloyd’s hand that she’ll try asking Remiel if there’s a way to save both worlds.
They discover a unicorn at Lake Umacy, but it is asleep deep at the bottom of the water and they’re not able to reach it. Sheena suggests that she could make a pact with Undine, the Summon Spirit of Water, since she is capable of summoning. To do that, they must return to the Seal of Water at Thoda Geyser.
Undine appears when Sheena approaches the altar, but when Sheena requests a pact, Undine says that she is already bound by a pact to Mithos. Raine notes that Mithos is a common boy’s name and that the pact-maker might not be the same as the ancient hero. Kratos suggests that the pact-maker may have broken their vow or passed away and that they can request the annulment of the pact. At this suggestion, Undine claims she will test them in battle first. Afterwards, Sheena forms the pact and Raine comments on Kratos’ knowledge of Summon Spirits.
Back at Lake Umacy, Raine warns that only a pure maiden can approach the unicorn. Genis starts to suggest Raine but she refuses, simply saying that she’s “an adult”, and so Sheena summons Undine and goes with Colette over the water. The unicorn awakens and approaches them, saying that Colette’s presence is exactly like Martel’s. It claims that it exists to heal Martel’s—and Colette’s—illness, but Colette wants to save Pietro and Clara, not herself. The unicorn gives up its horn and dies, but declares that a new unicorn will be born in its place. They give the unicorn horn to Raine, who gains new healing arts that can save Pietro and Clara.
Hima & Tower of Salvation
Back in Hima, Colette is worried about Pietro, so they go to him and Raine uses her new technique to heal him. Pietro returns to Luin to help rebuild the city.
They can see the Tower of Salvation from the top of the mountain in Hima but there’s no path to reach it. A man overhears their interest in the tower and tells them that he is offering Dragon Tours for tourists, and further insists that they use his dragons free of charge when he realizes they are the Chosen’s group. Since they’ll be staying the night in Hima, Lloyd talks with everyone before bed: Sheena wonders why the goddess made a world like this, Kratos cryptically warns Lloyd not to make a mistake, Genis isn’t sure whether the outcome is good or bad, and Raine simply tells him to talk to Colette. With Colette, Lloyd wonders again if there isn’t something he can do to help her. He spots Kratos leaving the inn early the next morning and follows him outside; he is telling Noishe to look out for Lloyd but then Yuan appears (Lloyd doesn’t entirely recognize him) with the intent to assassinate Kratos. Lloyd warns him in time and he injures Yuan, who vanishes again. As they head back to the inn, Kratos simply tells Lloyd not to die. They only have three dragons, so they must ride in pairs. Kratos volunteers to ride with Colette since protecting her is his job; the others pair up however Lloyd wants.
When they arrive at the tower, they find that Kratos and Colette have gone inside ahead of everyone else, so the others enter. Inside, they find countless coffins floating around the tower; Raine suggests they may be the bodies of Chosens who failed. They hurry further in to the altar and find Colette praying before Remiel with Kratos nowhere in sight. Remiel declares that Colette will become a true angel by giving up her heart and memory to release the final seal. Although the others are horrified, Raine apologizes and says that Colette hadn’t wanted to tell them the truth: that becoming an angel actually means dying, and Colette is about to give up her life for the world regeneration. Remiel, however, reveals that Colette’s body will be offered to the goddess for Martel’s revival. Raine then brings up the subject of Tethe’alla, which Remiel tries not to answer, but Raine presses that he kept it a secret because it’s the truth. He then suggests that if the Chosen desires it, Martel will make both worlds peaceful. Lloyd tries to stop Colette from sacrificing herself, but Genis holds him back. Remiel calls them inferior beings (a line always used by the Desians) and Lloyd breaks away to reach Colette. Although she can’t speak, he hears her voice in his mind, and she reassures him that she knew all along and tells him goodbye as she releases the seal. She becomes a lifeless doll and Remiel begins to gloat; Lloyd angrily proclaims that Cruxis is all a big lie and Remiel decides to get rid of them. However, he is defeated, and Lloyd pleads with Colette to come back.
Kratos then appears and tells him that it’s pointless, and that the regeneration will be complete when the Chosen is brought to Derris-Kharlan and offered to Martel. Remiel calls him “Lord” Kratos and begs for his help, but Kratos refuses. He then reveals that he, too, is an angel of Cruxis and one of the four Seraphim. When Raine says that merging with Martel will cause Colette to truly die, Lloyd tries to take on Kratos, but the party is defeated. Kratos, however, flinches instead of finishing Lloyd off, and another new angel shows up. This one introduces himself as Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis and the Desians. He easily dispatches the group when they try to stand up to him and slams Lloyd into a pillar, which breaks. Kratos offers no response when Yggdrasill asks that he has no objections. However, Botta and his “Desians”—actually the Renegades—show up. Seeing that the Chosen has already become an angel, Botta tells them to take her back with them. Some of the Renegades become fodder for Yggdrasill while the rest take Colette, Lloyd, and the others and vanish. Afterwards, Kratos contemplates Lloyd’s rescue by the Renegades and again tells him not to die even though he’s long gone.
Part III here.
For this summary, I'm going with the "normal" route through Sylvarant rather than the "hard path": that is, taking the ship from Izoold to Palmacosta immediately after Ossa Trail instead of taking the bridge to Hima and Luin.
Iselia & Martel Temple
In the world of Sylvarant, the legend goes like this: Long ago, the Giant Kharlan Tree was the source of mana for the world, but a great war brought about by the Desians caused the tree to wither away. The hero, Mithos, ended the war in the Holy Ground of Kharlan and made a pact with the goddess Martel to seal away the Desians. Mithos sacrificed his life to give mana to the world in the Giant Tree's place; Martel grieved his loss and disappeared into the heavens, leaving the angels to oversee the World Regeneration. The regeneration occurs when the seal weakens, the Desians reappear, and mana again begins to deplete since the Desians consume great amounts in their human ranches. The Chosen of Mana must release the various seals around the world to reawaken the Summon Spirits, in the process becoming an angel, and travels to the Tower of Salvation to wake the sleeping goddess. This journey restores mana to the world and once again seals the Desians away.
...Or so goes the legend that Raine teaches her students, including Lloyd, Genis, and the Chosen Colette, within the schoolhouse in Iselia, the Village of Oracles. Iselia is situated close to a Desian human ranch, but the village has a non-aggression treaty that means they'll be safe as long as they leave the ranch alone.
The lecture is interrupted by a bright light from the Martel Temple, which signifies the coming of the oracle for Colette. Raine orders the students to stay put and leaves to check the temple. Lloyd gets curious anyway and he, Genis, and Colette also go to the temple, only to find it under attack by what appear to be Desians under the command of Botta, who are looking for the Chosen. Even though Lloyd is equipped with an Exsphere, which augments his abilities, they have a difficult time in the fight but are saved by the intervention of Kratos, a travelling mercenary who also has an Exsphere. Botta and his men retreat.
Colette must undergo the trial in the temple, but since the priests that were supposed to go with her were slain, Kratos offers to go in their place if he is paid. He tries to make Lloyd stay behind, but Colette wants him to come along, so Lloyd and Genis also go. They retrieve the Sorceror's Ring from inside the temple, fighting monsters along the way, to reach the altar. Colette is greeted as the seventh Chosen by an angel, Remiel. He attaches the Cruxis Crystal, which she born with, to her body and bestows the Tower of Salvation upon Sylvarant. He instructs her to release each seal in order to unlock the Tower, and tells her that Cruxis will grant her the power of the angels at each seal so that she will began the transformation into an angel. After Remiel vanishes, Colette and Kratos go on ahead. Lloyd and Genis are caught by Raine (who has been who-knows-where the whole time), who punishes them for disobeying instructions.
Once they return to Colette's house, a meeting is finishing up where it's been decided that Kratos and Raine will accompany Colette on the Journey of Regeneration. Lloyd and Genis both express wishes to join, but Kratos and the mayor forbid them. Lloyd promises to give Colette a birthday present before she leaves, so she says she'll let him know the time.
Lloyd lives through the forest, and Genis asks to go part of the way with him to see a friend. However, it turns out that this friend, Marble, is one of the prisoners of the Desian human ranch. Genis wants to tell her about the oracle but during their brief meeting, Lloyd notices that Marble has an Exsphere attached to her hand but no Key Crest, which is dangerous. Genis begs Lloyd to ask his dad, a dwarf, for help. When Marble then gets in trouble with the Desians, Genis and Lloyd try to distract them without being seen. The two escape, thinking they're all right but not realizing that Lloyd was caught on camera. Genis returns to Iselia while Lloyd continues home.
Lloyd asks Dirk to make a Key Crest, but Dirk doesn’t believe Lloyd’s cover story and makes him tell the truth. He makes sure the Desians didn’t see Lloyd’s Exsphere, and then reveals that it’s special: the Desians killed Lloyd’s mother when they tried to take it from her, and that was how Dirk found them at the bottom of a cliff. Angry, Lloyd demands to know why Dirk never told him before and asks about the Key Crest again, causing the two to have a fight. Lloyd runs out only to find Colette, Genis, Raine, and Kratos there. Lloyd talks with Colette and expresses that he wants to go on the journey with her, so she tells him that they’ll be leaving the next day at noon.
In the morning, Lloyd makes up with Dirk, who presents him with a Key Crest. But then Genis shows up to tell him that Colette and the others left a long time ago, so they hurry to Iselia. Lloyd receives a letter from Colette that sounds like a will or final farewell, but before he can get an explanation, the village is attacked by the Desians from the ranch, led by Forcystus, as revenge for Lloyd violating the non-aggression treaty. Forcystus makes them fight a giant monster, who is revealed to be Marble after her Exsphere went berserk. Lloyd and Genis defeat her, but the fight causes Forcystus to realize that Lloyd has the special Exsphere from the Angelus Project. Marble turns on Forcystus, injuring him and dying in the process, so the Desians retreat; Genis picks up Marble’s Exsphere and uses it with the Key Crest. Iselia’s mayor exiles Lloyd and Genis from the village.
Triet, Renegade Base, Triet Ruins, Ossa Trail, & Izoold
Lloyd and Genis head south to Triet, since that was the direction of the next seal. However, upon entering the town, they find Desians putting up wanted posters and forming search parties for Lloyd. The two get information about Colette’s whereabouts but are attacked by Desians when trying to leave town. They win, but then Lloyd is incapacitated from behind by what also appear to be Desians; they take him to their base in the desert, letting Genis go. When Lloyd wakes up, he’s in prison and overhears that he’ll likely be executed. He escapes by using the Sorceror’s Ring and retrieves his equipment, noting that these Desians seem a little different from the others. While trying to escape the base, Lloyd runs into Yuan and they have a brief confrontation before Botta shows up to warn that the Chosen’s group has invaded the base. Yuan doesn’t want his face to be seen so he leaves; Colette, Genis, and Kratos join Lloyd to fight Botta, who takes off when defeated. Raine enters and announces that she opened the escape route; she then notices an Exsphere in Botta’s dropped weapon and takes it.
Back in Triet, Raine wants to use the Exsphere but has no Key Crest, and Lloyd needs processed inhibitor ore in order to carve the charm. Raine shows off a collection of rare materials she brought from home and they spot a worn Key Crest, so Lloyd fixes it for her. Raine tells Lloyd that it’s all right for them to continue with Colette on the journey.
They head for the Triet Ruins southwest of town to find the fire seal. When they reach the entrance, Raine goes a little nuts over the polycarbonate covering the surface but then identifies the oracle stone, which recognizes Colette and opens the entrance to the ruins. After clearing the trials, Remiel appears again at the seal. He grants Colette angelic powers that give her wings, warns that the transformation will be painful for a night, and instructs them to go east across the sea for the next seal. As they exit the ruins, Colette collapses and they decide to camp for the night so she can rest.
When they enter the Ossa Trail, they are attacked by Sheena who tries to assassinate Colette. Colette trips over a switch that opens a trapdoor, and Sheena falls through. She reappears at the end of the trail and summons a guardian to fight, but retreats once she’s defeated. Raine appears to recognize her strange clothing. In the meantime, the group comments that Colette’s appetite seems to have decreased and that she’s eating foods she didn’t used to like. Raine also questions Kratos’ intentions and seems to be suspicious of his motives. The group makes it to Izoold, a small fishing town, and manages to get a boat to Palmacosta.
Palmacosta & Palmacosta Human Ranch
They find Chocolat, a girl at a shop, refusing to sell items to the Desians since they took away her grandmother. The Desians already met their quota for the year and need Magnius’ permission to exceed it, so for the time being, they leave. The group finds out that Palmacosta’s Governor-General Dorr is recruiting soldiers and resisting the Desians. While looking for clues about the next seal at Hakonesia Peak, some pilgrims warn them that Magnius and the Desians are headed from the ranch to Palmacosta. The group rushes back to Palmacosta and find that Chocolat’s mother, Cacao, is about to be executed while the city’s militia is out on training exercises. Lloyd goes to intervene while Raine tries to get him to stop, warning him that the situation could turn out like Iselia. Lloyd refuses to back down and Colette and Genis agree with him. Colette throws her chakram to cut the rope holding Cacao, while Kratos injures Magnius. Raine is furious and reprimands them, but Lloyd just vows to destroy the entire ranch. Magnius retreats and they defeat the leftover Desians.
Afterwards, Chocolat and Cacao thank them, but with a cooler head, Lloyd starts to wonder if Palmacosta will really be all right after this. Raine nevertheless urges them to just think about the regeneration. When they try to get back underway, however, a messenger from Dorr informs them that Chocolat was captured by the Desians and that Dorr would like to mount a join attack on Magnius with their help. They meet Dorr’s assistant Neil at the ranch, but Neil instead warns them to leave the region. Raine and Kratos realize that it’s a trap, and Neil reveals that Dorr is working with the Desians to lead the Chosen into a trap. Neil also reveals that Dorr didn’t used to be like this and isn’t sure why he changed. Kratos and Raine are both in favour of continuing the journey, but Colette, Genis, and Lloyd want to stay and help Chocolat. Raine concedes that the decision is up to Colette and states that their options are to either infiltrate the ranch immediately or confront Dorr. They end up doing both, but Lloyd gets to decide which option they take first.
Returning to Dorr’s manor in Palmacosta, they discover Dorr giving money to a Desian, who demands more before Dorr’s wife can be saved. Lloyd confronts Dorr and asks if his wife was taken hostage; Dorr pulls aside a curtain and reveals that she was turned into a monster like Marble. Lloyd and Dorr have a furious debate before Colette steps in and offers to find the cure for Clara, which causes Dorr to reconsider, but then his daughter abruptly attacks him. She then transforms into a monster and proclaims that she is a servant of Pronyma, leader of the Five Desian Grand Cardinals, and that Dorr never realized his real daughter had been killed and replaced. The group fights and defeats her, but as she dies, she sets Clara loose on them. Colette gets her to stop attacking but she runs off. Raine is unable to save Dorr but they promise to save Chocolat and Clara.
Back at the ranch, Neil accompanies them on the infiltration. He takes care of releasing the captives, and the rest continue to Magnius. On the way, they find Chocolat and save her from the Desians, so she volunteers to show them the rest of the way. They reach the control room where Magnius is waiting for them; he had seen them as well as Neil on the projector and seals off the captives’ escape. Magnius suggests letting their Exspheres go out of control just like Marble, who was Chocolat’s grandmother. Magnius tells her that Lloyd killed Marble, and horrified, she backs away to the Desians, who take her away again. They defeat Magnius, and Raine releases the captives again. They see Chocolat being taken away on the projector but aren’t able to do anything, so Raine sets the ranch to self-destruct. They meet back up with Neil and advise him to contact Dirk about the captives’ Exspheres.
Thoda Geyser, Asgard, & Balacruf Mausoleum
They continue to Thoda Dock, where they are apparently supposed to ride washtubs across the water to Thoda Island. Raine refuses to get in until Lloyd suggests that she might be afraid of water. They go ahead to the island and find the Seal of Water there. Remiel appears again after they defeat the guardian, though he seems a bit stiff when conversing with Colette this time and she wonders if she displeased him somehow. He grants her additional angelic power and advises them of the next seal’s location. Colette collapses again on the way out and Raine terms the syndrome Angel Toxicosis while they set up camp. Lloyd notes that Colette is still awake very late but she sends him back to bed. They then continue over Hakonesia Peak to Asgard.
At the Asgard Ruin, Raine goes into lecture mode and Lloyd, wandering around, finds a human (Linar) and half-elf (Harley) trying to blow up the dais. Raine overhears and accidentally sets off the bomb, which Lloyd disarms. Linar and Harley take off as the mayor approaches, and so does Lloyd’s group. Raine wants to talk to them some more, so they go to Linar’s house and discover that ever since Linar accidentally unlocked the seal on the dais, the guardian awoke and began demanding sacrifices. Linar’s sister Aisha is slated to be the next sacrifice. Raine wants to continue to study the dais but the mayor won’t allow it, so she volunteers to be the dancer in Aisha’s place with the logic that the guardian of the seal might be seeking the Chosen, and the mayor agrees. Raine performs the ritual the next day and a monster appears for the sacrifice, but Colette warns that it’s an evil creature and not the guardian of the seal. They defeat it and acquire a stone tablet; Linar praises Raine and the two rush off to decipher the tablet. Harley also declares that Raine is a half-elf like him, which Genis protests, and Harley corrects the statement after a moment to say that Raine and Genis are pure-blooded elves. Later, Raine explains that the monster was the source of a calamity that afflicted the ancient Balacruf Empire and that the Summon Spirit of Wind was used to defeat it. The dais was then erected to seal the calamity away, and over time, people confused it with the Seal of Wind.
The same stone tablet is used to unlock the real seal at the Balacruf Mausoleum. At the altar, Remiel does his usual, though he’s even more curt. On their way out of the Mausoleum, Sheena attacks with another guardian. They defeat her and she claims that if the regeneration succeeds, her country will be destroyed. When pressed for answers, she simply says that this world will be saved and disappears again; Kratos appears to have an idea of her origins. Outside, Colette falls again and Lloyd notices her hand is bleeding, but she brushes it off. They make camp and Lloyd tricks her into revealing that she can no longer feel; she also tells him that she doesn’t need sleep or food anymore and her eyesight and hearing are better. He’s upset but she doesn’t want him to tell the others.
Luin & Asgard Human Ranch
The group continues to Luin, which they find in a complete state of devastation. They find a badly wounded Sheena in the city and Colette begs Raine to heal her, but Raine first wants to hear what happened. Sheena tells them that people in Luin were hiding escapees from the nearby human ranch and when the Desians discovered this, they destroyed the city and captured the entire population. She won’t say how she was injured, but when she tries to save a survivor from a monster, they realize she probably tried to help the people of Luin. Both Lloyd and Colette ask Raine to save her, and though she doesn’t like the idea, she agrees. Sheena then requests that they help her save the people of Luin; again, Raine disagrees, but everyone else wants to help.
They ambush a Desian patrol and manage to steal one uniform, which Raine wears, and the rest of the group pretend to be her prisoners. They successfully get inside the ranch and note that it looks like an Exsphere manufacturing plant before Botta and some of his “Desians” run into them. Botta decides not to fight since Kratos is there and takes off, but the leader of the ranch, Kvar, shows up. He mentions he thought that the intruders were Botta’s Renegades and is surprised to find the Chosen instead. He also declares that Lloyd’s Exsphere is the product of his Angelus Project. The group escapes but run into where the Exspheres are harvested, and there they see that the Exspheres are produced from the human prisoners. Kvar catches up and explains that the Exspheres extract nourishment from the host bodies, which is why the Desians run the human ranches in the first place. He also mentions the name of the Desians’ leader, Yggdrasill. He then goes on to explain that Lloyd’s mother escaped with the special Exsphere but then turned into a monster and was killed by Lloyd’s father. He gloats, angering Lloyd and Kratos, and Sheena uses her last guardian to allow the group to escape.
They return to Luin to contemplate the new revelations about the Exspheres, and Lloyd considers throwing his away until Colette and the others persuade him to keep it for the time being in order to finish the regeneration. Sheena had previously helped a ranch escapee to Hima, so they go there to see if they can find another way in. A woman caring for him tells them what he knew on the condition that they heal him, since those who escape from the ranches become cursed and die. Although they don’t yet have the skill to do so since the need Boltzmann's Technique from the Tower of Mana, they promise to heal him when they do and are able to get information about a hidden passage into the ranch. In the control room, Raine brings up the ranch map, causing Sheena to comment that people on “this side” can also operate machines. They split into two teams to take on Kvar and rescue the prisoners. Lloyd’s team defeats Kvar, with the others showing up quickly. Kvar tries to take one last swing at Lloyd and Colette takes the hit for him; Lloyd and Kratos then both stab Kvar. Despite the grave wound, Colette says it doesn’t hurt, and Lloyd reveals that she no longer feels from the angel transformation. Raine decides the best thing to do is activate the ranch’s self-destruct mechanism.
They retreat to Asgard, where everyone expresses worry for Colette, while Lloyd wishes there was another way.
Tower of Mana & Lake Umacy
After retrieving the key to the Tower of Mana, the group unlocks the door and heads inside to find the next seal. At the altar, the Summon Spirit of Light, Luna, briefly appears to ask where Aska is so that she can restore her power. She then vanishes and Remiel appears, declaring that Colette has released the final seal and can now continue to the Tower of Salvation to complete the regeneration. On the ground floor of the tower, they pick up a book on Boltzmann’s Technique to save Pietro, but Raine notes that she can’t use it without an amplifier like a unicorn horn or the elven Mana Leaf Herb. Outside, Colette collapses again but this time, she can’t answer when asked if she’s all right. Kratos deduces that she’s lost the ability to speak and they make camp.
Sheena decides that night to tell them why she tried to assassinate the Chosen. Raine tells her to talk about her homeland that isn’t part of Sylvarant. Sheena is surprised, but Raine’s logic is that Sheena agreed the regeneration would save Sylvarant, but her homeland would still be destroyed; therefore, it must be somewhere other than Sylvarant. Sheena explains that she is from Tethe’alla, a world intertwined with Sylvarant and that although the two worlds exist adjacent to each other, they can’t see or touch each other yet nevertheless affect each other. The supply of mana flows from the ‘declining’ world to the ‘flourishing’ world and Raine therefore deduces that the Chosen’s journey is actually the process of reversing the mana flow. Sheena agrees and says she was sent to Tethe’alla to prevent the mana flow from being reversed, but she’s been unable to ignore the suffering of the people in Sylvarant, either. Colette communicates by writing on Lloyd’s hand that she’ll try asking Remiel if there’s a way to save both worlds.
They discover a unicorn at Lake Umacy, but it is asleep deep at the bottom of the water and they’re not able to reach it. Sheena suggests that she could make a pact with Undine, the Summon Spirit of Water, since she is capable of summoning. To do that, they must return to the Seal of Water at Thoda Geyser.
Undine appears when Sheena approaches the altar, but when Sheena requests a pact, Undine says that she is already bound by a pact to Mithos. Raine notes that Mithos is a common boy’s name and that the pact-maker might not be the same as the ancient hero. Kratos suggests that the pact-maker may have broken their vow or passed away and that they can request the annulment of the pact. At this suggestion, Undine claims she will test them in battle first. Afterwards, Sheena forms the pact and Raine comments on Kratos’ knowledge of Summon Spirits.
Back at Lake Umacy, Raine warns that only a pure maiden can approach the unicorn. Genis starts to suggest Raine but she refuses, simply saying that she’s “an adult”, and so Sheena summons Undine and goes with Colette over the water. The unicorn awakens and approaches them, saying that Colette’s presence is exactly like Martel’s. It claims that it exists to heal Martel’s—and Colette’s—illness, but Colette wants to save Pietro and Clara, not herself. The unicorn gives up its horn and dies, but declares that a new unicorn will be born in its place. They give the unicorn horn to Raine, who gains new healing arts that can save Pietro and Clara.
Hima & Tower of Salvation
Back in Hima, Colette is worried about Pietro, so they go to him and Raine uses her new technique to heal him. Pietro returns to Luin to help rebuild the city.
They can see the Tower of Salvation from the top of the mountain in Hima but there’s no path to reach it. A man overhears their interest in the tower and tells them that he is offering Dragon Tours for tourists, and further insists that they use his dragons free of charge when he realizes they are the Chosen’s group. Since they’ll be staying the night in Hima, Lloyd talks with everyone before bed: Sheena wonders why the goddess made a world like this, Kratos cryptically warns Lloyd not to make a mistake, Genis isn’t sure whether the outcome is good or bad, and Raine simply tells him to talk to Colette. With Colette, Lloyd wonders again if there isn’t something he can do to help her. He spots Kratos leaving the inn early the next morning and follows him outside; he is telling Noishe to look out for Lloyd but then Yuan appears (Lloyd doesn’t entirely recognize him) with the intent to assassinate Kratos. Lloyd warns him in time and he injures Yuan, who vanishes again. As they head back to the inn, Kratos simply tells Lloyd not to die. They only have three dragons, so they must ride in pairs. Kratos volunteers to ride with Colette since protecting her is his job; the others pair up however Lloyd wants.
When they arrive at the tower, they find that Kratos and Colette have gone inside ahead of everyone else, so the others enter. Inside, they find countless coffins floating around the tower; Raine suggests they may be the bodies of Chosens who failed. They hurry further in to the altar and find Colette praying before Remiel with Kratos nowhere in sight. Remiel declares that Colette will become a true angel by giving up her heart and memory to release the final seal. Although the others are horrified, Raine apologizes and says that Colette hadn’t wanted to tell them the truth: that becoming an angel actually means dying, and Colette is about to give up her life for the world regeneration. Remiel, however, reveals that Colette’s body will be offered to the goddess for Martel’s revival. Raine then brings up the subject of Tethe’alla, which Remiel tries not to answer, but Raine presses that he kept it a secret because it’s the truth. He then suggests that if the Chosen desires it, Martel will make both worlds peaceful. Lloyd tries to stop Colette from sacrificing herself, but Genis holds him back. Remiel calls them inferior beings (a line always used by the Desians) and Lloyd breaks away to reach Colette. Although she can’t speak, he hears her voice in his mind, and she reassures him that she knew all along and tells him goodbye as she releases the seal. She becomes a lifeless doll and Remiel begins to gloat; Lloyd angrily proclaims that Cruxis is all a big lie and Remiel decides to get rid of them. However, he is defeated, and Lloyd pleads with Colette to come back.
Kratos then appears and tells him that it’s pointless, and that the regeneration will be complete when the Chosen is brought to Derris-Kharlan and offered to Martel. Remiel calls him “Lord” Kratos and begs for his help, but Kratos refuses. He then reveals that he, too, is an angel of Cruxis and one of the four Seraphim. When Raine says that merging with Martel will cause Colette to truly die, Lloyd tries to take on Kratos, but the party is defeated. Kratos, however, flinches instead of finishing Lloyd off, and another new angel shows up. This one introduces himself as Yggdrasill, leader of Cruxis and the Desians. He easily dispatches the group when they try to stand up to him and slams Lloyd into a pillar, which breaks. Kratos offers no response when Yggdrasill asks that he has no objections. However, Botta and his “Desians”—actually the Renegades—show up. Seeing that the Chosen has already become an angel, Botta tells them to take her back with them. Some of the Renegades become fodder for Yggdrasill while the rest take Colette, Lloyd, and the others and vanish. Afterwards, Kratos contemplates Lloyd’s rescue by the Renegades and again tells him not to die even though he’s long gone.