CHAPTER 21: BIG SISTER

PART 2: AFTER

1. head into the direction of RAMUDA
2. past the ETERNAL MOON LAKE, a monster will attack
3. defeat BOSS
4. climb ZELANDA MOUNTAINS (WEST) until you reach RAMUDA
5. talk to high priest and SENYA's and VERONICA's parents
6. to find VERONICA, enter the small forest south-west of RAMUDA
7. after the following events, return to RAMUDA
8. after some more scenes, go the the temple and talk to the high priest
9. for now, return to the inn and try to get some sleep
10. during the night, head outside and talk to SENYA
11. return to the inn and go to sleep
12. after waking up, meet SENYA at the entrance of the inn
13. head towards the ZELANDA MOUNTAIN PEAK (entrance is next to the high priest's temple)
14. follow the way until you reach the peak

 CHAPTER 21 MAPS AND PICTURES

with only the twins still missing from their group, TORTE and his allies move towards RAMUDA. when they come across the ETERNAL MOON LAKE, they notice a huge whole in the lake's ice surface.

as if something had broken out of it...

soon after, they find out that this is exactly what happened:

the dragon NEDRA attacks. he had been sealed inside the lake for countless years. but on the day, the TREE OF LIFE fell down, he was able to escape his prison.

without warning he charges at the group.

BOSS: NEDRA

when NEDRA seemes defeated, he is able to pull of a move that paralyzes the entire party. when he widens his mouth to devour the hero, a wonderful song echoes through the valley...

it's SENYA. she kills the dragon and makes sure that all of her friends are all right. SENYA is on her way to RAMUDA herself and glady joins TORTE's party once again.

when everyone is back in RAMUDA, the party meets the high priest as well as the parents of SENYA and VERONICA. they are very happy to see her alive and well.

but where is VERONICA?

SENYA can feel that her sister is nearby and the party tries to look for her in the nearby forest grove. there is this one tree, where the twins used to play together, when they where children…

and leaning against it's stump, VERONICA can finally be found. leaning? lying? sleeping?

she has her eyes closed and doesn't react to anything SENYA is saying to her.

with the hero's power, TORTE is able to get some reaction from VERONICA's staff. it shows a vision.

a vision from the day on which the TREE OF LIFE was lost...

when URNOGA absorbed the life tree's soul, the earth under the party's feet began to crumble. with everyone but VERONICA unconscious, only she was able to see the immens power created by the DEMON KING. if that power were to erupt...!!!

SENYA's sister made a decision that day...

the day on which the TREE OF LIFE was lost...

and also - VERONICA...

with her last energy, the young mage protected her friends, as well as GREIG and DELCADAR's king, with magical barriers. afterwards, she wasn't able to do anything else but to accept her fate. when the giant sphere of darkness exploded, VERONICA vanished from this world...

the image of VERONICA leaning against the tree, disappears.

and everyone has to face the unbelievable truth:

she's gone... VERONICA is dead.

SENYA takes her sister's staff and heads into the village... there are no words, so for now, the party follows in silence.

during the funeral, SENYA's parents are crying their eyes out and SENYA herself is devastated as well. but she tries to keep up appearances. tries to be strong. the party still has a mission to fulfill.

that same day they visit the high priest at the temple. he knows about TORTE's wish to find the flying remnant of the gods... and tells him about a dream he had: in it, he saw a white island, floating through in the skies. wherever this place is, TORTE might find some hints on how to defeat URNOGA there. but to reach this place they need to find LOTIU's method of flying. for the time being, the group needs rest. they head to the inn.

the shock about losing VERONICA is still resonating within all of them. with no chance of getting any sleep at all, TORTE lies awake in his bed...

then, the sound of SENYA's harp reaches his ears.

outside, the young girl is playing the song her sister loved so much...

when TORTE wants to know if she is all right, SENYA confesses that there is one thing she really regrets and she can't stop thinking about it.

during the night in the FOREST OF BEGINNINGS, right before they reached the TREE OF LIFE, VERONICA and SENYA had a short conversation...

as usual, SENYA had emphasized just how similar the two of them were. instead of confirming that this is very well true, VERONICA's reaction to SENYA's comment was a promise:

she vowed that from now on, she would learn to live by herself, as a single person.

since SENYA didn't really understand where this was coming from, she simply answered that making such a promise wasn't possible. that the two of them belonged together.

so in the end SENYA couldn't make the promise herself and the two went to sleep without discussing the matter further.

now, that her sister is gone, SENYA wishes that she had acknowledged her vow and, in return, made it herself.

then, VERONICA, wherever she is now, wouldn't have to worry about her...

SENYA starts sobbing and it takes a while for her to straighten up. but when she does, she is full of determination. the life she is living now, she ows to her sister. and for that SENYA is grateful. she plans on paying back VERONICA by living it in happiness...

with a clean cut, the little sister takes off a good chunk of her hair, announcing that from now on, there will be no more tears. she offers the strains of hair to the wind and whispers...

"goodbye."

...

...

that night, SENYA inherits her sister's powers.

VERONICA will never be forgotten, but the hero's journey must go on... then, a new dawn...

guided by the high priest, everyone gathers at the peak of the ZELANDA MOUNTAINS.

it is also known as the HERO'S SUMMIT. the priest's knowledge about the past leads him to belief that a certain item could help the group finding the flying remnant of the gods.

it's the HEAVEN'S FLUTE - the instrument sage SENKA once had in his possession. when SENYA uses it, nothing happens, but in TORTE's hands, the instrument begins to change. the flute turns into a fishing rod that TORTE throws out immediately.

he pulls and pulls and pulls, always thinking:

what exactly did the mysterious prophet say?...

..."now is not the right time for fishing, but don't worry: that time will come..."

from the clouds a giant whale emerges, a being sent by the gods: CETOS is here to aid the hero on his quest…

TORTE and his friends hop on his back and head to the sky.