- Zero would begin the hunt for Golbez.
- To free Azdaja from her prison, you must hunt down and defeat her captor, Golbez. To that end, your comrades have already begun surveying the surrounding area for clues as to his whereabouts. Having chosen her section, Zero bids you assist by concentrating on a portion of the lunar surface to the south.
- After stumbling upon a memoria during your search, you find yourself immersed in strangely familiar memories through the power of the Echo. The memories involve a mysterious mage and his comrade, Durante─the selfsame pair, you come to realize, who once attempted to befriend Zero in the distant past of the Thirteenth. Unfortunately, before Zero can draw any conclusions from this discovery, Golbez makes a dramatic appearance. Holding Azdaja aloft, he proceeds to release her from his spell, leaving her at the mercy of the ambient Darkness, which flows into her very being. You can but watch in horror as the great wyrm is transformed into a stygian voidsent Golbez declares the “Shadow Dragon.” With Vrtra's desperate pleas still ringing in your ears, it falls to you to put an end to Golbez's plot, and save Azdaja.
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- ※The Voidcast Dais can be accessed via the Duty Finder.
- You have faced many formidable opponents, and Golbez is no exception. Nevertheless, you emerge victorious in the duel to decide Azdaja's fate. Darkness recedes from Golbez as he kneels in defeat, and you can only hope that you have finally put his mad ambitions to rest.
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- ※In the event that you leave the area, you may return from the Drowning Brand in Mare Lamentorum.
- Victory is short-lived, as Golbez reveals that his plan from the very start was to infuse Azdaja with Zodiark's residual aether, and birth a voidsent wholly consumed with the desire to breach the barrier between worlds─an entity he has named after an ancient hero of the Thirteenth: Zeromus. The oppressive shroud of Darkness emanating from the entity prompts Vrtra to call for a swift withdrawal, and so you make good your escape to the Source.
- Alas, while your intention was to return in triumph, you have instead been forced to retreat in failure. Silence hangs heavy as your allies reflect upon recent events and weigh their options. Now that Azdaja is become the vessel for the voidsent Zeromus, is there no saving her?
A place Golbez visits without fail... If there were some distortion in the ambient aether, I would be able to find it with ease...
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'Tis a comfort to see that Azdaja's spirit remains unbroken. Let's find this mystery location Golbez so favors.
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We must do no less than defeat Golbez in order to free my sister. Make sure thou art prepared for anything.
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The others have already begun searching for clues. Let us do the same.
I'll take charge of this area. If you could see to the south.
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Leave this area to me and see to the south.
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I have only performed a cursory search, but I doubt there is anything of note further west. Perhaps you could try looking to the southeast.
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Nothing here... Mayhap further south, then?
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I could not discern a structure of any kind from above. Whatever this place or object might be, Golbez hath hidden it well.
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System
A glint from beneath the rock catches your eye.
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Voiced cutscene start.
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Did you find something?
A memoria. But whose...?
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THE ECHO BEGINS
You have lied, pillaged, and murdered. Have you anything to say in your defense?
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No. Every one of them got what they deserved. Trusting fools.
Like you would-be heroes. Aye, you'd do well to keep a close eye on each other.
It always ends the same way. A knife in the back. And better to have the handle towards your hand.
You'll see... Oh yes, you will...
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( ???  )
...In death, may your soul find salvation.
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I can't bring myself to pray for the unrepentant. You're a nobler man than I.
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( ???  )
Come now. We are all shaped by these dark times more than we would care to admit.
I choose to believe that, had these men know peace and plenty, they would not have been consumed by mistrust and avarice
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Victims of the Contramemoria then, like so many others. But we will end it.
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Thank you. I shudder to imagine what might have happened if you hadn't dealt with the dark ones.
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( ???  )
... Who is that?
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Oh, her. She's like you, I hear. Hunts memoriates taken by Darkness.
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Well, well, a kindred spirit. Perhaps we will finally have a new comrade.
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No. I've no interest in working with others, much less someone who looks as suspicious as you.
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( ???  )
Is that so...
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...If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way.
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Even when we share the same goal, we can't overcome the mistrust. Such is the way of things─the “wisdom” of our era...
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( ???  )
Only a precious few memoriates remain who cling to the light. WOuld that we could have won her over...
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We'll make do, old friend. We have accomplished much already, and another person may well have been more of a hindrance than help.
Now then, our work here is finished.
His Majesty has summoned us, so let us not delay. To Baron!
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THE ECHO FADES
Had another vision of the past, did you?
...What? I was in it!?
It's them─the pair I met in that village. Which means the one sealed in this memoria is...
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So, you have come. You who would oppose our crusade...
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Is that so? From the world before, I daresay.
'Tis impressive enough that you have managed to retain your mortal form, but to remember your past besides...
But that is of no moment. You are the memoriate who vanquished my minions, correct?
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Then I would bid you join me. As a child of our world and slave to the wheel, fight with me for the salvation of all our souls.
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Fight with you? More like fight as your pawn.
It isn't me you want, but my power. And if I don't obey, you'll bind me like you bound that dragon.
But no more. I refuse to be bound ever again. I fight only for myself, and for those in whom I trust. My friends.
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I see. A pity.
It is for the dragon that you have come, yes?
When first you appeared, I thought simply to remove a threat to our plan.
Never did I imagine that you would reach this place, and gift me a golden opportunity!
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Long as it has been imprisoned, this dragon has grown feeble and weak, its spirit extinguished.
Your coming has served to rekindle her forgotten hope.
Her yearning to be free─to return home! That is the key to our deliverance!
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The Darkness is ravaging her! She's becoming a voidsent!
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Rise, O Shadow Dragon, and obey!
Kill him.
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Keep our guests occupied.
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Save her, I beg thee... Save my sister...
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Before Darkness swallowed the world, I fought tirelessly in a war without end.
The experience taught me to discern the strong. That dragon...and you.
Come. Face me.
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What will you say?
Rest assured I need no invitation.
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I'll deal with you, and then I'll free Azdaja.
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Accursed Light...
You who have ever basked in its warmth could never understand our envy! Our agony!
You will not deny us our release!
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Voiced cutscene end.
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Voiced cutscene start.
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At last, the moment is at hand...
You may have bested me, but not quickly enough. Too late will you look to the chasm.
You've won the battle, but I win the war!
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Stop this, I beg of thee! Let her go!
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Darkness made manifest once abided in the depths of this abyss. Until, one day, it dispersed in a haze of aether.
In the absence of the great flow, that aether has nowhere to return.
And so it has coalesced, giving rise to a mighty voidsent!
Now, feast! Feast upon this dragon, and its ardent longing for home with it!
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From the convergence of ancient and newborn, an entity without equal shall emerge─one who shall tear down the barrier between worlds!
Upon you, who shall deliver us from eternal damnation, I bestow the name of a hero of eld!
Zeromus! Awaken!
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No matter how powerful, a voidsent can be sealed in memoria!
Damn it... It's too strong...
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Our warding scales may not hold! Not against a voidsent born of Zodiark's aether!
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We must retreat! Everyone, to me!
I will return, Sister, and I will save thee. This I swear!
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Voiced cutscene end.
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...We made it back safely, at least.
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