Transformation: June's Plane is the first alternate world of the Transformation story mode in Shadow Fight 3. The player takes the role of the prince/princess of Dynasty. Being in an alternate world, the player will meet many familiar characters, with different roles and personalities.
List of Main Quests[]
June's Plane consists of 45 main quests, of which boss fight occurs at every 5th quests.
| No. | Quest | Enemy | Weapon | Rule(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | First Copy | Stranger | Improved Pruner |
|
| 1 | Yes, Father | Sarge | Bonecrushers |
|
| 2 | Cultist Invasion | Herald | Purple Peeler |
|
| 3 | Nightmare Street | Possessed Blacksmith | Lightweight Sabers |
|
| 4 | Have I Seen Her? | Cultist | Scalpel (Recolored) |
|
| 5 | The Thing | Emperor | Claws |
|
| 6 | Nosy Herald | Herald Priest | Wooden Kama |
|
| 7 | Shouldn't Be Here | Murderer | Player's equipped weapon |
|
| 8 | Back In Action | The First Student | Ornate Two-Hander |
|
| 9 | Dynastian Style | The Second Student | Aerial Lotus |
|
| 10 | Mad Master | Xiang Tzu | Bloodletter's Blade, Common Staff, and Sai |
|
| 11 | We Came To Talk | Orchid | Dragon's Roar |
|
| 12 | Conspiracy | Insusceptible Warrior | Steel Claws |
|
| 13 | Do I Know You? | Captive | Nodachi |
|
| 14 | Wrong Time And Place | Alliance Soldiers |
| |
| 15 | Last Duty | Deng Rao | Emerald Claw |
|
| 16 | A Favor For A Favor | Emissary | Weightened Nunchaku |
|
| 17 | Sacrifices | Guard | Spear of Mercy |
|
| 18 | Long Time No See | Elder | Nightbanes |
|
| 19 | Rescue Mission | Executioner | Sin Eater |
|
| 20 | Blade Of A Traitor | Itu | Hermit Katana |
|
| 21 | Not Welcome Home | Mercenary | Four-sided Blade |
|
| 22 | Shadow Overload | Prefect | Stream |
|
| 23 | Spotted! | Shady Runner | Four-sided Blade |
|
| 24 | Illegal Dealings | Bodyguard | Ash and Light |
|
| 25 | Golden Ambassador | Ambassador | Noonblade |
|
| 26 | Royal Scuffle | Emperor | Prosperity Staff |
|
| 27 | Gears And Blades | Shadow Bot | Nocturnal Clutches |
|
| 28 | Heart Of The Nation | Monk | Peasant's Guandao |
|
| 29 | June Might Be | Blizzard Master | Snowstorm Blades |
|
| 30 | God Is Coming | Ling | Shadowslayer |
|
| 31 | Edge Of The Dynasty | Northern Warrior | Solid Hatchets |
|
| 32 | Big Bad Wolf | Timber Wolf | Storm Hammer |
|
| 33 | Claws That Scratch | Spectre | Iridescent Slicers |
|
| 34 | Cat Burglar | Yukka | Deerhorn Knives |
|
| 35 | Mad Science | Master Okada | Purple Peeler |
|
| 36 | Convenient Travel | Portal Bot | Jagged Kusarigama |
|
| 37 | Ling's Dark Side | Bot Operator | Razor Edge |
|
| 38 | Visitors From Below | Night Warrior | Light Brim |
|
| 39 | What She Really Knew | Liquidator | Ripping Kit |
|
| 40 | I Hear Voices | Queen Moira | Arbitrator |
|
| 41 | It's Not A Dream | Moira's Living Nightmare | Fireflies |
|
| 42 | Lost Arrows | Arrow Of Power | Common Staff |
|
| 43 | Trust Issues | Captain Phang | Golden Bud |
|
| 44 | Her Smile | Kibo | Scalpel (Recolored) |
|
| 45 | Reunion | Shadow Mind | Eagle's Dive |
|
Prologue[]
Nightmares haunted the Dynasty prince/princess mercilessly. But this particular nightmare is the worst. A woman in shadow form accuses the prince/princess to have murdered June and taken her place. Her world will make them suffer; they will lie, cheat and steal just to survive. The woman dares the prince/ss to walk in June's shoes and get her power, as it is the only way to prevent both the end of the world and the prince's/ss' own end.
Suddenly, a Stranger speaks to the prince/princess, who then tests the prince's/princess's fighting capability. The Stranger explains how this world rejects them like a foreign object and informs them about Stability. After he tells the prince/ss that their father is waiting for them, the Stranger bids them farewell, saying that he knows they will meet again.
The Cultists[]
The Emperor tells the prince/princess to stop daydreaming and stay focused as this is the finale of the Alliance tournament, a very important event for the Alliance between Dynasty and Legion. The Legion's Ambassador who is present also wishes the prince/ss best of luck. They manage to defeat the opponent in the finale, Sarge. The sergeant commends on the prince's/ss' skill, calling it an epic fight and wishes for the Alliance to last forever. The Ambassador then informs the Emperor that the Legion Queen wants to know about their progress on the Sphere. The Emperor reveals that they had a major breakthrough last month and the Sphere will be destroyed, hopefully this year. Phang, the captain of the coast guard, then joins the conversation and asks for the prince/ss to come with him for a minute.
Phang reveals that this is an urgent matter, which he cannot just say out loud in front of the Legion's Ambassador. The Palace is under attacks of cultists known as Heralds, who worship shadow energy. Deng Rao, the captain of the guard, is currently handling the situation, but he may need help. After the prince/princess beats a Herald, he suddenly vanishes from their sights. Phang informs the prince/ss that Heralds love doing that after they are defeated. These cultists appeared out of nowhere only recently, about one year ago. Deng Rao, who is just done as well, tells them both that some Heralds escaped, but most are dead. When they are searching for witnesses around the Palace, Phang says to the prince/ss how disgusted he is at Heralds. Having shadow abilities is alright, even though many Legionaries hate it. But, he considers people who outrightly worship shadow energy as stupid.
They find the people in the capital bazaar to be acting weird, as if they were sleepwalking. Phang has a guess that this is another Heralds' doing, while Deng Rao has captured a cultist girl. Phang then decides to try a nonviolent approach to make her speak and he asks her some questions. The cultist outrightly shoos them away, as she is in a hurry. Phang introduces the prince/princess to the cultist, in hope of making her speak, only for her to sarcastically comment that she does not care and vanishes. Phang and Deng Rao are irritated by this, but Phang quickly regains his calm and suggests that they return to the Palace. He also comments that the cultist girl looks familiar to him.
The prince/princess and Phang return to the Palace, only to find the Emperor nowhere inside. Instead, there are only a Herald named Itu and a ferocious shadow beast there. Itu asks them to keep calm and defeat the beast, causing Phang to yell at him and accuse him of having done something to the Emperor. The Herald then responds by warning them that this shadow beast is the Emperor. This all happened because the Sphere started talking. It has awakened and caused all the shadow energy to go mad. The prince/princess then fights the beast and they succeed; the beast reverts back into the Emperor, just like what Itu said. Emperor speaks to the prince/princess, saying that he never wants them to see him in that form. It was all because of the Sphere. Itu suddenly interrupts their conversation, convincing the Emperor to tell him the Sphere's whereabouts because Heralds need it. The Emperor refuses to tell him, causing Itu to respond rudely by calling the prince/princess a murderer as said by the Sphere and the Emperor's life is an illusion, before claiming he never wants to see their faces again and vanishes.
It takes some time for Itu's words to be digested; Emperor simply calls Heralds insane and Itu was talking nonsense, while Phang fears that what Itu said might be true, as the Emperor turned into a beast after all. Before they can plan anything further, Phang notices a Herald priest was hiding this whole time. The prince/princess detains the priest, but they get poisoned in the process. They lose consciousness.
The prince/princess is having a dream of June, who does not even know who she is, attacked by a murderer. The shadow woman from their earlier nightmare is present as well, telling June that she is dead; Shadow's Descendant has killed her and taken her place.
The Mad Master[]
Two days later, the prince/princess regains consciousness. The Emperor is relieved to see this but sadly, they have no time to rest. The Sphere is missing from the Temple, and if the Legion finds this out, they are doomed. They also have tortured the priest and obtained information that he had an appointment with The Mad Master, head of the Mixed Martial Arts school. They need to find out the connection between this man and Heralds.
The prince/princess arrives at Mixed Martial Arts school, where Phang is waiting for them. He then fills the prince/princess in about his plan: Because the prince/princess has not visited the capital for a long time, no one knows what the prince/princess looks like, even though they have heard about them. Prince/princess and Phang will pretend as spoiled aristocrats who offer their sponsorship to the school. If the prince/princess can beat The Mad Master's best students, he will see them personally, and Phang will do all the talking. As they defeat the students, Phang admits that he was never good at Legion fighting style, and that would be useful. More Legionaries moved to the Dynasty last few years. The Sarge the prince/princess fought at the tournament finale has a Dynastian wife. The Mad Master spent a lot of times in the Legion, but Phang does not know any details, as he is a private person.
Xiang Tzu, The Mad Master, finally shows himself. He knows they are from the Palace and instantly refuses to keep them as his students, as he does not like how the prince/princess looks. Phang then speaks to Xiang Tzu, telling him they meant no disrespect and they have walked a long way here. Xiang Tzu asks what Phang wants, as he does not want nobles in his school; it is bad for other students and he cares about this place. Phang convinces Xiang Tzu that his school has potential - mixed martial arts are the sweetest fruit of the Alliance, maybe the only sweet one. Xiang Tzu is still not interested, so Phang offers investments and more students, as well as someone who can watch his back from the Palace. Xiang Tzu then agrees, only if the prince/ss can beat him. The prince/ss emerges victorious, and Xiang Tzu likes that they know how to fight madly. After Phang mentions the secret pass phrase, Xiang Tzu is finally convinced and he takes them both to his master.
Resistance[]
Xiang Tzu takes the prince/princess and Phang to the Resistance camp, located on a fortified bamboo grove. The Mad Master then introduces them to his master, General Marcus. The general welcomes them both and takes them into the camp. Inside the camp, a Resistance member named Yukka asks Xiang Tzu his progress with Heralds. He tells her that the priest did not show up at all, but thankfully they have new benefactors here. Yukka comments that the Herald travelers they captured have shadow energy, which she refers as superb weapons and she has given it to her Insusceptibles group. Marcus states that he does not need these things, which he refers to as demonic weapons. After Xiang Tzu shows Marcus the shadow energy capability by having an Insusceptible warrior fight the prince/princess, Marcus is impressed by both the prince's/princess's fighting prowess and the shadow energy. Yukka then suggests that they return an old Herald captive - whom they assume to be the leader of Heralds - back to Heralds and unite with them to end the Alliance. Marcus disagrees with her, as he does not fully trust Heralds, although he indeed sees no point in keeping this old captive anymore. Xiang Tzu agrees with Marcus' last point, suggesting the old captive to be done away for good, while wondering what they should do about the prince/princess and Phang. Marcus reminds him they will not decide anything without the Guardian's opinion, who is currently questioning the old captive. Everyone pays the Guardian a visit, who turns out to be Deng Rao. Both Phang and Deng Rao are surprised to see each other - Phang cannot believe that Deng Rao is one of the leaders, while Deng Rao tells everyone the two benefactors' real identity. Xiang Tzu makes an excuse that they know the Resistance pass phrase. Yukka is delighted by this - with this old Heralds leader and Dynasty prince/princess, they can make the Emperor negotiate on their term.
Suddenly, the time stops. The old captive has stopped time for everyone but himself and the prince/princess and he greets them, challenging them to fight him as he wants to know who they really are. After the prince/princess defeats the old captive, he is convinced that this prince/princess is Shadow's Descendant He then reveals some information to them. He cannot stay in this plane for long, so he makes it quick. Everything was destroyed as Shadow wanted; he saw it coming. The old man had sent the Descendant into the past thrice to make three copies of them. The prince/princess is one of those and they have replaced someone else in this world. That someone was erased, but he cannot remember who that person is as his Dimensional Rectangle (which is actually a cuboid) is damaged and he lost some memories as a result. Time will move on soon, and the captive ends his talk by warning the prince/princess to not trust anyone, as this world is their enemy. He tells them to find the Sphere before disappearing, leaving the prince/princess startled and confused.
The time returns to normal. The Alliance troops are breaching towards the Resistance camp. Deng Rao makes a guess on who informed the Alliance of this location, to which Phang rebutted. There are too many of them, causing Yukka and the Insusceptibles to retreat from the area. The Emperor who is coming with the troops confronts Deng Rao and Marcus. Deng Rao finally admits everything. He is indeed one of the Resistance leaders and he has no regrets whatsoever. He had seen enough of the Emperor's reign and he is disappointed that the Emperor sold the Dynasty to the Legionaries and sacrificed their science to please them. He is upset because the Emperor beheaded the Dynasty's shadow energy research and forbade it, taking away this treasure of their nation to fill up his own buddies' pocket. Deng Rao also claims the prince/princess is probably a Legion spy already as they have not set foot in the capital for ages and no one will even know. The Emperor replies that the prince/princess is a loyal subject of the Dynasty and they will detain Deng Rao right now. The prince/princess then battles Deng Rao, who fights back. After he is defeated however, the prince/princess suddenly vanishes, along with Marcus and Phang. Deng Rao makes another claim that the prince/princess might even be a Herald. Emperor orders Deng Rao to be arrested for plotting against the empire, to which Deng Rao replies with an insult, saying he prefers to rot in prison than to guard the Arrow of Cowardice. Emperor also orders his men to search for the prince/princess.
Saving Heralds Leader[]
The prince/princess, Marcus, and Phang have been teleported into the camp entrance by Itu. Marcus then thanks him, although he can tell that this Herald may need something from them and immediately asks him about it. Itu introduces himself, commending Marcus' perceptiveness and speaks what he needs. The Heralds leader is now a prisoner in the Legion capital, and he needs their help to rescue him; turns out that the old Herald captive is not their leader. Suddenly, an Emissary spots them and tries to detain them. After the prince/princess beats him, Phang tells him that they are merely investigating the Sphere's problem, which the Emissary believes. Hearing this, Itu informs them what he knows. The Sphere's voice makes all the shadow energy in the world go mad, day by day. Only the leader knows how to stop it, and if the Legion kills him, he will take this secret to his grave.
The party is reaching close to the gates of Legion Fortress. Marcus is not convinced that Itu really knows what he is asking. He tells them how the war ended. The Emperor of Dynasty traded Marcus' head with Bolo's, the shadow energy researcher. Marcus does not know how the Dynasty treated this bargain, but the Legion Elders did not keep their promise, and Marcus was secretly imprisoned instead. Phang confirms that Bolo was killed and he understands now that if they know Marcus is alive, it will be an excuse to break the Alliance. Marcus hopes the queen will listen to them and he takes them to the throne room through the secret passage. On their way, Phang says the Sphere seems to be awakened right after the prince/princess returned to the Capital. Itu also says that their leader was captured not long before that. The Heralds hoped the Sphere was in the Dynasty Palace, which was not the case. Phang then realizes that the Legion Ambassador who was present in the tournament said no words about this leader. Marcus says that this Alliance thing is just a decoration covering mutual distrust. Everything stays the same.
The party reaches the throne room and they speak about the urgent situation of the Sphere and their intention to Queen Moira. The queen is angry when she sees Marcus, accompanied by the Dynasty prince/princess and a Herald. Phang speaks to the queen with all due respect that if she kills Marcus now, her popularity will drop dramatically. The queen answers by saying the Elders are on her side. They have all rights for a closed trial of any enemies of Legion. Phang replies by saying Marcus also has the right to challenge any Elder, if he or his champion wins, Marcus can replace that Elder in the Council. Marcus never thought he will need to appeal to this custom called Law of the Strongest, and he chooses the prince/princess as his champion. As the prince/princess fights an Elder, Itu wonders how a Dynast like Phang is well-informed in Legion inner customs. Phang explains that it was because his uncle, Galen, hoped Phang would be his successor. He was the Arrow of Power who died in the last year of war. Queen Moira mentions how the Arrows are just sweet empty words. Shadow gave them the Sphere because they promised him the Sphere would be destroyed. Phang says the Dynasty is trying their best to fulfill Shadow's percepts. Marcus cuts this talk, and he repeats Itu's request, as the prince/princess has defeated the Elder. Phang also tries to convince the queen that Itu is telling the truth, as he can tell that shadow beasts and diseases are rising again. The queen simply says they already have Liquidators and Abdicators handling the situation; they do not need help from cultists. Itu is triggered by this, correcting the queen that they are researchers, and stating it is the Legion who acts like thick-headed zealots. Marcus then threatens to kill Itu if he continues badmouthing the queen. They are then taken by Queen Moira to see the leader, who is about to be executed. The prince/princess manages to prevent the execution, and Itu then rescues the Heralds leader, Master Okada. Itu informs Okada that the Dynasty has lost the Sphere and they have to find it quickly, and they then use this opportunity to vanish from everyone's sights. Queen Moira demands an explanation about what she just heard about the Sphere. The prince/princess and Phang go to catch up with the two Heralds while Marcus tries to speak with the queen.
They find Itu and Okada near the gates. Itu then fights the prince/princess while the Heralds leader vanishes. He is defeated, but the fights has bought enough time for Okada to be safe. Itu then exclaims that stubborn fools like them Dynasty will never understand the importance of Heralds research. He calls them blind puppies who follow government that has messed up their own heads, as they make money out of shadow energy and its forbiddance. Itu vanishes, but not before he wishes them good luck while calling them idiots. Marcus arrives at the area. He informs that the queen is furious about the Sphere. Nobody is ready for a war, Phang says they have to inform the Emperor and asks Marcus to come along.
Shady Shadow Business[]
The prince/princess and Phang are being searched by everyone in the Capital, so getting to the Palace is not easy. Although Phang is optimistic that this will be over when the Emperor and Queen Moira come to an agreement. Marcus asks Phang to not be that naive, as this conflict has festered for years. They are approached by a strange-looking mercenary. After the prince/princess takes care of the mercenary, Xiang Tzu finds them. He says that he has been searching for Marcus, and tells them this mercenary is from Prefect's school - many of his students left to join this school. Nothing special about this school for years, so Xiang Tzu feels something is wrong. Phang reminds them that they have more important things to deal with. Marcus thinks the Sphere might be involved in this, Itu also mentioned a dirty shadow energy business in the Capital.
They then investigate this by heading to the school. There, the cultist girl that was captured by Deng Rao earlier is present. Xiang Tzu says they know each other, and she helps him investigating this place; her name is Kibo. Phang wonders why she ran away when they asked her questions. Kibo states that asking questions is an understatement, while rhetorically asking them what she is supposed to do. But, since the Mad Master trusts them, she will help them. Kibo informs that the Prefect is here, but he overdid it with the shadow doping. The prince/princess manages to calm him down, although he falls unconscious, so they cannot get anything from him now. Marcus deduces that this guy used raw shadow energy to boost his powers, and it destroys one's body and mind. That is why the one and only Legion Shadow Squad was terminated. Kibo says that a man comes to this school on certain days. He brings along a large bag with him. He is often seen in the bazaar, so they head there to find him. The prince/princess detains the guy, and he tells them where he gets those shadow energy, which he then delivers to the school.
They arrive at the aforementioned place, which has many shadow energy stored inside. Phang has never seen so much shadow energy before. They check one of the many supply notes, which lists the name of customers along with how much shadow energy they ordered. Xiang Tzu spots someone at the cellar, and the prince/princess quickly detains him. Phang recognizes the guy as the bodyguard of the Legion Ambassador, although the Ambassador himself is nowhere to be seen. The bodyguard manages to flee, and Phang is panicked, as there are hundreds of ways to get to the north. Marcus quickly deduces that if the Ambassador follows the old protocol, then it is by water. Marcus commands Xiang Tzu to search for more clues in this place, while he, the prince/princess, and Phang will try to capture the Ambassador. He also orders Kibo to come with them. They manage to reach the pier before Ambassador takes off. The prince/princess then fights the Ambassador, who boosted himself with shadow energy similar to that Prefect. The Ambassador is defeated, and Marcus then arrests him, while insulting him for fighting using shadow energy. The Ambassador says that this Alliance is at its end anyway, as the queen was waiting for the chance to terminate the pact. The Emperor has to know this, as the fate of Dynasty hangs on this information.
The Emperor is enraged when he hears that Queen Moira knows about the missing Sphere. Marcus also informs him that the Legion Ambassador illegally traded raw shadow energy for the last few years. He suspects some Dynast is supplying him with shadow energy, and he asks the Emperor if he knows something. It is discovered in June's Plane III that Ling was supplying shadow energy to Ambassador. The Emperor however, is mad that the prince/princess is betraying him by conspiring against the Alliance. He blames Marcus to be the one who clouded the prince's/princess's mind. The Emperor then fights Marcus, and he fights back. Marcus wins the fight. The Emperor is too old to fight, and he is exhausted by this. They both recall the time when they fought like this back then, and Marcus respected the Emperor as a fighter. But he regrets that the Emperor is too soft for an emperor. Emperor agrees with him, but it is too late to think about it now - he himself is tired and disappointed. Emperor then suggests them to find Ling, their only shadow blacksmith, along with Bolo back then.
God of Time[]
They arrive on a temple in the mountains, and Phang wonders what is a blacksmith doing in some temple. Kibo explains that Ling was a spiritual person, unlike Bolo. Galen has told her much about Ling. Phang then realizes this is why he thought he had seen Kibo elsewhere: Kibo knew Galen. Suddenly, they are surrounded by Heralds mechanical warriors known as shadow bots. They repel these bots, causing Ling to appear in person. He is glad that Kibo finally made some friends, though he will appreciate it if they do not destroy temple property. Kibo then asks Ling to help them. The prince/princess of Dynasty is searching for the Sphere. She can tell Ling knows where it is, as he always sensed shadow energy, something even Bolo could not beat him in. Ling starts blabbering. He says Bolo always wanted to dig into shadow energy with his logic, as if it was solvable like a puzzle. Ling once said to Bolo: it is only Bolo who needs to be solved, so Bolo was supposed to sit down in silence and let the energy itself solve him. Kibo questions Ling if he is talking about the Sphere's voice, but Ling says it is wrong. The Sphere became insane already long ago; its voice got stronger recently in the past few weeks, but they should not pay attention to its nonsense. What he is really talking about is the god's voice. Ling will soon meet his end, so this Sphere business and their politics do not concern him much anymore. His time is precious, and he spends it trying to get at the heart of his nation, the balance. Ling knows this person is the prince/princess of Dynasty, but he wants to know how much they know about the balance. Phang has enough of this riddles, and he asks Ling to just tell them already. Ling answers that they will not find it, the Sphere only seeks the worthy. They do not recognize each other because the worthy one is not worthy enough, not yet as the god said. Phang questions Ling what is this god, to which Ling explains that he is the one hidden beyond time, their history is an open book for him. Ling kept silent for a year, and then he talked to him. Ling suddenly calls the prince/princess, who always stays silent. He asks if they hear the god, his voice.
The prince/princess then gets a vision, similar to the dream they saw when they were unconscious after they got poisoned by the Herald Priest. June questions herself if she is dead. The Stranger ponders what it is to be. He says that there is always a chance to be, June might be. This chance is close to zero now, but it is always there. The Stranger knows this feeling, an insignificant probability of one's existence, a spark in the darkness. He then wishes for June to stay brave. June was afraid of the Blizzard Master when she was a child, Kibo said that he would freeze her father. As soon as her father found this out, he took June to meet this old dragon. That day, June met her fear face to face. June does not understand. She asks if the Descendant really murdered her. Stranger confirms that it is not the case, the world itself got rid of June when the Descendant traveled in time. Bolo told them that they should sacrifice a bot - that was a lie. Bolo knew it definitely would not be mere bots, it could only be someone as important as the Descendant. Bolo did not know that someone is June. She gets even more confused, and she then questions if he is Bolo; he talks like a scholar, and his suit looks exactly like his. Stranger corrects her: it is Bolo's suit that looks like his. He then wishes June to be brave like a child, and to believe in the Descendant.
The prince's/princess's consciousness returns to the real world, and Ling can tell from their face that they have heard his voice. Marcus is surprised to see the temple's pool swirl in shadow energy. Ling says that it is a rift between worlds, the god is coming. He then tests the prince/princess if they are ready; the worthy one is stronger than everybody else, stronger than Ling, the Sphere, Shadow, and stronger than even time. The prince/princess fights Ling in a tricky fight to prove they are worthy. They emerge victorious against Ling, and it does not take long after that for the god to show himself: the Stranger. He says he was right, it is Shadow's Descendant instead of June. Marcus asks who is June, as he never heard that name. Seeing Marcus makes the Stranger happy, as he is by the prince/princess side. Again. This proves that their bonds are deeper than the end of the world. But, he lost someone, and they need him back. Stranger tells both Marcus and Captain Phang that they need to accompany Shadow's Descendant in this dangerous travel. He then convinces them to enter the portal as he will protect them. Stranger also thanks Ling for making the prince/princess even stronger.
The Heralds' Trouble[]
The portal takes the prince/princess, Marcus, and Phang to a swamp, on a barren land the Emperor never really cared about. Not long before they can figure out more things, they see a half-conscious Itu pleading for their help. The Northern Legionaries are attacking Heralds village. Marcus explains that they are Legionaries from far north. Queen Moira was upset with their cruel customs, so she expelled them from the Legion Capital. After taking care of Itu's pursuers, the herald regains his consciousness and thanks them for helping him. Itu explains that the Northerners found Heralds settlement due to being informed by a woman with a cat, and these Legionaries are looking for an easy catch. They recognize the woman as Yukka. According to Marcus, Yukka once asked him if he was keeping in touch with the Northerners, whom Marcus actually has not seen in decades. When the Northerners' leader who killed Heralds' best fighters shows up, the prince/princess easily takes care of the brute. Marcus comments that he recalls the Stranger in weird suit, calling the prince/princess as Shadow's Descendant, and he is starting to believe it now. With the Northerners defeated, the Heralds are reasonably safe now, and Itu thanks them, before apologizing for his arrogance earlier.
Phang wonders how come Yukka sent the Northerners to hunt the Heralds, as she was so eager to unite with them. Itu explains that Yukka was interested in Heralds' crafts and skills. So, she delivered a sphere to Okada to convince him to join forces with the Insusceptibles. Itu emphasizes the word "a", because everything went wrong because of it, and Okada threw her out. As Itu takes them to the Heralds village, Itu informs them that he had tried to talk Okada out of this. It resulted in a fight, and he casted Itu out in the end. Itu says they yet needed months of cautious experiments before Okada went insane - Itu swears it was the cost of his imprisonment.
As they approach the village, they witness the Heralds Spectres capturing a woman with a cat, which is none other than Yukka herself, and it is clear they are about to kill her. Even though they all think she deserves this, they still rescue her from the Spectres. However, Yukka does not even thank them and speaks as if she did nothing wrong. She comments at how Marcus made new Dynasty friends, something which she did not see coming. Marcus compares his friends to Yukka's Insusceptibles, saying that they are noble unlike those rabbles Yukka brought to the Resistance. He then states that people like Yukka and Deng Rao deserve only vengeance and not justice, which he realized too late. Phang interferes and questions Yukka how she got the sphere. Yukka, however, ignores the Captain's question and intends to leave instead. Itu reminds her that they have saved her, to which Yukka replies by stating that this is all happening because of Dynasty: the sphere in the Temple was fake. After the prince/princess stops her attempt of escaping, Yukka tells them that she has nothing to do with the sphere being fake. When she delivered the fake sphere, the shadow energy rig in Heralds village blew up. Phang says Dynasty does not extract shadow energy, to which Yukka replies by saying it is Heralds who have been extracting it for years, taught by Ling. Itu states not anymore, they stopped after Yukka brought the fake sphere and sent the Northerners after Heralds. He threatens Yukka by telling her to pray they better never cross paths again, before taking them to the village.
The party arrives at Heralds village, which lies in ruins due to the rig explosion. In the spot where the rig stood, a huge shadow rift has been formed. Phang comments that this rift is even bigger than the one in Ling's Temple. They are spotted by Okada, who then calls them liars and blames them for defiling the Sphere. The voice of the Sphere has turned into a roar. It will destroy everything that lives. Okada attacks them, but the prince/princess quickly fights back and takes the Heralds leader down. Itu speaks to Okada and asks him to hear himself, all the while wondering if this is the great scientist Itu has been following through thick and thin for like ten years. Okada's mind betrayed himself, he is no better than the Legionary fools as Itu states. Marcus even comments that Okada's rescue was not worth the war between the Dynasty and Legion. Itu now sees that as well, he was blind and too arrogant just like Okada. Itu then asks the party's allowance for him to walk with them, saying if he could at least fix something, he would be glad to help.
The Sphere's Roar[]
Phang figures out that Yukka was already keeping the fake sphere when the Alliance force attacked the Resistance camp. Marcus confirms that, before adding that she had not told anybody and it was the reason why she wanted to meet the Heralds so badly. All Heralds captured in the Dynasty Palace were sent to the Resistance camp by Deng Rao, and Yukka wanted to use them as a bargaining chip. Now they are wondering where is the real Sphere, and who switched them. Phang thinks that it must be somewhere in Dynasty Capital. Itu suggests that they use the shadow portal to get there quickly.
After they deal with the shadow bots that are securing the portal, Phang notices the differences in these bots with the ones at Ling's Temple. Itu explains that these bots at Ling's Temple are worker bots. There are not many of them because they are expensive and hard to make. Okada made the ones at Ling's Temple as a sign of gratitude - without the blacksmith, Heralds would not be able to extract shadow energy for their research, although Ling also took his cuts. Phang realizes now that it was Ling who supplied the Ambassador with shadow energy. Phang also thinks that the Emperor allowed this, although according to Itu, the Emperor did not know about that or he maybe did not want to know, which sounds more like the kind of person he is. Itu cannot blame Ling, as he invested massive amounts of resources to support the Heralds' research, all in memory of Bolo. Although Ling also put the people of Dynasty in danger; under the bazaar of Dynasty Capital, Ling laid an active shadow energy pipeline. Phang is terrified by this, confused as to who they can trust now. Itu exclaims that the Captain can trust no one, because he lives in the Dynasty. After Itu activates the portal and explains how it works, Phang now understands how these Heralds could disappear without a trace. Marcus says that maybe the old man was right, if they are destined to find the real Sphere, then they will. The party then enters the portal to be immediately transported to the Capital.
The party has been transported into the outskirts of the Capital, which is burning in shadow energy. Itu confirms that the Sphere's voice really has turned into a roar, the shadow pipeline under the bazaar could not handle it. Itu deduces if the shadow energy wave already reached the outskirts, then the bazaar is probably destroyed completely. Marcus then spots a Night Warrior. They are the oldest clan in Legionary caste. They only followed Shadow's orders. It is forbidden to enter Night Warriors' dungeons or even speak to them unless one has a business that is somehow connected to the Sphere. Marcus says if the Night Warriors are here, then that means Queen Moira is here too, and she came for the Sphere.
The party arrives at the bazaar, completely destroyed as Itu predicted. The Palace is still intact - it can be seen from the bazaar. Phang sees Queen Moira in the bazaar along with Liquidators. Marcus asks the queen how could this all happen, to which the queen answers everything is how it is supposed to be; the greedy Dynasty ate itself. She lectures Marcus to learn how to pick his allies carefully, which she needs to do too. Phang says the real Sphere is still somewhere out there, and they will find it. Queen Moira then refers to them as useless junk; even she knew the fake sphere's existence, it was used as bait for bandits. She also reveals that the real Sphere does not exist, which surprises everyone. Dynasty can outsmart everyone, but the queen is not everyone. What was contained inside the Sphere, is now somewhere in the Capital. Queen Moira was hearing its call since she was a child, it burns her out from the inside. They kept promising her that they could make it stop, although the truth is she felt how it only grew stronger, and now she will destroy it once and for all. The party refuses to go, so Queen Moira has no choice but to fight.
The prince/princess fights the Legion queen. At first, Queen Moira fights with her fighting prowess alone. After the prince/princess wins one round, Queen Moira then enters shadow form permanently. She has a deadly shadow form - a pair of angel wings grow on her back. While in this form, the queen is capable of flight; she can fly around the battlefield to smash the ground or charge toward the prince/princess with deadly shadow attacks. After a long effort, the prince/princess manages to defeat Queen Moira. Marcus then speaks to the queen, saying that he thought luck finally smiled upon the Legion when Moira took the throne from poor, crazy Iolanda. He was Moira's loyal servant, and he still is in his heart, although he asks the queen if what he thought as her bravery is actually her bitterness and anger. Queen Moira tells Marcus how it was like to be her.
The Sphere's Truth[]
When she was a child, Bolo forced Moira to be around the Sphere for hours on end. He forced her to take the thing inside the Sphere and put it into a baby. For Marcus, the Sphere is just some abstract curiosity. But for her, it is a living nightmare. Phang is surprised to hear that Queen Moira transferred the essence of the Sphere into a baby. The queen tells him that is how Galen, the Arrow of Power, wanted it. As the queen feels fatigue, they are suddenly teleported into the destroyed dojo, where a living nightmare of Moira awaits. The voice of the Sphere made one of Moira's nightmare alive. After the prince/princess takes care of the thing, Phang only realizes now that this place is the dojo. Kibo suddenly appears, with her right eye flashing in shadow energy. She says to Phang that this is Galen's legacy he left to the Dynasty, before she blabbers that she was blind for so long and now she sees how miserable everything is. The Arrows of Power and Knowledge are gone, while only the Arrow of Peace is left, which she says is the problem. Kibo then left them all, confused at what she was talking about. The shadow energy around the party then starts moving and forms into another one of Moira's nightmare, the Arrow of Power. The prince/princess takes care of the being, while Phang still shocked at this - he cannot believe his own uncle turned a living person into the Sphere and forced Moira to do it. Marcus convinces Phang that he can believe the queen, as she has a special bond with the Sphere, the Emperor and his circle could not ignore her like Iolanda. He guesses that Bolo and Galen probably really used this bond to provide additional security for the thing inside the Sphere, whatever it was. Itu also thinks that the queen said the truth - now he sees why the queen demanded Bolo's head as the price for the Alliance. The Sphere is not a glass ball all this time, it is a person, although they do not know who it is.
The party returns to the bazaar only to find Queen Moira is no longer there. Before they can head to the Palace, an upset Phang speaks what is inside his mind. Everything he knew was all lies, even his own uncle betrayed him. Phang now even thinks that the prince/princess is the living Sphere, and he proceeds to attack them. After he is stopped by the prince/princess, Marcus scolds the Captain for being dumb, telling him it was shadow energy messing with his head. Phang apologizes, saying he does not know who he can trust now. Marcus is then called by Xiang Tzu, who then tells everyone that Kibo has killed the Emperor.
They reach the Palace. Queen Moira is there, along with Kibo and the dead Emperor. The queen refers to Kibo as the woman that became a new Sphere. And she strangely feels relieved all of a sudden. The queen says she does not know why she does not want to hurt Kibo, she is not the one to blame. Kibo yells at everyone to stay away from her, saying that she just liberated the Emperor from his burden. Arrow of Peace is gone, he is now a happy dead man in his bliss. Kibo has seen and remembers everything, including June. How they grew up together, how Kibo hated her smile, how she was stupid and naive. But June was her friend, and she says that the prince/princess has taken June from her. Kibo thinks that maybe if she kills the prince/princess now, it will bring June back. Kibo's movements are enhanced with the shadow power inside of her, allowing her to move quickly. Despite this, the prince/princess succeeds in stopping Kibo. She then starts regaining her mind bit by bit, saying that she does not understand how could those words come out so freely. The Stranger suddenly appears out of nowhere, telling Kibo that those words were always there, but she did not realize it. That is how the Shadow Mind works, it reveals everything hidden. Stranger informs that they see through time and space, but they do not know it. Shadow Mind makes them know, but it has gone mad and sees only the grief now. Marcus is surprised to see the Stranger, although he himself cannot remember how he knows him. The Stranger then speaks to the prince/princess, informing them that Shadow Mind lost its sanity because it was apart from them for so long and the time has come.
The prince/princess enters the dream realm where they witnessed June earlier. The shadow woman from the prince's/princess's nightmare is revealed to be Shadow Mind. It asks if they are Shadow's Descendant. It has been waiting for the prince/princess for so many years. It almost forgot who it is. Even though it says it still remembers who it is, Shadow Mind introduces itself as June, whom the prince/princess has murdered and they will now pay with their blood. Being a thing made of pure shadow energy, the Shadow Mind shows its powerful shadow powers. It is invulnerable to physical attacks. The prince/princess has to be in shadow form to be able to damage Shadow Mind. After an exhausting fight, the prince/princess emerges victorious.
Shadow Mind returns to its true form, as it remembers who it was. There was no June, ever. Although its memory of June are so vivid; she wanted her nation to live in peace. And this reality, the alternate plane, is June's dream that came true. But this dream is a sacrificed knowledge, it is actually a nightmare. However, Shadow Mind does not give up. The Descendant copy does find it, so it was right after all - the Descendant can change everything. Together, they will turn back time and stop Shadow, the world will not die and June will live, again.
Conclusion[]
Shadow Mind finds itself on the Core realm. It is now sure the Descendant will take care of everything. It can feel that they became much stronger. Stranger informs it that this is a deceptive feeling, the Descendant's historical importance index is still not high enough. Shadow is a great hero, his will is so strong that the world itself bows to it, and dies as he wishes. Shadow's will is always fulfilled, no matter what is against it. But if the Descendant surpasses him, everything will change.
As Shadow Mind prepares itself to enter the next portal, it says that it is scared - the Descendant took so long to find the Sphere that it nearly lost its mind. It is afraid that its sanity will not endure another imprisonment inside the Sphere. Stranger convinces it that in this next world, there is no chance for Shadow Mind to stay in the Sphere for long. Shadow Mind gets it: it was June's Plane, so the Sphere was preserved. In this next plane, someone else is missing and his dream came true there. Stranger confirms that and says this is much more complicated than it seems - as he said, the Descendant has a lot to learn about their friends. But his faith in the Descendant is absolute and he believes they will find Shadow Mind.
Shadow Mind then enters the portal to the second plane. This marks the beginning of Itu's Plane.
Characters Introduced in This Plane[]
- Shadow Mind
- Stranger
- Emperor
- Ambassador
- Sarge
- Captain Phang
- Deng Rao
- Kibo
- Itu
- June
- Xiang Tzu
- Marcus
- Yukka
- Captive
- Emissary
- Queen Moira
- Master Okada
- Ling
Locations Appeared in This Chapter[]
Below are the fight locations used for main quests, training, duels and survival.
