Quesada's Swan

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

We get a Barghest Paella recipe from another successful expedition!

I head out of the temple...

Outside of the ruin in the center hall, the place is flowing with thick purple aura...it's malevolence! It's the first time we've seen it in this game...

Eizen warns us we have to run...

The sea around the temple's turned black...

The sky's growing cloudier too...

I use up an Inoph Bottle to take us back to the Haria gate.

The malevolence is now affecting the citizens. They look shocked!

Grimoirh trots over to us. Magilou asks for any updates. Grim can't finish the tome, as the malevolence has grown stronger...

Everyone's turning into daemons...

Magilou: "They're all hitting their limits."

Now I'm seeing daemonblight, or rather, the malevolence, again...

Velvet: "The malevolence...all of that energy spilling from their bodies...That's what causes the daemonblight?"

Eizen ponders.

Eleanor: "Do you know what daemonblight really is? What daemons are?"

Unfortunately, exorcists are pursuing us!

---

It seems Eizen knows something about malevolence.

Looks like malevolence has already spread to the beach now...it's stark but fitting imagery. Paradise tainted by malevolence.

Reading the synopsis, will what happened in Palamedes convince Eleanor to reconsider her mission to the Shepherd?

Back at the first area, the pengyon couple's still there on that rock...

We make it to the Yseult gate!

A girl notices there was a sound from Haria Village...she thinks it's waves.

Everyone in the city's still in ignorance...

I play more character cards with Himeko...and win a Pirate Hat as a prize!

A few people are talking about Oscar climbing a tree...

A little business at the weapon shop and we're off!

Lots of stuff to scour here.

Kamoana asks for her mother...Eleanor consoles her. She wants to go back to Haria. Laphicet says daemons are there. Laphicet says to her that "her mother would be sad if she were hurt by daemons" and says to come with them "until she comes back."

Southgand's also feeling the effects of global cooling.

A woman spreads more rumors about our exploits, mentioning the royal villa incident...

I go to the Bloodwing Agent in the tavern for our reward for finishing the two code reds.

We're now at the docks...

Velvet wants an explanation about daemonblight and malevolence.

---

So daemonblight's part of the "malak taboo."

Eleanor's curious about that as well.

Grimoirh: "This is about more than just the daemons. You could say it's the truth behind how this world really works. The knowledge can be devastating to humans, throwing into question everything they think they know..."

Oh boy, it looks like a big surprise is coming...

Grimoirh: "And so the malakhim agreed to withhold it from humans...for their own protection."

Eizen asks if we're sure if we want to know. Yes.

Velvet: "It's not like I'm a human anymore."

Eleanor also wants to know too.

Eleanor: "I can't go on unless I know the truth."

Pirate batman, reveal your secret!

Eizen: "First of all, this thing, this illness you call 'daemonblight' does not exist. Any human carries the potential of becoming a daemon. All it takes is for the malevolence lurking in their heart to overflow."

Eleanor asks about malevolence. Magilou answers that.

Magilou: "Impure emotions beyond what reason can suppress. Think of it as the 'sin' buried in men's souls."

Magilou knows because "[she's] a witch."

Magilou: "So malevolence is the darkness in all our hearts."

Wow...so what happened ten years ago was...

---

Eizen: "By nature, humans are incited by negative energy. It is easy to turn them towards impurity, creating malevolence. In fact, most people are constantly generating malevolence."
Magilou: "It might even be possible that daemons are people's true selves, and what little reason they possess is all that keeps them in human form."
Velvet: "If the masses realize this, the realm would be thrown into utter chaos. That's why the Abbey propagates the lie of 'daemonblight.'"

Eleanor tries to deny it!

Eizen: "It used to be that humans couldn't see daemons or malakhim. Not unless they [had] resonance."

Eleanor's taken aback...

Magilou then explains who a malevolence-tainted human is from the eyes of people who can't see daemons.

Rokurou asks what was the change? What caused people to see daemons? The Scarlet Night?

Eizen: "My guess would be that something triggered greater resonance among all of humanity. And then on the day of the Advent, all humans gained the ability to perceive malakhim. And in the following days, the exorcists' numbers swelled."

Velvet assumes this was the Shepherd's plan all along.

Eleanor: "But if there's no sickness, why would an entire village turn into daemons at the same time?" Yeah, why?

Laphicet recites the song from the book again and explains what happened.

So when we freed Kamoana, we unleashed malevolence on Haria Village! Oh my god!

Magilou confirms it.

Magilou: "With no therion to absorb their malevolence, the villagers could no longer contain it."

Velvet: "So you're saying it's all my fault."

Oh my god...

Kamoana's surprised at all the sadness around her...she's getting fearful...

Velvet carries on, knowing that the tome is very valuable to the crew.

She lays out our next mission: Remove all the therions away from their earthpulse points to weaken Innominat.

Laphicet warns her of the risks, mentioning that malevolence will spread from those points.

Velvet still wants revenge.

Magilou: "Oooh, the knives come out!" She smiles in Drosselmeyer-esque glee...

Eizen: "So even the truth won't stop you...Very well."

The crew walks off like badasses again.

---

Rokurou points out that there are different therions, and that they have to search for each earthpulse point...

Eleanor: "What separates humans and daemons?"

Kamoana tries to say something. Laphicet introduces her to Eleanor.

Kamoana cheers Eleanor up...

Velvet wants a recap from Grim about malevolence. She asks if there's a way to stop malevolence.

Grimoirh: "As long as humans remain human, no. Malevolence is born of emotion."

Velvet mentions malakhim as being the exception...but what about the malak that turned into a Drake?

Grimoirh: "But malakhim do not produce malevolence. Unlike humans."

Velvet points out my question above Grimoirh's line. Grimoirh explains that it's overexposure to outside malevolence that causes that to happen.

Velvet realizes something. Titania has daemons and prisoners, thus there's a lot of malevolence to be shared there...

Plus, Melchior cast malevolence on the malak turning into a wyvern back at Lothengrin.

Grimoirh: "To malakhim, malevolence is a powerful toxin. We seek those of purity to serve as vessels to protect us from it."

But once a vessel gets corrupted, so does the malak.

But Eleanor's at her breaking point...

Grim advises Velvet "not to pick on [the] squeaky clean exorcist too much."

The piano music here sounds so beautiful, but sad...just like everything that's happened so far...