Maren no Rokukishi – Past Chronicles

Sorry for the late post. I was sick for the last few days, and I had to rest my eyes since they were so red. (ノД`)・゜・。 This should be the last part of Maren no Rokukishi. Enjoy~ ヽ(*´∀`*)ﾉ

The past chronicles are divided into six parts: Vahn, Leviath’s past, Walter, Ka-Fai, Johannes and Mayleath. Vahn and Mayleath’s chronicles are connected, but the latter’s chronicle will be unlocked after clearing the other five. Vahn’s chronicle focuses on his past, both Walter and Ka-Fai’s show us what happened during their last mission, Johannes’ is about his side of the story, and Mayleath’s gives us a better view about Leviath’s background.

Vahn’s Chronicle

A long time ago, Vahn — still the leader of the imperial magicians — received an unexpected request from the emperor. Prince Mayleath’s magic power was really huge, and the emperor asked Vahn to seal it knowing it can bring his son into danger. Vahn was inexperienced back then, and he accepted the task just because he wanted to test his own skills. After drugging Mayleath to sleep, Vahn performed the sealing ritual with the help of his wife — Claudia. The ritual was successful despite the resistance from Mayleath’s magic power, and Vahn was so absorbed in the ritual that he didn’t realize the clashing power blew Claudia away. He finally realized what happened by the end of the ritual, but it was too late. She was already dead.

Even though Mayleath’s magic power was sealed successfully, the seal started taking effect on his body and mind after that. Mayleath used to be an intelligent prince, but after the ritual he gradually became a weak person who kept failing in everything. He couldn’t do anything to fix this, so in the end the poor guy only became a laughingstock of the royalties and nobles. Even though the emperor never blamed him for the change in Mayleath, Vahn felt guilty and decided to leave the capital. He concealed himself from the world and polished his magic power even more, because he didn’t want to repeat the same mistake. A few years later, Vahn heard that the emperor passed away. Since Mayleath is completely powerless, the throne was taken by his younger brother instead — Maximiliath. By this time Vahn’s power was enough to see all kinds of universe / cosmos out there, so he decided to watch over this “slightly dark” cosmos for a while.

Time passed, and eventually Raoul came to see Vahn with his wife Eva. They brought Teresa along, asking Vahn to seal Teresa’s magic power because it was too huge for her to handle. This reminded him too much of Mayleath’s case, so Vahn refused and told both of them to look at what happened to Mayleath and Claudia because of a sealing ritual. It’s one of the forbidden rituals, along with resurrection ritual and deity-summoning ritual, and he insisted that he won’t help them sealing Teresa’s memories. Despite Vahn’s warning, Raoul and Eva then performed the sealing ritual by themselves.. and just as expected, both of them were severely wounded thanks to the resistance shown by Teresa’s power. They were dying when Vahn entered the ritual chamber, and their last wish was for Teresa to live as a normal girl. They didn’t want her to get involved with magic at all costs.

As a grandfather, Vahn wanted Teresa to be happy even after losing her parents. He couldn’t raise her by himself because he’s a magician, so he then asked his old friends to take care of her. His old friends were of course, Renaud’s grandparents. At first Vahn still came to check Teresa’s seal every year, but he stopped visiting after making sure that Teresa really became a normal girl with no magic power. After the old couple passed away, Teresa was taken in by their daughter — Renaud’s mother — and so she grows up with Renaud ever since. Knowing that Renaud’s mother is working alone to support them, from time to time Vahn also sent some money to help their household. Teresa really had a normal, peaceful life for 14 years.. but then fate pulled its strings on her when Renaud suddenly joined Leviath’s knights.

A few years after Vahn last saw Teresa, Mayleath suddenly came to visit him. Mayleath didn’t know the truth behind the sealing ritual, so he only came to ask for Vahn’s help. The emperor heard that Leviath is building a rebellion army, and Mayleath tried to chase after Leviath before eventually losing track of him in Metamoria. Mayleath said he needs to know Leviath’s location, because he wants kill Leviath before the latter completely becomes a traitor — it’s his way to express “love” as a father. Vahn was surprised upon learning that Leviath came to Norg, but the magic power he sensed from Mayleath shocked him even more. That’s when he realized that for some reason, Mayleath has destroyed his magic seal.. which means Teresa should be able to do the same thing. After asking Mayleath to give him some time to think, Vahn went to check Teresa’s condition in Norg.

Upon reaching in Teresa’s hometown in Shiva, Vahn watched over Teresa from afar as she runs around to search for the missing Renaud. Teresa then used her magic power to detect Renaud’s presence, which also caused Vahn to sense magic power coming from her. Vahn realized that Teresa’s magic seal wasn’t completely broken, but he knew it’s just a matter of time before it breaks. He wondered what could be the cause of her weakening seal, though deep inside he knew it must be fate. Leviath — the son of the prince he ruined — was starting to affect his granddaughter’s sealed power.

After Renaud destroyed the barrier on the fort, Mayleath ordered some magicians to attack his son.. even though it failed and the magicians got captured instead. Vahn continued to monitor Leviath’s movements along with Teresa’s seal condition, which ultimately leads to their short conversation during the knights’ stay in Dune. Vahn kept wondering if Leviath is really the right person to become the next emperor, but the answer became clear when he saw the endless darkness in Leviath’s eyes. Knowing he won’t be able to stop Leviath with words alone, Vahn then warned Leviath about a certain someone’s destructive power in his troops — obviously Teresa’s. Vahn also thought that Leviath is a monster who was born from his failed ritual on Mayleath, so eventually he decided to stop Leviath with his own hands.. fearing that Leviath might destroy the entire universe with his hatred. Vahn chose to join hands with Maximiliath right after that. He noticed that Maximiliath is by no means capable, but he thought it would be so much better rather than having a demon ruling the universe. In the end, Vahn decided to fulfill his promise to Mayleath by trying to kill Leviath.

An Old Story

Ever since Leviath was born, he never got any rights of succession. Mayleath and his family were never considered as a part of the royal family, and they lived in the corner of the palace receiving pity from everyone else. Leviath’s heterochromia only made things worse, because he only has one golden eye unlike other royalties. His mother — Anna — was obviously NOT satisfied because she wants to live an extravagant lifestyle, and Mayleath always remained silent whenever Anna threw her never-ending complaints at him. With no parents to love him, Leviath had a lonely childhood and spent his youth picking up fights in the bar.. which dragged his family name even further down. People kept saying that Leviath is even more “worthless” than his father, but eventually he found a girl who truly cares about him — Elis, Anna’s maid.

After meeting Elis, Leviath started to change. He slowly opened his heart to her, and they fell in love as they spend more time together. Leviath thought he can grow stronger as long as he has Elis, and Elis kept supporting him despite the negative rumors floating around them. Sadly their happiness didn’t last for a long time, because Maximiliath then landed his eyes on Elis and ordered her to become his concubine. Anna couldn’t refuse the order since refusing means the end of her social life in the castle, and so she handed Elis to Maximiliath right away. This caused Elis to fall into despair, and eventually she committed suicide by jumping off a tower. Leviath was devastated by her death, and his grief soon turned into a deep grudge. Not only towards Maximiliath, but towards his parents as well. After all, it was Anna who handed Elis to Maximiliath, while Mayleath did absolutely nothing to stop them. Leviath has always hated the emperor to begin with — because he knows it’s HIM who should be sitting on the throne — and Elis’ death only fueled his hatred even more.

Not too long after Elis’ death, Maximiliath ordered the imperial magicians to keep a close eye on Leviath. He actually knew about Mayleath’s sealed magic power, and so he was afraid that Leviath might have inherited his father’s natural talent in magic. At the same time, Leviath left the capital after Elis’ funeral. He only had two followers back then — Cain and Kiefer. Both of them have experienced despair in the past, so they were drawn to Leviath based on different personal reasons. They managed to survive Maximiliath’s attempts to assassinate Leviath, and Leviath swore that the next time he returns to the capital.. it will be for revenge. Leviath went to study magic under Vahn after that, and Vahn agreed to teach him as long as he promised to stay away from war and conflicts. However, Leviath’s determination never changed.

A few years later, Leviath finally finished his magic training and continued his journey to learn swordsmanship across the land. Leviath only had one goal in mind — to become the strongest warrior in the universe. In order to support him, Cain and Kiefer then started gathering all the necessary soldiers and money. Before long, Leviath already had a mercenary group walking behind him.. and from there he recruited the remaining knights one by one. You should know what happened after that, so this is the end of the old story.

Johannes’ Chronicle

After failing to convince Leviath to stop his revenge, Vahn summoned Johannes to his study one day. Johannes is highly skilled both in magic and swordsmanship, so Vahn asked him to sneak into Leviath’s troops as a spy. From him, Johannes learned everything about Leviath’s background and grudge, as well as Teresa and Renaud’s presence among the knights. The task would be for Johannes to send reports about the knights’ movements, plus checking up on Teresa’s condition — because Vahn was afraid that her magic seal would break soon. At this point Vahn was still thinking about whose side to join, and his final decision depends on Johannes’ reports. If they can prevent Leviath from attacking the emperor, Johannes might be able to become an imperial magician. Interested in the reward, Johannes decided to accept the task. Before carrying out his plan, Vahn also temporarily sealed Johannes’ magic power with an amulet so they won’t suspect him.

Following Vahn’s advice, Johannes went to Dune to approach Teresa. He hired some thugs to attack Teresa and Renaud in the forest, so he can appear to “save” them and gain their trust right away. As you can see from the general route, everything went according to his plan and he successfully joined Leviath’s troops after that. Before following them back to the camp, he stared at Teresa thinking he must be sent here to watch over her. Maybe even to protect her. Johannes felt lucky to receive such an enjoyable mission, and he’s planning to have fun during his stay with the knights.

Some days later, Vahn came to receive Johannes’ report near the camp. Everyone who can sense magic were away (most likely when Teresa went with the knights to inspect another planet), so they can talk freely without getting detected by anyone. While there was nothing wrong with Teresa’s seal, Johannes reported that Leviath and Renaud both have really strong magic power.. and their power might affect Teresa’s magic seal sooner or later. He suggested taking Teresa away from them as soon as possible, but Vahn knew that taking her away by force isn’t a good idea. Teresa’s feelings are also important, so he wanted Johannes to keep watching the knights for a little longer. Vahn then told Johannes he already decided to join the emperor’s side, and he asked Johannes to protect Teresa because he’s going to attack their camp soon. Just in case the attack fails (and it really failed later..), Vahn also asked Johannes to raise his rank among the soldiers and increase their loyalty in him. It was an easy task for him, since he already became the sub-leader for the Shisai troops. Johannes admitted it hurts him to deceive Teresa and Renaud, but this is war — they have no choice.

After months working as a spy among the knights, Johannes started thinking to make Teresa his as well. It would be nice to have a cute girlfriend like her, and he already has a promising future as an imperial magician too. At this point, everyone in the Shisai troops already pledged their loyalty to Johannes instead of Renaud. He also promised to give them rewards from the emperor if they succeed, which only charmed them even more. They’re ready to kill Leviath’s army for Johannes, and he asked them to keep their plan hidden for now. Despite Renaud’s status as their leader, everyone in the Shisai troops only thought of him as nothing more than a decoration since he became their leader just because of his huge magic power. Their true leader is Johannes, and they will show their true colors in the revolution.

… ( ಠ_ಠ ) Thank you for killing them, Eugene.

Walter’s Chronicle

On the day of the revolution, Walter and his Jakki (“若鬼 / Young Demons“) went to conquer Cradle — the area south of the imperial capital. They accomplished the task in no time since the people of Cradle didn’t expect the attack, and so Walter left some soldiers to watch the area before rushing to join Leviath’s troops in the capital. However, they were ambushed by the imperial army along the way. The imperial commander told them to give up since Leviath’s troops were obliterated already, but Walter refused to believe that the revolution failed. When the commander said Leviath escaped using Teresa’s power, Walter couldn’t forgive the insult and started fighting the imperial army with his soldiers. Unfortunately there were just too many enemies surrounding them, and the commander sat on the very back saying “you’re all much more worthless than your leader!” to mock them.

Just as Cain told Teresa before, “worthless” and “useless” are forbidden words to be used in front of Walter. Those words always remind him of his father’s abuse back in his hometown, and he turned into a battle demon instantly. Since Walter obviously couldn’t stop himself from going berserk, he completely wiped out most of the imperial army alone.. and he chased the commander all the way to the imperial gate. Terrified by Walter’s rage, the commander ordered the imperial guards to stop Walter at all costs — spears, catapults, arrows, anything they can find. Walter couldn’t feel pain in that condition, and he kept walking towards the gate despite the blood dripping all over his body. Right after he reached the gate, Walter finally collapsed and regained his senses. As he stared at the blue sky above, he realized that the commander was telling the truth after all. The heavily guarded gate was the proof that Leviath’s revolution really failed. Walter then smiled upon remembering that Teresa warped Leviath away, because he believes their dream isn’t over yet as long as Leviath is still alive. Then Walter finally closed his eyes, believing that he’ll meet his friends again someday.. under the same sky.

Ka-Fai’s Chronicle

During the revolution, Ka-Fai and his Liúyǐng (“流影 / Flowing Shadow“) troops went to attack Lamudo — the area north of the imperial capital. After taking down the fort in no time, Ka-Fai then led his troops to join Leviath in the capital.. but they found an exhausted support troops soldier along the way. The soldier informed them that the revolution has failed, and so Ka-Fai ordered his men to wait outside as he sneaked in to the capital to gather information. From the nobles’ conversation all around the city, he learned that Johannes’ betrayal was the source of their failure. Even though Leviath was already missing, Ka-Fai then decided to continue their revolution by killing Maximiliath with his own hands. He captured an aristocrat passing by, and he used the man to bring him into the imperial palace at night.

After knocking out the poor aristocrat and all the guards standing on his way, Ka-Fai sneaked into Maximiliath’s room at night — where he took out his dagger to slash the emperor’s neck. However, electricity suddenly shocks Ka-Fai the moment his dagger touched Maximiliath. The sudden attack paralyzed him, and Maximiliath came out laughing because the emperor lying on his bed was actually a magic doll to ensure his safety. It was a trap laid to capture Leviath’s remaining followers, just in case some of them are still alive and tries to kill him. After ordering the imperial guards to tie Ka-Fai up, Maximiliath laughed saying he’ll execute Ka-Fai in the plaza tomorrow.. and if Leviath comes out to save him, that would be the end for both of them. Upon hearing this, Ka-Fai burst out into laughter because there’s no way Leviath would sacrifice his life just to save him. Leviath keeps on living for his revenge, so Maximiliath should wait in fear until that day. Maximiliath punched Ka-Fai because of his insolent words, but Ka-Fai’s laughter kept echoing in the castle as he looked at the starry sky above — through the hole in the roof made by Teresa and Renaud’s soul.

Mayleath’s Chronicle

When Mayleath opened his eyes, the world was blurry and colorless. He doesn’t know what caused himself to lose all of his abilities and skills, but there’s one thing for sure. Mayleath lost his right of succession and became a “dethroned prince” because of this reason. Not too long after Maximiliath became the emperor, Mayleath was given a small house in the corner of the palace. Obviously out of pity. He married his betrothed since childhood, Anna, and they had a baby boy soon after. For Mayleath who had lost everything, their son was his only hope.. and so he named their son Leviath Ragna Alviss — “the right one”. Unfortunately for them, Leviath didn’t get any rights of succession because he’s Mayleath’s son. He’s a “dethroned prince” by default, and so the nobles and royalties laughed at his name.

While Anna used to be a kind lady in the past, eventually she got fed up with her life and kept hurling her complaints at Mayleath — who could never say anything to her. She kept wasting money on dresses and parties, but it was actually her attempt to keep their family alive in the society. Mayleath couldn’t deal with people properly, so Anna had to fill in the role by herself. However, something unexpected happened a few years after Elis’ death. Mayleath’s magic seal suddenly broke. The world regained its colors in his eyes, and his head felt really clear after such a long time seeing blurry sceneries. Since his brain started working again, Mayleath soon found out what Maximiliath did to take the throne from Leviath’s hands.. and also how he abused his authorities as the emperor. Sadly Mayleath couldn’t do anything because he’s only a “dethroned prince”, so his only hope lies in Leviath. Mayleath didn’t know where he is, but he can sense his son’s presence somewhere out there. He knew someday Leviath will be back for revenge, and he’s willing to do anything to help Leviath. It’s the least he can do after ignoring his son for so long.

Later on, Mayleath hired an imperial magician to gather some information about Leviath. From the magician, he learned that Leviath now has a mercenary group to fight Maximiliath.. and so Maximiliath is forming an army to crush Leviath — because his biggest fear has always been Leviath’s power. In order to prevent Maximiliath from killing his son, Mayleath asked Maximiliath to appoint him as the commander for the anti-Leviath army. Nobody knows about Mayleath’s broken magic seal, so naturally Maximiliath agreed and placed him as the commander just for laughs. He’d gain benefits if Mayleath’s strategies actually works to attack Leviath, and if he fails.. execution awaits. Mayleath pretended to be surprised when Maximiliath said the traitor they’re going to crush is none other than Leviath, and he didn’t notice that Mayleath actually knew everything right from the start. Based on Maximiliath’s request, Mayleath then went to ask for Vahn’s help as well.

Unfortunately, Mayleath lost his chance to protect Leviath since Maximiliath removed him from the army right after his first failure. His informant also stopped coming because Vahn already joined hands with Maximiliath, and Vahn can detect their secret conversation. It turns out that Vahn actually knew about their conversation, but he told Mayleath not to worry because he’s planning to save Leviath for Mayleath’s sake. Vahn then asked Mayleath to leave everything to him from now on, and Mayleath asked him to save his son. Mayleath had his worries, but he decided to wait until the day fate brings Leviath back to the capital.

On the day of the revolution, Mayleath was ready to hand his remaining life to Leviath, hoping it can give Leviath a brighter future. Maximiliath played dirty by putting Anna on top of the gate, but Mayleath knew it won’t work. After all, Leviath also holds a grudge against them for letting Elis die. As the last resort, Mayleath then came out to duel Leviath himself. He said he’s going to stop Leviath from invading the capital, but his real objective was to die in Leviath’s hands to bring the imperial army’s morale down — making the flames of revolution burn even stronger. At the same time, he was also wishing for Leviath to regain emotions before it’s too late.. and even though Leviath tried to hide his emotions, it actually worked. In the end, Mayleath tried to do anything he could to help his son taking back the throne. Before Mayleath died, he quietly whispered “Leviath, I’m looking forward to your victory.” ｡：ﾟ(｡ﾉω＼｡)ﾟ･｡

I’m.. at a loss for words. Walter and Ka-Fai’s death scenes are really sad, but Mayleath takes the spotlight here. Even though he’s an unfortunate victim of failures and misunderstanding, he really loves his son and did everything he can to support Leviath. Vahn’s chronicles is sort of sad too since he lost a lot of people who are dear to him, but sadly I feel that he doesn’t really care about Teresa. (´・ω・`A；) As for Johannes’ chronicle.. it only ruined him even more in my eyes. He looks good in the first CG, but then you press ○ and everything just crumbles apart.

Overall, I really enjoyed Maren no Rokukishi. It doesn’t feel like Angelique despite taking place in the same world, but it’s really enjoyable as a standalone game. One thing you have to keep in mind is that Maren no Rokukishi is a game for the knights, so throw away the hope of dating Leviath or getting a happy / love ending with him because the game was clearly NOT created for him. That aside, each knight’s route is really good and the character interactions is a lot of fun. ヽ(。・ω・。)ﾉ♪ Some of them might be harsh towards Teresa at first, but give them some time and they’ll start warming up to her in no time. Teresa herself is pretty strong for a heroine who couldn’t fight, and she’s really protective of Renaud.. so sometimes she might come off as being too strong or overprotective for some people’s taste.

My only complaint? Not enough Giovanni! I need more Giovanni! ｶﾓｰﾝщ(ﾟДﾟщ)