We will follow you to the end of time Veronica.
So was that really the end? Yes and no, you can continue like any other game to clean up quest you didn't do and some after winning bonus... but the after bonus takes the game from 60 hours to around 120 hours. Basically at a reunion at Veronica's grave you all begin to talk and discovers a tale of how one possibly could alter time. It leads to that tower with all the spirits. A special key opens it up and as you enter the dark spirit from the Erdwin's lantern follow you. Inside you meet a spirit towering above all the others that explain the idea behind the time bubble it guards. Only the luminary with the sword of light can break it and doing so will throw the luminary to chosen point of time he/she want to change from their own time. Only an event they themselves lived through and only the sword of light can go through with him... or in this case the sword of darkness, that is the sword of light, but reforged? It was a bit hazy on the details. The act wasn't 100 % either so a person could get lost in time turned to one of the spirits I guess? But everything we now know would disappear. So what are we to do?
Of course we do it at the prospect of saving Veronica and the rest of the world from the cataclysm. We take goodbye of all, especially Hendrick that didn't have his turn to the good side until afterwards. You break the time bubble and is transported back in time to the day you climbed Yggdrasil in Arboria. At the temple I see Veronica alive again, praying for their success. Damn game, you knew how to hit me *sob*. Emotional scene... and all characters are set back 20 or so levels to what they where at the time. That stings too. Game proceed the same again until you are about to grasp the sword of light and be struck down in the back again. Knowing it's coming, the luminary steps away from the dark orb and battles Jasper with the sword of darkness that neutrlizes the barrier around Jasper, enabling the party to defeat him, sir Hendrick arrives with Cornellian to show the truth of Jasper. Mordegon in Cornellians body realises he can't defeat the luminary now when he has grasped the sword of light plays obtuse of Jasper darkness and kills him before he tells them his master have always been Cornellian. The king invites them to Heliodor castle to celebrate.
At the castle the Cobblestonians are released and a great feast is on the way. During the luminary's sleep Mordegon sneaks in to try take the sword of light, but the dark spirit from Erdwin' lantern stops him and awakens the luminary and forces Mordegon to flee to the throne room as sir Hendrick and the others now are shown who really pulls Cornellians strings... this really is the biggest problem with a silent protagonist. He knew who Mordegon was, but seemed to keep it hidden from his companions, which I remind you involve Rabb, your grandfather and old friend of Cornellian as well as Jade, Cornellians daughter? Even worse, he didn't appear to take any precautions that Mordegon might steal the sword since that is what allowed him to destroy Yggdrasil in the first place? Still, you fight Mordegon and releases Cornellion and everything is saved. Heliodor isn't destroyed, Cobblestone isn't turned into a fortress, and no ones suffer the cataclysm. All's well that ends well... wait, what happened to the dark spirit?
Ah, there you are, this couldn't been possible without your help you know!
Wait, what are you doing?
Huh... guess the game ain't over!
Turns out that the dark spirit is actually Calasmos and it was his body that was sealed away in the lantern that now enabled him to take his form. So out you go again to save the world. Basically you have to redo most of the things you didn't after the cataclysm, but do it right. So for instance the dragon in Hotto don't kill the lord and you are able to uncurse him with the power of the mirror. Other things just change the scenario, for example Octagonia isn't overrun by demons this time around, but instead the corrupting influence of Calasmos resurrect the spider-demon so you team up with the champion to fight of the crazed wrestlers and spider-demon once and for all. This time with Hendrick in your party since King Cornellian ordered him to fight with you as the world needed heroes to save it. On one hand it's rather satisfying saving everyone, you even are able to save Michelle the Mermaid... even though I thought she died before I reached Arboria? And that is the small thing, it feels too simple. It's like the theory of Final Fantasy VIII where Squall actually dies after disc 1 and the rest of the game is him in his last moments imagining a better end if it had been a fairy tale. And I can't shake it here for all the side quests as if the temporal shift didn't work or something like that... but still, Veronica lives.
The most interesting part here is that due to the flying islands not crashing all of the keepers survived and could tell the whole story of Calasmos. This evil demon was apparently about to be vanquished by Erdwin, but as Calasmos fell, the dark desires of the sorcerer Morcant was corrupted by Calasmos so that he killed Erdwin and become Mordegon. The sage Serenica and the warrior Drustan sent Calasmos body to the lantern and went their separate ways. Drustan created a kingdom that became Svaardrust and hid a trial for the luminary in order to prepare them to fight Calasmos. Serenica studied and found the Tower of Lost Time and tried to break the bubble herself, but was unable as she wasn't the luminary, and with that grief that she couldn't save her love Erdwin, fell down lying on the floor as the spirits turned her into the guardian of time spirit that sent the hero back to save Veronica. Finding Drustan's trial is like the special section of Dragon Quest VIII, beating a special boss that gives you wishes like a super weapon, a special racetrack in Gallapolis, getting an Ogler's Digest #1 and... the ability to chose a wife for the luminary? FINALLY! Gemma and the luminary wedding here we go!
What, no wedding ceremony? Just, "hey, married now"? Ok!
That's pretty much the last thing I do before tackling Calasmos and it was an irritating fight, since as usual I forgot the first time that you obviously had to use the sword of light to dispel all the damn protection barrier and what not around Calasmos and then fight him. And I was at level 99 with several characters. Still, beat him true ending and feeling rather satisfying. Turns out that Yggdrasil was formerly Yggdragon, a great dragon of light that fought Calsmos and lost, but thanks to the keepers was able to give birth to the world and then help Erdwin fight a returning Calasmos and then you again. Then the luminary restored Serenica and sent her back in time (?) so that she could be with Erdwin again... it's a bit unclear since in that case she would only relive the past, but if she changed the past it would have a huge impact on the present with a millenia between Erdwin and the luminary. What... there's more after this? Yes, only after beating the true ending can you finish the spirit side quest where you play through parts of every mainline game in the series. And then fight of some super bosses. And the very last one works just like the Almighty at the end of Dragon Quest VII, beat him before a set number of turns or try again. Hate that, so I'm done now and that includes this... 6 part series. Good God! And now they revealed they working on Dragon Quest XII? I'M HYPED!
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