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It is there. You know it is there. Everyone goes through that time in their lives when all they have to guide them is a single point, a single idea, a single belief. In that enduring darkness, the signs along the road are often scarce and far in between. At times you can no longer remember that last time you saw a guidepost or even a beaten track to pass on. You try to feel ahead not with your eyes but with your hands, grasping in the darkness looking for something, anything that will tell you that you're on the right path. What then will tell you that you are on the right path? The Star and the Moon have given you hints, but you have yet to find something tangible, something physical, to tell you that yes, you are here. You have arrived.
This is when you realize it is always darkest before dawn. The moment before the Sun rises on the horizon. And so it illuminates everything. After a long day's journey into night you see it giving light not only to the road ahead but even the road behind. No time to look behind because the finish line is almost there, you can see it in front of you. The Sun has lit your way after traveling in the darkest of nights. Just a few more legs, a few more leagues and finally, you will find what you are searching for.
What other symbol of normalcy and calmness can be far greater than the Sun? Even the moon sometimes hides behind the earth's shadow. Even stars in the sky shift as the earth does. Beyond all that, the Sun always rises in the east after the darkest of nights, giving light back to the earth and illuminating it once again. Everything becomes clear.
The path is once again clear for the Fool. Since the fall of his Tower he has wandered blind through the darkness, with only the Stars and the Moon to help him navigate. After both have ceased shining, he returns to the darkness without any guidance. He perseveres despite not seeing three feet in front of him. Guided only by his experiences and the wisdom of friends and teachers he stumbles in the absence of light, hoping to find it in the end. His perseverance pays off as the light at the end of the tunnel finally shines. He can finally see the end of his journey. It is there. One final push and his journey will be complete.
The barrier is gone. They are inside. The Northern Crater has changed much since the last time they were there. One could have considered it a beautiful wound: a gushing geyser of life against the backdrop of snowy cliffs as the planet attempts to heal an age-old injury on itself. It is nothing like that now, as savage beasts prowl the the lifeless limestone caves as the man in the center of it all sucks the life of the planet in order to turn himself into a God. This is pretty much the most dangerous place on the planet, but he and his friends will tread these grounds without fear and hesitation. They do not have a choice; the object of their journey is blocking the one and only key to saving the planet, and that's assuming it will even work. If they fail, they will just die a few days ahead of everyone else. If they succeed in defeating him but Holy does not respond, the planet will likely die anyway. Despite these seemingly hopeless odds, this is the path they will tread.
The Beast Rune. It is said to be the symbol of the Highland royal family's status as rulers, a gift from the kingdom of Holy Harmonia. The castle has all but fallen, and the king and his court are nowhere to be found. Standing in front of the hero and his men is the last piece of resistance offered by the Highland Army. It is not some simple soldier, it is the physical embodiment of one of the 27 True Runes that maintains the world. As one of the originators of the world, its powers are nigh inconceivable. The hero could simply give up, but he won't. He has come this far, and he himself carries a True Rune, the symbol of his army's power and will. He knows he is likely to face the most difficult fight of his life, but he will not back down. He has shed blood, taken blood, taken loved ones and lost loves ones in this war. He will end it now, and finally bring peace to a war-torn land.
The Sun is up, ready to light up the final destination of the Fool. The end is just ahead within arms reach, what remains is for him to have the strength to grab it. It will not come quietly with him though; getting it will entail perhaps the toughest fight in his entire life. He hopes this will be it, the final battle of his journey.
The Sun has shown the way. The time of Judgment has arrived.
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