Shadow of Glory

Your attempts to contact Cartethyia go unanswered. The only clue left is a faint flicker of her energy's explosion, pointing towards a cluster of islands opposite Ragunna.

Since arriving in Septimont, Abby has remained silent within your Tacet Mark. You try to sense Cartethyia but are confronted with an unbelievable vision—Cartethyia facing a half-human, half-lion creature. Following her tracks, you head toward a sculpture beneath a stone wall where you find the Hero's Legacy Armor.

In the first village you reach in Septimont, you find no leads on Cartethyia. However, you do learn that the half-human, half-lion Guardian you saw, the mighty Arsinosa, will appear in the city's Agon of Champions. Held every four years, it is the biggest Gladiatorial event in Septimont. The match will be held at the Colosseum on Septimont's hilltop, and you plan to continue your investigation there.

You encounter a young Taoist girl named Buling, who claims to be from Mengzhou. She seems to have sought you out deliberately, but after a few cryptic exchanges, she vanishes without a trace.

You meet a young Gladiator named Lupa. Once part of a Gladiator team, she left after learning about her House's involvement in match-fixing. She recognizes your strength and invites you to team up. You sense a faint trace of Cartethyia's frequency on Lupa, but she denies ever meeting her. To learn the truth and because Arsinosa will appear in the finals, you accept Lupa's invitation to join her in the arena.

You and Lupa register a new team and ready for your first battle together.

You and Lupa secure your first victory. But as her supporters and fans swarm you, the weight of her fame as a Gladiator comes crashing down. To avoid lingering too long, Lupa laughs and takes your hand, pulling you away from the arena.

Lupa's former manager, Cartur, waits for her by the road, but it's clear Lupa has no intention of returning to fight for her patron House. The power struggles between Septimont's noble Houses simmer beneath the surface as the Great Agon unfolds.

After your victory in the second Agon, you sense Cartethyia's presence by the waters of Septimont, just as you notice the strange energy affecting Septimont's Echoes. Meanwhile, Lupa's departure from House Silva sparks retaliatory rumors, but she appears unaffected, focused on helping your search for Cartethyia.

You arrive at the waters where you felt Cartethyia's presence but still find no trace of her.

After coming to Septimont, you learn from Lupa just how important the arena is to the city. It can elevate someone to the heights of power or cast them into obscurity. Meanwhile, in a side of the city unseen, Cartethyia walks beneath the shadowed skies of Septimont and meets the Nameless One.

You and Lupa go to a restaurant, drawing the stares of many. Lupa mentions a former Gladiator she admires, Mya, a true competitor. However, Mya's career was cut short during the Great Agon two decades ago when she vanished under mysterious circumstances.

Lupa books you into her lifetime suite. Now, no matter when you return to Septimont, you will always have a place to stay. She confides her worry: Is the joy she finds in the arena due to her passion for it, or because of the favor it brings her? As she says goodnight and leaves, you see her suddenly transform into another young woman. It lasts only a moment, like a fleeting illusion.

In your dreams, you see Phrolova floating in the air with pages swirling around her. Phrolova gives you a play that contains an account of the future. You don't believe her, but she seems indifferent. She tells you that Lupa will be the one to trigger the Dark Tide's surge in Septimont, and it will happen within three days.

You and Lupa face House Silva in the semi-finals. Ephor Augusta gives a stirring opening speech. Now it's time to prove that true victory should be won by strength alone.

Lupa announces to Ephor Augusta that her weapon was tampered with, but House Silva denies the accusation. In the standoff, Iuno, a Priestess of Septimont, declares House Silva guilty. Augusta presents evidence of Julia's secret dealings, and House Silva is expelled from Septimont.

After handling Cartur's invitation, Lupa rests with you in the lounge. During this time, you ask her about Ephor Augusta and Priestess Iuno. The former, hailing from humble origins, has risen to power, while the latter is rumored to possess a gift for prophecy.

In the match just now, you sensed the presence of the Dark Tide in Lupa's weapon, unbeknownst to her. After the semi-finals, Lupa blocks the journalists crowding around you, telling you to rest and that she'll find you later.

As you consider the connection between Lupa and the strange happenings in Septimont, Buling appears once more. She tells you that she also senses the oddities around but cannot find a way to break the deadlock. She hands you a copper mirror. As you examine it, the scene shifts to reveal a conversation that occurred two decades ago during the Great Agon. Two Septimontians discuss a shadowy underground bet involving Gladiator Mya.

In the mirror, Mya's manager and her instructor are seen exploiting her, indifferent to her unraveling mental state.

In the mirror, Septimontian nobles are seen planning to use Mya's matches as a cover to incite chaos and bloodshed to quietly solve the Senate's problems.

In the mirror, Mya is seen trembling, sobbing, and digging deep to continue to fight as a Gladiator.

It is unclear whether the visions in the copper mirror are reality or illusion. However, when you meet Lupa again you once more glimpse her transform into that same strange young woman. This time, you recognize her as Mya. You return to the hotel with Lupa and ask her about Mya. She shares everything she knows, including the glamorous and dark aspects of Gladiating in Septimont. In a side of the city unseen, Cartethyia once visited this very same room with the Nameless One.

Lupa tells you that before the new Ephor took office, Septimont's Gladiator matches were far bloodier and more brutal. "The Bloody Agon," it was called. As you mull over the term, you prepare to enter the finals with Lupa.

You and Lupa emerge victorious, but the strange events you just experienced go unnoticed by the crowds. Meanwhile, in an unknown place, Cartethyia steps into the same arena, her sword aimed at the playwright Cristoforo. You and Cartethyia stand together, unknowingly united in the light and shadow of glory, fighting side by side in a battle that no one is aware of. The story is far from over.