By Sun's Burning Hand

Once consumed by the Dark Tide, the ruins of Murmurstown still bear its scars. In the face of such destruction, the hunting party knows this hunt cannot fail. Avidius offers to lead a team to place Anchor Stones around the town's perimeter, sealing off any escape routes. Meanwhile, you and Augusta will enter the ruins and track the Sovereign's presence.

Inside the Sonoro Sphere, you see Murmurstown as it once was before the Dark Tide, then known as Fabianum. The glowing frequency of the unyielding Gladiator's spirit appears, guiding you deeper into the Sonoro.

You find two Phantoms of the past replaying a memory. A girl named Angel scolds her friend for missing their promised trip to Manes Deep. The girl had been called to help at the blacksmith as the High Tide approached, even bearing burns from the forge trying to earn the swords needed for their trip. After all, "two lives" are needed to reach Manes Deep: one's own, and a blade. Faced with this quiet act of sacrifice, Angel is left speechless.

A second memory unfolds. A girl comforts a crying boy whose brother was gravely wounded by the Dark Tide. The boy hopes to journey to Oak Hollow to find a path to Manes Deep, believing the legendary Whispers of past Heroes of Heroes there may hold the key to healing him. The girl silently hands him her borrowed sword, giving up her own chance to enter Manes Deep without regret.

In the third memory, Angel tends to her friend's injuries sustained while standing up to a bully, causing her to miss yet another chance to visit Oak Hollow. Angel worries that the coming High Tide feels different and might make future visits to Manes Deep impossible. Still, she clings to her dream of hearing the legendary Whispers and becoming a Hero of Heroes. Her friend, however, believes a true hero is someone who brings hope to others. As the Reverberation of the past fades, you realize the quiet girl beside Angel was Augusta all along.

Deeper within the Sonoro Sphere, the guiding "light" leads you to Oak Hollow, where Phantoms replay a tragic scene. Angel lies wounded and paralyzed. Young Augusta hides her in the tree's hollow while confronting the Dark Tide alone. But the Dark Tide floods the hollow, ignoring Augusta entirely. That is the first time Augusta begins to hear the Whispers. They accuse her of weakness and deny her dream of becoming a Hero of Heroes.

Augusta opens up and confides in you about her journey to become Ephor and how her vow to protect Septimont never wavered. Augusta surprises you by saying you might be more fitting as the prophesied Hero of Heroes. You counter that a true ruler doesn't need prophecy to lead. Suddenly, you feel a shift within Oak Hollow. The pure Dark Tide frequency you've been hunting might be hiding inside.

More Phantoms appear inside Oak Hollow. Young Augusta rushes to Angel's side, believing the Whispers may have granted her the power to fend off the Dark Tide. But something is wrong. Just before her Phantom vanishes into a swirling vortex of pure Dark Tide frequency, Angel cries out, urging Augusta to flee. Stunned, you and Augusta collect the frequency and prepare to send it to Buling for analysis at the Black Shores.

Outside Murmurstown, Avidius leads the Gladiators in setting up Anchor Stones. Senator Falco criticizes his lack of leadership during the Corrosaurus hunt, claiming Avidius has failed to meet the expectations of a Hero of Heroes. After a heated argument, Falco is suddenly possessed by the Dark Tide, attacking the others. After restoring order, Avidius sets out alone for Manes Deep to find Mesona, an herb that can help reverse the Dark Tide's corruption. But when he reaches Oak Hollow, the entrance he remembers is an impenetrable wall. Thinking it to be a Dark Tide illusion, he uses his Resonance ability to break through. The attempt fails, inadvertently awakening a sleeping power. Still reeling, Avidius receives a message from Augusta. The False Sovereign has been located, and it's time to regroup.

With the pure Dark Tide frequency you recovered, the Black Shores pinpoints the False Sovereign's location. You and Augusta head to the coordinates. Using Iuno's Lunarum bracelet, you force the Sovereign to show itself. The Gladiators, responding to Augusta's call, begin to gather for the final confrontation.

The Sovereign's power grows exponentially after absorbing the pure Dark Tide frequencies sealed within Oak Hollow and the surrounding frequencies of deceased souls in Murmurstown. It now seeks to uproot the Earthrend Wedge and unleash the full force of the Dark Tide being suppressed beneath the Sanguis Plateaus. Rinascita teeters on the brink of catastrophe. However, Buling identifies a weakness in the Sovereign. Iuno proposes a plan to use the Anchor Stones to disrupt its internal frequency and reclaim control of the Wedge. To buy time for the plan to work, Iuno offers to put her own existence on the line by using her Forte to keep the Sovereign exposed. As the final battle approaches, she tells you that your "unknowable fate" might be the key to overcoming the crisis. She implores that you stand with Augusta until the very end.

As you near the Earthrend Wedge, Augusta reveals that the Whispers have haunted her since the Dark Tide sixteen years ago, constantly trying to influence her choices and actions. But before you can process the revelation, she suddenly raises her sword and attacks you...

During your duel with Augusta, she finally realizes the truth behind the Whispers. The extraordinary power they promised was nothing but a trap. Breaking free from their influence, she puts her faith in you, the one with the "unknowable fate," to become the true Hero of Heroes foretold in the prophecy. As for Augusta herself, she chooses to find her own meaning in what it means to be a ruler.

Together with Augusta and the souls of fallen heroes, you defeat the False Sovereign and reclaim control over the Earthrend Wedge. The threat of the Dark Tide is finally quelled. With the hunt officially over, you stand beside Augusta and exchange your thoughts. Before you lies the Wedge, and within it, the Relic Sentinel Imperator left for you.

You recover Imperator's Relic, but the mysterious discoid appears to be locked. To unlock its secrets and end the threat of the Dark Tide once and for all, you decide to take it to the Black Shores and Cartethyia. But first, you and Augusta choose to savor this hard-won victory.

Somewhere in Rinascita, a mysterious woman walks alongside a Dark Tide creation, her gaze fixed silently on the distant horizon. She turns to the creature and reveals the purpose of her return to this land—to hunt the Threnodian.

Augusta confirms that the Reverberations are memories from her childhood. You come to learn that the fall of Murmurstown, then called Fabianum, was not only caused by the Dark Tide, but also by corruption within Septimont's leadership. With no time to waste, you and Augusta press deeper into the Sonoro Sphere to continue the hunt for the pure Dark Tide frequency.

Meanwhile, in Murmurstown, Cristoforo finds the Holmleaf Medal lost by Avidius. The Playwright's work is not yet finished...