#partitio ch 4 spoilers

[empwnleon]

(Spoilers for Partitio's Ch 4!)

listen it's a square enix jrpg

you gotta pay homage to the classics

[lunar-insanity]

Gonna ramble a bit bout Octopath Traveler II because I think that it's both funny and interesting how different yours and potentially the traveler's understanding about this "Shadow" that seems to haunt 4 of the narratives can be depending on what comes first.

Note: I Have not finished Agnea's Chapter 5, it is literally the last thing I have before I presume the thing the Crossed Paths have been leading up to kick in.

And of course: Spoilers below just in case

So, ya see, I had initially planned to save Hikari's CH5 for last, since in Octo 1 I started with Olberic and ended with his last chapter. But then I learned the Conjurer class is locked behind completing it soooo.

My journey so far was Do all of CH 1 Do the Western CH2s Do the Eastern CH2s Do everything in Welgrove (Hikari, Partitio, Throne) Do two of the chapters in Stormhail (Hikari, Ochette) Do Hikari's last Chapter

And then amble about doing what I felt like next. Which went as follows:

Parti's Last Chapter -> Ochette's Last Chapter -> Castti's CH3 -> Osvald's CH4 -> Throne's CH4 Father Route -> Osvald's Last Chapter -> Castti's Last Chapter -> Temenos' Stormhail Route -> Throne's Last Chapter -> Temenos' Last Chapter -> All Crossed Paths as they became available -> Agnea.

4 of those tales have you goin up against the shadow in some form, 5 if I'm counting Castti and Ochette's Crossed Paths.

Now, Imagine, if you will, if you saved Hikari's Final Chapter for last.

You end up dragging the guy into close contact with the very thing that's haunting his veins. The Scarlett Moon and the creature of the Sorrowful Moon, Harvey and the Sorrowful Golem, Harvey and his concentrated blasts of his "One True Magic", Kaldena becoming consumed by the Shadow like Mugen would/did.

How would that be affecting him? Does each brush with the shadow call the curse even closer to the forefront? Does the Scarlet Moon test his resolve, determination, and strength to keep his blade sheathed and unbloodied?

Does he feel the call of the Shadow when Kaldena is consumed by it?

Of course, each triumph over this could instill in Hikari some faith that, Yes, the Shadow can be overcome. Yes you can beat it, Yes, you can. So when you finally go up against Mugen, he's got all that behind him.

... But what if you do his last chapter first?

Hikari, going up against his Shadow for the final time, doesn't have all that build up behind it, no, but he's still got the words of his friends (and I'm including fellow travelers) to bolster his resolve. He finds the Light himself.

So Mugen ends up being the party's first true blue brush with that Shadow. And, at the time, what they think is their ONLY brush with it.

And then the Scarlet Moon comes, and Ochette smells the same pungent scent along with the underlying familiar one from years ago.

And then they meet Harvey for the first time. And then they go up against his Shadow True Magic. AND THEN KALDENA PULLS THE SAME MISTAKE MUGEN DID-

That sequence events turns this into "Okay. We know the Shadow can be beaten. We've seen Hikari do it. BUT WHAT IN THE HELLS IS THIS THING?!"

Scarlet Moon: So it's a corrupting force.

Harvey: It's too powerful to be controlled by 1 man, but it does have it's opposite.

Kaldena: Please don't do that, we've seen what happens 3 times over now ARE YOU KIDDING ME WOMAN WTF-

It's not just the Shadow they're comparing notes on either at this point. It's the Light that keeps coming to their aid.

Hikari's Latent power changes to Radiance, Ochette (and the party I presume) are saved by the First Flame, Osvald kamehamehas a colourful laser light now, Temenos has an explosion of light skill now.

Light always seems to come to their aid whenever they go up against the Shadow.

And it all starts with Hikari as well.