New Threats

With the Pillar gone, the land is in confusion. Landmasses crumble continuously, sending tremors through the land. Cephiro is bound to disappear unless a new Pillar is born to pray for Cephiro’s stability and peace. Only the person with the strongest heart and strongest will of all qualifies as Pillar, and before that, they must go down the Path to the Pillar to pass their trial. The path only opens to one who meets the qualifications, but its location and the nature of its trial are unknown; the late Emeraude knew them, but has not passed on the knowledge.

Clef speculates that whoever possessed the power to summon the Magic Knights once more, a power formerly reserved for the Pillar, must be someone with a tremendously strong heart, someone who might qualify as the new Pillar. Time is running short, and Cephiro must find that entity soon.

Invaders

Paths of Light open the way to Cephiro.

To make matters worse, external threats are about to become reality: When Princess Emeraude was alive, her willpower did not just preserve the world from the inside, but also shielded it from invaders, holding entire worlds at bay. Representatives of those realms are now creating paths of light on which they travel towards Cephiro – their aim: to become Cephiro’s new Pillar. Cephiro’s Pillar need not be someone from Cephiro, and the paths of light, which only disappear when their creator erases them, can only be maintained by a strong will; chances are that one of the invaders will qualify as the new Pillar if they make it to Cephiro before the entity mentioned above is found. And if they become the Pillar, they can remake the world according to their will, erasing what is left of Cephiro in the process.

Autozam

EAGLE VISION. Chief Commander of the Battleship NSX and Autozam’s General. Outside of battles, he is a peaceful and calm person, always wearing a smile on his face. Can be clumsy and absent-minded, for example when he falls asleep during conferences, trips when there is no obstacle… As Lantis was his friend in Autozam, he has intimate knowledge about Cephiro, including its Pillar system and the legend of the Magic Knights. When he meets Lantis again as he invades the land, he hesitates. Like his friend, he is the kind of person to put their life on line for what they believe in. Loves sweets, tea time and napping, does not dislike anything in particular.

Lantis
They were close friends during Lantis’ stay at Autozam. Lantis confided in him as he spoke his thoughts about the Pillar system. Geo Metro
The NSX’ subcommander and a Fighter, Eagle’s friend and babysitter. Pilots his own mecha, the GTO. An outgoing person; good friends with Lantis and Zazu. Likes sweets, tasty food and cooking, but can’t drink alcohol. He worries a lot about his commander’s tendency to overexert himself. Zazu Torque
Chief Mechanic and the youngest member on the NSX, can fix anything; came along because he adores Eagle’s FTO. Has a strong tolerance for alcohol. Dislikes people who break his beloved mechas. Currently looking for a girlfriend! Emeraude
He admired Cephiro’s marvellous blue sky created by her beautiful heart from afar.

The FTO Eagle pilots is a custom-made fighter mecha that emphasizes speed and lightness; regular models exist, but this one, along with Geo’s GTO, have received special tuning. Much to Autozam’s pride, it is undefeated. It sports a laser sword wielded by Eagle, which is also able to fire vulcans and beams among other things. Eagle, usually a calm person, seems to become a different person when within the FTO.

The NSX can transmit and receive images from afar on its many screens. The computers aboard can record and playback fights carried out by the mechas and are also connected to databases.

Autozam is a highly advanced and mechanized country, where mental energy is translated into numerical value, which then turns into the driving force behind all things. It is similar to Cephiro in that regard, which is governed by willpower, the difference being that Autozam struggles massively with a polluted sky that never clears, no matter how many filters they invent. The pollution threatens the health of its people, and gradually destroys the land’s surface. After hearing about Cephiro from Lantis, Eagle had always looked at Cephiro in admiration and with longing, and proposed the invasion to his father, the president, so that they may decode the Pillar system to find a solution for their dying land. As stubborn as Lantis himself, Eagle is determined to see the mission through even if it means Cephiro’s destruction and going against his friend.

Autozam

Battleship NSX

FTO

Chizetha

TARTA & TATRA. The princesses of Chizetha. Tarta, the younger of the two, can at times be quite stubborn, loud and pushy, but is a very sincere and kind person at heart. Annoyed at her homeland’s small territory, her goal is to use Cephiro to expand for the sake of her parents, whom she loves. (Her parents, on the other hand, are satisfied with their land’s size as long as their people can live in happiness and in peace.) Tarta is very serious about martial arts, does not miss a single training session and expands her horizons through studies so as to become a great lord, yet can’t seem to win against her elder sister… (She loves her anyway.)

Tatra, the older princess, is sociable, positive and always smiling, and also very wise; at times, it can be difficult to figure her out. Although she comes across as naive and silly, her skill in martial arts is unsurpassed, and the same goes for her studies. For the most part, she is more than happy to let Tarta do the talking, but when she does speak up, her wisdom and vast knowledge of other countries show. It would seem as though she’s invading Cephiro solely out of love for her sister. As she loves tea time, she can be found sipping tea even in the middle of a battle – something that, much to her amusement, enrages her dear sister.

Caldina
Turns out Caldina is from Chizetha! She left her homeland to become a travelling dancer and make money.

They travel in the flying fortress Bravada (which, as Aska points out, resembles a sauciere), complete with a wide palm tree garden, a group of servants and an indoor pond that allows them to see things from far away.

The path of light leading to Cephiro is maintained by their combined willpower.

Rakuun and Rasheen are the Guardian Spirits of Chizetha’s princesses, passed down to the successors within the royal family since generations. Rakuun is Tarta’s, Rasheen Tatra’s spirit; their personalities aren’t the same, but nobody knows for sure. As they are nature spirits, they do not have a specific form and can assume any shape, though in their default state, they resemble djinni. They are summoned through the princesses’ dance; in battle, they can use and absorb magic.

Chizetha

Bravada

Nature Spirits

Faleng

ASKA. Faleng’s crown princess and future empress; still a child. The minister Chan Anh is currently in charge of state affairs until Aska is experienced enough to take up the position. As she is the sole heir and an orphan, she is quite spoiled and overconfident. She wants to conquer Cephiro out of childish, naive greed, so that she can do as she likes once she is Cephiro’s princess – which includes making a giant playground of it and creating buildings made of confection. Does not enjoy studying at all, and nonchalantly ignores the elder Chan Anh’s scolding and advice. She fights using the secret illusionary art unique to Faleng’s royal family. Tends to act on impulse. Loves sweets, especially peach buns, mischief and San Yun, her foster brother.

San Yun
Aska’s loyal page and foster brother. Knows a lot and loves his books; studies ceaselessly so that he can be of help to the future empress. Though he cannot use magic, he is skilled with the bow. Most likely in love with Aska, though he’d never confess due to their different standing. Chan Anh
As a relative of the royal family, he can use some magic. Desperately tries to guide Aska to become a good ruler, though it only earns him the nickname "preachy old man" (which he doesn’t mind). Dearly hopes that San Yun will bring her to her senses. Enjoys peach wine and shoulder massages.

The Dreamchild is a flying weapon with the appearance of a dragon. Its interior displays a Chinese motif. Events from afar can be viewed in a crystal ball.

Faleng, a monarchy, seems to be a prosperous country, not lacking anything in particular.

The secret illusionary arts require either paintbrush and scroll or threads. With them, Aska is able to breathe life into a picture (Dragon Art Reincarnation) or to control a target, even something as enormous as a Mashin, like a marionette (Illusionary Threads). Her silliness shows through her magic, as is evident when she chooses to send out a giant image of San Yun into battle…

Faleng

Dreamchild

Secret Arts

￩ Contrast New Resolve ￫