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Aurora is a society and research organization that revolves around the study and protection of light and light magic. Aurora was founded centuries ago by the White Mage in his quest to attain the ultimate light, and persisted until it faded into obscurity after the Black Mage was sealed away.

Story[]

The Forbidden Art[]

Centuries ago, the White Mage was brought in and raised by the mages of the Mage Tower in El Nath. As he grew up, it became clear that the White Mage was a magical prodigy, quickly surpassing his teachers in his thirst for knowledge. During this time, the study of light magic was expressly forbidden, as light and darkness both stemmed from the same source. Nevertheless, the White Mage chose to break this taboo in his quest to understand the higher mysteries of magic.

His teachers, unnerved by his blatant disregard, peered into the future and foresaw that if the White Mage were to continue his pursuit of ultimate light, he would bring about the end of Maple World. Hoping to stop the threat before it came to pass, the mages attempted to kill the White Mage, though he easily blocked their attacks and killed them first after seeing that they were seriously trying to end his life.

Founding Aurora[]

Following the attempt on his life, the White Mage chose to wander the world, writing books, conducting research, and saving the people of Maple World from the many threats to their lives. During his travels, he noticed that there was great corruption that had taken root in Maple World, with selfish, insular nations and greedy aristocrats who lined their pockets and profited off countless civil wars, displacing innocent civilians and leaving them at the mercy of the dangerous monsters that hounded humanity.

The White Mage came to believe that humanity was broken and incomplete, and that light magic held the answer to saving their world. He came to believe in the idea of an ultimate light, which he understood to be a source of infinite knowledge that existed just beyond their comprehension: a knowledge that could complete and evolve humanity into perfect beings by replicating the Divine City into their world.[1]

In order to find the ultimate light, the White Mage gathered several followers who believed in his ideals and founded Aurora, whose mission was to research and protect the light. One day, the White Mage had a moment of epiphany and declared that, "The ultimate light can only be found in the ultimate darkness." With these words, the White Mage and the mages of Aurora disappeared into the Forest of Peace, a land where no daylight could pierce, as they believed that surrounding themselves in a land of absolute darkness was the only way to find the ultimate light.

The White Mage's Research[]

In order to understand the nature of light, the White Mage began studying darkness, as both stemmed from the same source. During his research, he sought out two Spirits of Darkness in the forest. In exchange for their help in understanding the darkness, the White Mage gave them human forms and named them Orchid and Lotus.

As the White Mage continued his study of darkness, the byproduct of his experiments was the creation of dark creatures known as Omens. These Omens proliferated with increasing frequency as the White Mage continued his research, resulting in them fleeing into Maple World and attacking innocent civilians. As a result of the Omens' influence, fallen monsters would be resurrected into undead creatures, which further attacked innocent people.

Though most mages of Aurora were unaware that the White Mage's research was creating Omens, some of the elite members who directly aided the White Mage with his research, such as Mars - the top researcher of Aurora - quickly realized the truth. However, they continued to believe in the White Mage's ideals and his promise of a better world, and so they chose to ignore the side-effects of his research, believing that the White Mage planned to offer their corrupt world in order to build a better one.

During this time, the mogul of Ariant, Hatsar, hired a mercenary in order to track down the White Mage, believing that only he could stop the Omens and undead monsters that were interfering with his business. The mercenary, accompanied by a girl named Arin, who sought to destroy the Omens and avenge her parents, soon encountered the White Mage in the Forest of Peace. The mercenary, intrigued by the White Mage's idealism, grew curious about the world that he sought to build, and so they chose to stay with Aurora and aid in his research.

The Ultimate Light[]

Corrupt White Mage

White Mage falling into darkness

Several months after the mercenary arrived, the White Mage secluded himself inside his laboratory without food or water, having reached the final stages of his research. During this time, the number of Omens created began multiplying at an alarming rate, even resulting in the creation of larger Master Omens. Eventually, however, the mercenary discovered the truth and attempted to stop the White Mage's research.

As the mercenary attempted to force their way through the closed door, Mars attempted to stop him. Vieren - the lowest ranking member - initially refused to believe that the mercenary's suspicions were correct until Mars admitted that he had known the truth all along. As Vieren expressed his shock, they suddenly heard the White Mage's warped voice speak aloud in shock at what he had discovered.

The White Mage, having completed his research, had stepped into the divine realm, beyond the horizon of awareness, where he reached for the ultimate light. His heart grew filled with indescribable joy at the prospect of moving forward, at last, to a completed world free of irrationalities and evil. Just then, however, the will of the world - the Overseers themselves - held the White Mage back, constricting him with the shapeless, abstract force of order. This conceptual essence of balance, rules, and principles wrapped themselves around him like an unbreakable chain, colder and heavier than any metal in existence.

Through his forbidden research, the White Mage learned the secret of the world - a truth that was never meant to be known by mortals - that the Overseers controlled the world through the Transcendents, and that their sole function was to enforce order, not to help humanity. Upon realizing this truth, the White Mage grew furious at the Overseers and demanded to know why, in spite of their omnipotence, they allowed such stagnation and refused to change. He angrily asked them whether they intended to leave the world incomplete for all eternity, leaving humanity to suffer with no end.

Refusing to accept the destiny of the world, the White Mage chose to reject the Overseers and claimed that even by binding him, they would not stop him from moving forward, no matter the cost. He vowed to break free from their chains that kept the world from changing and moving on to a better existence. He declared that he would do anything it took to liberate the world from their indolence, even if he had to seal himself away, erase the world, or become darkness itself.

Believing that there was no way to change humanity's destiny as a mortal when the Overseers had stripped them of their ability to change themselves, the White Mage chose to accept the power of the divine by seizing the ultimate darkness. In the Aurora Great Temple, the mercenary and the mages of Aurora heard the White Mage speak aloud, wondering whether he had succeeded or failed. He declared that he had journey into the forbidden, and that he alone had reached the ultimate light.

However, he claimed that at the end of his research, he had seen that there was no ultimate light - not because he had been unable to attain it, but because it had never existed to begin with, for as long as there was light, there would always be darkness. However, he then declared that an ultimate darkness existed, and that it was the sole conclusion of his research. He then accepted the power of the gods by embracing the ultimate darkness - the power to destroy - and awakened as the Transcendent of Light.

As a result of the White Mage's awakening, the Aurora Great Temple was destroyed, killing many of the mages - including Vieren - and injuring many others. The mercenary, having survived the accident, attempted to track down the White Mage and discovered that he had expelled the last remnant of the light within himself. Proceeding further, they encountered the White Mage, who had taken on a monstrous form, and upon seeing this, they rechristened him as the Black Mage. The Black Mage then struck down the mercenary before setting out to complete his goal to destroy the Overseers.

Remnants of Aurora[]

Black Mage

Black Mage
The Transcendent of Light

In the wake of the Black Mage's awakening, the surviving members of Aurora discovered the crystal of light that the White Mage had left behind. Though the light was meant to fade away and die, the mages of Aurora used their combined powers of light magic to reincarnate that light, which took the form of a human child that the mages named Luminous, whom they called the Starchild.

Believing that the Starchild was destined to defeat the Black Mage, the mages - under the leadership of the Second Light Master - abandoned the Aurora Great Temple and created their new headquarters in a pocket dimension called Harmony, where they continued operating in secrecy. In order to recruit new members into Aurora, the mages created special initiation scrolls that contained riddles, which would allow those who passed to be teleported into Harmony.

Over the years, Luminous was raised as a magician of light alongside several other children, such as the son of Vieren, who was also named Vieren after his late father, and a girl named Lucia. Knowing that the Black Mage may one day return to destroy the Starchild, the mages of Aurora raised Lucia, who was strong in light magic, as a false Starchild, hoping that the Black Mage would kill her in Luminous' place.

Eventually, the Black Mage returned to attack Aurora and killed Lucia, allowing Luminous to survive. Soon after, Luminous left Harmony in order to fulfill his destiny by facing the Black Mage. Luminous joined the Heroes and successfully sealed the Black Mage away in the Temple of Time. Meanwhile, the mages of Aurora, feeling remorse for their actions, used their light magic to reincarnate Lucia's soul in order to allow her to live a happier life.

In the centuries following the Black Mage's sealing, the mages of Aurora hid the Auguries - artifacts of light magic that could purify darkness - across Maple World, having foreseen that Luminous would one day need them. Amongst the five Auguries, one was given to a Dark Lord of Kerning City, while another was given to a family of warriors, whose distant descendants would include Ilji and Manji.

Over time, recruitment into Aurora faded and the organization began to fade into obscurity. Vieren, one of the last members of Aurora, learned as much as he could from his master, who passed away soon after. After spending a lifetime researching light magic, Vieren himself also passed away, though he used his mastery of light magic to live on as a ghost.

Luminous' Return[]

Centuries later, Luminous awakened from the ice and realized that he had been corrupted by the Black Mage's darkness in the final battle. While struggling with his inner darkness, Luminous was able to use an old initiation scroll to return to Harmony, where he encountered Vieren's ghost. After reuniting with his old friend, Vieren used his powers to temporarily stabilize the darkness inside Luminous.

Luminous then went on a mission to find the Auguries, whose powers could help melt away his darkness. After using the power of the Auguries, Luminous - at Vieren's insistence - reluctantly agreed to try making the darkness his own, as Vieren had told Luminous that his research had led him to conclude that light and darkness were both two sides of the same coin. Luminous then melded together his light and dark magic, allowing him to use their combined equilibrium in a way that had never before been seen.

As Luminous continued regaining his lost strength, he discovered the Grand Augury, inside which was the residual essence of the Second Light Master, who told Luminous the truth about his origins as the Starchild, as well as the fate of his old best friend, Lucia. Luminous later discovered that as a result of Aurora's influence, Lucia had reincarnated as his friend, Lania, in the present, as the mages had hoped to give her a better life that would allow allow her to be with Luminous again.

Legacy[]

Though Luminous and Vieren's spectral form remained members of Aurora, the organization itself had functionally died out centuries ago, Eventually, the Black Mage was killed by the Adversary, bringing an end to Aurora's dark history.[2]

Current Members[]

NPC Luminous
Luminous
Magician
NPC Vieren
Vieren
Magician

Former Members[]

NPC White Mage
White Mage
Founder of Aurora (betrayed, deceased)
NPC Lania
Lucia
Magician (deceased, reincarnated into Lania)
NPC Mars
Mars
Lead Researcher (deceased)
NPC Vieren 2
Vieren the 1st
Researcher (deceased)

References[]

  1. The Divine City is a reference to The City of God, a pivotal book on Christian philosophy written by Augustine of Hippo. The City of God is a conceptual city, not a literal one. It can be viewed as a state of mind that eschews superficial, earthly pleasures in favor of the wisdom and knowledge of God. The White Mage hoped to bring the City of God to humanity in order to complete them with that wisdom, which would rid the world of corruption and evil when people chose to give up their selfishness in favor of a complete existence that embraced peace and kindness.
  2. If Luminous is the Adversary, during his fight with the Black Mage, he will declare that with their battle, he seeks to avenge all the mages of Aurora that the Black Mage had wronged.
Organizations
AfinasAngler CompanyAuroraBlack Blooded Demon BrigadeBlack Mage CommandersBlack WingsDrakasGerand Darmoor ApostlesMaple AlliancePULSARShadowdealersSilent Crusade
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