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For the skill of Kinesis, see Transcendence.
Maple World Transcendents

The Transcendents of Maple World

Transcendents are powerful beings that wield control over the three fundamental laws of the universe: light, life, and time. The most notable Transcendents are the Black Mage and Gerand Darmoor, the main villains of the story. The Transcendents play an important role in the story and have shaped much of the world's history.

History of the Transcendents[]

Origin[]

In the beginning, there were 365 creations, with 365 Ancient Gods, each following 365 different laws. Because of the chaos that resulted from the Ancient Gods' disregard for the natural order, the Primordial God created three beings known as the Overseers, who cast down the Ancient Gods and reorganized the universe to consist of three worlds - Maple World, Grandis, and Tynerum - that followed three laws: light, life, and time. To enforce their will, they created Transcendents of Life, Light, and Time for each world.

Purpose[]

Transcendents have two main purposes: the first is to serve as jailors to the Ancient Gods, who were forced into dormancy, in order to prevent the primordial chaos from returning to the universe. The mere existence of the Transcendents suppresses the power of the Ancient Gods.

Their other purpose is to maintain the balance of their respective domains. According to Fenelle, each Transcendent is a representative of the Overseer that created them. Transcendents are not all created equally, as some are created immortal, such as Rhinne and Aeona, whereas others are mortal but reincarnate, such as the Black Mage and Gerand Darmoor, though even mortal Transcendents gain immortality upon their awakening.

Shortly before his awakening, the White Mage was transported to the divine realm, where he encountered the Overseers and likely heard their voice. Though it remains unknown whether other Transcendents have been transported to the divine realm, it may be the case that it is where the Overseers awaken their powers.

According to Eskalade, the only purpose of the Transcendents is to maintain balance of their domain, regardless of their morality. In this way, balance is maintained either through the Transcendent's direct actions or through their defeat. Transcendents awaken in response to a great imbalance of their domain. For example, Gerand Darmoor awakened as the Transcendent of Life in response to the Flora Civil War, which caused a great loss of life on Grandis.

In the event that a world loses one of its Transcendents, a new replacement will be chosen - though the circumstances could be less than ideal. For instance, Rhinne created a successor when she foresaw that the Black Mage would steal her powers, but her child was split into two beings, Alpha and Beta, with both of them sharing the power of the Transcendent of Time after their awakening. 

If a world loses all of its Transcendents, it will fall out of balance. To remedy this, it will automatically seek out another world with Transcendents and merge with it in order to stabilize itself. An example of this is when Maple World merged with Grandis when all three of its Transcendents were sealed away. Should the Transcendents reappear soon after disappearing, the world merge will cease. However, in the case of Maple World, centuries had passed before the Transcendents began to reappear, and the inertia of the world merge resulted in the eventual fusion of Maple World and Grandis.

Limitations[]

Bound by the fundamental laws of the universe, Transcendents are incapable of destroying other Transcendents on their own, nor are they capable of ending their own lives. To circumvent this, the Black Mage used his Commanders to defeat Rhinne and Alicia and manipulated events so that the Adversary would kill him.

Though Transcendents are unable to be directly harmed by mortals or other Transcendents, they are vulnerable to being physically and magically bound. There are many instances of this being seen in the story, such as Rhinne, Alicia, and Tana being sealed by the Black Mage, the Black Mage being sealed by the Heroes, and Chronica being sealed by Darmoor.

Additionally, Transcendents are susceptible to having their powers stolen by others. This can be done by another Transcendent, such as Tana and Rhinne having their powers stolen by the Black Mage, as well as Chronica having their powers stolen by Darmoor, or it can happen by a mortal, such as King Hekaton attempting to steal Tana's powers, or objects such as the World Heart, the Abyss Crystal, or draining crystals - all of which have the power to absorb the power of higher beings.

However, the biggest limitation is that Transcendents are controlled by the Overseers who created them. It appears that each of the three Overseers maintain absolute control over all the Transcendents under their domain. The chosen candidates for Transcendents will hear the voice of the Overseers speaking to them, described as "beautiful yet cold", which causes them to awaken, although this has only been seen in the case of Aeona and Tana.

As Transcendents exist as proxies for the Overseers to enforce their laws upon the universe, the Overseers have the power to override the free will of Transcendents if they so desire. One instance of this was when Aeona was compelled to destroy at least seven races in Grandis with her powers of destruction, though it was all done against her will.

After Tana defeated her sister and awakened as the next Transcendent of Light, she heard the voice of the Overseers attempting to override her free will, though her strong willpower allowed her to resist their command. Similarly, the Black Mage was able to resist the will of the Overseers as he began his plan to free the world from their influence.

Powers[]

Though each Transcendent has their own unique powers, there are certain abilities shared amongst all three types of Transcendents. All Transcendents are immortal and have the power to slay higher beings, such as Ancient Gods, though they are unable to kill a fellow Transcendent or themselves.

Additionally, Transcendents are capable of sharing a portion of their power with another. In the case of the Black Mage, Will was given spider-like powers and Von Leon was made immortal and given the power to turn into a large lion-like monster. In the case of Darmoor, Kaling was given a portion of his own Transcendent powers, augmenting her strength immensely. As the power stems from the Transcendent themselves, the death of the Transcendent will cause that power to disappear from anyone to whom it had been bestowed.

There have been several instances of Transcendents being able to freely manipulate their soul from their body without any consequence, such as Alicia severing her soul from her body to protect the Tower of Oz, as well as the Black Mage using his soul to create Gloom.

Furthermore, all Transcendents are capable of resurrecting the dead, which is a feat that Arkarium claims that only a Transcendent is capable of doing. This was seen when Darmoor, the Transcendent of Life, resurrected Asha, as well as when the Black Mage, using the power of creation, resurrected the Adversary and the fallen members of the Alliance after the battle of Tenebris.

Though a Transcendent of Time has not been shown to resurrect the dead, Arkarium had told Damien that Alpha and Beta would be able to rewind time on his mother's corpse and bring her back to life. Given that the other Transcendents have been shown to have this power, and since Transcendents exist outside the physical limitations of the universe, it is likely that it would be possible for a Transcendent of Time to accomplish such a feat.

Transcendent of Time[]

The Transcendent of Time has control over all the spacetime of their world. They have the ability to slow, reverse, speed, and even stop time for a particular area in their world. The most basic example of this was when Gerand Darmoor, who stole the powers of Chronica, turned back time on the burned down library of Cernium in order to fully restore it.

On a larger scale, Rhinne stopped time in Ludibrium at the request of its king, who wished for his subjects to remain child-like and innocent forever. However, Rhinne warned that attempting to restart time would have dire consequences. This was seen when time began to fracture, which created several cracks in spacetime that led to moments in the past and dimensional rifts from which monsters emerged.

A similar situation happened in Mirror World, which Alpha and Beta were able to solve by freezing time as their mother had done in Maple World in order to stabilize Mirror World's Ludibrium. The Heroes were also able to use the Seal Stones to draw out the power of time in order to create the Seal of Time, which was capable of sealing a Transcendent.

The power of time can also be used to create pocket dimensions, such as when the Black Mage used Rhinne's powers to seal her and her successor into Mirror World. He was also capable of dragging Kritias of the past and overwriting it upon its present version, sealing it away into a pocket dimension in which time stood still.

The Transcendent of Time has the power to see all moments in the past, present, and future. They also possess the power to change the destiny of anything and anyone in their world, although their sole limitation is that they cannot change their own fate. For example, Rhinne was able to foresee that the Black Mage would attempt to steal her powers, but she was unable to do anything to change her fate. However, she attempted to indirectly circumvent this by creating a successor to inherit her Transcendent powers. In this way, although she was unable to stop the Black Mage from taking the power of time, her child was eventually able to awaken as the next Transcendent of Time and reclaim her stolen powers.

Transcendent of Life[]

There have been few instances in which the power of the Transcendent of Life has been seen. On a basic level, the Transcendent of Life is capable of spontaneously creating sentient life, such as when Alicia created the guardians of the Tower of Oz. Darmoor was capable of trapping living souls within objects, such as when he cursed a magical canvas that could bring art to reality so that it would trap Victor's soul inside the canvas while his body remained a slave to be used by Magnus.

The Transcendent of Life is also capable of resurrecting the dead, as seen when Darmoor used his powers to resurrect Asha after her death at Sephiroth, as well as Hundun after his death in Odium. As Hundun was a robot who only later developed sentience, it demonstrates that the Transcendent of Life's power is not limited only to organic matter. However, it was described by Brighton that Hundun was not 'truly' alive, as Hundun appeared to have little to no sentience compared to before his death, though this could have been an intentional decision on Darmoor's part.

One of the Transcendent of Life's responsibilities seems to be managing the reincarnation cycle of living things. While in the Erdas Flow, the Adversary learned from the Erdas that they once flowed through the World Tree under her protection in their cycle of creation and destruction until her life force was scattered throughout Maple World, after which the Black Mage began to siphon them in order to create the Arcane River.

Additionally, Alicia took on the responsibility of protecting all life, for which she created the Tower of Oz to protect the native species of Maple World when it seemed that the Black Mage was planning to destroy the entire world. Alicia also severed her soul from her physical body in order to protect the tower.

There appears to be at least one known limitation to the Transcendent of Life's power. This was seen when Darmoor, in healing Magnus' injuries from Kaiser's attack, was unable to fully restore his lifespan, for which he sent Magnus to Maple World in order to fully recover his life force, where Magnus stole Guwaru's energy. However, it is possible that Darmoor had deliberately chosen not to heal Magnus fully in order to force him to travel to Maple World and learn about the Black Mage.

Transcendent of Light[]

Unlike the first two Transcendents, the Transcendent of Light has two separate powers within their domain: light and darkness. However, these are merely analogies for the true power of the Transcendent of Light, which is that of creation and destruction. The Transcendent of Light is also the only type of Transcendent for whom there are two candidates, each holding one of the two powers. An awakened Transcendent can only wield either light or darkness, while the other is held by the reserve. This was seen when Aeona was selected as the Transcendent of Light and wielded darkness, while Tana held the power of light as her sister's reserve.

In the case of the White Mage, he wielded the power of light for most of his life until he awakened as Transcendent of Light and became the Black Mage. Because he awakened with the power of darkness, he could not wield the light anymore, and so he was forced to cast out the vestigial light within himself, which eventually manifested as Luminous. It is implied, though not confirmed, that Luminous is the Black Mage's reserve. Because Luminous is not an awakened Transcendent, he remains capable of wielding both light and darkness.

Light/Creation:[]

The true power of light magic is the ability to manipulate the Erdas, the building blocks of reality. In this sense, even the Adversary, who gained the power to manipulate the Erdas after obtaining the Arcane Stones from the three Goddesses, uses a rudimentary form of light magic. The greatest wielders of light magic in Maple World were the White Mage and Luminous, who were capable of performing powerful feats of magic, such as crafting barriers, creating protective wards, healing others, and using a variety of offensive and defensive spells.

However, as mortals, their power paled in comparison to an awakened Transcendent like Tana, who held unparalleled mastery over the light, to the point that her power exceeded even that of the Black Mage. Even in her unstable metal state, Tana's mere presence was capable of reshaping the very landscape of the Vanishing Journey and Arcana, resulting in the corruption of the Erda spirits there.

She also reshaped the entire Morass, a large coral reef system, into a perfect replica of her memories of Kritias, overriding the memories of the Adversary, which had caused the nearby Erdas to manifest as Xenoroids. Upon stabilizing her mind, she also effortlessly vaporized Arkarium with a single, overwhelming attack of light magic.

The greatest attempted feat of light magic was when the Black Mage, having stolen Tana's powers of creation, attempted to create a new world through the Genesis Ritual. In Kao's timeline, it was demonstrated that the Black Mage did succeed in creating a new world, though this was a failure of his plan, as his true goal had been for the Adversary to kill him and remove the Overseers' hold on the world.

Darkness/Destruction:[]

The Black Mage, often seen as darkness incarnate, used his powers of destruction to lay waste to the entirety of Maple World. He was capable of launching devastating attacks on entire continents, even causing Victoria Island to break off from Ossyria, and commanding legions of dark creatures, such as Omens. He was also capable of corrupting monsters and augmenting their strength, such as when he augmented the strength of monsters such as Zakum, Horntail, and Papulatus after breaking free of his seal. He was also capable of using his Transcendent powers to create corrupted beings such as the Elite Bosses.

The Black Mage's most favored dark magic spell was to create chains of darkness, which he could use both offensively and for magical rituals, such as the Genesis Ritual when he shot his chains into the Arcane River in order to absorb the Erdas within. The Genesis Ritual also nearly demonstrated the apex of his power over darkness, nearly wiping out the three worlds altogether before creating a new world in its place, which was shown to have been accomplished in Kao's timeline.

Though her exact powers are unknown, Aeona commanded tremendous mastery over the darkness, having been able to erase over seven species of Grandis so completely that there was absolutely no trace left of her actions.

There are two known limitations on the Transcendent of Light's power. The main restriction is that an awakened Transcendent may only command light or darkness. However, it is possible for a Transcendent of Light to steal the powers of another Transcendent of Light of a different world in order gain the opposite power. The ritual to do so was seen during the events of Esfera, in which the Black Mage created a Black Moon around himself, while a White Sun was created around Tana. The Black Moon then absorbed the White Sun, transforming it into the Black Sun, Tenebris, as the Black Mage gained the power of creation and destruction.

The second limitation seems to be that the Transcendents of Light, while both immortal and capable of regenerating themselves at a much faster rate than other Transcendents, seem to lose their sanity each time they are forced to reform beyond their regenerative capacity. This was seen when Tana was subjected to brutal experiments in Kritias in order to find the source of her immortality so that it could be bestowed upon King Hekaton.

As the experiments continued, Tana lost her memories and emotions, able to only remember her name. However, it appears that having a sort of "anchor" may help them hold on to their sanity, such as how Jean helped Tana stabilize her mental state. Should an attempt be made for the Transcendent's powers to be transferred, if the ritual is disrupted, it can result in dire consequences, such as when the failed Ascendency ritual caused Tana to be stuck in an endless cycle of decomposition and rematerialization, with only the Black Mage freezing Kritias in time halting her agony.

 

Relationship Between Transcendents[]

All three Transcendents of a world share a special bond with each other, with each of them holding a fascination with each other's powers. However, this fascination can sometimes escalate into desire, with a Transcendent coveting the other two powers. Most Transcendents are able to restrain themselves, as Rhinne and Alicia were described as being "content in their roles", although the Black Mage and Gerand Darmoor coveted the power of the Transcendent of Time for themselves.

Although Transcendents are incapable of destroying each other, it is possible for a Transcendent to steal the powers of another. However, safeguards were created by the Overseers to deter Transcendents from breaking the balance by stealing each other's powers. In the case that a Transcendent robs the powers of another, the subsequent use will severely weaken them. This was seen when the Black Mage was weakened upon using Rhinne's powers, and when Gerand Darmoor was weakened upon using Chronica's powers. Though the extent of this damage is unknown, Gerand Darmoor was said to have needed many years to recover.

A side effect of using another Transcendent's power is the collapse of spacetime, resulting in the creation of one or more Interdimensional Portals that lead to other dimensions. Darmoor's use of Chronica's powers created several Interdimensional Portals across Grandis, with one such portal being created in the Great Temple of Pantheon that led to Maple World. Likewise, the Black Mage's use of Rhinne's powers resulted in an Interdimensional Portal being opened to Grandis, which Magnus used to return to Maple World after stealing Guwaru's powers. However, this portal disappeared immediately after the Black Mage was sealed with the stolen powers of time, appearing shortly before his return as the seal degraded, allowing the stolen powers of time to trickle out of the seal.

Transcendents of Maple World and Grandis[]

With the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, both worlds now share their two sets of Transcendents.

Maple World[]

The Transcendents of Maple World, with the exception of the Black Mage, largely remove themselves from the affairs of mortals.

Transcendent of Life: Alicia (Current, Inactive)[]

Cutscene Alice 0

Transcendent of Life, Alice

Main article: World Tree

Alicia, also known as the World Tree and the Mother of All Life, is an immortal Transcendent and the source of life of Maple World. After the Black Mage tried to steal her powers, she sealed herself in Root Abyss in order to recover from the attack. Damien, one of the Black Mage's Commanders, eventually discovered Root Abyss and summoned Von Bon, Pierre, Crimson Queen, and Vellum to keep her sealed, although the Maple Alliance mobilized to defeat the Seal Guardians and rescue Alicia.

Alicia was later kidnapped by Damien and had her powers stolen by the Transcendence Stone. After the Heroes stopped Damien, they used the Stone to scatter her life force in order to restore Maple World's vitality. However, this was planned by the Black Mage in order to ensure that Alicia would be unable to pass on her powers to a new Transcendent of Life, thus removing one more Transcendent from the Overseers' control. In her absence, the Black Mage was able to disrupt the reincarnation cycle of life by siphoning the Erdas under her protection in order to create the Arcane River.

Despite Alicia's physical form being destroyed, her soul still exists in the Tower of Oz, as it was severed by her shortly after the tower's creation in order to protect the creatures inside from the Black Mage. It is unknown what the consequences of Maple World's fusion with Grandis mean for Alicia, who now shares the role of the Transcendent of Life with Darmoor.

Transcendent of Light: Black Mage (Former)[]

Cutscene Black Mage breaks free (adventurer quest)

Transcendent of Light, Black Mage

Main article: Black Mage

The Black Mage was the main antagonist of Maple World. Once a mortal known as the White Mage, his quest to attain the ultimate light ended in failure upon learning that the Overseers deliberately kept the world broken and incomplete. Vowing to remove their influence, he manipulated events in order to create a convergence of the three worlds, removing the other Transcendents from the board by using his Commanders and finally arranging his own death at the hands of the Adversary in order to free Maple World from the Overseers.

With the Black Mage's death, Maple World temporarily had no Transcendent of Light, although its fusion with Grandis now means that Tana satisfies the requirement for a Transcendent of Light.

Transcendent of Time: Alpha/Beta (Current, Inactive)[]

ClassArtwork Zero

Transcendents of Time, Alpha and Beta

Main article: Zero

Rhinne, before being captured by the Black Mage, created a child who would inherit her powers. However, the Black Mage was aware of Rhinne's plan and trapped them inside Mirror World. Will, one of the Black Mage's commanders, later split the child into two beings - Alpha and Beta - and kept them separated in order to prevent them from regaining their full power. However, the two halves of the Child of the Goddess soon defeated Will and freed Rhinne, breaking free of Mirror World and becoming the new Transcendents of Time in the process.

It is unknown what it means for them as the Transcendents of Time now that Maple World and Grandis have fused, as they share the role with Chronica. However, given that Hilla and Will describe them as "divided and weak", and as Maple World is later described as being bereft of all its Transcendents, there is a strong implication that they do not constitute as proper Transcendents because of their division.

Transcendent of Time: Rhinne (Former)[]

Rhinne

Transcendent of Time, Rhinne

Main article: Rhinne  

The former Transcendent of Time, Rhinne had her powers stolen and misused by the Black Mage in his quest to liberate Maple World from the Overseers. She and her child were sealed in Mirror World, though she was ultimately freed by Alpha and Beta. Though two Transcendents of Time could not exist in Maple World, her children changed her fate once again by recreating Mirror World as soon as it was destroyed upon their awakening, reviving Rhinne in the form of a mortal child.

Transcendents of Grandis[]

Unlike in Maple World, the Transcendents of Grandis take active roles in shaping their world, with Darmoor declaring war on other races, and Aeona killing over seven races in Grandis under the Overseers' command.

Transcendent of Life: Gerand Darmoor (Current)[]

Darmoor

Transcendent of Life, Gerand Darmoor

Main article: Gerand Darmoor

The God-King of the High Flora, Gerand Darmoor killed his father and incited the Flora Civil War, awakening as the Transcendent of Life in its final battle. He then waged a genocidal war to destroy all other races, believing the High Flora to be superior, in order to remake all life in his image.

Darmoor robbed the powers of Chronica, the Transcendent of Time, and infiltrated the Holy City of Cernium in order to gain access to its ancient scriptures and to destroy the Seal Stone within the Adversary. With the death of the Black Mage, Darmoor is now the target of the Alliance, which promised to help the Nova in exchange for their aid in defeating the Black Mage.

It is unknown what his status as the Transcendent of Life means with a merged Maple World and Grandis, as he shares the role with Alicia.

Transcendent of Life: Unknown (Former)[]

An unknown Transcendent of Life resided in the sanctum of Sephiroth in the past, creating illusory Priests of Life to tend the garden. At one point, Sephiroth was attacked by unknown enemies. Following this, the Transcendent of Life seemingly disappeared from the sanctum. In their absence, the Priests of Life continued tending to the garden, believing that the Transcendent would return one day. Eventually, however, the Transcendent of Life disappeared completely, resulting in the conjured priests disappearing as well.

Though unconfirmed, it is speculated that Darmoor was involved in attacking the sanctuary, as well as causing the Transcendent to fully disappear, allowing him to replace them as the new Transcendent of Life.

Transcendent of Light: Aeona (Current)[]

NPCArtwork Tana (6)

Transcendent of Light, Tana

Main article: Aeona

Aeona, also known as Tana, is the twin sister of Aeona the 1st. As Tana, she was the reserve for her sister, who awakened as the Transcendent of Life. Over time, she watched her sister grow mad with power as she destroyed over seven races in Grandis. Believing her sister to be unworthy, Tana defeated her and gained the title of Aeona. Realizing that she was shackled to the same fate as her sister by the Overseers, Tana left Grandis and was eventually imprisoned by the Black Mage in Kritias so that he could steal her powers of creation when the time was right.

Eventually, her powers were stolen in Esfera as the Black Mage planned to create a new world. The Adversary encountered her shapeless form in the Genesis Crux, where she helped them use the power of the Adversary in order to kill the Black Mage. After the death of the Black Mage, Gerand Darmoor commanded Melange to "Find the Seed, Aeona... all should be there...", implying that Aeona still exists with her powers intact.

With the fusion of Maple World and Grandis, Tana is the sole Transcendent of Light for the merged worlds.

Transcendent of Light: Aeona the 1st (Former)[]

NPCArtwork Aeona (2)

Former Transcendent of Light, Aeona the 1st

Main article: Aeona the 1st

Aeona the 1st, was the twin sister of Tana. Aeona was first chosen as the Transcendent of Light, though she soon learned that she was nothing more than a slave of the Overseers, who forced her to destroy over seven races of Grandis. She was killed by Tana, who awakened as the next Transcendent of Light in her place.

Transcendent of Time: Chronica (Current, Inactive)[]

Main article: Chronica

Not much is known about Chronica. Gerand Darmoor confronted Chronica at their sanctuary, insisting that they help him wipe out all life. When Chronica refused, Darmoor sealed them away and stole their power, just as the Black Mage did with Rhinne. Chronica currently remains trapped in the Chronica Sanctuary.

It is unknown what it means for Chronica, who shares the title of Transcendent of Time with Alpha and Beta, given that they are also currently sealed away.

Transcendents of Tynerum[]

It is unknown who the Transcendents of Tynerum are. However, unlike the Transcendents of Maple World and Grandis, the Transcendents of Tynerum have repeatedly been under siege by the mortals of their world - with the demons attempting to steal or replicate the power of a Transcendent for thousands of years. There also exists a portal in Tynerum, as well as a portal in the south of Maple World, which bridges both worlds together. It was speculated by Grendel the Really Old that the portals had appeared as a result of Tynerum being on the verge of extinction. It is highly likely that the portal is an Interdimensional Portal created from a Transcendent of Tynerum stealing the powers of a fellow Transcendent of their world.

Reserves and Unique Cases[]

Cygnus (Transcendent-in-reserve, Maple World, Inactive)[]

NPCArtwork Cygnus, 2018 (Alliance Commander 2)

Transcendent-in-reserve Cygnus

Main article: Cygnus

Following the end of the Ancient War, Shinsoo was tasked with protecting a particular bloodline, which had grown intertwined with the Transcendents, such that a descendent of that bloodline would one day awaken to become a replacement Transcendent should the need arise. To this end, Shinsoo used her power to create the floating island of Ereve, which became a seat of power for the Empress of Maple World, whose bloodline held the power of the Transcendents.

When Damien mortally wounded Shinsoo while kidnapping Alicia, who was residing within the divine beast's jewel, the shock of seeing Shinsoo's body triggered Cygnus' latent Transcendent powers to awaken. As a result of awakening too early, Cygnus became a Transcendent-in-reserve, rather than replacing a Transcendent completely, as all the Transcendents of Maple World were active at the time.

During the invasion of Ereve, Reina kidnapped Cygnus and absorbed her powers into a draining crystal. During the Alliance's attempt to rescue her, Cygnus sacrificed herself to save the Adversary from dying, resulting in her being mortally wounded. Though she survived her injuries, Cygnus was placed into a coma that would require an inordinately long time for her to recover without the power of a higher being. In order to help Cygnus recover faster, the Adversary hoped to obtain the power of the gods, with Shinsoo surrendering her power to them before falling into a deep slumber beside Cygnus. Cygnus' powers are current in the possession of Gerand Darmoor and his Apostles.

Cygnus being a reserve places her in a unique situation, as the Transcendent of Light is the only other known case in which a reserve exists to a Transcendent, as the two powers of creation and destruction are split between the two vessels. Cygnus herself was never meant to awaken as a reserve, with her status as one stemming from her awakening before the need to replace a Transcendent arose.

It is unknown which Transcendent Cygnus was meant to replace, although it has been shown that she has used powers of all three domains. She used the power of life to revive Shinsoo, the power of time to foresee events such as Black Heaven and Tenebris, and the power of light to create a shield that blocked Gloom's attack and a beacon to rally the Alliance forces in the fog of Moonbridge.

It is possible that Cygnus's ability to use powers from all three domains stems from her aptitude to replace any of the three Transcendents, with the other two powers disappearing as soon as she awakens as a full Transcendent to fill the vacancy, should the need arise.

Luminous (Potential Transcendent-in-reserve, Maple World)[]

NPCArtwork Luminous (6)

Potential reserve to the Black Mage, Luminous

Main article: Luminous

Although it is not confirmed, it is heavily implied that Luminous is the reserve to the Black Mage, the Transcendent of Light. Upon the White Mage awakening as the Transcendent of Light, he expelled all the light within himself after accepting the power of darkness, as an awakened Transcendent cannot possess both powers.

This light manifested in human form as Luminous, the Starchild, immediately upon the White Mage's awakening, suggesting that he was created as a reserve at the very moment that the White Mage became a Transcendent, just like how Tana and Aeona were created together.

White Mage (Potential Transcendent-in-reserve or Transcendent of Light, Friend World)[]

Main article: White Mage (FriendStory)
NPCArtwork White Mage (Kinesis 2)

White Mage, Potential Transcendent-in-reserve or Transcendent of Light for Maple World/Friend World

The White Mage of Friend World exists in a parallel world to Maple World, though both worlds are part of the same dimension. Because of this, it remains possible that Transcendents of Maple World could exist in either world, as their presence would satisfy the requirement of three Transcendents maintaining the dimensional boundary.

Although not much is known about Friend World, many characters from Maple World and Grandis have been seen to have parallels there. Among these is the White Mage, who appears to have powers, despite there being no magic in Friend World. The White Mage has admitted that he has existed for a long time. and that he 'remembers' his purpose to break down barriers, for which he used Kinesis to initiate the fusion of Maple World and Friend World, with their collision generating Erda for the Arcane River.

Based on this, it is possible that the White Mage of Friend World is a Transcendent-in-reserve for the Black Mage of Maple World, with the White Mage being created with the power of light when the Black Mage awakened with the power of darkness, supported by the fact that the White Mage used a bright light power to catalyze the fusion of their worlds. Similar to Tana and Aeona, the White Mage and the Black Mage look extremely similar to each other, adding credence to the theory that the White Mage is a Transcendent-in-reserve. With the Black Mage's death, it is also possible that the White Mage has awakened as a replacement Transcendent of Light for Maple World.

Tana (Former Transcendent-in-reserve, Grandis)[]

NPCArtwork Tana (1)

Former reserve to Aeona the 1sdt, Tana

Main article: Aeona

Tana was originally created to be a reserve to Aeona, who was chosen by the Overseers as the Transcendent of Light. Because of this, she was given the name 'Tana', referring to the reserve to Grandis' Transcendent of Light.

After learning that her sister destroyed seven races of Grandis, Tana confronted and killed her sister, after which she fulfilled her purpose as a reserve and awakened as the new Transcendent of Light in order to replace her. As the new Transcendent, Tana was given the new name 'Aeona', although she rejected her fate and left Grandis.

Damien (Former Transcendent of Life by Proxy)[]

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Former Transcendent of Life by proxy, Damien

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Main article: Damien

After Arkarium destroyed his home and killed his mother, Damien became a Commander of the Black Mage, just as his brother renounced his loyalties. The Black Mage gave Damien the task of capturing the World Tree, who had taken refuge in Root Abyss. Although the Alliance managed to rescue her, Damien infiltrated Ereve and killed the divine beast, Shinsoo, in order to kidnap Alicia.

He used the power of the Transcendence Stone in order to control her powers, effectively making him the new Transcendent of Life. However, his rule was short-lived, as the Heroes united once again to stop him. Damien was finally killed by his brother at his own request, wanting to be free of the vengeance that consumed his soul. Though Damien commanded the powers of the Transcendent of Life, he himself was not a Transcendent, as he merely used the Transcendence Stone to channel the powers that still resided within Alicia.

Hekaton (Partially Infused with Transcendent Power)[]

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Partial holder of the Transcendent of Light's power, Hekaton

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Main article: Hekaton

After Tana left Grandis, she arrived in Kritias and was captured by King Hekaton's soldiers, after which she was held for two years as the mages of Kritias attempted to transfer her immortality into Hekaton. The brutal experiments resulted in many failed experiments that lost their bodies upon having Tana's power transferred into them, resulting in their souls creating monstrous forms to inhabit.

On the day of the Ascendency ritual, the High Priest Arkarium discovered a way to erode Tana's willpower to the power transfer by killing a boy named Jean, who she had fallen in love with, in front of her. Though the power transfer began successfully, Tana interrupted the ritual by destroying an anti-magic crystal.

As a result, King Hekaton was partially infused with the powers of the Transcendent of Light, allowing him to gain immortality, though at the cost of him fusing with the castle of Trueffet, turning him into a golem-like monster. It is possible that if the ritual had successfully completed, Hekaton would have inadvertently become Grandis' Transcendent of Light.

Kaling (Partially Infused with Transcendent Power, Formerly)[]

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Partial holder of the Transcendent of Life's power, Kaling

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Main article: Kaling

After the Adversary escaped with the World Heart to Shangri-La, Darmoor bestowed a portion of his Transcendent powers to Kaling, who invaded Shangri-La to recover the World Heart. Unbeknownst to Kaling, Darmoor had already decided to betray her after her failure to recover all Four Perils. After Kaling confronted the Adversary, just as Darmoor had planned , the World Heart responded to the Transcendent powers inside Kaling and absorbed them, resulting in her death and restoring a portion of the relic's lost power.

Limbo (Partially Infused with Transcendent Power)[]

NPCArtwork Limbo, 2017 (1)

Partial holder of the Transcendent of Life's power, Limbo

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Main article: Limbo

Like Kaling, Limbo was given a portion of Darmoor's Transcendent powers in order to secure the power of the Ancient Gods. Limbo used this power to pollute the waters of Carcion, as well as to break the seal on the Ancient God of Carcion, Keira. This power infected the Anima of Carcion after they drank from the polluted water, resulting in their incapacitation. The polluted energy inside the Anima was later absorbed by the Adversary into the World Heart in order to save the Anima's lives.

Albaire (Partially Infused with Transcendent Power)[]

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Partial holder of the Transcendent of Life's power, Albaire

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Main article: Albaire

During the mission to Carcion, Albaire was given a portion of Darmoor's Transcendent powers from Limbo's own portion of power. This power was given by Limbo with the intent for Albaire to hold off the Adversary and their allies until he could finish breaking the seal on Keira and absorbing her powers.

Ypsilon (Partially Infused with Transcendent Power, Potentially)[]

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Partial holder of the Transcendent of Life's power, Ypsilon

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Main article: Ypsilon

Although it is not explicitly stated that Ypsilon was bestowed a portion of Darmoor's Transcendent powers, Ypsilon has exhibited extremely similar abilities as Kaling and Limbo when they made use of Darmoor's power, such as the dark piercing attack that he used against Khali, which was identical to the attack that Limbo used to break Keira's seal in Carcion. Given that Kaling and Limbo are fellow Apostles, it is highly likely that Ypsilon - as well as the other Apostles - have all been bestowed a portion of Darmoor's power.

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