Original subtitles

My name is Asbel,

and in my dreams…

I used to fly.

I dreamed about how this world began.

I dreamed of the void,

of chaos and silence.

I dreamed of a golden flame,

flashing in the darkness like a torch in the forest,

creating life… creating the universe.

But my world is a cruel place

ruled by Spirit Power.

A world of killing and war and conspiracy…

where everything is paid for with blood and corpses.

Now I no longer dream.

But there are still some nights when I find myself

jolted awake by nightmares,

terrified for my younger, simpler self.

Back then, I was joyful and carefree…

until the night I collided with my destiny.

Hey!

Hey, watch it!

-Excuse me! -Watch it!

Whoo!

Whoop. Sorry!

Hey. Hey! Cut that out, kid!

You don't want to get in trouble with the High Lords!

Oh, please! The High Lords are like gods, dude!

You think they've got time for little old me?

I got everything you put on the list,

but I think you ordered too much.

Who do you think's actually gonna eat all this stuff?

It's too cold for tourists…

but it's pretty hot in here.

This is pretty good. Try it.

It's marvelous. What is it?

Uh… it's a special tea

from Fuze.

Hey, there.

May I ask, are you Spirit Warriors?

Why'd you say that?

The clothes kind of give it away.

Folks around here,

most of them don't tend to dress like that.

We're from Glanort, the capital.

That guy over there is my brother, Shen.

Aeron's my name.

Your brother, is he a Duke, maybe?

Hmm. I'm afraid not.

That's the highest level of Spirit Warrior.

There are only seven Dukes in the whole country.

The chances of running into them,

it's not like you'll bump into one on the street.

Oh, wow.

Tell me, I'm curious.

Why'd you guys come here?

We arrived here on a mission…

to hunt a Spirit Beast.

Oh, cool!

-Hmm. -What do they actually look like?

Like a…

It's so powerful-- much more than we thought!

-Let's move! -Move now!

I can face you alone, Ice Fang.

Silver, Loyal Duke Seven…

your Disciple has finally manifested himself.

Find him at once.

Lady Nox, Loyal Duke Four,

your mission is to assist Dark, Duke Two,

in his hunt for Duke Five, along with his Disciple.

Yes, my High Lord.

But why are we hunting a fellow Duke?

Treason.

It's the Wraith Mirror.

Your Blood Weapon.

Take a look at your reflection.

Fitting end for treason.

You're awake.

Come with me.

Wait. Dude, why would I ever do that?

I don't even know you.

So… where we goin'?

To Glanort.

The capital? I've never been there before.

Wait a minute. Are you some kind of slave trafficker?

Uh, you're not gonna kill me?

No. I'm protecting you.

Well, okay.

The thing is, I've never even been away from home.

And now you want me to leave, leave everything behind,

and go with some stranger? That's crazy talk.

Crazy or not, your past life is over.

From now on, you will become my Disciple.

I'm your Disciple?

My successor.

Like, I'm in your will?

The sun is getting to you.

I'm going to test your capacity for Spirit Power.

Relax.

Inside your body. It's there.

Let it happen.

What… did you do to me?

Stay back.

I conferred a Seal on you.

You might want to keep your distance.

Why is that?

Because once I show you this,

you'll find you won't…

be able to… resist.

Uh… I'm sorry, man,

I don't think so.

You're not really my type.

Whoa! Hold on! Didn't you hear me?

You are so not my--

Whoa!

This is my Soul Loop.

And now it is yours, too.

The center, where the lines converge, is the mark of a Duke.

Every Duke has one Disciple,

and as soon as he finds one

he must bring him back to Glanort

and grant him the same Soul Loop and Seal.

You are now my Disciple.

Understand?

So if you had to give me that Soul Loop thing,

why out here?

We're in the middle of nowhere.

Because if I hadn't, you'd be dead.

-What? -You recently encountered

a Spirit Beast which entered your body.

If I hadn't sealed you in time,

Ice Fang would have killed you.

The lion is now present inside you.

It is locked quietly within.

It is in your mark. Got it?

Oh. Yeah.

Uh, but wait.

Are-- Are you saying-

You gotta be kidding me!

I've got a lion up my ass?!

You could say that.

Drawing Spirit Power from the Seal

and controlling it with our Soul Loop

gives us a range of superhuman abilities.

Strength, speed, rebirth, resistance.

Also our Spirit Power can converge with the elements--

water, wind, soil, and fire.

Their energy can be harnessed for our use in special attacks.

This is my Spirit Beast-- Scorpion.

-We are inside its jaws. -Really?

What sort of animal is it?

A scorpion.

We summon our Spirit Beasts to fight

by channeling our Spirit Power.

Ice Fang has great control over ice and snow.

From him, you can learn the manipulation of water.

Let's do it.

Each Duke and Disciple have twin Soul Loops.

As a result, they develop a deep bond of loyalty

and faithfulness between them.

But at the beginning, this bond feels more like…

a bit of a crush.

You were right-- it is hard to take my eyes off you.

Did your mom ever tell you you're kind of smokin' hot?

Tomorrow we'll go to the Spirit Cave

so you can find your own unique Blood Weapon.

Spirit Cave?

Sounds like a spooky tomb.

-Do we have to? -Yes, we do.

The Spirit Cave is in Ryen Strait.

That's where the Blood Weapons are grown.

If they grow there, surely there's like, I don't know,

a million people trying to get them, right?

Only Disciples can enter the cave.

What?

So, what sort of stuff do we need?

Water? Food?

Hey, do Disciples need to cook for their Dukes?

The innkeeper tells me I can't even boil hot water.

Sorry.

Hey, Silver. Your father, was he a Duke, too?

I never actually knew my father.

I'm an orphan.

Me as well.

My father was killed by a wolf when I was nine.

Mom cried for three days straight,

but on the fourth, quietly got up and jumped into a well.

Guess we were destined to find each other.

So, who are you?

And what do you want?

My name is Aeron.

-I'm here to kill you. -Do you know who I am?

Of course. Lotus, Disciple of the traitor, Duke Five.

I'm a Disciple, too.

My Duke is Dark -- Duke Two. I'm stronger than you are.

-But why kill me? -Don't pretend you don't know.

-And my Duke-- -He's with Dark.

I'll kill you, and my Duke kills yours.

I'd tell you this won't hurt,

but that'd make me a liar.

Ready?

My Lord.

What a city!

Uh, what's that?

It's the Fruit of Hisya.

From the High Lords-- the ones we serve.

Open your eyes and make sure you don't move.

Don't worry.

Come on.

What?

Oh, man!

It's the Golden Mist,

which comes from our Spirit Power.

The Fruit of Hisya let's you see it.

The mist is everywhere in Ashland.

It surrounds all life in varying concentrations.

And it can heal those like us-- Dukes and Disciples.

There are two places with the highest concentration of Golden Mist.

One is the Spirit Cave

which breeds powerful Blood Weapons.

The other is the Abyss Corridor where many Spirit Beasts live.

Legend says that in the Abyss Corridor

there is a golden lake solely generated by Golden Mist.

My Lord, it is I.

Come to me.

I'm going to need your help.

Get me to the Golden Lake.

Is it always this busy here?

There's a big parade today.

Oh, cool.

Okay if I go check it out?

Please, can I?

I've never seen anything like that before in my life.

All right.

I can explain how to enter the Spirit Cave later.

Yes!

Hold on.

Are they for me?

This is excellent.

Hey, won't you get bored staying here on your own?

Do you maybe want to come with me?

Don't worry. I'm used to solitude.

I'll be fine. I'll still be here… when you return.

-Go have fun. -'Kay.

Want some fun? Doesn't cost much.

-Stay here! -No, no.

Quiet, now.

Can you go bigger?

Help me impress everyone.

Even bigger.

Even bigger.

Well, that was awkward.

Beautiful!

Excuse me!

Young man.

You from around here?

I've never seen a Spirit Beast like yours, and I--

-It's okay. -I don't mean any harm!

I work for the Tenso family, the noblest in Glanort.

We're seeking a suitable match for young Princess Kira.

Someone who will impress.

And looking at you, you might just fit the bill.

Uh… a match?

You mean, like, as in marriage?

But I'm… eighteen!

That's a perfect age.

Our princess is sixteen years old.

No, I'm sorry. I can't do that.

Um… I'm way too busy.

Let's go.

What's going on?

What's going on?

No one turns me down.

Princess Kira.

That guy-- who was he?

-So, you're a Disciple, too. -How'd you know that?

This place leads to the Spirit Cave.

Only Dukes and Disciples can get through the wall.

Yeah. Oh, I'm Disciple Seven Asbel.

And I don't give a damn who you are. Be quiet.

Take it easy! There's really no need for that!

You.

Where is he?

Wait, wait! I don't wanna fight!

My name's Asbel.

I won't hurt you. I kinda got here by accident.

I just wanna get out of here.

I'm Lotus, a Disciple. Why are you here?

Well, this crazy girl was trying to kill me,

and then I fell… into a statue.

That was a portal. It brought you to the Spirit Cave.

Now that you're here, you're going to need to find that Blood Weapon.

I found mine. Resurrection Chains.

Ready to discover yours?

Oh, this is the Spirit Cave!

So this Blood Weapon-- how will I choose?

You're kidding me. Your Duke didn't tell you?

No, he didn't.

You get one chance at this.

Don't you know anything about our ways?

-You have a Spirit Beast? -Yeah.

-The Fruit of Hisya? -Oh, yeah.

Okay. Well, it's a start.

Look out!

And who the hell are you?

The High Lords and the Resurrection Chains belong to me.

You can't have them.

There you are.

Stop cowering! What sort of Disciple are you?

I should never have promised Silver that I'd help you.

Wait. Silver asked you to come find me?

You want me to save your Disciple? Okay.

Beg for it. On your knees.

Now the other one.

Silver wanted me to tell you…

that your Blood Weapon is Resurrection Chains.

Impossible.

Lotus, wait. I know she's kind of a pain in the ass,

but shouldn't we take her with us?

-It's not safe here. -I don't need your pity.

I don't pity you.

There's hundreds of Blood Weapons here.

Why can't you just pick another one, and leave this one for me?

I've got an extra Fruit of Hisya-- I can let you have it.

Take it, and find a different weapon.

Okay?

Maybe we should find a place with denser Golden Mist,

so you can heal.

Don't be shocked. That's the Blood Gift of Duke Six,

and of his Disciple.

Huh? Blood Gift? Blood Weapon?

Ignorant and pathetic.

Each Soul Loop consists of a unique pattern.

It generates an ability for each Duke and their Disciple.

Duke Six, the Eternal Duke,

has the Blood Gift of regeneration.

She is his Disciple,

so has also received that ability.

And what's your gift? You and your Duke?

My ability is that I can control Spirit Beasts.

I'm able to hypnotize them, and on a large scale

So, I…

Do we have any of those-- Silver and me?

Like, how come I don't have one yet?

Now we go find the bastard who took my arm.

He's going to pay for this-- I swear that he will.

Hi, and "you're welcome."

I didn't say "thank you."

I never asked for your help.

What's this useless pig doing?!

Easy.

Stop being mean. My friend isn't a pig.

A beast is a beast.

There's no point making friends with it.

You'll understand when you find your Spirit Beast.

It's the one being that's always guaranteed

to risk its life to protect you.

Whatever. I'm royal, unlike you.

I just have to say the word

and whole armies would all die for me.

Let alone beasts like this.

Why so jumpy? I'm just testing out my Blood Weapon.

Listen.

-Let's move on. And keep an eye out. -Yeah.

I hear you're a traitor.

Asbel, be careful!

Stay away from the fog.

-Asbel! -Asbel!

Be careful! Keep holding on!

I am holding on!

You go ahead! Leave me here!

Wait! No!

Help! Help me!

Ice Fang!

Hang in there!

Hold on tight!

This is for Ice Fang!

The copper ring on the left is the exit.

Let's go.

I want Ice Fang back.

Wait, hold it!

Someone switched the door. The one on the right is the exit.

You sure about that?

You know the consequence if we choose the wrong one.

Yeah. We choose wrong, we die.

So I'd listen to me if I were you.

You have to trust me.

I know what I'm talking about.

Is that true?

-What are you doing?! -Let go!

You're obviously terrified.

I guess it was the truth.

Of course it was.

Hey, what did you do that for?!

You killed her!

She tried to kill me first!

She wasn't actually gonna do it!

Asbel!

Fine. Go with her.

It's not my fault if you have a death wish.

This place is…

Who's there?!

But how are you--

how are you still--

I'm confused.

Come with us… if you want to live.

If it isn't Silver.

It's good to see you.

You and I have things to…

discuss.

Hey. Why'd you turn 'em off?

Wasn't me.

Kira, stop running around.

I'm not, I've been right here the whole ti--

Shh!

Uh, seriously? Then who was it?

I've told you all I can.

No more time. Go to the Eternal Island.

Find Duke Six.

He will tell you…

And you are?

I am Duke Three. Zillah.

Silver!

Zillah.

How come you're with these three Disciples?

I found them in the Ruins of Utool.

They said someone changed the portals in the Spirit Cave.

-To escape. -That's impossible.

Why do you say that?

Because Zillah made the portals.

No one else can manipulate them.

Silver, did you ask Kira to tell Asbel

about his Blood Weapon?

That it would be… Resurrection Chains?

So what if I did?

Well, the problem is…

the three of us got the same message.

Duke Four, Lady Nox, is the one

who passes down messages about Blood Weapons.

That means either Lady Nox

received conflicting messages from the High Lords,

or else… she's been lying to all of us.

-But why? -I have no idea.

But I might know how to find her.

She, with Duke Two, is hunting the supposed traitor, Wind Walker.

I have information that he's headed to the Eternal Island

to find Duke Six, Hillure.

But why should the High Lords

think that you and your Duke have betrayed them?

That doesn't sound like Wind Walker.

Hillure has been missing for years.

Why would he resurface now?

We need to find out.

I don't really understand what's going on.

However, I'm going with them.

So, are you sure you don't wanna follow along?

My Duke is Hillure.

Finding him is… an obligation.

So I'm not following you, you puppy.

You can follow me.

Step this way.

Whoa. It'd be great if I could make my own portals.

Go wherever I want-- so cool!

Keep dreaming.

It's Zillah's unique Blood Gift.

Making portals is his gift? And that's it?

His Blood Gift is far more powerful.

He controls time and space.

Oh, that's impressive!

I forgot to ask Silver what our gift was going to be.

You use this monster to welcome an ally?

An ally? Do you like my dear savage, Neon?

He's the perfect weapon for killing monsters,

especially those with Spirit Power.

But why are you attacking me?

As if you need to ask.

But it makes no sense at all.

Sweet Aeron, I see right through you.

I know your Blood Gift is yours, and yours alone;

distinct from Dark, your Duke, and my lover.

You have what is known as Passive Evolution.

When you defeat an enemy, you acquire their power,

absorbing their Blood Gift.

We arrived here on a mission-- to hunt a Spirit Beast.

Ah, yes. The Spirit Beast.

You went to that town searching for more power--

the power of Ice Fang.

But you failed, didn't you?

Dark believes you are loyal to him.

But your ambition surpasses your loyalty.

Indeed, your ambition has surpassed the capacity of your mortal body

to hold all of your stolen power.

And therein lies your problem.

But you believe the solution is here on Eternal Island, with Hillure.

Once you have obtained his Blood Gift,

his power of extreme regeneration,

then you will be able to endure any attack,

making you the most powerful monster in the territory.

Am I right?

Or am I right?

But which Duke are you planning to replace?

I am the only Duchess in Ashland,

and not even you can change that fact.

Well, well.

Look at that.

No wonder you're still alive.

My little pet seems to have a thing for you.

Now, isn't that sweet?

You can stop this now.

Did you forget why we're here?

This is no time for sideshow grievances.

We are here to stop a traitor…

Wind Walker.

I sense my brother is here.

I must go to him.

-I'll come too. -Silver.

Dark's also here.

Do you want to be seen helping a traitor?

-That's not-- -If you stand with Duke Five,

you will also be betraying the High Lords.

You will become an enemy to Ashland.

Instead, we need to fight Lady Nox, Dark, and Aeron.

Heed my words.

The Blood Gifts of Wind Walker and Lotus

will be used by them to hypnotize all Spirit Beasts in the sea.

But if it goes wrong, those beasts will destroy Ryen City.

Choose carefully, Silver.

Do you want to be responsible for that?

Brother.

Are you all right?

I'm okay. Don't worry.

-Is Silver here? -Yes, with his Disciple, Asbel.

Plus Princess Kira, Hillure's Disciple.

And Duke Zillah, who brought us here through a portal.

Zillah's here with you?

Hmm. What's wrong?

I'm not sure.

But whatever's going on, there's not much we can do about it

now that the path has been set.

All the Dukes of Ashland,

apart from Duke One, have gathered here.

There's no way that's a coincidence.

The Spirit Power on this island is overwhelming.

It's like looking into the eye of a storm.

But I can't feel where that storm comes from.

Where does it originate?

The center of all this power--

we find that, and that's how we'll find Hillure.

We already have. We're standing on Hillure.

This whole island is his body.

Seventeen years ago…

Hillure was ordered to merge his body with this island.

And by doing so, created a prison.

What evil does this island hold?

And why sacrifice a Duke to imprison hi--

Brother!

I'm okay. Just stay focused.

Stay here. And don't move.

Silver. Is this your weapon?

-It's one of them, yes. -Say what?

Infinite Weapons. That's our gift.

Huh? Silver!

What is all this white stuff, anyway?

It's one of the most famous shields in Ashland.

The Hem of the Goddess.

It shields any attack from Spirit Beasts and Spirit Power.

However, I thought it belonged to Lady Nox.

Amazing.

So, we're safe in here.

Don't be such an idiot.

Never underestimate Duke Five.

Look at them now.

How many Spirit Beasts do you think are under the sea?

I'll protect you!

I'll be fine. You just protect yourself.

All right, then.

So, Silver was able to steal

the broken shards of my Blood Weapon.

But those children won't last.

Not for a minute.

Not if they're relying on that pitiful excuse for a shield.

I will show them the real Hem of the Goddess.

-Go out, and you'll die! -Silver's in danger!

If a Duke can't deal with this,

what on earth makes you think you can do it?

Maybe I won't make it, but I gotta try and save him!

Asbel! You idiot!

Watch out!

-Go back. -I'm here for you.

You told me Duke and Disciple always fight together.

Brother.

I don't know if I can do this anymore.

Hypnotizing this many Spirit Beasts is draining me.

If we lose control, you have to…

I can deal with them.

You go find Hillure.

They split up. How interesting.

Hillure? Duke Six?

Can you hear me?

Is that you up there?

Yes. It is I.

Why have you brought all these monsters to my island?

We had no choice, my brother and I.

Those beasts had to be hypnotized.

We never intended to--

I am not talking about the Spirit Beasts!

I mean the monsters who are fighting your brother.

Including the one that followed you.

I can slow her down, but I cannot stop her.

She will find her way here soon.

Hillure.

It seems I may have underestimated you.

However, you have also underestimated me.

Tell me, Hillure, does that hurt?

Think carefully, Wind Walker.

If you lose control of these beasts,

the people of Ryen will suffer.

Is that really the outcome you seek?

Why have you turned against us like this?

Zillah, I can't explain it now.

I am as true a son of Ashland as I have ever been.

But if I die here today,

do what you can to contain the Spirit Beasts.

I'm begging you.

Ryen shouldn't suffer.

Come on, let's go!

Come on, hurry it up!

Come on! Go, go, go!

Keep moving!

Come on!

Aim…

Fire!

Fire!

Fire!

Silver, decide where you stand.

What's happening?

Quick, Dark. We have to kill Lotus. Now.

Hillure sacrificed himself to give her the power of regeneration.

That makes her Duke Six.

We're running out of time.

She now shares the original Soul Loop with Duke Five.

If she combines that with Hillure's power,

she can surpass anyone.

Once her new Soul Loop completes

there's no way any of us will be able to stop her.

Dark. Zillah. Silver.

Neon. Aeron.

On behalf of the High Lords,

I command you to get out there and kill Lotus!

We cannot let the traitor escape!

Brother!

Don't kill him.

Don't! That's his plan!

She'll get his power!

No, don't!

Look what you've done.

You killed him, you idiot.

His power has passed to her.

She is now Duke Five and Six--

the first double-Duke in history.

You killed my brother.

Each one of you is to blame for this!

But I'll have my vengeance.

My brother may be dead, but he will not die alone.

Trust me, you will accompany him!

I'll make damn sure his death wasn't in vain.

We still have a chance.

The two Soul Loops haven't fused. They're in conflict.

It's our only chance to kill her.

Let's go. Now!

They all left.

What about you? Will you leave, too?

I don't know.

But you should go home.

You parents are waiting for you to marry.

What parents? My mother died when I was born.

And my father, I'd never seen him before today.

-And now he's gone, too. -Why is that?

Duke Six. Hillure.

He was my father.

My mother was his Disciple.

She made the ultimate sacrifice.

When she was pregnant with me,

I stole her Soul Loop from within the womb.

But without her, my Soul Loop was incomplete

and always will be.

Sometimes I feel like a lonely, deserted freak.

The truth is, you're really not alone.

If you're a freak, then so am I.

When I was younger, the other kids would laugh at me.

I was always bullied.

Then one day I met Silver,

and my life was changed.

It was a dream.

A wonderful dream.

An impossible dream.

But the craziest thing about it--

Now he's gone. Like it was just a dream after all.

They say a Duke and his Disciple are like family,

like lovers, but my Duke, my own father,

chose to pass on his Soul Loop to a stranger instead of me.

Your Duke abandoned you.

And so it seems it was all a lie.

Hey. Come on, cheer up.

Life was hard.

I was on my own,

except for my parents,

until Silver came along.

And how he's here.

He is my family now.

He won't abandon me. I trust him.

I'm going back to Glanort. I'll wait for him there.

And he'll come back to me.

I know he'll come back.

I'll come with you.

I've chosen to help you, but I need to know.

What was Hillure guarding?

To answer that, we must go back to the beginning.

Wind Walker and I were deep in the Abyss Corridor.

We were practicing our gift-- hypnotizing Spirit Beasts.

Suddenly, he appeared.

Stay back! It's dangerous!

You'll--

I thought I was helping by warning him,

but you might as well tell the sun that the day is long.

He told us his story-- we had to help him.

So then, they hunted us.

Who exactly are you? Be smart, kid.

I'll… show you.

So you're saying this boy prevented you

from killing Wind Walker?

Prevented me? It was generous of him not to kill me.

If you could see no other reflection in the mirror,

surely you should have realized that the boy's Spirit Power

was greater than your own.

The Wraith Mirror showed me nothing.

It reflects two types of people.

As you know, those who don't have powers.

And the others who the mirror reflects

are those who are stronger than me.

And the only one who is stronger than me

is Gilgamesh.

You should have realized sooner.

Have you ever noticed that in the High Lords' temples

only the side rooms are used to enter their chambers?

The door to the middle room is always closed.

Why do you think that is?

Now, I could be wrong about this,

but I think the boy you met in the Abyss Corridor

is actually the High Lord who escaped from that little room.

But the High Lords won't leave their crystal rooms.

It's not "won't"-- the truth is, they can't leave.

The High Lords are powerful beings,

come to us from another world.

They're confined to their quarters.

We treat them as if they're gods, but they're far from that.

-They're prisoners. -What do you mean?

That young boy? A renegade High Lord

took over his body as his own,

used it as a vessel to escape.

But there was a problem.

The young boy's body was still mortal.

There was no way it could bear the weight

of a High Lord's soul for long.

Otherwise, every single High Lord would escape.

They would leave their crystal prisons for eternity,

go out and wreak havoc.

The High Lords gave orders to hunt down my brother and I.

Sounds all too familiar, doesn't it?

What happened four years ago was

a catastrophe.

The farmer, Duke One,

Gilgamesh,

and his Disciple

were branded as traitors.

And for that, we were given the task

of hunting them both down.

So we did just that.

Gilgamesh--

it wasn't him who betrayed us.

He happened to know our secrets--

yes, all of our secrets.

He knew the reason why we're all here.

He knew our purpose.

But he was too powerful for us.

We were not able to destroy him.

We could only trap him in a cage.

So you want us to rescue Gilgamesh.

No. You don't understand.

Our hands were stained with blood,

stained with sin,

so we were exiled and imprisoned here.

But there are cracks in the prison.

And the day is fast approaching

when the rest of my kin will begin to escape.

And when that does happen,

this world will become another hell.

And only Gilgamesh can save us all.

How do you know these secrets?

Not just me. And therein lies the danger.

You see, a secret is like a flame in the darkness

with no kindling.

It cannot grow into a fire.

But even the smallest spark of light…

…is enough to attract predators.

I fear no one. Where is Gilgamesh?

The jail used to imprison Gilgamesh…

was inside Hillure.

Gilgamesh discovered that the High Lords

are more demons than gods-- as did I.

But these demons are the ones who give us our power.

Unlike that fool Gilgamesh, I refuse to bite the hand that feeds us.

Because of his strength, the High Lords had to find somewhere to jail him

from which is was impossible to escape.

Hillure's blood gift of eternal regeneration

let him merge with the island

and kept Gilgamesh's imprisonment eternal.

So Hillure sacrificed himself,

and then made Lotus the new immortal Duke.

Because he wanted to release Gilgamesh?

Possibly.

Or maybe,

just maybe,

he was tired of eternity,

living in a state of limbo.

No one wants to be half-dead forever.

So much secrecy.

I wonder how many lies are in this kingdom?

More than you can ever imagine.

I will tell you more,

however, first you must promise me

that you will stand by my side.

And what side is that?

The side that will survive…

of course.

I wanted to be a Duke so badly,

to always remain loyal to the High Lords.

I wanted to guard Ashland with my life.

But it turns out the Dukes are just ignorant pawns.

doing whatever the High Lords want.

And at the end of the day, we're disposable.

We're practically Spirit Beasts residing in human form.

No more and no less.

I've had to learn to accept that.

It's not easy.

Long ago, the world was filled

with a great number of Dukes--

new Dukes were born,

old Dukes died.

The fortunes of noble families rose and fell accordingly.

Eventually, legends were turned into relics.

Their secrets were shrouded in darkness.

Since the dawn of time, people have killed

in pursuit of glory…

wealth…

power… and justice.

Yet they all end up in the same place:

destruction.

They wanted to hoard their Spirit Power

and allow their descendants to worship them as legends.

Instead, they became cold skeletons,

their emotions withering away

until they perished.

Nothing was left inside them

but an insatiable desire for even more Spirit Power--

a dark, soulless ambition that fills this world with bleakness.

So, then, are you going to help me practice?

When I found out

about all this, it was a burden.

It was hard to cope.

Not now.

Now there's only one thing left for me to feel.

-Sorrow? -Anger.

Now tell me…

Ever since the catastrophe first happened four years ago,

you've kept a low profile.

You've maintained a dignified silence,

you've kept away from the fight for power and control.

What I wouldn't give to see Gilgamesh.

I was his Disciple then.

And so… my heart still remains with him.

What about Asbel?

Asbel, don't worry.

I'll return… eventually.

To save Gilgamesh,

we must overcome many hurdles.

We will become enemies of all the Dukes

and of their Disciples.

Danger lies ahead.

But there is hope in the darkness--

a pinprick, yet bright enough to follow, and believe in.

Gilgamesh, I will see you again.

Your prison is no longer eternal.

You will awaken, and you will save us.