So off I was to the Crag of Dem.
After defeating the boss, I appear before the mother crystal. (Or is it a mother crystal)? Nag'molada asks me how I feel in the presence of the crystal, which apparently grants all life. Then as he says he "can't allow people to harm it," he appears to prepare to attack me before the boy appears again and grants me a vision of characters talking about a fight that "cannot be avoided."
At the next crag, a party from Bastok appears when Wolfgang of Jeuno shows up. They question what each other are doing there, both investigating a massive wave of energy that has a teleport crystal. Wolfgang tries to dissuade cid and co from investigating and to leave it to Jeuno under the pretense that it's dangerous, but it seems like a bit more is going on.
Another crag, another boss. These weren't too much trouble this time around.
I yet again found myself at the mother crystal or a different one? I come to find the boy collapsed on the floor before being jolted into another vision. It's really not clear what has happened here. I can see Quifim island as a mysterious voice question whose dream it is that it's seeing. Then I see a mysterious purple haired girl before being sent back to the outside of the crag.
So off I went to the next crag.
Upon inspecting the shattered crystal and attempting to enter the next Promyvion I'm greeted by Nag'molada, who slaps me across the face and tells Wolfgang to strike me down. He appears to think that I am with the boy, but Wolfgang protests and claims I'm a mere adventurer. Unconvinced, Nag'molada goes on to berate Wolfgang, telling him that he had explained just what sort of place this is - and claims that they are "those who know secret(s)." The boy appears and he asks him how it is that he is able to call upon the same darkness that "that priestess called long ago," the "empty darkness" that has the power to "turn the world to nothingness." When the boy remains silent, Wolfgang strikes him down. But the boy does not die. He gets up and summons the darkness once again.
I defeat the third and final Promyvion boss and am greeted with another Nag'molada scene. This time before the crystal. It's really unclear how the characters are jumping around - it feels as if it's a continuation of a fight between the boy and Nag'molada that started at the entrance. Then a very confusing scene ensues where Nag'molada makes a number of cryptic statements about the emptiness being a "destroyer," "possessing a self yet not knowing its self," and it being "just as the priestesses who did not fear even god feared" - but I could be misinterpreting these. The boy appears to touch the crystal, the screen goes white, then another boy appears and says "you're not going to betray me, are you?" and something about how the will of the crystal is the will of the world. "That is to say, it has been split into five." Then yet another vision occurs (maybe this boy itself is part of a vision?) where the same woman who claimed there was an unavoidable fight coming calls the people with her to "pray to god - and to the gods."
I'm then teleported to some island.
Three tarutaru find me, and decide to just leave me there.
So I make my way west.
I find myself at the Tavnazian Safehold. A group of people holed up in a cathedral after their kingdom had fallen to beastmen. It's there that i find Nag'molada. But he's apparently not going to try to kill me here. I'm asked by the people to help take care of a Minotaur problem in the waterways - a minotaur the three tarutaru were supposed to take care of. It's something to do while the other characters "wait for Prishe."
The waterways are full of "minotaur" like demons that appear to cast some sort death magic on my trust NPCs. Suddenly one of them will just straight up disappear. There were also creepy "fomor" NPCs that take on the role of jobs and seem to form parties. I took out the minotaur, referred to a guide and realized I wasn't finished yet. Nag'molada was "ahead" in the waterways. Apparently I needed to find a bronze key and open up a door. After fighting thieves and ninjas for some time I managed to find a bronze key and progress a little further where I met Nag'molada. He claimed there was something up ahead, but wouldn't say what. So I followed and proceeded to take the wrong door, fall down, and have to go through it again (I am referring to multiple guides, English and Japanese, at once in order to make sense of what it is that I'm supposed to be doing - I'm spending hours on tasks as it is).
After catching up with him he was muttering something about a strange box being here of all places and the significance of it all. Then he suggested we go back and that was that.
After reporting back Prishe came back. Wait a minute, weren't you in one of my visions? Prishe, who uses highly masculine vocabulary to refer to herself, claims there are a bunch of monsters on the south coast and says we had better take them out. Okay, pretty straightforward. At least a coastline won't have me farming NPCs for keys. By the time all this was said and done I was level 50. The story is confusing, but it's beginning to get interesting even if I can't make sense of what is actually happening.
Somewhere along the way I fought Isonade for Magoroku only to find my attack power was exactly the same as my level 30 weapon. Huh.