Legend of Mana is copyright Squaresoft and Sony Entertainment. It is not
owned by me in any way, shape, or form.
Note: I decided to use both main characters in this story, The guy's name is Elijah, and the girl is Ihrie. This story also
takes place before the end of the game.
Legend of Mana
Odyssey of Shadows
Prelude: Reflection of the Past
There are those that say, "If one doesn't learn from history's mistakes, they are doomed to repeat them." However, there are those that learn from history's mistakes in order to repeat them, but this time, to their own advantage.
Centuries ago, the War of Mana devastated the world. Through constant warfare over the possession of Mana (the source of the worlds magical power and life force), millions died and entire cities were razed to the ground. But even more disastrous was when the Tree of Mana (the source of all Mana power) died, and it's energy started to drain from the world. Many felt that once Mana disappeared, the war would finally end and peace would finally become a reality. However, certain individuals wanted to preserve the power of Mana for themselves. They weaved mighty spells on any
city, town, or land that still had Mana flowing through. These spells severed the cities and lands from the very earth
they inhabited and sealed them into artifacts. Any people caught in these spells were also trapped inside, in a state of
suspended animation. Removal of these lands opened up the vast rivers of magma that flowed under the planet's
crust. The immense heat that was suddenly released caused a massive change in the world's climate; volcanoes and
many natural disasters plagued the Earth. Amidst the chaos only the mightiest of sorcerers were able to safeguard the
last remnants of Mana. But due to their greed they fought each other for further control of the artifacts, while millions
more died.
The War of Mana had ended, but in its place was the War of Possession, as it would later be called. This conflict
lasted for many decades, until the sorcerers grew too old and weak to continue the fight. After their deaths, the world
grew calm and those that had survived the Apocalypse started the long process of rebuilding their old civilization to
what it had been. But the face of the world was now covered in molten lava, barren wasteland and deserts, with very
little room left for humans. With the world finally at peace custody over the artifacts drifted from person to person. Yet
none had the power to release the power in the artifacts as they continued to change ownership, until they were finally
lost in the flow of time.
Many centuries later, although civilization had recovered and much of the planet's surface had healed, the lack of
Mana's power was slowly starting to erode all life away. Males and females became sterile and unable to bear children,
as a result, birthrates dropped and the death rate rose. Widespread disease and plague were claiming even more lives
and traditional medical techniques were becoming less and less effective. Even worst, was the fact that many savage
and deadly creatures were showing up outside of towns and village. These monstrosities preyed on livestock, children,
and anyone unfortunate enough to step outside the safety of their village.
With the evident destruction of all civilized life drawing closer every day, desperate measures were taken. The two
biggest cities left, Baritone and Atlas, each recruited their best soldiers to take part in a series of physical and mental
challenges to decide who would go to search for the world's remaining sources of Mana, the lost artifacts. Each city
conducted these trials without knowing of each other's involvement. After choosing their respective hero, they wasted
no time in outfitting their champions with the best armor and weapons they could provide.
Each hero was unaware of the existence of the other, as they searched the barren wastes for artifacts. They endured
many hardships, fought many devilish creatures, and came close to death on many occasions. However, the power of
Mana trapped in the artifacts had grown strong from centuries of imprisonment. Their immense power seemed to draw
the heroes straight to them and in a short span of only 3 years, almost all of the artifacts were recovered and their
power released. With the return of Mana, and the trapped populations freed, the world prospered and it looked as if
civilization would not only fully recover from the War of Mana, but would advance even further than before.
But all too soon, rumors of the Mana Tree's possible resurrection were hanging on every mouth in the world. Some
rumors said that a special artifact could do it, others suggested it would happen naturally, while more said that a
special person of awesome power could summon the Tree back. Either way, the possibility of seeing a restoration of
the world's Mana source was too good to ignore. To ensure that history would not be repeated, the Rangers were
founded. Their job was to regulate the use of Mana power, to guard against its abuse and to eliminate those that grew
too ambitious for it's power. However, deep in the murky abyss of shadows, an organization that was as old as the
War of Mana itself, known simply as the Empire, grew in strength and looked to claim the power of Mana all for it's
self, once again.
Note: I decided to use both main characters in this story, The guy's name is Elijah, and the girl is Ihrie. This story also
takes place before the end of the game.
Legend of Mana
Odyssey of Shadows
Prelude: Reflection of the Past
There are those that say, "If one doesn't learn from history's mistakes, they are doomed to repeat them." However, there are those that learn from history's mistakes in order to repeat them, but this time, to their own advantage.
Centuries ago, the War of Mana devastated the world. Through constant warfare over the possession of Mana (the source of the worlds magical power and life force), millions died and entire cities were razed to the ground. But even more disastrous was when the Tree of Mana (the source of all Mana power) died, and it's energy started to drain from the world. Many felt that once Mana disappeared, the war would finally end and peace would finally become a reality. However, certain individuals wanted to preserve the power of Mana for themselves. They weaved mighty spells on any
city, town, or land that still had Mana flowing through. These spells severed the cities and lands from the very earth
they inhabited and sealed them into artifacts. Any people caught in these spells were also trapped inside, in a state of
suspended animation. Removal of these lands opened up the vast rivers of magma that flowed under the planet's
crust. The immense heat that was suddenly released caused a massive change in the world's climate; volcanoes and
many natural disasters plagued the Earth. Amidst the chaos only the mightiest of sorcerers were able to safeguard the
last remnants of Mana. But due to their greed they fought each other for further control of the artifacts, while millions
more died.
The War of Mana had ended, but in its place was the War of Possession, as it would later be called. This conflict
lasted for many decades, until the sorcerers grew too old and weak to continue the fight. After their deaths, the world
grew calm and those that had survived the Apocalypse started the long process of rebuilding their old civilization to
what it had been. But the face of the world was now covered in molten lava, barren wasteland and deserts, with very
little room left for humans. With the world finally at peace custody over the artifacts drifted from person to person. Yet
none had the power to release the power in the artifacts as they continued to change ownership, until they were finally
lost in the flow of time.
Many centuries later, although civilization had recovered and much of the planet's surface had healed, the lack of
Mana's power was slowly starting to erode all life away. Males and females became sterile and unable to bear children,
as a result, birthrates dropped and the death rate rose. Widespread disease and plague were claiming even more lives
and traditional medical techniques were becoming less and less effective. Even worst, was the fact that many savage
and deadly creatures were showing up outside of towns and village. These monstrosities preyed on livestock, children,
and anyone unfortunate enough to step outside the safety of their village.
With the evident destruction of all civilized life drawing closer every day, desperate measures were taken. The two
biggest cities left, Baritone and Atlas, each recruited their best soldiers to take part in a series of physical and mental
challenges to decide who would go to search for the world's remaining sources of Mana, the lost artifacts. Each city
conducted these trials without knowing of each other's involvement. After choosing their respective hero, they wasted
no time in outfitting their champions with the best armor and weapons they could provide.
Each hero was unaware of the existence of the other, as they searched the barren wastes for artifacts. They endured
many hardships, fought many devilish creatures, and came close to death on many occasions. However, the power of
Mana trapped in the artifacts had grown strong from centuries of imprisonment. Their immense power seemed to draw
the heroes straight to them and in a short span of only 3 years, almost all of the artifacts were recovered and their
power released. With the return of Mana, and the trapped populations freed, the world prospered and it looked as if
civilization would not only fully recover from the War of Mana, but would advance even further than before.
But all too soon, rumors of the Mana Tree's possible resurrection were hanging on every mouth in the world. Some
rumors said that a special artifact could do it, others suggested it would happen naturally, while more said that a
special person of awesome power could summon the Tree back. Either way, the possibility of seeing a restoration of
the world's Mana source was too good to ignore. To ensure that history would not be repeated, the Rangers were
founded. Their job was to regulate the use of Mana power, to guard against its abuse and to eliminate those that grew
too ambitious for it's power. However, deep in the murky abyss of shadows, an organization that was as old as the
War of Mana itself, known simply as the Empire, grew in strength and looked to claim the power of Mana all for it's
self, once again.