Croix Bartel

"I joined the Grand Bell Knights because I admired the ideals of Metafalica."

- Croix

Croix Bartel (クロア・バーテル, Kuroa Bāteru) (known as Chroah Vatel in the Japanese version) is the main character of the game and a promising young knight who eventually finds himself involved in a battle far beyond his wildest imagination. He adopted a young girl called Cocona that was orphaned because of an IPD outbreak, and ended becoming a big brother for her. Cynthia at the Pastalia weapons shop is extremely fond of him, often giving him recipes that she says are "made with love" and embarrassing him deeply. He usually wears glasses when not fighting due to poor eyesight, but takes them off when he goes into battle, saying in one conversation with Luca that his sight is not so bad that it affects his combat skill and pointing out the risks of his glasses potentially shattering in battle. He becomes caught up in a rapidly-escalating civil war during one of his missions, soon finding himself directly protecting the Holy Maiden of Pastalia and in for an adventure that will decide the fate of the entire world.

=Croix's Story=

Past
Croix was orphaned when he was only 4 years old, Reisha's daughter, Leyka, killed Croix's parents, due to her having IPD. Reisha felt bad and adopted Croix. He lived with Reisha and Luca.

Croix became friends with a boy called Targana, which was one of his classmates in a swordmanship class, and both were regarded as the best ones in the class, though Croix never managed to best Targana. Both had one hideout in the Dreamy Fields, in which both passed their days playing and talking. At one point, Targana revealed to Croix that he was actually Prince Targana, the grandchild of the previous Pope of Metafalss, and there, both made the promise of trying to turn Metafalss into a better place, and try to realize the dream of the green land, Metafalica.

Croix and Reisha's other daughter, Luca, ended having a brotherly relationship, which ended becoming a lover's relationship sometime after Luca began her job as a Dive Therapist. However, their time was cut short because Croix ended passing the tests to become a Grand Bell Knight, and went off to live in the city of Pastalia.

Life as a Grand Bell Knight
Croix quickly made a reputation for himself because of his skills in combat, and because of his calm and cold attitude. Apparently, he was the only knight that never required a Reyvateil partner. He was required to daily train with the other knights, and once, during a training with Captain Leglius, he received a bad blow, and Leglius gave the rest of the day off to him. During his way back home, he encounted the Maiden, Cloche Leythal Pastalia, having one of her secret escapades to the garden of the Grand Bell Palace. Cloche, seeing he was injured, sang a song to heal his wounds, and bandaged one he had on the hand with a handkerchief, asking Croix to keep it afterwards.

Aside from training, Croix also was sent in IPD containment missions, which he particularly hated, because of his past with them. Once, Cloche ordered him to finish the containment at once, and afterwards, focusing in protecting the town, given that the rampaging IPDs had caused a fire in it. Later on, during a particularly bad IPD outbreak, he found an orphaned girl, and worried about her, he asked "Are you hungry?". After this, Croix adopted the girl and began treating her as his own sister. This girl ended being Cocona.

The Game's Story
Croix, now 18, was assigned to protect Lady Cloche, who was staying at Rakshek Resort. Lady Cloche was going to be attacked by IPDs, Coix was able to bring Cocona to help fight. At the Resort, Captain Leglius told Croix the attack was mostly an attack from the Grand Bell's rival the Sacred Army. Croix is ordered by Leglius to take Lady Cloche out of the Resort and bring her to the Coal Lodge in Mikry Forest on the full moon. Croix, Cocona, and Lady Cloche try to escape the Resort, but Shun, the Goddess's messenger, comes to kill Lady Cloche, which leads to a battle. After the battle, they go to the city Rakshek and Croix finds Luca there. After a swabble between Luca and Cloche, Cloche wants to Dive into Croix, dispite Luca being his girlfriend, when the Dive is over Croix suggests that Lady Cloche stays at Luca's house, Luca agrees. On their way, they visit the General Store and Cloche meets Sasha, the usually nasty Cloche turns out to be really nice to Sasha. At Luca's house, the girls take a bath together to increase their power and the group go the Lodge. Lady Cloche suddenly collasps and Croix must administer the life extending agent, Luca's very upset, because she wanted to be Croix's "first". Soon the Sacred Army come to kill Lady Cloche, Luca unleashes her hidden powers and kills the knights, they meet Amarie on their way back to Luca's house. Luca finds out she isn't Reisha's daughter and goes to Enna Palace with Amarie, Croix worried, tries to go, but Captain Leglius says Lady Cloche is more important, but even Cloche wants to go! Chester meets Luca and Amarie at the Palace and leaves Luca totally confused, Croix comes to rescue Luca, after sleep, Luca confesses her feelings to Croix, while Lady Cloche seems rather jealous. Cloche collasps again and the team go to the Ironplate Dessert, where Cocona outbreaks symptoms of IPD. Croix shocked, fights Leglius and other knights, trying to save Cocona. Everyone is takin back to Pastalia and Croix fights Shun again, Lady Cloche's birthday ceremony is coming up and Croix, Amarie, and Luca stay at Croix's house until the ceremony. Luca acts weird and Amarie decides to "stalk" her, Croix joins, while stalking, Croix finds Lady Cloche at the fancy shop and she helps with the stalking too. They find out Luca's trying to go to the Slums, a hideout for IPDs, while there, Luca treats Reine and administers Dive Terapy on her. The ceremony begins, but Luca betrays Lady Cloche by working with the Sacred Army, after the betrayal, they go to the IPD labs and save Cocona, Luca tries to find out about Leyka, but realizes what the Grand Bell is doing and says she hates Lady Cloche. Croix, Cocona, Amarie, and Luca are takin to jail. In jail, Luca tells Croix the truth and breaks up with him, Croix becomes furious and yells at Luca, telling her that a person's feeling shouldn't be tampered with. After he was released from jail, Leglius and Shun gave her two choices: Continue his alliance with Grand Bell to protect and support Lady Cloche or shift his alliance to Sacred Army to fulfill his promise to protect Luca.

During the war, Lady Cloche sing METHOD_REPLEKIA to attack Sol Marta, Luca sing EXEC_HIBERNATION in response, but it's execution was interrupted in progress while Lady Cloche managed to activate Infel Phira, which turns into a cannon that shoots far into the space, but the attack was repelled by Raki. The party engages Raki and managed to turn Replekia's power against her, but Raki defeated the party regardless. When Maiden of Mio were subjected for execution, Jacqli stopped Raki and tells the party to sing Metafalica in response of the impending fall of Metafalss. During the Metafalica's execution, the party fought against Shun, who tries to kill the party when the hymn's execution used too much of Frelia's power. The party stood victorious against Shun, but then the new land claimed someone important to Croix as the Heart of Gaea. The following events depends on the person Croix had choosed to protect, but Jacqli serves as a rival who tries to retrieve the Heart of Gaea for her own agenda. Eventually, Jacqli catched up with the party and sung EXEC_SPHILIA as a means to communicate with the Heart of Gaea, but the guardian was created as a side effect. She takes the Heart of Gaea away when the land began to crumble, but the Crown Prince Targana arrived in time to pick them up from the falling land. Croix's party worked to dispatch Alfman and catch up with Laude and Jacqli, when Jacqli betrayed both Laude and the Grand Bell. Croix's party pursues Jacqli to the Cat Mansion, where she returns the Heart of Gaea to the party.

More coming soon...

Luca's Route
When Luca asked why he was in Sacred Army's aircraft, he tells Luca that he was betrayed by Grand Bell like she did and had promised to protect her.

More coming soon...

Cloche's Route
Croix was specifically assigned to protect Lady Cloche at all cost by Alfman, but Lady Cloche stated that she don't need him, He reveals to him that his "engagement" with Luca was a fabrication all along so she could meet her sister, and that she want to be her. Soon afterward Captain Leglius revealed that Lady Cloche was the one who is responsible for Croix's release, and that she didn't open up to many people because of her status. He gives him a brief insight about his mission, and was later assigned to escort Lady Cloche to retrieve Hymn Crystal Replekia. After that, Croix and Cloche were hanging out during the day before the war.

When Croix had lost her in her due to the Metafalica event. it is revealed that he has fallen in love with her, fully knowing that his knighthood would be revoked should this happens. During one of the 3rd Infelsphere episodes, it is revealed that Lady Cloche also have feelings for Croix. If Croix choose to protect her as his partner, he will confess his feelings to her and she regained her will to live.

To be continued...