Crescent Chronicle

The Crescent Chronicle (クレセントクロニクル) is a facility located at the lower levels of the Ion Plate, and it's one of the most important facilities that keeps the lifestyle of the people in the Third Era. This place, like most of the essential facilities of the First Tower of Ar tonelico, is located behind the Pheyna Gate and protected by the Teru Tribe, so the people of the Wings of Horus can't have access to it.

Origin and Purpose
During the Virus War, the Tower Administrator, Shurelia, and the Mother Virus Mir, were on a long war to decide the fate of the world. However, due to Mir's exceptional abilities, she was capable of reading every and each movement that Shurelia was planning through the Symphonic Power lines that were laid throughout the Tower, thus rendering all of her attacks and strategies useless. Shurelia initially considered completely shutting down the Tower to defeat Mir, but since this would have killed all of the Reyvateils, dropped the Wings of Horus in the Sea of Death and shut down the Musical Corridor, turning Sol Ciel in an uninhabitable place, this possibility was discarded. Then, she assigned a team of engineers to begin debugging the Tower in an attempt to trap Mir, which was also impossible due to Mir's abilities. About to give up, Shurelia remembered she still had one more possibility, and holding the Pentangle that Tastiella De Lu had given her several years ago, she took it to her lips and played it. Tastiella immediately came to her help, and began singing a song, which trapped Mir's body into a case made from Grathnode Crystals.

However, this wasn't enough to stop her: Mir transferred her Soulspace to the Binary Field of the Tower, transformed into a virus called Shadow, and resumed her attacks. Knowing that there wasn't any other way of stopping her, Tastiella and Shurelia designed the Crescent Chronicle, a machine designed to completely stop Mir's mind. The Teru Tribe helped with its construction, and for its final touch, Tastiella sacrificed her life in order to become the main systems that would seal off Mir's mind. Then, the second best Reyvateil in Sol Ciel, Lune, stepped in to become the first Star Singer, and began singing the song that would activate the Crescent Chronicle: EXEC_CHRONICLE=KEY/.. Upon singing it, Mir's consciousness was put to sleep, and Shadow completely disappeared from existence, returning peace to the now-devastated Sol Ciel.

Aurica's Route
After barely escaping alive from a trap set by Bishop Falss; Lyner Barsett, Ayatane Michitaka and Radolf Schnaizen climbed the Tower back to Em Pheyna, where they were shocked to see that the Pheyna Gate had been forced open. They immediately met with the Teru chief, Flute Ross Loria, and with Tastiella, who now existed as a virtual display. Tastiella alerted the group about what the members of the Church of El Elemia were about to awaken, and told Flute to guide them to the Crescent Chronicle. Once there, Tastiella explained that this was the place where Misha used to accomplish her role as the Star Singer before her song was stolen, and guided them further into the place. Once they reached the deepmost room, Tastiella explained the history of the Chronicle and what Mir's actions had caused during the Second Era, how her real body had become the Chronicle and that she had lost most of her memories from the time in which she was still alive. She then explained that Aurica had her Cosmosphere invaded by Mir several times due to having an unpatcheable hole in it, which actually was a reference to both of them having the same Hymn Code due to having similar Spectrum Genes. Ayatane then suggested that Mir most likely would be reborn at the Altar of Apostles, and told them to hurry there.

After Shurelia was possessed by Mir and she took Lyner's father, Leard, as a prisoner, Lyner's group immediately returned to the Chronicle to make sure that Misha was all right. Upon arriving there, they saw Misha standing at the main door of the altar, leaving Lyner astonished to see how she actually looked. Misha then explained that Shurelia had kicked her out from the Chronicle, which led Lyner to realize that Shurelia had been possessed, and he then suggested returning to Platina to make a plan.

Misha's Route
After agreeing to search for Misha's song, a party formed by Lyner, Misha, Jack Hamilton and Krusche Elendia departed from Platina to Em Pheyna in order to collect information. Once there, Tastiella told Lyner that he should know about what was the true function of Misha's song, and asked Flute to guide them to the Crescent Chronicle. When they arrived at the entrance, Misha explained how she had been forced to sing from dawn to dawn, and from winter to winter all the time, and asked Krusche to respect her for all the work she had done protecting the world, and then she threatened to fry her with Song Magic when Krusche retorted sarcastically.

Tastiella then appeared before the group, and guided them further inside the place, although she also gave a little scare to Lyner when he asked why she couldn't walk and why she always was teleporting from a place to other. Once they reached the deepmost room, Tastiella explained the history of the Chronicle and what Mir's actions had caused during the Second Era, how her real body had become the Chronicle and that she had lost most of her memories from the time in which she was still alive. Tastiella also explained that without Chronicle Key, the Chronicle's seal most likely wouldn't last even one more year, and that she would disappear if the place was destroyed. Misha then sobbed that she didn't want to grow, while Lyner, Jack and Krusche left her alone with Tastiella for a moment, and they began wondering who could have stolen the song, and then they found their own answer: Bourd Rade, the second-in-command of Tenba. When they confronted him in Silvaplate, Bourd exclaimed something about Mir's revival, and although they had dismissed him as dead after Misha blasted him with a fully-charged Song Magic, they thought that Tenba was planning something strange, and decided to go to Firefly Alley as fast as they could.

After they recovered Misha's song, the group rushed back to the Crescent Chronicle as fast as they could, since Bourd was ahead of them, and was already preparing for Mir's revival. When they stepped into the Chronicle, they began hearing the echoes of Aurica singing EXEC_LINKER/., and as response to the song, the entire Tower began shaking. This made the group run more frantically, and since Tastiella couldn't come out anymore to open the doors, they had to settle by breaking them open. When they reached the altar chamber, they found Tastiella barely resisting against Bourd's attacks, and they confronted him, initiating a brutal battle. At the end, Bourd was killed, and after a tearful farewell, Misha began singing Chronicle Key once again. This sealed away Mir again and stopped the shaking. Lyner tried to speak with Misha, but because she was so concentrated in singing, she was unable of responding to him. Lyner apologized for not being able to do anything else for her, and promised her that he would return as much as he could to tell her of everything that was happening in the world, of what she was saving with her sacrifice.

However, this was short-lived, since Shurelia was possessed by Mir and she took Lyner's father, Leard, as a prisoner, which caused Lyner's group to immediately return to the Chronicle to make sure that Misha was all right. Upon arriving there, they saw Misha standing at the main door of the altar, who then explained that Shurelia had kicked her out from the Chronicle, which led Lyner to realize that Shurelia had been possessed, and he then suggested returning to Platina to make a plan.

Phase 3
After they obtained the Hymn Crystal Re-Nation, Lyner and his friends returned to Em Pheyna at the behest of Jack, who informed them that Tastiella had something important to tell them. She took them to the altar room of the Crescent Chronicle, and there, she explained many important things: Mir's body was actually in a dormant state right below their feet, and she was in reality a Pureblooded Beta-type Reyvateil. After telling them about what happened during the Virus War, Tastiella explained that Mir wasn't attacking them because of the Tower's suspended state, and that she would begin sending viruses once again as soon as the Tower was rebooted, which would require Misha's singing of Chronicle Key to be supressed. Tastiella advised against awakening Shurelia due to these reasons, but Lyner wouldn't have any of that due to how strongly he felt about all the efforts and sacrifices that Shurelia had made for the world. Tastiella then advised him to make Misha sing while they awakened Shurelia.

Lyner apologized to Misha for forcing her to do what she hated the most, but due to his denseness and lack of appropriate words for the moment, Misha was overcome by sadness and rage, and upon telling him that he only cared for Shurelia and no one else, she ran away from the Chronicle. Lyner chased her all the way to the Pheyna Gate, and there, Misha decided that she would sing for Shurelia's sake. She wanted Lyner to think things through a little more, and asked him to embrace her. Lyner then noticed how Chronicle Key actually wasn't making anyone happy: it was the cause of suffering for both Misha and Mir, and asked himself for who that song actually was. They then returned to the Chronicle, and Misha put herself in standby position for when Shurelia was awakened. Jack questioned this decision, but after hearing Misha's determination, he understood that this was what she wanted. Misha wished luck to Lyner, and the party then left for Platina.

Once Misha heard the echoes of Aurica's singing of EXEC_RE=NATION/., she began singing Chronicle Key again, while thanking Lyner for having granted her freedom, no matter for how short of a time it was. However, this was short-lived as well, since Ayatane, who everyone thought of as dead, reappeared before Misha telling her that her song was beautiful, and precluded her from singing any further.

Upon hearing about this, Lyner and his party rushed to the Chronicle just to find Flute and a few Teru outside of the altar room. Flute informed them about the situation and warned them against confronting Ayatane, which Lyner merely brushed off because he knew him too well. Once inside, Misha ran to Lyner's side, and Lyner explained the reasons why he was glad to know that Ayatane was still alive. Ayatane turned his back to Lyner, calling him sadistic, and after declaring that their friendship would always come after his duty to his Mother, Mir, he jumped and disappeared into the air. It was then that Lyner noticed Mir's presence in the room, represented by large sphere of light, and upon telling him to go away, she launched Lyner to the opposite border of the room. Knowing that the situation had become too dangerous, Radolf advised to retreat for the moment.

They later returned to the Chronicle to fight against Mir, but Tastiella stopped them by showing them that they didn't know anything about Mir's life, motivations or mindset, and that while they fought against her with mere hatred, she wouldn't allow them to enter the altar room. Tastiella explained that Lyner needed to calm down because under that pressure he wasn't even thinking clearly, and told him that she would only open the door once he could answer the following question: "What is the simplest, yet strongest reason for the rise of conflicts?"

Tastiella also told him that guessing was pointless, and the he would need to travel around the world in order to find the answer. Shurelia retorted that this wasn't time for riddles, to which Tastiella agreed, but she also explained that she was near her limit and would never recover completely from this, and she only wanted to finally rest in peace after 400 long years of struggle. However, she restrained from doing so because the main problem with Mir hadn't been solved yet, and told Lyner that if after hearing his answer, she deemed him as the appropriate person for saving the world, she would allow the party to go through.

Bad Ending
Lyner gave up on figuring out the answer to Tastiella's question, and decided to force his way through her to confront Mir. He excused himself by saying that this was for the survival of the world and that he wouldn't allow Tastiella to block his path for no reason. Tastiella retorted that she was doing this for the sake of the world as well, and challenged Lyner to a battle to see how he would behave on his own game. Lyner accepted the challenge, and after a long and tiring battle, he and his friends defeated Tastiella, who gave as a final advice to Lyner that if he actually believed on the path in which he was walking, he should finish this at once; and then disappeared forever. Lyner apologized to Shurelia for having done this, who told him to not worry about her and focus on defeating Mir.

Once the party entered the altar room, they braced themselves and confronted Mir. She called them delusional fools for thinking they could defeat her, and after telling Lyner that their confidence would soon turn into fear, she summoned her ultimate creation: a massive monstrosity that embodied all of the hatred she had for the humans. Lyner and his friends had never fought such a difficult and strong opponent, but after a long battle, they finally prevailed and destroyed the monster, revealing Mir's true form: a girl enshrouded in a barrier of hatred. However, her appearance wasn't enough to dissuade Lyner from continuing the battle, and he and his friends engaged Mir for a final time. Mir initially remarked that both humans and the Reyvateils that sided with them were only foolish creatures that should disappear from the world, but she then asked them what was the point of swords and songs that only harmed others. Lyner replied that these things would allow them to create a world of peace, to which Mir replied that "Peace won through the sword will fall by the sword". Lyner told Mir to shut up about the topic, and she then began attacking, telling him that she would show them no mercy. Despite all of her efforts, Mir wasn't capable of defeating Lyner and his friends, and she finally fell dead to their feet.

The party rejoiced at their victory and the prospect of finally having a peaceful world. However, Lyner still felt some uneasiness, remembering what were the reasons for awakening Shurelia and why they had confronted Mir in the first place, and asking them if what they had done was actually the true solution to the problem. Aurica retorted that they needed to do this for the sake of the world, to which Lyner replied that having killed Mir wasn't at all less selfish than leaving Misha singing forever or leaving Shurelia asleep. Lyner then proceeded to say that the world hadn't changed at all because they never solved the actual root of the problem, but Jack told him that he was thinking too much and that he was spoiling the celebration for everyone else, while Shurelia reminded him of Tastiella's final advice by telling him that he had found his own way of defeating Mir. Radolf reassured him that they had done what they had to save the world, to which Lyner rose his head while saying that they all saved the world...

However, this was no more than a temporary peace, some brief years of calm before the ultimate demise of the world...

True Ending
After having learned everything about Mir's past, and finding her first song, EXEC_HARMONIOUS/., in the depths of the Silver Horn with Ayatane's help, the party returned to the Crescent Chronicle. Once there, Lyner announced to Tastiella that he had found the answer to her question: the main cause of conflicts comes from the people not trying to understand each other, because they don't try to put themselves in the shoes of other people. When they are harmed, they don't try to understand why they were attacked, and retaliate in self-defense. However, if they are capable of realizing why they are being harmed, they might find a better way of dealing with it, one that doesn't require violence.

Tastiella smiled to Lyner, and accepted his answer. He then explained that he had learned everything about Mir and found her very first song, the one that expressed her love for the humans, and he wished to use it to quell her hatred and restore her feelings of hope. Upon hearing this, Tastiella realized how much Lyner had changed, and that if the world's destiny was left in his hands, everything would turn out for the best. She also remarked that she didn't have much time left in the world, but she would watch Lyner's attempts to save it, and opened the door to the altar room. Lyner thanked her for everything she had done until this moment, and he and his friends stepped into the chamber.

Once inside, Radolf expressed his admiration for teaching him about absolute trust in others, while Krusche told him that they would always be friends. Jack reminisced about all the hardships and good times they encountered during their journey, and told him to always do his best. Ayatane thanked Lyner for teaching him that one's birth doesn't matter to real friends, and asked him to please do his best for Mir.

Misha then expressed her guilt for having kept Mir imprisoned during all the time she was singing Chronicle Key, and after asking Mir to fully listen to her singing to her own song, she also asked Lyner to face Mir with everything he had, and began singing Harmonious. Aurica thanked Lyner for allowing her to find her place in the world and making her come out from the shell she had created around herself, while also asking him to do the same for Mir, and give her a life too. Finally, Shurelia thanked Lyner for lifting from her shoulders the burden she had to carry for the 739 years of her life, and also gave him her gratitude for having being born in this world and finding her. Finally Lyner confronted Mir, who summoned her ultimate creation: a massive monstrosity that embodied all of the hatred she had for the humans. Lyner apologized for having to destroy her monstruous shell to convey her their feelings, and toldMir that they wanted to live in peace with her. Lyner and his friends fought the hardest and longest battle of their lives, all while Misha incessantly continued singing Harmonious to remind Mir of the gentle feelings she once had. After a long time, Mir's shell finally vanished, and she revealed her true form: a girl enshrouded in a barrier composed of pure hatred. Lyner was saddened to see Mir's fragile appearance, and walked up to her in order to extend his hand. However, Mir was still filled with hatred and fear, and sent Lyner away with a shockwave. He told his friends to not attack Mir under any circumstances, and reassured her that they just wanted to live with her in this world. Mir was still not convinced by Lyner's actions and words, and she forced them into battle when Lyner tried to reach for her again.

However, Lyner asked his friends to not attack her, no matter what, and that they should focus their attacks only in the shell of hatred surrounding her, while also apologizing for being such a fool, and thanking his friends for staying at his side to the very end. He also warned them that they wouldn't be able of stopping Mir's Song Magic, and that they should prepare for the worst. This battle was shorter than the previous one, but still felt like an eternity for all the people involved in it. Finally, Mir's barrier was broken and she fell to her knees.

Lyner remarked how hard of a life she had, and after shedding a single tear, she began singing a new song, EXEC_RIG=VEDA/.. Everyone who heard the song felt comforted and filled with a gentle warmth, but after a little while, Mir disappeared, going to an unknown place. Outside of the altar room, the party met with Tastiella, who congratulated them for their victory, and thanked them for having made this possible. She then told Misha that she was finally free, and after asking both Jack and Flute to take good care of the Teru, she vanished with a smile on her lips. Then, everyone returned to Platina in order to inform Leard of everything that had happened.

Layout
The Crescent Chronicle is a rather large dungeon composed of several interconnected rooms, although several areas can't be accesed initially, and depending on the route, the player may have problems on going through several of the steel doors, since in Aurica's Route they can't be opened or broken. As a side note, there are also two entrances to Tower Sector A5, although they can't be opened until Phase 3, and still, they have to be broken with Green Magic reinforced with Installs due to their extreme durability.

Treasures

 * RC: Chain 2
 * ASL Circuit
 * RC: Sword 3
 * High Frequency Voice
 * Major Damage +
 * Satisfying Criticals
 * Real Strong
 * RC: Blue Medicine B
 * RC: Resonance Amplifier
 * Healing Jade
 * Brilliant Life Crest (received by talking to Tastiella after answering her question and prior to the final battle)

Phase 2

 * Big Pom (all areas)
 * Vulture (all areas)
 * Bird Master (all areas)

Phase 3

 * Mist Walker (all areas)
 * Garuda (all areas)
 * Hyper Bit (all areas)
 * Big Guarder (all areas)
 * Satellite Star (all areas)
 * Beast Lord (all areas)
 * Bird Lord (all areas)
 * Mech Lord (all areas)

Boss Battles

 * Bourd (2nd battle, only in Misha's Route)
 * Tastiella (only in the Bad Ending)
 * Shadow Mir (final boss battle)
 * Mir (final boss battle)