Welcome to Arcadia

Once upon a time in a paradise within the painted scroll, the vacant divine throne smiled, awaiting those who seek godhood to don their masks and entertain the masses. Amidst the scorching fires of the cosmos, the god is nowhere to be found, but THEY left a reward for those who desire Elation... "One Minute of Godhood".

Having politely declined Jade's alliance proposal, the Astral Express accepted her alternative offer and set course for Himeko's homeland, Planarcadia, to resupply. The realm happened to be experiencing a full Phantasmoon, and a ceremony called the "Phantasmoon Games" is about to begin. The victor will be granted an audience with the Aeon of Elation and share THEIR authority for one minute. Himeko invited you to explore on your own terms and decide whether, and how, to plunge into the grand "Phantasmoon Games."

After arriving at Planarcadia, Sparkle disguised herself as a tour guide and led you on an exploration. She revealed the rules of the "Phantasmoon Games": eight Supplicants must accumulate "Wishpower" to compete for a chance to meet the Aeon of Elation. You're ambushed by a furbo paparazzo who tried to snap photos of you. Later, at the plaza, you met a likely rival of the Express Crew in the Phantasmoon Games: Sparxie. After inciting her fans against the Crew, she made a quick escape upon the arrival of Security Officer Kuchiba.

Himeko and Welt visited Pearl, representing the Astral Express in declining the alliance. They emphasized that the Trailblaze must remain independent, but offered to become a sail, working together in cooperation. Meanwhile, Pearl, holding three Masks of Elation, planned to wield the IPC's resources and influence to steer the course of the Phantasmoon Games. In the face of Sparxie's threats, Himeko asked you to head to Graphia Academy and retrieve a Mask of Elation that had been handed down through the Graphia family for generations.

At Graphia Academy, you fell into Sparxie's "Cognition Modification" and were forced to experience a false school life. Sensing anomalies, you teamed up with March 7th to find Ms. Dollie, only to discover that Sparxie had already swindled the Mask from the Graphia family while impersonating you. In the nick of time, Evanescia pulled you into the Phantasmoon Courtyard and struck a deal to lend you her power. Thus, you gained a raccoon mask.

On Yao Guang's orders, Tingyun made contact with the Synwish Syndicate under the guise of the "Xianzhou's Number One Assassin" to gather intel. Aided by Dan Heng and Sunday, she secured a meeting with the boss and learned of their plan to sponsor a Supplicant in hopes of revitalizing the gang. Yao Guang's divination revealed that "an Arbiter General will fall" in Planarcadia. Seizing this chance, she gave Sunday a mask and made him a Supplicant, a calculated bid to carve out a sliver of hope for a breakthrough.

Silver Wolf arrived at the Ashen Detective Agency searching for the stolen mask, offering her own bounty as payment to commission Ashveil to investigate. After taking the assignment, Ashveil secretly contacted Pearl, leaking information about the Stellaron Hunter's whereabouts. Eavesdropping on the call, Silver Wolf discovered that Pearl had other masks in her possession.

Sparxie had completed the "roll-call," and now she needed to pull off a "miracle" to seize the spotlight. Sparkle suggested heading to the "World's End" Tavern to investigate Sparxie's intentions, leaving behind a riddle as a hint to the tavern's location. You and Himeko headed to Dovebrook District, took over a magazine office run by furbos, and tried to find the entrance to the tavern.

You and Himeko followed Sparkle into the "World's End" Tavern to investigate Sparxie and the memetic virus she's using to control Graphia Academy. In the "Golden Confessional," aided by Sampo, you unearthed Sparxie's hidden troubles. At "Fatal Joke," Zhongshan revealed the root cause of Sparkle's desire for attention, and the solution to purge Sparxie is to "cremate Sparkle." Sparkle refused to sacrifice herself and headed to the storage area to retrieve the "Anti-Sparkle Weapon," but walked right into Sparxie's trap. Ultimately, you obtained the memetic weapon "Banana," bestowed by Aha as your counter-measure, and rushed toward Graphia Academy for the final showdown.

Through the Eye of Īśvara, Yao Guang had foreseen Planarcadia's coming catastrophe, and fears that donning the mask seals destiny itself. To overturn the fate of Finality, Yao Guang aimed to draw the Aeon of Elation into rewriting the future. To counter Sparxie, you recovered the fragmented imagenated landscape mural "Worldbreaker Waves" at Graphia Academy, using the waters of Dovebrook within to save the Sparxified students and unveil the secrets of the old classroom's lingering ghosts and the Herald of Death. Ultimately, Sparxie was defeated, yet mysteries surrounding Himeko's past and the challenges of a new round of Phantasmoon Games quietly emerged.

A brutal murder rocked the Synwish Syndicate headquarters. The perpetrator's methods mirrored that of the Herald of Death perfectly. Among the victims was an IPC employee, Lyndon Skott. To honor his fallen friend, Ashveil accepted Pearl's proposal and joined the Phantasmoon Games to maintain order. Using the secret of "creating an independent plane" as leverage, Silver Wolf struck a deal with Pearl for the mask. In the Phantasmoon Courtyard, all eight masks had now emerged, and every Supplicant for this round of games had been chosen.