Stairway to Fallen Heaven

The Stairway to Fallen Heaven is the pathway that connects the Eternus Shaft to the Fallen Heaven Peak, and it's also a walkway that interconnects the two main peaks of the Great Fang: the Blue Heaven Peak and the Fallen Heaven Peak. Its English name comes from the fact that the last stretch of the road is a large natural stairway.
==History==
Upon first arriving at this place, the group formed by Aoto, Luphan, Tatsumi and Finnel saw how Hikari Gojo, Saki and a muscular man were being attacked by Mute and her cohorts. Aoto stepped in to help. Mute then took notice of their presence, and after getting quite insulted by Aoto's words and what happened after their last encounter, she attacked them.
However, the result was the same as the last time, and although Mute was astounded at Aoto's strength, she couldn't do anything and was forced to withdraw from the area. Hikari Gojo thanked them for their help, and explained that the airship they were using to head to Ciela Gate was seized by Clustania's forces and they were forced to land in this place. The muscular man then thanked them for the help, while Tatsumi introduced him as Reverend Gengai, his mentor. Gengai raised his eyebrows upon seeing Aoto, but then just told him he heard that he had been a good friend to Tatsumi, and asked him to continue being so in the future.
Tatsumi then asked about his condition after Soma's recent attack, but Gengai just brushed it off as an small wound and told him to not worry. Tatsumi then declared he would never forgive Soma, which shocked Finnel for some reason. Gengai then told the party to hurry up to the Fallen Heaven Peak with them, but in that moment, Finnel noticed that Luphan was gone. Gengai told her to not worry about it, as that was typical of him. Aoto pressed the issue further, to which Gengai responded that whenever he reappeared, he came back with the lastest inside info from Clustania; and aside of that, he was far more worried at the moment for whatever the Clustanians were plotting. Then, the party moved on.
However, before continuing, Saki took a little time to thank Aoto for having saved her twice now, which made Finnel stare at them both.
While they were on their way to the Fallen Heaven Peak, Aoto and company caught the glimpse of a group of Clustanian airships firing their beam cannons at the place, practically destroying the entire community at the top. Gengai told the party they were too late, and that they should just get away as soon as possible.
Upon arriving at the base of the stairway, they saw the survivors of the Cleansing running away as fast as they could. Gengai then stopped one of these and asked about the current situation: the man reported that the Peak was completely besieged, and anyone who tried going back there would get killed. Upon being asked where they were running to, the man replied that he and the other survivors were going to plead the Clustanians to be Purified. Saki and Finnel were left at a loss when they heard the word, to which Hikari Gojo explained them that it meant the complete brainwashing of the people affected: they would be turned into mere shells that would just obey the Clustanians. This enraged Aoto due to this meaning that they were basically giving up their lives, to which the man replied that they didn't have any other choices, and that they would be able to live a peaceful life if they went through with the Purification. Gengai scolded them for believing these lies, but the man retorted that he failed at saving them, and that he couldn't even ensure their safety if they chose to stay in the Peak. Upon hearing this, Tatsumi stepped in, furious due to how ungrateful these people were being, to which the man replied that no matter how charismatic Gengai was, he would become nothing once the Fallen Heaven Peak was gone, and he and his companion ran away, prompting Tatsumi to declare them as an "utter boo", and leaving Gengai feeling down.
Once they arrived at the ruins of the former community, they encountered Luphan surveying the situation. He had gone back to this place because he felt the town had gotten very noisy, but he was too late to do anything. Aoto saw the results of the Cleansing with horror and fury, to which Finnel suggested to scour the area for survivors, which Hikari Gojo agreed with. However, before they could start their search, they were attacked by a group of zombie-like people, which Gengai explained that were afflicted by the terminal stages of the Border Disease. Their minds were already gone, and the only way to deal with them was killing them. Aoto objected against having to fight against normal people, to which Gengai had to reply that these creatures weren't human anymore.
After a hard battle, they managed to slay these zombies, to which Tatsumi had to agree that they weren't human anymore. Hikari Gojo then explained that some could end up adjust to the symptoms and continue living as normal while enjoying some benefits like increased physical strength, but most people would just become feral beasts like them, to which Gengai added that no still knew what was the actual cause. Luphan then suggested to proceed with the search for survivors to the Cleansing.
Upon advancing a little more into the ruins, they were spotted by two soldiers belonging to the Great Fang Militia, and as they approached, all of the survivors gathered, which pleasantly surprised Gengai. Tatsumi explained to Aoto that the Great Fang Militia was a grassroots force organized to resist Clustania's dictatorial regime, and that the Fallen Heaven was actually a gigantic underground community led by Gengai.
Gengai then advised the civilians to relocate to a safer place, but one of the soldiers then announced that they were planning an assault on the Tower itself, as they were enraged over the destruction of their communities and the death of several of their comrades and family members. Gengai told them that he knew very well how they all felt, but that they should hold their anger for the time being, as trying to attack in such away would just lead them to wasting their lives. Instead, they should be preparing for the day in which they would actually bring down Clustania. That their lives were spared at the expense of others, and that's why they should treasure them over everything else. The people cheered Gengai after this, which made Saki remark on how charismatic he was and Finnel say that he was pretty cool.
Gengai then called Luphan so they both would head back to Eternus Shaft to gather the Great Fang Coalition in an assembly, which would serve to discuss their strategies for their final war against Clustania. He then ordered Tatsumi to stay at the Fallen Heaven Peak for the night, and told Saki to come with them both, as she was still on Clustania's aim. Upon hearing this, Aoto decided to go with them too. Gengai told him he was quite strong for a boy his age, but that he still was inexperienced. Gengai then told him that he heard about he giving up Saki to the Clustanians once, and although he felt sorry for him, he didn't stand the bravado of any wannabe heroes. Aoto then declared that he wanted to fight, and to protect Saki with his own hands. Gengai reminded him that doing this would put his own life in danger, to which Aoto replied that he didn't care about that, as he would continue living on to protect Saki. Gengai couldn't do much upon seeing his determination, and advised him to first go back to his hometown and tell his family that he would be joining the war. He would be allowed to take Saki with him until he was ready to join the front. Then, he advised everyone to get some rest for the next day.
That night, Saki apologized to Aoto for everything that had happened that day, to which he replied that she shouldn't worry about it, and that he had already promised to protect her. Aoto then revealed to Saki that he had lost his parents when he was still a child and was adopted by his boss at the Blue Canyon Hamlet. Not only Steeps: actually, all of the inhabitants in the Hamlet had helped in his raising. Then, around a month ago, Tatsumi had come to the village and Aoto had the chance of making a friend of his own age, although Tatsumi's head was always filled with V-Boarding. He then asked about Saki's former job as a caretaker, and if she used to work at a pre-school or something. Saki answered that yes, and that she used to tell them picture stories about all sorts of things, mainly fairytales. However, the principal died shortly before she had to go in hiding, which left her very bitter about the fact that she couldn't even say goodbye to the children. Saki then remembered that someone led her to hide, to not get ever caught by the Clustanians, and to never look back, but she couldn't remember who he was. Aoto guessed that person must have been Kiraha, to which Saki replied she still hadn't been able to remember anything about him, and that everytime she used her Miracle power, part of her precious memories was wiped off. This made her afraid of someday forgetting everything, even the children she used to take care of. Aoto advised her to not use these powers anymore, and that he would do his best to keep her safe. He then vowed to take her back to her hometown of Ogai, which Hikari Gojo had told him it was located inside the city of Archia, at the lower areas of the Third Tower. Saki then told him how glad she was to have him at her side, and asked him to please promise her that he would actually do it.
Outside the tent, Tatsumi began practicing his V-Board tricks and maneuvers. He did pretty well, but unfortunately he slipped up when he was landing back from a jump, and ended crashing near the river. There, Gengai told him laughing that he still needed practice, and if that was everything he had gotten from his training, to which Tatsumi told him he was still harsh as ever. Gengai then announced this was his final lesson in V-Boarding. Upon seeing Tatsumi's puzzled expression, Gengai told him he had a lot of talent and that he wished he could teach him more, but he couldn't because of the war beginning. Tatsumi told him to not worry, and that he would find his own way to become a V-Board champion. He also told him he had to head for the Tower, as he had searched through all the Great Fang for an specific person, but he never managed to find her. Gengai warned him it wasn't still time and that things were too dangerous to do it right now, to which Tatsumi reminded him that it had been that way during a long time, and most likely it wouldn't change for a good stretch of time. He had already lost his patience and while he felt bad about having to disobey Gengai, he didn't have any other choice. Gengai then offered him joining the Great Fang Militia, which would allow him to proceed to Ciela Gate, and then cross over to the Tower. That would allow him to get closer to Clustania and accomplish that goal more easily. Gengai ordered him first to head to the Blue Canyon Hamlet with Aoto and the others, and then gave him a V-Boarding magazine as a prize for completing his training, which contained articles that would help him to come up with new tricks. Gengai then decided to get going, while Tatsumi wished him the best. However, before departing, Gengai told him to be careful, as his real voice was coming back.
After taking up a mysterious medicine, Tatsumi got back to his own tent, and prepared to get some sleep, but in that moment Finnel appeared before him. Tatsumi told her to leave him if she didn't have anything to talk about, as he wanted to go to sleep. Finnel asked him to become her friend, to which Tatsumi refused, as he wasn't interested in people. Finnel then questioned him about Aoto, to which Tatsumi answered that he didn't really consider him a friend, but more like someone to who he owed quite a few favors, especially for showing him good places to practice V-Boarding. Then, he asked Finnel to go back to her tent, as they wouuld have to wake up early next morning to head back to the Eternus Shaft. Finnel then decided to lie to Tatsumi to make him her friend, and said she loved V-Boarding too. This caught Tatsumi off-guard, but then he decided to ask Finnel if he wanted to try V-Boarding here, as the weather made it feel different from how it was at the Blue Canyon Hamlet or Eternus Shaft. Finnel declined, as she didn't feel right if she wasn't using her own board. Tatsumi then decided to ask what V-Board model she used, to which Finnel began replying with the names of all sorts of vehicles, which made Tatsumi suspect she was actually lying. Finnel then asked Tatsumi if he was intending to enter the V-Board Grand Prix over at Archia, to which he said he most likely wouldn't be able, as there were many things happening at the moment. However, he'd do it someday and win the first place, which would allow him to get the best V-Board at the moment: the Hayabusa 883, which he would then give to Gengai as a replacement for the dodgy board he had been using for years. This would be his way of paying back everything Gengai had done for him. Finnel then told him she would be rooting for him, and asked him if he would be willing to give her an autograph if he won and became famous, to which Tatsumi said it would be okay. Finnel then tried to ask him one more thing, but Tatsumi just told her to go sleep already, and took her out from his tent. She told herself she was a chicken for failing to ask him again, and that she wouldn't fail again.
The next morning, the party reassembled at the entrance of the Fallen Heaven Peak. Just when they were preparing to depart for Eternus Shaft, Luphan reappeared to the surprise of everyone, who thought that he was with Gengai. Luphan just replied that he decided to stay for a while longer to investigate and seek for a way to defeat Clustania amidst the wreckage and the corpses. He then said goodbye to everyone, and they departed.
In the middle of their journey, Aoto noted on how the Clustanians hadn't attacked them yet, which prompted him to remark that most likely they still hand't noticed their presence. Tatsumi told him to not lower his guard, as they could be still in the area looking for Saki. Hikari Gojo then noted that it was getting late, and advised to rest for today to avoid having to journey through the mountains in the middle of then night. Aoto agreed with him, and they set up a camp.
That night, Aoto had trouble sleeping for some reason, but he suddenly felt an strange presence. Upon going outside to look, he noticed that Soma was awaiting for him. He began screaming to alert everyone, but Soma simply jumped down to a nearby cliff, which made Aoto follow her. The rest of the party arrived shortly later, noticing that Aoto was gone, and made Tatsumi remark on how stupid he was for following Soma. Aoto cornered Soma in the middle of the mountains, to which she replied that she was awaiting for him. Aoto asked her what she meant with this: killing him, capturing Saki, or massacring all of the party members? Soma merely replied that despite how important Saki's capture was to Clustania, that wasn't her mission neither her concern: that her duty was environmental control, and that she formely had never failed in her mission. However, lately she had been failing because she was unable to concentrate, all due to a certain idiot that wasn't doing her job despite already having located the Tesseractal Self-Stabilizing Nuclear Loop. Aoto was only puzzled upon hearing that term, to which Soma told him it was something he didn't need to know. He then announced Soma that he would defeat her, but Soma just warned that if he tried to do that, she would kill him. And anyway, the reason for her appearance wasn't killing anyone, it was to ask him a favor: that for Finnel's sake, he and Tatsumi should reach Clustania alive, and as soon as possible. Aoto smelled this was a trap that involved Finnel's life, and despite committing idiocies every now and then, he wasn't gullible enough to fall for that. Soma laughed, and asked if he would be able to continue saying these words after witnessing something. She then said goodbye and transformed back... into Finnel.
Aoto was left shocked, and Finnel collapsed right before him. At that moment, the rest of the party found them. Saki was relieved to find them safe, while Tatsumi asked where Soma went, and what happened to Finnel. Finnel awakened at that moment, which prompted Hikari Gojo to ask if she was okay, and if Soma had done anything to her. Finnel was confused and couldn't really answer, until Aoto stepped in to tell him that Finnel had gone around walking half-asleep. He then told everyone that he thought she was Soma because of that, and that maybe he was half-asleep too. Aoto just remarked on how clumsy Finnel was, and asked her to not walk around at night. Finnel got angry upon hearing this, and called him a jerk. Hikari Gojo interrupted their little quarrel, and told them he was glad that Soma actually didn't come to where they were. Finnel then apologized and told Aoto she didn't intend to scare him. Hikari Gojo then advised everyone to go back to the camp and resume their rest.
Upon hearing that Finnel was still missing from the Yokkora Bistro, Aoto ran back to this place to search for her, and found her gazing at the stars above. Finnel was surprised to see him, to which he remarked they had been searching for her all day. He then told her to disappear like that without telling anyone. She began trying to say sorry, but then changed to tell him she wasn't a child and that she could go anywhere whenever she wanted. Aoto then decided to ask her what she was doing in such a dangerous place, to which she answered she was looking at the stars. This was her hobby, and she revealed she also knew a bit about the unique type of astrology used in Sol Cluster since ancient times: Starcircling, which allowed the diviner to see if people were connected by destiny through their True Name and birth date. Finnel then pointed him at a star in the center of the sky, called Hishouten, which was where all the readings in Starcircling began, and asked him for his birth month, which Aoto told her it was December. Finnel then explained that each month had the name of one of Ar Ciel's deities: December had Suzunomiya, while Finnel's own birth month, March, had Soutentei. She then explained that each reading followed a path of stars whose length depended on the number of letters in that person's True Name, and the star in which you ended was your Destiny Star. Knowing the Destiny Stars of two people allowed you to see their destinies. This impressed Aoto quite a bit, and Finnel explained that had been doing this since she was a child, as the stars always cheered her up whenever she was sad.
Aoto went next to her to see the stars, and remarked on how beautiful they were, capable of even making one forget all the sadness that existed in the world, and then asked her to return to the party, as they were all worried for her. Finnel then tried asking him if he really knew about what happened the other night, and Aoto confirmed that indeed he knew that Clustania's deadliest assassin was a actually a clumsy crybaby. This made Finnel break down and beg him to not reveal it to anyone. Aoto asked her if she was hiding anything else, and asked her to tell him the truth, as he didn't even know what was the truth or in who he should trust. Finnel then revealed to him that she actually had been living in Clustania until around a month ago, and that she also had other people living in her mind. Aoto immediately caught on that she was similar to Saki on this aspect, and decided to ask her why she attacked them while under Soma's form, and what was the item that Soma was seeking. Not even Finnel herself knew the answers to these questions, which left Aoto shocked. Finnel then screamed that she wasn't Soma because she wanted, and that actually she despised the sole idea of being the responsible of killing others, or causing trouble to the people she actually cared for. And to make matters worse, there were times in which Soma could come out without regard of all the strength that Finnel pulled to supress her. This always had her terrified, and there were even times in which she wanted to kill herself to put an end to this madness.
Aoto understood her suffering, and told her that she didn't want to tell him anything if she didn't want to, and offered himself to comfort her whenever she thought this was too overwhelming for herself. He then promised to keep this a secret from everyone. He was surprised to learn that Finnel was a Clustanian, but told her that he wouldn't hold any grudge towards her for it. Finnel then asked him to allow her to be at his side for a little more time. She didn't want to feel alone or scared anymore, and wanted Aoto to always be at her side, to which he complied. However, he put the condition that she would have to become his servant for it: obey all his orders until the day in which he dismissed her. He then made her swear her undying loyalty to him. Aoto then told her that in exchange for this, he would be looking into the Soma problem further to help her whenever he had some time. Aoto then advised her to go back to the others, but before going back, Finnel asked him if he would be interested in getting his Starcircling reading. Aoto refused, as the True Name was something that shouldn't be revealed to anyone but one's family members or significant other. Finnel understood, and added that given many stars weren't visible from where they were at the moment, the reading would get distorted. Aoto then went ahead, as Finnel wanted to be left alone for a little more to calm herself down. Aoto agred, and told her to not take too long. However, during the time she was alone, Soma spoke to Finnel, asking her if she didn't want to continue living. She then chastised Finnel for falling in love with Aoto, as she was supposed to be alone. Finnel denied this, but Soma replied that she knew what she was actually feelings, and the reason behind her revealing their identity to Aoto. Finnel was enraged to hear she had done this in purpose, which Soma said it was to save them all in the future, and so he wouldn't come out hurt from this. She then told Finnel that she expected a lot from Aoto for their sake, but if he turned out to be useless, she would personally dispose of him. Finnel broke down, asking why she had to be so cruel if they were different sides of the same person, but Soma remained silent... She then returned to Eternus Shaft, to meet up with the rest of the party.
==Layout==
Although slightly longer than the Blue Heaven Trail, this place shouldn't pose many problems to properly explore and find all the treasures. Its only actual defining feature is the large stairway at the end, leading into the Fallen Heaven Peak. However, keep on mind that you will have a boss battle as soon as you enter this place for the first time, so make sure to take your precautions.
===Maps===
Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 1.jpg|Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 1
Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 2.jpg|Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 2
Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 3.jpg|Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 3
Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 4.jpg|Stairway to Fallen Heaven Map 4 (Fallen Heaven Peak)
==Treasures==
*Rare Metal
*?Fan?
*?Dice?
*B-Good β
*?Shiny Heavy Armor?
*?Whistle Missile?
*Snake Eyes Plate
*?Semi-Pro V-Board?
*Rare Metal
*?Fancy Scarf?
Number of Treasure Chests in this Area: 10
==Enemies==
*Pom (until Phase 3)
*Cherry Pom (until Phase 3)
*Metal Pom (until Phase 3)
*Flame Hound (until Phase 3)
*Greater Wolf (until Phase 3)
*Snow Stalker (from Phase 4 onwards)
*Mock Wolf (from Phase 4 onwards)
*Roc (from Phase 4 onwards)
*Mini Falcon Hawk (from Phase 4 onwards)
*Treant (until Phase 3)
*Doll Model B (from Phase 4 onwards)
*Doll Model B-G (from Phase 4 onwards)
Number of Random Encounters in this Area: 5
Encounter Probability: Middle
==Bosses==
*Mute and Light RT A x 3
*Ultimate Border Human x 3
==Talk Topics==
*It's Saki's Fault...
*Way Too Big
Category:General Information
Category:Geography
Category:Dungeons:Ar tonelico Qoga
Category:Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel