Players awoke in The Golden City in the prologue. But unlike the previous game run by the Dark Beasts, the city is now engulfed in flames, and utterly destroyed. Upon waking up, players are also welcomed by the Dark Beasts, but they've been petrified to stone.
Through the smoke and flames come two ebony Gods who explain to the players that they've been selected to enter Athena's Gate, a gate that would lead away from your dying world. Earth as you knew it would not last longer, and the Gods, Salem and Thorne were offering you a chance to leave your world behind before it's too late. The catch? They explained the gate is a game that must be beat in order to escape Earth and make it to somewhere safe, free of the suffering mortals had grown used to. They wouldn't explain where the gate led to, and despite all your questions you shot out like bullets at them.. They left you with unfulfilling answers. Salem indulged you with only one genuine response: “If you enter the gate,” he said, “The game will eventually answer all your questions.”
They did, however, explain the five Spirit Groups: Those branded with the red rune were given Ignis’ powers to wield the fire and electricity; those branded with the yellow rune were given Vita’s gift of healing and command over plants and animals; those with the green rune were given Terra’s powers to shape the earth at a whim and generate weather; those branded with the blue rune were given Aqua’s powers to control liquids and ice; and finally, those that were branded with the purple rune were given Ventus’ powers to manipulate light and shadows to your will.
OBJECTIVE 1
Upon entering the gate, players awoke in The Half-Lit Forest with their team. A very dark, grim forest that seemed to be stuck in night. Fireflies illuminated the paths of the forest. Salem and Thorne instructed the players the explore the forest before disappearing. The players, confused, begrudgingly followed the orders.
During their travels, the teams met the Tortured Spirits.
The spirits claimed to be the game’s long-forgotten players. The main spirit, Lyssa, explained that long ago her and the other spirits were called to The Golden City by a previous gamemaster. That they were offered immortality if they could win a game, beating the four rounds the game hosted. Lyssa further explained that none of the mortals truly knew what they were getting into, and that perhaps their selfishness was their downfall. The gamemaster set them all up for failure game after game, fooling the mortals into believing they had a chance at immortality and sending them into a game they would never win, just for the gamemaster's entertainment. All previous players died in the game, entrapping them in it forever as Tortured Spirits. They left the players with a daunting task: to return light to The Half-Lit Forest. Should they fail to, then they, too, would meet the same fate as the spirits.
And so the players continued on with their exploration. Exploring areas such as : The Pool of Sorrows, The Chasm, Lights End and The Boneyard.
Eventually each team found an item that drew them to it, and put them through a trial of a lifetime. These items compelled the teams to collect them, after undergoing a brutal trial to obtain it.
When seven items were in a players’ possession, the forest, discontent, and launched an attack, sending thick black tar into the forest floors, flooding the forest. The tar forced all the teams to the highest peak in the forest: the cliffs.
The eighth item was collected last, and given to River and Ettin by the Tortured Spirit Lyssa. She told them to hide it from the brothers, for she feared they might use it for something bad.
OBJECTIVE 2
Players found sanctuary atop the cliffs, where the twins, unsettled by the forest’s strength, were already waiting for them. Justifiably, the players demanded answers from the twins. No more would the players accept being in the complete dark.
Salem stepped up to answer the players' questions. He explained that he and his brother are from a place known as Arcadia, an alternate world where element-wielding Gods and Goddesses live and protect the elements from malicious forces. He explained that the gate was created long ago by Arcadia's Queen, Athena. The gate the players entered was Athena's Gate, and The Golden City was her creation. A place where she could host her game. Corrupt and sadistic, Athena made the games to entertain herself as players suffered from the false hope she buried in their minds. Hope that they could beat the game, become immortal and live in Arcadia. Little did her players know that these were all lies. Athena gave them no chance at beating the game, and game after game, all the players would die.
Salem went on to explain that him and his brother came to Earth to right her wrongs. Athena had besmirched their world’s foundation – run it so far into the ground -- that even Earth felt the impact of her crookedness. Her games were the start of Earth’s downfall.
Salem told players that the relics they collected would restore light to the forest, that if light fully drained from the forest everyone would die. He told players that they kept them in the dark about this so they could feel the confusion and torture the spirits did; to understand what Athena did.
He wanted to say more, but their sanctuary was already being overrun by the oozing liquid. From the north came a tar wave — no, a tsunami — and it would stop at no cliff. Thorne, who had been silent up until then, ordered everyone inside a crack in the cliff that he created himself – liberation from their impending doom.
Salem began ushering players inside, and Thorne told his brother to get in before it was too late. Salem refused to until every player was inside. Everyone made it in.
Except for Salem.
Salem fcollected himself too late, and the tsunami swallowed the God whole. The players could only watch helplessly as Salem met his demise. When the last bit of his limbs had been swallowed by the tar, Thorne rounded on the players, glowering down at them with all the world’s hatred in his blazing eyes as if to blame the mortals for his brother’s fate. But before he could, falling rocks made a wall between him and the players. The players were left again, confused as ever.
The cave they found themselves in had a lit path of shiny blue crystals, and so they chose to follow it. What other option did they have?
Inside the cave, players stumbled across a dead end. It was dimly lit, until one player stepped forward. Suddenly the dead end came to life; unlit crystals suddenly lit and the cave wall in front of them began to etch a puzzle into the wall.
Players were left confused, but knew one thing: In order to pass through the dead end, they would have to solve whatever the puzzle was telling them.
When the players began to surround the etching, specifically the players carrying relics, the wall churned to life. Before players knew it, the wall emit a powerful shockwave that sent them all flying backwards, throwing dirt, dust and debris to the air.
When the cloud of dirt subsided, the players were able to observe the sketch on the wall in all its glory. Certain areas seemed to glow more than others, and certain areas seemed to crack while others did not.
Suddenly the ground shook and revealed a new passageway opened up under the mural. A small, dark tunnel, big enough for one player to fit in at a time.
Who knew where the tunnel led to? But certainly it had to lead somewhere, and so the players began to enter. They had no other choice. Smart players would not forget what the wall showed though. The puzzle was too easy... there had to be more to it, right?
OBJECTIVE 3
They tumbled out of the tunnel into an open clearing. The dull roar of a waterfall to one side and a forest of pine trees to the other, a soft murmur of wind snaked through their pelts, welcoming the players to the scene. After expressing thanks to whatever being led them here, players started noticing peculiar landmarks scattered throughout the clearing: exquisite pedestals, some lopsided, others upright in the lush grass. Some investigated the podiums, perplexed by their existences. Others noticed another uncanny landmark near the waterfall's pool, shrouded by the light mist and dripping with beads of water.
A statue. All white except for golden accents, some declared instantly it was Queen Athena, petrified like the Dark Beasts from before. But unlike the Dark Beasts, this statue exuded power. Players knew it couldn't mean well.
Before players could inspect the Queen further, their attentions were stolen by a blue light. The Tortured Spirit Lyssa appeared to them, her eyes in a frenzy, but for reasons unbeknownst to the players. Was time up? Had the Half-Lit Forest lost its remaining light? Lyssa cried out to the players: "Hurry!" and begged them to complete the final puzzle before time expired, or else they'd all pay with their lives.
What puzzle could she mean? Where were the pieces? Players were baffled, but nonetheless moved with a purpose as they put the pieces together before it was too late.
Little by little, the players began to figure out the puzzle's secrets. Some had the notion to place the relics atop the pedestals, and seeing as no one else had any bright ideas, they went along with it. One by one the relics were placed, and as each found its place atop a podium, Lyssa's demeanor darkened. Her face twisted into a sneer as players placed the last one, and at last she looked to River just as her bird skull necklace began to glow a sickly orange hue. It lifted itself off River and floated towards the relics, and then suddenly -- it blackened. Lyssa's spirit began to contort in concurrence with the necklace, bursting with white light as, within seconds, she took another form. Her ghostly form was no more, replaced by a russet-colored pelt and devilish blue eyes. Players looked on perplexed, but quickly realized she was no longer a Tortured Spirit.
The players knew this much: Lyssa had betrayed them.
What they hadn't realized was that Lyssa used them as pawns to the prophecy, it wasn't until that moment that the players realized the drawing back in the cave were a warning. A prophecy. She told them of Athena's prophecy and explained how they'd played right into it without a second thought, giving Athena exactly what she wanted: her revival.
Suddenly the earth began quaking, and it seemed to emanate from around Athena's statue. Rain suddenly gushed from angry clouds, drenching the players' in a harsh downpour. Deafening thunder echoed all around them, reverberating off the cliff's walls in an endless roar. Lightning split the sky in the distance, and all players could ask was: Where had this storm come from?
Lightning struck the ground in front of Athena's statue, creating a blinding light that made players turn their heads. Through the billowing smoke was a set of malicious amber eyes. Some think they belong to Thorne, but others know better.
The Queen in all her glory stood behind the dissipating wall of smoke, glowing with a heavenly light. Her massive golden wings blocked the moon.
Shouts of disapproval and anger reached her ears almost immediately. Lyssa was taken aback by the chaos, but Athena was unfazed. Queens dealt with protests frequently. Some attacked the Queen, but it hardly made a difference to her. Their claws, their Beast-given powers were all useless against her armor-like skin.
Then Thorne made his grand entrance, and bellowed at the players that they were mistaken to resurrect her and trust the Tortured Spirits.
Athena left them with a choice: fight for her right to the throne, or fight for Thorne and perish alongside him in a fiery pit of despair.
Which would you choose?
War broke out almost instantaneously.
Those who sided with Athena challenged those backing Thorne, splitting up teams and shattering relationships with a simple vow. Yowls louder than the thunder filled the air as cats professed their loyalties to either side. Some clung to the shadows, fearful of the conflict's consequences, only concerned for their own preservation.
The battle was fought and was an onslaught. Athena's forces were far too outnumbered and the Queen herself was weakened. Thorne came out victorious. Sending Athena back to her crypt where she belonged. The battle might have been won, but Thorne knew the war was not over.
The players were left with a choice: purify the Half-Lit Forest through fire, burning it all to ash and freeing the forest of its sins, Athena's remains included. Or restore the forest's light and free Athena's other Tortured Spirits chained to the wasteland for eternity?
The players chose light, and the God obliged their wishes.
He sank Athena's seven relics in the falls, and as consequence the earth below the players' paws trembled. The gray sky tore open and revealed a brighter one where the sun cast its light down on the earth. Players basked in its rays, drinking in its warmth and the new birdsong that entered their ears. Shrubbery sprouted up from the lush grass and an abundance of animals ran across the clearing.
The forest regained its light and returned to its natural tranquility.
The Tortured Spirits, the deceased of game one, lost their eternal tethers to earth and departed the forest with cheers directed at the players. One of them, Aspen, shared a tearful reunion with his mother and father before disappearing into the clouds, finally at peace.
Players buzzed with excitement and celebrated the forest's freedom, but the victory was shortlived, for Thorne soon approached them and announced his plan to fetch more players before moving onward, that Round 1 had claimed far too many.
He left the players with no instruction, just warm hearts and a sense of peace. The players were left alone again.
END OF ROUND 1
THE DRIFTING ISLES
(Event 1)
Thorne returned, but not alone. At his side he had unfamiliar faces; new players. He began to explain they would be starting the next round, but just as he began.. He was interrupted.
The earth beneath the players began to tear off from the very ground they stood on. Rising higher and higher, players found themselves on small islands that were drifting above. They watched from the sides of their islands as the ground below became further and further away. From Thorne's reaction, players knew one thing.. This was not part of the plan.
Dense fog and clouds began to surround the players as they floated above, blocking their view of everything. They could hardly see in front of them.
Hours had passed, and players were suddenly jerked violently forward as their island crashed into something; a bigger island. The Lost Island.
Candor Meadow
(Event 2)
The players emerged from their islands and into teams. Thorne was nowhere in sight, but from afar the players could hear him shouting warnings to be careful.
So the players bravely ventured into the fog, where they would find a meadow that would put them through tests to unearth their true selves..
Candor Meadow seemed to go on forever, and players were sure they were just walking in circles.. They could hardly see a few feet in front of them from the dense fog.
As the players ventured deeper into the meadow, they unknowingly stepped into multiple challenges of character. Teams were faced with tough choices, as well as directional choices. The fog would create walls and passages for the players to choose from. Passages would each offer a different challenge, and players had to pick if they would travel the risky but rewarding path, or easy but non rewarding path.
Depending on what each team chose for an option, led to more options for them. The butterfly effect. Some teams were faced with physical challenges, while others mental.
All the while, above a large shadow loomed over them, taunting the players. Talking to the players. Who was it?
Nearing the end of the challenges, approached a large griffin at the end, that hurled fireballs at the players and redirected them towards the next area; The Cherry Blossom Tree.
The Cherry Blossom Tree
(Event 3)
Candor Meadow had revealed a lot about the players, exactly what the unknown force taunting them wanted. As players approached a large cherry blossom tree, they were met with a shadowy figure approaching them through the thick fog. Emerging from the dense whiteness was a Goddess, much like Athena, but she was pure white with the most subtle of peachy nose stripes. Around her neck was necklace that reflected the very griffin the players had seen in the meadow. The goddess was defensively using her powers to strike fear in the players, and the players were quick to pick up on the fact that just like Athena, this goddess also could wield all the Spirit Groups.
She introduced herself as Thea, daughter of Athena. She explained to the players that the twins (Salem and Thorne), were falsely leading players, that the players were being turned into soldiers for them, for a war they were waging on Thea to take Arcadia, her world, from themselves.
Thea further told players that the brothers were messing with the natural order/balance of things, and that nothing good would come from it. Arcadia was no place for mortals, and she could not allow them to enter.
So she gave players an option...
Stay and die, or return home. She vowed to kill any player that tried to enter Arcadia.
One player lashed out at Thea, and paid the ultimate price. To players surprise, as the silly player began to bleed out.. The player no longer had redblood, instead it was corruption, just like Athena. Thea began to use the corruption against the players, forcing it onto them to put them under the influence of it.
Before the players could truly realize what was happening, they were all at each others throat. Their runes turned black and they found themselves fighting each other.
Almost as if on cue, Thorne made an appearance. Thea and Thorne shared choice words, where Thorne revealed to Thea that Salem had died. The heartache in Thea's eyes was not something any player missed, and the goddess went off in a rampage. Sprouting around her from the tears she fell were star flowers, which began popping up all over the field. The flowers had a certain effect on some players, curing them of their corruption. While others were still stuck under the mercy of the corruption.
Thea was done playing games with Thorne, and she gathered all five spirit group powers, they swirled around her and she sent them all flying at once towards Thorne. But to Thea's surprise, Thorne redirected the attack at her, which resulted in her own powers hitting her. Thea was turned to stone, by her own powers. Almost instantly, the corruption she was using on the players ceased.
Just as the battle seemed to be won, cracks began to appear on Thea. Pooring out from them was the color of the spirit groups and within a few seconds the statue that was Thea completely shattered. There she stood, alive and well. Thea mocked Thorne and said her own powers could not keep her petrified. Karma was quickly paid though, the shockwave from Thea's powers started to shake The Lost Island to its core and before the Gods or players knew what was happening, the entire island was in thousands of pieces, and everyone was falling to the ground. To their death.
The entirety of Round 2 had never truly happened, for Thea had taken over everything. Destroying all the challenges that were intended for the players and making her own to see the mortals true nature, which she believed to be corrupt.
END OF ROUND 2
The sandy pathway
Round 3 started off with the players presumably falling to their death.. But when all hope seemed lost, they were covered in a safety net of white energy and safely teleported to the ground before they crashed into it. Shaken up, players glanced around them to see their savior standing there.
Salem. He was in fact not dead. In the clearing behind him was the limp body of Thea, who was still unconscious but seemed to have been saved by Salem as well.
Salem tried to explain things quickly to you, that when he had been swept away in The Half-Lit Forest, he awoke to see Thea intruding the games.. He had seen what she did to The Lost Island and went off to protect the remainder of the game while you and Thorne ventured into the unknown of the island. He apologized for his Houdini act, but said he did what he needed to do and that he was able to protect Round 3 from Thea within his absence.
Salem said time was running out, and he couldn't answer all the questions the players had. He gave players a choice, offering them gauntlets to wear in Round 3, he explained they would play a vital role in what was to come, but did not force them onto players. Only four of sixty players refused them.
After players received their gauntlets.. It was very apparent. This round would be played in teams made up of Spirit Groups. The players then ventured off into a desolate sandy wasteland.. with no context, but at this point, that's what they were used to. The players traveled, unaware of where they were going, and for as far as their eyes could see there was nothing but wasteland.
After what felt like ages of puttering through the wasteland... The players were quickly overcome with shock and horror. For some the sand beneath them began to swallow them whole, others were shaken violently by earthquakes that cracked the ground and sucked them down to the abyss, and lastly a few other teams were engulfed by a rogue wave of water that seemed to sprout upwards from the pits of the sands.
Everything went dark.
THE OUTER CIRCLE
Each Spirit Group team woke up in a different area. Terra woke up in sewers, much like those from the Failed Games. Ignis woke up in slave cells. Aqua woke up in a drowned, desolate mountain. Vita woke up in a poisonous jungle, and lastly Ventus woke up in a shadow-land.
Throughout the outer circle, each Spirit Group was tasked with reviving / freeing the land they woke up in. Through the power of their Spirit Group, they faced various challenges. Monsters attacked the players throughout their trials, trying to stop the players from fixing the land. Puzzles and riddles led teams in every which way, unlocking further steps in their challenge.
When all was said and done, each Spirit Group collected a shiny orb at the end of their challenges. At the end of each challenge, a portal was presented to the players and they entered... Taking them to the end the game.
(In depth looks into what each Spirit Group faced in their challenge can be found HERE)
Meanwhile, while the players went through through the outer circle. These events happened in roleplay.
CLICK HERE for the Salem x Thea event
followed by...
CLICK HERE for the Salem x Thorne event.
THE INNER CIRCLE
When players first stepped into the Inner Circle, they were met with a familiar setting. It was The Golden City, the place where everything started, and where everything would end... but things were not as they seemed.. In front of the gate were three ebony silhouettes; two of them familiar.. But the one in the middle you had never seen before, but had an uncanny resemblance to Thorne and Salem. Facing off with them was no other than Thea, and around them were the five Dark Beasts... but everything was frozen. The Gods, the Beasts, none of them were moving. Come to see, nothing in The Golden City was moving. Flames that began to lick at the buildings, and buildings that were in the midst of breaking were completely frozen in time.
This was it, the ultimate showdown. The proof of what had happened to the Failed Games all that time ago. It was destroyed, everyone murdered by Thea in her attempt to protect Arcadia. All the hidden secrets, all the back and forth, had come down to this moment.
Thea was the villain that destroyed the city and cast The Frost on Earth, in an attempt to prevent any mortal from ever making it to Arcadia or entering the city again.
After enough time of studying the Gods, and seeing what was happening around them, the players noticed five light orbs appear. Each orb beckoned each Spirit Group to a different path.. and so the players followed them. They had no other choice.
The orbs would eventually lead Ignis to Athena's Castle, Aqua to Lake Majesty, Ventus to Tartarus, Vita to the Garden of Athena and lastly Terra to The Colosseum. All major areas in the city, ones that were significant to past, present and future.
Once each Spirit Group team made it to their destination, they were faced with scripture, the final puzzle. Based on their knowledge, and have encountered similar puzzles throughout the game, the players were able to use what they knew to crack the code... and the riddle said..
"A World Of Light Consumed By Dark
The Flame That Seared An Icy Heart
A Ring of Chaos Stimulates
The Core of Suffering and Claws of Hate
A Bond of Trials Through Loss of Lives
The Vise of Beasts Through Magics Rise
A Paradise Sealed by Rage and Pain
The Dawn Of The Next Arcadian Rein..
An Unfortunate Fate Has Brought You Here
And Within These Golden Walls You Will Rise, Or You Will Fall
While One Half Shall Pass the Other Will Disappear
This is the point of no return
The Leylight Is The Key
Place Your Paw and Choose Your Path"
As soon as they recited the answer to the mural, a golden stone appeared with two pawprints on it. When a player hovered their paw over each pawstep, it gave them different feelings..
The right pawstep felt cold, and players felt at peace almost. Like the weight of their past was no longer on their shoulders. They felt whole, but they felt very vulnerable, at risk and weak..
The left pawstep felt warm, and players were quickly haunted by their past and negative emotions when they hovered over this pawstep. But they felt strong.. the player felt as though they could take on anything.. Yet they also felt a lack of control.
Each player then had to pick a pawstep.
Players were given no context on how to solve the puzzle, just to go off visuals as well as referencing the post description to the visual mural puzzle.
Eventually players figured out that the statues needed to be turned to mimic the mural, but they also needed to make the connections between the statues. They needed to prove their answer solved balance between the statues. With that in mind the players continued with the puzzle, and noticed the arrows on the mural. By connecting them via their powers, they were able to prove and restore balance.
CLICK HERE to see a visual of the solved puzzle.
After each player picked their pawstep..sealing an unknown fate.. a mural began to light up on a surface. Meanwhile five statues that faced the South began to rise around the players.
In the middle of the statues rose one single gear, depending on what Spirit Group team you were in, was what gear your team got.
The result of moving the statues into their correct spot, and connecting the lines between them via the Spirit Group powers...
The connections between the statues glowed to life, in the respective color of the Spirit Groups. It caused the earth to shake, throwing players flying. The gear in the middle of the statues was the last to glow, and a huge burst of energy shot out from it, breaking through anything above it and racing into the sky. Meanwhile some of the energy seeped into the ground.
These were the leylights; they leylines of The Golden City. The key to fully unlocking Athena's Gate.
The entire city began to rumble, something was happening. All the teams rushed to the city streets, lighting the sky and streetswas the five leylines. They all led to the middle of the city, where the teams rushed to. What they found was the key to Arcadia; Athena's Gate was unlocked and in a new form.
The game was defeated, the players made it to the end. The twins appeared and explained to the players that had unlocked the gate, that they could now go to Arcadia. But first thing was first, players had to decide whether to give up the power in their gauntlets to free the Dark Beasts from their statues, or absorb the power inside the gauntlets, giving them a free level up. To release a Beast at least half the players of that Spirit Group had to be willing to give up their gauntlet powers. Only Aqua and Ignis were released.
In the time it took for the Dark Beasts to be freed, Thorne went missing. Salem decided to go forward with entering Arcadia, urging the players to enter into their new home.
So they did.
The players entered into Arcadia, the other end of Athena's Gate taking them into a lush area with overgrown trees and vines. A hidden entrance and exit between two worlds.
The players continued on until they came to a lush field of greenery. From afar they could see two statues; Thea and Athena.
Everything seemed perfect, this is what they survived hell in the games for.
But all was not as it seemed. Suddenly the weather turned grim and the sky dark. A dark portal opened from the sky above and out came a black silhouette.
Thorne.
But he was different. He now had wings and was free of his winged collar. There was a lack of emotion on his face, but players could tell something very wrong was about to happen.
Through the portal to Arcadia emerged Thea, just in time. Both Thorne and Thea shared bitter words. Thorne warned Thea that she had lost, but so did everyone else.
In a twist of fate, Thorne turned out to be the real enemy the entire time. He never intended to let everyone into Arcadia; only those worthy and loyal to his alignments. He revealed that he had used the players to get back to Arcadia after exile, but he would allow loyal players to accompany him. He listed off the players that would be allowed entrance to Arcadia, the list being very short in comparison to how many players were in the game. The rest would be forced back to Earth to die.
Thea, now extremely angry began to attack Thorne. The two Gods fought, both giving their best shot at destroying the other. Thorne cornered Thea and the players he denied, he was about to kill them all.. Up until... a white portal opened mid-battlefield. Salem appeared between Thorne and Thea just in time to block the fatal blow Thorne shot off to kill his enemies. Salem took the full force of Thorne's now fully powered dark matter. Salem was flown through the air from the impact, landing on his back. He was limp and gone. Dead. Salem had been watching from behind, shocked and confused with what Thorne was doing. The game was never supposed to end that way, they were all supposed to live free in Arcadia. Salem couldn't sit back and watch Thorne destroy what they had worked so hard for. He didn't understand what had gotten into Thorne and if this was his brothers plan from the start.
Shock set in with everyone, the realization of what Thorne had just done. His face said it all, this was never meant to happen. His attack was supposed to hit Thea and the denied players. Not his brother.
Thea used Thorne's surprise to her advantage, she lunged forward and sunk her claws into his skin. Shocked she recoiled at the sight of his blood; it was black. The same darkness that oozed from Athena when she began her descent into madness.
Thorne was corrupted.
Thorne, as shocked as Thea and full of anger released a shockwave of energy that sent Thea and all the denied players back through the portal to Earth. He wanted them out of sight. He blamed them for what just happened, despite it being his power that took Salem's life. Revenge could wait, but it would come.
Players arrived back to Earth after being thrown through the portal. What they first saw on their end was that Athena's Gate was crumbled, left to nothing but pieces. There was no way back to Arcadia. Despite Thea being thrown back as well, she was nowhere to be seen.
This was the end of Season 1, where only few got to actually stay in Arcadia, while most were exiled back to Earth. Thorne had watched the players the entire game, remembering their loyalties and choices which is what he used to decide who was able to enter Arcadia or not. Thorne essentially sentenced them to die on Earth for their in-game choices. Earth is unstable and the end of times is near.
It was not a happy ending. But one thing is certain.
This is not over.