Radiant Historia
Platforms
Summary
Amid an endless struggle for supremacy between two world powers, Special Intelligence Agent Stocke is given a standard escort assignment that quickly spirals into chaos. Yet, armed with an enigmatic tome known as the White Chronicle, Stocke uncovers the ability to journey to the nexus of time itself: Historia. With this newfound power, he must traverse pivotal moments and an entirely different timeline to correct the world's tragic trajectory. The survival of his allies, the destiny of entire nations, and the prevention of a looming catastrophe all rest on Stocke's ability to uncover the one "true" history.
Storyline
*Warning: Spoilers* In the continent of Vainqueur, a land shared by humans and beastmen, the holy eastern kingdom of Alistel is at war with the vast western empire of Granorg, ruled with an iron fist by Queen Protea. Alistel is slowly being consumed by desertification, and a mysterious illness known as the "Sand Plague" is turning its people into sand. The Prophet Noah, Alistel’s leader, claims the disease is a result of Protea’s corrupt regime, leading the people to believe their war against Granorg is a holy crusade. One day, Stocke and his team from Alistel’s intelligence agency are sent into Granorg to rescue a captured agent. After successfully extracting the agent, they are ambushed by the Granorg army, and Stocke is gravely injured. He awakens in Historia, a realm where time and space are distorted. There, two enigmatic children, Teo and Lippti, grant him the power to traverse time and space using the White Chronicle, a book given to him by his employer, Heiss. After using this power to escape certain defeat, Stocke is given a choice: continue working under Heiss in intelligence or join his friend Rosch’s military unit. Each decision creates a separate timeline, with its own unique story, yet both are intertwined. Stocke frequently moves between these timelines to gather skills and knowledge, avoiding disasters and positioning himself strategically against enemies or allies. In Heiss’s timeline, Stocke is sent to assassinate Princess Eruca of Granorg. He infiltrates the city disguised as a member of a traveling troupe of entertainers, many of whom are Satyros, a native beastman race. Among them is Aht, a young shaman who quickly becomes devoted to Stocke and uses her powers to protect him. Upon reaching Granorg, Stocke discovers that Eruca was aware of his mission and had kept it secret. He learns that Eruca is the de facto leader of the resistance against her stepmother’s rule and is, in fact, a valuable ally to Alistel. Eruca also reveals that she is the last living heir of the empire and the only one who can perform the ritual to halt desertification. However, Queen Protea refuses to allow her to do so, meaning the world could become sand within a decade unless Protea is overthrown. Stocke decides not to kill Eruca, securing her support. His resemblance to Eruca’s late brother, Ernst—who was executed for treason—also plays a role in her acceptance of him. Despite his intentions, his failure to complete the mission brands him a traitor in Alistel, and General Hugo orders his execution. In the other timeline, Stocke joins Rosch’s unit and is tasked with defending Alistel’s mines from sabotage and protecting a crucial cavern that connects the mountainous regions of Granorg and Alistel, aside from the narrow valley guarded by the frequently contested Sand Fortress. After successfully defending the mines, Stocke and Rosch are promoted by General Hugo but are also sent to the Sand Fortress with a group of new recruits. Alistel’s second-in-command, Lt. General Raul, suspects this is an attempt to remove potential political rivals, as Field Marshal Viola, who was gaining popularity against Hugo’s wishes, was also sent there. After two battles against the Granorg army, Rosch’s entire brigade is wiped out. Stocke then uncovers a document proving that information was being leaked from within Alistel to the enemy. Stocke returns to Alistel with the severely wounded Rosch and, following Raul’s advice, sneaks into Hugo’s office to find evidence of collusion with Granorg. He discovers a coded note that he believes confirms the truth and flees Alistel with Raul, Rosch, and Rosch’s doctor, Sonja. They arrive in Celestia and learn that Hugo had a secret agreement with Protea’s advisors, Dias and Selvan, to overthrow Protea, annex Granorg, and conquer the continent. Stocke convinces Rosch to lead Celestia’s army, and Celestia prepares for war against both Granorg and Alistel. In the timeline where Stocke stays with Heiss, he finds refuge in the desert kingdom of Cygnus and convinces King Garland the Mighty to prepare for war against Granorg. Eruca then takes Stocke to meet the Gutral tribe, who only speak to humans who bear the sacred "Beast Mark." Stocke acquires the Mark and recruits the Gutrals to fight against Granorg. They overthrow Protea and seize the "Etherion," a Granorg relic capable of neutralizing a weapon created by Hugo that turns people into sand. Returning to the other timeline, Stocke uses his Beast Mark to recruit the Gutrals and enters the annexed Granorg with the Etherion. After defeating the Dias Knights and reluctantly killing Viola, who remained loyal to Alistel believing her death would end the war, Stocke learns that Hugo has been forced to confess that Prophet Noah was dead all along. Stocke tracks down Hugo in Alistel and kills him. In the final chapter of the "True History," where both timelines merge, Heiss invades Granorg’s Royal Hall, where the ritual to stop desertification is being performed. Stocke confronts him and learns that the ritual requires royal sacrifices—individuals killed by their own family and revived with a fragment of their sibling’s soul. During the ritual, the sacrifice dies again, and the soul is returned to its original body, stabilizing the continent’s mana and slowing the desertification. Stocke is revealed to be Eruca’s late brother, Ernst, executed by his father, King Victor, for treason. Eruca gave him a piece of her soul for the ritual, and he was captured by Heiss, Victor’s brother and an intended sacrifice himself, who altered his memories to make him believe he was Stocke. Heiss believes the royal family’s suffering, as seen through his own experiences as a sacrifice and wielder of the Black Chronicle, is the result of their efforts to save a world not worth saving. He attempts to recruit Stocke to his side, leaving Eruca as the last royal without a sacrifice. Stocke refuses, and Heiss tries to accelerate desertification by absorbing souls to destroy the world, making sacrifices unnecessary. He fails and uses the Black Chronicle to transport the group to Historia, a realm created to enlighten sacrifices and make the ritual more effective. He then consumes the suffering of all past sacrifices and transforms into the monster Apocrypha, which is defeated by Stocke and his allies. If the player has not completed enough side quests, the game ends with Stocke being sacrificed by Eruca to stop the desertification. However, a better ending can be unlocked, where the major characters continue their lives: Raynie promises to wait for Stocke’s return, Viola survives her injuries and is cured of a battlefield illness, and Rosch and Sonja get married and reunite with the soldiers from Rosch’s brigade, who were presumed dead. One soldier hints that a man believed to be Stocke saved them. In this ideal ending, Heiss and Stocke remain in Historia, and Heiss sacrifices himself instead of Stocke, recognizing the world is worth saving due to the impact Stocke had on those affected by the side quests. Stocke then returns to the real world.
