Story

This page may contain spoilers regarding Broken Aether. Continue on if you have already seen these bosses or do not mind spoilers.

Prologue

The story opens during a military assault on the city of Gravos, carried out by the Iron Bull mercenary company. Glenn and Kylian take part in the operation as frontline soldiers, unaware of the larger forces at play behind the attack. During the battle, Glenn inadvertently activates and shatters the artifact known as the Grand Grimoire, triggering a catastrophic explosion powerful enough to devastate a large portion of the continent.

The scale of the destruction sends shockwaves across political powers and civilian populations alike. None of the three major kingdoms wishes to be held responsible for the incident, and the potential consequences of blame threaten to escalate into full-scale war. Under shared pressure and mutual distrust, the nations agree to sign a temporary peace treaty - an uneasy truce formed not out of reconciliation, but fear of retaliation and further devastation.

The event becomes the catalyst for widespread unrest, shifts in power, and renewed conflict beneath the surface - setting the stage for the events that follow.

Boss: Wywyan

Wywyan serves as the major boss encounter in the Prologue. He pilots a relic Sky Armor and engages the player characters in a mech-based confrontation, marking the first major challenge of the story.

Wywyan uses a relic Sky Armor that enables him to perform strong melee and ranged attacks. The relic suit emphasizes durability and damage output rather than elaborate gimmicks.

Given his position as the first major boss encounter, the fight is designed to teach core mechanics such as managing turn order, exploiting weaknesses, and handling elevated threat levels in a controlled environment.

Act I

One year after the explosion in Gravos, tensions between the kingdoms remain subdued under a fragile peace agreement. During the anniversary celebrations in Escanya, multiple unrelated events unfold simultaneously: Lenne and Robb work to prevent an attempted assassination of a foreign ambassador, Sienna infiltrates the palace under coercion from the Black Sun Gang to steal valuables, and Glenn and Kylian - survivors of the Grand Grimoire catastrophe - continue their search for information about the weapon responsible for the disaster.

These independent motives converge when a mantis-like demonic entity attacks the castle. The characters are forced to cooperate to survive, guided by Victor, who assumes leadership in the chaos. Although the group defeats the creature and escapes the capital, political fallout intensifies. Taryn’s general secretly assassinates their own ambassador and frames Escanya for the attack, igniting accusations between the nations. Lenne, unwilling to accept that her brother Frederik ordered the act, insists on traveling to Taryn to confront him directly and uncover the truth.

The group eventually reaches Taryn and learns that Frederik intends to reignite war between the kingdoms. They also discover the nature of the Grand Grimoire and the method required to destroy it. However, suspecting them of espionage, Taryn authorities arrest the party. During an attempt to escape and seize the Grand Grimoire, Kylian takes Lenne hostage in an effort to secure leverage, but the plan fails. The conflict culminates in another catastrophe when the Grand Grimoire is activated once again after being knocked from Glenn’s hands.

Boss: Forgotten Mantis

During the assault on Escanya’s castle, the group is forced into a confrontation with the Forgotten Mantis, a powerful mantis-like fiend that breaches the palace during the chaos. The battle serves as the first major test of the newly formed party, forcing them to cooperate under Victor’s lead before managing to drive the creature back and escape the city.

Act II

Three months after the second Grand Grimoire detonation, Frederik assumes direct control over Lumereth, consolidating political and military power across the region. Open conflict resumes as neighboring nations mobilize against his rule, escalating the continent into renewed large-scale war. Believing himself responsible for the destruction and the events that followed, Glenn withdraws from his companions and goes into hiding.

Victor eventually locates Glenn and persuades him to join the Crimson Wings, a resistance group aiming to oppose Frederik’s campaign and prevent the Grand Grimoire from being used again. As the conflict intensifies, the group gains new allies, including Amalia and her people, forming a united effort against the ruling forces.

The group launches an operation to infiltrate Frederik’s stronghold and seize the Grand Grimoire. During the assault, Lenne is fatally struck, and time suddenly freezes. Three colossal, god-like entities known as Vaen manifest, visible only to Glenn. Recognizing the catastrophic consequences of Lenne’s death, the Vaen decide to sacrifice themselves to reverse time by a small margin, granting Glenn a chance to save her.

Time is rewound just enough to alter the moment of death, allowing Glenn to intervene. He rescues Lenne and escapes with the Grand Grimoire, while the Vaen vanish as a result of their sacrifice.

Boss: Kortara Kondor

Kortara Kondor appears as a major encounter in Act II, serving as one of the first large-scale demonstrations of military escalation following the renewed conflict across Lumereth. The battle reinforces the shift from isolated skirmishes to full war, introducing a more organized and militarized opposition rather than the isolated threats seen earlier in the story. As a result, this encounter marks a thematic pivot toward large-scale confrontation and higher combat stakes.

In battle, Kortara Kondor emphasizes aggression and battlefield pressure, frequently acting multiple times per turn and relying on powerful area-of-effect attacks to overwhelm the party. His offensive profile encourages strategic pacing and resource management, as the fight rewards mitigating incoming bursts while maintaining pressure over time. Elemental vulnerabilities and predictable charge-up patterns provide structured opportunities to counterattack, while his high durability reinforces the encounter as a test of sustained offense rather than a short burst battle.

Act III

Glenn and Lenne begin experiencing visions of past lives, gradually awakening fragments of their “echoes.” Glenn becomes convinced he was Timothy, a figure linked romantically to Lenne’s previous incarnation, while Lenne is revealed to be the reincarnation of the Holy Mother, destined to confront the entity known as the Harbinger. Seeking answers, the group travels to Shambala, pursuing historical records that may clarify their roles in the cycle of reincarnation and conflict.

Within Shambala, they uncover a concealed Church facility responsible for producing and releasing monsters across the world. The purpose of this operation is revealed to be manufactured fear - driving populations toward dependence on the Church for protection and spiritual authority. The facility is destroyed during a siege by Taryn forces, forcing the group deeper into the region.

Further investigation leads the Crimson Wings to remnants of Vaen, divine beings once revered for aiding humanity against the Harbinger. Over time, however, their power corrupted them. They created the Grand Grimoire to control population cycles and channel souls into the Maelstrom, where the Harbinger remains sealed. This ensured both the containment of the threat and Vaen’s continued dominion over humanity. Gwayne previously stole the Grand Grimoire in hopes of using it to oppose them. He reveals that the key to accessing Vaen’s pocket dimension is hidden within Reina’s tomb.

The party retrieves the key but is ambushed by Church forces and transported to Marylea, the Church's headquarters. There, they learn Bishop Markas intends to release the Harbinger by draining sufficient souls from the Maelstrom, weakening the seal. During these events, Kylian - who defected to the Church - steals the Grand Grimoire and delivers it to Frederik in exchange for power and influence. Taryn launches a full-scale assault on Marylea, enabling the Crimson Wings to escape amidst the chaos.

In the aftermath, Glenn learns that he is not Timothy but Van, an aristocrat responsible for murdering both Timothy and Lenne in their previous lives. Confronted with the weight of his true identity and past actions, Glenn collapses into a coma.

Boss: Egyl

Egyl serves as a major boss encounter in Act III. He appears in a confrontation where his defensive mastery, combined with relic technology, becomes a significant challenge for the party. His role in the lore aligns with his mechanical function - protecting a critical asset and enforcing the enemy’s agenda through overwhelming defensive presence.

In the battle, Egyl appears not only as a physical barrier but also as a symbol of the conflict’s escalation: what began as isolated skirmishes now features elite combatants and technology beyond standard troop engagements. His confrontation forces the player to shift from routine tactics to adaptive strategies, reflecting the story’s shift toward high-stakes warfare and revelation of greater threats.

Act IV

Seeking to restore Glenn from his comatose state, the Crimson Wings turn to Magnolia, who provides a means to enter Glenn’s mind. Inside, the group uncovers deeper layers of his past incarnations, learning that he was also Bartholomew, a renowned scholar of the Nhysa Academy of Magic. In this former life, Bartholomew instructed a young Victor to ensure that Lenne's future incarnation would be protected, as a way to atone for Glenn’s past life as Van. The group confronts and defeats the Chained Echo, a manifestation of Glenn’s guilt and self-condemnation, allowing him to return to consciousness with clarity and resolve.

The party confronts Frederik, who reveals that his intent was to unify the world through mutual opposition - forcing nations to rally against his rule as a path to lasting peace. After confessing this purpose, he takes his own life. In the aftermath, Gwayne provokes Vaen, leading them to summon their giant champion to destroy Lumereth. The Crimson Wings use the Grand Grimoire to defeat the champion, absorbing its life energy and empowering the artifact to the point where it can finally kill Vaen.

The group travels to the Nhysa Academy of Magic, where the entrance to Vaen’s pocket dimension resides. Gwayne reveals himself as Lebrodia-Dervinas, the ″True King″ and guardian of life. As a contingency, he had manipulated Kylian to serve as an alternative vessel for power should Glenn fail. Kylian murders Gwayne, inheriting his power and attempting to destroy Vaen directly - but Vaen overwhelms him and attempts to seize control.

The Crimson Wings intervene, using the Grand Grimoire to weaken Vaen enough for the party to defeat them. With no remaining life energy to absorb for restoration, the Grand Grimoire collapses and is destroyed. Recognizing the burden he has carried across multiple lifetimes, Glenn relinquishes his existence, transferring his remaining power to Kylian so that he may seek redemption and protect the world in Glenn’s place.

In the aftermath, Lenne ascends as Queen, beginning a campaign to seek a weapon capable of destroying the Harbinger. Glenn reincarnates once more - not as a human, but as a bird, ending the cycle of responsibility and conflict that defined his past lives.

Boss: Vaen

Vaen serve as the culminating antagonistic force in Act IV. These god-like beings were once humanity’s protectors, intervening to seal away the Harbinger and become guardians of the Maelstrom, but over time their power corrupted them. Their transformation into the final adversary reveals the game’s themes of misuse of power and the cost of immortality.

The confrontation with Vaen represents both the mechanical and thematic climax of the story. Mechanically, the party uses the Grand Grimoire to absorb a champion’s life energy and then confront Vaen themselves. The narrative stakes are highest here: the cycle of reincarnations, echoes of past lives, and the burden of legacy all culminate in this battle. The destruction of the Grand Grimoire and Glenn’s decision to relinquish his power mark the end of a long chain of conflict and set the stage for Lenne’s reign and the search for the weapon to destroy the Harbinger.