As you and your comrades discuss the propensity for fissures to manifest in regions where the barrier between the Source and the void is at its thinnest, Urianger is struck by a dire realization: it is not Garlemald, but the moon with its great voidgate that is most vulnerable to voidsent incursion. Fearing the worst, the group makes ready to depart for Bestways Burrow. Before you leave, Jullus sheepishly hands you a parcel laden with dumplings, asking it be delivered to Zero on the off chance you encounter her. Whether your journey to the moon will lead thence to the Thirteenth remains unclear, but you gladly accept the delicious cargo. Upon your arrival in Bestways Burrow, Mappingway reveals that the moon is indeed inundated with voidsent, adding that Livingway hasn't been seen since venturing out to activate the brands. You resolve to seek out Livingway─though it is all but certain she is not the only Loporrit in need of rescue...
You soon encounter a diminutive figure beset by fiends. After making short work of the vile assailants, you pause to ascertain the poor Loporrit's well-being.
The shaken Loporrit reveals they saw Livingway marching towards the Drowning Brand accompanied by a gaggle of slaughter-bots. You duly set off in search of her.
As you reach the Drowning Brand, you spot Livingway surrounded by voidsent, the remains of her slaughter-bot retinue scattered across the ground nearby. Dealing swiftly with the fiends, you move to make sure the Loporrit is unharmed.
Though Livingway is rattled by her ordeal, she appears none the worse for wear. Thanking you profusely for your aid, she informs you that the brands have been activated and further voidsent ingress is unlikely. As if on cue, an almighty roar issues from the crater, casting doubt on that assertion...
As Livingway laments your inevitable doom, G'raha Tia and Y'shtola rush over. After you brief them on events thus far, Y'shtola's thoughts turn to Zero and Golbez, whose domain lies beyond the voidgate. At the mention of your comrades, vivid memories of your time in the Thirteenth come flooding back, and Azem's crystal begins to glow, resonating with the key in Y'shtola's possession. Floating out of Y'shtola's grasp, it begins to shine ever brighter until a dazzling white light fills your vision, and a mysterious voice echoes in your ears. Naming the key “Ethos,” the voice bids you go forth and unite the stars. With the blinding light now replaced by limitless dark, you have little time to contemplate these words before the key projects a path of golden light unto a radiant portal, from beyond which Golbez and Zero can be heard─evidently in the midst of battle. Without hesitation, you dash forward into the portal, ready to come to their aid. You emerge onto the void's red moon where your comrades are engaged with a veritable horde of fiends. During a lull in the fighting, a startled Zero notices your presence, explaining that Enuo, a fearsome voidsent from the very depths of the ocean, has come to breach the voidgate. While Zero and Golbez contend with Enuo's underlings, you are to confront the dread fiend.
※The Unmaking can be accessed via the Duty Finder.
Enuo proves a formidable foe, but even with the power of the void at their disposal, they fail to best you and your allies. With the threat now resolved, no doubt Zero will have questions as to how and why you appeared when you did.
※In the event that you leave the area, you may return from the Drowning Brand in Mare Lamentorum.
Back on the red moon, you share news of the voidsent incursion on Etheirys, and learn of Golbez's theory that the barrier separating the Thirteenth and the Source is weakening naturally. Having established a potential explanation for this chain of events, Zero then asks how you came to arrive in the void to begin with. As you describe the golden path to your perplexed comrades, it becomes apparent they can neither see nor interact with it. Realizing that she cannot simply utilize your method to travel to the Source, Zero laments her inability to see her friends once more. Perhaps a particular package of dumplings will serve to lift her spirits.
Jullus's parcel proves a welcome balm for Zero's melancholy, evoking fond memories of her time in the Source, and leading her to envisage a void in which the existence of cuisine obviated the need for endless consumption of aether. You are left to ponder this hopeful, albeit hard to imagine vision for the Thirteenth...
Voidsent not only absorb the aether of those they consume, but their thoughts as well... With such a legion of minds at their disposal, one hopes they prove a capable ally for Zero.
One thing is clear, however: the phenomenon is not without pattern.
The tendency for fissures to emerge is pronounced in regions deeply connected to the void─places where the barrier between the two worlds is at its thinnest.
With our attention fixed upon planar fissures, I failed to consider this vulnerability. All other paths unto the void are but pinpricks in the veil compared to that great lunar rift...
I'm saved! I dread to think what would have befallen me if you hadn't intervened!
Oh, I was never in any real danger, of course! I knew you would realize our plight and rush to our rescue!
Etheirys is likewise plagued with voidsent?
If only we'd prioritized further development of the voidsent slaughter-bots. We could have stemmed the tide ourselves!
Oh, what a tremendous demonstration that would have been. Irrefutable proof that I was mankind's staunchest ally, and the greatest Loporrit to ever live! I can practically taste the praise!
Ahem!
Fortunately, I was able to activate the brands. Should any more voidsent emerge from the gate, they ought to be confined to the crater.
Unless, of course, the voidgate begins to expand of its own accord, or some gargantuan monstrosity tries to barge through, I don't foresee any major problems...
The crystal and key become attracted to each other. A flash appears, and the player is spoken to by a mysterious voice reminiscent of the Amaurot shades' dialect.
???
Behold—the gift of Ethos.
Yours is a journey without end, conceived and guided by principle.
Hold fast to what you must, and meet your fate without fear.
Go forth. Discover. Unite the stars unto one.
Let none bar your path.
The key spawns a golden portal with a path of golden light towards it.
The player enters the portal and emerges on the Red Moon. The portal shrinks. A horde of voidsent is attacking. Zero protects the player from an approaching voidsent. Golbez and Zero fight the horde.
Ah, I recall Jullus speaking of the dumplings his mother used to make.
Thank you for the parcel...and the fond memories.
There's more than enough to share with Golbez. Now that he forgoes the aether of others, I'm sure he'll appreciate the sustenance.
I sometimes wonder what the void would be like if culinary traditions flourished here once more─whether it would suffice to break the cycle of mutual consumption. A heartening thought, if nothing else...
The last three lines spoken by the unknown voice introducing Ethos, "Hold fast to what you must, and meet your fate without fear. / Go forth. Discover. Unite the stars unto one. / Let none bar your path." were featured in the first teaser trailer for Evercold, which premiered before the release of patch 7.5.