Ultima’s Plan
Long ago, the god Ultima and his brethren created magic, enabling them to flourish. However, this came at a cost: the Blight, a world-destroying force. Unable to stop it, sixteen survivors fled to a new world, Valisthea, but the Blight followed. Faced with this catastrophe, the gods devised a radical plan: to create a new world, requiring immense magical power and a powerful vessel. To achieve this, they sacrificed their physical forms, forming the Mothercrystals, massive structures that would drain aether from Valisthea, and created humanity. This new race would eventually produce the Mythos, a human capable of harnessing unimaginable power. The Mythos would become Ultima’s vessel, enabling him to use the aether harvested by the Mothercrystals to cast the world-creating spell. This grand plan would take a thousand years to unfold, so Ultima and his kin went into hibernation.
However, by abandoning their responsibility towards humanity, the gods left them to their own devices. The people of Valisthea, forced to fend for themselves, developed their own will and self-determination. This led to the discovery of magic, sparking conflict and war, eventually resulting in the world-devouring Blight. Humanity, in a tragic echo of their creators, had repeated their failures.
Ultima was awakened when Clive and Cid destroyed Drake’s Head. While Joshua managed to contain Ultima’s spirit using the Phoenix’s power, the god had already identified Clive, with his ability to harness multiple Eikons, as the Mythos. This marked the beginning of the final stage of Ultima’s plan. By influencing King Barnabas and Emperor Olivier, Ultima orchestrated conflicts that would force Clive to confront the major powers of Valisthea, leading him to eliminate their Dominants, absorb their Eikons, and gradually empower the Mythos. Ultima also manipulated Clive’s quest to destroy the Mothercrystals, knowing that each shattered structure would release the spirit of a god.
Mythos and Ifrit Risen
The Mythos’ ultimate form is Ifrit Risen, a colossal being merging the powers of Ifrit and Phoenix. Depictions of Ifrit Risen are found across Valisthea in religious murals, but the complete picture is revealed in Gjallarhorn, Waloed, during Joshua’s visit.
This mural showcases seven Eikons – Garuda, Ramuh, Shiva, Titan, Bahamut, Odin, and the lost Leviathan – all looking up in adoration at Ifrit Risen. The absence of Ifrit and Phoenix in their individual forms suggests that they, and by extension Ifrit Risen, are not Eikons in the traditional sense. This is further hinted at when Clive and Joshua encounter Ultima Prime, a decaying body resembling Ifrit, in The Interdimensional Rift. It makes sense that Ultima’s vessel would bear resemblance to his former physical form.
While Ultima’s plan revolves around creating the Mythos, he also predicted the emergence of the Logos: a corrupted version of the Mythos with its own will. This is effectively what Clive becomes. Humanity, abandoned by their gods, developed its own will, and thus, the Mythos gained the self-determination to make its own choices. Furthermore, over the generations since Ultima left Valisthea, human faith in him dwindled, weakening him. However, Clive, strengthened by the unwavering faith of his friends, manages to resist Ultima and thwart his apocalyptic plans.
Stopping Ultima
After a battle at Stonhyrr fortress in Waloed, where the last of Valisthea’s five Mothercrystals is destroyed, the defeated Ultima retreats to Twinside. The city is revealed to be built atop Origin, the ark that brought the gods to Valisthea a thousand years ago. Ultima lifts Origin into the sky and encases it in crystal, immediately draining aether from the land. This hastens the Blight’s spread, turning people and animals into mindless servants of Ultima, known as Akashic.
Clive, Joshua, and Dion launch an attack on Origin. Dion, transforming into Bahamut, flies the brothers through Ultima’s army and into the Origin crystal. Inside, they use their Eikons to create a massive explosion, which only manages to delay Ultima. Dion is killed, and Clive is gravely wounded. Joshua uses the Phoenix’s power to heal his brother, but this severely weakens him, leaving him barely able to walk.
Clive carries Joshua to the Core of Origin, where Ultima awaits. The god merges with the spirits of his kin, freed from their Mothercrystals, and draws the final piece – the spirit trapped in Drake’s Head – from Joshua’s chest. With all the gods united into a single consciousness and Origin overflowing with aether, the world-creating spell is primed. All that remains is for Ultima to inhabit the Mythos.
In his final moments, Joshua grants Clive the full power of the Phoenix, allowing him to become Ifrit Risen independently. Clive then confronts Ultima in a colossal, three-phase battle, both wielding the power of the Eikons to inflict devastating damage. Despite Ultima’s efforts to force Clive’s submission, he is eventually defeated by his own creation.
As Ultima lies dying, he asks Clive what he will do with his newfound freedom. While Clive recognizes that humanity is flawed and there will be hardships, he believes that freedom is worth the struggles. He then absorbs Ultima’s power, finally becoming the Logos.
Clive’s Sacrifice
Having witnessed the destructive effects of magic on not just Valisthea but on the world before it, Clive understands that to save humanity, he must eradicate magic entirely. The only way to achieve this is by using the full power of Ultima’s vessel to burn away the heart of Origin and destroy the final Mothercrystal.
“It seems Ultima’s power was too great for this vessel all along,” Clive says. “But while I am it, perhaps I can use it to set things right and see Ultima’s legacy consigned to the flames. Even if it means the end of me.”
This act will cost him his life. However, understanding that it’s the only way, Clive makes the ultimate sacrifice. The final Mothercrystal is destroyed, and the world is freed. Later, Clive washes up on a beach, gazing up at a clear, star-filled sky. He watches his own magic fade and then succumbs to a hero’s death.
Or does he? We see Jill and Torgal looking up at the night sky, where the star of Metia shines brightly. Among the people of Valisthea, it’s believed that wishing upon Metia will make your heart’s desires come true. Seeing the star causes Jill to break down crying and Torgal to howl. It’s possible that they are crying in relief rather than sadness. Jill frequently prayed to Metia for Clive’s return, and perhaps the wish-fulfilling powers of the star have saved Clive. Our hero’s fate remains uncertain.
Post-Credits Scene
After the credits roll, a brief post-credits scene serves as a sweet epilogue. A young boy resembling Clive is seen making a fire with wood and flint, telling his mother that he wishes he had the flames of an Eikon. She reassures him that magic is just a fairytale. As the boy plays with his blonde-haired brother and faithful dog, the camera shows a book: Final Fantasy, written by Joshua Rosfield. It seems that Joshua wrote a semi-complete account of his journey before entering Origin. While the actual events of the game were recorded, hundreds of years later, they are considered mere myths. The two brothers and their dog, mirroring Clive, Joshua, and Torgal, play in the garden, recreating scenes from their favorite book. They live free lives thanks to the sacrifices made by the brothers.
Leave a Reply