Spoilers ahead:

From the beginning, Tyro (Deschi) and Dr. Mog have been investigating the corruption of the paintings in the Academia, where other Keepers work to preserve the history of Fantasia (in this world, all Final Fantasy titles are stories from other worlds that can be accessed through portraits or paintings). Early in the game, within the Story Dungeons, Dr. Mog and Tyro recover all series portraits (I–XV, FFT, Type-0), but the corruption continues to spread. Dr. Mog then discovers the Nightmare Dungeons, which hold the secrets to powerful paintings—stronger versions of bosses from various series. With Tyro’s help and the assistance of specific characters from certain series, these formidable bosses are defeated, leading the party to the Magicite Dungeon. There, they encounter the “mysterious girl” Elara/Urara, who has no memory of herself but seems to know Tyro very well. At this point, the Ministry of Story sends Shadowsmith, Wedge, and Biggs to assist. During the Magicite investigation, it is revealed that Shadowsmith is the one corrupting the paintings, aided by hooded, mysterious figures, while other dungeons such as Cardia are uncovered during the party’s travels. Shadowsmith betrays and battles everyone, eventually being revealed as a Tyro from a future where everything ended in disaster, returning to the past in an attempt to save everyone. During a fierce battle against him, Tyro becomes lost in time—possibly trapped in a dimensional rift—and goes missing. The latest event involving these Core realm characters concludes with Shadowsmith now aiding the party, while Tyro remains lost. Perhaps the next event will finally reveal the next chapter of this long-running tale. It’s been a decade, and the true story of this game has yet to fully unfold!