Hello.

This time, the theme is romance games, and I will be looking at some memorable couples from Nexon games.

With such a large cast of characters, MapleStory naturally has its share of couples. Here are the 3 whose stories have stayed with me the most.

Before we begin, a spoiler warning is in order: given the nature of the topic, this post will discuss details of these stories that you may not have seen yet.

Utah and Camila: Childhood Friends

Utah and Camila are residents of Henesys, and although neither plays a particularly prominent role and their relationship has few especially poignant moments, I remember them thanks to a notable quest involving a glass marble, which also receives a mention in the World Archive.

Probably better known as the Pig Illustrated quest than the glass marble quest, it has you deliver a glass marble to Utah at Camila's request. With its unusual maze and randomly determined reward, I imagine anyone who played through it at least once will have at least a vague memory of it.

The glass marble appears again in a later quest. In Henesys Ruins beyond the Gate to the Future, you can meet Camila and Utah as married adults.

Utah mentions the glass marble here too, describing it as a treasured possession, and I appreciated this reference to the earlier quest. Of course, the world beyond the Gate to the Future is not real, so their marriage has not actually taken place in the story, but given their personalities, it is easy to imagine them settling down and living happily together.

Outside the story, Camila regularly takes center stage in events that bring back cosmetic items, making her effectively the main NPC of Henesys. Utah has no equivalent role and, by comparison, barely has a presence at all.

Dran and Phyllia: A Human and a Fairy

Dran and Phyllia are residents of Magatia whom you encounter through the town's main questline. Their story, <The Missing Alchemist>, is fairly well known among MapleStory players and is quite tragic in its own right. Even beyond their relationship, Magatia's storyline is dark and often bleak, though its well-constructed narrative has earned it praise.

You can read the full story script here, and playing through it yourself takes less than 1 hour, even if you take the time to read everything carefully.

Dran and Phyllia fell in love and married, but Dran began to worry that, as a human, he would die long before his fairy wife. When Phyllia became pregnant, the prospect of a child gave him further reason to pursue research and experiments aimed at extending his lifespan, so that he could share a full lifetime with his family.

His anguish during this process comes through clearly in Dran's notes, which you can read as you progress through the questline.

During his research, Dran discovers a connection between the Black Mage and Magatia, deepening his anguish. He eventually uses this knowledge to attempt the life-extension experiment he had originally set out to conduct, but it does not go as intended, and he disappears as an unintended consequence. The authorities in Magatia remain completely silent to bury the truth known only to Dran, while Phyllia, unaware of what has happened, waits with their daughter for his return.

Dran ultimately gains the eternal life he sought, but loses his memory in the process. Even so, traces of his memories as a human remain: he brings medicine for his daughter Keeny and gives Phyllia roses.

The questline ends without them recognizing one another, and I would like to see a later addition offer some closure by having Phyllia discover Humanoid A's identity.

Von Leon and Ifia: A King and a Commoner

Von Leon and Ifia were once the king and queen of Lion King's Castle, but by the time Von Leon first appeared in the story, Ifia was already dead and he was a broken man.

Apparently, their story was only explored in detail and brought to a close relatively recently. I was not particularly familiar with it either, having known Von Leon only as the broken figure encountered as a daily boss, and Ifia through her appearances in the prerequisite quests. After looking through the full story, though, I found both characters considerably more compelling than I had expected.

Since this post is about romance games, I will focus on the content that follows their relationship, beginning with the story of how Ifia, a commoner, first met King Von Leon in 군단장의 서 in <Grand Athenaeum>. I remember her commoner background being mentioned before, but this story explores it in detail.

Von Leon went on to rule his kingdom successfully, but after the Black Mage took everything from him, including Ifia, he appeared only as a broken man. Their story finally reached a conclusion when a follow-up update to the Arcane River storyline added an epilogue.

After the Black Mage's death, the power he granted Von Leon disappears, and Von Leon dies as well. Only then can he finally see Ifia, who had remained at his side for hundreds of years after her own death, and the two speak before passing on together, bringing their story to a happy close. There is perhaps some irony in their finding true happiness only in death, but given their circumstances, this was the best happy ending they could have had, and I found it quite memorable.

Thank you for reading.