Act I — Gustave

Gustave survives the opening attack and manages to find three other survivors: Lune, Sciel, and his foster sister Maelle. Along the way, the group receives aid from a mysterious being known as the Curator, whom Maelle is uniquely able to communicate with.

Maelle also begins experiencing strange visions of a white-haired man and a masked girl, both of whom seem to blame her for an unknown disaster. As the Expedition presses onward, they seek the aid of the mythical creature Esquie so they can cross another sea and continue their journey toward the Paintress.

Before they are able to set off, the white-haired man attacks again. Gustave sacrifices himself while defending Maelle, and dies in the process. At that moment, a mysterious man named Verso intervenes and helps the surviving members of Expedition 33 escape.

Act II — Verso

Verso catches up with the group and reveals that he is a surviving member of the very first expedition. He explains that the white-haired man is Renoir, their former commander, and that both of them stopped aging after arriving on the Continent.

According to Verso, Renoir has come to believe that his immortality was granted by the Paintress and now wishes to protect her at all costs. Verso, by contrast, has grown weary of immortality and joins Expedition 33 in the hope of ending it by stopping the Paintress. After paying their respects to Gustave, the party recruits Verso’s friend Monoco.

The group eventually reaches Renoir’s Manor in Old Lumière, intending to destroy the Paintress’ “heart,” which powers the barrier protecting her. At this point, Verso reveals a deeper truth: he is Renoir’s son, and the masked girl from Maelle’s dreams is his sister, Alicia.

Renoir thwarts their plan by teleporting both the Manor and the heart away. Lune then proposes forging a powerful weapon using the hearts of the Axons, ancient beings whose power could pierce the barrier. With that weapon, the Expedition fights through the danger ahead, kills Renoir, and finally enters the Monolith.

Inside, they confront the Paintress, who is revealed to be Aline — Verso’s mother. They defeat her and erase the number on the Monolith, returning to Lumière as heroes. However, Verso then reads a letter from Alicia revealing the truth: the Curator was the true cause of the Gommage, while Aline had actually been trying to delay him by painting the number as a warning to those about to die.

Without Aline’s protection, the entire population of Lumière vanishes, leaving Verso as the sole survivor.

A flashback to early 20th-century Paris reveals the deeper reality: the real Alicia, Verso, Aline, and Renoir are members of the Dessendre family, Painters who wield chroma and can create worlds inside magical Canvases. The real Verso died saving Alicia from a fire caused by their enemies, the Writers. Alicia survived, but was left disfigured, half-blind, and mute.

Overwhelmed by grief, the real Aline entered Verso’s Canvas — the world that contains Lumière and its painted versions of Verso, Alicia, and Renoir. The real Renoir, appearing within the Canvas as the Curator, has been trying to destroy it so Aline can move on and return home, but he can only do so gradually through the Gommage.

Meanwhile, Alicia’s older sister Clea urged her to enter the Canvas and destroy it so their family could focus on their war with the Writers. Alicia entered, but was overwhelmed by Aline’s power, reincarnated as Maelle, and lost all memory of her real identity.

Act III — Maelle / Alicia

Back in the present, Maelle’s apparent “death” restores Alicia’s memories and Paintress powers. Awakening in what remains of Lumière, Alicia reunites with the painted Verso, who has been trying to remove Aline from the Canvas and bring an end to his own immortality.

Alicia revives the rest of the Expedition and confronts her father for control of the Canvas world. After a final confrontation, Renoir explains that although the Canvas is precious, destroying it is the only way to force both Aline and Alicia to accept the real Verso’s death.

With Aline’s aid, Renoir is defeated. He relents and leaves the Canvas alongside her, still hoping Alicia will someday return to reality. But Alicia now faces her own final choice.

Painted Verso tries to destroy the Canvas by removing the final fragment of the real Verso’s soul, believing that only then can the cycle end. Alicia, however, wants to preserve the Canvas and the world within it forever, even though staying there will eventually cost her life.

Epilogue / Endings

• If the player chooses Alicia: Alicia preserves the Canvas, rebuilds Lumière, and revives its people, including Gustave, Sophie, and even a reluctant Verso. Later, she attends Verso’s concert with her friends. Before performing, Verso notices that Alicia is beginning to show signs of decline, much like Aline once did.
• If the player chooses Verso: Verso banishes Alicia and destroys the Canvas completely. Back in reality, the Dessendre family finally comes to terms with the real Verso’s death and appears to reconcile. Alicia envisions Maelle, Verso, Gustave, and the others giving her a final farewell before they vanish.