Walking School - Story

Lunar: Walking School isn't readily available and never got a wide release. Since this means a lot of people won't ever play it (although you really should--we even have a walkthrough for it!) we're offering a list of some of the highlights that connect the game to the greater Lunar universe, and a general synopsis of the story.

This seems obvious, but please note that this contains major spoilers. Also, if you want to know everything that goes on in greater detail, you know, there is the walkthrough with that information. Lastly, the story in the Game Gear version is very different from the remake on the Saturn--check out our Magical School Lunar! section for more of that.

Highlights

The story of Walking School takes place about 300 years before The Silver Star. This is based on a statement from Ralph (the librarian) that the last rebirth of Althena was 200 years ago (WS must be before the fall of Vane in TSS, and after the banishment of the Vile Tribe 500 years prior to TSS, so the '200 years ago' figure would refer to Althena's rebirth around the time of the banishment of the Vile Tribe).

Ellie and Lena are both from the village of Burg. Senia's hometown is never named, but there are apparently some lingering tensions between humans and beastmen (since Azu, her fiance, is a human, and this caused a fuss). Wing is from Caldor Island, but he doesn't give a specific hometown.

The main villains, Barua and Memphis, are both members of the Vile Tribe. They're also in control of "D", a powerful living castle/fortress that can move.

Wing is in love with Lena, but he's also incredibly passive--a trait which Lena hates. He does gain some self-confidence in the course of the game, which ends with him confessing his feelings to Lena. No other relationships are present or hinted at between the characters (aside from Senia and Azu, anyway).

Ien is a free-floating island that travels around on the sea; there's a town (of the same name) on the island. It's also a focal point in the stream of time, hence the reason for the Blue Dragon's interest in its protection.

There are only a few towns mentioned by name in the game: Ien (the main town of the magic school), Shell (the town of the arts they visit in one chapter), and Burg (Ellie and Senia's hometown). Caldor Island is also mentioned (Wing's home island).

The Blue Dragon visits Ien once every ten years. The Blue Dragon also apparently has a relationship with the flow of time.

Glen and Steel (the dean) are both "Guardians of Time". Glen's role is to protect the stream of time from harm, and Steel's role is to protect Ien. They recruit Wing to be a new Guardian of Time, after seeing his potential.

By the end of the game, Ellie and Lena are accepted into the Magic Guild of Vane, and they go to the city of Vane itself to continue their studies. Wing, meanwhile, continues his studies under Dean Steel to be the next Guardian of Time. Senia (much earlier in the game) returned to her hometown with Azu.

Synopsis

The story begins with Ellie and Lena, in the village of Burg. They're recruited by a fellow named Glen to enroll in the Magic School of Ien (which is on a floating island--in the sea, not the air), since both Ellie and Lena have strong natural magical abilities. A week later, the girls arrive at the island along with several other students. Among them is Senia, a beastwoman who the girls quickly befriend, and a trio of bratty boys named Ant, Rick, and Kule.

"Such a beautiful town..."

After an unusual entrance test (where the kids figure out they're on a false island being monitored by the professors, and "break out" a little earlier than planned), their first task is to find a professor. The three girls (and the three bratty boys) end up with Prof. Dadis--an absent-minded professor who's also an expert at cosmetic magic, or the enhancement of magical abilities through the application of makeup.

"Who are you?"

The dorms at Ien also aren't what they appear to be: they (and many other buildings) were designed by Prof. Richter, an expert in architectural magic who disappeared some time ago. A few magic butterflies and hidden portals later, the girls locate and rescue the lost Prof. Richter.

"Ha ha! You're right! I got lost in my own maze!"

In Chapter 6, the island of Ien docks with Shell, the island of the arts. Another adventure there ensues, with an older student (Eleonora) getting kidnapped by a sculpture-turned-monster, and the three girls to the rescue. While on this trip, the girls run into an eccentric artist named Henner, who insists that Ellie simply must model for his latest sculpture. She agrees, but you won't get to see the finished product until much later...

"Someone, help me! Get me out of here!"

Chapter 7 is where things pick up. The main villain, Memphis, appears; he's in the Vile Tribe and the master of the Dark Castle D, and he needs a few disciples to serve him. So, he promptly kidnaps Eleonora, and the three girls rush off to save her (again). Meanwhile, Senia's fiance (!) Azu also arrives on the island, but when the girls go to meet him at the docks, Memphis reappears and kidnaps him as well! The girls rush off to save everyone (aided a little by Ant and his friends). Upon rescuing them, Senia wishes to go back to her home village with Azu--and she leaves the party.

"But I don't have time to deal with the likes of you..."

The next chapter, a mysterious new student from Caldor Island shows up: Wing. A little too innocent and trusting, he ends up being enthralled (the literal magical kind, not the figurative kind) by another of Memphis's cohorts, Barua. With Glen's help, the girls manage journey to the Dark Castle D, face down Barua, and break Wing free of her grasp. He joins them on their next adventure, which begins when Eleonora is kidnapped (again) by lizardmen. The three of them defeat the lizardmen, save her, and return to town--where they're promptly asked to take care of a rogue monster in the forest to the east. But, when they try to defeat it, Wing gets knocked unconscious and the trio have to escape.

"I'm here to punish the arrogant magicians on the island of Ien."

After their escape, the Dean of the school, Steel, requests that Wing come to speak with him and Glen at his cabin. There, Steel and Glen inform Wing that (1) the two of them are "Guardians of Time" who exist to protect the time stream and the future from harm, (2) Wing himself also has the latent ability of a "Guardian of Time", and (3) Wing really needs to gain some self-confidence if he has any hope of winning Lena's heart and realizing his potential. Wing then rejoins the girls to help them defeat the monster in a rematch.

"Wing... You, like us, have the power of a Guardian of Time!"

By Chapter 10, that eccentric artist Henner has completed his statue of Ellie--which looks an awful lot like a statue of Althena. This sparks a little rumor that Ellie is the Goddess Althena herself, reborn (but, this isn't true--Althena only does this once every 500 years, and the last time was 200 years ago). But while trying to dispel the rumors, the three of them suddenly get magically transported by Barua to a prison cell in the Dark Castle D (she just won't give up on Wing). They fight their way out of the castle and, with a little help from Glen, they escape.

"You have no right to speak to me. Only Memphis may."

The next chapter, Glen and Steel let the three students in on a few things that show how important Ien is in the world. First, the Blue Dragon is making a visit to the island--the dragon comes only once a decade. Second, the reason the Blue Dragon always visits Ien is that the island is a gathering point for the flow of time--that is, it keeps the stream of time stable. Third, both Glen and Steel are "Guardians of Time"; Glen's role is to protect the time stream, while Steel's role is to protect Ien.

"My duty is to protect Ien, which is the focal point of the world's time."

The trio goes to the nearby Star Tower to get a better view of the dragon's arrival. At the top, they find Hyde, one of the professors and an expert in celestial magic, Glen, and both Memphis and Barua... Apparently, Hyde had captured the Blue Dragon's power for one of his spells using a crystal. Memphis stole this crystal and is trying to absorb its power. Glen is attempting to stop Memphis. And Barua is ganging up on Glen. The girls defeat Barua and clear the way, but not before Memphis unleashes a devastating attack on Glen and goes after the girls. Fortunately, the power he absorbed is unstable and the girls manage to destroy him. Rushing back to Glen, his last words to Wing are a request to continue his studies with Steel, and his last words to Ellie and Lena are regret that he can't see them graduate...

"Stop it, Memphis! If you keep this up, the power will be too much for you to absorb!"

The Blue Dragon gives the Blue Dragon Ring to Wing, saying that Glen would want it that way. When they return to town, Steel tells Wing that he's now ready to become a Guardian of Time himself. Wing accepts the responsibility. On another matter, Steel also informs Ellie and Lena that thanks to their efforts, they've been selected to graduate early from the school. Wing, meanwhile, will receive direct instruction from Steel himself.

"Yes, Wing. I give this ring to you."

But there's one loose thread: Barua is still alive. Soon after Memphis and Glen's defeat, she uses the Dark Castle D and the Vile Tribe to directly attack the island and town of Ien. While the professors and students defend the town, Ellie, Lena, and Wing, go directly to the dark castle itself to take it down. They defeat Barua, destroy the castle, and return to Ien as heroes.

"Ellie versus Barua"

Upon their return, Ellie and Lena find out that a letter from the Magic Guild of Vane has arrived--the Magic Guild wants the girls to come to Vane to continue their studies! If they accept, a boat will be by the day after their graduation to pick them up. They accept, and everyone congratulates them, except Wing--who is a little worried that he won't see Lena for a long time (and that he never confessed his feelings for her). But the morning they're scheduled to leave, Wing finally musters up the courage and tells Lena he loves her, and that he'll go to Vane as soon as his studies in Ien are over; Lena (who's now warmed up to him) smiles and and says she'll be waiting for him.

"Please wait for me in Vane! As soon as I become an amazing Guardian of Time, I'll go there to see you!"

The last thing that you see is Wing, overhearing a conversation between Steel and Glen (not dead!). Glen apparently has decided to retire from the business and go off on an adventure--at 300 years old, it's time for someone else to take over.

"At 300 years old, he really hasn't changed a bit..."