How to Unlock Ari in Sovereign Tower

You find Ari with his nose in a book of island landscapes. However you open it, both paths land him telling you it’s Djinn Island, “a tiny forgotten slice of paradise,” off the coast of Southbay.

Dialogue Choices:

• “Oh yes, I know that island.” (+affinity twice in a row. Ari drops his voice: “Do you think you could send me there someday…??”)
• “It doesn’t ring a bell.” (“Understandable! One can’t know everything, Your Grace!!”)

He goes quiet over the book after that, calmer than usual, admitting he can’t really concentrate, “aside from books about mysterious islands.” Then the real turn: he grew up roaming the Basalt Islands until everything started looking the same, “the same rocks, the same coconut trees, the same breeze… Nothing surprised me anymore.”

Dialogue Choices:

• “The Basalt Islands seem incredible to me.” (he wonders aloud if he’s grown jaded and needs a fresh start)
• “I understand…it’s the same from this Tower everyday.” (he pities you back, then catches himself: familiarity is comforting, actually)
• “Which is your favourite coconut tree on the Basalt Islands?” (a specific tree in a deserted cove on Popota Island, the site of his best naps)

Every branch funnels into an optimist-or-pessimist choice about his own homesickness, then a shared close, gated on an affinity boost: “After all, we’re never happy without deciding to be, right?… Make sure to hold onto all the small joys in life, Your Grace.”

Ari greets you already mid-thought. He tells you someone smiled at him and shook his hand in the street that morning, “it made me feel all funny,” while his griffin Columbus whimpers sympathetically in the background.

Dialogue Choices:

• “You’ll get used to it. It’s not that big of a deal.” (he apologizes for oversharing)
• “You’ve earned it.” (a quieter acknowledgment)
• “Was life tough on the Islands?” (“Aah, a bit…”)

All three converge on the same story: he was a mercenary for the Islands, escort and convoy work, but “things didn’t go very well with my crew.” They found him annoying. He never made friends there. At home, his brothers soaked up all the attention. “I guess that’s why I never felt like I mattered until I came here.”

Dialogue Choices:

• “It’s a little bit too much.” (he apologizes and promises to watch his tongue)
• “Don’t blame yourself, it’s okay.” (“You’re a rare gem…”)

The scene ends on an affinity bump: “Know that I’ll do everything in my power to become the greatest knight in the world!! That look this morning… It was the spark I needed, like a real boost!”