History TearJerker / OctopathTravelerII

* In Sai's tavern, Osvald, Castti and Agnea have a depressing moment. It is Rita's birthday and Osvald has gotten completely drunk and believes Castti and Agnea are his beloved Rita and Elena, respectively. He talks with "Rita" about Elena's first word being "Pretty", of the love he has for Rita, and his own feelings of worthlessness and fear of being a poor father because all he can do is teach Elena mathematics. While Castti and Agnea humor him at first, as he gets more depressed, they try to assure him he wasn't a bad husband or father before he passes out.

* In Gravell, there's a sidequest available from a Worried Mother who's looking for her daughters. You can find one of them in the nearby Ivory Ravine on a small island you can sail to after beating the boss. The thing is, the boss drops a cloudy bracelet, which the girl recognizes as belonging to her sister... which prompts her to realize that the monster likely ''ate her sister'' (which is both this and NightmareFuel). After you Guide/Allure her back to her mother, she can't quite bring herself to explain what happened, and the mother simply assumes that her other daughter is busy with her studies. The sidequest ends there, with it being ambiguous as to whether or not the mother ever learns the truth.

-->'''Castti:''' Trousseau... I still held out hope for you. I thought somewhere deep inside of you, the gentle man you once were still lived; but I was mistaken. Your heart is as black as the foul pestilence you spread.

* As Trousseau gleefully talks about poisoning all of Timberain, you can hear Castti's heart break as she realizes the only way to stop this madness is to kill him. Castti had truly been hoping that she could somehow talk Trousseau down and redeem him, but he is simply too far gone and she has no other choice. Even after Castti has stopped the smoke and he lays dying from his wounds, you can tell she wished she could have found another way.
* Trousseau himself qualifies, when he's not being NightmareFuel: once upon a time, he was the kindest and most devoted of Eir's Apothecaries...until he came face to face with the horrible and bloody history of mankind. The contrast between the dutiful and caring apothecary that he was and the violently unstable mass murderer he becomes is incredibly tragic.

* The chapter where she fights Father somehow one-ups this. Father used to be a relatively sane man who himself desired to escape the Blacksnakes and elope with Throné's mother and raise their child, until she left him for Throné's father and murdered the baby they'd had together. The chapter drives it home with Throné asking him as he's dying if she may call him "Dad". Father, hearing this, dies happy; despite the tensions and lack of genetic connection between them, Father and Throné do genuinely love each other as parent and child.

* The chapter where she fights Father somehow one-ups this. Father used to be a relatively sane man who himself desired to escape the Blacksnakes and elope with Throné's mother and raise their child, until she left him for Throné's father and murdered the baby they'd had together. The chapter drives it home with Throné asking him as he's dying if she may call him "Dad". An act that allows him to die happily, revealing that despite their tension Father and Throné do genuinely love each other as parent and child even if it's not by blood.

** What makes it all the more heartbreaking is that Osvald's focus shifts entirely to Elena as soon as she makes her presence known. He even walks right past Harvey, the cause of all his grief, to greet his daughter, just that relieved to know she's okay. Which makes the reveal that Harvey wiped her memories of her father and made her see him as her "papa" all the more heartbreaking.

** What makes it all the more heartbreaking is that Osvald’s focus shifts entirely on Elena as soon as she makes her presence known. He even walks right past Harvey, the cause of all his grief, to greet his daughter, just that relieved to know she’s okay. Which makes the reveal that Harvey wiped her memories of her father and made her seem him as her “papa” all the more heartbreaking.

** Throné's anguished cry as she realizes that Pirro is dead. Even if it was in self-defense, she didn't want to kill him any more then he wanted to kill her; not only because they were [[LikeBrotherAndSister raised together]], but also because shared the same dream of just wanting to be free.

** Throné's anguished cry as she realizes that Pirro is dead. Even if it was in self-defense, she didn't want to kill him anymore then he wanted to kill he; not only because they were [[LikeBrotherAndSister raised together]], they also shared the same dream of just wanting to be free.

** Elma giving her life to cover her favorite horse, Jeyah, in a cloak, in an attempt to shield him from the poison rain. It all winds up being for naught, as Malaya points out that even the air is poisoned and Jeyah's been breathing it in. As Malaya sees Castti off, she slumps down next to Jeyah, who's laying on the ground - already either dead, or dying. It's utterly heartbreaking.

** Taken further by how Castti's ending card includes Trousseau along with everyone else. Castti still prefers to imagine him as the good man he used to be.

* As Trousseau gleefully talks about poisoning all of Timberain, you can hear Castti's heartbreak as she realizes the only way to stop this madness is to kill him. Castti had truly been hoping that she could somehow talk Trousseau down and redeem him, but he is simply too far gone and she has no other choice. Even after Castti has stopped the smoke and he lay dying from his wounds, you can tell she wished she could have found another way.

** Adding salt in the wound is how close it came to being preventable -- had Temenos chosen to stay up and keep investigating, he might've come across Crick sooner, but instead he went to sleep, juxtaposed with the player hearing Crick's dying breaths and knowing his last thoughts were about Temenos.

* As Trousseau gleefully talks about poisoning all of Timberain, you can hear Castti's heartbreak as she realizes the only way to stop this madness is to kill him. Castti had truly been hoping that she could somehow talk Trousseau down and redeem him, but he simply to far gone and she has no other choice. Even after Castti has stopped the smoke and he lay dying from his wounds, you can tell she wished she could have found another way.

* The entire story of Chapter 2: Winterbloom Route dealing with Rose living long enough to see her daughter, Melia, come of age to run the city.

** At the end of the chapter, Castti finds out that the Malaya that is guiding her is just a hallucination of her, as the real Malaya has been dead, having sacrificed herself to send Castti away. The imaginary Malaya then entrusts Castti with her goal to stop the plague, and, having fullfilled her purpose of helping Castti recover her memories, fades away peacefully at the same coast she died at as Castti sets out to Timberain.

* Throné finding out that Father set up her friends to be killed in order ensure her position as successor of the Blacksnakes.

** At the end of the chapter, Castti finds out that the Malaya that is guiding her is just a hallucination of her, as the real Malaya has been dead, having sacrificed herself to send Castti away. The imaginary Malaya then entrusts Castti with her goal to stop the plague, and, having fullfilled her purpose of helping Castti recovering her memories, fades away peacefully at the same coast she died at as Castti sets out to Timberain.

* Before the beginning of "Mikka's Next Chapter", Mikka is found work herself to the bone because of grief and guilt of her brother's action. While she still loves him, she hold no illusion about the kind of person he was or what he willingly did under Mugen's command. Even if you have [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic no sympathy]] for Ritsu, it's impossible to feel nothing for Mikka's sorrow for losing her last blood relation.