Throughout the game, the Source Hunters occasionally encounter magical crystals known as “Star Stones” (some of them transformed into “blood stones” by the Immaculates’ sacrifices). Upon finding the first one, they are transported to the “Homestead”, a mysterious fortress outside of regular spacetime that is immediately familiar to both of them. As they recover more Star Stones, they learn from them that the Source had originally been a benevolent magic associated with Astarte, the goddess of life, before it was corrupted by the Void, an evil force from outside of the material world.
The Source Hunters themselves are revealed to be reincarnations of two ancient generals, a man and a woman, who imprisoned the Source corruption inside an artifact known as “the Gold Box” and were granted godlike powers to guard it. However, when a demonic being named “the Trife” persuaded Astarte to open the Box, the corruption was released again and took on the form of a giant dragon, which Astarte went on to battle for eternity in the Void. As penance for their failure, the Guardians chose to be stripped of their powers and memories and were reborn in Rivellon as ordinary humans;
the Star Stones are, in fact, crystallized fragments of their lost memories. Deducing that the Trife is now manipulating Leandra to weaken Astarte and to unleash the Void Dragon on the world, Icara urges the Source Hunters to stop her, either by restoring the “soulforge” between the sisters (a psychic link that Leandra had severed), or by killing her if necessary.
