Per wiki policy, Spoilers Off applies here and all spoilers are unmarked. You Have Been Warned.
This series has a number of dark and tearjerking moments.
- "Bottled Happiness" note : The tragic story of Nino, the abused slave girl serving under Emil and his horribly violent father. When Elaina notes that Nino is clearly depressed from the father's harsh treatment, she suggests that Emil lift her spirits with a gift. Eager to make Nino happy, Emil gives the girl his bottle of happiness, which (when opened) unleashes visions of happy memories from several people in the country (ex. couples falling in love, families spending time together, etc.) Then... Surprisingly Realistic Outcome follows. What was meant to be a kind gesture ends up damaging Nino even further, as the exposure to other people's happiness makes her realize that, sadly, this is a reality that she'll never get to experience. As Elaina parts ways with the two at the end, she hearkens back to one of the stories in "The Adventures of Niké", that of a young man who attempted to make his depressed wife happy with images of beauty, only to unwittingly drive her to suicide when her mental state worsens. The implication of what becomes of Nino offscreen is incredibly heartbreaking.
- The shot of Emil happily waving goodbye to Elaina while Nino stands behind him, silent and emotionless. It's subtle, but it signifies that Emil is completely oblivious to the damage he's done, unknowingly turning a blind eye while she sinks deeper into sadness. For those who have dealt with depression, this hits especially hard.
- "Princess Without Subjects" note :
- Elaina contemplating on Mirarose's success on being a "Princess Without Subjects."
- The King, suffering a Disproportionate Retribution in the hands of his own daughter, destroying his own kingdom for which he certainly cared.
- "Retroactive Grief" has got to be one of the darkest chapters in Elaina's life. Elaina helps a fellow witch to travel back in time and save her best friend from turning into a murderer. Unfortunately, said friend was gone long ago and Estelle executes her at the cost of her own memories. Elaina runs away and cries at the bench, trying to remind herself that she's a traveller but failing.
- It's even implied that Elaina's haughty nature is just a front to hide the amount of guilt and trauma she had gained from her travels. The Magic Flower. Nino. Mirarose. And now Estelle. Elaina had magic and yet she was powerless to change things for the better.
- The end credits song doesn't even has the vibrant, colorful imagery it always plays with, it's all replaced with pitch-black darkness.
- "Until The Snow Melts" is pretty infamous in the fandom due to its too depressing storyline.
- "A City on Ice" is known to be very heavy for Amnesia, as the story puts her in a situation where she has no choice but to kill Rudela, the city's resident witch, if she wants to save Elaina and everyone else in the city. The poor girl is so wracked with guilt after the fact that Elaina can tell she had to do something terrible just by observing her unusual behavior. And when they leave the city, Amnesia breaks down sobbing and apologizing in Elaina's arms, at which point Elaina decides there's no way she can ask what happened.
- Rudela's story is also very tragic; she remained loyal to her country even after they grew to suspect her of having unleashed a pandemic, and after freezing the entire city and its residents with time-suspending ice magic to buy time, she identified the cause of the pandemic and developed a vaccine, but at the cost of her own humanity. And after her death, her countrymen remembered her as a villain who froze them, never learning the lengths she went to to save them from the disease they were dying in droves from.
- The full extent of Amnesia's backstory as learned in "Amnesia's Forgotten Homecoming". At the very least, she gets a happy ending and a new beginning at the end of the chapter and volume.
