This article contains plot and/or ending details for Pandora Hearts.
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"Chains" (
One hundred years prior to the beginning of the story, Jack Vessalius had his life saved by a young Baskerville girl, Lacie. He spent the next several years trying to find her and they eventually reunited, only for Lacie to be executed months later for being a Child of Ill Omen. Lacie's death motivated Jack to cast the world into the Abyss, which he intended to do by targeting the "Chains" which gave the universe its shape. While he successfully destroyed the "Chains" which his Illegally Contracted Chain the B-Rabbit, he eventually fails. This incident becomes known as the Tragedy of Sablier. Despite his failure Jack continued to be motivated by this one goal, and he intends to finish the job and destroy the "Chains" once again to cast the world into the Abyss.
Description[]
The "Chains" are by default incorporeal and invisible, unable to be perceived by anyone under normal circumstances. Visually they manifest as actual literal chains which are as ever-present as the very air is, wrapping around and connected to every place in the world. Once destroyed they begin slowly shattering link by link, these fractured pieces becoming visible as floating sand upon falling apart. However when they reform, the "Chains" become visible and material to all who are present to witness them. They appear as chains made of pure golden light.
Analogous to tying together a cracked crystal, the "Chains" wrap around the world and keep its shape intact. For this purpose they are incredibly powerful, so much so that incredible power itself would be needed to break them. Jack Vessalius, wanting exactly this, directly asked for that power from the Intention of the Abyss herself, drawing on her control over the entire Abyss. The Intention offered Oz, a toy rabbit passed down from her mother, and turned him into a Chain more powerful than any other ever seen. Specifically, Oz the B-Rabbit was given powers that counter the Abyss, which were used to shatter the "Chains" to catastrophic ends. The only way they could be repaired is through the combined efforts of all five Black Winged Chains at once, or the direct interference of the Core of the Abyss.
History[]
Levi's explanation, A broken crystal held together by Chains
Levi, the previous head of the Baskervilles, had told Jack Vessalius of the "Chains" while they waited to arrive back on the Baskerville estate. Levi explained to Jack that the Abyss was the beginning and end of everything and that the reason Earth was not engulfed by its power was because of "Chains" that encircled the world that were invisible and could not be touched by humans. Jack was surprised by this as he had never heard of such a thing before, but Levi didn't expect Jack to understand. Even as Levi said it to Jack, he though it sounded abstract, and so he continued to explain that among the Baskervilles' many duties to maintain a harmony within the Abyss, was protecting the "Chains" to prevent their destruction. Jack asked what would happen if such a thing did occur, and Levi smiled, asking why Jack would ask him something like that, implying that it would destroy the world.
Levi's answer to Jack's question
With this came Levi's explanation of a young girl on the Baskerville estate named Alice, who was his and Lacie's daughter. Alice was born in the Abyss alongside her sister, who came together with The Core of the Abyss to form what Levi called The Intention of the Abyss. Both children aged within seconds because of the Abyss' time altering capabilities, but while the Intention stayed within the Abyss, her twin sister Alice left of her own accord. Levi then gave Jack permission to use Alice to fulfill his wish before disappearing.
Jack coaxed Oswald into allowing him to meet Alice, which lead him to the discovery that although Alice and the Intention had two bodies of their own, the Intention could switch places with Alice and visit Earth through her body. Jack approached Alice one day while the Intention resided in her body, explaining to her the concept of the Chains and asking her if she could use her powers to destroy them. The Core of the Abyss takes over Alice's body within the Intention's soul to tell Jack that such a thing would be impossible, as even the Core's presence within Alice was breaking Alice's body, and to use her powers to such a magnitude would absolutely destroy Alice. When Jack realized that he was speaking to the Core rather than the Intention, he questioned this, which lead the Core to recede in the Intention's soul, allowing her to have control of Alice's body once again.
Jack then asked the Intention if she could make him a Chain with the power to destroy the "Chains" of the world instead of having the Intention use her power. The Intention asked why Jack wanted to destroy the "Chains" and Jack said that he wanted to come and visit the Intention in person as she was only using Alice's body presently. The Intention stated that if Jack wanted a Chain, then she had the perfect one for him, drawing a picture of Oz, the black rabbit doll with her in the Abyss. The Intention stated how Oz had been with her since the very beginning, however she had forgotten her name, the reason being that Oz belonged more to Alice than he belonged to the Intention. Jack recalled how Lacie had a Chain of her own that wielded chains and had the form of a rabbit, and so Jack stated that it would be an honour to have a Chain so similar to Lacie's. The Intention stated that because Oz would be different from other Chains, he would require a larger path to Earth than a regular distortion within the Abyss.
The explosion caused by the severed chains
Jack learned from Miranda Barma later that a larger path would be one of the five Doors to the Abyss , one of which was in possession of the Baskervilles, who constantly guarded the Door. Miranda had also explained that the only time there weren't Baskervilles guarding the Door was during an Succession Ceremony, one of which was fast approaching for Gilbert, a boy Jack had saved off of the streets of Sablier. Miranda told Jack that the Nightray Dukedom would take over the roles of the Baskervilles, and because they did not have Chains, Jack would be able to fight them if necessary to reach the Door. Miranda also explained that she had heard that only Glen Baskerville was able to open the Doors to the Abyss, but because Levi had also told Jack that Children of Ill Omen could approach the Core of the Abyss, Jack knew that he could manipulate Gilbert's younger brother and Child of Ill Omen, Vincent, into opening the Door to the Abyss for him.
Jack did just this and Oz emerged from the Abyss and formed a contract with Jack. Jack then had Oz sever the "Chains" so that the world would plunge into the Abyss for Lacie, whom Jack believed was one with the Abyss. Jack's plans were thwarted however when the current Glen Baskerville, Oswald, summoned his Black Winged Chains to mend the "Chains" to prevent the entire world from falling into the Abyss. Sablier's "Chains" were the first that were severed however, which meant that the power of the Abyss would leak into their world where the Chains no longer existed, and thus Sablier would fall into the Abyss.
Plot[]
Coming soon!
Appearances[]
- Retrace LXX: Oz (Mentioned only)
- Retrace LXXII: Bloody Rabbit
- Retrace LXXIII: A note
- Retrace LXXIV: Broken Rabbit
- Retrace LXXV: Alone
- Retrace LXXVIII: Decision
- Retrace LXXXI: CHILDREN
- Retrace LXXXIV: Trickster
- Retrace LXXXVII: Starting Point
- Retrace XC: Clock Tower
- Retrace XCV: Vincent
- Retrace XCVIII: Reverberate
- Retrace XCIX: Shade
- Retrace C: Ossia
- Retrace CI: Oswald
- Retrace CIII: Call Your Name
- Retrace CIV: Will