[HEAVY SPOILER] Can someone tell me the 2nd half of the story?

[MimisukeLove🌟]

I played until Gustave died at the end of Act 1. Did he really die for good? It hurt me so much emotionally I can't tolerate playing through the rest of the game anymore

[Kapika96]

If you stop playing you won't be able to avenge him. Do you really want to let him down like that?

Also, Gustave is gone, although, in one of the possible endings...

[ACEsino]

The only real people are Renoir, the paintress and Maelle (wich is Clea reincarnated)

The world is a painting made by the paintress (the mother of Clea and Verso, wife of Renoir) since Verso died irl and she made the painting as a cope.

[Kapika96]

Originally posted by ACEsino:

The only real people are Renoir, the paintress and Maelle (wich is Clea reincarnated)

The world is a painting made by the paintress (the mother of Clea and Verso, wife of Renoir) since Verso died irl and she made the painting as a cope.

Quite a bit of this is wrong.
The Renoir you're thinking of isn't real. He was painted by the paintress (Aline) as part of her fake family in the painting. There is a real Renoir too, the Curator, but he doesn't reveal himself until much later. The Renoir that kills everybody is just another painting.

Maelle is Alicia, not Clea. Clea is the older sister and is not in the painting. She's the reason Alicia entered the painting, and kind of the reason there's a countdown too, but she's outside of the painting still for the duration of the game. There's also a fake painted Alicia alongside the fake Renoir.

The world was made by Verso, not Aline. She's in it as it still contains a piece of Verso's soul and she can't handle the grief of his death so is trying to feel a connection to him through his painting.

[Shin Happens]

Originally posted by Kapika96:

Quite a bit of this is wrong.
The Renoir you're thinking of isn't real. He was painted by the paintress (Aline) as part of her fake family in the painting. There is a real Renoir too, the Curator, but he doesn't reveal himself until much later. The Renoir that kills everybody is just another painting.

Maelle is Alicia, not Clea. Clea is the older sister and is not in the painting. She's the reason Alicia entered the painting, and kind of the reason there's a countdown too, but she's outside of the painting still for the duration of the game. There's also a fake painted Alicia alongside the fake Renoir.

The world was made by Verso, not Aline. She's in it as it still contains a piece of Verso's soul and she can't handle the grief of his death so is trying to feel a connection to him through his painting.

One addendum to what you say regarding Clea, only read if you want to know what's up with her:

Clea was in the painting at one point, for quite some time even apparently, and some part of her IS still in the painting. You will eventually find her echo in the game which has become more or less insane / lost herself. It seems everyone who spends a certain amount of time in the canvas will leave an echo/imprint or a small piece of their soul behind. Anyway, Clea even had a relationship with one of the canvas people (or at least the man was deeply in love with her). You meet whatever is left of him as well (it's THE toughest boss battle in the entire game). But you only really learn about that if you explore all the optional regions in Act 3. Clea's story is found in the Flying Manor where you can eventually find her remnant. The bit about her lover is found elsewhere. The Clea story gives you her dress for Lune. Which looks quite nice.