Predictions for 5.3?

[Draginhikari]

At the same time, who's to say he's not working on the Source in parallel? I find it hard to believe that a meticulous planner like him would truly leave Zenos as a "wildcard", not to mention any other number of avenues he could be keeping an eye on, both within the Empire and outside it.

That said, for now it does seem like the focus is dealing with the primary obstacle to his plans, but I am sure he's more than adept at multitasking.

That's why I said in my point 'Is no pending calamity that we are aware of to allow a Rejoining to take place'. Generally, the story tends to let us as the Players know that some element is going to be important by bringing it up long before it becomes story relevant like how Black Rose was. At this stage, all we know is that Zenos is traveling with a white robed figure that seems different from Elidibus somehow who seems to know about the past. If there is a potential option for another calamity, it's not currently apparent.

[Lauront]

That's why I said in my point 'Is no pending calamity that we are aware of to allow a Rejoining to take place'. Generally, the story tends to let us as the Players know that some element is going to be important by bringing it up long before it becomes story relevant like how Black Rose was. At this stage, all we know is that Zenos is traveling with a white robed figure that seems different from Elidibus somehow who seems to know about the past. If there is a potential option for another calamity, it's not currently apparent.

I agree, it's not readily apparent. Nonetheless, there is something odd about a cautious planner like Elidibus not having a plan to make use of Zenos and just leaving it to the wind. Especially since this new "guest" has knowledge of a plan we've only seen Zenos articulate in front of a dying Varis - a plan a forward-thinker like Elidibus would anticipate from Zenos once he revealed to him the nature of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. So I think it is likely that Elidibus is still guiding Zenos in some manner or other, and that the choice of Asahi is no less intentional than how he used Zenos's form to goad Asahi into doing his bidding. In fact, I would go as far to say that Elidibus knows enough about Zenos's psychology to avoid giving him a fight worth remembering (in which case he'd just become a pest obsessed with him) and has imparted this knowledge to this new person to better manipulate him. Particularly if Elidibus is the original and thus the same as Zodiark.

So far, his stated aim is to use the newly minted WoLs on the First to hinder the main character (with the exact details being unclear for now), so assuming he's the one pulling Zenos's strings, it suggests he has some other use for him. If he intends to just wait until the WoL is dead before putting all the pieces in place, then maybe he has no use of a Source-based calamity right now - in that case his plan could even include throwing Zenos at you. On the other hand, if the goal is to ready the First (and possibly the 13th, too) to be rejoined and at the same time put the Source into a rejoining-ready state, and distract the WoL whilst this is happening, the use for Zenos could be to cause enough devastation in pursuing his goal that it all slots into place and happens too fast to be hindered.

Of course this could all mean nothing if it's Venat or one of her minions (or someone else entirely) who's manipulating Zenos, which would be interesting in its own right, but in my estimation all the signs so far point to it being Elidibus. I could be wrong but I would find it very out of character for him to do nothing with Zenos.