I want to ask something (SPOILERS FOR EW MSQ)

[wereotter]

I may be dumb to understand but there is something that bugs me. We are told Zodiark has been summoned to prevent the final days. But the flashback confirmed it kinda didn't?

Actually this felt a little inconsistent to me too. When Venat does the sundering (I assume as Hydalen since the sundering was her doing) we see the fiery skies of the final days overhead, but Zodiark was supposed to have prevented that, restoring life back to normalcy. As I understood it, Hydalen didn't sunder the world until after more human sacrifices to Zodiark were being demanded.

[van_arn]

Actually this felt a little inconsistent to me too. When Venat does the sundering (I assume as Hydalen since the sundering was her doing) we see the fiery skies of the final days overhead, but Zodiark was supposed to have prevented that, restoring life back to normalcy. As I understood it, Hydalen didn't sunder the world until after more human sacrifices to Zodiark were being demanded.

This cutscene takes place when Venat is still Venat. Her Hydaelyn-tier Sundering would be an order of magnitude more powerful than her sundering as Venat.

I believe this scene is only meant to show the moment where she begins to show opposition.

[wereotter]

This cutscene takes place when Venat is still Venat. Her Hydaelyn-tier Sundering would be an order of magnitude more powerful than her sundering as Venat.

I believe this scene is only meant to show the moment where she begins to show opposition.

Shouldn't the skies still have been back to normal, though? Or are you saying this was her beginning her opposition at the initial summoning of Zodiark?

[van_arn]

Shouldn't the skies still have been back to normal, though? Or are you saying this was her beginning her opposition at the initial summoning of Zodiark?

Yeah, she's clearly not upgraded yet. Venat is Venat.

[wereotter]

Yeah, she's clearly not upgraded yet. Venat is Venat.

I was more questioning the timeline. Hydalen was summoned after Zodiark, we know. And Zodiark did temporarily forstall the Final Days, so my point was we shouldn't still be seeing the sky as red if Zodiark had been summoned already at the time of the cutscene.

[Rinhi]

I was more questioning the timeline. Hydalen was summoned after Zodiark, we know. And Zodiark did temporarily forstall the Final Days, so my point was we shouldn't still be seeing the sky as red if Zodiark had been summoned already at the time of the cutscene.

zodiark did forestall the first attempt at the final days, I think what we see, with hyth saying goodbye to emet to offer himself, was the 2nd and final attempt, which succeeded in a sense due to venat sundering the world

that's how I understood it, at least

The only question I have is what the "sound" which preceded the final days was. If it was answered, then I must have missed it. I'm guessing it was Meteion's telepathic "song," although I'm not sure if it was explicitly stated anywhere.

I think this is touched upon in the post MSQ cutscene

[PerrinTaveren]

Actually this felt a little inconsistent to me too. When Venat does the sundering (I assume as Hydalen since the sundering was her doing) we see the fiery skies of the final days overhead, but Zodiark was supposed to have prevented that, restoring life back to normalcy. As I understood it, Hydalen didn't sunder the world until after more human sacrifices to Zodiark were being demanded.

yeah that was where i was confused too. since there were final days after they created zodiark in that flashback and people were literally praying for zodiark to stop it and bring back the paradise they had. so i don't get how imprisoning zodiark made a change. it is hinted summoning hydaelyn stopped it maybe? but then again, how is the question. since after she took matter in her hands, world is saved. But we don't know how.

[wereotter]

yeah that was where i was confused too. since there were final days after they created zodiark in that flashback and people were literally praying for zodiark to stop it and bring back the paradise they had. so i don't get how imprisoning zodiark made a change. it is hinted summoning hydaelyn stopped it maybe? but then again, how is the question. since after she took matter in her hands, world is saved. But we don't know how.

Zodiark did stop the final days by basically creating a shield of aether around the planet so that Meton's dynamis couldn't get through to corrupt creation magic, and from what we can tell, it did work, but the problem became when after half the population sacrificed themselves to summon him, then another half was needed to be sacrificed again to sustain him (so think they were willing to sacrifice 75% of all living people just to protect the world) Venat and her followers thought this was unacceptable and summoned Hydalen to keep Zodiark in check. The aether shield created by Zodiark was still in place on the Source and all its reflections, and he needed to continue to exist in order to maintain it, but in order to stop the human sacrifices, Hydalen sundered and imprisoned him.

She knew it was only a temporary solution, but it was she deemed the right action to save more people from being sacrificed.