Dear SquareEnix/Natsuko Ishikawa - About Zenos in Endwalker *MAJOR MSQ SPOILERS*!

[nighttimebunny]

No problem! It's really a great read! I'm curious if anything stands out for you from it

[Elysidelphi]

No problem! It's really a great read! I'm curious if anything stands out for you from it

Thank you again, I'll let you know what I think of it.

Until then, there was something else I was wondering. What if Zenos is a sundered soul shard of Venat? Could that be possible?
From what I understood, Venat sundered herself along with all creation, Zodiark included. So what if Zenos is actually a soul shard of Venat, and basically, Venat sort of lives on in Zenos? Is this an insane theory or is it possible?
Because Venat's name means "Hunt" and that's something Zenos loves. Venat is also fond of fighting, of challenges, of adventuring and Zenos does like to fight and have challenges, and he might like adventuring as well. Venat was also one of our closest friends back in the Unsundered World, we got the Seat of Azem from her, she specifically chose us; she might have been our friend first, before we became friends with Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus (after we joined the Convocation) in the Unsundered World. And if this is all true, it might explain why Zenos is so drawn to us, why he considers us his first friend, it might be because we are his first friend in both the Sundered and Unsundered World. It might explain why we are so similar to Zenos as well, in terms of fighting and rising to the challenge; because if he is part of Venat, Venat also used to fight and rise to challenges and be reckless. Meaning that both we and Zenos used to be Azem, the traveller, the adventurer...And omg, Zenos's name change in Endwalker, that "viator" meaning traveller...Could it be a clue that he indeed used to be part of Venat and thus he was Azem before us?

Furthermore, in the Unsundered World, when Venat steps down to let us take the Seat of Azem, she doesn't return to the star/she refuses to die, she chooses to live and mentor us, stay friends with us and she continues travelling and taking care of things, helping and fighting and such. This could also be a clue as to Zenos refusing to die, starting from Stormblood all the way until now, but since he may be just a piece of her (a quite big piece of her 7 times rejoined), he doesn't consciously realise why he keeps coming back from death (at least not until now).

Also, Venat refusing to die after she steps down as Azem is viewed as different/controversial in the Ancient World, she doesn't follow custom. And it is often repeated by people that Venat and the current Azem are both weird/do not fit in/do not follow most customs. This ties in with our current self, with us being the WoL and being different, but it also ties in with Zenos being different, not following customs, not being the prince he had to be, and so on.

Also also, it is said/implied that people who take the Seat of Azem are travellers, they like the freedom of moving about and such. By contrast Zenos was chained to the empire, to the duty of the crown, he was limited in what he could do, always having to put the empire's agenda first; he wasn't free, he didn't feel free. If he is indeed part of Venat/ the old Azem before us, then he would be someone who likes to travel and have the freedom of movement, so being chained to the empire like that would only contribute even more to his depression and his lack of interest in ruling and caring for his people. So this may have been part of the reason why he took over Shinryu and flew around and destroyed stuff back in Stormblood, for both the desire to feel free in flight and also open rebellion to his duties as a prince, that desire for freedom finally, something he thought he may never have until he met us, the WoL, another Azem; and when he flew all the way to the edge of the universe just to find us, he made it sound so casual, so normal "I followed the light of the stars to you", so maybe for him it is indeed normal due to his love for travelling.

Then the lyrics, "wings of hope". Zenos chose the form of the dragon and had wings and flew to find us in the middle of a place filled with despair, but then Meteion sang a song of hope. And while Zenos is apathetic and bored when it comes to everybody else, he is very different when it comes to the WoL, around the WoL he has very strong emotions, so maybe being in that place filled with Dynamis, and hope newly created by Meteion, will affect Zenos as well. Also, the fact that he called us the WoL his mirror. It might be nothing, it might be minor or it might be huge. If he is indeed part of the original Venat, the mirror part would work perfectly.

The name Venat means "hunt". The name "viator" means traveller. Both are Roman. Not Greek like Hades or Hermes but Roman. Is it all just a coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

I wonder...

[Rosenstrauch]

What if Zenos is a sundered soul shard of Venat?

In order for this to be true, Venat would have had to die and be reincarnated. Seven of Venat's shards were rejoined with her, same as everyone else. Five of the remaining are either still alive, or reentered the aetherial sea at the time of Hydaelyn's death (assuming all shards of Hydaelyn and Zodiark are bound to the whole), in which case they may reincarnate in the future. The Thirteenth's Venat/Hydaelyn is MIA, but given that the only living things we ever encounter there are Voidsent, I'd wager she's one too. Maybe the Cloud of Darkness is the result of the Thirteenth's fragments of Hydaelyn and Zodiark getting mashed together and becoming a singular being. Who knows.

But if that's not a compelling enough answer, consider the following: Hythlodaeus, a character defined in part by his incredible ability in perceiving souls, was unable to recognize Zenos as anyone he knew. This, even though he could tell who Amon-in-Asahi's body was at a glance.

[Elysidelphi]

In order for this to be true, Venat would have had to die and be reincarnated. Seven of Venat's shards were rejoined with her, same as everyone else. Five of the remaining are either still alive, or reentered the aetherial sea at the time of Hydaelyn's death (assuming all shards of Hydaelyn and Zodiark are bound to the whole), in which case they may reincarnate in the future. The Thirteenth's Venat/Hydaelyn is MIA, but given that the only living things we ever encounter there are Voidsent, I'd wager she's one too. Maybe the Cloud of Darkness is the result of the Thirteenth's fragments of Hydaelyn and Zodiark getting mashed together and becoming a singular being. Who knows.

But if that's not a compelling enough answer, consider the following: Hythlodaeus, a character defined in part by his incredible ability in perceiving souls, was unable to recognize Zenos as anyone he knew. This, even though he could tell who Amon-in-Asahi's body was at a glance.

So sorry, I'm quite tired and I couldn't make sense of your reply. Are you saying that it isn't possible that Zenos is a soul shard of Venat? Or are you saying that it is possible?

The first part of your answer made me think you were saying it's possible, but the last part of your answer about Hythlodaeus not recognising Zenos's soul made it sound as if it's impossible.

[Rosenstrauch]

Are you saying that it isn't possible that Zenos is a soul shard of Venat?

That, yes.

[Elysidelphi]

That, yes.

Then what about Venat? She is sundered, right? Because we've always been told about the "3 Unsundered", Lahabrea, Elidibus and Emet-Selch. There was never talk that there might be other Unsundered.

So if Venat is sundered, then it stands to reason that her soul shards have been reborn as people on the Source and its reflections, right? So who are they?

Oh and since you mentioned Hythlodaeus not recognising Zenos's soul, do you have any ideas/theories whose soul Zenos inherited?