The Light of the Crystal

[Viridiana]

First, let me say that this is going to be a rather long post. I'm attempting to make sense of several references and visual cues scattered throughout the game that may or may not have been constructed with each other in mind. With that said, I'd like some input on what I'm considering craziness in regards to the player character's level of power.

***

So, what are we, really? Are we adventurers acting in service to Hydaelyn? Is the Echo her gift to us? Are the Crystals of Light an expression of her "blessing" upon us? What exactly is our interaction with the Crystals of Light?

Going through the Gridania storyline (though I'm sure it's similar for other cities), our first introduction to these concepts occurs in the level 5 quest Chasing Shadows. What I think is interesting is that our absorption of the Crystal of Light (more on this later) seems to come *before* our interaction with Hydaelyn. In fact, the "Echo scene" showing the starfall doesn't occur until the Crystal has been absorbed, either. This actually makes me lend credence to the idea that the Echo is separate from Hydaelyn, which I'll talk about more below.

The power to banish the Darkness dwelleth in the Crystals of Light. Journey forth and lay claim to them.
By thy deeds shall the Crystals reveal themselves to thee.

Of note from this quote in Chasing Shadows, Hydaelyn tells us that the Crystals themselves are a source of power. Some Ascians later in the story use wording that make me question this, but I still lean toward this being true, at least in a sense.

Later, in the level 14 quest To Guard a Guardian, we encounter the nameless Ascian that's been causing issues in the Black Shroud. His comments as he summons his demon to do battle are somewhat noteworthy:

Your very being imperils the plan. You cannot be suffered to live.

Now, he could just be going a little overboard, but what if he means exactly what he says? What if there's really no way to reconcile our existence with the plans of the Ascians?

In Lord of the Inferno, whe have the following exchange take place:

Ifrit: Pitiful children of man! By my breath I claim you!

Ifrit: Arise once more as my loyal minions! Feed my flames with your faith, and all who stand against us shall burn!
*A faint light emanates from the player, shielding them from the flames.*

Temugg Zoh: Impossible! By what sorcery do you resist my master's will!?

Temugg Zoh: Could it be...?

Temugg Zoh: Your soul already belongs to another!? Yes, that is the only explanation!

Ifrit: Forsooth, thy frail mortal frame can serve as vessel to the blessing of but One.

Ifrit: Yet I smell not the taint of another upon thee...

Ifrit: The truth of thine allegiance waxeth clear─thou art of the godless blessed's number.

Ifrit: The Paragons warned of thine abhorrent kind. Thine existence is not to be suffered.

Now, clearly, the Ascians have taught Ifrit that the "godless blessed" Echo bearers are not to be allowed to live. But why? What about our existence so imperils their plans? Also, I kinda take this quote, in conjunction with one later, to be saying that Hydaelyn really hasn't tempered us. Granted, since she is "All made one," her "scent" would probably be indistinguishable from that of a non-blessed.

Also of note is the faint light of the Crystal that protects us. Now, it's hard to tell for certain, just due to how the video rolls, but I think there's an actual light emenating from us that wards off the tempering. We'll see this again later against Garuda, where it will be much stronger, presumably due to our having absorbed many more Crystals by then.

Next up is our first conversation with Lahabrea, taking place during Into the Beast's Maw:

All that stands between this world and darkness is an irksome anomaly in the aether—-the Echo.

Now, this is what makes me cast doubt on the idea that the Echo is an ability bestowed on us by Hydaelyn. That *could* be the case, but the Ascians don't seem to think so, and they spend all of their time working towards Hydaelyn's demise. Surely they'd know if the Echo were something she granted us. I half-suspect that the Echo really is just a weird anomaly in the aether, and that Hydaelyn, by choice or limitation, only speaks to those who have it already. Someone who paid more attention than I during 1.0 would have to clarify one point: is there any indication that Echo bearers other than the PC were ever directly contacted by Hydaelyn, or are we presumably unique in this regard?

Just after this, we have the last bit of Believe in Your Sylph:

Frixio: <gasp> This one was not mistaken about walking one.

Frixio: Walking one is destined to walk a fate far crueler than this one can imagine.

Frixio: A brilliant light from within walking one enveloped the crystal─this one saw.

Frixio: Mark this one well: that crystal will one day be of use to walking one. Walking one must keep that crystal safe at all times.

So, a couple of things here. First, apparently being a Crystal Bearer is like, a sentence to a life of hardship. Second, whatever inner light we posses is clearly absorbing these crystals. Lastly, just as we can absorb them, it seems it's possible for us to lose them if we aren't careful. I imagine it'd look like what we do to Garuda later, but I can't be certain.

From there, our next meeting with the Ascians and references to the Crystals comes during Skeletons in Her Closet:

Ascian of the Twelfth Sword: It is no ordinary mortal who can acquire one Crystal of Light...much less three.

Ascian of the Twelfth Sword: The crystals make you strong, and it is to that strength that the Light is drawn.

Ascian of the Twelfth Staff: Hydaelyn chose well.

Ascian of the Twelfth Sword: ...A pity that your existence is irreconcilable with our own. We cannot well allow you to continue upon your present course.

This is the quote I mentioned earlier making me wonder about the Crystals. So, the Ascians and Hydaelyn both tell us that the Crystals give us strength. Apparently it's this strength itself that draws in the light we use to defeat the Ascians later. That is to say, it's the strength that gives us light, not the light that gives us strength. It makes me think that the dark crystals left behind by so many of our enemies in the story might actually be Crystals of Darkness, and that we may someday face a Bringer of Darkness who has absorbed a number of them.

This comment also makes me think that our success and our access to the Echo are not results of Hydaelyn choosing us. I suspect that we, somewhat by chance, came into the power of the Echo and that, having the Echo, we were able to absorb a Crystal of Light. At this point, Hydaelyn chose us to be her champion, and, in our resulting quests, we probably outstripped even her hopes for us. Ultimately, though, I think that it's the Echo that enables our success and that the Echo is not directly from Hydaelyn.

Lastly, let's consider the scene after you defeat Garuda in Lady of the Vortex:

Garuda: You, landwalker─you who dared to raise your hand against me─you shall be the first to pay for your sins! Not with your death─but with your LIFE!

Garuda: You will serve me, landwalker...to your last breath!
*Blue vortex surrounds the player.*

Garuda: No, NO!!! I claimed you! You should be MINE!
*Bright light shines from the player, dispelling the vortex. Garuda is shocked back into a defeated pose. Wind crystal rises from Garuda's chest.*
*Crystal absorption scene*
*Garuda appears shaken and defeated.*

Garuda: What...what are you? What have you done to me!?
Garuda: No mortal should possess such power! This...this is impossible!

Now, let's really consider this. At this point in the scene, Garuda has gone from looking defeated to being made even stronger than she started by the devotion of her Ixal followers. She's actually more powerful going into this part than she was when we first entered her domain. She starts by trying to temper us. A light radiates out from us, dispelling her attempt at tempering. At the same time, the sheer power of our light kicks her back into a defeated posture and forces the sixth and thus far final Crystal of Light from her chest for us to absorb. Bewildered, she asks us what we are, pointing out that "no mortal should posses such power!" And really, I have to agree: By all appearances, we literally just defeated a powered-up primal in her own domain with nothing more than a stern glance and the power of the Light. We stripped her of her Crystal, which is itself a sign of defeat. No normal mortal would posses anywhere near this level of power. What, then, does that make us?

At this point, we appear to be a being more powerful even than the primals, powered primarily by Crystals of Light, capable of casting out Ascians possession, and immune to the most insidious power a primal can muster (tempering). Now, when I say that we're powered by Crystals of Light, I don't mean to imply that we're consuming crystals the way a primal does. By all indications, the Crystals we absorb continue to have a physical presence. Then again, there's so much still unknown about the Crystals of Light as compared to a normal crystal, that this might be the same way a primal would interact with them. After all, we know that even if a Crystal of Light becomes part of a primal, it doesn't return to the background aether when the primal is defeated. As such, even though the Crystals of Light are still "there" after we absorb them, it could be that we're using them the same way a primal would.

All of this leaves me wondering what exactly is going on with our powers. We're certainly not a normal mortal; the Echo we possess is an oddity in the aether in its own right; the Crystals of Light that we absorb (via the Echo?) make us more powerful in the same way a primal is boosted by crystals; the Light drawn to the Crystals empowers us to drive away Darkness and its agents; and our power in general is far above almost anything else seen in Eorzea.

Any ideas? Crazy theories? Glaring holes in my analysis?