About Zodiark:

I have a feeling that this is Zodiark, the game seemed to make clear(in the journal text and musings of them going back home)that the WoD were going to their deaths, that through the 70drk quest the WoL believes Arbert among the dead. As WoL working under Eldibus, nothing seemed to suggest the WoD had any particular insight regarding this, or any talk with Zodiark at all. (Not that we’d be able to ask...)
Note that at times even Hydaelyn has had trouble contacting us without the crystal of light we get on occasion, and Zodiark is effectively doing this on the scions for the first time, specifically plucking people away.

While we are well aware that the flood is something both sides do not want, the notion of Zodiark not wanting a calamity(or this calamity at least) as well as the global phenomenon of aether going down throws something new into the mix.

Is the Ascian form somehow unable to be called in such a manner?
Is the draining aether in the land related to his want to return as an intervention, which gets interpreted by the Ascians first?