Regarding a certain character's long term planning:

I believe that the abridged scene where we witness Venat walking through post-Final Days Amaurot was meant to showcase the moment she lost hope in changing her future. It was witnessing the masses of her people, broken by despair, offering up the second batch of lives to Zodiark. The first set could not be avoided—Etheirys needed Zodiark to shield the world. But the second set would never have to have happened if the people of Etheirys had accepted the suffering they endured and moved to restore their world on their own. By utterly rejecting her message and turning to Zodiark for salvation again, they proved—in her own words—their weakness. They would never be strong enough to stop the Final Days for good.

Plus, while she never learned all that she did from us, she did learn two important things from us: She would lead a rebellious faction opposed to further sacrifices to Zodiark, and she would become Hydaelyn, and in sundering Zodiark would prevent the third set of sacrifices—the purpose of which was to free the first and second sets from Zodiark's control in exchange for a portion of the life Zodiark created with the second set.



Now, here's where I get into speculative territory: On our journey across the moon, we run into several Amaurotine shades. Some of them are fairly amicable and contemplative. But others are full of rage and despair. I believe the former shades represent the first set of sacrifices, while the latter represent the second set. And when we are finally within Zodiark's domain, it's strongly implied that Zodiark's will is not his own, but the collective wills of the lives sacrificed to him. It's not until Fandaniel successfully shuts out all of the voices that he can control Zodiark himself.

Now, I ask you: What would happen to Zodiark if all the noble souls who gave themselves up to empower him were removed, replaced with unwilling or unknowing sacrifices?

The answer I came up with is that Zodiark would come to embody the third set's wills, and without anything to balance out his newfound despair, he would soon bring an end to his own existence.

But that's just what I think. I can hardly prove it.