[Endwalker Spoilers] The Echo and the Blessing of Light

[Theozilla]

So Endwalker gave us further revelations on the nature of the Blessing of Light (and a little bit on the Echo), and I am pretty sure I understood everything, but I also want to ask for clarification on a few things.

So, the Blessing of Light is revealed to be an extension/evolution of Venat's own original Magick that protects individuals from aetheric corruption (i.e. tempering), and as Elidibus and Urianger surmise in 5.2, Hydaelyn/(Venat) grants anyone who naturally awakens to the Echo (who isn't an Ascian) the Blessing of Light. And therefore, the Blessing of Light is not Hydaelyn tempering people.

Additionally the Blessing of Light can also empower people further, especially if they have/generated a Crystal of Light (in the WoL's case we have 6 Crystals of Light), but having a Crystal of Light is not a requirement for having the Blessing of Light itself (as per previously mentioned in the 5.2 musings and Krile herself already stated in 3.1 that she has the Blessing of Light).

And presumably even after Hydaelyn/(Venat) has died, her Blessing of Light Magick still remains on the people who have it, it presumably is not a Magick that fades after the casters death. However, also presumably, since Hydaelyn/(Venat) is now dead no one else in the future can receive the Blessing of Light anymore (at least not the Magick Venat created), even if future people are born with/awaken to the Echo.


Also, if I have understood correctly, the Echo itself also well protects people from being tempered by Primals/aetheric corruption, as evidenced by the WoL still having tempering protection/immunity after Midgardsormr temporarily stripped us of the Blessing of Light right before Heavensward, and the fact that people with an artificial Echo (Zenos, Fordola, and Misija), but who don't have a Blessing of Light, are also still protected/immune to tempering.

However, the protection from tempering that the Echo provides isn't as absolute/strong as the tempering protection that the Blessing of Light can provide, as evidenced by the fact that Emet-Selch stated that Zodiark tempered the Convocation after his summoning, despite the fact the Ancients would have also been in possession of the Echo (and presumably would have been even more powerful in its mastery than a sundered soul individual with the Echo can have). So, if we are to believe Zenos' theory in Stormblood in regards to how the Echo works, the Echo only gives protection from tempering/aetheric corruption in the sense that it allows people with the Echo to have a greater "will" than Primals, and therefore "dominate" the Primals instead of being dominated by them, effectively being protected from tempering. But presumably a super powerful Primal like Zodiark (as stated by Emet-Selch) is strong enough to overcome the protection the Echo can provide against tempering/aetheric corruption.

So does my summation of the Echo and Blessing of Light sound about right/is accurate?

[KageTokage]

The blessing of light was able to ward off the Ascians and their magicks somehow as Elidibus notes it's what prevented him from body snatching Minfilia back in 2.1, and was also keeping Nabriales from encroaching on the Rising Stones.

It's also why we were able to absorb the aether of the lightwardens with no ill effects...at least to a limited extent.

[Theozilla]

The blessing of light was able to ward off the Ascians and their magicks somehow as Elidibus notes it's what prevented him from body snatching Minfilia back in 2.1, and was also keeping Nabriales from encroaching on the Rising Stones.

It's also why we were able to absorb the aether of the lightwardens with no ill effects...at least to a limited extent.

Oh yeah, of course. I was mainly focusing on aspects where the Echo and Blessing of Light overlap/are similar and more vaguely defined.
Like I didn’t mention the default power of the Echo being used to peak into the past, being able to understand others without speaking their language, etc.

[Necrotica]

The blessing of light was able to ward off the Ascians and their magicks somehow as Elidibus notes it's what prevented him from body snatching Minfilia back in 2.1, and was also keeping Nabriales from encroaching on the Rising Stones.

It's also why we were able to absorb the aether of the lightwardens with no ill effects...at least to a limited extent.

This also means we had lost the blessing of light when Fandaniel nabs us for the dinner meeting. I am still trying to figure out when/how we lost it.

[Garnetiferous]

This also means we had lost the blessing of light when Fandaniel nabs us for the dinner meeting. I am still trying to figure out when/how we lost it.

Fandaniel was able to do this not because we didn't have the blessing of light but because he didn't use Ascian nonsense to take our soul out. If you remember back to the Ala Mhigo dungeon 2nd boss, he used what that guy used to take your soul out of your body. Also we didn't lose the blessing of light because Venat recognizes it later in Elpis.

[RyuDragnier]

This also means we had lost the blessing of light when Fandaniel nabs us for the dinner meeting. I am still trying to figure out when/how we lost it.

We didn't lose it, they can't take control of our body when our soul is in it. However, without our soul being there it's fair game. Fandaniel outright tells us he used that Soul Extraction thing the 2nd boss of Ala Mhigo used to separate our soul from our body, and then put it in the new one.

[Necrotica]

Fandaniel was able to do this not because we didn't have the blessing of light but because he didn't use Ascian nonsense to take our soul out. If you remember back to the Ala Mhigo dungeon 2nd boss, he used what that guy used to take your soul out of your body. Also we didn't lose the blessing of light because Venat recognizes it later in Elpis.

Not talking about the soul device. Talking about him using ascian magic to teleport us. If they could do that whenever they wanted while we had the blessing of light, we would be dead by now.

[Garnetiferous]

Not talking about the soul device. Talking about him using ascian magic to teleport us. If they could do that whenever they wanted while we had the blessing of light, we would be dead by now.

Ah ok. Does the blessing of light actually prevent them from kidnapping you though? Because Minfilia was supposed to have it wasn't she, and yet she got kidnapped by Nabriales. I know that at that time Midgardsormr sealed away your blessing of light but I'm not sure Minfilia's got sealed if she had it. As for why they didn't just kidnap you before and kill you that way, yeah that part makes largely no sense.

[Theozilla]

IIRC our Blessing of Light was somehow just giving protection to people from getting kidnapped in the Rising Stones itself as a safe haven location, otherwise the Ascians could have just waited whenever the WoL wasn’t at the Rising Stones and nab Tupsimati and Minfilia then. So I don’t think the Blessing of Light ever had the power to protect us (or other individuals) from being teleported by Ascians in general.
And the WoL’s Blessing of Light was the only one capable of protecting the Rising Stones specifically because it was powered up to the max with six Crystals of Light, hence why Minfilia’s own Blessing of Light didn’t provide the Rising Stones with the same warding protection.

As for why the Ascians never tried to nab us before then, we’ll for ARR they probably didn’t view us as a worthy threat, and then after ARR Elidibus believed he could manipulate us to their benefit, so kidnapping us wouldn’t be an option on the table. And by the end of Heavensward, the WoL was probably too dangerous to try to kidnap/teleport us.
Fandaniel only did so because he had the element of surprise to get the jump on us, and while Anima’s roar was causing mass confusion, so it was enough discombobulation to nab us and then immediately use the soul extraction machine on us.