Interpretation of an Endwalker Plot Point (Spoilers for the Entire MSQ)

[MediocreIndigo]

I can't fit all of this within the character limit so I will continue it in the replies.

In the Final Fantasy XIV Live Letter on February 18th, 2021, Yoshida answered a question about Venat clarifying that during the battle where the player fights Hydaelyn, she expends the aether of her soul, causing it to be destroyed and the primal to fade, which is why she says that not even her soul will remain as she’s dying. I’ve seen several people interpret this as Venat being unable to return to the Lifestream and simply becoming nonexistent forever; however, I have my doubts as to this particular interpretation. I’ll be frank and say that I really hate the idea of Venat being doomed to oblivion, unable to even rest in peace. It’s deeply upsetting to me and feels like a kick in the face after everything she’s done for the player, especially considering the game’s habit of fridging certain female characters; however, I also feel like I have in-game evidence to support the conclusion I’ve come to, and would like to explain why.

My position is that Venat did actually return to the aetherial sea, and that her soul being gone doesn’t contradict this. As we know, souls consist of aether, which is basically Final Fantasy XIV’s version of matter or energy. While aether may be expended to fuel certain actions, it doesn’t seem to be entirely destroyed in the process. There have been multiple instances of characters having their aether absorbed, drained, or scattered only for their spirits to show up later. In the fight against Nabriales, Moenbryda sacrifices her aether to power the blade of aether that would kill him. Despite this, when the player ventures into the aetherial sea during Endwalker, a manifestation of her soul or memories still appears. When Minfilia arrives on the First to stop the Flood of Light from destroying Norvrandt, she absorbs the souls of the Warriors of Darkness except for Ardbert in order to gain enough power to do so, leaving his shade to wander alone for a century. Despite this, at the end of the Shadowbringers main scenario after Ardbert has fused with the player character, he can be seen reuniting with his friends’ spirits. Minfilia allows herself to be absorbed into Ryne to give her the power of the Oracle of Light, but despite this, Hydaelyn is still able to bring her soul back to the First.

[MediocreIndigo]

Ascians can lose their immortality if their souls are destroyed by being absorbed into auracite and then hit with an intense blast of aether. Emet-Selch is killed at the end of the Shadowbringers main scenario when shards of auracite stab his body and the player character hits him with the Light that had accumulated in their body, dissolving into aether. Despite this, Hydaelyn is still able to bring his soul back to the First along with Minfilia’s, and the player character is able to summon him before the final battle of Endwalker. At the end of the healer role quests in Endwalker, Fordola experiences a vision of Charlet passing on to the afterlife along with her deceased friends, despite the fact that he had been turned into a blasphemy, which we know involves being drained of all (or almost all) of their aether. This occurs even if you complete the role quests before defeating Meteion.

This leads me to believe that while someone’s soul can be destroyed if its aether is expended or scattered, the aether itself still remains in existence and is able to rejoin the Lifestream, where it can eventually reform. This is supported by Montichaigne’s theory that souls within the aetherial sea are reduced to pure aether and combine with aether from other souls to create new souls, which he considers just as likely as souls remaining whole before reincarnating. We also know that souls that remain in the Lifestream for long enough end up dissolving into the greater flow of aether. The fact that Emet-Selch refers to his and Hythlodaeus’ souls as “half-faded” when they’re summoned by the player may imply that this has already started happening to them.
When Hydaelyn dies, we see her remaining aether crumble apart and disperse into the aetherial sea, meaning Venat may very well have been able to return to the star despite her soul no longer being whole. From a narrative perspective it would make more sense, considering that when the player meets her in the past she refrains from returning to the star because she feels that she still has work to do and when she sees that the player is capable of stopping Meteion in the present she finally feels at peace with dying. Elidibus dies in a similar manner, using the Crystal Tower to transport the player back in time despite knowing that his soul will be consumed in the process. Despite this, he seems to believe that he will reunite with his friends, which he wouldn’t think if the destruction of his soul meant the destruction of its aether and he could never return to the Lifestream. At the end of the credits of Endwalker, Venat can be seen walking alongside Emet-Selch, Hythlodaeus, and Hermes, looking over at the player character as the Scions pass by and smiling in contentment. While this scene can be interpreted as a symbolic passing of the torch, I believe that it could also signify her being in the same place as the other Ancients, finally having finished her duty and returned to the star.

[MediocreIndigo]

Like I said before, this is my own personal interpretation of Venat’s fate, and while I do believe it’s grounded in things we’re shown in-game, it’s not necessarily the objective truth and it’s fine if you disagree. I just find this to be a more positive alternative to the extremely negative interpretation I saw some people have of Yoshida’s answer. What do you think? Do you agree, and if so, with how much?
Edit: I forgot to mention this earlier but when you use up the last of the creation magic Hydaelyn infused within Azem's crystal you can see aether leaking out and you hear her voice say "May you ever walk in the Light." I think this could be another sign that expended aether is changed rather than destroyed. It might also signify that the aether in the crystal contained a sliver of her individuality, though this is still ultimately speculation.
Edit 2: The artwork near the end of the music video for Flow shows Venat alongside several other deceased characters in what is presumably the Lifestream. Whether this artwork is set before or after Hydaelyn's death and what exactly it represents isn't specified, I just thought it was an interesting detail. The video itself seems to portray the Warrior of Light reminiscing on his journey after the final fight with Zenos, so it's possible this is how he views her at the end.

[Absimiliard]

You've got physical aether, then you've got spiritual aether. The vast majority of instances of aether being drained, depleted, or used refer specifically to the physical variety. Aether on the whole can be replenished once used, but losing all of it poses a problem. Having your physical aether fully depleted will kill you, but having your spiritual aether depleted will delete you. It is in effect using yourself up.

Sometimes the lifestream purifies and reincarnates a soul, but other times the soul is dissolved into its aether and becomes part of new souls. We have no way of knowing which of these two things will occur. Unfortunately, an individual's soul - the core of their very being - does not persist merely within fragments of their aether. If Venat yet still persists, then by SE's own lore at least some of her soul must have survived.

[MediocreIndigo]

Most of the instances I mentioned definitely refer to spiritual aether. I think Moenbryda is the only one that might be solely physical. I'd also like to mention that the souls of all living beings, not just Ancients and their remnants, are probably sundered, considering that many of the creatures we see in Elpis still exist in the present day. Then again, I ultimately am just speculating. In any case, thanks for the feedback.

[Lyth]

The simple answer is that the Hydaelyn/Zodiark storyline is concluded, and neither will be making future reappearances for the sake of making a fresh start. They reserve the right to Emet/Hyth cameos, as well as introducing assorted sundered Ascians as new storyline hooks.

I know that this 'past life' business creates some philosophical questions about the nature of death, but you are still you even if your soul happens to have a few residual memories from a previous user that weren't completely erased during the factory reset. Hermes and Amon were still different people, even if Kairos unintentionally burnt Hermes' memories of Elpis on their soul, and even that's now been addressed. You're still dead if you're dead, irrespective of how your soul gets utilized after the fact.

[MediocreIndigo]

Yeah, I'm not expecting Hydaelyn or Zodiark to come back. Their story was pretty clearly concluded. I just wanted to address an assumption people were making based on the live letter and offer my own take on what it could mean. I'm not arguing that either of them should be brought back into the story from here on out.

[sidurgu-12]

i said this in another thread but this aspect of the lore doesn't sit well with me. i know its similar to ff7s lifestream but even that didn't sit well with me.

[MediocreIndigo]

I tried to give an interpretation that was more positive than the conclusion some other people were reaching but I see how even then it could still be upsetting. The idea of losing your individuality is frightening to many people.

[sidurgu-12]

I tried to give an interpretation that was more positive than the conclusion some other people were reaching but I see how even then it could still be upsetting. The idea of losing your individuality is frightening to many people.

no worries about that, it is a really good interpretation. its just personal beliefs make it hard for me to see it the same way.