Theory: Sooo... is Zero a shard of Azem?

[Denishia]

I mean, my first thought when the suspicious camera cropping and keeping Durante's friend completely covered in armor was that Golbez was Alphonse Elric, just a soul inhabiting the armor thanks to wacky memorite power, while Durante is our grown-up Edward Elric. It's not the first FMA reference. And there's something very reminiscent of Father (the Dwarf in the Flask) and Hohenheim when it comes to the voidsent in general and also Zodiark. Predicting that a key moment in the Zeromus fight will be the souls of Azdaja and OG Golbez fighting from the inside to weaken Zeromus.

[Kesey]

I'm not sure this story matters in terms of who is the shard of Azem on the 13th.

It's clearly a set up so Y'shtola can learn how to cross to other shards, so that hanging plot point is cleared up for the future.

[Cleretic]

I'm not sure this story matters in terms of who is the shard of Azem on the 13th.

I personally very much hope it's this, because I don't think 'this character is an Azem shard' improves the arc of any character involved, in this story or any other.

(Yes, including the WoL, but that's a separate discussion.)

[Denishia]

I personally very much hope it's this, because I don't think 'this character is an Azem shard' improves the arc of any character involved, in this story or any other.

(Yes, including the WoL, but that's a separate discussion.)

You already know we're in agreement there. But now that the hints are for already crystalized not-quite-dead-but-for-all-intents Golbez to be the Azem shard, there's far less of a barrier for the writers to do the Azem shard rejoining than it world be to kill off Zero and claim her soul if she was the 13th's Ardbert. I don't want it to happen, and I think the only narratively interesting thing to do with the concept of an Azem Shard would be for it to not only oppose us but to actively reject giving us as the WoL any of its soul or aether and refusing the Lifestream pull to combine with us. Which I could see that becoming the plot direction that this Void Arc lands on, especially with Golbez Durante having his own idea of how to save his planet and Zero's refusal to eat other voidsent as to keep her soul, memories, and emotions totally her own.