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Oh, would you look at the time? It's me having thoughts about Zenos O'clock.

This time, I want to break down what I think the central concept of who and what Zenos is. And why he lives in my brain rent free.

At his core, Zenos is a character who does not understand, nor is himself understood by other people. I don't think that's a very controversial or even new thing to say. It's repeared and reinforced at several points during the narrative, across multiple expansions. Lyse does not understand him at the Royal Menagire, Varis does not understand him at Garlemald, Jullus does not understand him at Camp Broken Glass.

They do not understand who Zenos is as a person. What he values, or what he cares about.

Zenos is shaped by absence. An absence of purpose, motivation, drive. An absence of connections, friendships, love.

Let's break it down.

The Absence of Purpose:

This is his boredom. What fuels his need to find a challenge. That spark of something, anything, to break through the utter tedium of his daily life. The short story claims that he has always been incredibly gifted. Learning and absorbing information with little effort and incredible speed. Before his new swordsmanship instructor, Zenos has never found anything difficult to do. He has not been sufficently challenged. Nothing has managed to retain his interest because he has mastered it too easily. He is a child, and he is tired of his life.

The encounter he had with the Corvosi tutor/assassin was the first instance where Zenos failed to achieve something immediately. Where he had to exert mental and physical effort. Where he developed a desire to overcome repeated instances of failing.

This is why he is desperate to recreate that feeling of challenge. Why he thinks that combat is the only available source he has. Because nothing, absolutely nothing else up to this moment, has done what his instructor did. Made him fail. Made him feel.

What this does to his outlook is narrow Zenos' world view. It gives him a single desire to recreate the feeling of motivation and drive he had towards finally besting his instructor. This is why I think Zenos was content to go along with the Empire's conquest of Eorzea and the rest of Hydalyn. Because it gave him the opportunity to battle. To test himself against other warriors who maybe, just maybe, would give him the same feeling his instructor did.

Nothing else mattered because nothing else made Zenos feel much of anything. It was all the same. Tedious. Bording. Easy.

To Zenos, the pursuit of a person's goal doesn't require any greater justification other than "It's what I want to do." You do things because they serve your greater purpose. You eat to keep yourself alive so you can train, so you can be strong enough for combat. That's it. There is no enjoyment, no pleasure, to be found in the daily living of life. The only moment of catharsis is finally reaching the end.

Zenos does not care about why the Empire is conquering the world. The Emporer simply wants to, that's it. To Zenos, all of the reasoning of "making the world better" of "spreading the glory of Garlemald" does. Not. Matter. Because it does not change the core belief that people do things because they want to.

Jullus asks him why? Zenos asks him why that even matters. People do things because they want to or because it allows them to achieve the thing they want. That's it. That's all. There is never a greater meaning than that. No dressing it up in philosophy or politics. It won't change the outcome of the actions. It doesn't affect anything at all. The dead are still dead. Zenos still wants his fight. Garlemald still wants its glory.

Jullus here is confronted by Zenos' nihilism. The realization that there is no justification. No meaning. Not for Zenos. Not for Garlemald. Not for anything. The reason is meaningless because the reason doesn't change a single damn thing.

And yet. How can we say that the reason never matters? Never changes things? How can we look at FFXIV as a story and say that this is right?

Reason is everywhere. Reason gives context and produces empathy. Understanding. Of course, you resent the outcome less when you understand that the problem was caused by someone trying to help. To make something positive. That it was a simple mistake instead of a purposeful act of harm.

This is where the second absence comes into play. This is where tragedy lies.

The Absence of Connection:

Zenos has no friends. No family bonds. No companionship. No understanding of other people. He sees people only in terms of his own goal. Weak and boring. Or strong and interesting. His emotional range is severely restricted. Fluctuating between bored or frustrated. Anything else only comes to the front after his encounter with the Warrior of Light. Where a faint hope is sparked that this person might just be the one to challenge him. This blazes to life at the Royal Menagire, and Zenos spends the rest of the game chasing that fading comet.

The short story shows us a bleak view of Zenos' life as a child. His mother is dead, and he has no memory of her. His father is absent, dismisive, and uncaring.

The servants and staff around are mere robots to Zenos. Implying they have little to no personal interaction with him. Or are so chained by the rules of Garlean High Society that they can not interact with him or risk punishment. On top of this, I believe that Zenos was also being taught due to the war propaganda, that these servants (possoble taken from conquered nations) were lesser. Were not people. Were to not be seen and not be spoken to.

His tutors were boring. Since lessons were easy and rote. Other children held no interest because Zenos was so far beyond them mentally. I imagine that given his genius that the average child his age must have seemed like a toddler to him. Zenos has never had a peer. Someone of equal standing. Someone he could connect with or was able to empathize with. I highly doubt that anyone else around him found lessons and training to be so easy. Who found living itself to be dull.

Zenos IS an island. Zenos IS alone. And this affected him deeply. He has never learned what a healthy connection with someone else is. His emotional development was so utterly stunted and warped that it left him unable to empathise. To Zenos, his life has been so empty of warmth and care for him that he is unable to feel that towards other. Due to this, he can not understand motivations outside of his own narrow scope. To Zenos, life has never had any meaning, outside of his pursuit of challenge. Whereas others around him, who struggle, who fail, have always had this deep rooted purpose of striving to improve and succeed. Their dreams and goals pushing them forwards because it doesn't come easy. So here we have this isolated, empty, genius. Who has never struggled, has never managed to connect with anyone. Chasing desperatedly after the one, singular person in his life who managed to change that. it's so important that he called the Warrior of Light his 'First Friend'. The first person Zenos has been challenged by, who has sparked insterest. Who he has connected to. I do believe that, as least for the 'cannon events' of FFXIV, the Meteor Survivor Box Art timeline, the Warrior of Light does have things in common with Zenos. The enjoyment of a good fight. A want to face tough opponents, to seek greater and greater challenge. Zenos sees this, and for the first time in his life, he is able to in part understand someone else. He is only able to return this gift of purpose and connection in the same way he recieved it. By throwing himself at the WoL in combat. To try and recreat that spark he felt. This is also the reason, I think, that Zenos didn't change his approach after he resurected into EleZenos. I don't think he ment to come back. It was an accidently biproduct of the Resonant. Zenos was suddenly faced with the possiblity that he was now immortal, and I think the implication that his life of utter tediom would never end drove him to chase the WoL all the harder. He needed something to give him meaning and purpose, or be faced with a bleak eternaty forevermore.

This is what Alisiae is able to see. Past all of Zenos' outward neutrality and boredom, she saw that desire in him to keep that connection with the WoL. That's why she called him out on it, becuase Zenos did not understand himself and his emotions enough to idenitfy what it was he really wanted. A friend.

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Somewhere in Sharlayan:

A huge imperial thing in luxurious clothes with a scythe the size of a mast slowly passes by.

Lalafell at customs: Well... I have no idea who it could be. I don't have any guesses at all.

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Girls: Ew, guys don't miss a single skirt, not a single pretty face.

Also girls: *writing headcannons for each character of the FFXIV, which is at least prettier than a chair*

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Literally every Scion during the invitation scene into the night room: Oh no no, my precious hero, I can't, I wouldn't dare.

At the same time, Zenos, if he were among them:

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Friendly reminding that Zenos does listen if people talk to him.

- Yotsuyu talked to him, he does even want to know her story. So when she came to ask to be the viceroy, he let her.

- Fordola talk to him, she shows him her determination and when she asked him to give her chance to prove herself, he gave her.

- Alisaie was the first of the Scions who actually opened their mouth and talked to Zenos without insulting him right away, like everything frigging times before.

Zenos wants to understand, he cares. But instead of talking, all he receives daily was insults and lies.

If you grow up being insulted everyday, being called a "monster", a "spoiled brat" and no one really talked to you with their hearts, you will be the same to Zenos, so stop judging him by the cover.

The tragedy of Zenos in Endwalker is that in understanding so much around, he never understands himself, never understands what he needs. And when he finds out what he needs and sacrifices himself to get it, no one cares.

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Zenos: *holds the flower*

Flower: *turns bright red*

WoL: That... that means friendship, right? :D

Zenos: *stares at WoL and begin to approach*

WoL: Friendship... right? D:

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Everyone, after Zenos-takes-the-body-scene: You're awake! How do you feel? Everything is in working order?

WoL, unbuttoning her coat and reading "Property of Zenos" on her stomach: ... I think I need to see my gynecologist.

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Villian: I have an army.

WoL: And we have Zenos. Can we... perhaps... change?

Villian: Err, no, probably not.

WoL: You can just take him for free, we don't need an army! т_т

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Emet-Selch: Do not squander it! The legacy I leave you.

WoL, after abandoning Zenos somewhere at the outer-space-bottom: ... Oh sh*t... oh f*ck.

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Zenos: *holds the flower*

Flower: *turns bright red*

WoL: That... that means friendship, right? :D

Zenos: *stares at WoL and begin to approach*

WoL: Friendship... right? D:

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Our precious tsundere Emet-Selch:

"Dear diary. Azem got a short haircut today. I told her she looked like a pigeon in soup, and then I went to the barber shop to hold at least a lock of her hair in my hands."

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Endsinger and WoL: *clashing on the back of Zenos like two rabid animals, with planets exploding and universe wrecking*

Meanwhile, in Zenos' huge dragon headphones:

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🐱❤️

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I accept. Henceforth, I shall count myself a Scion of the Seventh Dawn.

G'raha Tia, at your service.

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“Stay strong. Keep the faith. At duty’s end, we will meet again. We will. We will…”