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familyromantic · 11 days

Text

(Submission)

"I promise — I promise that I'll show you a smile."

"Then I promise too — to be the one who'll make you smile."

Brother and Sister’s Promise – Tales of the Rays

Pairing name: Edna/Eizen or Earthcest (also アイエド or エドアイ)

Series: "Tales of"

Canon: No.

Spoilers: Lategame spoilers for Tales of Zestiria and Tales of Berseria, as well as up to the very last chapter of Zestiria the Cross.

Eizen: “Other malakhim were born there, but I never felt like they were my family. But something—I don’t know what—was different with her. If she was sad, I’d feel sad. And if I was happy, she’d be happy, too. She can be... abrasive, but when she smiles, it’s like nothing else. I swore to myself that whatever happened, I would protect her.”

1. Introduction

Tales of Zestiria was a J-RPG released for the 20th anniversary of the Tales of series on PS3, PS4, and Steam (international exclusive). It followed the story of a fantasy world called Glenwood, which had been plunged into a nigh-incomprehensible state of chaos. The high level of malevolence was ravaging the world with mysterious illnesses and abnormal climate changes, making humanity struggle with crop deaths, famine, and starvation. This was the context in which Sorey, the protagonist of the story, found himself in. He then had the final task, as the new Shepherd, of quelling the very source of malevolence: the Lord of Calamity.

This release was later followed by Tales of Berseria a year later, signaling the end of the 20th anniversary’s celebrations and also available for PS3 (Japan exclusive), PS4, and Steam (international exclusive). The land of Desolation—the same Glenwood but with a different name—a thousand years prior to Zestiria showed to be just as chaotic. And, if Zestiria accompanied the Shepherd in his journey against the Lord of Calamity of his era, Berseria accompanied the Lord of Calamity against the Shepherd of her time: Velvet Crowe set off on a personal journey of revenge, while (not very willingly sometimes) picking up a few companions on the way.

2. The characters

2.1. Edna

Edna: “If you really wanted to take me with you, you should have just dragged me kicking and screaming. ‘Let’s go hunt legends, my lady?’ ‘My noble heart would not deceive thee?’ That went out of fashion a few hundred years ago.” – Mounting Terror (Main Story) - Tales of Zestiria

The choice of entering the world for the sake of saving her brother

If you play the games in release order, you get to meet Edna in Tales of Zestiria first, an earth seraph living by herself in Rayfalke Spiritcrest, a mountain surrounded by legends about dragons. Seraphim (also called malakhim) are beings akin to fantastic spirits with elemental affinities whose forms are determined by their souls. They can live for thousands of years and are invisible to most of the population, which means humanity has stopped believing in their existence.

During his journey, Sorey finds himself with no way to access his next destination, Marlind: the bridge has been washed away. Advised by his Prime Lord Lailah, he decides to find an earth seraph that lives close to help with its restoration.

Sorey soon realizes that Edna’s very different from other seraphim he knows: she’s not like Mikleo, who dreams of human and seraphim coexistence like he does; she’s not like Lailah, who’s been the Prime Lord of other Shepherds before him; she’s not like Uno either, who's accepted to become Ladylake’s Lord of the Land and keeps malevolence at bay with his blessing. If anything, Edna’s feelings towards humans are similar to those of the Elysian seraphim you talk to at the start of the game, when their homeland is suddenly visited by the princess knight Alisha.

Edna: “I despise earth-dwellers. Self-centered, emotional... But when they need something, it’s ‘Oh dear seraphim, heed my prayer!’ Heed this, morons.”

Edna: “And besides... I can’t leave my brother as he is right now.” – Mounting Terror (Main Story) - Tales of Zestiria

Edna has a sharp tongue and doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind, shocking people thanks to the contrast with her small and cute appearance. Bitterly, she informs them that the famous dragon from the mountain is actually her big brother and only family Eizen. This is the form that seraphim take after absorbing too much malevolence, which reduces them to mindless monsters.

Edna refuses to move away despite the danger Eizen means to her now. Sorey and Mikleo ask her about her plans, and Edna’s voice soon falters, stuttering: she wants to save her brother, but hasn’t found a way to do that yet. Hearing that, and despite being told this is impossible, Sorey promises Edna to turn Eizen back to normal with the Shepherd’s powers of purification. Edna is reluctant to believe him, asking them to leave her alone.

Eventually, and moved by Sorey’s words and actions, Edna accepts to become his Sub Lord with the condition that they find a way to cure her brother’s condition.

Edna: “Promise me something. Promise me that we’ll find some way to save Eizen. (...) Now then, take me with you. To the outside world.” – Mounting Terror (Main Story) - Tales of Zestiria

2.2. Eizen

Eizen: “Who cares? If I gave a damn about other peoples’ feelings, I wouldn’t be a pirate.” – An Angry Letter (Skit) - Tales of Berseria

To live and die as your own self

At one point in her journey, Velvet’s group is intercepted in the middle of the sea by the Van Eltia, a famous pirate ship belonging to none other than the Aifread crew.

Stopping on land and ready for battle, the group is surprised: it’s rare to see a free malak roaming around, but even more to see a malak that is also a pirate. And yet, their opponent is clearly one: he can cast malak artes.

Having taken the leadership of the Van Eltia in the absence of the captain, the malak Eizen offers Velvet and her group a deal: only by joining forces do they have a chance to pass through the Gate of Vortigern, the Sea Gate Fortress that controls the passage up ahead.

After weighing all possibilities, albeit distrustful for several reasons, Velvet accepts.

Eizen: “There’s something I should tell you first. I bring ill fortune to all those around me. The ‘Reaper’s Curse’. (...) If you join up with me, I can’t guarantee your safety.” – Sailing With The Reaper (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

Edna’s dislike of humans is more than clear since the very moment you meet her in Zestiria, but she never makes an actual statement as to why: whether this attitude is related to Eizen leaving her behind to travel around with humans, to his transformation into a dragon, to a general dissatisfaction born out of having watched humanity’s wrongdoings for centuries, or to something else entirely, is unclear.

Eizen, on the other hand, openly enjoys his life among humans. By the point you meet him, he has accepted the threat they possess to his life (malakhim don’t produce the malevolence that eventually will turn him into a dragon, but humans do), as well as their differences. He navigates the seas alongside his crew with the goal of finding and rescuing their captain, who was captured by the Abbey, and creating a map of the whole world that includes the mysterious far continent.

3. Edna and Eizen’s relationship through the story

Tales of the Rays: Edna’s third skit, Time Spent Together (translation by justlol)

Velvet: “Weird sister you’ve got.”

Eizen: “You don’t know the half of it. A girl weird enough to want to live alongside the reaper... No matter the cost.” – I Am Calamity (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

Due to Eizen’s transformation into a dragon, most of their relationship in Zestiria and the references to it are left to whatever Edna is willing to share, as well as a few non-verbal cues.

Certainty, at Last (Main Story) - Tales of Zestiria

According to her words, Eizen would try to bribe her and make up for his absence with souvenirs: old artifacts, ribbons, strange charms, sweets, and other various things. She’s however not always willing to speak about him, sometimes cutting the conversation short and hiding under her umbrella so no one can see her being vulnerable. At one point, another character (Zaveid) reveals to her that her brother knew he had little left and asked him to kill him once he turned into a dragon, making Edna lose her characteristic cool and stoic composure.

Edna: “Huh?”

Edna: “What does that even mean?! That’s so selfish of him!”

Edna: “Leaving on a journey without me! Becoming a dragon without telling me! Didn’t he even think about how lonely I’d be without him?!” – Siblings (Sub-Event) - Tales of Zestiria

Edna routinely leaves flowers at the small wayside shrine in the base of the mountain she lives in, a gesture in memory for those humans her brother keeps eating, though she tries to take importance off this fact. She also took on an oath sometime before the game, a type of arte that allows you to expand your powers so long as you can pay the costs, to prevent Eizen from leaving the mountain and hurting even more people.

The situation is less bleak however when it comes to Eizen’s side in Berseria, though the relationship is not without its troubles.

Edna’s existence is revealed for the first time when a major antagonist uses her illusion* against Eizen, sparking the party’s curiosity.

The Dissonance of the Wind and the Waves (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

*It didn’t make it into the final product, but this illusion of Edna would have also approached Eizen by saying “You finally broke your curse. Now we can finally be together.”

Velvet: “The umbrella girl... That illusion made Eizen hesitate.”

Velvet: “She must be really important to him.”

Magilou: “Indeed. It must be a deep, knotty relationship!”

Rokurou: “Come on, now.”

Eleanor: “Like... A wife he wants to leave but he can never let go? Or a lover from whom he can’t move on?” – The Girl With The Umbrella (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Sometime after this incident, the party finds a fancy letter written in cute stationery. Perplexed about it and not recognizing the name that signed it, they leave to find Eizen and ask him about it, who seems to be busy about something.

White Turtlez: “Nowz about getting’ that pot wrapped, I’z gotz this new sunflower print. How’z that sound?”

Eizen: “Hmm... Yeah, that one’s cute enough. Let’s go with that.”

Rokurou: “Did... Did he just say ‘cute’?” – Eizen’s Letter (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen, who recognizes the letter and only then realizes he has dropped it, quickly snatches it away. With a suspicious look, he asks them time and time again if they really, really, didn’t read it.

After this exchange, part of the group remembers the mysterious girl with the umbrella and once again assume that, due to the way Eizen is acting and his secretiveness, the recipient must be his lover.

Laphicet: “Was he sending a gift to someone? And with a letter, too...”

Rokurou: “Gotta be a ladyfriend, that’s for sure.”

Laphicet: “You think...? Either way, that letter was really polite... And did you see that penmanship?”

Rokurou: “Yeah, I didn’t know ol’ Reeps had it in him.”

Eizen: “I can hear you two, you know.” – Eizen’s Letter (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen doesn’t take kindly to being gossiped about, giving both Rokurou and Laphicet a small sample of his fists. This, however, doesn’t seem to deter any of them.

Rokurou: “It was serious stuff. Whoever it is must be important to him. A lover, maybe?”

Laphicet: “Eizen’s lover?”

Rokurou: “A child wouldn’t be happy with that pot, and a man wouldn’t want it wrapped up so pretty.”

Rokurou: “A young woman with Eizen’s tastes, then... He’d be bound to fall for a miraculous match like that, right?”

Laphicet: “I don’t know. I bet she’s that girl with the umbrella.” – Who Was The Letter For? (skit) - Tales of Berseria

It’s not until later that Eizen overhears them again and finally clears their misunderstanding up: he’s exchanging letters with his sister in a mostly one-sided conversation due to, according to him, Edna wanting to show she disapproves of his actions. It turns out that the curse he has warned the party several times in the past about is also the main reason they live apart.

Eleanor: “That insect daemon was a bit of a surprise, but I still think this ‘curse’ business is overblown.”

Eizen: “I can count on one hand how many have survived more than three years at my side. If you’re not careful, you might wind up as Corpse Number 50.” – The Dissonance of the Wind and the Waves (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen left Edna behind to travel around the world in search of a cure for his curse. However, meeting Van Aifread and the rest of the Van Eltia crew made him realize he had found his way of life instead: even if one day he happened to find a way to break the curse, he couldn’t simply return to his former secluded life in the mountain.

This ‘Reaper’s curse’ is actually Eizen’s innate blessing as a malak, much like the Lords of the Land granted their blessings to cities in Tales of Zestiria. The blessings of earth malakhim are usually about growth, life, and support; In Eizen’s case, its intended effect is supposed to be that of providing acceptable trials to incite said growth.

Unfortunately, his sister was the one who bore the brunt of it, much to Eizen’s dismay who couldn’t understand why so many unlucky things happened: terrible accidents, daemons that attacked them, dragons that tried to kidnap her,…

Eizen: “But one time when I was baking them, the oven suddenly spewed fire out and badly burned my sister.”

Eizen: “It was all my fault, and stupid, clueless me didn’t even know why at the time.”

Eizen: “Crazy thing is... after I did what I could for her burns and put her to bed, she told me she wanted to eat the palmiers I’d made.”

Eizen: “They were burned to a crisp, but she ate those pastries like nothing was wrong, then she smiled and told me to keep on making them.” – Palmier Memories (skit) - Tales of Berseria

At one point in the past Eizen finally realized that his sister wasn’t just prone to illness and injury: the cause behind her suffering had been him all along.

Velvet: “He just wanted to do something for his sister, only to be confronted by how bad his curse is...”

Laphicet: “That’d be really hard to deal with...”

Eleanor: “She must realize by now what’s going on with Eizen, right?”

Magilou: “Maybe she thought that he’d leave if she ever let on that she knew...”

Rokurou: “And he left because he thought he could spare her from learning the truth...” – Palmier Memories (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Edna: “I suppose my blessing would be ‘perfect health’”.

Rose: “You? Really? That’d be odd.”

Edna: “Not really. I've been hit by lightning on multiple occasions...”

Edna: “Tumbled off the peak of Rayfalke, gotten caught in an enormous landslide...”

Edna: “Stubbed my pinky toe on the edge of the dresser, gotten a tiny fish bone stuck in my throat...”

Edna: “And yet, here I am. Safe and sound.”

Rose: “Holy crap! Well, okay, some of that was just regular crap, but still, whoa!”

Sorey: “You really are lucky, Edna.”

Edna: “To a bizarre extent, even.”

Edna: “But it’s how I survived being near my brother even after he had turned into a dragon.” – Edna The Invincible (skit) - Tales of Zestiria

At one point during Berseria, Eizen starts receiving unsigned and quite aggressive letters: the owner of the letters, the normin Phoenix, eventually reveals himself and confronts Eizen on the prison island Titania about his relationship with Edna. After spying on her and watching what was happening, he could not help himself: he had to do something about it.

Eleanor: “A brother writing letters knowing he’ll never get a reply. And a sister waiting for a brother she knows will never come home...”

Velvet: “You two make it so damn complicated. Just talk it out face to face and make up already. It’s not that hard.”

Eizen: “......”

Velvet: “At least the person you care about is still alive!” – No Reply (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen previously claimed that Edna wouldn’t answer his letters as a way to show her disapproval, but it turns out that Edna has been sitting on mountains of unsent letters that she often cries over. It’s hinted but not confirmed that this is related to back when, shortly after Eizen left her, she sent him a letter saying that she wanted to be with him no matter how dangerous it could get that she didn’t get a favorable response to.

Phoenix: “Just what is it that you’re communicating with the superficial scrawlings and shoddy baubles you send her?”

Laphicet: “He’s trying to atone—”

Phoenix: “Don’t be absurd!”

Phoenix: “Which is the real you? The considerate brother who worries for his sister? Or the man who consorts with lowlife scum and pirates?!” –Joyful Nor Doll (Sub-Event) - Tales of Berseria

After their fight, Eizen finally sends Edna a letter with his real thoughts and feelings. He actually had written it before this event, but never could bring himself to send it.

Edna’s answer, proof of them starting to mend their relationship, quickly threatens to bring Eizen to tears.

Eizen: “Ungh...”

Rokurou: “Hey, are you okay? What does it say?”

Eizen: “I can’t read it right now... One of you do it.”

Laphicet: “O-Okay...”

Laphicet: “‘Dear brother, I got your letter. Not sure why it was so tattered.”

Laphicet: “I’m glad that you were able to tell me how you really feel, even though it was beyond obvious by now.”

Laphicet: “Your clear descriptions of the self-defense malak artes allowed me to master them quickly, despite your terrible grammar.”

Laphicet: “As weird as it feels writing this to a pirate... Good luck with your work. And I know how to keep a secret.”

Laphicet: “So please keep writing me letters. My life doesn’t revolve around them, but I do enjoy hearing from you.”

Laphicet: “I can’t see the oceans you sail from my perch here on the mountain, but I’m thinking of you and praying for your safety. And I want you to know I’m doing fine.’”

Eizen: “Ungh...”

Magilou: “Aaah, looks like she’s just as roundabout and stubborn as her brother! It must run in the family.” – Dear Brother (skit) - Tales of Berseria

4. The ship

Tales of the Rays: Joyful Nor Dolls (Event)

4.1. Trivia and Tropes

“Sibling relationships outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust.” –Erica E. Goode

Edna and Eizen live apart, so they don’t get to interact much directly in either Berseria or Zestiria. However, the print they have left on each other is indelible, a love and devotion expanding through space and time for centuries and even thousands of years. It’s implied that Sorey reminding Edna of her brother influences their relationship, and the same thing seems to happen with Kamoana and Laphicet for Eizen.

“No. Humans don’t have true names.”

“Hey, that’s not fair! Malakhim are so lucky.”

“Your name came into your mother’s mind the same way. ‘Kamoana’ is already your true name.”

Kamoana frowned and fell silent for a while. Eizen looked at her kindly, as if she was his own sister, and finally spoke.

“Don’t think too hard about it. As long as you remember your name ‘Kamoana,’ your mom is always with you.” –Tales of Berseria Official World Guidance Book: 'True Name' (translation by Caphi)

Rose: “Didn’t you guys live together?”

Edna: “My brother’s adventure-crazy, like a certain someone I know. He’s always been traveling around.” (...)

Rose: “I see. Was your brother like Sorey?”

Edna: “Maybe.” –Edna Talks About Her Brother (skit) - Tales of Zestiria

The most obvious argument in favor of Edna/Eizen is the context in which they are introduced. Malakhim aren’t humans, and therefore they don’t have blood families. The vast majority of them, including Edna and Eizen, are born from earthpulse points, flows of natural force that ordinary humans can’t see. But even for the very few seraphim that happen to be reincarnations from living beings, they usually don’t keep any memories of their past lives, and having been related in a past life doesn’t grant them any kind of innate and special connection in their next one.

No other pair of malakhim gets what Edna and Eizen experienced upon meeting each other. In Berseria, a mother and son with tragic deaths were reincarnated into malakhim, and neither of them felt their souls pulling towards each other, nor were their moods synchronized, nor experienced anything like what Edna and Eizen do exhibit. Even though they were reincarnated at the same time and appear side by side, they do not recognize each other.

Edna and Eizen’s meeting is an scenario often written as romantically charged in media. If Eizen didn’t say that all of these signs were telling him that Edna was his little sister, including that they somehow gifted each other hand-made matching pendants in the very same day without having said a word to the other before, it’d be very easy to interpret it as the fated meeting between two soulmates instead.

My Sister Is Off-Limits:

Edna: “Don’t try and weasel your way out of this. You said there was something you had to settle with my brother.”

Zaveid: “That’s all there is to it, really. There’s just something between us we need to settle.”

Edna: “And that ‘something’ is?”

Zaveid: “I told him ‘Please let me marry your little sister!’ and he punched me.”

Edna: “Don’t lie.”

Zaveid: “Oh come on. He’d totally do something like that!”

Edna: “Fine. Don’t tell me then.”

Zaveid: *now left alone* “No wonder he’s worried about her all the time.” – A Promise Between Men (Skit) - Tales of Zestiria

Overprotectiveness, jealousy, possessiveness,... Eizen not only keeps his relationship with Edna hidden from the party through a good part of the game, while banning the pirate crew from speaking about it: he also hates the idea of other people meeting her. Of other men meeting her, to be more exact.

Benwick: “‘Touch my sister, and I’ll kill you.’ Right? Sheesh, you say that to EVERY guy you meet.”

Velvet: “Awfully protective.”

Eizen: “Nah, just obsessed.”

Benwick: “That’s even worse!” – I Am Calamity (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

No man is spared, including Aifread whom Eizen holds in high regards, and the very young malak that accompanies them.

Finally, Benwick spoke up.

“I-I’ve just only joined the crew.” His eyes were locked on Eizen, and his voice trembled as it worked into a shout. “I want to have more adventures! So please…”

“Leave it to me.”

A flame sparked to life in the malak’s breast.

“Trust in Eizen,” Aifread said. “His only faults are an annoying attention to detail, and the fact that he won’t let me meet his cute sister.” –Tales of Berseria Special Collector’s Edition Novella: A Witch’s Tale, A World Full Of Daemons

His “awful overprotection” (or self-admitted obsession) is also sometimes used by other characters to tease him.

Eleanor: “Are you suggesting that Eizen’s sister wrote these letters? I mean, they’re certainly unusual, but...”

Eizen: “My sister wouldn’t write something like this.”

Magilou: “Then maybe it’s someone who’s spending a lot of time around her... Like, oh, a man whose shoulder she cries on?”

Eizen: “Damnation, Magilou! My sister doesn’t have any guy clinging onto her! Do you know something I don’t? Prove it! Bring him here right now!”

Eleanor: “Calm down, Eizen! No one’s saying that! – A Very Angry Letter (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Laphicet: “Is that her in the picture?”

Eizen: “Yeah... It’s a self-portrait she drew for me on the day I left home.”

Velvet: “Did you draw her a picture of yourself?”

Eizen: “No... I don’t exactly have an artistic side.”

Eleanor: “Well, I’m sure that if you looked inside her pendant, you’d find a portrait of the person who matters most to her.”

Eizen: “I hope so...”

Magilou: “Yeah, and it would be nice if it was you.”

Eizen: *staring with eyes that could kill* – Matching Charms (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Brother Complex:

Edna’s whole motivation and goal in the Zestiria game was always her brother; the Zestiria anime, however, goes a bit further with it.

The anime is a reimagination of the game’s events rather than an actual adaptation, hence why it’s not recommendable to start with it. But, for much needed context, this anime ends with Eizen’s slow recovery, being able to understand what’s happening around him and even speaking short sentences. The implication is that he will eventually return to his normal form.

With the first of the BD boxes for the anime came a Drama CD consisting of a small retelling of it, with the girls of the party having a fun time together as they talk about what has happened. At one point, Lailah asks Edna who is the one in the party that she likes. Edna answers that said person is actually her brother.

Theme Naming:

In Zestiria, if you interact with a particular Discovery Point in Aifread’s Hunting Grounds, you can trigger a skit in which Edna mentions Eizen named her after the red orchids you just saw (Edna Stamperland).

“And then, our door just swung open. A spring wind was blowing in, a warm and gentle wind.”

It was like it was calling him. He took her and walked and walked, not knowing where or how far, until finally, they emerged from a dark forest into a shimmering clearing.

“She stopped crying and smiled the sweetest, most innocent smile, and just like that, all at once, the entire field was covered in bright red flowers.”

Kamoana was smiling too. “Wow!”

Eizen nodded. “The flowers vanished soon after, but I still remember how strong and vivid their color looked, and I thought that when she grew up, she needed to wear one. And then I heard her voice in my mind. ‘I want to grow up fast.’ I thought, what a precocious little squirt. But that’s just what she was.

Hephsin Yulind — “Edna, the early bloomer.” But that name was only for Eizen to know. –Tales of Berseria Official World Guidance Book: 'True Name' (translation by Caphi)

Red orchids can be gifted as a confession of love and, in Japanese flower language, can also be read as “happiness that comes in flying” 「幸せが飛んでくる」and “true love” 「純粋な愛」; Coincidentally, when in a Zestiria the Cross bonus skit Lailah asks everyone to pick a flower, Edna chooses lily of the valley, a flower whose meaning is also “happiness will come again” 「再び幸せが訪れる」. All of them instantly understand that this happiness means that Edna will be reunited with Eizen.

Incest Subtext

Most of what Edna wears are Eizen’s gifts: the pendant hanging from her neck is handmade (the matching one she made for Eizen can be seen attached to his waistcoat), the boots and glove are hand-me-downs, the ribbons she uses are part of his souvenirs,... Even the headband seems to be his.

Tales of Zestiria - Menu

But that’s not all of it: In the Tales of Berseria Illustrations artbook, Minoru Iwamoto speaks about how he came up with the characters’ designs.

For Eizen he mentions that, for his clothes, the underlying theme is that of a wedding suit, because he had already drawn Edna’s to take on the appearance of a wedding dress and he wanted them to match. The dagger on the lapel of Eizen’s coat is thus inspired by the handkerchief grooms wear in the same place, and the ore bracelet is also inspired by a wedding ring.

Later, for the 25th anniversary of Tales of, a set of memory rings for several Tales characters were released, with Edna and Eizen being included. The rings are meant to represent the characters and their personal journeys, as well as their relationships and feelings.

Edna’s ring has motifs from her clothes such as her characteristic ribbons; Eizen’s ring has a small chain hanging from it that symbolizes the pendant Edna gifted him with once. The inner side of Edna’s ring has Rayfalke Spiritcrest engraved on it, while Eizen’s has the Van Eltia ship. Stacking Edna’s ring on top of Eizen’s forms the shape of a letter. As a small side note, the rings are also mentioned to go well as pair rings.

Relative Error

See the explanations above in the third point about the unknown woman Eizen was sending letters and gifts to, and the insistence of several characters that she and the illusion were the same woman and also Eizen’s secret lover.

Translation Mistakes

Even though Eizen was an important figure in Edna’s character arc in Zestiria, little was known about him outside of their relationship. It wasn’t until Berseria that more details about him started to get shared. That, eventually, included the reveal of his true name.

Besides the name they usually go with, all malakhim are bestowed a “true name” in the Ancient Tongue. These names are not to be shared lightly outside of pacts: in some circumstances it’s an expression of intimacy and vulnerability, a sign of trusting the other with their very lives; in others, it’s akin to a love confession. This name shows the seraphim’s raison d’être or that what makes them most themselves.

Before the American and European releases, a mistranslation of this true name was shared in social media that happened to mistake Eizen’s true name “Explorer Eizen” for “In Love Eizen”. Before it was corrected, fans quickly reacted to the news while assuming it could only be about Edna.

Roughly five years after this the next mainline entry in the series, Tales of Arise, was released. Ironically, and with Eizen available in said game as a cameo battle, a mistake in the English version that happened to turn this relationship official was again reported in different social media by several fans. It seemed to get fixed with a patch that was issued shortly after.

4.2 The appealing of the ship

Putting two fictional siblings together into an idealized, consensual romantic relationship can look strange, but the charm itself resides in that the relationship is indeed atypical from that of a classic romance.

Tales of Arise: Edna and Eizen’s cameo battle.

Though Eizen had already lived for roughly seven centuries before Edna was born, his life seems to have been unremarkable until then, having not even moved away from the place he was born; for Edna, Eizen has been a constant in her life, and she doesn’t know what it is to live without him. This is not a case of getting to know each other and going on dates, there is no classy “boy meets girl” type of story, and there’s no clean slate: they carry their previous relationship with them, knowing each other better than anyone else in the world for sometimes better and sometimes worse.

“Blood relationships are the only relationships we have where people want us exactly as we are. To a child, the daddy who affirms everything about her is her prince and the world itself. So the words, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to marry Daddy’ mean the same thing as ‘I’m going to make the whole world mine.’” –Kunihiko Ikuhara

It might not be in their blood, but it’s still seared deep within them. They don’t ever stop (can’t stop) being brother and sister, they can’t just walk away from each other and move on with their lives. Even if they happened to cut all contact, they would still be family, and this is actually quite proved through their relationship: even though Edna and Eizen spent so much of their lives physically separated, their hearts stayed together.

Tales of Crestoria, Eizen and Edna’s SSR Units.

“I learned love as taxidermy, the careful art of keeping alive a dead thing.” –Blythe Baird

Edna dedicates several centuries of her life to watch over Eizen, trying to reduce the harm he causes and never leaving the mountain until Sorey appears. Her love is unconditional, holding on and enduring despite the pain and sorrow. At one point of Berseria Eizen compares her to a cat because of how spoiled they can act, but the way Edna acts after he has become a mindless dragon is more akin to a dog: she remains loyal until the very end, waiting for him for endless centuries.

Edna: “A monster who’s devoured countless humans and seraphim alike. He’s so far gone he doesn’t even recognize me anymore.”

Edna: “But I kept holding on. I just couldn’t give up on the possibility of him turning back to the way he was.” – Siblings (Sub-Event) - Tales of Zestiria

Going by the way Edna appears in Melchior’s illusion, being pulled from Eizen’s memories, she doesn’t change a bit in over a thousand years except by her choice to wear Eizen’s boots and one of his gloves after fitting them. Seraphim can change their appearances as they desire to an extent, and this is also tied to their peak of strength, yet Edna refuses change as if wanting to hold onto her place in the world as “Eizen’s little sister”.

Working under the belief that there was nothing else he could realistically do against his fate, and as if knowing how far his sister could go, Eizen uses the remainder of his life to mitigate the effects his death will have on Edna. He asks Phoenix to watch over Edna and protect her from all kinds of danger, including himself as a dragon; He also asks Zaveid to kill him once he becomes a dragon so she won’t hurt for him.

Rose: “Oh, I get it. Edna’s brother gave Phoenix to her as a memento.”

Mikleo: “So then Eizen asked him to use his normin powers to protect Edna from all threats.”

Sorey: “Including Eizen himself.” – Phoenix (Sub-Event) - Tales of Zestiria

Zaveid: “‘When I become a dragon, kill me.’”

Zaveid: “‘I don’t want Edna to suffer for it.’” – Siblings (Sub-Event) - Tales of Zestiria

It’s also very telling that the one successful illusion against Eizen is the one made to Edna’s likeness. Eizen has an inkling that Aifread isn’t real, putting him at test and then confirming it so; He also recognizes something isn’t quite right in the fake Aball Velvet is enveloped with in a different part of the game. And yet, it’s Edna appearing in front of him what actually affects him, and it’s also only when Zaveid shoots the illusion down that he can break out of the spell.

Velvet: “Magilou… Are there artes that let the caster manipulate dreams?”

Eleanor: “Huh? Dreams? Why?”

Magilou: “There is, yes. An arte that requires a certain type of malak. It envelops you in a fog and reads your regrets, then traps you in a happy dream.” – A Fragment Of Heaven (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

Magilou: “Let’s say you know your target’s innermost desires. You simply conjure the right illusion. Show them what would push their buttons in just the right way.”

Laphicet: “Ahh… If you can create an illusion of something someone really wants, you can control them.”

Magilou: “Exactly. You can force a powerful burden upon your target’s psyche… Until their spirit breaks, that is.”

Laphicet: “What happens when they break?”

Magilou: “Depends on the target. They might become an empty shell; They might go wild with desire… Eeny, teeny, spiny, crow…” – An Arte to Control Daemons (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Though they are not humans and therefore not bound to their rules, Edna and Eizen’s relationship is still incredibly star-crossed, making the small time they get to have together especially precious. In the hypothetical case that Eizen found a cure for the curse, an acceptable one that didn’t trample on his morals like eating the heart of a white-horned dragon was (or he came to understand and accept Edna staying by his side despite the danger), the world they live in can be cruel and unforgiving. If they happened to travel together rather than stay safe in the clean and free of malevolence Rayfalke, they would still be risking turning into dragons.

5. Ending thoughts

Tales of Arise: Edna and Eizen’s cameo battle

5.1. Guilt, malevolence, and will

Eizen: “As far as I’m concerned, my earth affinity and my Reaper’s Curse aren’t much different, in that they’ve both shackled me since I came into being.” – Eizen And The Sea (skit) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen already carries a lot of guilt just about physically existing close to Edna, due to hurting her with his curse whenever she’s within his domain. With guilt and shame being often the bread and butter of sibling ships, that is something that is at least guaranteed.

It’s well documented in both Zestiria and Berseria that malevolence influences not only malakhim’s bodies, but also the state of their minds and their emotions. With Eizen progressively turning into a dragon, it’s not difficult to imagine his feelings for Edna getting twisted the more malevolence gets to him.

Eizen: “My wheel is mine to hold. If I’m not the one steering the ship, then I’m not truly alive.” – Fortress Under Fire (Main Story) - Tales of Berseria

Eizen’s distaste towards the Abbey goes back, long before Aifread is kidnapped, because the way they subjugate the malakhim’s wills goes against his principles. He believes that you should always be grasping the wheel of your life, otherwise you might as well be dead. For obvious reasons, this belief is also tied to his later downfall as a dragon.

Tales of Asteria’s Fifth Arc

Eizen spends all his life and later impending death trying to gain control to compensate for his helplessness, the grief the curse has caused him and all the consequences it has had in his life. Even if in the present day he’s come to accept the curse as a part of himself that cannot be erased, a deep scarring was left by what he lost in the past: his life with his sister.

Magilou: “Physical wounds can heal. Emotional wounds never fully fade.” – Melchior’s Illussions (skit) - Tales of Berseria

You can’t help what you feel: you can only help what you do. Eizen’s self-loathing often makes itself apparent; holding very much non-familiar feelings for Edna, within this entire context, would not help matters. Even if, as mentioned earlier, by virtue of not being humans they might also not be bound to their taboos (though it is to note that Eizen spends a lot of time among humans, and might have picked up on things from them), it’s easy to see how Eizen would see it as a corruption of their bond and hate himself for it, pulling away further from Edna.

5.2. Sibling Complex

It has already been brought up earlier, but both Edna and Eizen clearly have a brother complex and a sister complex respectively. Often, characters like these get into romantic relationships yet end up finding the suitor lacking an unexplainable something, having idealized their sibling to an extent that can never be reached, which is another angle that would be interesting. That, or the partner not accepting that they have to be so close.

5.3. Perspectives

Much like back when the party discovers the self-called (and often pointed at by people as intimidating) Reaper writes letters in pretty stationery and wraps up his presents in flowery prints for his sister, or the way his voice softens when he talks about her, Edna also shows a sweeter side when she speaks to Eizen that she usually wouldn’t. There is a special vulnerability in their interactions, and it’s clear they let their guards down with each other, showing a part of them that nobody else will get to see.

Tales of Zestiria: The Cross (Finale)

It soon becomes apparent in Zestiria how miserable Edna feels because of what has happened to her brother, being extremely rare that she gets to smile and laugh from the bottom of her heart. With everything these two went through, you can’t help but cheer for them to be happily reunited, whatever form it might take.

5.4. What-ifs

Eizen: “Soon after I left, my sister wrote me a letter. She said, ‘I don’t care if it’s dangerous. I want to be with you.’”

Eizen: “Maybe the old me, once I realized there was no fixing this curse, would have gone home prepared to do everything in my power to protect her.”

Eizen: “But I’m not the old me. Haven’t been since I met Aifread and his crew.”

Eleanor: “I understand. You found your place on that ship. Even if you lifted the curse, you wouldn’t move back home...” – No Reply (skit) - Tales of Berseria

It was almost by accident that Eizen found his place in the world and the meaning of his true name. Had he never taken the Van Eltia as his vessel, he would have never met Aifread and the others, and thus would have eventually returned to Edna’s side.

In Zestiria, and before the war reaches its climax, you can find a seraphim couple in Aifread’s Hunting Grounds that asks you to leave them alone. This is the couple from the “The Lovers” Sub-Event, with one of them being a very recognizable character for Zestiria players: Tiamat.

A choice like this, rejecting everyone and everything while favoring a world for only the two of them, would mean a return to a past Edna is shown to mourn.

There’s more ship potential to talk about, some relevant information to themes in both games that I have omitted, and talk related to their appearances in crossover games. However, this is already long as it is, so it’s only right to end it here.

That said, if you got this far, thank you for reading! I hope I could catch your interest, even if it was only a little.

My thanks to @familyromantic as well, for giving me an excuse to ramble at length about these two. I have been meaning to sit down and make a decent write-up for years, but I never actually brought myself to do it. Now I did!

#submission #I'll be honest not everyday I get a whole ARTICLE in my submissions #a: not mine #a: mine #r: brosis #canon: no #tales #earthcest #eizen x edna #shipcest contest #tales of berseria #tales of zestiria #shipcest #sibcest

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