Xisa, Jue, and Sera (possible spoilers)

[korzic]

I just recently finished Ys VI yet again, and a couple of questions have been bugging me regarding Ernst and his fairies - Xisa, Jue, and Sera.

In the scene where Ernst destroys Alma's remains, he mentions that he creates them, but he doesn't really elaborate (as far as I remember). It seems like he did it so he could use them as keys to undo the first three seals of the Ark of Napishtim (Alma's remains are the fourth seal, right?), but why not just use the original three keys - Adol's Emelas swords? Was he simply unable to get through the Great Vortex, and he needed the fairies to fly over and undo those seals for him? If he was unable to get through until the fairies undid those seals, then how did Geis get through safely? Was he just fortunate enough to survive, like Adol?

Next, what purpose(s) did the fairies stealing and breaking the Mirror of Zeme serve? The fairies didn't really seem to use it, other than to summon monsters. Later, when Adol recovers all three pieces, it showed that vision of Baslam and company in Zemeth Sanctum to Olha, Isha, and Adol. It didn't really seem used after that, except that Olha gives it to Adol as a protective charm just before he goes to the Ark. But, why would the fairies steal and shatter it? Were they trying to demoralize the Rehda, possibly as an act of hatred towards the people that followed Alma? Also, what need would there be to summon monsters? Possibly as a precautionary measure against Geis? Not only that, after fighting Zonplas on the Grana-Vallis Mountains, Jue said that she had fed it a "key" (the Blirante sword). But why would she do that? Was she trying to get rid of the keys to prevent Geis (or anyone else, like Adol) from resealing the Ark once they had unsealed it? If so, why didn't Xisa and Sera attempt to do likewise with the Livart and Ericcil swords? They stole the Mirror of Zeme from the Rehda, so surely they could've stolen Livart from them as well. Plus, Ericcil was just sitting there in Zemeth Sanctum.

So, yeah, these questions have been kind of bothering me for a while. I'm probably making a big deal out of something that I shouldn't, but oh well. Just thought I'd throw this stuff out there, and see if there might be some logical explanation for it all.

[Red Hairdo]

Hm... it has been 3 years since I played Ys VI, so I also need to replay it soon.

Well, not sure if any of these will be helpful (regarding the first few questions), but...
As far as I remember, 4 Emelas Swords were created: the 3 Adol holds and the Black Emelas sword.
Either the Black Emelas or the 3 other Emelas Swords could unlock/ break some seal of the Ark. I don't think he created these 3 creatures to unlock the Ark or something. But I don't remember what they are for.


I guess I'll replay Ys VI very, very soon. I just need to finish my YsF guides before and replay Ys I ~ V.
... I'll return to this topic sometime.

[korzic]

I'm pretty sure that the fairies were created to be used as keys to undo the Great Vortex of Canaan. The fairies call themselves "keys" just before they do something to the orbs in Zemeth Sanctum (the ones you fight in the first phase of Napishtim) to stop the Great Vortex, right before Ernst, Agares, and the Romuns arrive. I'm pretty sure they were created after the likeness of the three Emelas swords that Adol later possessed, because their last names are the same as those of the swords: Xisa Livart, Jue Blirante, and Sera Ericcil. Also, I think that those seals are probably related to unsealing the Ark, because when Ernst arrives in Zemeth Sanctum, he mentions Alma's remains as "the final seal". What are the other seals, if not the ones the fairies undid? Besides, the Great Vortex appeared again after the Ark was released, so they are probably tied to one another.

Anyway, I just can't seem to wrap my head around why Ernst went through all the trouble of creating the fairies. Was the Great Vortex stopping him from going to the Canaan Islands and collecting the original keys himself? If Geis could get through it (how did he arrive, anyway?), then he should be able to as well. Was he simply unable to wield the other three Emelas swords? Did he have other obligations due to his position in the Romun army?

[Red Hairdo]

Hm... this calls for an urgent Ys VI playthrough.

Anyway, good that you posted these questions down.
I'll be sure to return here after I replay this incredible game.

(I also care a lot about these sort of details.)

[korzic]

Hmm. I was just browsing a walkthrough for the PC version of this game over at GameFAQs, and I had forgotten that the Ericcil sword was not just out in the open waiting around for anyone to grab it; Alma ends up opening a door in Zemeth Sanctum so Adol can obtain it. That probably means that even if Ernst could get through the Great Vortex safely, he might not have known the locations of the other three Emelas swords. Or if he did, maybe he couldn't access the area Alma opened (I wonder if destroying her remains would have solved that issue, though...).

So, that seems to be the most likely reason for Ernst creating the fairies. Now, the questions still remain regarding the fairies stealing and shattering the Mirror of Zeme. Speaking of which, if the Mirror is supposed to be holy, then how did the fairies use it to summon those monsters?

[korzic]

I may need to retract my statement about Alma's remains being the final seal for the Ark. After browsing that walkthrough some more (it mentions a lot of important story elements), it seems like Alma's remains are the only seal, for the Ark at least. I guess those three orbs are for keeping the seal on the Great Vortex only, which was probably created in an attempt to prevent anyone from unsealing the Ark.

Anyway, I decided to do a little bit of in-game research (what I could, anyway; all my saves are just before entering the Ark, or already inside it) regarding the Mirror of Zeme to see if I could come up with some answers to those other questions.

According to the item description of the full Mirror of Zeme (not the fragments), it says that it houses Alma's soul (I think Olha also makes a comment like that), and that it is made out of White Emelas. I guess it makes sense that the fairies would steal and shatter the Mirror if it contains Alma's soul, seeing as how Ernst and his ancestors have a bit of a grudge against Alma (she wouldn't teach them how to make White and Black Emelas). The Mirror being made out of White Emelas may be important as well. According to Ernst, White Emelas has the ability to transform into various shapes, and is tied to life itself. It was also used by the Eldeen people to wield the power of miracles and immortality. Not only that, the Emelas Tabulas state that White Emelas has the ability to speak with Black Emelas, power. Without White Emelas, the Black Emelas cannot be controlled.

I'm not quite sure what to make of all of that, though. Is the Mirror the reason why the fairies could summon monsters (a form of life)? If so, does shattering it mean that using it to summon monsters makes them (the monsters) evil, since the Mirror likely could not "speak" to the power contained within them?

Any thoughts?