res7less
Jumpkin
Reposted this post due to some new speculations (at the end) based on the same topics.
Since we're getting closer and closer to the core of things, I just wanted to get out some thoughts out there. They didn't result in full "disclosure" yet, but I think it's pretty interesting to note those things.
Since we're getting closer and closer to the core of things, I just wanted to get out some thoughts out there. They didn't result in full "disclosure" yet, but I think it's pretty interesting to note those things.
I was kinda thinking about that story that we find in the desert temple where a myth is told about the Archdragon who lays an egg that later becomes the world. I've been trying to place that story into overall context with barely any success and initially put it off as some cool gimmick on how it's theorized the world came to be. The questions remained just questions. Is the egg physically the world of Grindea? Is it more of symbolic nature? That was until I was watching a stream not that long ago with the player frolicking around Evergrind Fields when he looked at the signpost of barely any notability that's simply there to show the way to Evergrind City and Mt. Bloom which looked like this:
And then I noticed something. That little seemingly insignificant depiction of Mt. Bloom with that ring of clouds around it looks an awful lot like an egg sitting in a nest. And I would have put that off as an odd coincidence if not for the fact that the picture becomes even clearer when looking at the world map where Mt. Bloom looks like this:
It looks like the top of a an egg's broken shell with something coming out of it, on top of which is nothing other than Tai Ming, the most important location to the ingame lore yet. I couldn't believe that egg symbolism has been hidden in plain sight all this time. Additionally, there are wall carvings within Mt. Bloom that look like this:
You can see the same sun and moon that we also see in the temple where we are told the story of the Archdragon. They aren't aligned in the same way, which is why one can still argue about a coincidence but the thing is, those carvings are right next to the entrance with the dragon above them where supposedly the treasure room is where Charlotte died.
Myths are known to be exaggerated and altered in time by being told over and over again until details change and so the egg might not have been the world, but just a mountain.
So what does it mean? Well, according to that prophecy, when the egg hatches, the world will be destroyed and from it a new world will be born. And that arguably comes close to what actually happened. Tai Ming was where Zhamla grew up and caused what has become known as the Cataclysm. He started destroying everything but the was prevented from completing his task by being sealed away. The prophecy that we're being told in the desert temple already began coming to fruition 1000 years ago, but was delayed for the time being. And one of those who helped delay it was surprisingly one of the Bishops, who are themselves great riddle and prophecy tellers. Although it's still unclear whether they are guiding the main character or using him.
The flashbacks that we get also don't tell us much about it. Zhamla's flashback only confirms that he's from Arcade Mode which was already established before when he was reading that book on monsters with Tessen and Mana. But how he broke the cycle of respawning and came to Story Mode or why it is important that he's a monster still remains unclear.
Update: Actually, when taking into account the Desert Bishop's prophecy/riddle, some plant symbolism is being added into the fray as well. And seeing as Mt. Bloom is called Mt. Bloom, one might also consider the egg actually being a seed. Of course, it might be either a stretch or a misinterpretation of the egg in the first place.
Seeing as the Bishop directly says "The flower blooms" might mean Mt. Bloom itself, or rather whatever came out of the seed. And seeing as according to the prophecy, some new world is supposed to grow from the seed, it just might be the connection to the Arcade Mode that we've been looking for. The way the Arcade Mode stretches upwards could be interpreted as a huge plant stretching out from its seed. That would explain why it looks similar to the world we know and yet different - it's like a world growing, forming, not having reached a distinct shape yet.
Following that logic, some of the Bishop's lines also start to make sense. Mt. Bloom is the seed, Tai Ming is like the inner part of the seed from where the new world can grow. Or, as Shinsai called the spell that caused it: "a bridge between worlds" - the old world and the new. We have plenty of NPCs seemingly having no trouble reaching Arcadia so there has to be a way between those worlds - maybe Tai Ming is where NPCs can get there.
Then: "Whetstones the shape of leaves" - meaning the Arcade Mode's floors with "blade sharpened upon them" meaning the Lost Souls gaining their abilities, growing stronger. And finally "Will the stem be cut or the weapon shatter?" that can have a variety of meanings if the Lost Souls are the "weapon" and the new world is the "stem" of the plant.
Making it more meta, you could even say that Story Mode is the old world and Arcade Mode the new one. Switching between the modes is basically like creating alternate timelines that are, in a way, connected to each other. I mean, the main character even receives some items in Story Mode that the player has gained in Arcade Mode. And funny enough, that would even align with players being Grindea as it's in our power to open and close those timelines at will, making it some "spell" that NPCs can't comprehend. We might be the ones who "awaken" and "put to sleep" the worlds.
And Story Mode basically has an expiration date while Arcade Mode is potentially infinite, so at some point Story Mode will inevitably end to be replaced by Arcade Mode, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
And then I noticed something. That little seemingly insignificant depiction of Mt. Bloom with that ring of clouds around it looks an awful lot like an egg sitting in a nest. And I would have put that off as an odd coincidence if not for the fact that the picture becomes even clearer when looking at the world map where Mt. Bloom looks like this:
It looks like the top of a an egg's broken shell with something coming out of it, on top of which is nothing other than Tai Ming, the most important location to the ingame lore yet. I couldn't believe that egg symbolism has been hidden in plain sight all this time. Additionally, there are wall carvings within Mt. Bloom that look like this:
You can see the same sun and moon that we also see in the temple where we are told the story of the Archdragon. They aren't aligned in the same way, which is why one can still argue about a coincidence but the thing is, those carvings are right next to the entrance with the dragon above them where supposedly the treasure room is where Charlotte died.
Myths are known to be exaggerated and altered in time by being told over and over again until details change and so the egg might not have been the world, but just a mountain.
So what does it mean? Well, according to that prophecy, when the egg hatches, the world will be destroyed and from it a new world will be born. And that arguably comes close to what actually happened. Tai Ming was where Zhamla grew up and caused what has become known as the Cataclysm. He started destroying everything but the was prevented from completing his task by being sealed away. The prophecy that we're being told in the desert temple already began coming to fruition 1000 years ago, but was delayed for the time being. And one of those who helped delay it was surprisingly one of the Bishops, who are themselves great riddle and prophecy tellers. Although it's still unclear whether they are guiding the main character or using him.
The flashbacks that we get also don't tell us much about it. Zhamla's flashback only confirms that he's from Arcade Mode which was already established before when he was reading that book on monsters with Tessen and Mana. But how he broke the cycle of respawning and came to Story Mode or why it is important that he's a monster still remains unclear.
Update: Actually, when taking into account the Desert Bishop's prophecy/riddle, some plant symbolism is being added into the fray as well. And seeing as Mt. Bloom is called Mt. Bloom, one might also consider the egg actually being a seed. Of course, it might be either a stretch or a misinterpretation of the egg in the first place.
Seeing as the Bishop directly says "The flower blooms" might mean Mt. Bloom itself, or rather whatever came out of the seed. And seeing as according to the prophecy, some new world is supposed to grow from the seed, it just might be the connection to the Arcade Mode that we've been looking for. The way the Arcade Mode stretches upwards could be interpreted as a huge plant stretching out from its seed. That would explain why it looks similar to the world we know and yet different - it's like a world growing, forming, not having reached a distinct shape yet.
Following that logic, some of the Bishop's lines also start to make sense. Mt. Bloom is the seed, Tai Ming is like the inner part of the seed from where the new world can grow. Or, as Shinsai called the spell that caused it: "a bridge between worlds" - the old world and the new. We have plenty of NPCs seemingly having no trouble reaching Arcadia so there has to be a way between those worlds - maybe Tai Ming is where NPCs can get there.
Then: "Whetstones the shape of leaves" - meaning the Arcade Mode's floors with "blade sharpened upon them" meaning the Lost Souls gaining their abilities, growing stronger. And finally "Will the stem be cut or the weapon shatter?" that can have a variety of meanings if the Lost Souls are the "weapon" and the new world is the "stem" of the plant.
Making it more meta, you could even say that Story Mode is the old world and Arcade Mode the new one. Switching between the modes is basically like creating alternate timelines that are, in a way, connected to each other. I mean, the main character even receives some items in Story Mode that the player has gained in Arcade Mode. And funny enough, that would even align with players being Grindea as it's in our power to open and close those timelines at will, making it some "spell" that NPCs can't comprehend. We might be the ones who "awaken" and "put to sleep" the worlds.
And Story Mode basically has an expiration date while Arcade Mode is potentially infinite, so at some point Story Mode will inevitably end to be replaced by Arcade Mode, thus fulfilling the prophecy.
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