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Introduction
This CRT aims to establish the idea of predetermined fates in Fire Emblem, which has existed since Genealogy of the Holy War. In turn, this will give nearly every single character Passive Fate Manipulation.
Quintessence
There is a force in Fire Emblem called Quintessence (Called Aegir in Japanese). On the surface, Quintessence is basically the life force that exists in all living beings.
Nils
Yes, but it requires a tremendous amount of quintessence.
Lyn
Quintessence?
Nils
That's what Nergal called it. The Substance of the human spirit... Power. Energy. The essence of Life itself... Nergal, he stole this quintessence.
Hector
...What happens to those whose quintessence is stolen?
Nils
...They... They die...
However, according to the creator of the series, Shozou Kaga, it is much more than just a life force. The idea behind Quintessence was that it represented the fates that people were meant to possess.
- Speaking of Claude, he mentions "Aegir" in front of Blagi Tower. What sort of meaning do you mean to capture with "Aegir"?
The fate that people were meant to possess. The idea was that those resurrected by the Valkyrie Staff were people who were not meant to die at time, and were people who were supposed to be saved. Therefore they are brought back to life. You could say that they were saved by a fine distinction. That fine distinction is that at that time, they were people who were fated to live. In contrast, if we return to the topic of Levin, he was someone who was supposed to die. In other words, you could say that he was someone the Valkyrie Staff could not save.
What I mean is that in my mind, Aegir is the force of fate that someone possesses. More than a life force, it's about what was originally meant for a person, and the force that person holds. I used it to mean the force that holds influence over this world.
Essentially, Quintessence is a life force that everyone is born with. This life force also acts as a "force of fate" that determines the fate people were meant to possess. This force of fate ensures that people who die before their "canonical" death only die if they are fated to be saved; which is why items such as the Valkyrie Staff exist: to resurrect people with who not supposed to die yet, and were fated to be saved.
Even in games as recent as Three Houses, the idea of predetermined fates is brought up, when Byleth was unable to save Jeralt, even with the power to turn back time, with Sothis even stating that his death was fated to happen.
This is pretty blatant Fate Manipulation, since there is a force actively ensuring that characters stay alive up until the time and place they are supposed to die.The Twilit Runes / Alfaðör's Design
The Twilit Runes is a prophecy written by Alfaðör, who is the creator of everything in Fire Emblem. It is a text that is described as being Alfaðör's design/will, and the unerring fate that was decided in the time of creation.
Múspell
My victory is decided. From the very beginning, when the nine realms first came to be. It was all laid out in the Twilit Runes.
Laegjarn
What are...the Twilit Runes?
Thórr
...The Twilit Runes are prophecy. The unavoidable future.
Loki
They were written by Alfaðör himself, and they tell of how the gods will one day come to ruin... Within them, all of time, from the very beginning to the absolute end of it all.
Thórr
...They've both put everything on the line for this fight. As such, they are worthy of respect. The result of this battle, however, has already been decided...
Loki
And so you find it unsatisfactory?
Thórr
...Of course not. It is Alfaðör's will, and we are his servants. There is no room for dissatisfaction. There is one question I do have, though, Loki... How is it that Múspell knows the content of the Twilit Runes? You told him, did you not? What is your play here, exactly?
Loki
Well, as you said... It doesn't matter what I do, does it? It is Alfaðör's will, and we are his servants and all... Nothing we do can change the course of time as it was decided in the time of creation... Right?
Loki
"Two gods war, their champions spill blood... Ice melts while the flame remains... Pierced by frost, the Flame Gem rekindles, the champion renewed." The prophecy of the Twilit Runes is unerring fate... Things will end just as Múspell claimed.
Thórr
Of course it will.
Loki
Yes, well... If you ask me, fate playing out exactly as planned is a bit on the dull side. Wouldn't you agree?
Thórr
...It is not our place to question Alfaðör's design.
This too, is Fate Manipulation, albeit different from Quintessence. While Quintessence is the individual life force/force of fate each person holds, the Twilit Runes are sort of the universal fates written by Alfaðör. The Twilit Runes need to be brought up for the next section.
Acausality
The Tempest is an event in Fire Emblem that occasionally takes place. Well, less of an event, and more so a multiversal storm that distorts and mixes different worlds together, though that part isn't really important. What is important are the properties of the Tempest.
What this shows is the irregular nature of the Tempest. Everything about the Tempest is, to put it blunt, chaotic. It has a very irregular nature, from it existing despite the fact that it should be impossible, and its time, space, and most importantly, causality being distorted and twisted.
The Tempest is outright stated to have Causality that is warped and twisted, which falls under a different and irregular system of causality required for Acausality (Type 4).
Despite the Tempest having Type 4 Acausality, it is still bound by the Twilit Runes, as shown with the fated battle between Fjorm and Laegjarn taking place in the Tempest.
As shown here, even Type 4 Acausals are bound by the fates set by the Twilit Runes. However, there is one character who is not bound by the Twilit Runes: Kiran.
Kiran is quite special, since they are the one character that exists outside of Alfaðör's design, according to Thórr, the servant of Alfaðör.
As established earlier, Alfaðör's design is referring to the predetermined fates set by the Twilit Runes.
Loki
"Two gods war, their champions spill blood... Ice melts while the flame remains... Pierced by frost, the Flame Gem rekindles, the champion renewed." The prophecy of the Twilit Runes is unerring fate... Things will end just as Múspell claimed.
Thórr
Of course it will.
Loki
Yes, well... If you ask me, fate playing out exactly as planned is a bit on the dull side. Wouldn't you agree?
Thórr
...It is not our place to question Alfaðör's design.
What this means is that Kiran has an even higher level of Acausality than the Tempest, since unlike the Tempest, Kiran exists outside of Alfaðör's design, meaning they exist outside of the fates that bind even Type 4 Acausals.
There is some additional evidence proving Kiran has Type 4 Acausality, such as their future being unable to be seen by Sophia or Naga, and their very existence being stated to defy the logic of the world, etc etc
How is this related to Quintessence? Well Kiran, like every other living creature, is stated to possess Quintessence.
What this means is that characters such as Kiran, who have above baseline Type 4 Acausality, still has a "force of fate" that protects them, which essentially means that Quintessence is capable of affecting characters with above baseline Type 4 Acausality.
Tl;dr
Quintessence is Passive Fate Manipulation that is capable of affecting characters such as Kiran, who has above baseline Type 4 Acausality via existing outside the fates that bind even the Tempest, a chaotic region where causality is warped and twisted.
Everyone who has Quintessence (ie, everyone who is alive) will have:
Passive Fate Manipulation (Is born with Quintessence, a life force that acts as a "force of fate." This force of fate represents the fate the person was meant to possess, and ensures they are fated to live, up until the time and place they are supposed to die. This force is even held by characters such as Kiran, who's very existence defies the logic of the world, and exists outside of Alfaðör's design, which binds even Type 4 Acausals such as the Tempest)
In addition, Kiran will have:
Acausality (Type 4. Kiran exists as an anomaly, who's power defies the logic of the world, and is a mystery to even the gods. Exists outside of Alfaðör's design, who is the creator of everything, and the writer of the Twilit Runes, a prophecy described as the "unavoidable future", which dictates the course of time, and is described as being fate itself. The Twilit Runes binds even the Tempest, a region of pure chaos in which causality is warped and twisted. Their future could not be seen by neither Naga nor Sophia, and the latter describes Kiran's future as a fog her eyes could not pierce)
Tally
Agree: Artorimachi_Meteoraft (With Kiran Acausality), WIngs_Of_Despair, Luckyfun (With Kiran Acausality), Elizhaa, deonment, Bobsican (Fate Manipulation, but argues its non-combat applicable), y3p_owo
Neutral: JSW (Fate Manipulation), DarkDragonMedeus (Fate Manipulation)
Disagree: Bobsican (With Acausality Type 4)
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