The world of fire emblem. I doodle a bit.

The fact he comes from a small village but has extraordinary powers gives me Alm vibes. In Welsh myth and legend there is a guy called Kay/Cei/Cai/Kei who can fire balls of heat from his hand. I wonder if Cai is based on him.

The Emblem Bracelet of Firene: The Brash General

In the Xenologue, the Emblem Bracelet entrusted to Firene is Hector; The Brash General. It could be argued that Hector's experiences in Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade and Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade make him the perfect Emblem to represent the country. 

The first experience that connects Hector to the royalty of Firene; Alfred and Celine, is the death of a parent from illness. Hector's parents both died of disease and a similar fate struck his brother; Uther. Alfred and Celine's father died from illness as well. Hector shares the grief and experience of what it feels like to lose family to illness with the two royals.

Xenologue Firene’s citizens are known for being warmongering and quick to anger. In Xenologue Chapter 2: Seeds of Unrest, Alfred is seen being easily angered by his sister's suggestions about Nel and Nil turning people into the Corrupted. In response he threatens to set Alear free by killing them. At the start of his journey Hector let his emotions get the best of him such as when Leila is killed by the Black Fang, he goes to kill all of them because he doesn't know the individual responsible. He also lashed out at Oswin for keeping his brother's death a secret, despite the fact that he was under strict orders to do so. 

Xenologue Alfred and Hector both had strong bonds with the main protagonist of their respective worlds. Xenologue Alfred had a strong bond with Xenologue Alear. His dying words in Xenologue Chapter 6: Seven Bracelets, reveal his relief at being able to join his friend in a beautiful field of flowers. Hector had a strong bond with Eliwood, the pair became blood brothers by shaking cut hands. They constantly sparred together and Eliwood would often be the one to cool Hector's temper. 

Zelestia and Zephia - the influence of magical power

Zelestia and Zephia have different personalities due to the effect their power has had on their life. Zelestia was born a mage Dragon with modest power while Zephia was born a mage Dragon with immense power which she struggled to control. This resulted in Zephia killing her family when she was very young. In Chapter 24; Recollections, Zephia wonders what it was like to be loved by her parents. She killed them when she was very young so did not grow up nurtured by them. Zelestia did not suffer the same tragic fate as Zephia. She does not have the power to wipe out a settlement of mage dragons. This meant that she got to experience parental love before she escaped an attack by Xenologue Sombron. Zephia ended up serving Sombron while Zelestia ended up serving Lumera. The experience of their different parenting styles also shaped their personalities. As a father Sombron did not love his children, to him they were tools, a means to an end. He doesn't even remember the names of the majority of his children. In Chapter 24; Recollections, he remarks that his children owe him ‘their love, their lives, their absolute dedication.’ The children who disobeyed or failed him were punished in cruel ways such as: being fed to the Corrupted, burned alive and drowned. Sombron was Zephia's only role model on how to be a parent. On the other hand Zelestia had the love and affection of Xenologue Lumera and witnessed her nurture a child to adulthood. Lumera's love and kindness planted the seeds of Zelestia's love and kindness. 

Sombron disposes of those individuals who are of no use to him. Zephia was always under pressure to be successful in anything she did. This pressured environment is a contributing factor to Zephia's anger. The need to be successful is important because of a half promise by Sombron; she believes that he will consider giving her a child of her own once his ambitions are served. She is desperate for the unconditional love of a son or a daughter, failure takes her further away from her dream. Zelestia does not get angry or violent when she is upset, instead she is more likely to cry. She is seen crying over the death of the Divine Dragon of her world in Chapter 4; Seeds of Unrest and again in her support conversations with Mauvier and Nel. 

Zelestia vs Zephia - Different Circumstances

There are several differences in the circumstances around Zelestia and Zephia:

Life with the Mage Dragons

 Zelestia got to experience the love of her parents before Sombron recruited or destroyed the Mage Dragons of her village. Zephia never got to experience the love of her parents, she barely remembers them because she was the one who killed them, by accident, with her power. 

Difference in Power

 Zephia is a mage dragon of great power. She is powerful enough to create time travel crystals. Zelestia does not have as much power. She has enough to protect her allies and be a reliable commander in the battlefield.

Different Founders of the Four/Hounds/Winds

 Zephia founded the Four Hounds and recruited the most devout worshippers of Sombron to awaken and serve him. Mauvier founded the Four Winds from survivors of the war and appointed Zelestia as leader. 

Sombron and Lumera

Zephia is loyal to Sombron partly due to the belief that he may give her a child of her own. She only shows affection for him. He only wants her because she is powerful. Zelestia was given Lumera's pact ring and they had a close relationship. Lumera did not want her for her power but for her heart. Zelestia shows affection to everyone. 

Punishment vs Kindness

Zephia is seen punishing Mauvier, Veyle and Marni when they fail or defy her. These punishments include powerful magic attacks, smacking and murder. Zelestia never punished any of the Four Winds. She tries to understand and explain different situations and offer comfort when needed. When Nel is frosty to Alear, she tries to explain the behaviour and defuse the situation. Marni cries when they speak of Xenologue Mauvier's death and Zelestia comforts her.

Mauvier's Death and The Death of The Three Hounds.

In the main story Mauvier is the only survivor of the Four Hounds. Zephia, Griss and Marni have been manipulated and used by Sombron and only realise the error of their ways when it is too late. In the Xenologue Mauvier dies so that the rest of The Four Winds can live. He sacrifices himself for the family he loves. Zelestia is one of the survivors and deeply mourns the loss of Xenologue Mauvier. When Marni dies in the main story, Griss and Zephia laugh at her demise. 

Griss and Gregory

Zephia appoints Griss as her second in demand. Gregory is appointed second in command by Mauvier just before he dies.

Lady Veyle

Zephia had to serve Lady Veyle because she was the child of the Fell Dragon Sombron. She was occupied by looking after, protecting, manipulating and serving a child she had no interest in bonding with. Zelestia never knew Xenologue Veyle because she died in the war. All her attention could be spent on getting to know her friends and allies. Zelestia's non biological ‘child‘ was Xenologue Alear who she raised together with Lumera and their allies. 

Alear

The Similarities Between  Zelestia and Zephia

Zelestia and Zephia have a few similarities worth noting:

Mage Dragons

They are both mage dragons who were raised in a small settlement of their own kind in Elusia.

Wyverns

They both ride wyverns into battle and use magical tomes.

Leaders

 They are both the leaders of their respective quartets; The Four Winds and The Three Hounds. 

First encountered in Firene

 In the main story and the xenologue story, they are both encountered for the first time in Firene. They are both the first members of their respective quartets that are met by Alear. 

Family of Winds and Hounds

 They both think of their group as family. In the dynamic of their groups they both play the role as the mother.

Laughter

 They are both seen sharing laughter with other members of their group. Zelestia jokes about who plays which role in the Four Winds family and warmly teases Gregory in their support conversation. Zephia shares laughter over cruelty with Griss, such as when Marni is stabbed to death in Chapter 21;The Return. 

Servants to Fell Dragons

Zelestia‘s name and outfit

Zelestia's name in Japanese is Seresuteia. I am going to cut up her name to derive the meaning behind it. The first part of her name is ‘Sere’ In Latin, ‘Sere’ comes from ‘serere’ which means to entwine, interlace or string together. As leader of The Four Winds she entwines the Winds together with Lord and Lady Nil and Nel. The last part of her name is ‘Teia’ In Latin ‘Teia’ means ‘wide-shining’ and in Greek Mythology is the child of Uranus and Gaia and one of the twelve Titans. She was the goddess of sight and vision. With her powers she could endow precious metals and gemstones with shine and brilliance. The middle section ‘Su’ which is a variant of ‘thou’ in Latin. Her name means that by intertwining with you she makes you shine. 

In Japanese ‘teia’ means to ‘make radiant‘.

Her name Seresuteia keeps with the visual/colour theme of the Four Hounds and The Four Winds. Zephia's name in Japanese is ‘sepia'. 

In the translation her name is Zelestia, which is a variant of ‘Celestia'. A Celestia is a flower, similar to the other characters' names from Elusia. Celestia also means ‘of the sky's or ‘heavenly’ in Latin.

The Outfit Changes

Zelestia loses the hint of purple in her body armour, instead it is charcoal black. This could be because the colour purple is associated with Elusia and the Fell Dragon. Her allegiance is with neither nor is she using the Elusian army. In the Xenologue Zelestia's loyalty is with the Divine Dragons (Xenologue Lumera and Xenologue Alear) as well as Nil and Nel who sought sanctuary there. In Buddhism black is believed to repel evil spirits as well as absorb light.

The colours of the feathers at the base of her hone change from blue to pink while the tassels and ribbon around them change from pink to yellow. The colour of the cape skirt changes from pink to yellow. Yellow is a positive colour associated with joy, energy and sunshine. Pink is seen as a feminine colour associated with love, nurturing and romance. In Buddhism yellow is the colour of renunciation and rootedness. It is believed that if you meditate on the colour yellow then you turn pride into wisdom and separate yourself from material desires. The Buddhist symbol of a lotus flower coloured pink symbolises an open heart. Zelestia is emotional, loving and tends to mother and cares for those around her. Her heart is open, so much so that it sits upon her sleeve. She has no desire to possess a family or a child, unlike Zephia, instead her family could be anyone. She has ascended beyond the material and has become love. The colour yellow is also associated with the earth whilst Zephia’s blue represents the sky and divinity, many Buddhist gods are depicted in blue, mainly angry and protector gods. In Christianity the colour yellow represents hope and light while pink represents love, compassion and beauty. 

The pose