#keyworks

A lot of the second arc of Saber (or really, Saber past episode 13) sees Touma pushing aside all the grief and pain he feels: over Kento’s death but also all the people losing their loved ones to the Megid that he meets – this is especially emphasized in in episode 21. He’s shown extremely frustrated by his failure to help.

The same episode makes a point about how the way swordsmen deal with their burdens is carrying them on their swords and using the people they couldn't save/the knowledge that they cannot save everyone as (a source of) strength, so to speak. Touma saying he wants to save everyone and everything is a way of denying the reality they all face. 

He doesn't carry his burdens on his sword either, that's why it doesn't echo. During their fight in 21, both Daishinji and Ogami point out that Touma relies so much on his Ride Books that his sword does not echo. To me, this is also an allegory for Touma clinging to stories without facing reality. Stories are a popular source of escapism, after all, and Touma talks about how they're a source of hope and strength for him in episode 46 and Trio of Deep Sin. 

While Saber makes a big point about how stories are exactly this, yes, and how that is what makes them so valuable, the point here is balance. It's only after Touma faces how he truly feels, what he truly wants (to never see anyone make such a sad face again) and what is possible that his sword does end up echoing a little. The honesty and shift in objective is what lets him synchronize with Rekka and unlock its ability to separate people and Megid, as well as win Daishinji’s trust, as the first of the Sword of Logos members.

So Touma has taken steps towards facing his pain in a more upfront manner. And then Primitive Dragon comes into play.

Primitive Dragon forces Touma to externalize his emotions. in a very destructive way because that's what the dragon thinks is the only way. After all, as Master Logos says in episode 24, "because it cannot be understood, it shall continue to destroy". This power is too much for Touma. In a way, it's the spiritual opposite of how Touma was before episode 21. Full-on physical destructive power, when before it was the magical Wonder Ride Books alone. Reliying on nothing but yourself versus relying on stories written by someone else. The imbalance of power and control shows in both the way Primitive Dragon fights and the way the suit itself is designed, with a singular claw clutching the Brave Dragon Book forming most of the chestplate (which is also reflected in the design of the corresponding Ride Book).

It is my belief that Primitive Dragon sees in Touma someone that might understand him, and this is confirmed in the production notes for episode 27: "It was a sad story of a dragon who was left alone and wanted a companion even after death". In the same episode, Touma also mentions that “the boy was worried about me”. After all, Touma is also someone who is very lonely and experiencing a lot of loss, especially during this arc. This is why the dragon reaches his hand out to Touma in episode 26 – he (thinks he) understands, and so he wanted to befriend Touma. And I think that he also wants to help. The Primitive Dragon Book mainly appears to take over Touma when he's in a pinch/struggling/suffering. It’s the most clear in episode 26 itself, when Touma is faced with what Kento has become. When Touma meets the dragon boy after having just faced all of Kento’s despair, Touma is overcome with pain. It is so bad, so overwhelming that he's just kneeling on the ground, silently crying. When the boy reaches his hand out, Touma merely looks up at him, and then just hangs his head again, which leads to the boy turning away and leaving. 

Another interesting detail is the animation for whenever Touma henshins into Primitive Dragon. It shows the dragon's upper body appearing behind Touma and hugging him in a way that overtakes all of Touma – yet, it still is a hug.

Everything culminates, of course, in Touma’s decision to save the boy. He isn’t sure why at first, he doesn't know how – but he still tries.

This involves Touma reaching out towards the boy, no matter how many times he gets burned. When Touma asks if the dragon can tell him why he’s so sad, he reacts with anger and yells that a human couldn’t ever understand. This sentiment is one that he has deeply internalized, as per Master Logos’ words, and I think that after Touma “rejected” him in episode 26, Primitive Dragon has only grown more disillusioned. It is only after Touma fights through the flames and presses himself against the dragon (which looks pretty much like a hug) that the dragon stops. This time, when Touma asks him why he’s so sad, he listens and tells his tale. 

Touma’s response to the boy’s despair is to empathize and speak of hope. He continues the story of Primitive Dragon that was thought to have ended in sorrow and gives it a happy ending. He gives the boy all he’s wanted this entire time – friends. Touma makes the elements of nature his friends and it brings the boy’s smile back. This is why Elemental Dragon is named and themed the way it is – it’s the friend Touma has found for the boy. That’s what Elemental Dragon is. And Touma too, of course, becomes the boy’s friend. Them shaking hands leads to the creation of the Elemental Dragon Ride Book. Much like its predecessor Primitive Dragon, the hand element is very present in the suit and gadget design. This time, though, it’s two hands, holding each other, supporting each other – it’s all balanced.

But it’s not just Primitive Dragon that regains hope during this – Touma does, too, I think. As mentioned earlier, Touma also experiences a lot of loneliness during this arc. People he fought alongside before end up going against him and especially Kento positions himself against Touma too after his return, an event that is shown as soul-crushing for Touma. There is also the fact that Touma loses control whenever he is possessed by Primitive Dragon, giving him nightmares about possibly killing all of his friends. Even despite having rewon the trust of some at that point, that still isolates Touma, in a way. I think that it’s poignant that 27 is the episode after which Rintaro essentially makes up his mind to join Touma’s side. In the end, becoming Primitive Dragon’s friend is healing for Touma, too – friendship is not a one-sided thing, after all – and additionally, that starts to lead to him regaining another important bond as well.

The decision Touma makes here is not just important to this specific part and story within Saber, but to the show as a whole. It literally saves Touma’s life during episode 47. Episode 46 has a very dramatic, cynical ending, with Touma being tossed into a deep pit by Storious, a character epitomizing nihilism, even after all the fight Touma had put up, after his long speech about what stories mean to him. His heroic moment was interrupted, the figure of hope lost in the dark, the story over. But the next episode shows Touma being saved by the Primitive Dragon Ride Book, the boy saying the following:

It is truly only fitting that Touma is saved from despair by someone he’d saved from despair before himself (and this is not exactly the first time it has happened, either, think Kento’s appearance in episode 15) – if you look at their positions in the above image and compare it to similar shots from episode 27, this time the boy is on the right side instead of Touma, the side of the sun, the side that gives hope. And with the power of a story, a happy ending that Touma gave to Primitive Dragon himself. This is a preliminary to how Saber itself ends, with Touma writing the story of the world again, rewriting the future to have a happy ending, one where the world is saved and Touma can be with his friends.

Saber, at its very core, is about the value of hope. Pretty much every major antagonist (as well as Kento, his father and Primitive Dragon by extension) experiences great despair and comes to the conclusion that there's only a specific path for the world to take. That there is only one possible ending, and that it has to be accepted, even if it's full of despair. Another common denominator amongst those characters is that they act on their own and/or have no true bond with the people around them – and Saber is indeed themed around connection, as stated here. Against that stands Touma with his belief in hope and the changeability of the future. His catchphrase exemplifies that: “I’ll be the one to decide how this story ends.” That is not a statement of selfishness, but one that represents his refusal to give up. Touma also believes in the value of connection (which the promises stand for!) and friendship. Stories gave him all of these things, which is why they are precious to Touma no matter what. So it is beautiful to me that throughout the course of Saber, Touma both saves with the power of stories and is saved by them/the people he’s saved, all while holding onto his beliefs and the strength hope.