#theresis

I'll open with this post, which points out a very poignant detail about Babel's splash art:

Theresa is obliterated, dead, gone. But with her, she takes Kal'tsit's heart, the Doctor's mind, and even pierces Amiya too. But what that post doesn't acknowledge, is that following the same logic it clearly effected Theresis.

He retains his mask, his stoic and strong attitude, his ruthless persona and effective leadership, but the cracks demonstrate that her departure still took a toll on him. I choose to read it that her death locked him into the path he chose. He can't go back, not after what's done, not when it would make her death in vain.

(I want to specify that this post utilizes inference and assumption, as we see very little of Theresis and the years following the Eastern Crusade.)

To highlight everything that we know for sure about their relationship: following the coalition, the previous king and wielder of the black crown died, passing it onto the twins. Instead of fighting, or sharing power, Theresis yielded it to Theresa's vision. Instead of twin kings, we have the speaker, and the general who supports her.

And this was how things stayed, and they stayed this way for a long time. Theresis crowned Theresa after the Eastern Crusade in 898, and only in 1086 did the civil war start. For nearly two centuries the twins worked in tandem, Theresis supporting and following in Theresa's footsteps. Only after this much time had passed did he begin fomenting frustration and resistance, taking an approach he deemed more effective.

This suggests not only immense respect for Theresa, but also theoretically agreeing with her plan more. Agreeing that the situation she proposed was more ideal, and working with her to try and secure it. Not only that, but after personally seeking out and killing Kal'tsit in the Eastern Crusade, allowing her presence, allowing her cooperation with his sister, demonstrating an immense amount of trust. Kal'tsit orchestrated destruction, but he never stepped in.

In the end of Babel, Theresis still grants the chance; encourages that her assassins kill him, prove him wrong, prove that the vision his sister had was superior.

Theresis only strayed from that course when it proved itself, he deemed it, too slow, too passive, too ineffective. Kazdel falls apart, Babel disbands, and they trade roles of leader and supporter.

After Theresa revives, she doesn't resist at all, stop or try to change the course of what's happening, at every point that she could. This makes me think that they made a promise to one another, to follow and support the other near blindly.

To me, this is why Theresa is so sad, so crestfallen, so defeated when we see her in chapter 10: her ideals failed. Her worldview failed. She has to go ahead with Theresis' plan, even though she understands the suffering it brings to both sides. That in the end, peace in Kazdel and for the Sarkaz won't be won through goodwill, but with a deterrent and a threat.

I think this may even explain her actions in the assimilated universe in chapter 14, her complete refusal to back down. She had at least 180 years, and it didn't go anywhere, so she'll follow her brother. She'll do as he commands, and trust that his approach will work, since hers didn't.

Theresis is brutal, practical, but I don't think that meant that he never cared about his sister. He orchestrated her death, but it's clear to me from their past that it must have pained him, torn him apart. And seeing her completely drained of life, must have hurt him as well. This entire conversation in 14-1 is worth rereading, but the most important part:

(I'm told that english can't give this the same significance that it's original text can, where there's specific words they use for goodbye the demonstrate a significance and finality.)

Theresis is the one that reaches out, and he looks forward to seeing the people that still carries Theresa's beliefs, may hold hope that they can beat him and prove Theresa was right in the end. He looks forward to it. To me, in every point in the story, he seems almost desperate to be wrong. Affords every opportunity to be wrong. And even after his victory, both in the civil war and the victorian crisis, still yearns to be wrong.

And so we get to the present in See You Soon, and we find Theresis in the assimilated universe: (All the Unrevealed)

As he stands here, Silent Tales plays. He sees the decaying tower and proof of their efforts, stands where he does due to their sacrifices, and thinks about Theresa.

Her footsteps, that he follows, but are long gone.

His sister, who he followed too slowly behind.