#snowbound blood vol 12 spoilers

[strangeviscera]

The teal pool around your legs seeps in through the thin fabric of your trousers, cooling by the second as it spreads out over the concrete. happy 3/22 (see the image in full quality here)

[dismas-mersiv]

100.Qxe+ To your inevitable failure. ...Kb5 0-1

[wormssforbrains]

Did Edolon become Seinru? Well, yes. But actually no. (Edolon Character Analysis) [REVISED REPOST]

Content warning: Discussion of abuse, manipulation, cults, and canonically depicted gore

Spoiler warning: Snowbound Blood Volume 12.

AUTHORS NOTE: Hello! Back in July I posted a similar version of this analysis, but since then I’ve realized a lot about Edolon and Seinru and decided to private the old one and republish this revised version instead. I think this version offers more canon compliant insight into both of their characters and I am much more confident in this version; so I hope this offers a new perspective into both of their characters :)!! They are both very very interesting and I have spent way too much time thinking about them.

In discussions of Edolon, something that people have found confusing is his seemingly drastic change from what we’ve seen of him pre sacrifice of Seinru and post sacrifice of Seinru. Before Snowbound Blood Vol. 12 came out, this was especially the case. 

From what we’ve seen of Edolon pre-ritual is a much more dependent and less confident person in comparison to those traits, while not fully going away, seemingly diminishing post-ritual. This paired with some concerning dialogue and actions pertaining to “becoming Seinru” has led to some… worrying conclusions. 

First, let's quickly go over some observations that have caused confusion or concern in some readers. These will be elaborated more on later.

Seinru saying to Edolon before their death, “As long as you're still here, I'll never truly be gone.” 

After Seinrus death, Edolons had a seemingly drastic change in character that involved picking up many of Seinrus traits.

Edolons severed hand was replaced with Seinrus hand.

So, did Edolon become Seinru? What does that even mean? Did Seinru really possess him?

While I find the theory that Seinru possessed or is controlling Edolon to be interesting, I think that there’s a lot more analysis and discussion to be had about Edolon being the person that he is today because of Seinrus manipulation and shaping of him along with a wide variety of other factors. Edolon not having full physical control over his actions absolves him of a lot of blame, which is much less interesting than all of his actions and feelings having a root cause that can be traced back to people, events or influences in his life.

So, in order to understand why Edolon seemingly changed, we have to analyze the way he was pre-ritual, leading up to the ritual, post-ritual and factors that would impact why he changed in the way he did.

As said before, prior to the ritual, Edolon showed less confidence and a dependency on Seinru. In many moments both his reliance on Seinru and his nervousness is shown,

A gaunt man steps from the shadows and slides up next to Seinru. They give his hand a gentle squeeze before disappearing behind the altar. As he nervously leans forwards(...)”

SEINRU: Dolo.  Out of the corner of your eye, Seinru steps forward, taking Edolon's hand in hers. She squeezes it, gently. 

Edolon approaches you, taking Seinru's place as they retreat into the sacrificial slab's gloom. Where Seinru knelt beside you, Edolon tries to loom. It only emphasizes his stoop. You laugh. To your displeasure, so does Pozzol. (...) Edolon glances in Pozzol's direction. His eyes drift instinctively to the altar, to the rim of darkness in the vague outline of Seinru. SEINRU: This is your moment. SEINRU: Everything, from here to obliteration, belongs to you.

Along with this, Edolon isn’t confident that he’ll be capable of taking her place as the high priest of the cult,

EDOLON: i'm just not convinced i have what it takes. EDOLON: i'm not like you. EDOLON: i'm still afraid. i'll still feel the pain, even when you don't. EDOLON: what if i can't do any of it? EDOLON: then all i'll have accomplished is adding more misery to my life. SEINRU: That's not going to happen. EDOLON: and this is not a role i was meant to play.

From this, we get some very interesting insight on Edolon dependency and feelings towards Seinru. Edolon depends greatly on Seinru for reassurance and guidance and looks for their care when he feels insufficient. Edolon sees Seinru as someone perfect, someone he needs and someone who makes his miserable life worth it. All this makes the idea of their death all the more terrifying for him.

Though post-ritual - without Seinru there to guide him - Edolon is seemingly much more confident and capable of his role in the cult. This supposed confidence only ramps up to extremes as he both unlocks his alchemic potential and ESPECIALLY as the events of Incursion take place. I don’t think analyzing quotes would do this change justice. Just look at any of his actions he takes to progress the game and crash an inauguration without Seinrus guidance. 

So what does this mean for Edolon? Why did he react and change this way in response to Seinrus death?

First off, we need to remember what character we’re dealing with here. In order to understand why Edolon responded this way to the death of someone he loves, you have to remember that this is Edolon. There are many factors of his life and upbringing that change the way that he responds to trauma. Due to the severe brainwashing from both Seinru and the cult, as well as the severe abuse he faced in his childhood, the way he reacts to the traumatic event of losing his partner is much different than a majority of the people faced with this kind of loss.

Rather than reacting with anger, fear, depression, numbness, or many of the other common reactions to the death of a loved one, he reacted in the way that the cult and Seinru manipulated him into reacting. Before their death, Seinru told Edolon what they wanted from him after death, and Edolon in turn became what they wanted him to become. He wanted to accept the gift and chance to grow that Seinru had told him they were dying for so that he wouldn't let them down. Along with this, as a Gaiaeon worshiper he has an extremely deranged view on the world. Edolon truly believes that the world should be destroyed in the name of Gaiaeons perfect reality and the sacrifice of Seinru would aid in that goal, even if he doesn’t want to lose them. To the cult, death is a form of release from the corrupted world that they live in.

Edolon is also driven by his need for revenge against Corporate. As a child, Edolon was raised and abused by The Executive for not being able to live up to his expectations and because of this was later abandoned by Corporate. Due to both the cult's brainwashing and wanting revenge for how he was treated, Edolon wants to destroy Corporate as a whole. In order to enact this plan, though, Seinrus sacrifice would have to happen. 

Along with this, Edolons childhood and his doom aspect has greatly affected how he views pain. He was raised to endure brutal circumstances, just like Sestro was. To him, pain is something that you must grit your teeth and learn to power through. It is something that you must become numb to in order to harness that pain and throw it back towards those who hurt you. And to Edolon, the final goal of the cult is something he must work towards, and Seinrus death is another thing he must painfully endure for the “greater good,” no matter how much he doesn’t want to lose them. (There’s a great analysis about this topic that you can read here; it inspired me to add this paragraph)

From these factors, we begin to see how all of these aspects of him are intertwined with each other and how they have shaped who Edolon is today. 

Now, going back to Seinru: We can see from this that Seinrus words have a very strong impact on Edolon. As said before, the severity of this impact on Edolon comes from his dependency and idolization of her paired with Seinrus manipulation of Edolon.

With this context, the way that Seinrus words impact Edolon after her death becomes more clear. The most important scene that shows Seinrus impact on Edolon and Edolons fear of disappointing Seinru is their conversation before her sacrifice.

To preface this part of the analysis: I think that Seinru meant everything that they said in this passage. I don’t think that any of the things they are saying are lies to get Edolon to go through with the sacrifice, they are just his true feelings, which are extremely selfish. It’s very clear that he is guilt tripping and manipulating Edolon into going through with the sacrifice, but I think his words being lies takes away from the harsh reality that this is just who he really is as a person. With that out of the way, let’s read through the conversation with this in mind.

EDOLON: and i wouldn't ever wish to disappoint you, either. EDOLON: but there's still a part of me that feels like i can't do it on my own. EDOLON: i need you, sen.

We can see Edolon admit directly that he doesn’t want to disappoint Seinru, something that shows the importance of their words on him. 

SEINRU: You're not as powerless as you were before. And you'll certainly be even less so, once you realize all of that wonderful potential you have tucked away. SEINRU: You're capable of achieving great things on your own, despite how you've been made to feel in the past.

By reassuring Edolon that unlocking his alchemic potential will make him more powerful, it sets Edolon up to feel more confident after her death. All of the words that she says here are very intentional to fully prepare Edolon for her absence after the sacrifice, something she directly says and is one of the last things she tells Edolon before her death: “I've taught you everything you’ll need from this point on.”

SEINRU: I want you to be the one to grow from this. SEINRU: I want you to be rewarded for everything you've been forced through in your life. SEINRU: You've come so far, Dolo. SEINRU: And you've helped me tremendously in our time together, don't you forget that. SEINRU: I only want to help you see in yourself what everyone else couldn't. SEINRU: I just knew you'd do great things the very moment I met you, you know. SEINRU: All of this is for you. SEINRU: So please, don't reject this gift. Don't let me down, now of all times.

And from this, we get some very interesting insight on Seinrus feelings towards Edolon as well as some insight into who she is as a person. We see here that Seinru is a very manipulative person with a deranged perception of what love is. Seinru is very much in love with Edolon, but the way that they show that is extremely selfish. Due to a combination of her belief in Gaiaeon as well as her truly believing that the world should pay for how they treated Edolon, she sees the sacrifice as a gift for him. It's a gift to grow on his own, become stronger, take revenge and destroy the world she sees as a wretched place that can only be purified by Gaiaeons “perfection.”

With this insight on Seinru and Edolons character, we can see exactly how this relationship molded Edolon into the person he is today. 

Both due to Edolons love for Seinru as well as her manipulation: Edolon accepted the gift that Seinru gave him. He took the sacrifice as an opportunity to grow, change and become stronger. A chance to take revenge against the world that wronged him and purify it with Gaiaeons grace. 

So, let's discuss the changes that happened to Edolon after accepting this gift. Or, in some cases, the lack of change. Remember how I’ve been alluding to but not elaborating on Edolons so called “confidence”? Yeah, let’s finally get into that.

As said before, prior to the ritual, Edolon was a nervous and insecure person who depended heavily on Seinru for guidance and reassurance. But afterwards, we can see him acting without Seinru with some level of confidence in leading the cult and enacting their plans. 

But don’t be fooled; Edolon is still a very, very insecure person. This so-called “confidence” is only what happens when an extremely insecure person with a deranged set of beliefs gains an unfathomable amount of power. Edolon is a very bitter man that truly believes that the world that wronged him belongs to him and he has the right to destroy and purify it, and through the cult, he gets access to going through with that plan. As he gains more power, we can see the timid and insecure person he was prior to the ritual morphing into a dangerous individual that now has a platform to spread his beliefs and the power to enact them. 

Some important quotes that really show this insecurity may be a bit hard to catch if you’re not looking, but really look at these lines. You can see the insecurity, resentment, and his crazed beliefs ingrained deeply within them. 

EDOLON: you want to know who i am? well, you're in luck. EDOLON: i'll tell you. EDOLON: i'll tell everyone. EDOLON: i'm not ashamed of acknowledging it anymore. EDOLON: my name is edolon vryche, and i am that regret. EDOLON: i'm the descendant of the holistic blight, the man who was soulmate to the executive and damned representative of his noble compact. EDOLON: clarud enthal made me. he raised me as his prodigy. EDOLON: and i am the rightful inheritor of the ruined world he left behind.

EDOLON: but truth be told, my admission wasn't meant to convince anyone here of what i'm saying. EDOLON: it just feels... good to get it out in the open!

EDOLON: SHUT UP! EDOLON: i think you've had MORE than enough time to SPEAK!

And all of these beliefs were very much instilled into him by Seinru. Before their death, they said this to him: “Everything, from here to obliteration, belongs to you”; and after, he says “THIS ROTTEN, DESOLATE CARCASS OF A WORLD… BELONGS TO ME!!! ” It’s very clear how deeply Seinru molded Edolon into the person that he is today. So many of the actions and words that he says can be led back to something that they said to him. 

Now, going back to the other change: being able to act without Seinrus guidance. As we discussed, before the ritual he could barely act without Seinrus guidance, but after he was able to go through with all of the cults' plans and act without them. But, is that really true? I think to Edolon, he’ll never truly be alone because he believes that Seinru will always be with him, even in death.

Before their sacrifice, Seinru tells Edolon that “As long as you're still here, I'll never truly be gone.” This is something that Seinru means in many, many ways; both literally, mentally, and physically. 

In the most literal way, even after Seinru has died he still lives on through the homunculi. In the process of the sacrifice, Seinrus soul was used as a key to open The Abyss, and the lime blood was used to bring Gaiaeon into the physical world through homunculi. Now, Seinrus' soul controls the homunculi from The Abyss. These creatures have aided Edolon through his plans and been by his side almost every step of the way. 

We can even see Edolon talking to Seinru through a homunculus which he literally responds to from beyond the grave, or more literally, from The Abyss where his soul now resides. 

Speaking of The Abyss… I won’t get too deep into this until a bit more elaboration is offered, but Seinru quite literally lives inside of Edolons mind(scape) which is connected to The Abyss (or, is the abyss? don’t ask me).

Inside of Edolons mindscape, we can see golden vines coming from Seinru growing all across of Edolons mind. They’ve quite literally ingrained themselves to Edolons core, inseparable from his mind and from his body. 

Which is the next topic; how they’ve ingrained themselves physically into Edolon, from his exterior to his interior. 

Externally, we can see Seinru all over Edolon. On Edolons sacrifice/incursion outfit, we can see their blood color and center of their sigil - a diamond - pressed close to Edolons heart and placed throughout the outfit. On Seinrus sacrifice outfit, though, we don’t see any of Edolons blood color, symbolizing that Seinru will live on through him after their death.

We can also see Seinru ingrained into Edolon in the most literal and physical way possible when Edolon replaces his severed hand with Seinrus.

Which, can I just mention… Seinru does their best to control the homunculi directly when they can, and there is no doubt in my mind that they willingly brought their body to Edolon after he told the homunculi to. I believe that to Seinru their bodies becoming one, fusion, is the purest form of love and romance. To be inseparable and ingrained into him is more than to show that they are each other's lover, it’s to be one. It’s to be each other's heart, to be each other's soul. I think that this belief has been passed onto Edolon as well. 

Another way they are connected is the fact that they were bonded; as long as Edolon lives he will feel the pain of withdrawals in Seinrus absence. Seinru has left a mark on Edolon that can never be severed; but this mark does not just show on his body, it shows in his actions, words, and mannerisms. 

I think that Edolon is imitating Seinru in a lot of ways after their death in an attempt to fill the role that they left behind. Edolon is still very much himself, but we can see little bits and pieces of Seinrus personality now picked up by Edolon, whether this be subconsciously or intentionally. The most notable one being Edolon picking up on Seinrus usage of :) and their witty one liners, something Edolon never did before their death. We can also see a lot of the beliefs that Seinru preached being repeated by Edolon (This obviously also comes from them being in the same cult, but I find the similar wording most likely to be intentional).

SEINRU: We are in the business of entertainment. :) EDOLON: something that we left behind. :)

SEINRU: Your strongholds don't protect you or anyone from the agony of this world. They compress it, scoop it all up and dump in it one big writhing core of pain. EDOLON: new pain folds itself over old pain, until it all coalesces into a hulking mass of agony.

SEINRU: Otherwise, everything we've accomplished together, all that we've worked so hard for up until this very moment... SEINRU: All that pain would be rendered meaningless. SEINRU: All your effort, wasted. EDOLON: when dealt in excess, the very idea of pain, no matter the cause... EDOLON: becomes simply— EDOLON: meaningless.

In the end, though, I believe that Edolon “becoming” Seinru represents something: the cycle of abuse. The cycle of abuse in this context specifically is in reference to victims of abuse becoming their abusers due to not healing from the trauma of their abuse. Many victims of abuse who have not healed will subconsciously inherit the traits of their abuser and continue to perpetuate them through relationships of any kind, thus creating new victims. If this cycle is not broken, it will never stop. 

Because of this, Seinru will always be a part of Edolon. 

So, I think Edolon did become Seinru in a way, but Seinru also became Edolon. They are each other's hearts and each other's souls, and in the obliteration of the universe, they would become one in the vast nothingness that is Gaiaeons perfection. 

They are truly the most sane and normal couple in Vast Error.