How Emet-Selch Recognized Azem, and Why He Still Fought Them
It’s often been debated on whether Emet-Selch recognized Azem’s soul in the Warrior of Light, and why he fought his old friend anyways in Shadowbringers. Of course, in Endwalker, we learn that Emet-Selch does recognize Azem’s soul in the Warrior, but their souls aren’t exactly the same due to the sundering.
But what was Emet-Selch’s game in Shadowbringers? Was his attempt at an alliance with the Scions a farce? And if he did recognize Azem’s soul, why was he so confused when he saw Azem before their final fight?
Let’s take a look at Shadowbringers and break down some key scenes.
When we first see Emet-Selch in Norvrandt, he’s busy watching the WoL rescue Ryne from Eulmoran soldiers. He’s thinking out loud on how the Ascian plans for the First are on the brink of failure, but when he sees the Warrior and the Scions escape, he begins to think of another plan. “With a soul such as that…” he ponders, implying that there’s something familiar in the Warrior that he notices.
We learn later that he has this recognition because the Warrior is the reincarnation of Azem, one of the people Emet was closest to in the Ancient world.
Through the first half of Shadowbringers, and part of the second half, we see Emet attempting an alliance with the Scions, with a particular focus on judging their worth as equal to the unsundered and worthy of the Ancient world’s legacy as keepers of the Star. Their worthiness hinges on whether the Warrior can contain the abundance of light from the lightwardens, proving their strength.
In short, Emet is saying, “You don’t know it yet, but you were once one of the most powerful Ancients and we defended the world side by side, together. You may look like the Azem I know, and you may have their traits, but are you really them? Are you able to stand with me again so we can save this world and bring back our people, or are you just a poor attempt at a copy?”
He goes about testing the Azem reincarnation by feeding them bits of truth about the past. Hydaelyn and Zodiark were the first primals. The Ancient world was sundered and the three paragons were the only ones who remembered it. On basic history, we see Emet sharing it with the entire group, but it’s not until the others are fixing the elevator of Kholusia that he approaches the Warrior with a more personal conversation.
Emet begins by mentioning hints of their past relationship.
“What? You thought ancient beings like us incapable of crying? Well, rest assured that if your heart can be broken, then so can mine!” He’s gauging whether the Warrior remembers their disagreement during the Final Days. Do they remember Hythlodaeus’ and Elidibus’ sacrifice to Zodiark and how they opposed it? Do they remember that they left the Convocation, and subsequently, Emet’s side? Azem’s heart was clearly broken over the rift, and Emet is saying that the rift broke his heart too.
Emet looks away with sadness as he remembers back to the Final Days. “Back when the world was whole, we had family, friends, loves…” Depending on how the player interprets their WoL’s backstory, Azem could fit into any of these categories. But Emet’s point is that he’s hinting he and the Warrior were once close. He’s looking for a reaction, but more importantly, reconciliation, wondering if the Warrior is going to be receptive with joining him again if they remembered all that had happened before.
Emet finally mentions Amaurot, their home. A home he recreated in the Tempest that he knew the Warrior would see soon. But the kicker is how Emet ends the conversation once he looks at the Warrior. “Not that you would remember any of this.”
He’s seen no hint of the Azem he knew in the Warrior aside from a similar soul so far. Even our own dialogue options we can give to Emet’s speech portray confusion and a lack of any memory of our past life in Amaurot. Emet is disappointed, but not willing to give up just yet. He still has hopes that the old Azem is still in there and will remember.
Emet summarizes his point that he believes the Warrior would like the past, and that if they survive the rest of the rejoinings, they’ll be just like their old self, but “such talk is a pleasure for later.”
The Warrior still has to prove to Emet that they’re like the old Azem, because again, Emet wants his Azem back, not an attempt.
But then comes the fight with Vauthry.
After defeating the last lightwarden, the Warrior succumbs to the light and begins to turn into a sin-eater. As G’raha is about to take the light to the rift, Emet steps in and stops him. He laments his disappointment in the Warrior being unable to contain the light, and states the alliance is off. The Warrior has proven to Emet that the old Azem really is dead and gone, and no matter how much the copy tries, they will never be as good as the original, and if the best of mankind can’t prove their worth, the others won’t have a chance.
But then Emet does something unexpected. He has a chance to wipe the Scions out then and there, but doesn’t. Instead, he takes G’raha (who he’s been fascinated with as he figured out time travel) and invites the Warrior to the Tempest, where the phantom-version of Amaurot lies.
In Endwalker, when Ancient Emet hears of himself inviting the Warrior to the Tempest, he scoffs at the idea, thinking it idiotic that he invited his own downfall.
We don’t get much of a glimpse from Shadowbringers or Endwalker on why he invited the Warrior to the Tempest, nor do we get much of a hint as to what he intended fully with taking G’raha there as a prisoner.
I could be wrong, but I believe there’s a couple of insights to garner from these actions, and they both had to do with Emet wanting to reunite with Azem.
First, taking G’raha. It was clever of Emet to keep G’raha alive so as to learn the secrets of time travel. But why would Emet want to know that? Would it be to go back to the real Amaurot and warn of what was to come? Probably not, as the Ancients didn’t know it was Meteion and dynamis that was causing the Final Days. However, Emet could guarantee saving two of his closest comrades. He could stop Hythlodaeus from sacrificing himself. And though we don’t know Azem’s fate aside from being sundered, we can assume that Azem died, either during the sundering, or after, when the people’s minds were wiped. Emet wanted to bring the old Azem back. He was convinced that if he had his old allies - his real friends - back, the three of them could save their world, or come back to the future and bring the old world back.
Second, inviting the Warrior. Emet insisted they come alone, without the Scions, but I believe it was his hope for one final attempt at convincing, to see if they’d somehow see the light (no pun intended) and join him. Perhaps if they actually saw Amaurot, talked with its people, and even met their old friend Hythlodaeus, then maybe, just maybe they’d see the truth.
But as we saw in Shadowbringers, just before the final battle, the Warrior refused to join.
Cue the final battle, where Emet-Selch reveals himself as Hades. The Warrior is nearly gone, consumed by light, but Ardbert reaches in at the last minute for them to join. And once their souls unite, that’s when Emet sees something that shocks him.
He’s taken aback by it at first, thinking it a trick of the light. Then he refuses to acknowledge it. His entire journey in Norvrandt has been gauging whether the Warrior of Light/Darkness is truly Azem or not. Until now, Emet has firmly believed that Azem’s reincarnation is nothing but a copy. An attempt, but not the real deal. But here, the Warrior shows the truth. They are Azem, even with pieces of their soul missing. They are still the same wildcard that drove the Convocation bonkers with their antics. Still the same inspiration that would look death and defeat in the face and yell, “Come at me, bro!”
And after Emet’s defeat, just before his death, he had one final realization: the Warrior was still the same friend that he once knew and loved.
“Remember us,” he pleads with his final words, for now the roles are switched. He spent thousands of years trying to find Azem, but now it would be up to Azem to find him. But it’s also about passing the torch. Despite losing, Emet still attained one final victory the other Ascians could not, and it’s also why he mentioned in Ultima Thule about his ideals being unbeatable.
He did get Azem to remember. To remember Amaurot, their people, their legacy, and most importantly, their friendship. To remember their duty as Azem and to protect the Star. And as we saw in Endwalker, we did see a bit of reconciliation between the three friends. Despite their differences in the First Final Days, in the end, they were back together again, if only for a little while, standing side by side once more.
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