I'm currently watching a let's play of Tales of Vesperia, and I must say, I'm still a little sour that they didn't expand more on Elucifer (or Elucifur, as it is spelled in the French version*). I mean, sure, he is long dead when the party finally hears of him, but still, he played such a pivotal role in the history of their world, both past and present. And I'm not even taking into consideration what happens during the ending of the game.
Truly, there are so many unresolved things about this guy. What happened to his apatheia, for example. We can see Duke mourn before a tombstone on Ehmead Hill that is supposedly Elucifer's. But as we know, Entelexeia don't leave corpses behind them when they die, so could it be his friend's apatheia that he buried on that cliff ? I mean, the scene in Yormgen shows that he much prefers to "return" them to aer, but one can only wonder if he actually could have brought himself to destroy what is essentially the soul of the person he held the dearest in the entire world. Granted, if Eluciferās apatheia was still around, one could think that Duke would have been a little more enthusiastic when hearing about the possibility for his boyfriend to be reincarnated. But then again, considering how unnatural he thinks the process is, it could be brushed off as him not being thrilled at the idea of his dear comrade being defiled like that...
Another theory Iāve seen is that Eluciferās apatheia was stolen and used by Alexei to power Heracles. I mean, according to a conversation in Halure, the dude was reportedly ginormous. At least as tall as the townās giant tree (then again, said conversation also states that his body is buried under Ehmead Hill, so it has to be taken with a grain of salt). So itād make sense for his apatheia to be quite big, and the one that powers Heracles is probably the biggest we got to see. Also, I could easily imagine the guy talking with the deep voice that thanks the party when they destroy the crystal to save the capital (which would in turn match what we know of Eluciferās character, as he was a gentle soul who would obviously object to his power being used to cause such a cataclysm). But then again, Iām having a hard time accepting the idea that Duke would have let Alexei - or the Empire for that matter - run away with his partnerās apatheia...
Anyway, if Eluciferās apatheia is still intact, it begs the questionĀ : what happened to him when they all were converted into spirits at the end of the gameĀ ? Sometimes, I like to think that he would have been reborn as Aska, the great spirit of Light. Although I must admit that itās partly because I tend to subconsciously use Askaās model from Xillia 2 (Iām sure you know which one Iām talking about :p ) as a mental placeholder for what the guy might have looked like. I mean, his daughter sported quite a lot of avian features, so I guess itād make sense for him to look like a big bird. Besides, if I recall correctly, Duke describes his golden form - at least in the French version - along the lines of "his friend lending him his strength", indicating that it's something he learnt from Elucifer. So I donāt think itād be too much of a stretch to assume that the Entelexeia sported a similar palette when he was alive. Which, in turn, would go pretty well with the idea of him having an affinity for Light. And Iām not even talking about how his name alludes to a certain angel also known as the "bringer of light"... Iām just brainstorming, of course, but I think that you can see where Iām coming from.
That being said, I also kind of feel like being reborn as an elemental spirit wouldnāt really be "enough" for an Entelexeia as powerful as Elucifer, if you see what I mean. So maybe he could be reincarnated as one of the franchiseās traditional higher spirits, like Maxwell or Origin. The latter is usually revered as the king of spirits, so itād make sense for him to be born from the one who was regarded as the king of the Entelexeia. Then again, Iām just sorting ideas here, so donāt take any of this as definitive headcanons (supposing that headcanons can even be definitive...).
Speaking of kings and headcanons though, I also like to picture Elucifer as a descendant of the Spiral Draco, which Duke describes as "the ancient king of the Entelexeia". Maybe not his son, but his grandson. I mean, as I said, Elucifer was also regarded as a king among those mighty beasts, so itād make sense if he inherited the title. Moreover, if we take into consideration the previous point regarding Dukeās golden form and how he may have learnt it from Elucifer, itād give a new layer to the way the Fell Arms react to Dukeās power during the third phase of the final battle, as they were made using the power of the Spiral Draco. Besides, while the Entelexeia are usually born directly from aer, we know for a fact that they can also produce offspring - although the exact details of the process were obviously left to the imagination -, as demonstrated by none other than Elucifer himself.
Anyway, I donāt think I have anything to add on the matter, but still. As you can guess, the relationship between Duke and Elucifer is one aspect of the game that I find infinitely endearing and fascinating**. And I still resent the game for its unwillingness to elaborate on the topic. I mean, come onĀ ! They didnāt even let us get a glimpse of what the big guy might have looked likeĀ ! And itās not really an uncommon stand that, as excellent as the game is, a good chunk of its characters could have afforded to be fleshed out a little more... With that being said, thank you once again for your attention. Itās always a pleasure to share my thoughts with you guys. Iāll make sure to write a follow-up if I think about anything else, but for the time being, take care. ^_^
Ā * I must admit, I kind of prefer the "fur" spelling. Sure, it makes the etymology slightly less perceptible, but it also makes him sound like an extremely fluffy guy. :3
** It goes without saying that I like to picture them as having been more than friends, but obviously, itās only a matter of personal interpretation.
