World building and theories of Engage
Emblem Zero; Part One: What do we know about Emblem Zero?
In Chapter 26; The Final Engage, is where we learn the most about Emblem Zero. Sombron is the one who describes the mysterious Emblem and how it motivated him to forgo all bonds to achieve his goals. This motivation is unique to the Sombron encountered in the main game, the Sombron in the xenologue has different motivations and ambitions.
What does Sombron tell us about his Emblem?
The Emblem is not from Elyso, but is from the same world as him.
He brought the Emblem across from his world and it has enough power to survive the distortions.
It was known as the Emblem of Foundations.
The Emblem was unable to speak when awoken with Sombron's power.
The invocation to summon the Emblem was ‘Burn us, Emblem of Foundations'.
Emblem Zero fought without aid. Without allies and with only ambition they became strong, or so legends say.
He believes that Emblem Zero abandoned him once he was found by villagers because the Emblem wanted him to bond with the people of Elyso.
As he dies, he claims to see Emblem Zero, Alear, Marth and Veyle see no one. When shown the scene from his perspective, light, Alear and Veyle are seen.
The ring disappears with Sombron. Emblem Rings and Bracelets only vanish completely when their purpose is served.
Sombron feels his Emblem in dark and dim places such as the shade of a tree.
I have a few things to note here. How Emblem Zero lived their life was something Sombron learnt from legends. Legends are not always accurate. In some cases they can be exaggerated or the tale altered to fit political or social motivations. The truth can simply be lost with the passage of time. Everyone conceives a story differently and the interpretations differ. In some cases information can be ignored and only the details that fit with the desired interpretation taken. Legends are not a reliable source of information and neither is Sombron's interpretation.
The Emblem could not speak. Sombron's Fell Dragon powers rob an Emblem of their free will. They are forced to fight and serve him. It is possible that Emblem Zero was captive and actually did not want to be with Sombron. The encounter with villagers could have been the only opportunity to escape. Emblem Zero could not communicate with words and had to obey Sombron because of the absence of free will. If this is truly the case then the bond with Emblem Zero was one sided. Sombron imposed his will upon his Emblem, just like everyone else in his life and used them for his own selfish ambitions. It is possible that Sombron is not describing the Emblem but he is describing himself. He has imprinted who he wants to be onto Emblem Zero.
The word ‘foundation’ means a basis upon which something stands or begins. The game does tell us exactly what Emblem Zero is the foundation of. A little word play hints at Emblem Zero being the foundation of Fire Emblem because the invocation is ‘burn us’ and in his final moments he looks towards Alear, who is the Fire Emblem, and believes they are Emblem Zero. Alear is the archetype hero, something that is the hallmark of the series. Another suggestion is that it is someone involved in the creation process, who helped when the series first began. The ‘foundation ‘ could also be something much more abstract, such as imagination. It takes imagination to create games. I will explore the identity of Emblem Zero further. I just think it is important to consider the meaning of ‘foundations’. Could the Emblem be the ‘foundation‘ of Sombron's ambitions? Could Emblem Zero be the very first Emblem ring. The word ‘foundation’ might have been used to symbolise multiple themes.
Zero means ‘nothing’. Sombron's Emblem is literally nothing. It could be argued that ‘Zero’ refers to the number of bonds or allies the original Emblem had. It could be a reference that no Emblem with the characteristics that Sombron lists exists, therefore the Emblem is his imagination or a hallucination. A little bit of a stretch but I think it is worth mentioning but zero could refer to the shape of a ring.
The final point I would like to make is that in Sombron's final moments he would have mentally been incapable of clarity. Did he really see Emblem Zero or was he hallucinating? I think both theories are possible. As the only Elyso Emblem with a physical form, Alear might feel similar to Sombron's Emblem or they might be his Emblem. Alear could have caused him to hallucinate for that reason. Sombron might have hallucinated in desperation. It is also possible that an Alear from another universe is the original hero who Emblem Zero is based on so typically Sombron does see a version of his Emblem in his final moments.