![]() ![]() It's a fitting contrast between the game's heroes and villains, but it may also foreshadow a dark ending to Arise. One selfishly exploits the many to benefit a single person the other selflessly sacrifices the individual to liberate the many. With all this in mind, Alphen's use of the Blazing Sword contrasts very sharply against the Renans who have enslaved his people. Slavery as a practice could be described as a master sacrificing others to further their own power, while the Blazing Sword lets its master sacrifice themselves for the power to protect others. Given how far up his arms the weapon's flames can travel, it's entirely possible that he could burn his own limbs off, or at least permanently damage them through overuse. This problem forces him to rely on the heroine Shionne's healing magic, but the fact that she still worries about his use of the weapon indicates that this has limits. This arguably makes using the sword even more dangerous, as Alphen has no way to tell when his body is in serious danger. Alphen's hands burn and scar every time he takes it up, and he is only able to do so in the first place because of an inability to feel physical pain. The Blazing Sword isn't just a powerful weapon it actively harms its wielder. ![]() Whereas past magic weapons, like Symphonia's Eternal Sword or Abyss' Key of Lorelei, have generally been used to solve narrative puzzles, it seems Alphen will be wielding the Blazing Sword for the majority of his game - and it looks to be a poetically-appropriate weapon for a revolutionary abolitionist. While this theme of opposing unjust authorities is nothing new for Tales, the weapon he uses to achieve this goal is unlike anything the series has ever seen. Understandably, Alphen's rebellion is motivated by a desire to escape from slavery and win freedom for all of his people. ![]()
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