Fire Emblem: Three Houses story analysis - Silver Snow (Black Eagles Part 2, Church route)

 The following is a series on Fire Emblem: Three Houses that analyzes the story elements, characters and theming. For reference, here are the links to each one:

Intro/Basic review, White Clouds (Common Part 1), Cindered Shadows (Ashen Wolves DLC Route - Part 1.5), Crimson Flower (Black Eagles/Eagle House Part 2, Adrestia route), Silver Snow (Black Eagles/Eagle House Part 2, Church route), Azure Moon (Blue Lions/Lion House Part 2), Verdant Wind (Golden Deer/Deer House Part 2) Non-house leader characters (Eagle, Deer, Lion, Church) Music analysis (very surface level)

Part 2: Silver Snow - “It starts with ONE THING I DON’T KNOW WHY…”

Silver Snow very much feels like the ‘tragedy’ route of the entire game. Where the Lions and Deer have a route that’s tailor-made to fit the personality of the house leader, the Eagles are given a split route, and I have a hard time believing this route was built for any reason other than to tug at the heartstrings and make you feel sorrow.

The crew that made this game said in interviews that they made the Eagle route first, and Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo said the routes they were proudest of were Silver Snow and Crimson Flower, respectively. And it’s fitting that those two routes, the only split stories in the game, should be so intertwined to represent the classic ideas of fate versus self-determination; heart versus duty; and the classical ideals of tragedy (from order comes chaos) versus comedy (from chaos comes order).

Duty as a Teacher - "Watch the time go right out the window, tryin' to hold on, I didn't even know I wasted it all just to watch you go."

When playing the Eagle route, Silver Snow is the default route. By ‘default,’ I mean that it’s the route you naturally get if you put zero effort into anything beyond the necessary battles.

Thing is, Fire Emblem: Three Houses is not just a tactical RPG with battles only. It’s also a management and development system - id est, a teacher simulator.

Part 1 covers Byleth's role as a teacher, and defaulting to the Silver Snow route represents a failure in that role.

This game does keep the overall barrier to the choice between SS and CF really low, so I do believe the game programmed it so that a person who isn’t given the choice between the two routes had to have actively shirked their responsibility as a teacher at major junctures of the game.

Think about it: The only requirements to earn the choice at the end of Chapter 11 are: 1) Earning a C+ support level with Edelgard (first 2 support conversations) and 2) talking to Edelgard during exploration mode in Chapter 11.

C+ support should be easy to make happen through normal gameplay. You’d practically have to keep Edelgard or Byleth away from the action in every battle to not get to C+ in the minimum ten battles. This means, fittingly, the only requirement you could actually lapse on is talking to your students.

I feel that my perspective on this requirement is skewed a bit by the fact that I am a teacher now and have been for six years. When I started this blog, it likely wouldn’t have crossed my mind, but now, it actually does stick with me. You would have to actively avoid talking to one of your students for an entire month near the end of the year to lose the decision. I understand for some that exploring the monastery or taking a vested interest in instructing and developing your students can get monotonous (Believe me! I understand), but part of the job as a teacher is making connections with the students as future humans of society. Any teacher who tells you that teaching is just a job and that the students are just their charges (like Jeritza actually does say in-game) are generally not very good at their job.

After month 10, Byleth becomes fused with Sothis and undergoes a massive change. The idea that you wouldn’t at least gauge the reactions of all the students is so foreign to me that I had to actively choose to not do it to make the choice disappear. Which brings me to my next point:

Byleth's decision - "With the hands of uncertainty... let mercy come and wash away... WHAT I'VE DONE!"

So let’s assume the actual decision does come up and Byleth chooses to execute Edelgard after the battle in the Holy Tomb. What would be the motivation for making this choice?

On one hand, it makes a great deal of sense in terms of Byleth’s recent activities. The previous three battles have been with TWSD leadership, and Byleth’s father, Jeralt, was lost in the process along with the consciousness of Sothis. Mages and beasts from TWSD were in this battle, so it makes sense that Byleth might feel used by a student who had every opportunity to tell her about this.

Likewise, Byleth’s connections are not just with Edelgard. There have been moments where Byleth bonds with Hubert (who has been threatening to kill you) and more positive bonds with the other Eagles. Also, members of the Church of Seiros like Cyril, Alois and Shamir have all been generally positive and reflected the individuals of the Church well. On top of that, Rhea has granted Byleth a great deal of trust and autonomy, to the extent that I could see Byleth adopting a sense of duty to Rhea in this moment.

On the other hand, by reaching this choice, Byleth has had the C and C+ conversations with Edelgard, and has seen Edelgard’s coronation as emperor. I’m going to save the thoughts on such motivations for Crimson Flower, where Edelgard is still in the unit to have character progression. For now, though, it’s enough to say that Byleth is aware of why Edelgard wants to fight this war and what the end goal of the fight is.

Byleth also knows that Edelgard fought against TWSD the last few months, even going so far as to directly challenge Solon after he uses the Forbidden Spell of Zahras. Admittedly, this could have been a ploy, but it would have to be pretty elaborate for an 18-year-old almost-emperor.

Moreover, the first part of the story builds up a lot of mistrust in the Church. Through the missions the Eagles take, through Jeralt’s own words, through Jeralt’s diary, and even through Sothis’s final conversations with Byleth. There is just as much reason to think the Church is not executing Edelgard in good faith, especially given how quick the decision was.

The bottom line of all this is that Byleth is ultimately forced to take a leap of faith in this decision. The Church of Seiros and Rhea have their own authority, the compliments of the faithful, and Byleth’s sense of duty. Edelgard has the words she said and her actions to offer as proof.

And in Silver Snow, that's not enough to protect her student. In Silver Snow, Byleth chooses the sense of duty and puts faith that the Church really is acting right.

"I'VE PUT MY TRUST, IN YOU. PUSHED AS FAR AS I CAN GO"

The game hammers in almost immediately that your choice may have been the wrong one. The first cutscene after Edelgard leaves shows Seteth and Rhea discussing what has happened to Byleth, and Rhea makes it clear that she does not see you as Byleth; she sees you as Sothis.

Rhea explains that Byleth's body is a vessel for Sothis. When she had Byleth sit on the throne, the hope was that Sothis's consciousness would take over, and Sothis would walk the world again.

The idea that Byleth was part of an elaborate two-decade ritual in human sacrifice is actually quite disappointing if you felt like the Church of Seiros might still be a force for good on the continent. To this point, many of the problems experienced in White Clouds could have been attributed to TWSD just as much, and so there was a semblance of justification that the Church was exercising their best judgment in trying to suppress a possible war.

This moment, however, is a turning point in that. This is an unquestionable violation of human ethics that is motivated for entirely self-centered reasons. You don't experiment on babies. You don't trade an innocent's life for the chance of reviving the dead. This is ancient Egyptian/Greek/Roman/[ insert your favorite ancient culture here] sacrifice nonsense and reeks of the Dark Ages.

These realizations only get worse as you play through other stories and learn about the Church's suppression-heavy history; but for the Eagle route, right now the information you get here serves as your red flag.

It's a horrible realization that the only reasons Byleth doesn't die in Part 1 was A) because she cut her own path (advice only Sothis and Edelgard ever gave) and pursued Kronya into a trap, and B) because Sothis LIKED Byleth and gave up her agency so Byleth could be in charge of their fused power.

And the fact that Flayn comes in the scene does not help matters. I'll be getting into Seteth and Flayn in a moment, but this scene is a major issue.

All of this information is true in the Lion and Deer routes as well (the scene plays out identically), but this scene hits differently when you've been in the Eagle house and been hearing so much about how Crest-based society has damaged the lives of students.

The Deer had a few people complaining, but their focuses were more on family issues (Marianne's stepdad, Raph and Ignatz's family needs, Hilda's brother, Lorenz's legacy). Claude, Lysithea and Leonie were really the only three who expressed outright frustration with the Church, Crests and nobility system, respectively.

The Lions would express concerns from time to time, but frequently those doubts were pushed down by a need to fulfill a duty to their Kingdom or their Church.

But with the Eagles? Not only have Edelgard and Hubert witnessed great horrors, but Dorothea has been put through an awful existence because of nobility's treatment of the commoner class. High expectations and low patience have given Bernadetta a complex; Petra is a vassal because of mistrust in foreigners. Even Caspar and Linhardt have experienced undue pressure to succeed because of their positions within their family (even if it's unobtrusive to Caspar's life and Linhardt rejects the notion outright).

The only one in the group who seems to be actively okay with the current system is Ferdinand, but even then it has not been healthy for him. He defines himself only by noble status and his eventual role in trying to best Edelgard. Whether he joins the Eagles and loses to her in an outright duel, or whether he joins with the Church and loses his status, Ferdinand post-timeskip is a man trying to find purpose in a world that is rejecting his ideology.

It's fitting that the Eagles would all have strong opinions on Crests, nobility and the Church because they are the ones who, like Byleth, will have to make a choice over who to support. And it makes the scene here so heartbreaking. These students (aside from Ferdie) are siding with the idea of maintaining the system that has consistently screwed them over, all because of their faith in Byleth. Byleth, in turn, is taking a leap of faith on the Church.

And in this scene, we find out Byleth was leaping right into danger all along.

"Put to rest what you thought of me while I clean this slate"

One bit of gameplay I didn't realize was there (I played Silver Snow in casual mode) is that any of the core Eagles who are beaten in Ch. 12 will end up recruited to the Empire instead of killed.

I bring this up because the whole transition from White Clouds to Silver Snow betray the image of Edelgard in the main villain role for this route. She commits to too many acts of mercy to work as an ultimate evil, which is why I see her fall two chapters before the end as more sensible in this route.

When the five years have completed, the reunion with Edelgard still happens despite being on opposite sides. I have thoughts on this.

There is something deeply sad about the idea that Edelgard still kept her word and met up for the reunion, in spite of the war. If any of the Eagles were defeated, she'll note that there are members of the house who have joined her.

But you do not get to make the choice. Much like the Flame Emperor scene, it's clear Edelgard has already accepted the rejection. Why she'd return anyway is likely either to satiate the childish desire to see the people she loved one more time, or out of a sense of guilt and need to punish herself with rejection.

The Edelgard in this scene is more broken than any of the other non-CF Edelgards. Lion Edelgard has succumbed to the darkness entirely, forcing her goals to succeed because she knows nothing else. Deer Edelgard is in denial, trying her best to hide whatever feelings she had for Byleth, which is why the feelings never reveal themselves until her death scene. Silver Snow Edelgard is someone who had love and lost it. She believes her path itself is what makes her unlovable, and puts on a front to try to suppress her heartbreak.

"The Role of Edelgard and Hubert will now be played by..."

After Edelgard leaves, Seteth and Flayn step in to fill the positions of house leader and second-in-command.

Seteth and Flayn show up at the monastery because, as Flayn explains, she left something at the Holy Mausoleum that she had to get back. I'd note this is the day of the reunion and she wasn't in the Holy Mausoleum mission five years prior, so I believe she was making this up as an excuse to go see everyone.

Something about Flayn that has always concerned me is how much she knows exactly. She's clearly sheltered and naive about a lot of the world, but she also has the ability to navigate through numerous conversations and end up with exactly what she wants. The only time, so far as I can tell, that someone actually puts her in a position where she doesn't know how to respond is Linhardt.

It's fascinating to see someone who has lived such a long life but has gained so little life experience. From a book-learning perspective, she can speak with almost professorial precision, but then her main goal in life right now is to have friends and learn how to do basic everyday functions in the world. (Remember, the "I even haggle" boast?)

Because of this dichotomy, it's hard for me to get a handle on who this character is. I definitely see her as a kind-hearted idealist who just wants the fighting to stop, but she also has a serious blind spot when it comes to dishonesty.

Her entire support with Claude was like a "Spy vs. Spy" comic where each one tries to catch the other. She's so uncomfortable around Linhardt because he has the game's best poker face and she can't actually tell what he knows. So she sticks to the lies and hopes she doesn't back herself into a corner.

Most uncomfortable, though, is her tenuous relationship with honesty when talking to Byleth. In Ch. 12, when Seteth and Rhea is talking about Byleth being a vessel, she overhears at least some of it. It's unclear how much she fully grasps, but she goes along with their plan to support Byleth without ever telling Byleth.

As a matter of fact, she has the chance to come forward about what was discussed in the A-support and claims she doesn't know what's going on. This may be true, but it also could be a situation where she was asked point-blank about this situation and willingly withholds information.

And despite wanting romance, she continues to withhold information to her possible partners. In post-game epilogues, Flayn continues lying to Claude to the very end. Ignatz seems to never figure it out despite her giving away more about her life to him than anyone else. And again, Byleth and Flayn's S-support conversation shows her correct herself to make herself sound younger. ("No one's ever... well, of course they haven't...")

While my feelings on Flayn are complex and tough to decipher, Seteth has no such issue. Seteth is an extension of the 'taking devotion WAY too far' dynamic that is reflected in Rhea as well. Seteth does everything in his power to protect Flayn and genuinely cares for her. I understand his desire to help keep his daughter safe in every way imaginable.

That said, he has kept Flayn removed from people for ages, to the point that it seems to have stunted her growth as a person. She's more than old enough to be able to have agency over her life, and yet she's held back, including in her unpaired ending.

He's extended this protection to justify all of the church's crimes, including being directly responsible for the suppression of history and information that could limit the absolute authority of the Church of Seiros. Seteth admits in his C-support with Byleth that he basically has maintained all of the day-to-day affairs of the Church for a minimum of two decades. While Rhea has more than done her part in messing up Fodlan, Seteth has had his own direct hand in it for 20 years at minimum - and that's assuming he doesn't fill the role periodically then disappear through the ages.

I found his writing of children's fables endearing, at least until I realized that they are all written under the false history that the Church passes off as real. What should be a fun fanfiction will likely be treated as legitimate history, and in that sense it's kind of horrifying.

This view comes to a head when viewing Ingrid's support through it. In that chain, she tells him about the societal pressures she faces to marry, and while he does say that she should not have to do that and offers support, he doesn't offer anything concrete. Most notably, he doesn't go and search the library of documents he's suppressed, where he could grab the letter that explains how House Galatea was created because a male noble couldn't force a House Riegan noble to marry him. That might have been some useful information when Ingrid considers how much loyalty she should hold to her duties as a daughter.

But no, the only real help he can give aside from the same maxims everyone else gives is to marry her. Admittedly, neither is unhappy with this setup, but I feel like the 'complete trust' he feels toward her would be one-sided if she knew how much of her history was hidden from her as a direct result of Seteth's suppression of information.

As for his role in this story, he's the one who directs Byleth like an attack dog. Very little focus is put toward what Byleth wants and he'll even chastise Byleth for wanting to exercise any type of mercy toward the Adrestian Empire.

To be clear: This is Seteth's plan for how the war will go. Byleth is in the role of mercenary, following orders to please the person who asked for assistance.

Silver Snow vs. Verdant Wind - "I'VE BECOME SO NUMB"

The events of Silver Snow play out almost identically to Verdant Wind with a few exceptions. Silver Snow is one chapter shorter, but it's not because the actual number of battles decreased; the second fight at Gronder Field happens off-screen here because the Church of Seiros has no practical reason to be there for the fight. Because of this, Claude and Dimitri are removed from play without ever actually entering the story.

Claude's only meaningful role in Silver Snow.

Claude is only seen through quotes in one of his letters to the Knights of Seiros, and Dimitri is only seen through a hallucination that Byleth has following his death. And while it's never made clear whether Claude dies or simply flees, Dedue's return to battle in the Enbarr fight proves Dimitri's death played out identically to the one in VW.

(Note: A little peak behind the curtain here - I am writing the Silver Snow blog after the Verdant Wind blog, so that may inform the format for this section.)

The aspect of Silver Snow that I find most notable compared to Verdant Wind is that there is so much less humor and levity in SS. The big, over-the-top personalities of the Deer combined well with their utter removal from the main conflict to create a ragtag unit of effective, funny people.

Talking to Dimitri's ghost.

In SS, the humor from the Eagles is muted, likely because they couldn't simply return home like the Deer did, and it led to them taking the conflict more personally. The church figures don't really give much in the way of boisterous moments.

Probably the most notable distinction can be seen in the Fort Merceus battle. The way the soldiers sneak in by posing as allies is the same, but it's explained matter-of-factly by Seteth as being "Byleth's idea" with no scene in place where the plan occurs. In VW, Claude hints at it at the start of the chapter, and there are jokes about him dressing as Edelgard peppered throughout.

Here are some quick hits on this story from Chapter 14 until they reach Enbarr:

Ch. 14: Flayn, in her naivete about Fodlan's overall functions, asks why Edelgard would even start a war. Depending on whether you got through the scenes with Edelgard's motivations or not, you can attempt to explain, but Seteth frames it as a way to upset the social order, as to him it's something worth protecting. And thus, Flayn walks away with a minimal, incomplete understanding of the issue at hand.

It does make me question, though, whether Flayn would have been willing to help Edelgard had she been more forthcoming on her issues with Fodlan. I doubt Flayn would be willing to actively fight the Church of Seiros, but I could see her acting as an advocate of Edelgard's cause and she might even seek neutrality in the conflict in an attempt to bring them to the negotiating table.

(Yes, I am aware that it's an unlikely scenario that Edelgard would entrust a literal descendant of the Goddess and relative of Seteth with information that might indicate a war is looming, but it's being explored a bit in an excellent fanfiction on AO3, titled "The Emperor and the Goddess." It's a side timeline, and the explanation hasn't been written yet, but there's some good stuff present.)

Ch. 15: The fight in Aileil is notable because you can recruit Ashe back into your house. If you'd already had him in your house, he leaves after the time skip, so this is a chance to reassemble your unit.

Also, oddly, Ferdinand is the only person in any route to note that there are theories that the Goddess was blamed for the Valley of Torment's condition. This implies that the Empire's understanding of Fodlan's true history runs deeper than even the office of the Emperor. This would also help explain the high degree of mistrust in the church that pervades through the Empire. At least a few have to have been able to put together that the Church sided with protecting their own lies when the Kingdom challenged them.

Ch. 16: The fight on the Great Bridge is your chance to recruit Lorenz back into your house, for similar reasons to Ashe. It's worth noting that SS is the only route with multiple conditional recruit-back chances. VW only has Ashe and AM only has Lorenz.

Ch. 17: This is the Fort Merceus fight (the Blood of Eagle and Lion fight happens off-screen at the start of the month), and as I had said, the humor of this scene and the epic nature of the Almayrans coming in to help is lost here. The battle feels soulless when compared to the VW version. The dubstep explosion is still pretty cool-looking, though.

Enbarr: "Erase myself and let go of what I've done"

The two battles in Enbarr reek more of tragedy than they do a triumphant victory. Unlike other routes where Edelgard and Hubert are just side characters you can't interact with, here, they are still your students. They are characters you built up personally and used in battle.

While the Death Knight is far from a tragic character based on your interactions, the idea that you can't win the city fight without wiping out Hubert is a sad moment. Unless you fight in the Petra paralogue, this is the first interaction Byleth has with Hubert in the entire second phase. The same can be said for any character that is lost in the Ch. 12 battle and gets recruited to join Edelgard.

Byleth asks if there is a way to walk the same path as Edelgard before the fight in the palace, but Seteth shuts it down immediately. At this point, the other nations are out of the picture, so it may have been possible for the Church to negotiate a partnership if they disbanded the Knights of Seiros and ceased their interference in the affairs of sovereign nations, but such a suggestion won't be coming from Seteth.

The entire final fight in the palace is one of great sadness. Where with Verdant Wind it's more fascinating that Edelgard still had connections with Byleth, in this scenario, it's very obvious why Edelgard cares for Byleth. The idea that she gets to die at the hands of Byleth may be one of the only consolations her mind has received in a long time.

Byleth's character experiences a major loss too. This is the person whose life being saved awakened Sothis. Edelgard is the person who, aside from Jeralt and Sothis, spent the most time with Byleth during that year. So much of Byleth's identity as a character is destroyed through this. Ironically, Sothis was lost because Byleth disregarded directions and acted recklessly; Edelgard was lost because Byleth didn't push back on directions and followed orders.

The hope in all of these choices is that protecting Rhea is the right decision - that upholding the Church and following these directions will lead to a better Fodlan than the one Edelgard sought to create. It is a lingering hope that taking the route that wipes out ALL THREE of the students you met that night in Remire will somehow lead to a good outcome.

"I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER"

The fight in Shambhala is identical to the one in Verdant Wind. Fight in the weird underground chamber with the blaring house music. Beat Solon. Watch Rhea stop the Javelins of Light. The only difference is that Nemesis fails to revive.

I have a couple theories as to why he fails to return this time. They ultimately revolve around the idea that the overall strength of spirit in Shambhala was greater in Verdant Wind. This could be because Claude and the Deer have more Crests from the Ten Elites. It could be because Edelgard's lack of house members in her army forced her to use more TWSD members, which meant a weaker TWSD membership in Shambhala at the time of battle.

Regardless of what the reason is, Rhea is once again very weak and the push is made to give the status of Archbishop to Byleth.

For the first time all route, the wants of Byleth are actually considered, and the last month of exploration is dedicated to Byleth talking to everyone about the possible decision.

Unfortunately, much like the rest of the route, the choice is taken away. Rhea loses control of her power and becomes a berserk version of The White One (in English, the Immaculate One). All the Knights who underwent a ritual involving her blood also became white beasts.

And so the final fight of the game, after sacrificing everything to save Rhea, is to fight and kill her, along with all her most loyal knights.

Only adding to the emotions is the fact that right before she lost her mind, Rhea admitted that Byleth was the 13th attempt at creating a vessel, and that Rhea actually was STILL HOPING that Sothis would replace her someday.

And in the end, when Byleth actually takes down Rhea, her final words to Byleth are "Mother, you're here," which could be the result of a hallucination, but probably is one final sign that Rhea never saw Byleth as anything but a Sothis stand-in.

If there was any question that Byleth's decision to join with the Church of Seiros was meant to be spat back at the player as the wrong choice, this final chapter is it. Every aspect of this fight just piles on more and more consequences to the choice back in Chapter 11.

This chapter was meant to hurt - from killing the person you were meant to save, to realizing how little you were thought of, to losing the option to simply leave and go in peace - and it's the kind of conclusion that leaves an observer feeling hollow inside. As all great tragedies should.

"I start again, and whatever pain may come ..."

The final S-support was one that I felt really mattered thematically, and it's the reason I believe that female Byleth is more canonical than the male version. S-supporting the house leader is something that only female Byleth is capable of doing, so choosing the male version gives you a less complete understanding of Seteth, Dimitri and Claude as characters

In this case, Seteth drops some major truth bombs on the life that has been made for you. The first appears to be that Seteth intends for you to rule in a manner similar to Rhea, in that moments of repose and instances where you take care of your mental health will be at a premium. Given that in this route you do not show any particular acumen for being a political/religious leader, I can already see this course of action eventually backfiring on everyone involved.

Seteth does seem to have his heart in a good place, but he's also pushy to the point that his will ultimately will be the one that is followed. This was already evident in the route itself where he seems to be the one issuing all the directives. They hint that Byleth is offering ideas, but they are almost never seen - the Fort Merceus plan being the most notable example.

The other, more uncomfortable truth comes out in his vows. He says, "For whatever centuries may yet be ours, I will always remain by your side."

Centuries? I know he's definitely living for centuries more, but Byleth was born human. Does the power given to Byleth grant Sothis's immortality/extended life as well. That's a piece of information that probably should have been given more than a throwaway mention in a random character's marriage vows.

I know Sothis only made the move as a last resort, but that is one heck of a detail that probably deserved a spot in the discussion. Maybe since Byleth was receiving the power of a goddess, everyone just kind of assumed it affected the lifespan? Or maybe this is all just wishful thinking on Seteth's part? Either way, it took me by surprise.

It definitely makes your role as Archbishop/divine-monarch have a more permanent feel to it.

Briefly, I do want to make note of Flayn's S-support in case male Byleth was chosen. She expresses confusion about your gender (male goddess?) and then awkwardly fumbles through the conversation until she realizes you are proposing. She refuses to tell you who she actually is, double-checks that you aren't actually Sothis (and therefore, her great-grandmother) and then has an admittedly sweet exchange. This sequence is a wild ride but it's honestly not very impactful to the overall story.

 

"I had to fall to lose it all, but in the end IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER!"

You may have noticed by this point that all but one of my subheads have been Linkin Park lyrics, and that is because the songs "In the End," "Numb" and "What I've Done" came up frequently when trying to gather my thoughts on the futility feeling that exudes from every part of Silver Snow's tragic story.

If Silver Snow had a one-word tagline to describe itself, it would be "fatalism."

The events of Silver Snow feel like Byleth is being guided from one point to the next. Whatever sense of agency existed in part 1, when Sothis was imploring you to cut your own path and think more critically/broadly, vanishes here as Seteth directs you from battle to battle.

The ultimate tie to this theme is Byleth's nickname in the 'Where are they now?' segment.

Deer route focused on Claude, his goals, and Byleth's role in said goals, thus the nickname for Byleth reflected their role in the story - "The Ruler of Dawn." Lion route focused on Dimitri and his morality becoming the rule of the land, thus Byleth's role in reinforcing his rule led to the nickname "The Guardian of Order."

Byleth's nickname in Silver Snow is the "Wandering Flame," a powerful force of destruction that goes wherever it is directed to go. Be it by the wind or via a path humans made for it, the flame itself holds no agency over itself. And yet it looks wild and uncontrollable to an outsider.

In Silver Snow, Byleth's life purpose is whatever Fodlan needs Byleth to be in a given moment. Frequently, protagonists with little to no voice acting/dialogue in Nintendo games are treated as vectors for the players, filling whatever character role the player wants them to fill.

Silver Snow is the route that takes the 'character' out of Byleth.