Fire Emblem Three Houses Story Analysis: White Clouds (Academy Phase)

 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 1: White Clouds, or, How People in your Life Frame Your Viewpoint

I should note before we begin that I am far more interested in how a story you effectively have to play 3-4 times can feel so distinct based on only the framing that your supporting cast creates.

The common parts of the story will get discussed first, followed by a second run-through, chapter by chapter, to show what distinct elements were being used to give White Clouds a distinct feel from house to house.

I’m going to be quick with the common elements because although I do think there are some important details present, this blog sets up the War Phase storyline blogs. There’s a lot to discuss within each house that really requires Part II to fully make sense.

The prologue and Chapter 1 are basically the same each time. You see the fight between Seiros and Nemesis, protect the house leaders from Kostas the Bandit, go with Alois and Jeralt to the monastery, score a teaching job, pick your house, and win the first mock battle. Aside from differences in the introductions and congratulatory lines, there really isn’t anything special going on from one story to the next.

It’s once we get into the chapters where you are no longer dealing with the other house leaders that you start to get a feel for the unique flavor of each house.

Before we enter that section of the blog, though, here are my thoughts on the common pieces:

Chapter 2 gives you a basic “stop the bandits” story that’s really no more interesting than the monthly side battles. Killing Kostas is the only thing that makes it stand out. It is interesting that before this battle, you meet the Flame Emperor for the first time, which raises the question of what Edelgard (who is in the FE suit) was even trying to do by getting herself attacked.

The general theories are either A) She wanted to have Jeritza as a house head so she could control the room more, or B) She wanted the others killed. Based on the fact that she chose an area with mercenaries around, my guess is A was the priority. B may have been held out as an high-end goal, but I think Edelgard knew that three Crest-bearing leaders would be trained enough to avoid getting killed. Plus, Caspar mentioning that Jeritza was supposedly a shoo-in tips the scales toward theory A.

The next three chapters provide a real hint of doubt regarding the nature of the Church of Seiros and its relationships with the three nations of Fodlan. In all three cases, the students are sent to take down people from Kingdom territory, whether it be Lonato’s Rebellion, the Western Church thieving, or Miklan stealing a Hero’s Relic, the Church is stepping in on matters that should be handled by the Kingdom. 

Even in the case of the thieves, a church stepping in to execute Kingdom citizens is something that would likely not fly in the modern world. It ties back to the era when the Templar Knights and the Vatican had direct say in national politics and how other nations were viewed. The reactions of each house to these meddings early in the game color how you’ll view the church later in the game, as their errors fade to the background for a while after this.

Chapters 6, 8, 9 and 10 deal with Those Who Slither in the Dark aka TWSD, aka the Agarthian remnants, aka the creepy Morlock-looking people. They kidnap Flayn in Chapter 6 for blood experiments (and plant Monica/Kronya for future use). They do horrible experiments on the Remire citizens and students in Chapters 8 and 9, then try to trap Byleth into revenge in Chapter 10 after they kill Jeralt.

Interestingly, in all instances where TWSD commits an action BEFORE killing Jeralt, the Flame Emperor pops in to either pull the Death Knight out before he does anything, or to openly disown TWSD. The sequences where TWSD and the FE speak are fascinating because it shows a clear alliance of convenience, and in the Eagle Route, you see even more so that it’s a relationship of barely restrained hostility. Knowledge that the Church of Seiros is a far more pervasive and dangerous enemy to their goals is literally the only thing keeping these two sides from flipping on each other. It’s why I believe the offer from the Flame Emperor to have Byleth and Jeralt join them is genuine, regardless of route - the faster TWSD can be disowned and turned on, the better.

I skipped Ch. 7 because it’s unrelated to the conflict between the Church and TWSD; rather, it’s a midpoint progress check in the game where you can see inter-house relationships and find a couple more people to recruit.

What is important to note now is Sothis’ role in this section of the story. Sothis has no memory of her past and has only flashes of Byleth’s life to go over in terms of memories. As such, even though she is long-lived and has divine power, she basically exists as Byleth’s extra source of perception. She is fun to talk to, and it’s worth noting that she realizes about four chapters in that you must cut a path that is your own. It’s very fitting that the goddess character in her purest heart form would see free will as so eminently important.

Over the course of the story, Byleth and Sothis actually do develop quite the bond, and I actually am sad for Byleth that by the end of Chapter 10, both of Byleth’s emotional rocks -- and the ones who value free thought -- are gone (unless you’re in Eagle house, where a potential third arises), leaving you with your very important choice in Chapter 11.

Now, let me deal with more specific details from each route specifically: 

Ch. 2 - When you go to deal with Kostas permanently over in Zanado, the demeanor of each group starts to reveal itself. (For the record, I’ll be detailing my thoughts on each character in the house-specific storylines, to keep this one a tad more streamlined.)

In general, Lion House (AKA the Blue Lions) has a few more soft-hearted people in terms of battle. Deer House (AKA the Golden Deer) have probably the most gusto. Finally, Eagle House (AKA the Black Eagles) show a mix of enjoyment and a revulsion toward blood - not necessarily fighting in all cases, mind you. Since the Eagles are the house with the most nobles, it makes sense that their sensitivity toward gore might be heightened, as they're less accustomed to it.

Once the battle ends, though, we start to see the thematic elements of each house start to reveal themselves. 

Dimitri has a conversation with Edelgard on the way back from the mission in the Lion route, setting up that this storyline will be framed around their friendship, rivalry, and falling out.

In the Eagle route, Edelgard is focused on the distinct nature of the architecture and fascinated by who lived there, setting up that she’s aware of the long war that has been going on behind the scenes that’s affecting Fodlan to this day.

Claude in the Deer route asks about you personally and questions the mystery of the Red Canyon’s nickname, indicating his route will be focused on mysteries of the world and mysteries of Byleth.

I’ll get to my main thoughts after touching on each chapter through 11, so to save time, I’m going to note the major distinctions in each chapter below before getting to my main point:

Ch. 3 - Claude is focused on Thunderbrand and hints at the Sword of the Creator one chapter early while casually dismissing any thoughts about having to stifle a rebellion.

Dimitri and Edelgard react in completely opposite ways to the Lonato Rebellion. They agree that his cause may have well been just, but Dimitri opts to lament that no one reached out to seek a nonviolent solution. He sees violent solutions to problems as an unjustified and cruel idea.

Edelgard, on the other hand, sees herself in Lonato. He’s someone who has clearly seen a horrible flaw and injustice and he’s seeking to take it out because he has no faith a nonviolent solution would be met amicably. I’ll be bringing this up later, but much of Dimitri and Edelgard’s routes deal with similar issues of trust and support of people, but they end up so opposite of each other due to their opposite beliefs on trusting the current systems at hand.

Ch. 4 - Act I of this storyline ends with Byleth receiving the Sword of the Creator. The month plays out fairly similarly, but while debriefing with your house-mates, the last exchange before Seteth comes to get you is fairly notable.

Eagle house is pretty much in agreement that executing the Western Church members for effectively theft is a harsh, possibly extreme punishment. Lion house is generally in support of the executions, in Mercedes’ case vehemently so. (Ashe is more just stating facts in his case, though that’s likely due to his stepfather’s death the month before.) Meanwhile, the Deer house is pretty split, with Lysithea speaking more against it and Marianne clinging to the idea that it’s acceptable.

These reactions are very much in line with how they view the war later on, with one being against the church, one siding with them, and the other seeing them more as a deeply flawed ally.

Additionally, we learn in an extra sequence, after the common talk between Byleth and Sothis, that Claude was seeking the Sword of the Creator himself and was disappointed that Byleth not only found it, but was the only one who could wield it.

Ch. 5 - This chapter has some of the greatest divergences and is one of my favorites to discuss (though not to play; this is one of my least favorite battles). 

Claude’s version of this chapter introduces us to Judith, who will play a more integral support role in the War phase. After the battle, he and Byleth look up information on relics in the library and get backstory on them and the destruction of church records from Tomas. (This is the only cutscene where Tomas is a major player.) As he leaves, Edelgard enters. She and Claude have a discussion that makes their mutual distrust of each other clear. It’s an important sequence because it helps justify why two reform-minded leaders didn’t join forces at the outset of war.

Dimitri’s route influences Rodrigue, who will be one of Dimitri’s greatest allies later. After the battle, Dimitri voices a distaste for the power Crests hold on society but also defends their importance for military purposes, specifically pointing to the fact that if their influence was nullified, the “bloodlines that carry Crests would dwindle.” This always rubbed me the wrong way and struck me as someone defending a broken system using a blood purity argument that’s better suited in a classroom of Death Eaters. It undermines the “listen to all sides” stance he’s trying to take by showing he’d include viewpoints that are hateful by their nature.

Edelgard gets no additional cast member, instead receiving an extra sequence in her post-battle cutscene. If you’ve recruited Sylvain, you’ll get to make a choice whether to return the Lance of Ruin to Rhea or not, which can build support points with Edelgard. More importantly, she makes her feelings on Crests clear: They are a deep root to a lot of Fodlan’s problems and should have their influence pulled. This is an extremely important step for her because she’s opening up to someone as more than a simple ally. Her extra sequence even shows her wondering if it’s even ok for her to reach out her hand when she’s (in her mind) throwing her life away.

Ch. 6 - This chapter really doesn’t vary a wide amount aside from character-specific phrasing. All three are looking for Flayn. All three leaders go to take Manuela to the infirmary. All three are happy to see Byleth smile. 

Ch. 7 - This covers the Battle of the Eagle and Lion chapter. The major marked differences happen in the celebrations, specifically surrounding the house leaders. Each one shows a level of character growth or emphasizes one of their major character weaknesses.

Dimitri compliments the growth he’s seen in Byleth’s emotions, showing his recognition in the development of humanity in Byleth, something he values but struggles to show himself. 

Edelgard rescinds her offer for Byleth to work for the Empire, and instead asks for Byleth to counsel her as an equal, showing Edelgard’s growth in being able to rely on others again.

Claude kind of hangs back until everyone heads out, then admits to Byleth that he wanted to find the Sword of the Creator and use it himself. He then asks to have Byleth as an ally. This shows he still sees the relationship as transactional, but he is starting to hold out hope that he and Byleth will have a close relationship one day.

Ch. 8 - Of all the chapters, this one is probably the most distinct in the sense that there are clear differences in focus both before and after the battle. As such I’m going to discuss each route separately, and this section will probably have the most meat to pick at:

In the Deer route, Claude is researching the Heroes’ Relics and notices that all of them (except the SOTC) have a crest stone, something Sothis called your attention to when you first got the weapon. He also notices Tomas is missing and gets confirmation (through Seteth’s behavior and reaction to a found photo of Rhea's dragon form) that the church is burying information about itself and the Crests, and surmises it must extend to Byleth’s origins as well.

After the battle, Claude and Byleth discuss the Flame Emperor and try to piece together their motivations. He realizes the experiments and the Relic thefts that have been tried this year are too different to have a small-time motivation. Thus, the best response you can give to Claude is that the Flame Emperor seeks world domination - the only response that definitively indicates full war is imminent. Claude suddenly starts exercising caution, as he realizes he’s no longer the only one grand-planning in Fodlan.

In the Lion route, this is the chapter where we begin to take a hard turn into this route becoming Dimitri’s story. We meet Dimitri’s uncle, Lord Arundel, who he was researching a few chapters back. We also begin to learn about Dimitri and Edelgard’s shared family lineages. 

During and especially after the battle, Dimitri is recovering from his lusts for blood and vengeance. He espouses hatred for the Flame Emperor, already starts blaming them for his parents’ deaths (with no evidence, mind you), and states his reason for even coming to the academy is to advance his desires for revenge. This story is slipping into Crazy Town really quickly.

Finally, we have the Eagle route, where Edelgard spends the beginning scene trying to not see the events of the previous chapters as connected - or rather, she wants Byleth to see the actions of the Flame Emperor and the actions happening with the experimentation as separate, with overlapping pieces like the Death Knight serving as the overlap.

This ties in to the scene where the Flame Emperor (rather, Edelgard in her Flame Emperor getup) tries to disown what Tomas/Solon and his crew are doing. Again, it’s difficult to do because the Death Knight has been present in all the encounters. This is where the game has tried to make the argument more clear. In the common scenes, it was revealed the Flame Emperor gave command of the Death Knight to Lord Arundel, so the disowning of him (coupled in hindsight with Edelgard’s revulsion over all of this plot by Solon) actually does have some merit to the player at this stage.

Interestingly, in the post-battle scene, Edelgard questions you about your encounter with the Flame Emperor and your opinion of them. If you grant them the benefit of the doubt either as the Flame Emperor OR as Edelgard, she has trouble accepting it. 

This is probably where Edelgard’s story becomes its most interesting. Edelgard has been hoping to have Byleth as an ally, but she has no expectation that she actually will do so. I’ll be going into this more during the Crimson Flower blog, but Edelgard’s backstory reveals someone who has been victimized harshly throughout her life. She is an abuse survivor, and she has internalized a belief that her victimhood is justified. She is fighting with everything she has to overhaul the entire system around her, all the while expecting that this system will cast its judgment and kill her for the action in the end.

The fact that she cannot believe the person so close to her is willing to sympathize with her cause is incomprehensible to her. So she tells Byleth that someday the Flame Emperor may appear without their mask, and she does so anticipating that when the full picture is revealed to Byleth, it will reveal Edelgard’s true nature. There's an incredible dissonance in Edelgard here. Her heart is hoping Byleth will side with her, and vindicate her as doing something good, but her battered and worn-down mind knows deep down that Byleth will turn to the church, confirming the darkness that she has fought against all this time.

Ch. 9 - A lot goes down in each of these routes, but oddly, only the Lion route receives a major distinction. (I mean, it is worth noting that Edelgard is the only house leader who actually volunteers to be in the White Heron Cup, but it doesn’t affect the story too much.)

The Lion route gets two exclusive scenes that set up its upcoming shift in tone and focus. The first is the meeting with Dimitri before the Goddess Tower sequence. He reveals his childhood friendship with Edelgard and the significance of gifting a dagger to her. This sequence - the dagger part especially - has thematic reach not only in this route, but in Crimson Flower (the Empire route) as well. I’ll discuss this more in the blogs covering Crimson Flower and Azure Moon.

The other scene is your time with Dimitri after Jeralt is killed. Yes, all three house leaders get this chance to offer guidance to their professor in a bit of a role-reversal; however, Dimitri’s is the only one that happens while you’re still in Chapter 9, and it happens after Sothis and Byleth commit to taking down the ones responsible.

The timing is actually extremely significant because this is the time in the other two houses when Alois, a direct link to Jeralt’s past, comes in and offers consolation. By moving Dimitri’s talk up to this chapter, it severs that personal tie in the story. This ties back to my thought that the Lion route becomes a Dimitri-centric story over the next couple chapters, relegating Byleth to a supporting role. 

As for his pep talk itself, it’s a mixed bag. It starts off well enough, saying you need to take time for yourself to grieve (very good). But then he goes into the idea that you must find something to cling to in order to push forward. This leads Dimitri to return to the Tragedy of Duscur story. There are A LOT of poisoned pills in this sequence that show Dimitri is not coping with grief in a way that even remotely resembles healthy. He endorses wallowing in grief, making it the driving force for your existence, and clinging to a few threads to maintain any ties to the world at-large. As such, I can’t really say this is a good speech to give to someone grieving. At all.

Oh, I should note the Goddess Tower scenes themselves. Most people in the game have straightforward sequences that don’t affect the story, and Dimitri’s even follows that (likely because he’s already gotten SO MUCH in this chapter already). Claude’s is a little different in that he’ll bring up his commoner roots and talk about the fact that he has a dream he wants to work with Byleth toward, but he goes back to a basic Goddess Tower sequence before it gets too detailed.

Edelgard’s is the only one that feels unique out of the set. She doesn’t bring up any wish to the Goddess, (Why would she? By now she’s very used to those requests being ignored.) and instead she chooses to reminisce about her parents’ love for each other. Edelgard also reveals her first love was a Kingdom noble whose name she has repressed (Dimitri) and asks about Byleth’s first love. All-in-all, this one goes the farthest in terms of advancing a relationship outright.

This also happens to be a sequence where the translation to English fails the Edelgard route. We hear that Edelgard's dad had an arranged marriage and his relationship with her mother had to be a consort relationship as a result. In Japan, there's a line elsewhere in the story that reforms to marriage were the issue that helped lead to the insurrection that cost Edelgard's father his power as emperor. It demonstrates why Edelgard sees peaceful reform as an impossible option. This detail never crops up in the English version, likely in order to simplify sentences, but it's a MAJOR loss in trying to explain the lead-up to the war.

Ch. 10 - Dimitri gets to open this month as well by eavesdropping on a conversation between the Flame Emperor, Kronya and Thales. They set up the big Chapter 11 reveal here by having the Flame Emperor drop the dagger. This fails to happen in any other route, so it’s clear it’s going to tie in to the theme of Azure Moon as a whole.

Edelgard and Claude get their chance to speak to Byleth about loss here, and I think they go a long way toward showing what each one is dealing with.

Claude is empathetic and tries to help you move forward by using Jeralt’s diary as a way to answer some of their questions. I actually thought this was a decently handled way to help a person find something connected to a loved one as a way to move forward… until I realized the choice to not loan the diary leads to a loop where you’re railroaded into doing it. Now, it’s more unreasonable and reads like someone taking advantage of a friend’s family death. It’s still probably the best of the scenes for Byleth’s perspective because Claude doesn’t offer toxic advice, but it’s still not great. It’s clear Claude is still too big-picture focused to really be able to offer a proper personal connection, though that also may be because his greatest pains aren’t related to death.

On the other hand, Edelgard may have set a land speed record in the race for worst consolation of all time. To be fair, Byleth having no response to Edelgard’s words exacerbates the problem because some response prompts would at least frame her speech, but as is… I think picking 50 random words out of the dictionary would have been a better consolation. Screaming “IT’S BEEN A WEEK! GET OVER IT!” would have likely been a better consolation. She starts with “I won’t weep with you” and just keeps digging a deeper grave from there.

(NOTE: Since writing this I've been playing with the Japanese audio with a fan-done translation, and I think this scene is a victim of the translation process. Edelgard sounds far less cold in the Japanese version, and her statements are more straightforward, tough-but-compassionate deliveries. She asks if Byleth is taking a reprieve or unwilling to move forward, then basically says, "The moment where you have to fight is coming, will you be prepared or will you fail to get ready?" 

The English version reads like she thinks the concept of grieving is selfish, and my interpretation of the scene reflects the English version.)

In spite of its tactlessness, though, I’d argue it’s completely expected given how Edelgard has been shown to cope. Where Dimitri dwells too much on his own past pains, Edelgard tries to hide from them entirely. She hopes that by avoiding emotion and focusing on the future, she can run from her own pain (to limited success), and so she advocates for that in the most ardent way that she can.

Moreover, I think it reeks of guilt. Remember, she’s been trying to distance herself from her alliance of convenience with TWSD, but now it’s hurt someone close to her. She makes her disgust with them clear in their next conversation, but what’s clear now is that Edelgard sees herself as responsible. In other routes, she offers her services in pursuing revenge because there’s enough distance between her and Byleth to speak more clearly. But in the Eagle route, her guilt is there full force. I see this speech as a means to push Byleth away. She’s telling her to move on, not just regarding Jeralt, but regarding Edelgard herself. Edelgard has committed to the idea that they will be enemies soon, and she just wants as much time with her teacher as possible before then.

I think it’s worth noting how the house leaders respond to you returning in their exploration quotes. As I had mentioned, Edelgard offers to lend support when you’re in other houses. In Eagle route, though, she is glowing toward you, calling it a gift that you’re back out in the open.

With Dimitri, he’s focused only on consolation in other routes, while he’s ready to go on a killing spree for you in the Lion route. Claude gives some philosophical thoughts on how the world keeps moving in other routes, while he reassures you of how much Byleth meant to Jeralt in the Deer route.

The only other distinct quotes come from Hubert, whose lines go longer in the Eagle route. He offers an intelligence report of the defenses of Garreg Mach, which I take to be how he’s always consoled Edelgard - by offering some task, some distraction from the pain. A bit enabling, to be sure, but I do love how he’s clearly grown a place in his heart for Byleth.

There are distinctions before the battle that I also want to bring up. Edelgard warns Byleth that this is likely a trap, as her concern in this encounter is for Byleth. Dimitri speaks A LOT about cutting these people down, as his focus is on punishing the wicked and vengeance. Claude wants you to remain focused on this as a mission to solve a riddle, not to exact revenge, showing how Claude prioritizes understanding and his own goals over people’s emotional well-being.

Finally, following the battle, what each person focuses on is deeply meaningful. Claude is focused on what happens and is the only one who gets the full story on Sothis. Claude asks a lot of the questions we are probably thinking about at this time regarding how and why this happened. This does start to set the Deer route overtly as the backstory/lore arc. This arc is going to become so much about why everything is happening.

Dimitri’s is fairly straightforward, asking about what happened and tying it to the legend of Seiros and Nemesis. As this scene kind of concludes Byleth’s development in the Lion route, there scene almost feels out of lockstep with everything else that’s been going on. I will say, though, that the comparison of Dimitri to Nemesis is fascinating, in the grand scheme of this world.

Edelgard’s scene is one that took a bit of a hit when switching to English. As it is now, Edelgard is guarded when hearing that Sothis gave Byleth her power, and she starts evaluating how this power will be used. In the original script, Edelgard is struggling to mask the raw contempt she feels for Sothis. Again, much of the Edelgard arc is on faith, and it’s clear that her sister “crying for help that never came” has affected Edelgard’s view on relying on people, and Sothis especially.

The question of how Byleth will use the power reads less like evaluation in the original script, and instead seems more like a desperate hope, that maybe Byleth would be willing to give her the miracle that she never received as a child.

Ch. 11 - I’m just not going to bother bringing up the Eagle route in Chapters 11 and 12 because there are far too many moving parts. Instead, I’ll save it for the Crimson Flower and Silver Snow blogs.

I will briefly touch on the other houses, though. The Lion route shows the characters expressing excitement, either for you or for the ability to see the Holy Tomb. The only ones really showing distraction are Dimitri (who is avoiding sleep), as well as Dedue and Felix, almost acting as respective shoulder angels and devils for him. Once again, we’re seeing the story tipping their hand about giving Part II to Dimitri.

Claude’s house is more cerebral about the whole thing. There is a lot of questioning about this whole situation, especially from Claude and Hilda. Claude even gets a bonus scene where he eavesdrops on Seteth and Rhea. When you get ready to enter the tomb, where the Lion route was a mixture of support for you and concern for Dimitri, the Deer house is all about wanting to know what the deal with all this is.

It’s worth noting that Flayn only has lines in the Deer route. In the other routes, she seems excited by this whole development of Sothis helping Byleth, but likely due to her being in the house that’s seeking answers, she’s more aware in this route, and she’s more apprehensive because of this.

I didn’t realize it until I wrote this part, but it’s off-putting how almost sociopathic Rhea sounds in this chapter. She’s aware of what she THINKS will happen to you, and she’s telling you all will be well after the ceremony. It very much gives me vibes of a mafia boss, or George leading Lenny to his death in Of Mice and Men. And Seteth seems to be unsure if he can be okay with all this, as this chapter is by far his most distant toward you.

Obviously, Edelgard’s unmasking as the Flame Emperor affects Dimitri far more than Claude, where it barely gets an elevated emotion from Claude. The cutscene where Dimitri loses his mind and rushes Edelgard is the stuff of memes now, but it shows how someone can be driven mad and into a dangerous mental state through the use of incomplete information. After all, Dimitri loses his mind because he thinks Edelgard got his family killed, when in fact, she wasn’t even aware enough to know her mother was part of the tragedy. He’s become so blinded by the past that he can’t accept her very true denial, and she’s so separated from her past that she doesn’t even think to look into Dimitri’s for understanding of all this mess.

I do find it interesting that the post-battle scene in the Deer route is almost identical to the Silver Snow scene. It really reflects how far to the outside of the story that Deer house has been to this point. It’s almost like the Deer have been on a sidequest for months, and suddenly the plot has busted through the earth and thrust itself upon the player.

I was going to go through the Cindered Shadows chapters here as well, but this thing has been a behemoth of words, so I’ll give my final thoughts on White Clouds instead. (I’ll save Chapter 12 for all the Part II routes since they directly set up what will come after the time skip.

I think it’s clear that Part I is a definitively Byleth-centric story, but where the game goes from here depends on your route of choice. Edelgard has been incredibly focused on her relationship with Byleth, and because of that, she has the strongest Part I role of the three leaders. Part I in the Eagle house becomes a shared story between Edelgard and Byleth by the end, so taking Crimson Flower as a Part II means that dynamic will continue to dominate.

Silver Snow will do the same, but in a more self-destructive way. Everything that happens in White Clouds will be like a dagger through the heart as you go through Silver Snow more and more.

Byleth’s story draws to a close in the Lion route once White Clouds ends. I feel like there is a lot more definitive language in Chapters 10 and 11 for the Lions, like the writers are trying to put the bow on all of this storyline material so that only Dimitri’s baggage remains.

The Deer route is going to blend Byleth’s story with the lore of the world in Part II, so Claude’s scenes in White Clouds are meant to pick at your brain and make you curious for the answers to these mysteries. The mysteries have to be worth solving by the end of Part I, or Part II will be insufferable. Luckily, they do a solid enough job to make Verdant Wind worth playing though at least once or twice.

We will continue with Cindered Shadows and all the Part II storylines in the next entries.