[Spoiler 7.5] An Analysis of Recent Reveals

Here's my thoughts and analysis of what we have found out in this patch. Spoilers for 7.5 ahead:

>!I think we can summarize the differences between the Ascians and The Winterers with the trolley problem.!<

>!Think of the Ascians as the man about to pull the lever. On one rail there's the entire world and on the other rail there's their loved ones. If they pull the lever, the entire world dies and their loved ones survive. They are selfishly killing innocents to save their loved ones, just like one of the variations of the trolley problem proposes.!<

>!The Winterers, even if similar to the Ascians since we are dealing with rejoinings and Ends vs Means dilemmas, are entirely different. On one rail, there's all of humanity. On the other, the inhabitants of the reflection. If they don't pull the lever, everyone dies. If they pull the lever, everyone outside of the Source dies. Even if you save more people by pulling the lever, some would argue you are directly responsible of the deaths that led to the others surviving. But they aren't selfish. In fact, they are selfless. They don't care who lives or dies. If the dilemma was the opposite and everyone in the Source had to die for the reflections to survive the Solstice, I'm quite certain that Halmarut would go through with the plan. She's cutting the weeds of the garden that is humanity so that it might continue to grow, despite the cost.!<

>!And her methods...from what I understand, are the opposite of the Ascians. The Ascians plotted and tricked inhabitants of the reflections to bring about their world's doom. They manipulated heroes and empowered tyrants to achieve their means. From what I've gathered, the Winterers instead recruit members of the reflections that understand their struggle and what needs to be done to survive. They welcome people in positions of power to their inner circle, granting them knowledge and the ability to fulfill their desires, in exchange for an alliance to stop the Solstice. Calyx is the most obvious example but it seems like it is a pattern in the other reflections. And I'm really excited by how similar yet vastly different the Winterers are from the Ascians, from the way they operate to their philosophy when it comes to doing their duty.!<

>!That makes me wonder...who will we be facing in the Fourth? If my theories about the Solstice being the 10-year threat during the entire Godless Realms Saga is correct, we'll gradually meet Winterers and try to stop them. Mayhaps the theorized Au'Ra Odin from Evercold Trailer is their proxy in the Fourth? A melancholic man who wanders the frost, seeking to rejoin his shard and save humanity at the cost of his world? The All-Seeing Father, sacrificing his daughter (Au'rith) due to a truth that only he knows in his world? Extra theory: We aren't going to try to rejoin the shards and instead we are hoping to unite them metaphorically, since unlike the Final Days (with the Thirteenth and the First as obvious examples this patch), the Solstice will not be stopped unless the Warrior of Light gets all the shards to work together.!<