For those that have been following, this is part 3 of my series of posts from Tales of Xillia 2.
The protagonist of Tales of Xillia 2, Ludger Kresnik, is a very interesting character even though he doesn’t say much. He’s the main character of the series, joined by the original cast of Tales of Xillia. Not only is he forced into joining the Spirius Corporation, which his brother Julius is a part of, but he’s also tasked to literally destroy entire dimensions! This is a small spoiler, and honestly not a direction the game took that I thought made any sense, but the main world where everything takes place in is the prime dimension while there are other fractured dimensions that branched off. To make a long story short, Ludger has to destroy each fractured dimension in order to restore balance to the prime. There are also items called waymarkers which he needs to collect to get to a place called the Land of Canaan (reminds me of the same Canaan from the bible) to stop a Great Spirit. You are stuck between making decisions that affect entire dimensions that are almost similar to your own, or not following the orders of Spirius and risk not finding your brother.
When you enter these dimensions, you have to find the catalyst, which is what’s causing the interference in that particular dimension. Of course, it ends up in a boss battle with some entity, whether it entered a person, animal or even data in a digitized environment. When the catalyst is destroyed, the whole dimension is destroyed, and so are all the lives, dreams, and non-living beings in it.
You are in essence destroying an entire world that is almost exactly like your own.
What I get the most out of the situation is how Ludger and his party react to doing this. Imagine having to destroy Earth itself several times over because you’re just “doing your job”. Characters like Jude, Millia and Alvin, who have strong opinions, were interesting to hear as they gave their thoughts on the entire situation, asking Ludger how to proceed. It’s tough knowing that, every single time, you are ending a world forever, yet at the same time wondering if it is really a reality worth saving. If it’s just a piece of the original than it can be seen as a shadow and not the real world. Picture someone writing a fictional story with its own characters, settings, plots, and dynamics- but, of course, it’s not real. In the world of anime and video games, that’s what hooks most of us. We are so caught up in these personalities that are not real, yet it’s fun to watch them go through life and situations.
The question here, though, is: Is Ludger just putting a stop to a fiction-like reality or not? At this point in the game, I’m not 100% sure as there is no solid proof that it is. It might all be a trick by the Spirius Corporation to put the party through a guilt trip, or we may actually be committing mass genocide for every dimension we step in. Ludger is questioned by Millia several times since she came from one of the dimensions he destroyed, asking him how he feels about what he has done and if he enjoys it. The game gives you options to choose what you want to say, but for me, I’m often conflicted.
Each one of us has our own dimensions, our own worlds. From our family, home, workplace, school, friends, emotions, hobbies, relationships and ideas, we are all living in this wonderful world called Earth, yet there are at least 7 billion other realities as well. When someone dies, they leave behind a legacy, whether good or bad, complete or unfinished. When two people come together and create life, they are building upon their own worlds and starting a family. When people are killed intentionally, those realities are also being snuffed out and others are affected in the process. Losing a loved one can affect every area of our lives at times, and we may not even know that until it happens.
When I became a Christian, my world went from the fractured to the prime dimension. I was not concerned with anyone but myself, not caring if God existed or not. I was searching for a way to know Him personally, but until it was explained to me and how I could have that relationship, I was lost. Someone stepped into my own world and gave me the answer I was looking for, which was in Jesus Christ, His forgiveness, and how I can know my Heavenly Father. My real father has never been a part of my life, as my parents divorced when I was 2 years old, and I never had a male role model growing up, so I was without identity and direction. Once I saw my own catalyst, as in the dimensions in Tales of Xillia 2, I decided to pull it out with God’s strength and enter the life He has had planned for me before I was even born.
I love the fact that God has good thoughts towards us all, even if we know Him or not (Romans 5:8). Our actions change lives, our own and those around us. Living in our own reality within our own little bubble is fine, but we must always remember that there are others out there who need us to step in and shine some light on their struggles as well. You might be the answer to prayer someone has been seeking because you have some wisdom or experience you can share with them that will get them out of that hole they are in. We never know what impact we will have, and sometimes we will never see the fruit of the effort we put in with someone else, but that’s not the point. God is pleased when we help out our neighbor in need.