Hero of Light

"'I grew up hearing the story of the Warrior. You know, the Warrior would appear whenever we were in trouble. And now, lots of people are in trouble in lots of places, so when I saw you, . . . I just thought, this must be him!' ~ Rena Lanford"The Hero of Light (also the Warrior) is a prophesied savior of Expel, predicted by local legends of communities in the south of the continent of Cross. According to legend, the Warrior would wear clothing foreign to Expel, wield a "Sword of Light," and come from another world. Belief in a coming Warror is strongest in Arlia and Salva, though pockets of belief are found throughout Expel. Most followers of the legend believe in an imminent arrival of the Warrior, as the Sorcery Globe threatens to destroy the entire planet.

Prophecy
The prophecy of a Hero of Light and the chaos to threaten Expel was made by an unknown person or group of persons. Mayor Regis of Arlia notes that there are multiple local legends of the Hero of Light, as opposed to a single foretelling.

The prophecy is only partially stated:"When this land Expel is threatened with a menace and the people are suffering, A Warrior wearing alien raiments shall appear. He shall carry a Sword of Light and save the people."However, this cannot be the entire prophecy. Both Regis and Rena Lanford note that the Warrior will come from 'another world,' a fact not included in the legend quoted above.

Interpretation of the Prophecy
Even if the legends of a Hero of Light are true, the identity of the Hero of Light is never conclusively answered. Claude Kenni is a favorite candidate, as he wears clothing typical of Earth; carries a Phase Gun, interpreted as a Sword of Light; and comes from beyond Expel. Certainly, Claude is viewed as the Hero of Light by Rena; many Expellians; and even Claude himself later in the game, as he cries in battle "You think you can defeat the Hero of Light?"

An alternative interpretation is that both Claude and Rena are the Hero, or that Rena alone is the Hero of Light. Both arrive from outside the planet and both wore alien clothing at their arrival. Rena's strange gift of healing in the Heraldry Arts may be interpreted as a Sword of Light too, as light is emitted upon casting her spells. Furthermore, it is Rena, not Claude, whose past contains the secret to defeating the Ten Wise Men.

A third interpretation is that the legend is false, and no Hero of Light saved Expel. Under this interpretation, regardless of the party's efforts, the Ten Wise Men did succeed in utterly destroying Expel when the Sorcery Globe was activated. The restoration of Expel by the Nedian government was merely a reproduction of what once existed, and not the genuine article. To understand the philosophy that underpins this interpretation, Nede's reproduction of Expel is akin to duplicating Expel, and then destroying the original afterward. Indeed, it seems that Claude and Rena are anti-heroes, by bringing the energy stones necessary to activate the Sorcery Globe, and ensure the annihilation of Expel, directly to the Ten Wise Men.