Arval

A mysterious being who exists on the edge of dreams and reality. Fond of offering advice and intent on providing guidance. Appears in Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes. Name: Arval Gender: Genderless Race: Unknown being Age: 1100+ Relatives: Epimenides (Creator/Original Self), Shez (Chosen Vessel) Weapon: Tomes </Personal Information> Arval is an androgynous figure resembling a human. They have white hair with the bottom part being lavender, red eyes, pale skin, and white markings on their forehead and cheeks.They wear a robe with a white-lavender gradient, lavender pants, white cape and red earrings. Like Sothis, Arval lacks any and all memories of the past prior to meeting Shez. That said, they do have some vague impressions of feelings towards people they've met in the past or feel they are connected to.

They're even sassier than Sothis, and almost always have a snarky quip for every situation, with a particularly sharp tongue toward authority figures. They do have a blatant soft spot for Shez though despite snarking at them all the same. While not overly narcissistic, Arval is quite proud of their abilities and tends to lord them over Shez, often reminding them they're still alive because of Arval's powers.

Arval has a very strategic mind and sometimes comes up with plans which they sometime lend to Shez when they're asked for ideas in the story.

Arval for the longest time didn't quite know why they existed, but after witnessing Shez's defeat at the hands of Byleth in the prologue, they became very fixated on the idea that defeating the Ashen Demon has to be their "destiny". Arval seems to be a firm believer in "fate" or "destiny", and that it's theirs and Shez's destiny to defeat Byleth, the Ashen Demon. Whenever Shez advocates or suggests forgoing their rivalry with Byleth in favor of recruiting them, reasoning that their faction would be unstoppable with them and Jeralt's Mercenaries in their corner, Arval insists they defeat them, but by their own admission, they don't really understand why.

With Those Who Slither in the Dark such as Kronya, Arval experiences a "pure emotion" that they can't tell is love or hate, and heavily dislikes Sothis' presence. Arval also wants to destroy Byleth because they were created to save Agarthans by destroying "the fake Beast" that would threaten them. That being said, Arval does not advocate for Shez to kill Byleth if they choose to recruit them.

Despite being an Agarthan creation, Arval shows little to no animosity towards the Nabateans and non-Agarthans, Sothis being the sole exception. They even develop a friendship with their host Shez. In some cases, Arval can even rebel against their creator's descendants. If Byleth is recruited and spared by Shez, Arval will choose not to show any hostility, instead claiming to fully support Shez's decision out of fondness for the mercenary. A mysterious being that appeared in their dreams, Arval rescued Shez before they were killed by the Ashen Demon and speaks to them as if living in their head. While they seem to understand how their powers work, various aspects of society, etc. they have no memory at all of anything from before they met Shez.

It is eventually revealed that Arval was the creation of an Agarthan named Epimenides, who swore to kill Sothis, "the beast which set the earth" and save his people. He was a master mage and scientist as well as a high-ranking commander of the Agarthans in the War of Heroes against the Nabateans, who sought the secret art of rehousing souls, creating Arval to carry his soul and consciousness, only to eventually lose them. He fell in battle against Seiros. Arval helped pass down the consciousness and soul of Epimenides throughout many ages, with Shez the newest body housing them. Arval's true purpose is to guide Shez and keep them alive until such time that they may take revenge on Sothis, who at this point in time lives on within Byleth.

By Arval's own admission, the only thing they could remember was flowing water, perhaps the "flood" Sothis perpetrated when she destroyed Agartha, or (perhaps more likely) the tank of water they are briefly seen in during the opening cutscene (which takes place long after the destruction of most of the Agarthans). Arval is a being who exists on the edge of dreams and reality. They can have a person as their vessel like how Sothis have Byleth as her vessel. They also use tomes as their weapon.