It is not something you've ever uttered, however...
It's an ever-present thought, a feeling that loomed behind your every action since the very start. And just now, you've managed to put it into words for yourself.
It's an ever-present thought, a feeling that loomed behind your every action since the very start. And just now, you've managed to put it into words for yourself.
To you, those words sound like they should be a constant truth.
However, what you had so much faith in now seems a bit... unpleasant.
Nino: Refute the phantom. They're your friends, and still are. They may not say it, but it's true.
- Nino: "Phantom"? That's awfully rude.
- Nino: Anyway... are you trying to lie to yourself?
- Nino: That's ridiculous.
- Nino: It's not a lie!
- Nino: Kaji isn't just some fallen angel...
- Nino: And those guys being with me isn't bad at all.
- Nino: They've got my back, and I've got theirs.
- Nino: Though you tried to bury the facts, I know it well.
- Nino: There were times when you thought of all this as a distraction,
- Nino: And of the people surrounding you as tools.
- Nino: What happened to all of that?
Nino: You were wrong, plain and simple.
- Nino: I was... just wrong.
- Nino: They're not a detriment to my goals...
- Nino: I can still look for my memories.
- Nino: And I'll probably be able to do it better with their help!
- Nino: God. You've grown so stupidly attached.
- Nino: Do you think you have the freedom to do that?
- Nino: It'll only make you forget yourself more and more.
- Nino: A person without memories is so malleable, don't you think?
- Nino: Like a mindless puppet... so easy to influence.
- Nino: But you should be far above that level.
Nino: How does this other you even know what he's talking about?
- Nino: What?
- Nino: That's a stupid thought.
- Nino: Why wouldn't I know everything you know?
- Nino: I'm you.
Nino: What's with the scales?
- Nino: That? It's your fault for losing track of yourself.
- Nino: You sure got involved in a lot of nonsense.
- Nino: Since when did anything matter more than myself...
- Nino: My knowledge, and my own memories?
- Nino: You'd better rethink your priorities here.
Nino: What did I forget? What do I remember?
- Nino: You already know.
Nino: Is there anything I'm gonna remember from this?
- Nino: What are you expecting?
- Nino: Something you don't know?
- Nino: Look, I'm you!
- Nino: That means what you know is what I know.
Nino: Give me my memories back!
- Nino: God damn, do you hear yourself?
- Nino: You're getting more and more illogical by the second.
- Nino: I took nothing from myself, you idiot.
- Nino: Hey! nobody gets to call me an idiot!
- Nino: ...Not even if you look like me!
Nino: If it wasn't him that removed your memories, then what was it?
- Nino: Well, someone must've done this to you.
- Nino: You don't know who, so I don't either, naturally.
- Nino: I suppose it only makes sense that their identity would be omitted, too.
- Nino: But it's not impossible to get everything back...
- Nino: If only you'd work for it.
Nino: What do you want me to do...?
Nino: Then, please, give a hint, something I should do!
Nino: Investigate the window. Peek in.
It's an old scene.
The war has ended, but the flames continue raging on.
The war has ended, but the flames continue raging on.
In the distance, something slowly rises.
Though you didn't realize it at the time, you'd learn later what it was. A cage that encompasses your entire world, desperate to shelter your little heart.
Yes, it was keeping you safe, but you chose to leave.
That's what you've been trying to remind yourself about, it seems.
Nino: If this phantom is really your old self, then are you sure you want to remember?
- Nino: Uhm, calling me "phantom" again... and "old self"?
- Nino: Between you, and you, should any distinction be made?
- Nino: In the end, I'm just you.
- Nino: You're also me, even though you're not acknowledging that part.
Nino: Question nobody. Not even yourself.
- Nino: ...By the way.
- Nino: You don't have to listen to every one of these ideas in your head.
- Nino: Especially not when it goes against your nature.
Nino: How can you prove that you're me?
Nino: Get weapon.
nino
indeed
He was able to see the commands.
"The war has ended, but the flames continue raging on."
I may be overanalyzing, but... symbolism? It's pretty obvious that the scene in the window is his memory of the war ending.
But assuming the soul/house analogy is right, and Nino is essentially peering into himself, the scene inside could also be acting as a reminder of his forgotten quest and grudge: gaining vengeance even though the war is already over and it's time to move past it.
He’s not wrong though, the part of him which desires conquest and believes the royals to be fools. Suvillan and Corona are already attempting to mount an attack on the human world, and if they somehow function well enough, the humans could finish the monsters off, and end the threat to their world. Diplomacy won’t win in a battle and stealth may not last forever. Only those who are willing to fight their opponents in Combat and reach their goals will win. Nino’s not the only person focused on vengeance, and looking at things from a war perspective when both sides can find holes in the barrier and invade, Nino’s right.
A couple updates back, when Five was recounting her story, there was this picture for when she met Nino.
I thought it was a bit odd that Nino appeared to have a cape there, but I at the time I just chalked it up to the fact that we weren't seeing the real thing, just Five's recounting of it. Like, I figured he was being shown with a cape and only in silhouette not because that's what it actually looked like, but because of how he came across as mysterious and heroic to Five or somesuch. But now that we've got cape Nino I'm wondering if there was actually something up with that.
It's definitely not a detail without meaning!