To bear the burden of Knowledge

[anonymous]

A particular interesting plot twist we encountered as the events of Black Ops 4 were unfolding, was that under Nikolai's 'leadership' of the crew, the Multiverse was actually be able to be saved. Only he had that what was needed to actually do what had to be done, despite the consequences for himself, while Richtofen couldn't. Instead, the Doctor had created a Cycle, one that would allow him and his comrades to stay alive. His actions were often deemed cowardish by the community, while Nikolai had a brave soul. But is this really how it went? And why, of all people, was Nikolai the one who was chosen to 'finish the game'.

 

Rather interesting is the name of the DLC that included Revelations, being called ‘Salvation’. Literally, salvation means the state of being saved or protected from harm, but in religion ‘salvation’ generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its consequences. There is a beautiful double meaning in this. Richtofen has acquired the blood from the prisoners and Victis, both presumably eternally trapped in their Cycle which allows Primis to be unable to be wiped from existence by the entity we know as Doctor Monty: Salvation as in being protected. The other meaning is that Primis have delivered their souls and now have to live with the consequences from their sins: They are transferred to the Battlefields of the Great War and trapped in this Cycle forever. Forget not, this eternal state was Richtofen’s only option to save themselves. Perhaps not only for avoiding his own death, but also avoiding the death of his friends which is perhaps even much worse, he made themselves stuck in this Loop. Salvation, as in both meanings, has been reached.

 

"My name is Edward Richtofen, and I have been trying so very hard to do the right thing. Long ago, I made a promise. A vow to protect him. In order to keep my word, I have done bad things. VERY bad things. I do not regret the pain that I have caused because none of it really matters. This moment... this... me. All of it will soon be gone. I have lied, I have cheated, I have deceived. All for a purpose you could never understand. I would not change a single thing. He thinks I do not know, but I do. The blood will protect me." - Edward Richtofen

 

The moment that Nikolai read the Kronorium and became the ‘leader of the pack’, Primis started to take a whole different approach. Why it had to be Nikolai rather than Dempsey or Takeo is something that is still discussed today, but I believe it has something to do with the one event that shaped Nikolai’s life into the drunk bugger that he became: the loss of his love. And he is actually quite unique in that sense: Dempsey doesn’t know anything of his past, Takeo’s love for the Emperor vanished upon realization of the betrayal and Richtofen’s love for his friends was the exact reason why he couldn’t do what had to be done.

 

“This is the truth the Kronorium showed me. The truth Richtofen could no longer face” – Nikolai Belinski

 

For Nikolai, the fact he lost his great love may even have been key for this almost inhuman sacrifice that had to be made. The loss of a loved can lead to intense emotional stress and pain, and sufferers of a broken heart may succumb to depression and anxiety.

 

"It is said that it is better to have loved, and lost, than to never have loved at all. I, feel differently. Regret can consume a man so deeply that it will blacken his heart, and swallow his soul. For so long, we have been fighting. Many battles, many wars. I've lost only one... We have seen impossible things, cheated death countless times. I can no longer deny the possibility of an unseen power. A guiding hand. My path is chosen. Our fate is sealed. But the innocent. The children. These are untainted by darkness and chaos. They can find a better tomorrow." – Nikolai Belinski

 

The sentences Nikolai begins with is something I can relate to. He regrets to have loved, for the pain to have lost that one is worse than not having loved at all. Nikolai’s only true lost battle is the loss of his love. One could perhaps say that because of this pain, he realizes the unimportance of his life. Now I don’t want to call him suicidal, definitely not, but of all characters he seems to be the most likely candidate with the willingness of self-sacrifice. That doesn’t mean he struggles with his choices, but he knows what must be done.

 

"'A little learning is... a dangerous thing. Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring.' So goes the poem. I... understand its meaning. I have drunk so deeply that my every fiber aches with the pain of what has been... and the pain of what has yet to come. I fear it may drive me insane. Worlds... wars... souls... All torn asunder by the journeys our madness has wrought. It is only now, now that I understand the path of bloodshed and sacrifice that lays ahead. And how such knowledge must have gnawed and clawed at the German's mind. I pity him. From this day on, it is my burden to bear. I know what must be done, and who must do it. May they all have mercy on my soul." - Nikolai Belinski

 

But does the fact that Richtofen couldn't do this instantly deem him as a bad character, if he only did what he did for his very humane fear of losing his life and his friends? What I found interesting to consider is that Richtofen, after having participated in the Great Battle, revealed a sign of regret of his choice. He decides to teleport to Alcatraz, where he gets cryogenically frozen, waiting for Primis to arrive and his other self to step into the Dark Mechanism. He is the one who hands Nikolai the Kronorium, as he realizes his past self isn't sufficient enough to bear the burden of knowledge. After the Great War, Richtofen does know what must happen, and allows the "Grand Scheme of Nikolai" to be executed. And yet, Richtofen's actions are often deemed as those of a coward, those of someome who fears death or even worse. But do these actions in the end not make him equally as brave as Nikolai?

 

 

 

[RichKiller]

I want to comment on this thread but I don't know how, simply because we view stuff so differently. Unlike what some may think, Blood was always planned as a part of the story.

I think once you consider Blood as an inherent part of the cycle you can see Aether widely differently. Perhaps one day you will be able to consider that avenue. 

 

Quote

"My solitude allows me to reflect on the questions before us. What forces does Richtofen seek to harness? Has he really changed for the better? Can the Universe be saved from itself? I am... uncertain." - Takeo, Der Eisendrache

 

Quote

"I thank you for your sacrifice Edward. Your courageous actions have opened new avenues of opportunity. It is my dearest hope that we may one day set things right and prevent these terrible events from ever unfolding."- Maxis, The Giant.

 

Quote

"When you release the beacon, I will secure your extraction and destroy the site. Remember, the burden is yours to carry Edward. The others must never know the truth."- Maxis, The Giant.

 

 

 

[anonymous]

@RichKiller indeed Primis will always travel to Alcatraz in the Cycle. But the events that unfold at that location differ whether the Cycle continues or is broken. Only in case of a broken cycle, Great War Richtofen will awake from his cryogenic slumber and hand Nikolai the Kronorium.

[RichKiller]

4 hours ago, anonymous said:

@RichKiller indeed Primis will always travel to Alcatraz in the Cycle. But the events that unfold at that location differ whether the Cycle continues or is broken.

Here is the thing, I don't think the cycle is as simple as you think it is, at least on level of story writing prior to BO4's DLC season. A lot of stuff had to be changed when you want to get to the end as fast as possible. Zombies was blessed with a level of story writing that people are not used to, with planning years on years ahead. I'm beyond certain that if you want to answer Aether's open questions you have to bear that mind. I fear that by going in other ways one will find themselves in a road that is distorted and/or inconcise, and this thread demonstrates it, as it tries to dive into concepts related to the great war and the cycle, that in the BO4's DLCs writing were set aside alongside many other concepts. The question you arise is good, but I think there is an inherent problem in this thread, which is directly ties to the identity problem of Aether as a storyline. 

[anonymous]

16 hours ago, RichKiller said:

Here is the thing, I don't think the cycle is as simple as you think it is, at least on level of story writing prior to BO4's DLC season. A lot of stuff had to be changed when you want to get to the end as fast as possible. Zombies was blessed with a level of story writing that people are not used to, with planning years on years ahead. I'm beyond certain that if you want to answer Aether's open questions you have to bear that mind. I fear that by going in other ways one will find themselves in a road that is distorted and/or inconcise, and this thread demonstrates it, as it tries to dive into concepts related to the great war and the cycle, that in the BO4's DLCs writing were set aside alongside many other concepts. The question you arise is good, but I think there is an inherent problem in this thread, which is directly ties to the identity problem of Aether as a storyline. 

You are right, but we have what we have. Any potentially different planned storyline is de facto not canon. While it is interesting to speculate about, the one and only canon story is the story we have, the story that was released. And even while the initial outcome may have been planned differently, the eventual outcome is all that matters. The stuff that happens to Nikolai, the stuff we see Richtofen do, that is real.

 

Good comment by the way

[RichKiller]

22 minutes ago, anonymous said:

Even while the initial outcome may have been planned differently, the eventual outcome is all that matters. The stuff that happens to Nikolai, the stuff we see Richtofen do, that is real.

 

Good comment by the way

 

First I'm glad that you took the comment in the right way.
You say that the events of BO4 are real and in a sense you're implying that anything else is not real, but what "being real" is? 
What if there was a script lying around Treyarch offices containing all the plans of "the initial outcome", would it be more real?

Are thoughts and ideas not as real as a physical object? Or it's just a simulation in our mind? And then, what makes it different from a simulation on a computer? 
I think the correct notion here is not "real", but "implemented". I also don't think the outcome is all that matters, and as said before, perhaps one day you will be able to consider other avenues of opportunity. Until then, you can ask yourself: