Let’s talk about the characters of Class VII, and what is expected to happen to them, post-Cold Steel II.

More details are, of course, behind the cut, because of spoilers. Not only for CS2, though, I’ll make minor mentions of some information revealed in the NG+ quest, as well. (Though I won’t talk about THAT reveal.)

I’m also doing my best to do minimal references to things outside of the English released Trails games, so people who have not played them can read and participate in any discussion brought about by this post. There will be one instance where I bring up 3rd, but it will be based on something from Translation Tuesday.

Upon finishing Trails of Cold Steel II, it should be easy to see that Class VII has been disassembled, and everyone has all gone about their own ways.

Many people question this happening, and I think it’s pretty easy if you read between the lines: Class VII was Olivert’s pet project. Now with Osborne in more power than ever and Olivert missing… well, I’m sure you can imagine that Class VII will no longer be a thing at Thors.

But how will they be involved in Cold Steel III? We have no clue yet, as Falcom’s only released one image and hinted at a few odds and ends here and there. In this article, I will break down the still hanging plot threads that are actually connected to the members of Class VII and mention that if I have theories involving them.

Rean Schwarzer

I wrote about Rean already. It’s already easily assumed that he will be involved as he’s the focus of the III’s only piece of artwork. (Though there’s a heavy debate on whether or not that’s Crow standing behind him- I don’t think it is. I think it’s just Rean in his ogre mode.)

I make it no secret that my theory holds that Rean is not the main character of Sen no Kiseki III, rather a secondary lead who will need to be brought back ‘from a bad idea.’

Alisa Reinford

If my theory holds true and Rean isn’t the protagonist of Sen III/Cold Steel III, then I imagine Alisa will be a catalyzing character necessary to draw him back into their fold.

Let’s not forget that Roer, and Reinford, are intrinsically intertwined into Erebonia’s actions and their future. The nation is hurt, and Reinford is in bad shape after the civil war. We know that Alisa left to help with the company. When she comes back, she’ll probably have more information and connection to the development activities going on in Erebonia, including maybe possessing more information on the Black Workshop.

Elliot Craig

For me, Elliot’s one of the hardest ones to justify, but considering that he seems to have interest in seeing how music can bring joy to people in troubled situations- if things are going to escalate further in the future, if the rest of Class VII comes back together, then I can see him coming into play as well- especially if you look at the connections to his father.

Laura S. Arseid

Laura’s story is absolutely not finished. Now that the Crossbell events are over with, Duvalie’s ‘lord’ has a strong chance of making her way back into Erebonia. There is no question that Laura and her family are connected to her somehow. We still don’t know yet.

While Laura’s role in everything seems to have cleared up and that she has her training to focus on, we know for a fact that she is still going to be a major player when things start to get stirred up in Erebonia again.

Beyond this, once she’s done training with her father, we’ll definitely see Laura in a new, and more powerful, position than she had before. It’s something most fans of her should be excited about.

Machias Regnitz

This may be one of the surprises, since I’m sure people can’t seem to recall much about him, but remember that one of Osborne’s closest allies in the Erebonian government is Karl Regnitz. Anything that involves Karl will probably, in turn, involve Machias.

Jusis Albarea

Another obvious entry. Rufus is now the leader of Crossbell. Jusis will not only be forced to be the head of the Kreuzen Province, but if people do turn to push against Osborne, Jusis will probably be forced to go against his brother at some point.

Emma Milstein

We know for a fact that we’re not done with the Divine Knights (NG+ quest). There’s a lot more to them. Emma had to go back to find out more from her family, but I won’t doubt that we will see her return in a stronger, more capable role for being a guide regarding the Divine Knights.

Gaius Worzel

If you had Gaius in the party for the quest at the start of Act 3 in Cold Steel II, you will have inadvertently had a small encounter with Gaius’ instructor, Barkhorn. From Trails in the Sky the 3rd, there is a side event that details what may be unrelated… You can find the video for it here.

If you have Sara in your party, she gives you the final clue to link Barkhorn to this event. Which adds that he’s a powerfully influential individual as well. I believe that if Barkhorn is running around in Erebonia, that there’s a good chance we’ll see Gaius involved in things. Then again, there are other theories about both Gaius and Barkhorn that may actually come heavily into play in the next game anyway.

There’s no reason for Gaius to not show up at this point.

Fie Claussel

There was a particular exchange that happened in the Infernal Castle in Trails of Cold Steel II, that the Zephyr members are attempting to bring their old leader back. If this ends up coming up in III, then there’s no question that Fie will be making a return as well.

Millium Orion

Millium’s involvement should be more than obvious. Since she’s one of the Iron Blood, as long as Osborne’s in power, she will have some involvement in everything.