The Bells Toll and the Pacts Dissolve as we draw closer to the Promised Time…
These are the words said by the Grandmaster upon her reception of the Aureole, and they bring up two key questions: “What are the ‘bells in the West'”, and “What is the ‘first pact'”?
Part I: The Bell in the West
The problem with the Grandmaster saying “West” is that “west” is a relative term, and is dependent on where the person is at the time. To make life easier I’m going to assume that West means anywhere west of Arteria. I spent a long time figuring out what bell of importance to the Sept-Terrion was in Liberl, and after a while I figured it out…
That’s right, I’m claiming the Liber Ark itself is a giant bell, deal with it.
Part II: The First Pact
The immediate thing that comes to mind here is the pact that Aidios made with the Holy Beasts, but let’s take a look at that pact before we jump to any conclusions. As the totally-not first Anguis Marcel Nielsen said in Ao no Kiseki, the pact is an agreement between the Holy Beasts and Aidios, that they would watch over the treasures until an “answer” was given upon them.
Assuming the Grandmaster is Aidios, she does not consider the “pact” dissolved until she receives the treasure. Perhaps this means, that the true “answer” she is searching for, is for humanity to choose not to use the treasure, and for it to be returned unto her.