After years of waiting, finally we're seeing Guts and Casca reach Elfhelm. The place looks incredibly idyllic, and it seems like a perfect safe haven... which means we'll definitely see the place crash and burn soon. I'd like to hear other people's opinions on how this next bloodbath will occur. We've had two times so far where I imagine, from recent foreshadowing, that there are three big elements that are about to become important.
First, and most obvious, we have the God Hand's interest in destroying the spirit woods, as stated on episode 345. What isn't stated, but is made clear by several comparisons between Skellig and Flora's woods, is that Elfhelm itself seems to be one of these places, and presumably one of the last ones left. So, it stands to reason that the island is a huge target. The amount of witches and fantasy creatures on the place might make it so it's better suited to defend itself from an Apostle attack. For this reason, I imagine the God Hand might actually want to get personally involved in the invasion. We may see at least one of them attacking, maybe even all five (or four, if Griffith is too busy running his city).
Then there is the matter of the Behelit. It's getting a lot of attention recently, with Gedfring giving us some clarification about what it does, as well as restating Flora's questions about who its true owner might be. I think this points towards a payoff to Guts's possession of the item, meaning it's about to finally be activated again.
And lastly, we have Casca. It's about time she gets her sanity back, but as the Skull Knight has implied, she may not see eye-to-eye with Guts. Now, what she'll actually do and remember is anyone's guess. Will she remember all those years with the mentality of a child? Will she know about her kid, and its relation to Griffith? How will she react to all of that, if she does remember? Be it as it may, the story has being pointing towards she and Guts not ending this arc on happy terms with each other.
So, my speculation on how these things will connect is as follows. Casca will be healed, probably with a bit of struggle to get there, but she'll not just gladly rejoin Guts's party. She'll be livid with rage, much like Guts at his darkest hour, the memories of the Eclipse still as fresh on her mind as if they had just happened. This, and the realisation of her powerlessness will make her activate the Behelit and start the Apostle-making ritual. Now, I see two possibilities here. She'll either try to pull a Ganishka and become an Apostle to fight against the God Hand, putting her in direct opposition with Guts, or we may actually see the Apostle-to-be refusing the call for once. Either way, it won't matter, for the activation of the Behelit will open a path for the God Hand to invade the island, bypassing any magical barriers that might have existed there, and another huge battle will ensue. This might be an event as traumatic as the original Eclipse and the fake Eclipse after that, with a few of the characters of Guts's new group dying in the process, and the island being destroyed. But I also think it might have some positive outcomes. Maybe one of the God Hand will even perish fighting the Flowerstorm King, giving the heroes a bit of hope by proving that they can be defeated after all, and setting things up for the endgame.
So, what do you guys think of these predictions, and how do you guys think events will unflod?
First, and most obvious, we have the God Hand's interest in destroying the spirit woods, as stated on episode 345. What isn't stated, but is made clear by several comparisons between Skellig and Flora's woods, is that Elfhelm itself seems to be one of these places, and presumably one of the last ones left. So, it stands to reason that the island is a huge target. The amount of witches and fantasy creatures on the place might make it so it's better suited to defend itself from an Apostle attack. For this reason, I imagine the God Hand might actually want to get personally involved in the invasion. We may see at least one of them attacking, maybe even all five (or four, if Griffith is too busy running his city).
Then there is the matter of the Behelit. It's getting a lot of attention recently, with Gedfring giving us some clarification about what it does, as well as restating Flora's questions about who its true owner might be. I think this points towards a payoff to Guts's possession of the item, meaning it's about to finally be activated again.
And lastly, we have Casca. It's about time she gets her sanity back, but as the Skull Knight has implied, she may not see eye-to-eye with Guts. Now, what she'll actually do and remember is anyone's guess. Will she remember all those years with the mentality of a child? Will she know about her kid, and its relation to Griffith? How will she react to all of that, if she does remember? Be it as it may, the story has being pointing towards she and Guts not ending this arc on happy terms with each other.
So, my speculation on how these things will connect is as follows. Casca will be healed, probably with a bit of struggle to get there, but she'll not just gladly rejoin Guts's party. She'll be livid with rage, much like Guts at his darkest hour, the memories of the Eclipse still as fresh on her mind as if they had just happened. This, and the realisation of her powerlessness will make her activate the Behelit and start the Apostle-making ritual. Now, I see two possibilities here. She'll either try to pull a Ganishka and become an Apostle to fight against the God Hand, putting her in direct opposition with Guts, or we may actually see the Apostle-to-be refusing the call for once. Either way, it won't matter, for the activation of the Behelit will open a path for the God Hand to invade the island, bypassing any magical barriers that might have existed there, and another huge battle will ensue. This might be an event as traumatic as the original Eclipse and the fake Eclipse after that, with a few of the characters of Guts's new group dying in the process, and the island being destroyed. But I also think it might have some positive outcomes. Maybe one of the God Hand will even perish fighting the Flowerstorm King, giving the heroes a bit of hope by proving that they can be defeated after all, and setting things up for the endgame.
So, what do you guys think of these predictions, and how do you guys think events will unflod?