For the record, this is not a propaganda post for Van x Agnès, although I think it is possible that Falcom will go that way with their story. I wrote this for my Discord server and thought "Eh, why not post it in the sub Reddit as well?"
Trails always has been, to some extent, about choosing your own path, the kind of life you choose for yourself (or not), and how that shapes your relationship with others. Calvard takes this in a new direction through two key concepts: The morally gray side of things and the idea of time. That second element is what I want to primarily explore here.
Obviously, in this game we learn about Laegjarn's Chest, the Sept-Terrion of Time, so it's less subtle than ever that time itself is something relevant not only to the plot, but it's also central to what the game is trying to say. Firstly, Van represents both sides of these ideas. He’s in constant tension between his past and his current life, his trauma, resentment and regrets; and the current life he built for himself, not shying away from what he chose and not pushing people away anymore, may it be old or new loved ones.
With Elaine, Van is tied to the past and his history with her. Even though they still deeply care for each other, even romantically, they are rooted in their history together, a version of themselves and of their relationship that no longer exists. Every time both have an introspective moment together, they reminisce on their good old days which often lead to remembering the tragedy that befell those same days. As a result, they seem incapable of building something that can exist independently of that past, instead of moving forward they let their shared history and the pain within it define their present, ultimately stagnating it.
On the other hand, Agnès represents something closer to the present, or even the future. She is directly tied to the life Van currently leads, one where, despite everything, he has managed to find some stability and fulfillment, now guiding those who lost their way, or who never knew what that means in the first place, as we see with Jorda and Ixs. Or in the ASO’s case, helping them shape their path forward for themselves, free from what was imposed on them and instead defining themselves on their own terms.
There is no shared history to weigh down Van and Agnès’ connection, no lingering resentment shaping it either, she was what set Van’s growth in motion. In that sense, Agnès and the ASO were a new dawn of sorts for Van.
However, Van seems to be waiting for the “right moment” to decide what to do about his relationship with Elaine, waiting for some kind of resolution regarding Vagrants Diaspora so he can properly move on. But that time might never come, much like Diaspora, the past is something that cannot be erased or completely resolved, but instead something that must be carried within.
So, Van’s arc in this game is not about his growth, but instead about his stagnation and hesitation to act, it’s no longer a focus on his internal issues, now it is about how he should confront them, externally. Despite finally finding a place of fulfillment and being comfortable enough with his own history, Van is unable to achieve closure, always waiting for the “right moment” to act, as seen with everything regarding Elaine.
This is contrasted with Agnès’ actions throughout the game, at the end of Van 3 she completely blindsides Van by confessing her feelings to him, demonstrating that she is willing to confront and resolve her issues, she can tie her loose ends instead of endlessly putting them off. All of this ultimately culminates at the end of the game, Van literally runs out of time to accomplish the closure he so desperately wanted to seize, when the reset happens. There was never that so called “right moment”, time slipped away before he could have that opportunity.
Beyond Elaine and Agnès, there’s also René. After such a long time away from both Elaine and René, Van eventually tried to rebuild those connections, trying to bring back what they shared. However, Van fails to realize something important, time doesn’t stop for anyone, it’s always moving. Everyone changes, everyone has their own conflicts. René didn’t stay frozen in time from their high school days until when they reconnected, he went on with his life and shaped his own path with his own ideals.
“What do either of you truly know about me?”
“Behold the third armored beast, supplanter of Zolga and bringer of dawn.”
Van and Elaine, both stuck to their past with him, they could only perceive René as that same person they knew, failing to consider that things don’t always remain constant across time.
Let me know what you think, or prove me wrong I guess!