Theory: Why SKULD is the replacement & Brain's trap (SPOILERS)

[yuyayuzu]

Thank you for pointing that out. You are nearly correct, but that makes all the difference. I have been looking through the videos and found that someone else has put the timeline together very well already.

Here's the key bit:


So Skuld actually split up from player a little before the murder. From what I have seen I am pretty sure that is correct. Now this alibi has changed into something rather different, a way of placing Skuld near the crime scene shortly before the murder, unaccompanied

EDIT: Incidentally, Gula shares contents of the Lost Page with Skuld and player here, and Skuld does show some interest/concern about it. I don't want to speculate on a possible motive without proof but her knowledge of the Lost Page may provide us with a clue @yuyayuzu [and it's not like anyone has a proper motive for Ventus based on UX, rather than the future]

Wait , I just thought of something. What if Skuld witnessed Gula strike down Strelitzia and Gula ordered her to infiltrate the dandelions? It is possible that Skuld want to find Gula once again, isn't it? And the timing is quite perfect for this. From what Darkness said, she may be willing to cooperate so they are not trapped. Just a guess

 

[Deleted member 252753]

I think the KH3 secret reports also support Skuld being the killer. The big assumption here is that Subject X is Skuld and that may not be the case, but she seems to be at the moment.

In Subject X's secret report, she says this:

One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch.

This suggests to me that it was Braig who hid the girl from Xehanort, and not Ansem the Wise (who denies that he hid her in the game itself). Luxu doesn't seem to interfere much and this is the only hint we have of him actually acting against the wishes of Xehanort and so I think this is pretty significant.

And Luxu knew one union leader was an imposter and probably knew which one it was. You'd think he would show some fear/respect/interest in them but he doesn't show any for Ventus or Vanitas.

 

[Ink Ribbon]

Thanks, that is really kind of you to say. I am probably wrong but I think it would be a lot more interesting for Skuld to be the killer than Ven

You're welcome! I'm actually really interested in seeing this happen. It would definitely be more unexpected than Ventus or Darkness. All the drama and possible character development to potentially come out of this situation. Lauriam and Elrena could want to seek revenge, maybe triggering some kind of inner darkness within them. Ephemer and Ventus could both feel conflicted on who to side with. Maybe in the end, drive some kind of major wedge between the union leaders and Dandelions. Even moreso, would Skuld feel any kind of remorse or was her desire to be a union leader or gain the Book of Prophesies matter more than another person's life? Lots of potential here.

I think the KH3 secret reports also support Skuld being the killer. The big assumption here is that Subject X is Skuld and that may not be the case, but she seems to be at the moment.

In Subject X's secret report, she says this:

One day, a man came to take me from the prison. I could not see him for the darkness, save that he wore an eyepatch.

This suggests to me that it was Braig who hid the girl from Xehanort, and not Ansem the Wise (who denies that he hid her in the game itself). Luxu doesn't seem to interfere much and this is the only hint we have of him actually acting against the wishes of Xehanort and so I think this is pretty significant.

And Luxu knew one union leader was an imposter and probably knew which one it was. You'd think he would show some fear/respect/interest in them but he doesn't show any for Ventus or Vanitas.

Interesting you bring this up. I kind of wonder, say Ava is out of the picture at this time. What if Skuld might be her replacement? Maybe this is why Braig took her out of there? If she is the killer, her desire for wanting the BoP or just to be a union leader would actually make her a prime candidate for the sin Greed.

 

[EternalDream]

This is actually a really solid theory. You've convinced me at least.

Luxu/Xigbar specifically hiding her away from Ansem the Wise or Xehanort (assuming Subject X is Skuld but I'd be very surprised if she isn't...) and making sure no one knows where she is for multiple years (at least 11+ given the time BBS takes place) is a big red flag - why would he have any reason to do so with specifically Skuld, when he has no issues with Ven running around or Lauriam/Marluxia being part of the Organization?

More importantly, what did he do with her? 11 years is a loooong time to keep someone in hiding. Sent her to the RoD so she experiences less time? Kept her asleep, perhaps with the Twilight Mansion pods that were conspicuously used before Sora in a heavily Unicorn-themed place? Removed her heart so she would be comatose and not age, like Ven?

She's very high on the possible traitor list for me after this thread - a list I thought no longer needed updating after the 'reveal' of Ventus being the one not on the list.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

YeahAll the drama and possible character development to potentially come out of this situation. Lauriam and Elrena could want to seek revenge, maybe triggering some kind of inner darkness within them. Ephemer and Ventus could both feel conflicted on who to side with. Maybe in the end, drive some kind of major wedge between the union leaders and Dandelions. Even moreso, would Skuld feel any kind of remorse or was her desire to be a union leader or gain the Book of Prophesies matter more than another person's life? Lots of potential here.

Yeah and I think Ven being used as by Brain, increasing his self-doubt, allowing darkness into his heart would be more satisfying than it already being there. And of course we know that Darkness will lead this world to another demise (KH3 Secret Report 12) so I am can see a conflict being involved in that, even if Ven is the replacement. Looking at her scenes, I think Skuld probably does feel a lot of remorse and is not cold-hearted and malevolent. I think the pain she felt at being abandoned by Ephemer and the rest of her party would be a good root for her motivation/susceptibility to darkness.

Interesting you bring this up. I kind of wonder, say Ava is out of the picture at this time. What if Skuld might be her replacement? Maybe this is why Braig took her out of there? If she is the killer, her desire for wanting the BoP or just to be a union leader would actually make her a prime candidate for the sin Greed.

This is an interesting idea and Ava is a massive mystery. I really like the idea of wanting the BoP to be a form of Greed. I have been looking over Back Cover and I felt like I could identify Ira, Invi, Gula, and Aced all displaying their namesake sins there so was wondering if Greed or Lust could be found anywhere.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

Another reason I suspect Skuld, is that there are lots of clues pointing to her, yet Nomura hasn't really ever made her the obvious suspect, as he did very effectively for Lauriam and Brain, and now he has apparently wasted the opportunity. There was a time when Skuld could have come under a lot more suspicion, and that is during Lauriam's investigation with Elrena.

Elrena's Chirithy tells Lauriam that the last time he saw Strelitzia's Chirithy, they ran off to find her when they saw Skuld enter the warehouse. Reasonably, Lauriam immediately goes to talk to Skuld, and this is what we see of their conversation:

Lauriam: Sorry, there's something I have to ask Skuld. Skuld: Huh? Me? (Later...) Lauriam: I see... Skuld: I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help... Lauriam: No, it's fine, thank you.

So we don't know know what precisely Skuld says but it doesn't seem to raise suspicions among the group (the other Union Leaders are present too). What actually happened what that she and Player entered the warehouse, spoke with Gula about the Lost Page (after an encounter with darklings and dark Chirthy), then exited and splitting up from Player (after they do not accept to join the Dandelions).

I assume she doesn't tell them about Gula, the Lost Page, or the Dark Chirithy because otherwise you would really think that one of the other leaders would find it interesting and want to talk more about it.

Then Brain muses on who Strelitzia is looking for ' a really quiet person who doesn't join the Dandelions' and Ephemer suggests Player, which surprises Skuld, though you would think her own recollections would have allowed her to make the connection herself. The scene ends thus:

Lauriam: Do you know who it could be? Ephemera: They're a friend of mine.

This wording makes it seem like maybe Skuld didn't mention that it was Player she was with when she entered the warehouse, though we just don't know.

In the next update, Lauriam does talk to Player and after another hidden conversation (not surprising for Player) it seems Player doesn't know anything about Strelitzia's fate, however we then get this:

Lauriam: But it does clear something up. Ephemera: Yeah. Player: ?

Lauriam then leaves and we don't get much of a clue as to what has been cleared up. I think it's likely to do with his time with Skuld though, either her presence, their conversation with Gula, or her trying to recruit them into the Dandelions, as Player's going into the warehouse with Skuld is the most relevant thing they could talk about.

In the next long scene, after Elrena talks about the glitch, we get the flashback of her Chirithy talking with Strelitzia's, showing Skuld and Player entering the warehouse, then Lauriam goes to consult Brain. Up to now, it really seems like the spotlight is slowly being turned on Skuld, however there's a massive shift at the end of the scene when Brain says that he will 'become the virus', effectively directing all our suspicions to him and away from Skuld.

My point is that I feel like Nomura must have been aware that it would be logical to cast suspicion on Skuld here yet chose not to, just as he recently chose to have Brain say that the Union Leaders weren't meant to meet ahead of time, logically pointing to Skuld, only for him to disregard that a few months later by naming Ven as the replacement.

Either Nomura is writing things this way to be very tricksy and hide clues pointing to Skuld, or he is just lazy and couldn't be bothered to even put Skuld in the frame for a bit, despite his having set her up, and rushed to reveal Ven as the replacement, even though there are far fewer clues for him and it contradicts the rule stated 4 months ago. Also the animators got lazy and forgot to make Skuld look surprised when she heard Strelitzia was meant to be a leader, though they made her look surprised at other moments in the same scene.

I have really enjoyed watching the UX cutscenes and want to say it's well written but I don't think I will be able to do that if Ven really is the replacement and not Skuld (maybe it could work if Skuld is the killer and made Ven the replacement but I think her being the replacement herself works better). Sorry for the rant but I just feel that it would be so much better and more internally consistent for it to be Skuld.

 

[yuyayuzu]

Another reason I suspect Skuld, is that there are lots of clues pointing to her, yet Nomura hasn't really ever made her the obvious suspect, as he did very effectively for Lauriam and Brain, and now he has apparently wasted the opportunity. There was a time when Skuld could have come under a lot more suspicion, and that is during Lauriam's investigation with Elrena.

Elrena's Chirithy tells Lauriam that the last time he saw Strelitzia's Chirithy, they ran off to find her when they saw Skuld enter the warehouse. Reasonably, Lauriam immediately goes to talk to Skuld, and this is what we see of their conversation:



So we don't know know what precisely Skuld says but it doesn't seem to raise suspicions among the group (the other Union Leaders are present too). What actually happened what that she and Player entered the warehouse, spoke with Gula about the Lost Page (after an encounter with darklings and dark Chirthy), then exited and splitting up from Player (after they do not accept to join the Dandelions).

I assume she doesn't tell them about Gula, the Lost Page, or the Dark Chirithy because otherwise you would really think that one of the other leaders would find it interesting and want to talk more about it.

Then Brain muses on who Strelitzia is looking for ' a really quiet person who doesn't join the Dandelions' and Ephemer suggests Player, which surprises Skuld, though you would think her own recollections would have allowed her to make the connection herself. The scene ends thus:



This wording makes it seem like maybe Skuld didn't mention that it was Player she was with when she entered the warehouse, though we just don't know.

In the next update, Lauriam does talk to Player and after another hidden conversation (not surprising for Player) it seems Player doesn't know anything about Strelitzia's fate, however we then get this:



Lauriam then leaves and we don't get much of a clue as to what has been cleared up. I think it's likely to do with his time with Skuld though, either her presence, their conversation with Gula, or her trying to recruit them into the Dandelions, as Player's going into the warehouse with Skuld is the most relevant thing they could talk about.

In the next long scene, after Elrena talks about the glitch, we get the flashback of her Chirithy talking with Strelitzia's, showing Skuld and Player entering the warehouse, then Lauriam goes to consult Brain. Up to now, it really seems like the spotlight is slowly being turned on Skuld, however there's a massive shift at the end of the scene when Brain says that he will 'become the virus', effectively directing all our suspicions to him and away from Skuld.

My point is that I feel like Nomura must have been aware that it would be logical to cast suspicion on Skuld here yet chose not to, just as he recently chose to have Brain say that the Union Leaders weren't meant to meet ahead of time, logically pointing to Skuld, only for him to disregard that a few months later by naming Ven as the replacement.

Either Nomura is writing things this way to be very tricksy and hide clues pointing to Skuld, or he is just lazy and couldn't be bothered to even put Skuld in the frame for a bit, despite his having set her up, and rushed to reveal Ven as the replacement, even though there are far fewer clues for him and it contradicts the rule stated 4 months ago. Also the animators got lazy and forgot to make Skuld look surprised when she heard Strelitzia was meant to be a leader, though they made her look surprised at other moments in the same scene.

I have really enjoyed watching the UX cutscenes and want to say it's well written but I don't think I will be able to do that if Ven really is the replacement and not Skuld (maybe it could work if Skuld is the killer and made Ven the replacement but I think her being the replacement herself works better). Sorry for the rant but I just feel that it would be so much better and more internally consistent for it to be Skuld.

I too want it to be Skuld rather than Ventus because the reason most people doubt Ventus is he has Vanitas and assumed that we dont know Ven before, I wonder would people so quick to judge. So by making Ven the replacement feels too fanservicey to me ( not that fanservice is necessarily a bad thing but make story based on it I think is ）

Even if your theory proven false( though I hope to be true), it is interesting . If this is true, I think the story continuation will be more interesting than Ven being the one. Why? Because most of them doesnt even know Ven from before so the conflict to be seen is limited at least imo. The other thing is that Ven to be seem on good terms with Skuld , I think he will probably stand on Skuld side even if she is cornered and Ephemer will have his doubts because of his role as a leader.
And since the dark road has a figure that is similar to Skuld, this theory may be true after all

 

[Deleted member 252753]

I too want it to be Skuld rather than Ventus because the reason most people doubt Ventus is he has Vanitas and assumed that we dont know Ven before, I wonder would people so quick to judge. So by making Ven the replacement feels too fanservicey to me ( not that fanservice is necessarily a bad thing but make story based on it I think is ）

Even if your theory proven false( though I hope to be true), it is interesting . If this is true, I think the story continuation will be more interesting than Ven being the one. Why? Because most of them doesnt even know Ven from before so the conflict to be seen is limited at least imo. The other thing is that Ven to be seem on good terms with Skuld , I think he will probably stand on Skuld side even if she is cornered and Ephemer will have his doubts because of his role as a leader.
And since the dark road has a figure that is similar to Skuld, this theory may be true after all

Yeah and the Vanitas stuff is all in BBS and KH3 whereas the Skuld stuff is all in UX (and X before) and I would prefer the big clues to be in UX itself rather than things which happen in other games, and which are not directly linked to any events in UX.

I totally agree that there is much more potential for the storyline with Skuld as the replacement, given that she has relationships with Ephemer, Ven, and Player too.

Anyway, I am looking forward to seeing what happens in March whether I am right or not. I really like this episodic release schedule when it works.

 

[Deleted member 252753]

I have one more thing about Subject X's report, which point to her being special, at least.

The very first line is 'Am I alive?' and at the end she says that she doesn't understand 'who, or what' she is. So is she not fully human? Perhaps she's a Nobody, but then did darkness steal her heart? But I guess it could be something else, maybe she is a Goddess, as Player thought at the close of the Keyblade War.

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I have one more thing about Subject X's report, which point to her being special, at least.

The very first line is 'Am I alive?' and at the end she says that she doesn't understand 'who, or what' she is. So is she not fully human? Perhaps she's a Nobody, but then did darkness steal her heart? But I guess it could be something else, maybe she is a Goddess, as Player thought at the close of the Keyblade War.

Perhaps Subject X is an amnesiac person who hasn't gotten the chance to see themselves. Thar or they turned into something else.

 

[Ink Ribbon]

Okay, especially with the corrected translation, I see now that my theory is stupidly complicated and doesn't make nearly as much sense as Ven being the replacement. Maybe Skuld is the killer and made Ven a leader for some reason but I have probably read too much into her too. I will stop posting anyway, as I could stupidly obsessed and oversensitive anyway and am awful at posting here. I am sorry.

You don't have to apologize for having a theory. There's never a wrong answer especially with guessing where Nomura is headed with the story lol. I'm awful at guessing this stuff but always give a crack at it even if it's outlandish lol. I think your theory with Skuld here is a lot of fun to discuss.

I'm kind of actually starting to wonder, maybe Skuld is working alongside Ava or Darkness in all of this. Maybe they tampered with Brain's list and gave him a fake one so Skuld wouldn't be suspected. So there really is a big chance she's still the killer and someone on the outside is covering for her.

When Luxu said "the Five" were shot forward maybe he's actually talking about the true new union leaders. Basically meaning Strelitzia (as she was intended to be a union leader) was sent forward in time instead of Skuld where she would become Subject X. Since it seems that mystery girl has amnesia, perhaps Strelitzia has turned into a nobody and doesn't retain any memories. Skuld would remain behind to atone for her sins and perhaps is Eraqus' ancestor instead of Brain like we think. That's probably totally wrong but I figured I'd throw it out there lol.

 

[Ballad of Caius]

I don't think the Five literally mean all of the Union Leaders, seeing as how one has to stay in order to found the Blueblood line of Keyblade Masters/Wielders. Unless the Five don't all end up in the same timeframe, which is believable, seeing as how Ventus ends up in a time a couple of years before BBS and Lauriam and Arlene some time before KH2.

 

[yuyayuzu]

I think Skuld maybe is Ava after all since the introduction of her also especially mentions that she is like Ava. I maybe overthinking things but I dont really think they need to include the quote if it does not has any meaning

 

[DraceEmpressa]

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I think Skuld maybe is Ava after all since the introduction of her also especially mentions that she is like Ava. I maybe overthinking things but I dont really think they need to include the quote if it does not has any meaning

What's the context of the whole page? now you say it, is there any scene where Skuld and Ava actually in the same room/face each other?

 

[yuyayuzu]

What's the context of the whole page? now you say it, is there any scene where Skuld and Ava actually in the same room/face each other?

just a brief introduction of each character. There ia actually one scene but I wonder if that Ava is just a projection

 

[Ballad of Caius]

Speaking of projections and transformations, everyone seems to forget that Marluxia created a copy of himself in the last minutes of Sora's scenario in CoM. Maybe this is what Maleficent encounters?

 

[DraceEmpressa]

Speaking of projections and transformations, everyone seems to forget that Marluxia created a copy of himself in the last minutes of Sora's scenario in CoM. Maybe this is what Maleficent encounters?

Oh, right, his first phase in CoM was a clone/illusion.....
Also, what if this , originally was Ava's skill? He was taught of this by Ava, but Ava used this skill to be present at two places at once, or... if Skuld IS Ava... Then she used this to give impression Skuld and Ava are two different people, one is real Ava, the other is actually close...

 

[Ballad of Caius]

Oh, right, his first phase in CoM was a clone/illusion.....
Also, what if this , originally was Ava's skill? He was taught of this by Ava, but Ava used this skill to be present at two places at once, or... if Skuld IS Ava... Then she used this to give impression Skuld and Ava are two different people, one is real Ava, the other is actually close...

Good point. I present a counter argument to my statement: maybe Lauriam developped that ability after becoming a Nobody.

 

[Ink Ribbon]

I don't think the Five literally mean all of the Union Leaders, seeing as how one has to stay in order to found the Blueblood line of Keyblade Masters/Wielders. Unless the Five don't all end up in the same timeframe, which is believable, seeing as how Ventus ends up in a time a couple of years before BBS and Lauriam and Arlene some time before KH2.

Hm just me reading too much into it then lol. I'm curious to see how this whole thing turns out with them all getting shot through time.

I think Skuld maybe is Ava after all since the introduction of her also especially mentions that she is like Ava. I maybe overthinking things but I dont really think they need to include the quote if it does not has any meaning

Oh, right, his first phase in CoM was a clone/illusion.....
Also, what if this , originally was Ava's skill? He was taught of this by Ava, but Ava used this skill to be present at two places at once, or... if Skuld IS Ava... Then she used this to give impression Skuld and Ava are two different people, one is real Ava, the other is actually close...

You both bring up a couple of thoughts. Aren't the foretellers using codenames given by the MoM and not their actual birth names? That could mean Skuld is Ava afterall and used magic to change her appearance and voice. To go even further with that thought, Skuld/Ava could very well be using the projection magic to appear as Darkness too. Since Ava is supposed to symbolize Greed, I could see her going far enough to kill Stelitzia for the BoP and manipulate the new union leaders to hinder MoM's plans.

 

[Sign]

I think Skuld maybe is Ava after all since the introduction of her also especially mentions that she is like Ava. I maybe overthinking things but I dont really think they need to include the quote if it does not has any meaning

The similarities between her and Ava have been called out on several occasions in the game by a few different characters. Skuld doesn't really have anything else going for her at the moment, I guess that's why they found it worth mentioning.