Albedo Piazzolla's History
Personality
Forever altered by his contact with U-DO, Albedo's character is essentially the antithesis of life. Albedo desires nothing apart from the empathy and love of his twin brother, Jr. The wish to unite with his conjoined twin was at the core of Albedo's heart. He wishes to return the distance of their hearts to the state of they were when they were born. Albedo's lonely soul got a taste of being rejected by Jr. when Jr. severed the spiritual link between him and his brothers during the Miltian Conflict. Immediately after that, Albedo was contacted by the wave existence U-DO, and due to loneliness and fear, he descended into madness, his mental state permanently changed. Nonetheless, it was difficult to abandon his affection for Jr. He wanted to maintain a connection to his twin, even if it was as an adversarial existence, or an existence that would aim to destroy him.
As an undying body that can't help but continue to suffer and thirst while struggling with a wish that can't come true, Albedo's body is a prison. Despite wanting to die, Albedo's body would always revive and continue living, making suicide impossible. Eventually, he came to wish for annihilation even more than reuniting with Jr. If it was possible, he wished that annihilation to be by Jr.'s hand. Jr. perceives Albedo was "contaminated by U-DO", though Albedo claims it as "evolution". Albedo believes he is the "alpha and omega of perfect consciousness", and that a perfect consciousness has no true physical form, free from the bonds and chains of cells, flesh and blood. Adopting a nihilistic philosophy that human existence is meaningless, Albedo questioned the point of life and the purpose of humanity. He became egotistical and prone to hollow, hysterical laughter. Albedo is extremely misanthropic, believing humanity to be weak and delusional, constructing civilizations and culture as a distraction from the inevitable terror of death and non-existence. To him, humanity's deities and religions were a means of coping with the harsh reality of an inherently meaningless existence, and that the only true "God" is U-DO
Quote: The human race, fearful in its weakness, built this world in a futile attempt to elude the abyss they call mortality. Culture, civilization, all delusions created by a powerless race, and of little use, like a barren woman.
Albedo's immortality allows him to display a unique sort of masochism, such as dismembering his arm and decapitating himself. He also has a very sadistic personality, and enjoys watching people die and struggle to survive. He killed his Kirschwassers and threatens Kirsch with abuse in Xenosaga: The Animation, uses Proto Merkabah to destroy a fleet of ships, and attempts to crash Proto Merkabah into Second Miltia, ending a vast amount of lives in the process. He holds grudges and doesn't forgive those who betray him. In Episode III, when Albedo is free of his attachment to life and comes back as a Testament, his personality does not change all that much. However, it is also noticeable that he is now very much under his own control.
Background
Childhood at Yuriev Institute Albedo was created by Dmitri Yuriev at the Yuriev Institute as U.R.T.V. Unit 667, originally a conjoined twin with Unit 666, Jr.. U.R.T.V. stands for U-DO Retro Virus, and are bio-engineered weapons designed to fight against U-DO, a mysterious wave existence. Albedo's heart was attached to Jr.'s back until the 28th week. When Jr. and Albedo were split, they both gained unique abilities, both rooting from the same concept. Jr. gained the ability to halt his body's aging, while Albedo could regenerate lost limbs, making him virtually immortal. Albedo was high-strung and fearful as a child. He clung to Jr. for protection, and lashed out violently against anyone who attacked Jr., once even going so far as to injure and nearly kill a fellow U.R.T.V., Number 623. He also treated the standard U.R.T.V.s as inferiors, and did not see them as actual people like the way he saw Jr. and Gaignun. When Jr. and Gaignun confronted Albedo about attacking No. 623, Albedo revealed that he didn't think the other child's critically injured condition was a big deal, because No. 623 could simply regenerate like Albedo could. To the shock and horror of his brothers, Albedo demonstrated his regeneration abilities by shooting himself in the head with a pistol (depicted as an energy ball in the censored version of the cutscene). Albedo was devastated when he learned that Jr. and Gaignun were not able to regenerate, Gaignun being as vulnerable to aging and injury as any normal human, and Jr., despite being capable of stopping his own aging, was still susceptible to death.[citation needed] The thought of living forever, all alone, without Jr. to protect him, made him extremely sad and scared. This caused him to become mentally unstable.
After learning that Jr. and Gaignun were mortal and could die at any moment, Albedo made a new hobby out of digging practice graves for Jr. and Gaignun in a secluded forested area of the Yuriev Institute in order to prepare for the deaths of his two brothers someday, so he would not cry when they really died. After Jr. and Sakura Mizrahi started to spend more time together, Jr. turned his attention away from Albedo, and Albedo perceived this as Sakura taking Jr. away from him. Albedo began to resent Sakura, and this resentment turned into hate. In Xenosaga I & II, the first time Albedo attempted to contact U-DO was during a training exercise inside Sakura's subconscious domain. Sakura saved him by jumping in front of him, and she fatally injured when U-DO made contact with her. Although Albedo was happy when Sakura died, he still felt terrible guilt for her death because it deeply hurt Jr. This would lead to Albedo's unhealthy obsession with the Kirschwassers and MOMO later on.
Miltian Conflict
Fourteen years ago, during the Miltian Conflict, the U.R.T.V.s were sent down to Miltia as part of the Third Descent Operation. While there, however, Jr. learned that if he used his Red Dragon power against U-DO, it would produce a thermal reaction capable of destroying the entire planet. Jr. aborted the mission and cut off the mental link between him and the other U.R.T.V.s, fearing for their lives. This resulted in U-DO waves striking most of the U.R.T.V.s, causing them to either die or be driven mad. Albedo also came into contact with U-DO at this time, which further destabilized him. Crazed and delirious, as well as scarred, Albedo was saved by Kirschwassers who took him on the Song of Nephilim, shortly after he turned on Jr. and Gaignun at Labyrinthos. He was found there barely alive by Sellers and his U-TIC Organization personnel, who were preparing to abandon Miltia using the Song as a giant lifeboat. The database implies Albedo was half-dead due to being hit by waveforms which had been released by Gaignun after Albedo attacked him.
14 year intermission
Albedo was taken in by U-TIC/Ormus and placed under Margulis' jurisdiction most likely[citation needed], but somehow came into contact with Wilhelm and Voyager, then later Kevin Winnicot, and at last Luis Virgil, since he seemed to know about the Testaments and their boss. He became a freelance U-TIC Agent while working for Wilhelm, with his own goal in mind, and was given one of its five A.M.W.S. craft, E.S. Simeon, as his own personal vehicle.
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht
Albedo is first seen during the destruction of the Woglinde and its fleet by the Gnosis, enjoying the death and destruction around him. He observes the destruction and rescues his Kirschwasser hiding in the Woglinde as depicted in Xenosaga I & II and Xenosaga: The Animation. Shortly after MOMO and Ziggy escape Pleroma, Albedo shows up with this Kirschwasser, and Margulis tells him he's too late to catch MOMO. He is later seen with his Kirschwasser, once again, on Pleroma, interrupting a conversation between Margulis and his soldiers. He tells Margulis that he's going to retrieve MOMO himself, stating he'd do a better job than Margulis' "dogs". He then boards his mech, the E.S. Simeon, to leave Margulis, and calls for the first time MOMO "ma pêche" as he leaves, he frequently refers to MOMO as "ma pêche" throughout the game; this is French and translates to "my peach" since MOMO's name is peach in Japanese. He starts to slowly follow behind the Durandal, a ship owned by Jr. Incidentally, MOMO will arrive on this very ship too. While following Jr.'s group, Albedo constantly kept in touch with Margulis, and was delighted when Margulis told him that, if the need arises, Albedo was allowed to summon the Song of Nephilim, a dangerous space station that could play a song that drives the listeners insane. This would distract the Kukai Foundation and Second Miltia long enough to help him catch MOMO. Additionally, Margulis' superiors would manipulate the Galaxy Federation to both allow Albedo to summon the Song and cover up U-TIC's tracks.
When Margulis' plans fail, Albedo immediately summons the Song, and leaves the station to kidnap MOMO at the Kukai Foundation. On the way, he flies through a battlefield, where Federation A.G.W.S. units are facing off against Gnosis. In his E.S. Simeon, he destroys many A.G.W.S.s as well as Gnosis, and continues toward the Kukai Foundation. Once there, he catches MOMO and brings her back to the Song of Nephilim.
Once at the Song, Albedo intimidates MOMO, hoping for her to faint so he can easily get the Y-Data, a mysterious amount of data placed into MOMO's mind by Joachim Mizrahi, MOMO's creator. At the Song, he murders all of his Kirschwassers and tosses them in his chambers. MOMO finds him sitting comfortably on his "throne" of a beheaded kneeling naked woman statue with a sword in its neck, cradling the body of a slain Kirschwasser in his hands, before he snaps one of its arms effortlessly and tosses it aside.
As he vents to MOMO about how humanity's uselessness and powerlessness, Albedo uses a small knife to saw off his own arm (edited from the English-language version and made to look as if he rips it off), which he then regenerates. He then decapitates himself, lets his severed head taunt MOMO, and finally crushes his head underneath one foot before regenerating that as well. Albedo is greatly amused by the fact that MOMO wants Jr. to save her, but does not acknowledge that MOMO wants Ziggy's help, too. Once MOMO lost consciousness, Albedo began to absorb her mind, learning every thought and memory that MOMO ever had. He continues to assault her until he is interrupted by Jr. and his group.
Once they show up, Albedo taunts them, and finally takes part of the Y-Data from MOMO, showing him that Shion Uzuki and KOS-MOS, two members of Jr.'s team, are somehow involved with it; at this moment it appears he gains knowledge of Shion's previous incarnation identity, as well as of KOS-MOS true identity. He climbs back into his E.S. Simeon and fights the group. Once they defeat Albedo, however, he gets out of the E.S. Simeon and shoots a blue aura at Jr., who retaliates with a red one. Their fight is interrupted by Luis Virgil, the Blue Testament. Virgil insists that Albedo get his job done, and stop playing around with Jr.'s group. Albedo leaves the Song of Nephilim in his E.S. Simeon while Virgil fights Jr.'s group.
Once Jr. and MOMO's group escaped the Song of Nephilim and boarded the Durandal, they tried to destroy the Song, but were in shock when their blast deflected off of it. Albedo re-enters the scene in his E.S. Simeon, and summons Proto Merkabah, a large space station that was once home to Joachim Mizrahi and MOMO, using the knowledge he had gained from MOMO's memories. The Song of Nephilim enters a port of Proto Merkabah to help power it, and several Gnosis are absorbed to use an energy source. He uses this station to blow up the entire Galaxy Federation fleet of ships. He sets his next target to nearby planet Second Miltia. However, Jr. tells him to wait before he blows up Second Miltia, so that he can get to Albedo and finish the conflict once and for all.
Jr. and his group board Proto Merkabah and reach Albedo in the core room, and he shows the group his will, a shining power that exists within everyone. His, however, was very bright and large. Albedo reminds Jr. of what he did to his comrades during the conflict when he 'broke the link', showing a brief scene of Jr. holding his head with an aura around him that sends the standard U.R.T.V. units flying. This differs from the events stated in Episode II but it was most likely due to the change in story writer. He fights Jr. and the others personally, but he is defeated after a battle.
He reveals to the group his motive: To make Jr. pay for abandoning him and the other U.R.T.V.s fourteen years ago. He then reveals Sophie Peithos, a fusion of Proto Merkabah's core and the Gnosis absorbed by the space station. Albedo leaves Jr. to fight this massive beast, and returns to his E.S. Simeon in space. He watches from afar as the space colony plunges toward Second Miltia on a crash course, due to Sophie Peithos' defeat. He watches as the group escapes on the Elsa, and Proto Merkabah self-destructs.
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse
Although there is a sense of completion at the end of Episode I, Albedo's summoning of Proto Merkabah was to distract the galaxy from the true intentions of Ormus, the organization seemingly behind the plans of U-TIC, and test the power of Shion, Jr., and friends, though details behind these motives are not given directly. However, Albedo is clearly thinking that he is acting on his own terms, which results in the Proto Merkabah incident. Virgil is insenced at Albedo's summoning of "needless toys," however the Red Testament, Kevin Winnicot, tells him to let Albedo be for now. This is most likely so Wilhelm, the leader of the Testaments, the CEO of Vector Industries, and ex-Executive Committee Director, can gauge Albedo's power and decide exactly what he wants to do with him in the time to come. Albedo is still in the E.S. Simeon the next time he's seen, as Gaignun Kukai contacts him telepathically to find out what he's up to. Albedo taunts Gaignun, who gets angry and causes Albedo's arm to explode. Albedo regenerates it and cuts off the mental link between Gaignun and himself. Later on, on Second Miltia, MOMO undergoes maintenance by Juli Mizrahi. However, the process is interrupted when Albedo hacks into her mind and attempts to get the rest of the Y-Data. MOMO, however, starts to delete her memory to save everyone. The group dives into MOMO's mind using the Encephalon. They see a long series of Jr.'s flashbacks because Jr. was closest to MOMO, and because Albedo was now a part of MOMO, a result of him absorbing her thoughts in Episode I. Through the flashbacks, Albedo's full past is revealed. It is shown that Albedo was once very timid and weak until U-DO had corrupted him. While Jr.'s group views these flashbacks in MOMO's Encephalon, the recent, true Albedo emerges and fights Jr. Once Jr. manages to defeat him once more, MOMO appears in her own mind and demands everyone stop fighting. Albedo takes this chance to shoot a large beam at her, gathering even more of the Y-Data from her. He leaves the virtual world of the Encephalon and reawakens in the E.S. Simeon. With more of the Y-Data, Albedo and the E.S. Simeon begin to glow, and they disappear from space. Jr., back on Second Miltia, states he can feel Albedo's heartbeat fading. This action led to the opening of the path that led to Old Miltia, the planet that Joachim Mizrahi had sent to the Abyss during the Miltian Conflict. Since Albedo cannot die, he survives as nothing more than a few particles, floating around in space. Much later, Albedo returns by using his regenerative powers to bring all of his particles back together in the Ω System, a huge space fortress that was home to Ormus, along with the Zohar (the ultimate energy source) and Proto Ω, a large superweapon. Ormus'a Patriarch Sergius XVII meets up with Jr.'s group here, hoping to use Proto Ω, the Zohar inside of it, to destroy them along with whoever else stands in his way. Albedo appears at the scene, telling the Patriarch that the power of the Zohar belonged to him, and that the Patriarch has no right to it. The Patriarch calls Albedo "Yuriev's ghost" and dismisses him and Jr. as "a failed product of a twisted age" and "a lower life form" that could never understand Ormus's ideals. Albedo attempts to attack the Patriarch and Proto Ω, but is disintegrated by the superweapon's beam attack and reduced once again to particles. When Jr.'s group defeats the Patriarch, however, Albedo is brought back by the Testaments Kevin, Virgil, and Black Testament Voyager, who speed up the process of Albedo's regenerative powers. Albedo immediately absorbs more U-DO waves from the Zohar. Jr. begs Albedo to stop, claiming this was not what Albedo was born to do, but Albedo replies that this is the very moment he has been waiting for. Albedo implores Jr. to come to his world and have some fun. Using U-DO and the Zohar, Albedo transforms the entire Ω System into a space-time anomaly. During the transformation process, Albedo says his time to join the eternal chain has come, and for him to quench his thirst at the source. Albedo calls to Jr., hoping for them to settle the score. Jr. enters the space-time anomaly, hoping to put a stop to Albedo's madness as Jr. believes he is the only one who can stop Albedo. Albedo manipulates the anomaly to taunt Jr., showing him revised memories to make Jr. hate him. Albedo constantly dared Jr. to kill him because he wanted to die. He claimed that Jr. was the only one who could kill him. Despite Sakura's sacrificing herself to save him, Albedo told Jr. that he killed Sakura, hoping he would become angry enough to kill him, but his false claim was Jr. finally reaches Albedo and enters Red Dragon Mode, a powerful ability that only Jr. possesses. Albedo tells Jr. of his plans, to shove the entire universe into a higher-order domain, where everyone will be fused into one perfect existence. Albedo provokes Jr. into a fight, during which Albedo taunts Jr. mercilessly in an effort to get Jr. to land a killing blow. Jr. happily obliges and defeats his brother. Although Albedo, fused with U-DO, could have simply annihilated himself, he specifically chose Jr. to use the Red Dragon Mode to destroy him. As the Space-Time Anomaly crumbles, Albedo warns Jr. to beware Gaignun's shadow. Winged Kirschwassers arrive and take Albedo's body away. Later on, Wilhelm has a meeting with his three Testaments. During this meeting, Albedo arrives, now as the White Testament. He also possesses a redesigned E.S. Simeon. Wilhelm formally introduces the new White Testament as the "Weaver of the eternal circle of Zarathustra."
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra
A year after Albedo became a Testament, the four Testaments stand in a cave on a floating island in space known as Rennes-le-Château, near the tomb of Mary Magdalene where the Apostles stored her body. Voyager and Albedo stand in silence as Virgil mocks Kevin, and his infatuation with Shion. Albedo shows up again in Rennes-le-Château's cave, interrupting an argument between Virgil and Shion. Albedo takes a Vessel of Anima, an E.S. power core, out of Virgil's defeated E.S. Naphtali. Jr. instantly recognizes the White Testament's voice as Albedo's, and calls out to him desperately. Albedo ignores Jr.'s pleading cries as he and Virgil retreat on the E.S. Simeon. Back in Wilhelm's office, Wilhelm and Kevin discuss Yuriev. Kevin asks if he should send Albedo to retrieve Abel and the Zohar, which are both in Ω. Wilhelm responds, "He wants to go, doesn't he? It's what he's always desired." Under orders from Wilhelm and Kevin, Albedo makes his final appearance on Abel's Ark. After Jr.'s group defeats Yuriev and Ω Metempsychosis, Albedo appears and unmasks himself, revealing his identity to Jr. He takes the Zohar and Abel out of Ω and teleports them to Zarathustra on planet Michtam, where Wilhelm is waiting for them.
Noting that Yuriev, who was the only survivor of the original human link experiments to U-DO and still has portions of U-DO inside of him, Albedo instructs Jr. to start a mental link with him to destroy Yuriev. Jr. refuses to do so, knowing that Gaignun's consciousness is inside Yuriev. Albedo plans to have Gaignun's consciousness transfer into Jr.'s body, and help Jr. and Albedo destroy Yuriev.
However, Gaignun's consciousness instead enters Albedo's body, and pushes Albedo's consciousness out of his own body and into Jr.'s, believing that's what Albedo truly wanted. Gaignun, now in Albedo's body, reveals that he was created to monitor and destroy both Jr. and Albedo. Since he does not want to kill them, he feels he has no reason to exist. Gaignun sacrifices himself—and Albedo's body—to destroy Yuriev.
After that, Albedo's consciousness speaks to Jr.'s, and the two come to terms with each other as Albedo fades away into Jr.'s consciousness, once again becoming one with him. Albedo says he will go to "sleep", but promises to return eventually with the hope that he, Jr., and Gaignun will some day be able to be together again like when they were children. His final words as he goes into slumber tell Jr. that Abel and the Zohar are on Michtam. Later, Wilhelm and Kevin are presented with another Vessel of Anima, presumably Albedo's restored E.S. Simeon, and Wilhelm states "Now his wish has come true." Before Jr. goes with the others to Lost Jerusalem, MOMO asks Jr. to tell Albedo that she says hello. Jr. promises that he'll deliver the message when he wakes up, but admits that Albedo is kind of lazy, so he won't know when that will be. MOMO just laughs in response to this with a smile.
Etymology: Albedo's name references white hair and Jungian psychology. In alchemy, "albedo" symbolizes the anima/animus' development during individuation per Carl Jung's work.
