History WMG / FireEmblemWarriorsThreeHopes

Arval grants Shez powers comparable to those given by the Nabatean blood, but due to the difference in their nature they do not manifest as a Crest. For this reason, Shez quickly attracts the attention of Edelgard, who does not realize these powers originate from a deity-like being, believes them to be Shez's own and that she finally found proof that there is an alternative to Crests.

In contrast to Byleth, who was explicitly conceived and born the normal way (even if their mother was some kind of an ArtificialHuman herself) and whose father is still alive at the start of the story, Shez's profile implies that they're an orphan with no known relatives, possibly having been adopted at a young age by a mercenary to be trained as one. This obviously raises a lot of questions about how and why they came to be connected to Arval and why they wield a sword that resembles a Hero Relic. Their hair and eyes are also an unusually bright shade of purple compared to the unnatural yet duller colors used for pre-fusion Byleth and most of the human cast, which stands out as much as the range of blueish-green tints sported by the Nabateans and the post-fusion Byleth. Lastly, the first trailer includes a shot from inside some kind of a liquid-filled tank in Shambhala, suggesting that Agarthan experiments will play a role in the plot. All of this points to the possibility of Shez not being a "conventional" human. Their origins will likely be a large part of the story, much like the reveal of Byleth's origins on Silver Snow explained several characters' motivations and goals.

The Agarthans used some of their technology, as well as some spare pieces they harvested from the Nabateans, in order to create their own version of Sothis - including creating a partially-synthesized Hero's Relic for Arval, which is why the Relic that Shez uses looks to be a mix of the typical Nabatean bone (for the edge and the guard) as well as Agarthan technology (for the back of the blade and the hilt). Shez, as an ArtificialHuman, was designed by the Agarthans when they learned of Rhea's attempts to implant Sothis into a human, with the potential goal being to create a PhysicalGod through fusion with Arval, and Shez becoming an UnknownRival to Byleth was a situation engineered by Agartha to pit Arval against Sothis. The end result, however, turned out to be a lot less receptive to their plans, possibly due to Arval being made from the remains of Nabateans, which are shown to still be semi-sentient after death.

Due to Heroes Relics generally made by the bones of the Nabateans, the second weapon is whiter than the usual Relic, and it's not gained until Shez awakens their powers... it's possible that the sword is one of Arval's bones.

The two already have the status of [[BadassNormal mercenary protagonists]], and each have some kind of connection to, as far as we can tell, two divine beings, Byleth's being Sothis, and Shez being Arval. But that is where the similarities start to wane, however. As everyone who has seen 'Three Houses' knows, Byleth started as TheStoic yet had a OneHundredPercentAdorationRating during the Academy Phase that ended up allowing them to recruit students from different classes and keep their loyalty during the War Phase, plus the trust of Rhea to allow them to act as a Professor in the Officer's Academy [[BrokenPedastal with the exception of Crimson Flower]]. Shez, meanwhile, has [[ItsPersonal a personal grudge with Byleth]] [[ButForMeItWasTuesday who could barely remember them]], seems more emotional at the beginning of their story, and could be given [[HateAtFirstSight Rhea's immediate distrust]] once met, signaling the potential connection to those who slither in the dark, and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes is only tolerated by the Church of Serios' authority figures as]] the ClosestThingWeGot to Byleth (with Rhea and/or Seteth [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness planning their removal as soon as the former has Byleth]]).

** Confirmed on Azur Gleam and you can recruit Beradetta beforehand to allow such a scenario.

[[WMG: Post GW Edelard will use the fact that Dimitri left Rhea against him.]]

** The timelime doesn't make sense. The tragedy was in 1176. The start of thr academy year is in 1180. You're telling me Shez only knew theit mother for 3-4 years?

Because even the game itself [[LampshadeHanging points out]] how Arval's {{Humanshifting}} ability is to Solon's, to the point where they actively guess Shez wants to ask that awkward question. Given how Shez did not know their birth parents, it's very likely they were Agarthan enemies of Thales. However, due to AmbiguousSyntax, it could be that Shez knows they have the distinct Agarthan [[EvilAlbino paleness]], but has been hiding it with makeup and/or magic ever since they were young; seeing Solon be the first other Agarthan they know of, and he's a SmugSnake infiltrator, has got to be a bit alarming.