I just finished watching episodes 10 to 12 of Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam, and wow, this batch was absolutely packed with developments. The biggest revelation was the flashback set ten years before the current story. We finally see the former empress of the Ades Federation together with a very young Millia and Liliana.

The empress was attending a celebration marking the end of the war, trying in her own way to build a future where the different nations could coexist peacefully. At the same time, Fam and Giselle were also present at the event, waiting to watch the grand race their parents were taking part in.

Unfortunately, everything collapsed the moment the race ended. A group of assassins stormed the celebration grounds to kill the empress, and they succeeded because she used her body to shield Liliana. This deeply traumatized Luscinia, and it is clear that this event shaped his current ruthless ideology.

It's not like I don't understand the assassins point of view either, because turns out their families were killed in the war lead by the Empress in the attempt to unify the various countries. Hate begets hate after all and it's a spiral at this point.

I still cannot understand how Luscinia believes that annihilating every other country will bring about the peaceful world the empress wanted. Wiping out all other nations does not eliminate conflict, it simply guarantees that conflict will eventually grow within the single nation that remains. His logic feels completely detached from what the empress stood for.

Either way, I cannot see Luscinia surviving the series. He has far too much blood on his hands, and there is no believable path for redemption. Whether he goes down in battle or by the hand of someone close to him, it feels inevitable. It also seems likely that the story will keep him as the central antagonist for quite a while, since no other major threat has been introduced yet.

The flashback also gives us a small but meaningful moment showing Fam and Millia interacting when they were children. That was apparently their true first meeting. I am curious whether either of them remembers it clearly. Fam clearly still has nightmares about that day, but I am not sure if she has connected Millia to the little girl she saw back then. 

We also get a few shots featuring Alvis from the original series. She is older now, looking a bit more mature while still retaining her shy and easily startled personality. It seems she and her companions were chased out of their homeland by Ades assassins as well, so things are not going well there either. I would not be surprised if Claus and Lavie show up soon, considering how the danger is spreading.

There was also some focus on Dyan, the vanship pilot from Glacies, who appears to be an important figure as the Ades Federation shifts its attention toward Glacies next. She is an interesting character and I can see her becoming a key ally for Fam and Millia in their attempts to prevent further conflict. 

Now Fam has to rush back and warn Glacies about the decoy fleet before the situation turns into another Turan disaster. I am not sure what they can do if Ades decides to drop another Exile attack, but I guess we will find out soon. Will Glacies manage to hold the line, or is another tragedy incoming?

Either way, I am really excited to keep watching. The story is gaining a lot of momentum, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.