Alvis

Alvis (, Alviss) is a guest character in Xenoblade Chronicles.

Appearance and personality
Alvis is an average-looking Homs with silver hair and eyes. He wears a white shirt, an indigo coat, indigo pants, white boots, and a necklace with a gold key. In the Definitive Edition, this key is replaced with a red crystal in a similar shape as an Aegis Core Crystal.

Alvis is a mysterious character. He is seen many times speaking of things he should logically not know in the presence of those he has no reason to be with, and his voice appears at times when there is no way for him to be present. He seems to be most interested in Shulk, with whom he shares a limited ability to glimpse the future.

Story arc
As Shulk and Reyn travel through Tephra Cave to begin their journey of revenge against the Mechon, Shulk has a strange dream one night. It is short, but a concealed stranger tells Shulk that if he truly wishes to change the future, he must find the true Monado. Afterward, Shulk wonders if this was really a dream, as the stranger's voice comes to him in other moments over the next while. Unseen to Shulk, the stranger is seen as the handler of the Telethia that breaks up the unfinished battle at Colony 6, and upon hearing the beast's report, knows there is much to be done.

Alvis is first properly introduced in Makna Forest, as Shulk is collecting ether crystals. Shulk vaugely recognizes Alvis as the person from his dream, but Telethia then attack. Shulk is unable to deal with the creatures' telepathy, which prompts Alvis to take the Monado himself and "manually" teach Shulk how to use Monado Purge. After the battle, Shulk demands to know how Alvis can use the Monado without trouble, which Alvis ignores in favour of talking about how the primary Telethia is still at large and other deep thoughts about the Monado. Before Shulk can get anything practically useful out of him, Reyn appears to wonder what's taking so long. Shulk tries to introduce Alvis, but he has vanished, gone to a distant island in the lake that no man could have reached in the given time. The rest of the party is somewhat disbelieving that this Alvis ever existed.

As the party reaches Alcamoth on their quest, they come upon Alvis again, this time in his official capacity as the divine seer of the imperial family. Alvis tells them that they have been arrested just because the High Entia fear the Monado, and immediately orders their release. He then declines Shulk's further questions and leaves, taking Shulk's account of the Telethia in Makna Forest to the imperial family. The royals debate what this could mean, as Alvis reveals new details about what he sees - and cannot see - about the Monado, Shulk, and Princess Melia. It is decided that Melia will face the Trial of the Tomb to hasten her succession. As the decision is made, it seems that Alvis can hear the thoughts of First Consort Yumea, hoping Melia will fail and die.

Alvis next appears after the party has fought off assassins in the Whitewing Palace, saying he foresaw the danger but didn't arrive in time to help. Prince Kallian is close behind, and the ensuing conversation ends with the party deciding to act on Shulk's vision of Melia being in trouble. Alvis leads the party to the High Entia Tomb. Before entering, he explains to Shulk that he is of a long line of seers, and requires a ritual for him to see the future; he follows by saying that Shulk's power of getting unexpected visions is thus greather than his own. The party enter the tomb, and despite Reyn causing trouble, Alvis successfully guides them to help Melia.

The game then shows a flashback to one month prior. Alvis is showing a vision to Emperor Sorean, who sees himself performing a ritual on Prison Island and being killed by Mechon as a result. Alvis says that they have ample time to decide whether to change this future, which Sorean considers. Back in the present, while Melia is being celebrated by the public, Alvis is approached by Minister of Research Lorithia. They speak with vaugeness, though it seems that they are working together to achieve the dream of another.

The Mechon then attack Alcamoth. Shulk has a vision of Sorean dying, so the party rush to meet him, but he has already gone. Alvis tells them that he knows what will happen to him and what he must do before them, but Dunban declares that they're going to try and help anyway. Everything proceeds as foreseen: Sorean opens Prison Island to reveal the Giant Zanza and uses his power to attack the Mechon, before both are killed by Metal Face. In the aftermath as all others have left, Alvis is seen speaking with the dead Zanza, the latter implying that the worst is coming.

The party's next goal will take them through Valak Mountain. Alvis joins them again as a guide, as he knows the region well. As they go down the frigid arm, Alvis takes them on a short detour to the Sealed Tower. There, he explains to Shulk that this is where the High Entia sealed the Monado, and where Shulk was found with it fourteen years ago. Alvis also says that he was granted his seer powers by touching the Monado, and talks about the philosophy of ether and the future, and how the Monado and its user can disrupt and even stand otuside these things. Once the party exits the mountain and reaches the beginning of Sword Valley, they come upon a supply convoy that Alvis has previously arranged, and once they are restocked, Alvis takes it back to Alcamoth. There, he meets with Lorithia on how to counteract the technology of the ether spear used to kill Zanza, while also discussing Dickson and an unstated "him".

When Jade Face attacks the party between Mechonis Field and Central Factory, Shulk find himself unconscious for a time, and comes to find Alvis's voice in his mind. Alvis says several mysterious things and re-iterates about the need to find the true Monado if Shulk truly wishes to change the future.

Alvis accompanies Kallian as the allied force attacks Mechonis. But while he has no vision about it, he has a feeing that something is wrong, as the Mechon appear to have given up on the fight very easily. He then suddenly decides to leave so he can aid Shulk, which Kallian does not approve of but allows. Alvis leaves Kallian with a last piece of advice, which Kallian successfully uses to call for an early retreat once the Mechonis begins to awaken and render Sword Valley untraversable. Alvis has gone to Miqol and gotten him to take Junks to save the party from falling from Agniratha. From there, he follows them as they return to Mechonis Core to confront Egil. As the party goes ahead, Alvis talks shortly with Dickson, and they appear to be after the same unknown thing.

Shulk stops Egil, but Dickson shoots him and releases the soul of Zanza from his body. Shulk's mind is left wandering in space, convinced that everything went the way Zanza had planned, and so everything he did was pointless. Alvis appears in the emptiness, questioning Shulk's depression and forcing him to consider why Zanza is trying to kill them if he were truly invincible. At the same time, Alvis is attacking the rest of the party's motives in the real world, testing how strong their resolve to resist Zanza is. When Dickson and a mob of Telethia attack Colony 6, and Shulk has awoken to join the fight, Alvis leaves the party to join Dickson's side. Most of the party is upset about this, but Shulk knows there is something larger afoot, and has no trouble taking down Alvis's unique pet Telethia. Alvis then leaves with Dickson.

After the party has fought through all of Zanza's disciples, they reach Memory Space. Alvis's voice comes to Shulk, saying he is waiting for Shulk's choice of whether this world belongs to him or Zanza. The party then meets and fights Zanza. During the fight, Shulk comes to wield the Monado III - his own, true Monado. With its power, Zanza is humbled, and Alvis asks for Shulk's choice. Shulk destroys Zanza, and in a flash of light finds himself in space again. Alvis, now in the form of a green spark of light, explains the truth as the scene plays out in front of them. A man known as Klaus destroyed the universe and created a new one, in which he became Zanza. A lonely god, he created life, but had to also create an endless cycle of destruction and recreation to ensure his own survival. Alvis himself is the computer of the space station used for the experiment that caused the universe's destruction. He then gives Shulk the next choice - should the world stagnate, or evolve to the next level? Shulk does not want this responsibility, and chooses to create a world without gods by discarding his Monado, and Alvis does so.

As a guest party member
Alvis joins with Shulk in battle against the Telethia in Makna Forest. He is only present so Shulk does not have to fight alone, and also ensures that the battle cannot become unwinnable if Shulk runs out of talent gauge at a bad time.