Albedo Piazzolla

Albedo Piazzolla is a major antagonist of the Xenosaga series and the primary antagonist of Xenosaga Episode I.

Appearance and personality
A fair skinned, white haired man who wears a black and white skin-tight combat suit with a white cape, commonly seen with his E.S. Simeon and a Kirschwasser that helps pilot it. He looks strikingly similar to Gaignun Kukai and Gaignun Kukai Jr..

Lacking any sense of morality, he works with U-TIC to achieve his goals through any means possible, no matter how inhumane or gruesome. He takes great pleasure in making others uncomfortable and will take any chance he has to mess with Jr. and MOMO. He calls MOMO 'ma belle pêche', which when translated from French is 'my beautiful peach', indicating some special fixation on her in particular. Albedo is sadistic to the point of madness.

History
The 667th variant URTV to be born at the Yuriev Institute. Because he was born with white hair, he was named Albedo, a name taken from C.G. Jung's "Psychology and Alchemy," in which "albedo" refers to the process of a substance turning white. He is a being with recuperative abilities that surpass even nanomachines in rebuilding speed, he is practically immortal to the point that even decapitation is unable to kill him, making suicide impossible. Like Jr., he is a survivor of the URTV (U-DO Retro Virus) force that was artificially created to oppose U-DO. He developed a mental instability as a result of U-DO waveform contamination during the Miltian Conflict and destroyed the URTV force to which he belonged.

He was born attached at the back of unit number 666, Rubedo. These type of twins are called conjoined twins, but conjoined twins created by artificial insemination are extremely rare. When they were separated, their abilities were shifted in opposite directions, but Rubedo and Albedo's ability to stop or accelerate cell replication are fundamentally the same. The two strongly felt like they were a part of each other's body even after they were separated. Rubedo was born with the ability to stop the cell aging process, but he was not immortal. Albedo was born with the ability to accelerate cell replication to amazing speeds; even if his head or heart were completely destroyed, it would always be regenerated. Albedo was not aware, that Rubedo and Nigredo did, of course, not share this ability. When he found out, he was greatly shocked to learn he was the only one to have an immortal existence. This special ability is activated not by control of the cells of one's own body, but by accessing the structure of the U.M.N. itself.

His U-DO contamination was the result of the collapse of that psychic bond, caused when Jr. (Rubedo) shut his mind out in fear of U-DO going out of control. Albedo consequently felt that he had been betrayed and abandoned by his other half - his own brother. His obsessive manner when dealing with Jr. was a result of the psychological shock he had received at that time. His half-mad personality was the result of U-DO contamination, but even before that incident he was unable to understand the fear of injury or death experienced by others due to his immortal condition. Perhaps as a reaction to this, he developed an acute fear of rejection and solitude, and was pathological with forming relationships with others.

After the Miltian Conflict, he was found lying unconscious under the central shaft of the Song of Nephilim by Sellers, who had attempted to escape from Miltia by forcing the Song to surface. At that time, Albedo was half-dead, presumably as a result of being hit by waveforms which had been released by Nigredo, the URTVs' failsafe and acting executioner. Once he finally recovered from the attack of his would-be executioner, Albedo turned to the U-TIC Organization and Ormus. He joined forces with Margulis and Sellers to obtain the Y-Data which Joachim Mizrahi had left, although Albedo's true objective was a complete link with U-DO (which is the only possible way of granting his desire for oblivion). Together with Margulis, he doggedly pursued MOMO, Mizrahi's final creation, in order to revive the that slept on Miltia.

His unnatural fixation on MOMO was the result not only of his desire to seize the Y-Data, but also of the relationship shared between Jr. and the girl on whom MOMO had been modeled, Sakura Mizrahi. Sakura and Jr.'s friendly behavior caused Albedo to feel lonely and excluded, eventually leading him to enviously wonder how he might interact with others in the same fashion. However, being unable to understand others' pain, and consequently unable to touch their hearts, he could only express his emotions in a twisted manner. His seemingly cruel behavior towards not only MOMO, but the Kirschwassers as well, was another warped reflection of his envious feelings towards such unity and emotional communion.

Episode I
Albedo is summoned by Margulis to come to Pleroma and provide assistance in the recovery of MOMO. Pellegri is concerned about them using him, but Margulis dismisses such claims. Albedo utilizes the Song of Nephilim, a giant structure that while remaining hidden from sight, causes a large amount of gnosis to gather in the area and attack the Kukai Foundation. During the confusion in evacuating the Foundation, Albedo kidnaps MOMO, tricking her into thinking he is Joachim Mizrahi. Albedo brings her to the Song of Nephilim where he frightens her considerably, first by killing a Kirschwasser, then by ripping off his arm and decapitating his own head. Realizing that MOMO knows Junior, Albedo becomes pleased, but also more maniacal and MOMO passes out. Junior and the others are able to reveal the location of the Song of Nephilim and enter it to take on Albedo. Albedo has been drawing information from MOMO and taunts Junior. Any ability to defeat Albedo are fruitless due to his immortality. He fights the party in his E.S. Simeon, and afterwards he and Junior continue to confront each other until MOMO is able to reduce their power. The Blue Testament appears, enabling Albedo to escape. Using the information he has drawn from MOMO and the Y data, he revives Proto Merkabah. He is unable to dive further into the Y Data due to protection that is on it. Using the Proto Merkabah, Albedo blasts away the Federation fleet. Junior and the others make their way into Proto Merkabah to stop him and confront him in the reactor room. After defeating him, Albedo departs, forcing the party to battle a gnosis. As the game ends, Albedo awaits for MOMO to link up with the U.M.N., believing his objective will be complete at that time.

Episode II
Although in far off locations from one another, Gaignun and Albedo are able to communicate with each other through their mind. Albedo says Gaignun's true form is an executioner and taunts him over hanging around Junior while waiting to carry out his mission. He claims he'll be borrowing Junior himself soon. Gaignun cuts the communication causing Albedo's arm to vanish, although he immediately regenerates it. When Helmer, Juli and the others try to access the Y-Data from MOMO on Second Miltia they realize that Albedo has laid a trap for them. MOMO cuts off her neural pathway in response to this and falls unconscious. Albedo contacts them, admitting he left a "gift" within MOMO. The party dives into the Subconscious Domain to help restore MOMO to normal and are confronted by Albedo while there. He goads Junior into getting angry and unleashing his energy. Fearing for Junior, MOMO awakens, enabling Albedo to seize what he needs from the Y-Data, the path to Old Miltia. He and his E.S. disappear. While far away Junior can sense the heartbeat of Albedo fading.

Albedo appears while the party is at the Omega System, telling Sergius that the power he wields is his and he has no right to it. He offers to help Junior in fighting him, but Sergius reacts by firing the Proto Omega's cannon at him, disintegrating his body. When the Testaments appear and kill Sergius, they also revive Albedo. Waves from U-DO enter his body, to his excitement. As he links with U-DO, the Omega System disappears, to be replaced by the Space Time Anomaly. Junior makes his way into the Space Time Anomaly where a child version of Albedo goads him further. Junior finally comes across Albedo in the flesh. Junior does battle with Albedo once again, killing him and causing the Space Time Anomaly to disappear. However it is revealed at the end of the game that Albedo has been revived once again, to become the fourth Testament.

Trivia

 * "Albedo" is the alchemical process of whitening.