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The Cold Steel saga of JRPGs — published by Nihon Falcom across the last decade — was an ambitious undertaking, given the number of individuals and events included. It needed the creator several games to mature these characters. Emma Millstein's narrative journey is developed in conjunction with the series' primary plot, but it's through the subtle change in her powers that we truly grasp the extent of her inner growth.

Note: This article includes light plot details for the main storyline of the Trails of Cold Steel series.

In The Legend of Heroes: Cold Steel, the character Emma is a typical young woman, just as the other members of Thors Military Academy’s Class VII. As the representative, she's kind to everyone and works to prevent any conflicts between her fellow students. While the character takes her student life with great dedication, she lives a double life. She is in fact a witch, a initiate of the magical Hexen family. Attending the academy is a component of her true goal of mentoring Rean, the leader figure of her class, who is destined to awaken a powerful mech.

In every Trails of Cold Steel installment, the majority of characters have at least one special technique, a unique skill that requires you to have a sufficient quantity of Craft Points to execute. These ultimate abilities are intended to be your ace in each battle. S-Crafts are also a method for the developers to illustrate the evolution the cast are going through. They can symbolize the advancement of a character’s combat prowess, for example the protagonist's S-Craft Breaking Dawn in Trails of Cold Steel IV, which he acquires after attaining the title of Divine Blade. In other cases, for instance Emma’s, Falcom utilizes special moves to express the personal growth a character experiences.

When the war in the nation of Erebonia starts in Cold Steel, the character's approach to the events is the idealistic but logical notion that fighting means engaging offensively. The struggle continues to the sequel in the series, where the two ultimate skills she possesses are Lord Albireon and Zodiac Rain. These two are offensive techniques that target all foes on the arena.

After we have the chance to encounter Emma again once more in Cold Steel 3, we witness a different character. She has completed her studies from Thors, and after honing her skills with her family, she seems to have grasped an crucial truth about her own nature. While she becomes a powerful sorceress, the character realizes that, primarily, she is a protector. She’s willing to give up her own safety to ensure all her friends — but especially Rean — safe. Her wish to take on this responsibility is subtly indicated by her S-Craft, which in the third installment changes to Eregion.

When you activate the S-Craft Eregion, the character conjures several translucent pillars of magic, and barriers appear linking them and surrounding the battlefield. The characters benefiting from this technique gain a few stacks of Absolute Reflect, a effect that negates damage of every form. Emma had not once been a combative person, so she transitions to a protective approach, echoing the nurturing demeanor she had invariably shown to her allies.

It’s intriguing to see how Falcom uses a persona's powers to enrich the series' narrative. Role-playing games frequently employ dialogue or visuals to inform players what a character is experiencing. But Emma demonstrates that right down to a ability can contribute additional depth of meaning.