So, What Is Arlan Hiding, Anyways?

So, what is Arlan hiding, anyways?

Judging by how stoic he is, he obviously must be hiding the wound because he doesn't want people to worry about-

Hmmmm...

Something doesn't add up here. Let's do some more digging. Looking through Arlan's voicelines and character stories turns up nothing useful- in fact, our only scrap of information about Arlan's past is hidden in Asta's second character story. It's almost like Arlan is extremely reluctant to reveal anything personal about himself, and everything we know has to come from third party sources. (Remember in his companion quest when Asta had to emotionally blackmail him in front of us to get him to admit he thought Herta was overbearing? Good times, Good times)

...so he's had this 'wound' since before he met Asta. On a related note, isn't it interesting how his right side, the side with the wound, is almost completely covered up?

You could say there's an entire side to him that's being kept closed off and hidden away from the world. How strange.

Come to think of it, doesn't Arlan's whole deal seem rather familiar? A conspicuously 'foreign' (read: dark-skinned) looking character you meet in the starting area who was absorbed into a wealthy household at a young age?

Kaeya is, of course, from Khaenri'ah, the faction whose war against the gods serves as the inciting incident for Genshin Impact's entire plot.

So, assuming the parallels are intentional, what does this mean for Arlan?

Which faction in HSR might raise a child who knows nothing except violence, for whom generosity and charity are not simply unheard of, but completely alien concepts? Which faction is frequently associated with breaking chains and liberation but also an obsession with continuing the cycle of violence through revenge?

Which Aeon is known to bestow a mark on all THEIR most loyal and dedicated servants?

What sort of power can create a wound that never heals or fades, not even years later?

I'm just saying if I had the blood of Nanook perpetually dripping from a wound on the back of my hand I'd probably want to keep it covered up, too.

Also LOOK AT HIS AETHERIUM WARS TEAM