There’s a question that just won’t leave my mind.
Why do you all think did Dottore attempt to grab the Traveler specifically when Irminsul started burning? That question just won't leave my mind. On one hand, I realize this detail might be addressed in the future (or maybe forgotten completely) and, for now, we have no direct answers, but on the other, it strikes me as so odd just how "in your face" it was, but never addressed by anyone in-game even with a simple: "Oh, thanks Wanderer for not letting me burn to crisp with that lunatic!" or "Paimon, you just have no idea how close this guy was!"
Firstly, Dottore might simply have wanted to finish off the Traveler in typical "I'm taking you down with me!" fashion, the way a villain usually tries to drag the protagonist along with them to their demise, but given how much Dottore resists or tries to control fate throughout his entire existence, and the fact that the Traveler is literally unbound by it, I think that would be out of character for him? Counterproductive at the very least.
Also, if it's the "If I'm going down, I shall take you with me!" type of thing, why did he completely ignore Nahida and the Wanderer? Why the Traveler specifically and not all three of them? He clearly had something in mind.
Secondly, if he intended to use the Traveler for something, why did he stop so abruptly when his segments tried to drag him down? If Dottore had planned from the very beginning to merge the fragments of his soul, and/or burn them to completely erase Zandik’s existence (or cleanse himself with the Pyro Gnosis, as one theory suggested), then what was the point of trying to drag down the Traveler with him? And if the other segments sudden appearance was some kind of "unexpected side effect", why not attempt to take the Traveler again when he was out of his shock? He clearly had the power to do so, but he just didn't.
Thirdly, he was just so unnervingly calm doing this. Like, he didn’t try to chase after or fight, didn't say anything, didn't really make a sound (depending on the VA). But if he accepted his fate / the merging of souls / the cleansing with the flames, again, why did he do it? What's the point of trying to take the Traveler?
It’s such a odd and specific moment, it simply won’t let me rest. Any thoughts?