Term

The future doesn't belong to you! For those who have not completed games in the Xenoblade Chronicles series, this page contains spoilers regarding the plot. Discretion is advised.

Terms are a plot element in Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Future Redeemed.

Overview

Terms refer to the ten years the people of Keves and Agnus live. Life begins in the first Term and ends with the tenth. Terms are tracked via marks upon one's body that show how much time is left. To have one's tenth term expire naturally and be sent off in front of one's Masked Queen as part of the Homecoming Ceremony is the highest honor for a soldier. The Term marks are all identical among the soldiers of Keves and Agnus, however each individual's term marks are located differently on their body but will remain in the same place in every reincarnation. All of the main character's term marks are in the visible part of their body, whereas term marks locations of other characters like Alexandria or Ashera are unknown.

The Term system mostly applies to Kevesi and Agnian soldiers born from a Cradle. Nopon and people born naturally will follow their natural lifespans. Although difficult, it is possible for one to be freed from their Term, and follow their natural lifespan. However, this comes at the cost of another sacrificing their own life to do so, provided that their lifespan is not limited by a Term. It is also possible for someone born naturally to voluntarily enter the "Endless Now", and being cursed with a Term limit as a result, in exchange for being reborn continuously; however this has never been shown in practice.

List of Term Mark Locations

The following is a list of known Term marks on major characters. Some Term marks only appear in concept art, and will be noted as such.

Image	Character	Term	Location
	Noah	9	Back of right hand
	Mio	10	Right side of neck
	Eunie	9	Right breast
	Taion	9	Left palm
	Lanz	9	Chin
	Sena	9	Left bicep
	Joran	2	Right shoulder
	Garvel	2	Right bicep
	Mwamba	10	Back of left palm
	Ethel	1,10	Left breast
	Valdi	6	Right shoulder
	Teach	10[1]	Left side of neck (concept art only)
	Nimue	9, 3[2]	Inner left elbow
	Isurd	10	Upper sternum
	Juniper	7	Inner right thigh
	Miyabi	9	Left side of neck
	Cammuravi	10	Right side of neck
	Fiona	5	Back of neck (concept art only)
	Crys	6	Back of left hand
	Segiri	3	Behind left fringe (concept art only)
	Nikol	10	Left shoulder
	Glimmer	10	Right shoulder

Notes

The Term marks for Zeon, Bolearis, Ashera, and Alexandria are never shown either in-game or concept art. The Term marks for Teach, Fiona, and Segiri exist in concept art, but not in-game.

Trivia

• Nikol and Glimmer were the first soldiers to be freed from the life marks and, along with Mio, are the only ones before the destruction of Z and Moebius.
• The cycle of death and rebirth experienced by the soldiers of Aionios is similar to the Hindu concept of Saṃsāra. The soldiers' primary goal of reaching their Homecoming Ceremony is similar to the act of being freed from Saṃsāra, known as Moksha or Nirvana.

Gallery

Mio looking at her Term mark