Seal of the Brothers

Seal of the Brothers (兄弟の刻印, kyōdai no kokuin) is episode 5 of the anime series The Vision of Escaflowne.

Synopsis
"'It's been a long time, Van. Ten years, isn't it?' - Folken"

While being pursued by Dilandau and his Dragonslayers, Van is forced to land Escaflowne because of poor winds. They use their stealth cloaking once they land, and Van, without Hitomi to dowse for him, cannot see them and is trapped by their claws. Dilandau punches him until he falls, and he is captured and taken aboard the Zaibach floating fortress Vione.

On the Crusade, Allen and the others. His men, of whom there are now seven left, vow that they will take revenge for what happened to their castle, but first they have to find the fortress. Hitomi believes that she can find it. Allen tells her she needs to stay out of war, but she refuses to give up, asking him to test her abilities.

Dilandau tells Folken that he has sent out search and destroy teams to find the Crusade. They walk up to Escaflowne and Dilandau proposes destroying it. Folken says he doesn't want to, not until he knows why it's so important to Zaibach's ideal future. He places his hand on the energist in Escaflowne's chest and Van is ejected from the pilot's seat. Dilandau is shocked to see that Van is the pilot of Escaflowne.

The Crusade stops so that Allen's crew can repair the sail that was broken by one of the Dragonslayers. Some of Allen's crew members watch Hitomi giving Allen a tarot reading, remarking that Allen rarely talks about his past. Hitomi finds out that Allen resents his father for his actions and blames him for what happened to his family. She is about to tell him what is on the final card in the reading, but he tells her to stop and opens the map so that she can begin dowsing for Van's location.

Van wakes up to Folken whistling a tune. He asks how he knows a Fanelian song, and lunges for his sword. Van asks to be shown to his Guymelef, but Folken refuses, and Van puts his sword to his neck, claiming he would rather die than side with Zaibach. Folken knocks his sword out of his hand, telling him never to throw his life away, and, taking off his cloak and shirt, spreads his wings, leading Van to recognize him as his older brother, Folken Fanel. Van thought Folken was killed by a dragon ten years ago while trying to carry out the Rite of Succession, and asks him why he defected to Zaibach. Folken draws Van close to him, asking him to come with him and serve Zaibach, and he passes out due to being pierced by the needle in Folken's mechanical hand.

Hitomi, with Allen and Merle's assistance, use Hitomi's dowsing powers to find out that the Vione is hiding in a valley of levistones. Hitomi passes out from the exertion. The Crusade lands next to the Vione, and Allen and his men invade the floating fortress and fight the troops. The Dragonslayers are seen splitting up to look for Dilandau. Allen fells some of the Dragonslayers and rescues Van. Back on the Crusade, Hitomi has a vision of Van getting attacked by Dilandau. She looks at the gap between the Crusade and the floating fortress, decides to jump across it, and sticks the landing.

Hitomi runs into the floating fortress to warn Van, and sees him approach Escaflowne. Van sees Folken, and calls him his brother, leading Hitomi to find out that Folken is Van's brother. Folken throws Van his sword and walks away, and Dilandau approaches, and Hitomi warns Van just in time for him to block Dilandau's attack. Van slashes at Dilandau and makes a deep cut on his cheek. Allen and his crew retreat and the Crusade flies away. Dilandau watches them leave, clutching his wound. Back on the Crusade, Van thanks the crew for saving him, and Allen explains that it was because of Hitomi that they were able to save him. Van thanks her and they head off toward Palas, the capital of Asturia.

Characters

 * Dilandau Albatou
 * Van Fanel
 * Folken Fanel
 * Hitomi Kanzaki
 * Allen Schezar
 * Merle
 * Gaddes
 * Mole Man

Trivia

 * According to the Escaflowne Compendium, the actual Fanelian name of the song Folken whistles is "Dragon Bride" ("Ryuu no Hanayome"). Its official name on the soundtrack is "Fatal."

Quotes

 * "You set yourself up as a decoy to let the others escape, I bet. I can't stand that heroic crap!" - Dilandau
 * "It was no coincidence. I can feel it! Ever since I was little, my hunches have usually been right. But now... I can't explain it, but that power's been growing stronger!" - Hitomi
 * "The Fool. A life led one's own way. Actions flying in the face of common sense. Your father's personality is shown in this card, Allen. Its shadow haunts and destroys your family." - Hitomi
 * "Never throw your life away." - Folken
 * "I always believed you hadn't run away from the Rite of Succession. That you'd died fighting the dragon. That you didn't turn your back on it and fought to the very end. But I was wrong! Why are you with Zaibach? Why did you burn Fanelia to the ground? Answer me, Brother!" - Van
 * "My best long jump is 5.4 meters... Here goes nothing!" - Hitomi
 * "I should have killed you when I had the chance! I hate your guts! I hate you! I can't stand you!" - Dilandau
 * "How... how dare you damage my beautiful face..." - Dilandau
 * "Van, someday you'll stand by my side." - Folken