Evaluating Cyran’s Magical Strength
I’m going to sound like a broken record, but in my previous posts I’ve mentioned that Cyran’s strength lies in his cunning, manipulative ways.
That said, he does use dark magic and a bunch of other secondhand tricks. I wanted to give him credit for just how hard the battle was and acknowledge that he is a tough opponent (just not the toughest).
I played through the story a second time, and it finally dawned on me that Cyran was able to burst into the palace and literally knock everyone down. Just look at the trail of soldiers and people who stood in his way. Even one of the soldiers remarks that his power was terrifying.
Luckily, Merlin also arrived at the perfect moment. Gwendolyn had already exhausted herself both physically and magically by using Omen’s Eye, and Cyran was about to push past her and shatter the barrier. Interestingly, despite her exhaustion, Gwendolyn notes (at a later time) that “the shield deflected that strike.” That wording caught my attention. Maybe she actually is closer to Cyran's level than it first appears.
Well, Aurora was her teacher….
But still, that was only one strike. If Cyran had continued relentlessly battering the barrier, he likely would have broken through. Food for thought!
Now, when Merlin enters the first battle, I noticed that if you don't play at 2x speed, Cyran starts off incredibly cocky. He taunts Merlin with lines like, “Too slow!” and later, “Has slumber made you complacent?”
Then Merlin starts turning the tide.
Until eventually Cyran blurts out, “Damn it!... Impossible!”
He severely underestimated Merlin.
I mean... you’re literally going into battle against a mage who can:
Seal and secure Hypogeans/Hypofiends like it's second nature.
Swim through tempestuous waves.
Fight pirates and a kraken.
Leap over Sandbeasts while dodging them.
Battle a dragon (or two!).
So... what has Cyran been doing, hm? There’s a huge gap between them.
Even so, now as a Hypofiend, his battle was bombastic. Whether it was quick for you or took several tries, it genuinely felt demanding. He almost dragged Merlin down into the Abyss.
So the fight wasn’t technically without resistance. Cyran and Merlin did have a perfectly legitimate duel.
And while I do think he’s strong—and I don’t want to downplay the level of mastery he's achieved—he's clearly become highly skilled at using the tools available to him, especially his “secondhand tricks” and dark magic. He’s refined those abilities to an impressive degree, even if he mainly uses them to amplify his cunning schemes.
But what fundamentally separates him from Merlin is where that power comes from.
Cyran relies on external sources—the gem, dark magic, or someone else’s magic—and has developed remarkable mastery over them.
Before anyone says, “But he sucked with Merlin’s magic!”—that's not what I mean by “mastery!”
I'm not saying Cyran mastered Merlin's magic itself. I'm talking about how he’s mastered using borrowed power to further his own schemes. Whether it’s in battle or through deception, he's exceptionally good at exploiting whatever tools he has.
Take the festival, for example. If Merlin hadn’t shown up to expose him, Cyran’s imitation of Merlin’s magic likely would have convinced the crowd.
Merlin, on the other hand, relies on none of those things. Instead, he's able to redefine pre-existing spells and elevate his own magic to the point of achieving feats and pushing boundaries that were once thought impossible.
Essentially, Cyran is using add-ons. Those add-ons make him significantly stronger, but they're still additions to his foundation—and against someone like Merlin, they can ultimately be overcome. Because Merlin has been known to push and upgrade his own foundation in magic, compared to Cyran who tried to find other means to surpass Merlin rather than focusing on his own foundation.
But to note, the court mages did help Gwyneth against the Hypofiends and corrupted soldiers. So, it’s not like Cyran has not been practicing or studying how to properly protect the royal family. He is the Chief Court Mage, after all. Someone even remarked, “We’re like a rudderless ship without Cyran.” He really did hold a lot of things toget’er.
Even so, that's where I think the gap between him and Merlin becomes apparent. Cyran may have been a invaluable asset to the kingdom. But Merlin operates on an entirely different scale—not just the kingdom or the Lightbearer empire, but a worldwide scale!
(Think of Song of Strife. Merlin turned a DESERT into an OASIS back in his day for the Maulers.)
As Eryndor said, “Merlin’s name travels farther than most.” And that is true, because that is the scale Merlin operates. Which in turn has weathered him into being a greater person and mage, while he's sealing Hypogeans and overcoming threats that most mages wouldn't even survive.
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