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Extracted from Degrees of Lewdity:

"I love you," you say. "Those are my own words. Are they proof enough?”

His face goes beetroot-red. "That's just the hypnosis talking. It's not—"

You lean forward and close the minuscule remaining distance, kissing him. His eyes widen and he lets out a tiny squeak. But he doesn't push you away. You feel the world fade away for a moment, your doubts and troubles vanishing as everything shrinks down to just the two of you. An answer finally fills your mind. He's being in front of you all along. You expected to find the bottom, but you remain adrift in an ocean. He only raises more questions, spiraling down into infinity. Visions of Gwylan snuff out any other thoughts you have.

He is everything.

He gingerly returns it, his eyes close.

He pulls away after a moment, and flicks you on the nose. "You are too much," he hoffs.

He brushes himself off and stands, helping you to your feet too.

"How rude," you say. "Say it back."

He frowns, and turns away. "I've lied to you enough already."

Hey everybody! I've been ghosting around this app while completely locked in with DoL and ever since my last post l've been going deep into the game's lore, dwelling on it to be honest, and holy shit, it is a lot. I began romancing Kylar for funsies and ended up soooo hooked trying to get revenge on Avery and the other Children of Auriga, and of course, becoming a Gwylan yearner. Safe to say I loved Mother goose and Hopeless Cycle, the insight both of them give you on the world's dynamic of corruption, the temple, Auriga’s cult, the witch (cough, cough Gwy?) an the gaoler's (um.... PC?) relationship are mind blowing to say the least. So here I present to you my thoughts of Fayne and Nona, Gwylan and PC.

Nona the witch was Gwylan's past life, in which he meets Fayne the gaoler. Nona is incarcerated by the temple and is severely injured and wounded, bandages around her head covering one of her eyes. As we go on, Fayne learns she lacks one eye, replaced by a black elk's antler, her skin showing cracks, a hole in the world where corruption can scape. This elk scar is similar to the one PC can get if they choose not to replace the wishing stones and go through the ritual for Avery, forever scarring themselves with Auriga’s mark in their chest.

Now hold it there— if you decide to go through Avery's ritual and betray Gwylan (Betraying Gwylan), PC goes back to Gwylan's Forest Shop, where a dialogue triggers them asking PC why they did it, to which PC can respond that they did it out of spite, making a hurt and angry Gwylan question PC but also telling them they’re not the only ones to have made such a terrible mistake out of hatred and spite, turning their now bare back and exposing hundreds of old scars, bitings and burns. He places a finger on PC’s heart and says they’re not the only one with an invisible scar.

This made me think of Nona (Gwylan’s past life) plotting to get back at the Children of Auriga by infiltrating them so their fall could be greater and more severe, but resulting in the exact opposite, letting the corruption of Auriga use her as a broken vessel and leaving her extremely damaged and weak, disabling her to continue to purge the corruption of the town and forest in her state. This could be Gwylan’s past terrible mistake, made out of spite. He had gotten himself elkscarred, too. His invisible scar. Just like PC, the betrayer.

As we progress through the different endings of Hopeless cycle, we learn each time repeatedly that Nona tries to use the gaoler as a getaway, pretending to feel affection for him, even at the very last moment. During the S ending, Ivory Wraith responds to the gaoler’s wishing stones thrown at the lake offering help to save the witch, stealing a part of his soul to be able to possess him during the ritual. At this point, Fayne has explicitly told Nona that he loves her, won’t leave her, will care for her, and that he gives her his heavily burdened heart to her. For this exact reason, she cannot steal his heart and possess him, allowing the gaoler to be possessed by IW instead and help her fight the monks and nuns. At last, the gaoler reiterates and states his feelings and intentions again, finally softening and warming up Nona’s heart. After everything, Fayne takes Nona in his care and together bear a child, the witch gaining a Stockholm syndrome. She finally loves him back.

Fayne, just like PC, has the ability to purge corruption. PC also has an ability (curse?) no one else seems to have: being able to be possessed by IW. This could be explained by them giving a part of their soul to save the witch as Fayne in their past life, allowing the Wraith to possess them back then, and still to this day. This adding to the fact that IW calls PC gaoler and scion, and during the mirror hallucination, asks PC to remember them.

During the scene where we finally get to have him as a LI, Gwylan says:

"Everything in my shop has a purpose, even if I don't always remember. If I stare long enough, I will, though." He's staring at you, now. "You're like that. A treasure. I want to hold you close and keep you. But that isn't love, and I can't rob you of your freedom like that. I meant it when I said that you're not ready for forever, but I was half wrong. I'm the one who's not ready for it, and I never was. You're a treasure I can't have." His hand squeezes yours. "My heart can't love anymore. Not truly. You're my treasure, but I can't love you."

The silence that passes is agonising. The sea attacks the shore like a hungry predator. You sit and listen until you hear his voice again.

"But maybe it doesn't have to be forever. Maybe we'll both hurt more if I keep being so thorny. Maybe I just need to..."

This is where the realization comes. Fayne nursed Nona back to health and took care of her until her death. Gwylan is and has been finally healthy for a long time now, has gained more experience too, and is able to handle the corruption by himself. And that’s when PC (Fayne reborn) walks in again.

The witch doesn’t need anyone to take care of him. Not anymore. He had freed the gaoler when he died. Why does the gaoler insist to come back? He had set him free, free for the gaoler to love and live, which they had not experienced before when they had taken the responsibility to care and live for the witch. And it’s for that exact reason he wants to let PC go and be free. He already hurt PC enough. He already tried to trick PC and lie to them enough.

But the gaoler, PC, in this life and the last one, wants to remain by their side.

If being in love is what it means to be bewitched, hell, PC is devotedly and hopelessly bewitched. PC’s soul remembers. Gwylan’s soul remembers.

So… yes. These are my thoughts and theory on the lore, and the reflexion that came after this scene where PC asks Gwylan to say the L word back. Also a quick disclaimer: I might be a Kylar fucker, but I am in no means a Gwylan betrayer! I stomped on Avery’s mf hand and let his sorry ass fall tf down. Satisfying.

I hope you like my take on this! not to mention i’ve been practicing so hard to learn how to render better lol.