FALLEN PRINCE THEORY
So Chapter 5 has finally been released, and it has given us a lot more insight into Ralsei. We saw him continually express his own preferences, stand up for himself when he’s put down, and overall begin to develop his own identity after ignoring it for so long. And with the introduction of Flowery, I think that we’ve gained some insight into something that will turn out very crucial to the game’s final chapters: Ralsei’s latent power.
Ralsei clearly dislikes Flowery. Every time he appears to show off and taunt the heroes, he gets visibly irritated and seems like he’s holding himself back from snapping at him. This is stated more explicitly when you choose to spy on Ralsei at Flower Castle while he’s talking to Flowery, as he tells him that if he were to get like him, that he could burn him down in an instant. And it seems that he means this quite literally, as while the Fun Gang is climbing to the top of Flower Castle, Ralsei dramatically uses his fire magic to burn away a giant shuriken that was about to strike the team.
As it turns out, the crux of Ralsei’s conflict with Flowery is that he apparently knows about the Prophecy, that he is destined to lose to the Fun Gang, and that there are certain rules he must play by. Yet despite that, he claims that such rules are meant to be broken, acting with an immense confidence that Ralsei perceives as foolish arrogance. Despite this, Flowery truly does mean well, and he tells Ralsei that he’s only trying to get him to realize that he could be happy if he simply chooses to do what he wants. However, Ralsei insists that he cannot, and that if he stops playing by the rules, everything will fall apart.
With all the emphasis Ralsei puts on following the rules, it really does make it sound like him losing control of his powers is a key part of the Final Prophecy that he wishes so desperately to avert. And when one looks back on the ending of Chapter 4 with this notion in mind, a lot of things start to fall into place:
Why was Ralsei apologizing so insistently when Susie saw the Prophecy? Because she just saw that he, one of her closest friends, is fated to do something horrible, and she will be forced to stop him.
Why does Ralsei immediately wonder to Kris about how Susie is such a nice person and can be so kind? Because she just learned he’s a threat to everything, and still chooses to be his friend anyway.
Why did Susie find the Prophecy so absurd? Because up to that point Ralsei had been shown to be extremely kind and selfless. A nice kid like him putting the world in danger? It sounds ridiculous.
Why does Susie believe that Ralsei obviously wouldn’t let it happen? Because she believes him to have more than enough restraint to keep himself from hurting people.
Why did Ralsei think that the Prophecy could be averted just by being nice to people? Because it would allow him to continually distance himself from violence as much as possible.
Even the rhyming scheme of the Final Prophecy could align with this. For instance, something like “THE FALLEN PRINCE THE GIRL MUST SLAY” would fit with the pattern.
So, how exactly might Ralsei bring this level of destruction about? After all, he is but a single Darkner. Well, that brings us back to the Dark Truth from Chapter 2. During this sequence, there is a suspiciously prominent Titan placed in the center. Unlike the others which have thinner bodies with spikey horns, this one has a broader frame with thicker horns, not unlike a boss monster. And it just so happens that Ralsei is a being of darkness who unusually resembles one.
If Ralsei is fated to become a powerful Titan once the Roaring begins, then that would explain why he’s so afraid of using his fire magic, and how it could lead to a situation that could put the entire world in jeopardy. It would explain why during the Dark Truth, the land is seemingly depicted as being bathed in flames. And it would also account for the design of Ralsei’s fire magic, as the fireballs it generates appear to be colored versions of the small Titan spawn bullets which appear throughout the Dark Sanctuaries.
To top this off, there is a unique face sprite that Ralsei uses whenever he is in extreme distress. It is only used in six specific scenes througout the entire game so far:
When the Knight is about to create another Fountain in the Third Sanctuary that summons a Titan
When Susie is about to see and has seen the Final Prophecy
When he tells Flowery that he knows what will happen if there’s too many Fountains
When he tells Flowery why he can’t stop playing by the rules
When the Knight has created another Fountain in Flower Kingdom
When Flowery gets fatally wounded by the Knight
If these are the only times when Ralsei expresses such fear, then it would only make sense if they were somehow linked. And if Ralsei were destined by the Final Prophecy to turn into a Titan and stop playing by the rules once the Knight makes too many Fountains, it would be a perfect way of doing so.
So how might this play out going forward into Chapters 6 & 7?
Well, at the start of Chapter 5 Noelle has to leave the Festival early after Carol calls to inform her of Rudy’s worsening condition. It eventually ends with Susie telling Kris that they can no longer keep the Dark World a secret, and that they need to tell Noelle so they can get her help with finally acquiring the code in the guitar. This would seem to imply that the Dark World of Chapter 6 will be located in Holiday Manor.
Such a Dark World would almost certainly consist of snowy areas and similarly icy Darkners. Given Noelle’s love of the Dragon Blazers series and the fact that it is indirectly based off of the Prophecy, it could even take the form of the Ice Palace Noelle mentions in her copy of Dragon Blazers III and that we get a glimpse at in Chapter 3’s Sword Route. In such a place, Ralsei would be a force to be reckoned with. With him becoming increasingly assertive and impatient, he could end up using his fire magic in a way that proves fatal. Horrified by his own actions and seeing it as a sign of his coming fall, Ralsei may isolate himself from the Fun Gang, aligning with the mage leaving the party in Dragon Blazers III.
With the central conflict involving the Knight and Carol surely coming to a head, it is very likely that the Roaring could be initiated by the end of the chapter in one way or another. After playing both sides for so long, Kris may end up siding with the Ice Queen and her Roaring Knight, believing their promise to be more important than their new friendships. With the Fountains running wild and his body overcome by excess darkness, Ralsei will shift into his Titan form. With the other Titans by his side, they will be capable of bringing destruction to the entire world. Though she had initially tried to brush it off, Susie will be forced to see the Final Prophecy begin to come true before her very eyes.
The Prophecy comes with a built-in solution to this problem. To restore the balance of light and dark and save the worlds, Ralsei must be sealed away. But Susie, being the stubborn friend that she is, will not be able to go through with that. She will not resign herself to the narrative forced upon all of them. So what is she to do? Well, if she has a problem with the story, then she’ll have to take it up with the author. With all three codes acquired and the SOUL lighting her way, Susie will be able to enter the Shelter. She will take a peek behind the curtain to see the Man behind it all. If she wishes to succeed in Chapter 7, it will require her to put Gerson’s words into practice, and use her white pen to write a new ending for everyone that she cares about.
