Dance magic dance!

Okay, so, to start - we end up (once more) at the boarder of the N109 Zone, but in an area we don't know. Not only that, but a dead zone that Sylus has created a while ago.

And when he shows up, he's in FULL BOSSMAN MODE, and I'm here for it. I feel like we haven't gotten enough of this side of him.

We also get him training us again, which I have always found interesting. I think that whatever happened in that interstellar arena have scarred Sylus in a way he will always be a bit fearful we will be alone and be taken away again. He's always trying to prevent that.

I also think that Sylus, at some point, trained us at the arena. He never hesitates when teaching or using things as a practical lesson. Even when we first re-meet him in the main story. (More on this a bit later, too.)

MC also properly surprises him with tricking him in revealing himself. This just feels like something to note.

However...this line

This line - this line gives me pause. Because up until now he has been very direct with MC and those around him. So, are we actually being lied to at all? (Personally, I still don't think so. But I think he might be lying to others.)

Later, he also says

Which (to me) fits what we know about him thus far.

Moving on! Something I did get excited for, though, was that we were getting to see more of 'Before', which was briefly hinted at in the church during the __ (Wedding card).

He agrees to show MC these places, but even he admits there's too many to cover in two weeks. This man was b u s y.

MC says "I'm not greedy. We'll go as far as two weeks allow."

And Sylus doesn't correct her. This is odd. Every time, up until now, he has encouraged MC's greed in whatever way it appears. He loves spending as much time with her as possible. So why doesn't he correct her here?

Now, we only see five proper places - the auto shop (which confirms what many of us speculated about his newest chapters), the road he loses people on, the field, the greenhouse, and the festival - and those are still just glimpses. There's not much detail given outside of the auto shop.

And the auto shop was interestingggggggggg. Sylus is clearly comfortable around Hank. I can't help but wonder if Hank sort of took Sylus in a little. That line about noticing that Sylus' bike had been tampered with, so he stopped the race between the two of them was...interesting.

It may be there to also humanize those in the N109 Zone, too. I think most think of the entire area as villains.

But then, of course, Hank hands over a pannier (a bag for a motorcycle - I had to look it up lol) filled with a month's worth of supplies. Odd for a man traveling for only two weeks.

The music changed, too, which I found interesting.

And I know what you're thinking - Kaits! Later he pulls out heating pads and instant hot drinks for he and MC to share in the greenhouse!

Correct. He pulls out specific things for her to see. He doesn't show her the rest of it. I just gave you part of the truth.

We then never bring it up again. Odd.

Now...the conversation in the Greenhouse.

I done did about lost my mind.

"...the night is more pure this time around." "...It's pure because we're the only ones here."

This is one of those lines that sounds cute but feels like there's a deeper message there.

And then this little exchange:

"It's natural to be afraid of the dark. Overcoming that instinct is difficult."

"What about you? you were never scared even when your back faced the dark?" (Odd phrasing...usually it's back faced the wall...)

"The darkness of the N109 Zone isn't something to be afraid of."

He's dodging again. We know this because he got oddly specific. The darkness of the N109 Zone isn't something to fear. But something in the dark is. Another type of dark is.

But what kind of dark has he faced that made him afraid?

MC specifically asks about the area at this point, and it's brushed off with a comment on how he learned to pass time in the dark.

Not that he wasn't afraid. That he learned how to cope with being in it.

Off we go to the little foggy bog, and we have another interesting conversation:

Now, we know that Sylus and MC were in this arena together long enough to know each other...and many of us seemed to translate what he had said originally as they were partners during that time as well...

But, Sylus never had a chance to work on teamwork. MC implies she's also used to working on her own.

And then that line "Someone once told me...When you're forced to turn your back to the dark, you need someone you can truly trust."

I think this is a nod back to the arena days.

Then we get to the festival (where the loose connection to the rest of the story is that it doubles as a place for small deals, which I have no doubt it does, but I just found it silly.)

And these two nerds 🤣🤣 they stay the whole festival, and then EVERYONE LEAVES AND THEY DO THIS ALONE! I find that too funny. This man goes that hard for just MC. I love him. 🤣

"Besides, I have a new priority now. I need to make you happy."

Then we get our dancey-dance and our smooches (bless those making Illuso edits - may both sides of your pillows be cool).

I really don't have too much to add here, as I have already pointed out what I've noticed with the dance here.

The backstage makes me so happy, though, because there's no longer this hesitation we see with Nightly Rendezvous (our consent king). He knows he's wanted just as much as he wants her.

Although that aether core flaring up still has me suspicious...

Then, as all must, the night comes to an end and the sun rises. Sylus brings MC out to this field where they watch a satellite cross.

We get this again - because this man is trying his absolute darndest to get us to move in with him.

But it was this that made me pause again:

He's willing to drop everything for her. Which, as we know, he's said a million times. This has always been for her.

Okay, but the satellite though. Sylus just causally mentions that he and Onychinus are just causally being tracked by the satellite passing through. And then we get this weird series of moments.

Yeah, Kaits, everyone wants to take him down. So what?

It's a military satellite. So who is actually chasing down Sylus? The story chapters and the new World Underneath tell us that Astra clearly is, Ever clearly is, and who do we know connected with the military that also happens to know that MC was in the N109 Zone?

Odd how all that lines up...ain't it?

And, again, we just casually move on.

Until we hit another just 'casually thrown in there line'... Pray tell, Sylus, what goals might those be for a man who's aether core also contains the power to destroy worlds?

There's also a lot of talk throughout the whole card about MC getting used to the dark, and how they're becoming more alike. To me, this card feels like MC finally willing to fully admit to herself how similar they are and what she actually feels.

This moment made me squeal. It's adorable and comfy and homey and aklsdjf;aklsjdf. We finally got there, y'all.

This was the cutest way to end the card, and I did love it.

So...yeah, I'm pretty sure we have more questions than answers...still... but it does keep me wondering what the third myth will be about. Will it be the arena, and if so, how does that line up with MC being a child when she finally gets to earth.

If it doesn't end up being the arena, when will we get answers about it?

We have official confirmation that Sylus' Evol is powerful enough to destroy planets (the very same has been said by Sylus himself about the core in his eye. Man is powerful as hell). This of course tallies well with the planet conqueror that we know him to be, but also raises some questions.

If Sylus' Evol is as powerful as that, then how did they catch and imprison him in Tartarus at all? My guess is that Sylus might've allowed himself to be captured for some ploy or other (after all, escaping the place seemed easy peasy enough for him). Or perhaps the fact of it being a space-time prison somehow affected his powers and made biding for the right moment to escape necessary? Maybe Tartarus is when the "tethers/schackles" on his powers were put in place?

Questions questions...

And then there is his takeover of the N109 zone too. We know that that was a slow process, around 2 years. But how come? With an evol powerful enough to conquer whole-ass planets, a singular zone should be a cinch done in like an afternoon at most, no? Why two years?

My best guess for this would be that Sylus deliberately chose the approach of playing a strategic waiting game. He does enjoy chess and the like, after all, as well as a challenge. He did this partly for his own enjoyment, I suspect. And maybe to build up the right contacts and alliances. I go a bit further into my takeover theory in the link I provided so I won't repeat myself all over. But suffice it here to say that the fact that Sylus does have God-like powers yet chooses not to wield them tyranically says a lot.

Another thing that WU confirms is this

Yes, Sylus is canonically ass with the claw machine. It's not just RNG but legit skill issue on his part.

So on one hand, the mighty powers of a God. On the other, shitty claw machine skills.

Balanced, as all things in life ought to be 😌

No but to be serious for a moment and to tie it back to what I wrote above about Sylus' powers – isn't the fact that he uses his Evol for something as mundane as cheating to get plushies from the claw machine more proof of who he is as a person? Remember, these powers are all destructive. With a snap of his fingers Sylus can turn a grown man into nothing but tiny particles drifting in the wind.

Sylus' powers most likely were made to devastate. And don't get me wrong, he will do exactly that if he has to. But he also uses them to gently levitate little plushies or to change the colors of a flower crown. Or (together with MC) make flowers (ie new life) bloom and thrive.

It says a lot both of Sylus' dual nature, but also of his control. Too much accidental force when using his evol and a city might go kaboom. Same goes for if he should lose control over his emotions or let his core (which, like MC's, has a mind of its own) take over. Game over, basically.

So in the same way as agency is a major theme of Sylus' character, so is control.

The final thing I'd like to yap about as regards the WU story is that I love the way the scene where Sylus tosses the token at Myer reinforces two things

1. Sylus hates being interrupted when he's with his wife

2. Sylus' aura is unparalleled. He doesn't need to say a single word, merely toss a token, and yet his message and the power he wields is crystal fucking clear.

Flawlessly done. Will live on in my mind as a story I will tell my imaginary grandkids of effortless badassery and powerful storytelling.

All in all, this little WU story was intriguing, thought provoking, and most of all stinking cute. Love seeing Sylus the loverboy in action. And seeing a date of his and MC's from another's perspective was a treat!

(Okay I want to note one more thing actually because I am a liar and can't help myself from yapping. But this really is the final and then I'll shut up promise)

Do you guys see what I see?

Oh look, a white feather with a shadow...

I wonder what that could mean? 🤔🤔🤔😉

Ok, so ever since I watched/read the Wedding Story, The Wedding Banner Event Story and Beyond Cloudfall again I realized that there are some connections with the gems related to Sylus.

So, I went searching for other rare gems that could be used in wedding rings because I personally didn't like how the wedding rings for the LI's were just silver rings with a little design and Diamonds on it. I'm autistic and one of my special interests is Chemistry, so I know that Diamonds are just allotropes of Carbon and so is Graphite (yes the lead inside of pencils). Diamonds are also used in drill bits for construction and other stuff, so it's fairly COMMON.

This post was initially going to be about each of the LI's rings and what I wished the gems could be like, but Sylus is my main and I know more about his storyline than the others so I searched for his gemstone first. I found out that the rarest gemstone in the world (irl) is called Painite (remember this for later) and it's this beautiful redish-brown gemstone that oddly reminds me of Sylus' eyes...

Anyways, when I first saw this gem (Painite) I immediately saw how it looked like the gem that was imbedded in Sylus' chest in his dragon myth, so I did a little micro-analyzing.... If you take into consideration what Sylus said about the Nyxfosite in the wedding event story, you can make the correlation to the gem imbedded in his chest in his dragon form. Nyxfosite requires years of infusing energy into a gemstone for it to turn into well Nyxfosite, and Sylus was sealed by the Fiend Reaper (MC's Weapon) for over 1,000 years which is probably more than enough time to infuse something with a huge amount of energy. This means that the gem in his chest was in fact, Nyxfosite.

Nyxfosite and Painite, also look very similar. They are the same red color and, get this, are extremely rare. In 2004, there was only 2 pieces of Painite ever cut into gemstones for decades, and in 2001 there was only 3 pieces ever found. Nyxfosite takes years to even form, so they are very similar in that regard.

In the Wedding Event Story, Sylus also tells MC about how the energy required to form Nyxfosite comes from creatures called 'fosenos'. I have my own theory on how the fosenos are actually mini dragons or descendants from dragons, but I'll leave that for another time...

BUT if they are descendants from dragons or even mini dragons themselves, then that means that Sylus was actually referencing himself and along with the creatures. Notice the distinct difference in his words also. He says that the creatures name can be translated into the word 'fosenos'. He didn't say it's actual name. I translated the word and found out that it's actually a Spanish word that means 'to dig a ditch around' or ' to trench around'. If you think about it then that could also be referencing where Sylus was sealed for those 1,000 years.... I didn't want to make all kind of assumptions, so I left that theory alone.

Remember how Sylus' actual name is Stayrus in the dragon myth? The word 'fosenos' could also be from the same language that Sylus' original name came from. That can also mean that the word 'fosenos' can be the word 'fiend' or 'fiends', which is what everyone referred to Sylus as in Beyond Cloudfall.

Wow, I am getting off track...my bad yall lol

In my research, I found out that Painite is made of calcium, zirconium (remember this for later), aluminum, and boron within metamorphic rocks. These elements rarely interact naturally in nature and that's why Painite is so rare to find.

If you look at the above pictures of Painite and the Nyxfosite in Sylus' chest, they basically look exactly the same. I know that Infold's writing team always have a bigger meaning behind things that they write for the LI's, so naturally I did more digging...

After reaching Affinity Level 100 with the LI's, they never take their rings off, even when changing outfits it stays on. It's a universal thing so what I'm about to say next might be a little bit of a stretch, but I think the matching rings that Sylus and MC have are actually connected to Nyxfosite.

At this point, it should be kind of obvious that Painite and Nyxfosite are the same gemstone (minus the evol lol) and knowing that, they should also be made of the same things, right?

Remember earlier when I mentioned what makes up Painite and what makes it so rare to find? Zirconium and other elements.

When changing Sylus' outfit one day I came upon this thing Sylus said regarding the gemstone in his and MC's rings. He mentioned that the rings that they had on was made of black zircon and it represents safety and strength, and he feels safe whenever he wears the ring because he remembers that MC is there for him (if I can get a screenshot of that then I'll put it somewhere in this post). I looked up black zircon but instead got black zirconium which is also called 'black zircon'.

Now that you put two and two together you realize that if their rings are made of black zirconium, and zirconium is what's used to make Painite, which is really rare, and Nyxfosite is like the Love and Deepspace version for Painite... and it takes a long time for Nyxfosite to become what it is because it requires years of constantly infusing a gem with energy to form....

Sylus got them promise rings made of Black Zirconium so he can, over time, infuse it with energy by using his evol and make it turn into Painite/Nyxfosite that is coincidentally the same gem that was imbedded into his chest in Beyond Cloudfall.

Painite in and of itself is made up of hexagonal crystals and is hexagonal in shape, so it wouldn't be too far fetched to say that the gems in their rings are supposed to be made into Nyxfosite/Painite over time. The gem on the Affinity 100 rings aren't shaped like your average gem used in rings that signify romantic relationships, they're rectangular. Painite is known to be one of the hardest gems with a hardness of 8.0 on the Mohs hardness scale which makes it really hard to cut. Not saying that it can't be cut but it would theoretically be really hard to get it into those little diamond shape gems used in wedding rings, and that's why their gems are rectangular in shape and also really bulky.

The gem used in the rings also look suspiciously like the polished version of Painite used in one of my previous pictures... Oh, I might be really onto something here guys...

In a way this could be Sylus reminding MC of their past again and/or this could also be Sylus telling MC that she is the only one who has the power to destroy him by giving her the very gem that originated from his wound that's around where his heart is which can also symbolize how she has his heart in between her fingertips (literally).

OMG I MADE MYSELF CRY HELP...

references:

Sylus Affinity Level 100 Rings

Painite

Painite: But It's The Chemical Stuff

A Caltech Study On Painite

A Reddit Post On Painite

Another Random Reddit Post That Reminded Me Of Sylus and MC

A Caltech Study On Zircon

and

Love and Deepspace Itself (shocker...)

Beyond Cloudfall

Sylus Interaction Voicelines

"Witnessed By Deepspace" Event Story: Sylus

there is WAY more but i don't think you guys wanna follow the rabbit hole that was my discovery of painite, zirconium, nyxfosite and other stuff that's mentioned in this post...

a/n: wow that was alot, wasn't it? i hope you enjoyed my theory (and that's just a theory, a game theory) and i hope you enjoy the rest of your day. hopefully, my little yap was enough to get your mind racing about other things regarding sylus andddd i wish you well on your pulls for Sylus' Myth Rerun (if you're pulling ofc). he WILL come home in 10 pulls and you will r3 in 30 pulls! consider following me if you liked this theory. byee!!!!

Sylus’s smirk curled the corner of his mouth as he opened the small trunk on the car which was packed with guns and ammo. “You sure it won’t ruin your delicate Enforcer sensibilities?”

She grabbed a pistol and started loading it. “I think I’ll manage.”

Sylus reached into the back of the car and plucked out a pair of combat boots in her size, holding them up for her. “You drive.”

Not long after, they were racing through the streets. She kept her foot firmly on the gas, her hands on the wheel and gearshift precise. Sylus, once again dressed in his leather Praedator outfit, watched the mirrors to gauge their pursuers.

“Keep going,” Sylus said, as he opened the window and leaned out.

“But you—”

“I can keep steady, just keep driving. Don’t hold back.”

That was all she needed to hear, letting Sylus’s training take over as she slammed her foot into the gas, shifted the car and grabbed the hand break as she expertly sent them around the corner.

Sylus shot, hitting the lead car’s tires, which forced the next two in pursuit to swerve in order to not run into it.

She effortlessly tossed him another gun so he wouldn’t have to reload.

“I’ll lead them down to the river,” she said.

Sylus nodded, taking several more shots to keep them on their toes before he handed the pistol back to her and reached under the seat for a rifle he had stowed there. “Time for the main event.”

He stretched up, opening the sunroof.

“Keep her steady,” he instructed, bracing his knee on the seat and pulling out a rifle, steadying it against his shoulder as she kept the car fixed on its path down the long stretch of road, adrenaline pounding in her veins.

Before Sylus could take a shot, however, she caught sight of one of their pursuers barreling toward them from a side street.

“Sylus, hold on!” she shouted as she swerved to avoid collision.

Sylus grunted as he was thrown against the roof of the car. But though the other car hadn’t crashed into them, one of their pursuers had tossed something out the window.

It hit the side of the car and exploded into smoke, briefly blinding her as it coated the windshield.

But that was the least of their worries as she caught the familiar scent.

Frenzy enhancer…

“Sylus!” she cried, hearing him cough, growling.

The gun fired and the pursuing car skidded away, crashing into a power pole and flipping over.

She scrambled for her purse where she had some suppressants, but Sylus was already crawling out of the sunroof.

“What are you doing?” she demanded.

“Keep going, I’ll be back.”

She felt his boots hit the roof before he leapt off. She glanced at him in the rearview mirror as he stood in the center of the road and lowered his rifle at the oncoming cars.

She made her decision, perfecting another hand break turn in an empty intersection and circling back toward Sylus just as he took out one of the other cars.

She picked up the gun from her lap and leaned out the window shooting through the windshield of the other one. It swerved and the two crashed together.

She could see just one more car in the distance and skidded to a halt beside Sylus. “Get in.”

He wrenched the door open and climbed into the seat as she sped on her way toward the river.

Sylus’s breathing was labored, the glint of frenzy in his eyes.

“How bad?” she asked.

“Didn’t breathe a lot of it,” he gritted out, hands clenched around his gun.

She glanced behind them and made sure the car was still following closely. “You ready to end this?”

Sylus re-loaded his gun and grinned wildly. “Hell, sweetie, you know how to show me a good time.”

She laughed, heart pounding as she slammed her foot into the gas and watched the speedometer climbing, climbing…

The car was in fast pursuit, following so closely, they wouldn’t be able to see anything else in front of them but taillights.

She watched the barrier for the river getting closer and closer, then at the last possible second, she finally turned, tires screeching like tortured souls.

The pursuing car had no chance. They slammed through the barrier and went directly into the river below.

She finally slowed down, coming to a stop, panting as her body sang with exhilaration.

“Holy shit.”

She got out of the car to glance over at the sinking vehicle, watching the burst of bubbles as it slid under the surface.

“Guess that’s it then,” she said, turning back.

Sylus was out of the car too, chest heaving with unsteady breaths.

“The suppressors,” she breathed, before he caught her, hemming her in against the car as he trapped her between his arms.

“Sylus—”

“Shh,” he growled, leaning in to breathe in her scent, nuzzling against her neck. His teeth grazed her skin, making her shiver. “Will you run from me, little bird?”

She was still high on adrenaline, and though Sylus was obviously frenzied, he seemed to be in control of himself. She felt her own fever take hold as he nipped at her bare shoulder, playing with the strap on her dress.

“No,” she replied simply.

That was all he needed to hear. He picked her up effortlessly and opened the back of the car, tossing her inside.

She pressed against the opposite door as Sylus crowed in, a growling purr deep in his throat as he leaned in to catch her mouth in a hungry kiss.

His teeth nipped at her lower lip and she tugged on his hair, pulling back briefly to bite at the join of his neck and shoulder.

Sylus groaned and yanked her under him, looming over her as his calloused hand caressed her throat, gentle despite the frenzy burning through his body.

“You’re so perfect,” he whispered huskily, sliding his hand down her body, pausing as he started to slide it under her dress, even in this state, asking permission.

She yanked him closer, capturing his mouth in another kiss as she wrapped her legs around him, locking the heavy boots against his ass.

“Don’t hold back,” she insisted, a little breathless.

Sylus growled, the sound reverberating through his chest. “Sweetie, with you, I couldn’t even if I tried.”

~~~~~~~