IS WAVE THE TRAITOR OF EX LIBRIS?
Disclaimer: I still haven't completely re-read the second season of Cinderella Boy, so this might be all over the place. I'm not examining each episode, I'm going through everything from the top of my head.
I was re-reading the Little Shadows arc to refresh my memory of it, and noticed something I hadn't realized before.
The traitor novice made three wishes, of which we didn't see the two. Now this is somewhat concerning, especially considering what he said later:
He was eager to leave the rest of the keys behind, because he "has enough to secure himself". Which is stupid, because if you don't have all of the keys, you can't wish for anything anymore. This could only mean that he has already wished to gain things that will secure he'll be fine after his escape. Now, what could these things be? Endless money? Food? Protection?
So many possibilities!! But all of it is bullshit actually, because all of these things COULD be wished for in the Order.
No, the novice wanted something greater. He's greedy and risky. He even judged the Order for supposedly having rules over what they were allowed to wish for. Rules he completely dismissed and likely didn't follow.
Which makes me believe that his first two wishes involved immortality, a new identity or remaining youthful forever. This brings me to a theory that recently was presented within the fandom: The traitor of Ex Libris is Wave, the current traitor of the story.
At first I wasn't sure what to think of this theory, because the timeline didn't make sense to me. If the Novice escaped with barely any keys, how could he wish for things like eternal youth or immortality?
I hadn't realized that he had already made wishes unknown to us.
There was one more thing that bothered me with this theory. If Wave really is the traitor, why would he come back? Why would the Old Man even ACCEPT him back after he ruined everything the cult was building for centuries?
I have two possible explanations for this, if that's the case:
1) In my opinion, the Old Man is scared. If Wave really is the traitor novice of Ex Libris and the Old Man hadn't had the chance to wish for immortality before, that means that Wave is the one to get his hands on the keys next. He's young, well aware about what's going on in the Ex Libris and jacked. And the Old Man wouldn't be able to do anything to stop it. Which makes sense if you think about it, because it ties perfectly with his desire to wish for immortality all of a sudden. Why would he need immortality now?? He's old, nobody truly wants to live forever. So why would he?? What if he wants immortality, just because the Novice might have it already and he wants to ensure that he won't use it to gain the keys? What if he found him and keeps him close, because he knows how unpredictable he is?
2) Completely reversed now, even after escaping the Ex Libris, the NOVICE is scared. In Little Shadows he said to Buddy that no one can escape the Ex Libris once they know their secret. And he specified that those who try are silenced. Similar to how Wave mentioned that the Old Man can afford to make people disappear.
So with that out of the way, let's move on to the similarities of Wave and the Novice because unfortunately right now I'm in agreement with the theory. This could change the more I think about it though!!
1. Both of them are traitors.
2. They're relying on manipulation and other people's help to complete their plans.
Wave and the Novice are following the same strategic pattern. Both of them trick the groups by offering help to the ones the deem weaker/most vulnerable in them. With Wave it's Deacon and Prunella and with the Novice it's Nox. They offer what they want the most (Deacon> a listening ear, Prunella> validation, Nox> humanity) and all of it leads back to freedom and independence. The need to help. They both pose as allies, only to take advantage of the fact that the characters feel like they don't belong and stab them in the back.
The Novice said that the only thing the Ex Libris wouldn't expect is someone taking them down from the inside. Just like nobody would expect Deacon and Prunella to accidentally become the tool for the keyholder squad to be taken down from the inside by Wave.
3. They were both wearing cloaks and hoods in their first appearance. Wave also wears the Ex Libris attire (Mr Mischief arc) the Novice is wearing in the flashback. How fitting for him to wear his old clothes once he gets trapped in the cult again.
4. There are constant parallels in what they say/is being said.
a) In Little Shadows we see the line "Everything that night was working out perfectly. At least for one of us." (in ref to the Novice's plan).
That could be a direct reference to Stardust. Buddy insisted that everything needed to go perfectly. CHASE EVEN insisted on it. And everything seemed to be going perfectly that night, only to shutter later, causing damage to everyone involved. Chase's surprise turned bitter, Buddy didn't get to reveal that he's a key, Deacon didn't like the book and is freaking exhausted. For Wave however? Everything was going PERFECTLY. He managed to create a ruckus and got information out of the cast. Just as planned. Everything was working out perfectly that night. At least for one of them.
b) this scene in Little Shadows:
He's questioning if it's necessary to hold the keys that way in Little Shadows. Which could be a reference in Alice In Plunderland and how he was the only one who reacted so much over Chase grabbing him like this. A perfect example of a possible abuser being subjected to what he was questioning when putting his victims through abuse, even if it was accidentally/well meant on Chase's part.
c) Proposing ideas and seeking Buddy's help. Or anybody's help, really, to fulfil them.
Just like in his flashbacks in Little Shadows.
5. Wave knows stuff the Novice knew.
The Novice mentioned in Little Shadows that there's a new hidden room, in which the keys and the narratonin are being stored. He also said that the lower novices (aka the keyholders, because that's the lowest ranked members) aren't even aware it's there. However, Wave (who is supposed to be in the lowest novices) mentioned that very room to Deacon in Stardust. Not only is he not utterly clueless, but he's also heavily involved.
6. The Old Man was able to gain the keys back, which likely means that he found the novice/his heirs. That's a speculation though.
7. Buddy has a weird hatred for Wave. Maybe he's not sure why that is, maybe he's giving him a bad vibe because he's the traitor.
8. Visual similarities
Between Wave-Novice, as well as the environment they exist in, there are many similarities.
Here's their environment. Sturdy ladder like the Novice asked for and similar candle&mirror decorations. Also, they have a similar hair colour and built.
9. The traitor's features are hidden.
The Ex Libris are a cult, so naturally they're wearing creepy cult appropriate robes and stuff when performing their duties. However, one must question, could that only be a stylistic choice? Or is that Punko's way of hiding information in plain sight? We can't see the traitor's eyes and his skin is only viewed without natural light. The only one of the traitor's features that is visible and we can probably somewhat rely on is his beard colour. And the colour is similar to Wave's hair
**MORE STUFF WILL BE ADDED TO THIS**
