IN EOS , THERE’S NO DOUBT WHEN IT COMES TO THE PRESENCE OF GODS . they’ve proven their existence in the power granted to the kings & oracles , men who walk immortal & the plague of daemons . as such , religious belief is less divided in pr*mpto’s world than that of our world : your faith lies not in the question of existence , but in your approach to it , how you view these gods , how you serve or defy them . rather than bodiless , intangible presences , the gods lurk in the tapestries of history & influence every aspect of mortal lives , regardless of kingdom or region . no man is without god or damnation .
NIFLEHEIM & INFLUENCE OF THE FATHER .
however , among the three nations of nifleheim , lucis & tenebrae , nifleheim is the only one that can be considered separated from faith . the people of nifleheim do believe in the gods , but don’t perceive them as the omniscient , all - powerful & perfect beings worthy of worship as those of lucis & tenebrae do . they’re a nation reliant on the power of man & intelligence , invention , science , machinery - in contrast to tenebrae & lucis , which are very much based on magic . thus , they don’t see the gods as abstract beings to devote themselves to , but figures to dominate , destroy , & use to extract control over the surrounding nations .
pr*mpto’s father was no exception to this view . & , in his quest to dominate the deities , influenced his young son . pr*mpto never challenged or questioned these views , accepting them as truths , which he carried into his early childhood . seeing the gods not as gods , but humans , enhanced , vulnerable , conquerable .
LUCIS & INTEGRATION .
lucis , however , is a kingdom of faith & practice . the citizens live by the grace of the gods’ powers , within a safety barrier , maintained by the power of the lucii . to dismiss the gods would be to dismiss the force that protects you every day from the blight of scourge .
& so , pr*mpto has to adjust to these views . & it’s difficult , because it’s not as though the presence of these gods & the materialisation of their power is enough to prove their goodness , only that they exist , which he never doubted to begin with : it is only their authenticity that he questions now , & protection of the people , while it warps his views to a degree , aren’t enough to convince him that the gods are wholly pure & free of malice .
FORMATION OF OWN BELIEFS .
he becomes a cynic in the face of the six . at a young age , when his own ingrained views come into such conflict with the views of those surrounding him , he tries to conform to his surroundings , but already being rather disenchanted in nature , finds it difficult to adapt . it’s n*ctis’ presence in his life that allows him to forge his faith ; he’s disillusioned at this age , yet still maintains child - like naivety in some aspects , & having such respect for his best friend’s position of royalty , is somewhat starry - eyed in regards to the history of the lucis bloodline . the more he learns about n*ctis’ legendary family tree , the mythology related to the construction of eos , the easier he finds it to believe in the goodness of the gods , ( though , more than anything , his faith lies in the king than the gods . ) his views fluctuate in response to his surroundings , periods of trusting divinity fragmented among periods of neutrality as a result of continuous questioning of his own & others’ beliefs , but he becomes indifferent . although , outwardly , he conforms to the beliefs of those surrounding him , his views are underlined by cynicism , & he carries that into adulthood .
before the events of the game , pr*mpto has never met a god , so it’s easier to maintain these beliefs . to the prince , the presence of the six is a normality , yet , the gods’ appearances only serve to damage pr*mpto’s perceptions . titan plagues n*ctis with headaches & attacks them until they break its arm . leviathan destroyed altissia & almost killed all of them . ramuh sent them to near - death in a cave of daemons . all of these served only to make pr*mpto doubt their alliance & compatibility . he finds it difficult to put full faith in beings that seem to only harm them . but , having no choice but to follow n*ctis , he’s forced to put his faith in something . he puts his faith in the king .
ABANDONMENT OF BELIEFS .
it’s when ign*s loses his eyesight & n*ctis gets swallowed by the crystal that pr*mpto truly loses all faith . & he hasn’t even learned of their mistakes yet . it’s during the ten year night that he comes to unravel the legends , the fact that ifrit abandoned the human race , the immortality of the failed lucis caelum king : he comes to realise that his best friend is no more than a vessel for curing the blight the gods have cast , & it enrages him . in an ironic twist , he conforms to the views of his father , not because of his upbringing , but because his rage has lead him to this conclusion : rather than deities , these are beings just like him , flawed in nature & abusive of their power . he doesn’t defy them , but he follows the king & only the king into the light of the new world , never to renew his faith , even as those surrounding him do . his rage pales as time goes on & his grief dulls , but he never does forgive the six for the fate bestowed upon somebody he treasured so .
